Renting double stroller: InStep Safari or Graco DuoGlider

[writermama]

I'm thinking of renting a double stroller for our upcoming trip to Disney World from a company that drops the stroller off at your hotel.

They offer a choice between a regular side by side double or a jogger. It looks like the regular stroller is an Graco DuoRider and the jogger looks like an InStep Safari with a front swivel wheel -- I've never seen either in person. It looks like the jogger is slightly more expensive, but not enough of a difference to be a deciding factor.

DDs will be 3 1/2 years old and a 9 months old at the time of our trip. I'd like a stroller comfortable enough for them to nap. Good storage is a bonus. We will have a car, so we won't be taking the busses.

Which stroller do you think would be the better one for our trip?

Edit to add more info to title.

[hardysmom]

Personally, the DuoGlider would drive me nuts.

The Safari is a good stroller, though I don't know a lot about Disney. We are going in April and I am bringing our MBUD. From all I have heard, there isn't an issue with width- you have to park strollers outside of restaurants/attractions. Safari would DEFINATELY be easier to maneuver in crowds.

My kids don't really sleep in strollers regularly, but if they are exhausted, they'll crash in anything.

Stephanie

[egoldber]

I think either would be fine. Both types of doubles can be seen all over WDW. Just FYI, even with a car, you will need to fold your stroller for all parking lot trams and the train that goes around the Magic Kingdom. Some of the smaller resort boats (like from the MK to the Grand Floridian) also require you to fold your stroller.

We generally walk to the park entrance (instead of taking the tram) for all parks except the MK, and even then we sometimes walk if the weather is nice and we parked relatively close to the front. But at the MK, you have to take either a ferryboat or the monorail from the TTC (Transportation and Ticket Center) to the park entrance. If you take the bus (or monorail if staying at a MK area resort) from your hotel to the MK, you get to skip the TTC and get dropped off directly in front of the main park entrance.

[writermama]

Ah! I'd forgotten about the parking trams at the TTC/MK. Last time we went to WDW, we had a special AAA parking pass, so we walked from the car to the TTC. We also almost always just walk up to Epcot and MGM (good parking karma almost always puts us close enough to walk).

I think when we do the car to parking tram walk, we can put the baby in a sling, have DD#2 walk, and just carry/roll the folded stroller to the tram, so I think either would work fine. It would be a little trickier heading back to the car from the park, though. Hmm. I may have to get myself to a store where I can test the folds.

Also, from reviews, this place rents strollers that are very clean and relatively new, so squeaky-wheel type problems that I've heard of with Gracos may be less of an issue than with older strollers. The only place I can think of off-hand where big air tires would be needed is the trolley tracks on Main Street in the MK ... everything else is pretty smooth, if I recall correctly.

Thanks so much for helping me think this through.

[egoldber]

"I think when we do the car to parking tram walk, we can put the baby in a sling, have DD#2 walk, and just carry/roll the folded stroller to the tram, so I think either would work fine. It would be a little trickier heading back to the car from the park, though."

This is our typical plan. After we get out of the car, I put baby in the sling directly and hand carry our stuff to the tram. After we get out of the tram at the TTC, then I put stuff in the stroller basket.

I like to keep whatever I am carrying in (extra diapers, snacks) in plastic shopping bags. That way its easy to just grab the whole bag rather than trying to find places to put things when they are just laying in the stroller basket. It also makes it easier to go through security since everything is contained.

Regular stroller wheels are totally fine. Disney knows EXACTLY who their customer is LOL!! ;)