Am I crazy?

[newestkg06]

We went with boys at 4&7yo and rented a double stroller. It a total double edged sword. We rented a car, so no bus hassles with folding it up, but it was a pain to get through crowds and to have to go find it. But, it was great to have them take breaks from their feet and to store water/snacks, ponchos, etc. I was totally looking forward to not having one for our next trip. We'll be going in August so heat is a factor here too.
Our next trip with have boys at 7 & 10. There is no way I would pay for a stroller this time. However, we were about to sell our BOB Revolution (which holds up to 65lbs) on craigslist, when it occurred to me that we could bring it along to carry a cooler with waters, hold souvenirs, ponchos, etc. I've been struggling with finding the right size bag to carry everything and sort of dreading schlepping everyone's stuff. I was going to just not bring water (grab free from counter service) and scale way back on stuff.
The stroller would be a pain in the airport, but again we'd be renting a car, so not much of a pain in terms of buses. We also do a few PPO breakfasts and rope drop, so parking trams aren't an issue.
I could see my 7 yo wanting to ride after a long day, maybe even the 10 yo with the heat. We could then also bring our spray fans and flip flops in case of rain (which I wouldn't bother with if I had to carry it).
I'm just really torn if it's worth the hassle to have. To be honest, getting to carry a smaller bag in August might be worth it.
WWYD?

 

[DrunkJam]

We're taking a 4 and 11 yr old, and won't be using a stroller. It's just too much hassle. If they can't cope with the walking, they can't do the ride / experience etc at the end of it. This is not harsh, we don't drive, and so, they are expected to walk at home too, if they want to go somewhere too near for the bus or train to go.
Strollers are a pain!

 

[Marionnette]

We went with boys at 4&7yo and rented a double stroller. It a total double edged sword. We rented a car, so no bus hassles with folding it up, but it was a pain to get through crowds and to have to go find it. But, it was great to have them take breaks from their feet and to store water/snacks, ponchos, etc. I was totally looking forward to not having one for our next trip. We'll be going in August so heat is a factor here too.
Our next trip with have boys at 7 & 10. There is no way I would pay for a stroller this time. However, we were about to sell our BOB Revolution (which holds up to 65lbs) on craigslist, when it occurred to me that we could bring it along to carry a cooler with waters, hold souvenirs, ponchos, etc. I've been struggling with finding the right size bag to carry everything and sort of dreading schlepping everyone's stuff. I was going to just not bring water (grab free from counter service) and scale way back on stuff.
The stroller would be a pain in the airport, but again we'd be renting a car, so not much of a pain in terms of buses. We also do a few PPO breakfasts and rope drop, so parking trams aren't an issue.
I could see my 7 yo wanting to ride after a long day, maybe even the 10 yo with the heat. We could then also bring our spray fans and flip flops in case of rain (which I wouldn't bother with if I had to carry it).
I'm just really torn if it's worth the hassle to have. To be honest, getting to carry a smaller bag in August might be worth it.
WWYD?

I would ditch the stroller idea and make everyone carry their own stuff in a sports bag. I would have all souvenir purchases either sent to my hotel (if staying onsite) or forwarded to the front of the park if I wasn't. There's no way that I would spend my energy pushing a tired 10-year old in a stroller in a hot park. You'll find it so much easier to tour the parks without having people jump in front of your stroller as you try to work your way through a crowd or find it among the sea of parked strollers after a CM moved it. And you won't get as worn out from pushing the darn thing in the heat all day.

 

[Klayfish]

We have a $15 Wal-Mart umbrella specifically for carrying things. We call it our "gear stroller". Our kids are 13, 9, 9, so they no longer need a stroller to ride in...though we did have them ride all the way up until the oldest was 10 and the twins were 7. However, we don't eat in the restaurants. We pack our own food. Therefore, when we're in the parks for dinner, we're packing a full dinner for 5. DW makes a salad for herself, I'll have cut up chicken breast, the kids may have the same (or something like nuggets), enough veggies for the kids and I, a side of mac/cheese, drinks for everyone, maybe dessert...then ice packs to keep it all cold. When fully loaded, the insulated bag we use is huge and quite heavy. No way we're carrying that thing around. It fits perfectly in the seat of an umbrella stroller, and we just put the handles of the food bag around the stroller handles, which keeps it from falling. DW also carries a smaller canvas bag that has ponchos, the kids autograph books, our phone power banks, etc... We sling that on the stroller and have nothing in our hands. It sounds like a hassle, but I'm telling you from years of doing it that it's amazingly simple. Often, we'll just park the stroller somewhere near where we're going to eat dinner and leave it there until we're ready to eat. If we're only doing a short day, with no meals in the park, we don't bring it. But most of the time, we do. It just makes it easy.

