Disney World Stroller Guide: Rentals, Rules + Tips
A stroller can make a Disney World vacation with young children significantly easier - but choosing the right one, deciding whether to bring or rent, and navigating Disney transportation with it takes a little planning.
Consider this your guide to all things Disney strollers: who may need one, Disney's stroller rules, renting vs. bringing your own, and the practical details I've learned from navigating the parks with little ones.
Do I need a stroller?
If you are asking yourself this question, the answer is probably yes. Even if your child hasn't used a stroller at home in years.
Disney World is different from everyday life. A typical park day can involve miles of walking, long periods of standing, Florida heat, crowds, late nights, and several days of doing it all over again.
For babies/toddlers and preschool aged children, bringing a stroller is an easy decision. Elementary-aged children, it becomes much more dependent on your child and the type of Disney trip you're planning.
As a general guide:
Ages 0–4: I would absolutely plan on having a stroller.
Ages 5–6: I would strongly consider one, particularly for full park days.
Ages 7+: This becomes much more child- and trip-dependent. Consider how much your child normally walks, how long you plan to stay in the parks, whether you'll take midday breaks, and how many consecutive park days you're planning.
And remember: your child doesn't have to sit in the stroller all day for it to be worthwhile.
Let them walk when they want to walk. The stroller is there when little legs get tired, someone needs a break, you're trying to move efficiently across the park, or you're making that very long walk back to your resort transportation at the end of the night.
It's also a place for naps, water bottles, snacks, sweatshirts, rain gear, souvenirs, and all of the other things that somehow accumulate during a Disney day.
And if you're on the fence—rent one. You don't necessarily need to buy another stroller just for Disney.
Disney Stroller Guidelines
Before choosing a stroller for your Walt Disney World vacation, it's important to know Disney's stroller policies.
Strollers must be 31 inches wide (79 cm) or less and 52 inches long (132 cm) or less.
Stroller wagons are not permitted.
Stroller boards are not permitted.
Children must be removed from strollers when riding parking lot trams.
Strollers are not permitted on escalators. Elevators and ramps are available throughout the parks.
Cast Members may relocate parked strollers when necessary.
Avoid leaving valuables unattended in your stroller.
Renting a Stroller for Your Trip
ScooterBug vs. BabyQuip
If you don't want to travel with your own stroller or your stroller does not fit the Disney guidelines, I recommend renting from an off-site provider instead.
Disney's featured rental company is ScooterBug, which has the advantage of being able to deliver and pick up equipment directly from Disney Resort hotels without you needing to be present.
I've personally used BabyQuip to rent baby gear, including The Twin by Zoe double travel stroller during our last Walt Disney World vacation. The process was simple, and I loved having a comfortable stroller for the parks. Just keep in mind that, unlike ScooterBug, you'll need to coordinate a time to be present for both delivery and pickup.
Personal Experience Renting from BabyQuip:
Because we already own two single travel strollers and a large double stroller for home, we weren't sure if a travel double stroller was something we'd use often enough to justify the purchase.
For a trip that combined three days at Walt Disney World with a Disney Cruise, we brought just one of our single travel strollers for our youngest and rented a travel double stroller for the Disney World park portion of the trip. Once we boarded the cruise, we only needed our single stroller—and appreciated not having to store a double stroller in our stateroom.
Renting also gave us the opportunity to "test drive" The Twin by Zoe in a real-world setting. At just $64 for three days - including a rain cover rental - it was an affordable way to see whether it fit our family's travel style before committing to a stroller that retails for around $600.
Note: If you visit Walt Disney World frequently, however, the math starts to change. A week-long travel double stroller rental can easily cost $150 or more. As someone who visits Disney World often, I'd rather put that money toward purchasing a quality travel double stroller that we can use again on future Disney trips and other family vacations. Renting makes a lot of sense for occasional trips—or as a great way to test-drive a stroller before buying—but if you know you'll use it repeatedly, investing in your own may be the better value.
