Walt Disney World With Kids (Fodor's, 2012) - Fodor's [36]
At these rates, if you need a stroller every day it’s obviously most cost-effective to bring one from home. But if you have an older child who will only need a stroller at Epcot, a rental isn’t a bad option.
If you’re renting a stroller for more than one day, you don’t have to get in line every morning. On your first park visit, tell them you want, for example, a four-day stroller rental, and they’ll give you coupons for four days. After that you can skip the rental line and go directly to the stroller pick-up booth.
All kids 3 and under need a stroller, for napping as well as riding and resting.
For kids 4 to 6, the general rule is this: Strollers are a must at Epcot, nice in the Magic Kingdom, and less needed at the Animal Kingdom or Hollywood, where the walkable area of the parks is smaller and you spend a lot of time sitting in shows.
On busy days the Magic Kingdom opens an additional stroller-rental stand outside the main gate, before you enter the bag-check area. This location is never as crowded as the rental stand inside the park.
Tie something like a bandanna or a balloon to your stroller to mark it; otherwise, when you emerge from a ride it may be impossible to find your stroller in a sea of look-alikes. Also, people sometimes just grab the nearest stroller without checking the name tag, but most people stop short of taking a personal belonging.
Still can’t find your stroller? In the Animal Kingdom and Hollywood, you’ll have to go back to the entrance for a replacement. In the Magic Kingdom, check in at Tinker Bell’s Treasures in Fantasyland. At Epcot you can get a new stroller at the World Traveler shop between France and the United Kingdom. As long as you’ve kept your receipt there’s no additional charge for a new stroller.
If at 8 AM your 5-year-old swears she doesn’t need a stroller but at noon she collapses in a heap halfway around Epcot’s World Showcase, head for the World Traveler shop. The World Traveler is also the place to rent a stroller if you’re coming from the Yacht and Beach Clubs, BoardWalk, or the Swan and Dolphin hotels, and using the “back-door” entrance.
Families staying at one of the more sprawling resorts, such as Pop Century, Caribbean Beach, Coronado Springs, Port Orleans, Fort Wilderness, or the All-Star resorts, should bring a stroller from home for any child under 4. You’ll need it just to get from your room to the food court or shuttle-bus stop.
Money-Saving Tip
If you plan to park hop at Disney in a single day, you don’t have to pay for a stroller twice: Keep your receipt and show it for a new stroller on arrival at the next park.
Helpful Hint
Just because your stroller isn’t where you left it doesn’t mean it’s been taken—it may simply have been moved aside. Families often stop in midstride when they see an appealing attraction and abandon their stroller in the middle of the sidewalk. There are Disney cast members whose sole duty it is to collect and rearrange these strollers, lining them up outside rides and packing them as close together as possible. Keep looking—you’ll likely find your stroller a few yards away from where you left it.
Baby Care
Each park has a Baby Care Center where rockers, bottle warmers, high chairs, and changing tables are available; diapers, formula, and jars of baby food are also for sale.
In the Magic Kingdom, Baby Care is beside the Crystal Palace Restaurant. In Epcot it’s on the bridge that connects Future World to the World Showcase. At Hollywood it’s in the Guest Relations (a.k.a. Guest Services) building; and in the Animal Kingdom it’s behind the Creature Comforts gift shop.
Disposable diapers are available in the larger shops, but they’re kept behind the counter, so you’ll have to ask for them. Changing tables are provided in most women’s restrooms and some men’s as well. If fathers have trouble locating a changing table in a men’s room, they can always make a stop