Trying to decide about stroller for my kids. Wdw walking takes a lot out of u, especially kids. Mine r 5 and 7. How old is too old. I think they’ll be fine for 75% of the day. It’s the end of the day I wonder about . I dread carrying them back to the hotel.
Hi Donohoe! It’s personal decision. When my DD was 6 and 7 we used a stroller. At the end of the day, it was a lifesaver. And, kept her safe from the mobs of people trying to leave the parks. It also was handy when we had Pre-RD breakfasts. I would have her hop in and relax, since I was waking her up after not enough sleep. Do what is best for your family and ignore anyone who is rude. Be mindful of people who step in front of the stroller. I’ve hit a few people by accident…or so they thought
Too old is when your child can walk without complaining or tells you no way.
I took my 8 and 6 year old last year. No stroller…however I made sure my plan was balanced between walking and resting. That said…personal decision. My kids were wide awake and did not complain much, but as soon as they sat in the car…knocked out sleep! I think this is because we did not have a stroller for them to rest…and it allowed some quiet time.
With that said, I do not think anyone would look down on you for a stroller. At times I wish I had one…not for the kids, but for snacks and water bottles etc.
End of the day…you know your kids…trust your gut. If you can take a stroller with you…do it so that you have a stroller option.
Bonus I told my kids that we were going on a hiking trip six months in advance. We started walking as a family every Saturday to build up endurance for the “hiking” trip…so this helped. I never told them that we were Disney Hiking. If you are not walking for this trip (Adults included)…you should…I recommend it.
We have two 7 year olds who haven’t used a stroller in years except for our trip to Disney last year. When I asked if they wanted one for this coming summer’s trip to Disney they said they definitely did. My husband and I think it made a huge difference in our trip. We never made them sit in it. They could get out and walk anytime. But it allowed them to rest their legs in between rides and sit back and enjoy the sights of the park as we were walking from place to place instead of focusing on making their way through the crowd. It gave us a great place to keep all our stuff. We didn’t think it was a pain at all to have it, but rather a great help. It saved their legs and their energy for long days (even with mid-day breaks) and we never had problems finding parking spots. It was well worth the cost of rental for us. We rented from Kingdom Strollers.
Both our sons are very active and we took long walks to prepare for the trip. I echo others’ suggestion to do that whether you use a stroller or not.
What kind of stroller do you use for older kids?
Our boys are 6 and 8 - we did not get a stroller for our trip two weeks ago, and they were fine. We were very worried about the amount of walking and tried to build their stamina with long walks in the weeks before departure, but the weather didn’t exactly cooperate. I did even consider getting a stroller. However, while in the parks, I was repeatedly thankful I did not get one observing the people with strollers- your pace is sooooo. muuuuuch. slooooooower if you are trying to navigate the crowds with a stroller. We were able to zip in front of so many people with strollers. The walks between rides can be very far, if we were trying to make a tight connection to a show, for instance - it was nice to not be slowed down by the stroller, or have to find your way back to stroller parking from the exit. And our boys never complained about the long walks / long days, at least till the last day. Just another perspective, but I can understand the reasons for choosing one too!
Our children are small enough even at 7 to still fit in the double City Mini. It was very comfortable for them and extremely EASY to push. But they are small for their age so I don’t know about options if they had been too big for those.
At Christmas we went stroller-free with our DD4 and DS6, and we LOVED not having to deal with a stroller. We did have to walk at a slower pace and spend more time resting, but that worked for us. If you are on the fence, or think they might need one for the end of the day, rent or bring one and park it somewhere sort of centrally located and just go get it when you need it or when you’re on your way back out.
Our first trip our boys were 6 and 9 and we did not use a stroller. We did take mid day breaks back at the hotel. My wife wanted to take a stroller but I talked her out of it. She was glad we went without it after seeing how crowded stroller parking was and how it seemed inconvenient. I did have to carry the 6 year old to the bus on a few late nights. It is up to you and there are pluses and negatives.
We went last year with an almost 3 yr old and 5 yr old. We enjoyed having it to push all the extra “stuff” (layers, drinks, backpack). Stroller parking is more than a little annoying as we often had to go out of the way to find it. Also, when crowds are high it can be a pain to get in and out of the stroller areas. However, it was a lifesaver at night and when crowds were high. We have a sit/stand option that I think is convenient for older kids. By standing on the rear seat, my daughter was almost adult height and was able to see around over people without me holding her (Epcot performances, parades, etc). We have a sit/stand option that I think is convenient for older kids. *The stroller felt safer to me when we walked through big crowds at RD or closing.
-Don’t be concerned with what other people might think is too old. I think the true answer to your question is… Too old for a stroller is when HAVING the stroller is a bigger pain than NOT having it.
If you’re kids only complain once at the end of the say and never sit in it… DItch it!
If they’re going to be tired and uncomfortable… Keep it!
You know you’re kids and you’re the one who will be pushing/carrying/encouraging them.
PS- You can always bring it and decide based on the day’s schedule or previous day’s experience.
Good LUCK!