Walt Disney World is a great place to visit with children of all ages, but when traveling with a child under the age of 5, a stroller is going to be essential. An average trip through the parks can require miles and miles of walking, standing and at times, fighting through crowds, and a stroller is always helpful. Walt Disney World does give you the option of renting strollers at all of their parks including Downtown Disney, at a cost of per day or for the length of your stay. The strollers that are available for rent are single and double strollers (no double strollers in Downtown Disney), and are large enough for your older child that might just be tired of walking and needs a break.
Location of Strollers at each Park:
At the Magic Kingdom, the strollers can be found under the Railroad Station at Main Street.
At the Animal Kingdom, the strollers can be found to the right after entering the park.
At Epcot, the strollers can be found to the right after entering the main park entrance, and to the left before entering the park at the International Gateway entrance.
At Hollywood Studios, the strollers can be found to the right after entering the park at Oscar’s Super Service.
At Downtown Disney, the strollers can be found at Disney’s Wonderful World of Memories or at the DisneyQuest Emporium.
Price for Rentals:
Infant Stroller (appropriate for babies up to 9 months of age)- $15/day or $13/day for length of stay
Single Stroller – $15/day or $13/day for the length of your stay
Double Stroller – $31/day or $27/day for the length of your stay
*Prices as of March 01/09
You are also welcome to bring your own Stroller from home, but if you are planning on using any type of Disney transportation, it is highly recommended that you bring an umbrella stroller or a stroller that compacts to a small size as Disney transportation is not very stroller friendly, especially when it is crowded. On all of Disney’s buses through the resorts and parks, you will be required to close up your stroller.
While it is safe to leave your stroller at all attractions (strollers are not allowed into any of Walt Disney World Attractions, it would be a good idea not to leave anything of value with the strollers, such as cameras. Diaper bags should be fine with your stroller, and it is always a great idea to bring along a stroller rain cover or a rain poncho if the weather is calling for rain. Putting a rain cover over the stroller while you are on a ride, ensures that you are coming back to a dry stroller for your child to sit in and keeps anything else (such as the diaper bag) dry as well.
While some people are afraid to leave their strollers unaccompanied, you are not allowed to lock your stroller to any fence or object as it could pose a fire hazard, and the Cast Members at Walt Disney World do make a habit of moving strollers to another location to keep things organized. There are people that put a lock through the front tires of their strollers, but it can become tiring locking up your stroller every time your child wants to jump out and see an attraction.
Your last option for a stroller while at Walt Disney World, would be what is known as a Stroller Swap. A stroller swap is a great idea for families that are staying at a Disney Resort and have two children that probably wouldn’t need a stroller at home but will more than likely need one throughout the parks. The Stroller Swaps can be found through www.disboards.com, a forum website that is dedicated to everything Disney. The Stroller Swaps are usually found in the budget thread of the website. A Stroller Swap is a group of people that purchase a high end stroller (such as McLaren Twin Triumph), and each use the stroller for a block of time. The swap usually costs $20-25 for the duration of your stay, so it can be a huge savings for those who will be in need of a stroller for more than one day throughout the parks, or for those who are staying at one of the larger resorts.
Tips for Strollers at Walt Disney World:
§ Bring an umbrella stroller rather than your large stroller from home
§ Tie something to your stroller such as balloon, glo-sticks, scarves, etc., to make your stroller easy to spot (remember the Cast Members will more than likely move your stroller)
§ Bring a rain cover or rain poncho to put over your stroller while you are on a ride or attraction. Quick showers are common in Orlando, and this will help prevent your child from having a complete meltdown.
§ Bring a blanket if renting a stroller from Disney, they tend to be hard plastic, and can get very uncomfortable
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