The Big One or The Unbrella Type

OhDannyBoy

DISdad #850
Joined
Jan 10, 2014
Okay so I'd imagine this has been asked a lot, but I'm doing it anyways.

We are going to WDW in December with my almost 2 year old and we are bringing our stroller.

What I'd like to ask is which one we should bring? A lot of you have a lot more experience with this so I have to ask.

I have a Graco one that is big. Folded the thing stands almost 3 feet. I'm picturing trying to get on and off trams and trains with this thing and it makes my head explode.
But it makes for great storage and DD can nap in there as the whole thing lays flat.

OR

I have an umbrella type one that is a lot smaller. Now I'm not talking the cheapo $20 Target ones, this one is a bit bigger and more robust. But the storage factor is nill and while she does pretty good in it, I don't know if DD will be able to do all day as it isn't as comfortable.

As much as the idea of riding that parking tram with this ginormous thing on my lap frightens me, the thought of DD not taking her nap because she can't lay flat is scaring me as well.

Please parents with strollers, share your opinions with me!!
 
We used the umbrella type stroller until our kids were MUCH older than yours. They work great. If you need to bring things to store, but them into a bag and sling it over the handles. We tried the big stroller thing initially for our twins, plus an umbrella for our older one. The big stroller was just a royal pain, and I mean royal pain. The one downside to an umbrella is the smaller wheels make it a bit more difficult to push uphill, and the trolley tracks on Main St in MK are a pain to deal with. They do make some umbrella type ones with bigger wheels.
 
We have both the cheap umbrella type and the big running stroller. We use the umbrella type. It's light and easier to navigate with inside the park. I've observed the big strollers some people bring into the parks and you end up just running over people feet. The size makes it really hard to push through crowds. The umbrellas fold up nicely and are really light so they aren't a pain to carry around.
 
The big stroller was just a royal pain, and I mean royal pain.

See, this is what I thought. I can't picture me wheeling this monstrosity around for 3 days and not wanting to pitch it into the bay. And I say ME as my wife, who will be 6 months pregnant at the time, will not be pushing or carrying it.

The one downside to an umbrella is the smaller wheels make it a bit more difficult to push uphill, and the trolley tracks on Main St in MK are a pain to deal with. They do make some umbrella type ones with bigger wheels.

Yeah mine has decent wheel compared to the cheapo one I keep in my truck, so I think I can make do.

Now, to convince my wife we don't need to bring the giant wagon.....sigh....
 
From an outsider looking in at all the parents that have such a tough time consolidating and folding up their giant strollers for the transportation I would highly recommend an umbrella stroller. I've seen so many nice ones that I could easily see a toddler napping in with a decent storage bin.
And remember that having the spaces for tons of stuff can be nice but not when you have to take it all out and when you have to leave your stroller behind when going on an attraction.
 
I'm going to be the voice of decent - the big one. I've done both and yes the bigger stroller is more annoying for 20-30 minutes a day on the buses, but the remainder of the day it is so much better. Our kids would lay back and sleep. It was easier to push - we usually do about 10 miles a day. You can overload it quickly so we had the backpack rule. Everything we took in had to fit in one regular backpack. If it didn't fit, we didn't need it. You can get just about anything at the parks in a pinch. When we waited for our bus back, that was the time to repack the backpack and get the kids ready to get on the bus. When we were close to the front they hopped out and we folded and walked on.
The umbrella stroller was much harder to push (we had a macclaren). The sun shade and recline were not as nice. Overall it was more difficult to manage.
 
I took my big one last year and don't regret it. Taking it again this year. DS (3) needs to lay back for a good stroller nap, and we don't always return to the room for nap time. You'll spend about 1 hour on buses each day (depending on your resort location) and 8+ hours in the parks, so choose the stroller that is best for the parks.
 


We have triplets, and while we left our triple stroller at home, we did bring our "heavy duty" double and single. The double was definitely hard to wrangle, but it was great for their comfort and storage.

We rent cars or drive down, so the bus isn't really a concern for us (although we did use the bus once to go from AKV to MK). The tram can be a hassle but we're rope droppers and would just walk most of the time instead of using the trams. My wife and I are big walkers and the kids weren't walking, so it didn't matter too much.
 
After talking with the wife and reading the last couple of posts, now I'm considering the big one.

Yeah, the parking tram and the monorail / boat and the train might be a hassle, but we are driving there so it's not the end of the world. The benefits do kind of outweigh the hassle as the little on sleeps way better in the big one and the storage factor.

So basically I'm where I was when I made the thread....lol.....it's hard being the planner.....
 