No way would I have the kids carry their stuff in a backpack, or DW or I carry it. Forget it. The stroller is so much easier. The kids love pushing it too, they fight over who's turn it is.

We stay offsite, so we have our car.

I very highly recommend a stroller.

 

[Calee]

I would ditch the stroller.

 

[Daniela Rose]

There is no way i would bring a stroller at those ages. Everyone carries their own stuff.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

I would have everyone carry their own stuff that way it's not too much for one person to handle. You're not going to want to leave souvenirs or anything else that is valuable in the stroller when you're on rides, in shows, etc. Having each person carry a small backpack with a couple bottles of water and a poncho shouldn't really be too heavy for anyone.

I would also like to caution if you do decide to bring the stroller, pay attention to the weight limits. Overloading them with kids and gear over the posted limits can cause them to break. I've seen the seam of a seat split with an older child in it and on a separate occasion, saw a wheel come off. I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt.

 

[loves to dive]

I would go without. There really shouldn't be that much stuff to carry. If you are staying on site you have your MBs for tickets, you can get free water in the parks and have anything you buy sent back to the resort so no need to carry around that. Ponchos can be folded up and put in pockets. Anything medical over the counter you need you can get from first aid. The boys are old enough they shouldn't need a change of clothes or anything and if the youngest gets too tired for words, go back to the resort and rest.

 

[newestkg06]

I would love for the kids to carry their own stuff, but I'll be honest, they are very likely to leave their bag somewhere (like on a ride or lunch table). I don't want to be constantly reminding them to have their bags or worse have them have a meltdown after they leave it somewhere.
I agree that it is crazy to have a stroller for that age of kids (that's why we were selling it!, we haven't used it in over a year and then only for the zoo).
I guess I'll ask DH if he would rather carry a backpack (which he didn't have to last time) or deal with the stroller.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

I would not bring a stroller. I think the last time my daughter used a stroller was at age 3. We went on Disney trip when she was 4, no stroller, did just fine.

 

[Tattylou]

My 7 year old will have a stroller as an option next time we go. He never uses a stroller at home, but Disney is different. He will likely only use it later in the day when he's tired, but I will definitely be carrying stuff in it too (waters, sunscreen, etc).
The carry your own stuff concept is great, but definitely my 7 and 9 y/o kids would eventually leave it somewhere, be complaining, swinging it wildly in a crowd, etc. That isn't worth the hassle. Once he doesn't need a stroller than I guess one adult will just carry a bigger bag.

 

[adisneyaunt]

Ditch the stroller. The kids are big enough to know when they need down time.. grab a seat, bench, relaxing ride and take in the sights/sounds.
Anything else needed/required... why not rent a locker.
I really think less is more at a park but the lockers work in a pinch.
Enjoy!

 

[katyjeka]

We never carry anything into a park so no stroller needed. My dh puts a sharpie in his pocket and the girls wear their baseball hats to be autographed so we are bag free. I don't miss hunting for our stroller amongst the sea of strollers. If we have our daughter in a princess dress her change of clothing fits in a backpack but this is only once or twice in a two week trip.

 

[TwinkleKS]

Ditch the stroller, ditch the stuff you are schlepping, have purchases sent back to the hotel or make the kids carrying them (if you want it now you carry it). Mom of three kids here ages 8,8, and 6. I go with a very small crossbody bag that holds my stuff and DH has his billfold. That's it. I ditched bags once the kids were out of diapers. Strollers were gone maybe the next year ... My kids know if they want one of those stupid water bottle fans they better be prepared to carry it all day (sorry those things drive me up the wall for some reason).

