Our first trip our sons were 9 and the younger had just turned 6 the previous month. They both did fantastic without a stroller and never had a problem on an eight day trip . The only thing was they were star struck taking it all in so we had to walk slow and keep a close eye on them or hold their hands. My wife wanted to take a stroller for the 6YO but I insisted I would carry him if he got too tired. I did two times, after fireworks and when he fell asleep on the bus. After the trip my wife was so happy we did no take a stroller seeing people fight with them in crowds, getting on the bus and at the backups at stroller parking. There are clear advantages to having a stroller though.
If you were to take one I would lean towards a single and let them swap. Having watched it looked significantly more difficult to maneuver a double than a single when busy.
We do not collect the stroller after every ride. We will very often park it within a land, and explore that area for quite a while. Sometimes we find that the kids and I even start migrating towards the next section, and then my husband scoots back and grabs the stroller and meet us there.
Time is money from my perspective. And walking at the pace of the slowest member of my group would result in fewer rides and attractions at the end of the day. I donāt mind stopping and smelling the roses if something truly piques someoneās interest, but if it is just because someone is tired and dawdling I see imaginary dollar bills flapping their wings off into the sky.
We used a double stroller when our twins were 6 & 7. We loved it. They are now 9 and my DH is begging me to still rent a stroller Honestly, I think it made our trips so much better/easier. We are pretty sure we are going to miss it. I donāt think our kids have been in a stroller other than the two trips to WDW since they were much much younger but we just found it was so much easier at WDW. We havenāt owned one since they were maybe 3 1/2. But at WDW, it carries our stuff. It saves their legs for the long days. It keeps us on track. It helps us all get through the crowds so much easier and with far less worryā¦ have I mentioned that we are going to really miss it? Not one single time did we think, this is a pain I wish we didnāt have the stroller with us. I am bracing myself for the difference.
I havenāt (but only because Iād never be able to get back up!) but I let DS do it all the time. Took me a couple trips to talk DH into the fact that itās fine. We Purell a lot!
The last time we used a stroller at Disney, my kids were 2 and newborn. We did not go again until the were 5 and 7, and did not use one then. They did fine, no complaints.
My youngest is going on 7 and we will be bringing a stroller for our upcoming trip next month. We really only still have it around for Disney, but I canāt imagine going to the parks without it. My son always complains about the walking and he ends up slowing us down a great deal when we donāt use it. Andā¦we bring a lunch cooler with bottled water into the park, and usually a backpack with some stuff too. We couldnāt do that without the stroller so Iām kinda dreading giving it up
We brought a double and a single (and found a way to fold and strap the single onto the double) for our 9, 7, and 5 (7 straight park days). We knew we would be doing a lot of early mornings, late nights, and running, so we decided it would be easier for everyone if we werenāt dragging the kids through the midways all the time and if they needed a nap or just a break from walking, they could get it. It worked very well and only on a few occasions did we need to deploy the single stroller, but 9 is probably the limit.
We have been to WDW 7 times with the kids. We have had strollers on all but two trips. First trip without was in 2008 with then DS6 and DS4 and admittedly a couple nights it would have been nice for DS4. But overall it was fine, no complaining or carrying. Second trip without a stroller was Spring 2017, youngest turned 6 on the trip and next youngest was 7 and kids were fine. I admit that I missed the stroller for carrying our fuller bags in the am but loved not having it on the bus ride home at night. Full disclosure, DS who was 6 at the time of our last trip has never stopped movingāthe kid started running at 8 months and hasnāt stopped moving since (even while sleeping). He could probably log 20 miles without being tired of walking/running/jumping/wiggling so YMMV.
For all the reasons you mentioned (carrying stuff, tired legs, faster travel, less distractions/complaining, less risk of losing kids) we were glad to have a seat for everyone. It was a pain on the super crowded days/walkways, but easily worth it in the end.
We took strollers until my son was 8. He mostly walked, but it was there if he wanted to sit and if we wanted to power-walk somewhere. We took a good umbrella stroller, so it was fairly easy to manage. I will say, though, if heās not going to be in it, it can be hard to push without any weight in the seat, so plan to put a bag of waters or your purse on the seat.
My mom used the stroller with her purse, as she was just starting to have troubles and really could have used a walker, but didnāt want to admit it. So āpushing the strollerā was her lifesaver, as it gave her stability.
When DD was 5 we didnāt rent a stroller. We left some money in the budget in case we needed one on the fly but didnāt use it. Last trip (DD now 7) she was skipping out of the park after a 25,000 step day. But she is a very active, high energy kid.
Although I know there can be extenuating circumstances, but we have found the use of a stroller past the age of 4 unnecessary. (We have five kids, BTW.)
Having said that, we donāt stay in the parks all day long.
I wonder if this is the key for us.
We stay off-site and are usually in the van before 7:00 A.M. and standing at the tapstiles at least an hour before park opening. We then stay in the park until after the evening entertainmentā¦ That can be a very long day.
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Honestly, I think it made our trips so much better/easier. We are pretty sure we are going to miss it. I donāt think our kids have been in a stroller other than the two trips to WDW since they were much much younger but we just found it was so much easier at WDW. We havenāt owned one since they were maybe 3 1/2. But at WDW, it carries our stuff. It saves their legs for the long days. It keeps us on track. It helps us all get through the crowds so much easier and with far less worryā¦ have I mentioned that we are going to really miss it? Not one single time did we think, this is a pain I wish we didnāt have the stroller with us. I am bracing myself for the difference.