I was talking with my daughter last night and asked her about a stroller. She said if we got her a stroller now, she would be embarrassed. She is 8 and will be 9 when we go. (For the record, I said we may go when she is 11 or 12 - they don’t know about this trip). I am concerned that I will hear “My feet hurt!!!” so much throughout the trip, especially on the last days. I have twins and didn’t ask the other. Should I get one stroller and let them split it? Should I just see how it goes and rent stroller on the fly if that happens?
Just curious as to what everyone thinks.
For us, we did not get a stroller past the age of 4.
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And how did they hold up? Was it worse toward the end of the trip?
I wouldn’t get a stroller for a kid older than 5. My 7yo did RD to late evening (not always park close) with no midday break for 13 days in a row in July heat. He’d have died of shame if we got him a stroller and I never once wished we had one.
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Our kids were always fine without. When they were little, our days were much more abbreviated than they are now. I didn’t get to see Wishes until my son was 8 (hes our youngest) and I always hated that a little bit but I knew when they got older we would get to do other things (and I was right, and now THEY don’t want to miss the nighttime shows).
I always found there was plenty of sitting that we did, whether on rides, in shows, or having a meal. And we could always stop and rest if we wanted to (thought I don’t remember us doing it).
There was no whining (and my son is a total whine bag, even now) I think because we kept our expectations reasonable. We took long midday breaks, ate regularly, and walked more slowly.
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This sounds like the way to go. If they get tired, maybe we just need to head over to Carousel for a 20 minute break. Maybe do that 2 or 3 times in a row:)
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Yeah there’ s NO WAY my kids would have gotten in a stroller at age 8 or 9.
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Mine did when we went 2 years ago at age 6. And it convinced me that it was a LIFESAVER. That’s why I would even consider it now. I just don’t want to hear about how much their feet hurt or then sit down on the ground in the middle of the line.
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First trip for our family my kids were 4 and 8. We did not use a stroller. My DH did give the 4 year old a piggy back ride out of HS after Fantasmic. He also fell asleep on the bus to DS because he refused to nap after Typhoon Lagoon. Other than that he did great. This past trip the kids were 6 and 9. I had learned the best flow for our family and the kids did even better.
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DS was in one at least part of the time until he was 8…but he’s got a neuromuscular condition that makes it harder for him to stamina-wise, so to limit the walking and standing we used one. He was tiny (and still is at 10) so he fit perfectly fine in the Citi-Mini’s we rented (because we were no longer using them at home and didn’t have one). He toughs it out now, but there are still days where he wishes he had the option to ride!
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My 7 yo made a scene when I told him we would bring his stroller. The first day was not even finished and he was already thanking me for bringing it. 
My answer to your question would be 18 years old I think… 
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That’s what I thought after last trip. I am sure they will be wore out by the end of our trip. And I don’t want half the day listening to “When can I sit down?” Having a stroller helps, if only for a few minutes at a time.
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I’ve been known to thrown a petite 10 yo into a stroller to exit safely, but it was rented for the 4&6 yo’s.
This last trip to DLR I had one for my 6&8 yo’s. Now, there were plenty of times neither was in it, but for 16 hour park days they’d use it on and off or during the parade.
I love strollers. I like to bring stuff. 
You know… if someone wants a stroller for their 16 year old I don’t care. Do what works for you.
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The child doesn’t want it though. If they won’t use it, is it still worth the cost and inconvenience?
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Oh, I most definitely will. I don’t give two hoots what other people think. My daughter might, but I care a lot more about getting the most out of our Disney days than what some stranger I’ll never see again thinks.
I’m just wondering from the perspective of - does it save time because kids can’t handle the long days? Does it slow you down because you have to look for the stroller after every ride?
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As @jflafond_869328 mentioned, I think my kids might be happy later on. I’m not sure though.
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By the time he/she is 18 years old, you will need a stroller. Teens are exhausting…and as for the Uni years:fearful:. 
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Personally, even though the stroller parking situation is not fun, I am 100% sure it saved us time and energy. No way my son could have followed me walking and no way my back could have survived keeping him on my shoulders all the time. The stroller also replaces a backpack (I have one with room under the seat). Obviously to each his/her own preference but for us a stroller is a must. 
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I tend to think that a kid will be fine if you go at their pace. Of course we did build up DS7’s stamina before we went with lots of long walks, but I think he’d have been fine anyway.
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I have rented a stroller for my almost 7 year old twins for our upcoming trip next week (!!!).
I went back and forth about it for a while, but I decided that the $85 was worth the risk for getting it even if we left it in the room half the time. I was thinking I could use it for getting to and from the buses at HS or to and from MK from BLT. Even if we parked the stroller and left it for a while, I thought it was worth it to have for the piece of mind. I wanted to save their legs for walking around the park.
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