Will our stroller be safe?

[OneMoreTry]

Do you think our stroller would be safe?

Our daughter has seizures and has a hard time walking very far or standing for long, so we have an expensive stroller ($300) which we use as a wheelchair. She's too small for a regular wheelchair.

I would rather use our stroller because we'll be walking from Boardwalk to Epcot and would have to go all the way to the front to get a stroller. And we'll likely walk to MGM. But I'm concerned about someone stealing it.

Or do the rent strollers at the International Gateway?

I bought a bike lock/cable to use. Do you think that would be enough security to prevent theft? Would all the unlocking and locking be too much hassle?

 

[SueM in MN]

i don't have time to write a long response right now, but here's 2 suggestions.
1) If you decide to use a lock, put it thru 2 wheels so that the stroller can be moved if needed by the CMs by tipping the 2 locked wheels up, but it can't be used. Many times "missing" strollers have just been moved by CMs to keep the stroller area tidy and to maintain a fire lane.

2) You can stop at Guest Services in any of the parks to request a Guest Asistance Card (we call it a GAC, to avoid typing so much). A GAC is a tool that lets the CMs know what sorts of assistance you need. In your case, it would be to use the stroller as a wheelchair. That would allow you to bring the stroller into lines and places where strollers are not usually allowed. For many rides, you could bring the stroller right to the boarding area.

 

[Selket]

I have twice brought expensive strollers to WDW and not had a problem - the last time was last August and we have a $300+ stroller for my youngest and also had a GAC to use the stroller as a wheelchair. However we were often able to park it with all the other strollers and transport him on the ride ourselves. We did not leave anything overly valuable in the stroller. We did have a small cooler strapped onto the back with some drinks in it and some diapers and what not for him down in the basket. I never personally felt uncomfortable doing that. There seemed to be many strollers that looked as nice as ours sitting around (it wasn't exactly in pristine condition cause we used it alot! But it still looked nice).

The other option is to rent a stroller from a local company and use it for your park visits. You would have to check what your liability is for a stolen stroller. This place rents strollers but I'm not sure what size/type you might need: http://www.abbf.com/

We also found our stroller (which isn't small) folded up and fit nicely under some seats near the rear door (the long bench of seats) on the Disney transport bus. Perhaps that is a wheelchair area but I'm talking about when there wasn't a wheelchair rider on the bus. I always aimed for those seats if they were free (or sometimes asked the folks if I could slide my stroller under there if the space was unused).

Have a great trip!

 

[OneMoreTry]

Thanks.

We do get the GAC, but don't always use it -- especially when lines are short.

That's a great suggestion to leave the front wheel free for CM's to move the stroller (it has one in front and two in back). I don't think anyone would steal a stroller with two wheels locked together. That would be too obvious.

I think we'll try using it at EPCOT and MGM so we can walk over. We'll likely rent their strollers for the other parks.