rent a stroller or bring your own?

I%26#39;m certain this has been asked somewhere at sometime on this message board so I apologize is this is redundant . . .

We%26#39;re going to be at DL in mid December and will need a stroller each day (we have a 5 day pass). This is our first time there so I don%26#39;t know what to do regarding a stroller . . . we%26#39;ll be flying in - should we bring our own stoller and check it at the airport, or should we rent a stroller each day at the park? How big are the park%26#39;s strollers? Large enough to carry a child and a backpack or bag? How do you keep your stroller from getting taken by other people . . . I think I heard something about tying a balloon or handkerchief onto the handle so that you can tell yours apart from everyone else%26#39;s?

Thanks for all your help!!!

Andrea

rent a stroller or bring your own?

Depends on the age of your child. If you have a 4 or 5 yr old and only want the stroller for when they tire out...I%26#39;d say, buy one of those cheap umbrella strollers and bring it along with you. If you have a baby, and need to bring along all the gear, rent the stroller daily rather than lugging your big one on the plane with you. Rental is 8 dollars a day....you can move it between the two parks, but you cannot take it off property. You turn it in at the end of your day, and pay again the next day to rent again.

As for losing it, nahhh don%26#39;t worry about that. There are a thousand strollers in the park at any given time. You%26#39;ll have a name plate to put on it when you rent it, and it will have all of your %26#39;stuff%26#39; attached I%26#39;m certain. There doesn%26#39;t seem to be much theivery within the park.

rent a stroller or bring your own?

I always found it most convenient when traveling to take my stroller right to the gate, then check it there. They have it ready and waiting for you when you get off the plane. I took my Peg Perego to the park, many, many times and never had it stolen. If your rental stroller is picked up by someone, just take your receipt to the rental counter and they will give you a new one.

Here is what my niece and I did last December at Knott%26#39;s. We took an extra jacket that we could identify easily and put it in the bottom of the stroller. Then we could also use the jacket to cover up any of the bags we bought. Bringing your own stroller could help. I also think this would be best for the walk to DLR and through DTD or main gate area.

Each ride has an area designated for parking strollers and many of those areas are near where castmembers are watching the queues, so that deters anyone from stealing anything that may be inside your stroller. But, I would be careful about leaving something like an expensive camera in one. In actuallity, it is an extremely safe place, but you never know.

Thanks for the replies . . . I%26#39;ve never checked my stroller at the airport gate . . . how does that work?

I thought I read somewhere that only umbrella strollers can be taken INTO Disneyland . . . true? If I take my own stroller, it%26#39;s a regular, standard stroller (not the umbrella type). I%26#39;d hate to take it all the way there and then be told that I can%26#39;t bring it into the park with me.

Andrea

I believe the rule is that only umbrella strollers can be taken onto the Disneyland Railroad. And it is not a general rule for the entire park.

So if you want to use the railroad system to go from one land to another, you cannot take a regular stroller onto the train and you would have to leave it there and travel round trip - or return to get it. This probably wouldn%26#39;t be of a concern to you because the crowds at that time should be large enough that using the train to get around wouldn%26#39;t help since there would be a long line at each station.

Redlands is right....your own stroller is welcome anywhere, except disneyland railroad which circles the perimiter of the park. The railroad only allows you to bring on an umbrella stroller. Otherwise...you must leave your stroller at the train queue and pick it up when you come back around.

Is that a new rule? My youngest is nearly five so it has been about 2 years since I ditched my stroller for good, but I used to take my full sized stroller on the DL train. (Folded up of course.)

Gate checking is easy. Just roll the stroller all the way down the jetway. Fold it up, they will take it away and give you a claim check for it. When you get off the plane it will be right there in the jetway waiting for you.

I read when of your other posts so I understand that you have a 3 year old so you should definitely take your own stroller.

We went last December with a 3 year old and we took our full size Peg Perego stroller and we could not have lived without it.

We thought that we would go back to the hotel to have him nap but that did not work the first day so we just let him nap in the stroller whenever he wanted to and it worked out great.

It is also great for carrying stuff when you are walking around but I would not advise leaving anything of value it it when you are not near it.

We would use it to get from land to land and then park it while we went on the rides in each particular land.

I have heard that some have been stolen but as ours is about eight years old, we never had a problem. People advise to securely attach a bright coloured cloth to your handle to deter theives. Some people even lock the wheels but I understand that you are not allowed to lock it to Disneyland property.

The problems with renting a stroller is that you cannot take it out of the park for the walk back to the hotel and everyone else has one that looks exactly like yours. I am not sure if it is comfortable to sleep in either.

We also found it helpful at the airport and we were allowed to take it right up to the gate and they had it for us right outside the plane door when we got out.

Have fun!

One advantage to having your own stroller is if you plan on going to downtown disney youll have it. Like mentioned before you can go park to park but not past the security point between the parks and downtown. Also keep in mind if your children our really young and your at the park, after a long day they may be too tired to walk back to the hotel (assuming your staying real close) and so will you so its nice to have it for them and your bags when returning at night. We have always taken our stroller and never had a problem. So unless the rules have changed for the train you should be ok as long you remember to fold it up and keep it with you. And last as to being stolen, Ive never had a problem or even keeping our bags with it and we usually have a backpack with snacks and small souviners, but again use common sense, if it looks like attractive or flashy keep it with you.

VickiSoCal,

Actually, it is an old rule - about the train. So, I don%26#39;t know if it has changed in recent years. I do remember that was the only place where we had problems back between 1986 and 1992. I don%26#39;t have any children, but those were the years I went with my sisters and friends who used strollers. Maybe on one of the trains or one of the cars there is enough room, I%26#39;m not sure.