One of the biggest questions we had when preparing for our first trip to Disney with kids was whether to bring a stroller or rent there. Our daughter is almost four and doesn’t typically ride in a stroller, but with all the walking, we knew we would regret not having one with us. On one hand, if we brought one with us, we could use it in the airport and would have something that’s easy to navigate and we were familiar with. On the other hand, there is always the risk of strollers at Disney being stolen and worse – they can be bulky to travel with!
Spoiler alert: We bought a new stroller and brought it with us!
I promise – it was the right investment. I probably would opt for a stroller again if for nothing else than to hold drinks, backpacks, and snacks!
So let’s first talk rent versus buy. Rentals have come a long way at Disney, from third parties who will drop at your hotel for your entire stay to park rentals. But, at $20-50 a day, the cost adds up. We had 4 park days planned, plus a lounge day with some time at Disney Springs and maybe the pool. That brought us to a minimum of $100 for a stroller. Alternately, we knew we could gate check ours on the flight for free. The question then was if we bring our own, how do we ensure we haven’t lost big if it gets damaged or stolen.
Why we bought a new stroller for the trip
We love our UppaBaby Cruz. The basket is hugh, it reclines fully, and rolls like a dream. But, it’s big and bulky and expensive to replace if it was stolen or damaged. It also takes a lot of room in the car, and would be heavy to get on and off park transit.
We would have spent $100 on a rental. Could we buy something better for the trip for less than $100? A cheap umbrella stroller wouldn’t let our toddler recline and had no basket.
And then we found the Summer Infant 3D Lite.
We grabbed ours on an Amazon Warehouse deal (damaged packaging, but stroller was new!) for only $60. Even new, they’re less than $100. It folds easily, doesn’t take up much space in the car, is light enough to carry on buses and other transit, has a basket to carry things under, and reclines enough for our toddler to comfortably nap. It was the perfect solution!
How to keep it from walking off
I was still pretty concerned about leaving our stroller outside a ride – not even so much concerned that someone might intentionally take it (always a risk) but more than someone might accidentally walk off with what is a very popular, and very common, black stroller.
The solution?
An Apple AirTag hidden in the bottom of the pouch. We adhered it with black Gorilla tape which made it hard to remove (it may be the stroller’s new permanent accessory) and concealed where someone looking for it would have a harder time locating it. The AirTag was shockingly accurate in the park!
Of course, we also wanted to limit someone mixing up ours with theirs so we added our “chariot tag” that we added with ribbon across the handles whenever we left it in stroller parking. I made our tag using my embroidery machine and this design off Etsy, however you can purchase one to be custom made for you on Etsy, or just print one from your computer (have it laminated or put it in a clear protector to prevent damage!).
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A solution for two kids, too
The convenience of our own stroller and how easy it was to navigate the parks was mentioned at least daily by my husband. But what will we do when we come back next time with both kids?
The economics on buying a double stroller are a little tougher. The two most common models used by rental companies are the Baby Jogger City Mini GT and the BOB double jogging stroller. If we had our choice, we would go with the Baby Jogger for the added cargo storage and easier fold.
A double umbrella stroller would be even more convenient – and 1/3 the price! My husband has the Summer Infant 3DPAC (the two seater version of our 3D) on his wishlist.
Is it worth buying a double stroller to bring?
Determining whether buying a double stroller makes sense varies based on three questions:
- What do you have to pay for it? We found the Summer Infant on a warehouse deal for under $200. We also have a Facebook Marketplace alert setup for double strollers in case one comes for sale used before our next trip.
- How many times / days will you use it? We know we’ll do at least three more trips while our kids are still young enough to use the stroller (under 7 or 8). $100 per trip is roughly break-even on the purchase.
- Can you resell it? If you can buy them for $150 on Facebook marketplace, then it’s likely you could sell for around that amount. Alternately, we might sell it to a friend or family member at a steeper discount, especially if we had already realized a return (by offsetting rental fees) based on our own usage.
We’ll probably purchase our own double stroller before our new trip. It’s worth it to have it for the airport, plus the math comes up positive for us.
The best single and double strollers for Disney
We’ve rounded up the best strollers for price and ease-of-transport. Click the images below to shop!
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