First time Disney with 6 and 3yo, do we need a stroller?

[diamond]

If yes, a single stroller good gift 3yo? And 6yo can walk ok? Or will we need a double stroller for both ?.

[sariana]

World or Land? I think you could get by with a single in CA. I haven't been to DW in FL in a couple of decades, but I would guess you might want a double there.

[lalasmama]

Yes, you'll want a stroller. If you don't have it, you'll regret it, even for the 6yo. I think 6 is really on the general gray area, but by the end of the night, you'll want it.

[ett]

We went to Disneyworld last year when DS2 was 6 and didn't use a stroller. He was fine walking all day. But then, DS2 has not rode in a stroller since he was 3.

[AnnieW625]

We sold our double stroller right before Dd1 turned 6 after she said she didn't need it any longer at Disneyland so we made her do an entire day without it and she did okay. We used to have passes so we would go for 4 to 6 hrs. most times. If you are staying on the park grounds you might be able to get away with a single, but if you are staying further away then you might need it even if you are just walking to and from the parks. I only have experience with Disneyland and have never been to Disneyworld.

[acmom]

For Disneyworld, I would def. get a single and possibly a double, especially if you plan on doing full days and time at the parks at night. We are going next week with my 6 and 4 year old and we rented a double (and have done the same the last couple years). I'm sure they will walk a lot of the time, but we still think it is worth it to have the stroller for tired times, evenings, crowded areas, getting to and from the buses, monorail quickly etc. It also makes a nice seat to sit down and have a snack, play something while waiting for the parade and of course, it holds lots of stuff so we don't have to carry it! If we didn't plan to do fairly full days or time at night, I might consider just a single, but it is a LOT of walking, some in big crowds. I'm guessing by our next trip, we can just do the single, but this time, we are going with the double again since as PP said, 6 is sort of a gray area for needing it and the double isn't that much more $ or much harder to push.

[KrisM]

It'll depend on the kid. DS2 was 5.5 at WDW and he did fine with no stroller. The only time it would have been nice was first thing in the morning when we were fast walking to the first line. Maybe 1 night he also got carried a bit. But, we just took breaks if needed.

[egoldber]

I think the length of the trip and when you are going plays a big factor. If you are going when it is really hot, it is much harder on the little kids IMO. Also, WDW is a LOT of walking. On a several day trip, if you plan to be at the parks several hours each day, heck *I* want a stroller LOL!!!

My younger DD really never used a stroller once she was past toddler age. This last summer when she was 7 (almost 8), we went to WDW in August. We were there for 6 nights. On the 4th day she begged for a stroller. I rented one for one day and honestly it was a great idea. She had a day to rest her legs (feet) and that was what she needed.

For a 3 year old, definitely plan on a stroller. Do you have one with a ride on ability for the 6 year old? They probably don't need one all day, but it can be nice for them to hop on so you can power walk somewhere or get them out of a crowd.

[brittone2]

I think the length of the trip and when you are going plays a big factor. If you are going when it is really hot, it is much harder on the little kids IMO. Also, WDW is a LOT of walking. On a several day trip, if you plan to be at the parks several hours each day, heck *I* want a stroller LOL!!!

My younger DD really never used a stroller once she was past toddler age. This last summer when she was 7 (almost 8), we went to WDW in August. We were there for 6 nights. On the 4th day she begged for a stroller. I rented one for one day and honestly it was a great idea. She had a day to rest her legs (feet) and that was what she needed.

For a 3 year old, definitely plan on a stroller. Do you have one with a ride on ability for the 6 year old? They probably don't need one all day, but it can be nice for them to hop on so you can power walk somewhere or get them out of a crowd.

Agree. We took a trip in Feb with an almost 4 yo, a newly 7 yo, and an almost 10 yo. I knew I wanted a stroller for the youngest. What I did was to rent two singles, as that way I could leave one if we didn't find we needed it or if navigating with it was too difficult. I was sooooooooooo happy to have a stroller for my 7yo, TBH. I strongly suspected we might want one for DD, as she is a really happy and easy going kid....except for when she's tired and/or hungry. Then, well, she can be a challenge to put it mildly. She rode a lot. None of my kids were ever big stroller riders in general (preferred slings), and none of them rode in the stroller past age 3 other than for long, all day event type of situations or when I needed them in there so I could walk for exercise or something.

