Stroller - bring or rent

[wvjules]

We will be flying from DC. A direct flight and DCA is a fairly small airport. We are definitely using a stroller because DGS will only be 20 months old. I'm trying to decide whether to bring his stroller and gate check it (Graco Modes 3 Lite XT so light enough to be gate checked), or whether it would just be better to rent one.

How far is it from the AA terminals to ME? I think that may be the only time we'd need the one from home?

Which option do you do and why?

Thanks.

 

[Klayfish]

I'm cheap, so I'm very much in the camp of bringing your own. We're close enough now that we drive (7 hours), but when our kids were little we lived in Philly so we always flew down. We always brought the strollers. Sure, it's a minor inconvenience to transport, but there are plenty of people at the airport to help with that if you want/need. Heck, we had a few trips where we had: a single stroller for our oldest, a double stroller for the twins, two car seats (for the twins) on top of all of our luggage. However, that's what airport attendants are for. A nice $20 tip and we had everything brought for us right to the rental car terminal (we stay offsite and rented a minivan). To us, why pay $20 or $30/day for something you already have? Just our opinion, but renting is a waste of money.

 

[EdnaMarieMode]

We bring our own. It's compact and flies well so I can't really justify the cost of renting because of convenience (it's no hassle at the airport, so renting costs me $ for something I already have that isn't presenting a problem to begin with). My main reason is that I like having the stroller for use at the airport. It's the easiest way to contain DS2 until the flight boards, and once we land. I also like knowing all of the "quirks" of my own stroller.

I also don't love the Disney rentals (or the fact that they don't leave the parks so that means carrying DS2 around on non-park days, and to/ from the busses/ boats) but renting from an off-site company does solve that problem (mentioning that for anyone who is deciding whether to rent as well as from where).

 

[Ben E N]

I just bring my own because:
1. It's cheaper
2. It's a lot easier to push a young child through the airport than to carry one.
3. You don't have to worry about pickup and drop off at the hotel
4. It would seem less stressful if my own stroller got damaged or stolen than if one I was renting had that happen to it.

 

[jo-jo]

Is baby going to be a lap baby or have his own seat, if so then you need car seat. I'd be bringing the stroller, just to lug around the carseat. We let the kids walk in airport to burn off energy and use stroller to carry backpacks.

 

[Ben E N]

Is baby going to be a lap baby or have his own seat, if so then you need car seat. I'd be bringing the stroller, just to lug around the carseat. We let the kids walk in airport to burn off energy and use stroller to carry backpacks.

You wouldn't need a carseat if taking all Disney transport

 

[KrazeeK120]

You wouldn't need a carseat if taking all Disney transport

For a 20 month old, you’d need it on the airplane.

 

[sponica]

I'm in the camp of bringing your own because you're used to it. We flew American and I was sooo grateful we had the stroller at MCO.

ETA: I don't know how long it actually was to get to the magical express, but that it felt like an eternity.

 

[jo-jo]

For a 20 month old, you’d need it on the airplane.

Yes, thank you, that's what I meant on the plane.

 

[MooseBucks]

We bring our own mainly because we’re cheap and why waste money on somthing you already have (I’d rather get a couple of extra Mickey ice creams!) plus it’s great in the airport if a flight is late or early... ends up delayed etc. and it’s handy to hold carry ons if the kids want to walk.

 

[Ben E N]

Yes, thank you, that's what I meant on the plane.

Oh I see. The wording wasn't clear to me. If they have their own seat, then a car seat is required. If they are on a lap, it is not.

 

[MooseBucks]

Oh I see. The wording wasn't clear to me. If they have their own seat, then a car seat is required. If they are on a lap, it is not.

A car seat is recommended on an airplane however they are not required regardless if the child has their own seat and is normally in a car seat (hopefully they will be required some day since it’s safest).

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Bring your own.

 

[Smittolis]

I have done both, my preference is always to bring one, but this last time we had a 'Home Alone - KEVIN' moment, we got to the airport and got to check in and I said 'Stroller......STROLLER!!!!' haha.. I had left it at home in the garage lol So we rented one, exact same model, and it was great. The only negative is that you do not have it to use at the airport as it is picked up prior to then from Bell Services.

The only thing I found was that our rented City Mini GT Double was a newer model than hours and as such the seats were a tad narrower than our older model, other than that it was great! We have 3 kids so not having a stroller to contain everything at the airport can be an issue, but if you only have the one it could be workable. If I had the choice? I'd always bring my own, but getting away with out it also workable these days.

Hope that helps

 

[wvjules]

Thanks everyone. I think we will just bring his from home. It will be much easier at the airports. I was just thinking of cutting down on "stuff" but that only makes sense if it is still convenient.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Thanks everyone. I think we will just bring his from home. It will be much easier at the airports. I was just thinking of cutting down on "stuff" but that only makes sense if it is still convenient.

I think you made a good choice. It will definitely be helpful in the airports. I didn't start renting strollers at WDW until DS had outgrown a stroller for daily life at home and we were only using one in the parks.

 

[MissManda]

When we took our 18 month old, we brought our stroller from home and gate checked it at the airport. Unfortunately the stroller was somehow severely damaged during the flight. So we ended up renting one for the week and made do on the return trip without a stroller.

When we went the following year we just rented again and took our chances at the airport. It worked out just fine.

When flying, we did not use a car seat but we got a CARES harness and that worked great for us. It’s easy to use and he was very comfortable for the flight (granted the flight was only 1 1/2 hours). If you aren’t using the car seat I would highly recommend this option. I felt that he was a lot more secure than with the standard seat belt.

 

[Artzy9]

We rented so we could get a more comfortable double stroller. Our small stroller doesn't have great storage. You can rent a Baby Jogger stroller with a large basket underneath to carry all your things.

 

[GoofyCoaster]

We rent a stroller from one of the stroller companies. They deliver to and pickup from bell services at the resort. We’ve also rented the large hard plastic strollers in the park but prefer the City mini GT that is popular with the rental companies. With the private companies you also have the stroller for use at the resort. It’s nice being able to push your little one in the stroller to the bus or monorail and also to the pool or restaurants.
For us, the convenience of renting is worth not dealing with bringing a stroller through the airport and park’n’ride shuttle.
And like a previous poster, we’ve had stroller and car seats damaged during airline baggage handling before.

 

[TheSpooph]

We’ve traveled with our single City Mini and love having a home base for whoever is littlest at the time. It’s compact(ish) and easy to travel with. I would bring it again instead of renting in a heartbeat.

This time around I am debating bringing our double City Mini... I think we have flown with it once but I can’t remember for sure. That one is big enough that I’m not sure I want to hassle with it at gate check, in the rental car, storing it during our cruise... I’m on the fence to rent one for the days I need to avoid the hassle!!

Now I just need to figure out how much that hassle is actually worth... So I totally know how you feel!