Did you know that at Disney World they offer stroller rentals? No? Tbh, I didn’t either, until some good friends of ours were planning a trip to Disney. I was (of course) asking for all the details of their planning as we were planning a Disney trip right after, and we started talking about strollers.
“We’re renting a stroller,” she said. “Oh, like through a company?” I asked. “No, they have strollers there on-site at Disney for you to rent,” she told me.
And to be honest, for her and her family, it made sense. Her kids were older than ours (4 and 7), and so their stroller strategy was completely different from what ours needed to be. At the time of our trip, our kids would be 6 months and 3.5 years old (very different from elementary-aged).
So, I give you a tale of two families, and two completely different Disney stroller strategies, in hopes that it might help you choose which option best fits YOUR family!
Renting a Stroller
These are hard-shelled yellow buggies, which you pay to rent for the day. You can rent a single or double-stroller version at each park in Disney World (and pre-pay as well for multiple day visits). These are first-come, first-serve, so you are not necessarily guaranteed a stroller just because you’re visiting a park that day.
Now, for this family, this strategy makes perfect sense. They have kiddos who are old enough to walk for most of the day, and also if they aren’t able to secure a stroller for that day, it’s not the end of the world. They don’t have a diaper bag nor extra clothes, they’re not bringing bottles nor extra snacks… They’re riding rides and truly walking through the whole park. The stroller is more of a “just in case” a kiddo gets extra tired or grumpy, then they can have a quick sit in between attractions.
You cannot take these strollers out of the park (aka you can’t use them for transport when walking into a park, or from your hotel to the park, etc.), and it’s not going to help you with transport outside of Disney, or the parking lots.
Bringing a Stroller
This is whatever type of stroller you currently travel with, and yes, it is one more thing to pack with you.
But, you can pack the stroller with all the items you need for comfort in the park. The stroller almost became our diaper bag, tbh, and held diapers, wipes, extra clothes, and let an adult not have to worry about packing nor wearing a backpack.
Full transparency, for trams and buses you will need to fold this stroller up, which you need to consider when “packing” said stroller. We used reusable bags and brought the items (wipes, etc.) in the bags until after the tram or bus, and then unpacked the bags and items into the stroller.
BUT, for a family with a 6 month old and a 3.5 year old, the idea of not having a stroller would not be possible- what if we came to the park a bit late that day, and all the strollers were already rented out? Literally our day would be over before it began.
So what decision did we make?
Finding out that it was first-come, first-serve was enough for me, and we chose to bring our stroller.
The other consideration you should know- since it is a hard, plastic buggy seat, it can be more difficult for napping. With a 6 month old, stroller naps were part of our park strategy. It is what would allow us to actually be out in the park, and an adult could ride a ride while the other sat with a napping baby in the stroller. Our stroller DID lay back fairly far, and we added a shade cover as well to help our youngest fall asleep.
So… which decision would we make today?
If we were traveling to Disney World tomorrow, I know we would probably need a stroller at points for our youngest, but I’m not sure we would be willing to add the extra baggage and packing in getting there. So honestly, tomorrow, we might choose to rent a stroller. They’re not going to nap, we’re not bringing extra clothes, and we can pack a small backpack with snacks and waters.
There you have it. Bringing a stroller, versus renting a stroller.