 

[buzznina]

We have taken at least a single stroller, then a sit-n-stand stroller on many WDW trips and absolutely love having it. We drive to WDW but rather use Disney transportation and have never had any issues with buses (which we take almost all the time) and folding our stroller. It was soooo much easier to tell our youngest to hop in when we needed to get somewhere in a hurry, or when they were tired and not have to stop for 15 minutes. We usually closed the parks and all I can say is that our DDs never had melt downs at the end of the day, unlike many other families we saw or the parent having to carry a heavy child I am probably twice the age of a lot of parents but I am not that lazy that I cannot deal with a stroller. Why would I want to waste park time by taking the long trip back to the resort, when our DD could just sit while we are strolling through the parks. We also like taking snacks etc. that the stroller holds without us carrying them. I much rather deal with a family with a stroller then those with those giant backpacks sticking out real far. I have never been hit by a stroller standing in line but we sure have by people with backpacks. JMO

 

[Sarah Marie]

We have a 4,6,9 year old and wont be doing a stroller. If we find we need to we will just get an umbrella one. Everyone will have one of these:
Drawstring BackPack
Mine just came in Yesterday. I got red and plan to put white polka dots on it.
We plan to get the hooks to hook our water bottles to it at the bottom. We are staying on property so we will have souvenirs sent to our room. The bag will basically hold poncho, change of closes, flip flops for when it rains (keep the sneakers dry) wipes, autograph books.

 

[Smittolis]

lol at all the Stroller hate....

If you think it will be a benefit then bring it, strollers are not neceesarily a burden and definietly aren't some humongous anchor that hold you back around the parks. Granted, if you need to fold it up once or twice to get on and off the bus it can be more 'difficult' than not having one, but by the same token you can easily say that having the stroller allows you enjoy the best of both worlds.... Park it up in one of the stroller parks and leave all your gear you don't need on it. No need to have kids and parents be sherpa's around the park with all their gear, whether this be a larger pack or a smaller drawstring bag like above ... yet if you want the convenience of having the kids relax and take a break in the stroller then you have it.

It's really interesting how so many people on this board see that forcing your kids to go without a stroller is like some right of passage, almost like an aborigine 'walkabout' lol

I can see the elements of convenience of not having one, but there are also many plus sides to that very same argument. In the end do what is best for you and your kids, it doesn't really matter what people on here think ;o)

 

[TwinkleKS]

I don't have stroller hate, we used them when the kids were little. I don't torture my kids by making them
walk. We had one kid get sick when they were younger and rented a stroller for the day. They are old enough to do it at 8 and 6. I didn't carry anyone two weeks ago and they never complained they were too tired to walk. The run at soccer, basketball, lacrosse, etc. so they can handle walking from ride to ride. And hey call me a cruel person but if your 8 (and really to big for a stroller) your butt can walk.

My comment is more directed toward using the stroller to haul stuff (versus a young child). I've personally never seen the need for taking that much stuff into the parks. That's just not the type of person I am. I took teenagers once that thought they needed backpacks ... and then they tried to pawn their crap on me every time they rode something. Over the years I have personally found for us it isn't necessary.

 

[newestkg06]

I totally understand both sides of this, and am guilty of the stroller hate too. My younger is a bit of a whiner about walking (we do hikes and he's always slower and complaining even after just 5 minutes). We'll see if he outgrows that. If not, I think we'll bring it and see if we need it.

 

[DrunkJam]

I really don't have stroller hate, we used them when the kids were small, but, our life style is such that, since we have to get on an off busses / trains and walk a lot in our daily life, it is something that the children need to be able to do. having the stroller makes things much harder. I took one on the plane when DD was very small, and it was a nightmare. Security in JFK wanted me to fold a pushchair, not put a 6mo down, marshall a 7yo autistic boy through security, and manage cabin bags and taking off everyone's shoes and coats etc ALL AT THE SAME TIME with zero assistance.
Life without a stroller is way easier than that. FOR US.
Walking is part of life, we don't have a commando touring style. We are always ready to ditch the park and go somewhere quiet / back to the room if people have had enough and need a rest, but, like everywhere else, we expect the children to be able to walk, in order for them to access the world around them.