I would do the big one especially if you are driving to the parks. My kids naps much better in the bigger one, it is more comfortable, and it has better storage. The only real downside is the buses, and if you are driving that isn't really a factor. You don't have to fold strollers on the monorail usually. As for parking trams, when we get a rental car we usually just walk with the stroller and skip the trams depending on where we are parked in the lot.
 
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This will just be a personal decision. No "right" or "wrong". Even when we flew down, we stayed offsite and rented a car, so we drove to WDW. The monorail or ferry aren't a big deal. It's the parking tram that's most difficult. Not impossible, but a royal pain for sure. You can get an umbrella stroller that's better than the $15 WalMart special, and it'll have storage and/or you can sling a bag over the handles if needed. As for sleeping, that's up to you and your kid. Our feeling was that WDW is exciting, so they use plenty of energy. They'll fall asleep whether slightly reclined or laying down flat...and they did.
 
At that age, we used an umbrella type, BUT we made sure it could recline and have decent storage. We wanted to be sure that our DD(s) would be comfortable and had no issues falling to sleep in it, and we ALWAYS used the stroller to store stuff in. We had moved up to a sit-n-stand (which we all loved) and it was much bigger but never had any issues with pushing it around or taking it on the buses. People make SUCH a big deal about strollers and buses, I just SMH. We have took our sit-n-stand on a good 15 trips and that's a lot of bus rides and never had any issues.
 
You mentioned your wife will be 6 months pregnant. Can you handle the large stroller and the 2 year old at the same time if she is exhausted? Have you considered a rental from one of the outside vendors? Might be a compromise in terms of size/storage/ease of use.
 
Bring her stroller, at that age something familiar is comforting, and you know how it works, folding and unfolding. Stroller aggravation is a short lived experience --- compared to an overtired baby or toddler I vote for what make the kiddos more comfortable, and I see most people have trouble with trying to use a new stroller and are hurrying to get on the bus. As for the buses don't worry there will be lots of other people with big strollers. Another thought is Uber or Lyft to and from the parks, this way you can store your stroller in the back along with backpacks, day-bags, balloons, or anything else you might buy along the way. Most rides are around 10 bucks or so... We have done this a few times with the grandkid along... It was totally worth it for us. Make sure to request a car seat. As well as Minnie Lyfts that are running around not sure of the cost. Then there is always the option of a rental car.
 
When we took our oldest in 2002 (she was 15 mo old) I had the big stroller system-you know car seat fit it it. But it was big and bulky and what did I know as a first time parent!

So we went shopping and I bought the best stroller ever, or we thought to us it was. It was a Graco or evenflo, maybe $40-$50, it had a sun shade, a tray, a little storage basket but actually not that little, it reclined a bit and really the main thing was that it had cup holders for the 2 of us, I mean who wants to continuously hold a drink?? It was also lightweight and closed easily. We don't stroller nap so that wasn't a concern.

We took it again a few years later when our oldest was 4 and our 2nd child was 2 and he used it. Got the oldest the Jeep Umbrella stroller and that was great but no basket and it had a little sun shade.
 
I've never brought a stroller to the parks, but I'd imagine the smaller one to be easier. Provided it has a basket underneath and cupholders. Then carry a backpack that you can put over the handles as well!
 
I would never take an umbrella. We did that and even when higher end wth Maclarens. My boys were by far more comfortable in the bigger more comfortable strollers and the bigger strollers are by far easier to push in the parks. The Maclaren is tall but most are shorter and have junky wheels which equals a long day for dad to push around the parks.
 
It's been a while since my stroller days but I'm a Mom of three who had AP's for years and has done tone of trips with the kids alone when they were babies and tots. The buses and trams were a pain in the rear with littles and strollers. If you're locked into the Disney buses for transportation I can see where an umbrella stroller would make life easier.

However, since you mentioned you're driving you can avoid buses. In you're case I highly suggest the big stroller. I would drive to and from the parks and skip the parking lot tram and walk to the front of the parks. It's not that far at AK, Epcot and the studios. At MK the kid(s) can easily stay in the stroller on the boat and monorail over the seven seas lagoon to MK. It adds an extra layer to walk from the parking lot, but in my opinion, it's a billion times easier to unload the stroller while the kiddos are still strapped in their car seats, unload all gear and have a place to store it under the stroller and then place the child in the stroller. This is loads easier then taking the kid and gear in the stroller, then unloading the child and gear and folding the stroller (despite which kind) and balancing it all while on a bus or tram.

I loved a large stroller to lug all our crud in the parks and my tots always would nap because they were use to their everyday stroller. It was also much easier on my back to push all day vrs a umbrella stroller which caused me to bend over a bit to push. I'm only 5'6 so I'm not super tall. I also preferred a sturdier stroller in crowds as I felt my child was more protected then when in the umbrella stroller.
 

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