We were not there during the hottest part of the year; the highest temps during our trip were around 80-83. It rained a lot one day and it was nice to have them under cover :) I liked having everyone contained after we left the fireworks; it was a pain to push a stroller, but at the same time, it was really nice to know they were contained. My DS1 was awesome and offered to push DD and DS2 quite a bit, so that was very sweet and helpful.

We rented from Apple and paid under 100 for the week for two singles. I would pay 50 bucks just to have the option in the future. I don't know if I would have preferred a double in our situation; I was pretty happy with two singles.

[123LuckyMom]

For Disney WORLD I definitely would take a double. Most of the time the 6 year old won't ride, but at night, after the fireworks, they'll both probably fall asleep in it. We clocked our Disney walking at about 13-16 miles each day. That's a lot of walking. Also, we arrived early, rested midday, and stayed late. Our then 4.5 year old refused to nap midday, though we grown-ups did! He fell asleep in the stroller on the way back to the park each day, so that's when we rode the big coasters.

During the day he often wanted to take just a brief rest in the stroller when walking from one land to another. It meant we could move more quickly, too. If we were going again this year, we'd bring our double. DS just turned 6. If nothing else, I wouldn't want to have to dole out stroller time between the two kids. They're both likely to be tired at the same time, so having a seat for each means no carrying and no jealousy over one being able to sit and the other having to walk. (I'm the only one who'd be jealous. Sometimes I really want a stroller at Disney!!!) The other reason to bring it is not about the kids' comfort. When crowds are crazy, like after parades or fireworks, I liked having the stroller for safety. A 6 year old would probably be fine, but I might have worried about losing track of my 4.5 year old.

[wendibird22]

We went to WDW last winter with a 6.5yo and newly (as in 2 weeks prior) 4yo and didn't use a stroller at all. We did 5 parks in 5 days and were there for rope drop each day. Never needed one, never had a kid ask for one or complain of walking, and were soooooo glad to not have to deal with stroller parking while fighting epic crowd levels.

[MSWR0319]

We're going in Feb with a 6 yo and almost 3 yo. I'm getting a double. I don't expect DS1 to ride all the time, but I know he will ride sometimes, especially towards the end of the trip.

[twodogs]

I would definitely do a double, especially if WDW, which has an incredible amount of walking compared to DL (but both have a lot). I would not do a cheapo umbrella stroller, which is tempting because you will want to hose it down or possible toss it afterwards! I would rent an air tire double from one of the local companies such as Kingdom Stroller, Orlando Stroller Rental (both of which I have used and loved). It will be much easier to push with two kiddos in it, they deliver to your hotel, pick up from your hotel, usually offer free (Kingdom) or rentable (Orlando) rain cover (critical in WDW any time of year), and much more comfortable to push. It was only about $80-100 for the double for the week, and it was the best money we spent, bar none (we had kiddos ages 4& 6 one year, 5& 7 the next). We did do DL this year with them ages 6 & 8 and we did not rent a stroller. They did fine, but it is much less walking and was a shorter overall trip.

PS our first WDW trip when they were 4 & 6, I only rented a single because our 6 year old hadn't been in a stroller in years. The first night, she was crying, etc, and I instant messaged the stroller company (Kingdom Strollers, I am forever in your debt) at midnight to try to get a double. They answered (!) and put it together overnight, had it at my hotel at 0600 the next morning!! Again, best money ever spent.

[HannaAddict]

Double or two Maclarens. We did two Maclarens based on posts from this board and totally worked. Easier and lighter than flying with our big double. We did take our Versa to Legoland via plane and had three kids on board but it was much less crowded than Disney and we didn't leave it and all go on rides like at Disney. At Disney, our tall five and a half year old rode in the single during parts of the day and he never rode in town.