Our experience renting through BabyQuip was incredibly smooth and easy. Coordinating delivery and pickup was simple, the stroller arrived clean and ready to use, and overall it was a great experience. I would absolutely use BabyQuip again when renting baby or toddler gear while traveling.
Disney Stroller Rentals
Disney offers single and double stroller rentals inside each theme park.
Current Pricing
Single Stroller: $15/day or $13/day for multi-day rentals (recommended for children up to 50 lbs.)
Double Stroller: $31/day or $27/day for multi-day rentals (recommended for children up to 100 lbs.)
While I wanted to include Disney's rental option for full transparency, it's not the route I would choose. The plastic strollers are functional for getting around the parks, but they're not particularly comfortable for naps or long park days, I do not think there is an undercarriage bin or storage, and you can't take them back to your resort, Disney Springs, or other transportation outside the parks.
Bring Your Own Stroller
If you travel frequently or visit Disney often, investing in your own travel stroller is usually worth it. A travel stroller isn't just useful once you arrive at your destination - it's incredibly valuable throughout the entire travel process. From navigating the airport, boarding flights, exploring new cities, and getting around your resort, a well-designed travel stroller makes every step of the journey easier.
For families who travel often, I would absolutely recommend investing in a quality travel stroller. We also use our travel friendly strollers at home. They are so easy to throw in the car for outings/errands.
Every family's travel style is different. Explore my Single Travel Stroller Guide and Double Travel Stroller Guide to find the stroller that's best tailored to the way your family travels.
Disney Transportation + Strollers
One feature that's often overlooked when choosing a stroller is how it works with Disney's transportation system. If you'll be using Disney buses, the Monorail, or the Skyliner throughout your vacation, it's helpful to know what to expect.
1.
Buses
All strollers—regardless of size or style—must be folded before boarding a Disney bus. Be prepared to remove your child, fold the stroller, and carry it onto the bus along with any bags.
Tailored Tip: Make the Disney Bus Fold Easy
You want a stroller that you can fold quickly with one hand and easily carry onto the bus—and this is one of those features you'll appreciate most at the end of a long park day.
Picture this: You've been in the parks all day, it's raining, everyone is tired, and you see your resort bus pulling up. Your stroller basket is somehow filled with water bottles, sweatshirts, snacks, souvenirs, and all the other odds and ends you've accumulated throughout the day. Before you can board, you need to get your child out, empty the stroller, and fold it.
This is where a little planning makes all the difference. I always keep an empty, lightweight packable tote in my stroller basket. When it's time to board the bus, I can quickly toss all of our loose items into the tote, put my backpack on my back, fold the stroller with one hand, and get everyone onto the bus without completely reorganizing our belongings on the sidewalk.
It's a small thing, but at the end of a long Disney day, a one-handed stroller fold and an extra packable tote can make Disney transportation so much easier.
2.
Monorail
One of the biggest advantages of the Monorail is that you can typically roll both single and double strollers directly onboard.
This makes traveling to and from Magic Kingdom and EPCOT much easier, especially if your children are sleeping or you have accumulated more stuff during your park day.
3.
Skyliner
Most single travel strollers can be rolled directly into the gondola without folding them. In fact, if you're traveling with another adult, two single travel strollers can usually roll into the same Skyliner cabin, making this one of my favorite ways to travel around Walt Disney World.
If you're considering a front-to-back (tandem) double stroller, those models can generally roll directly into the Skyliner without being folded because they're much narrower than side-by-side doubles.
Most side-by-side double strollers, however, will need to be folded before boarding. The Skyliner doors are only about 30 inches wide, making it difficult for wider side-by-side models to fit.
Tailored Tip: Getting Through Park Security
Some of the park gear that you strategically pack in your stroller—particularly portable chargers, umbrellas, metal water bottles, hard-shell glasses cases, and battery-operated fans—may trigger Disney’s security screening. Before approaching the scanner, I take these items out of our bags and keep them visible. You can place them on the stroller seat as you walk through; otherwise, simply carry them in your hands. This may help reduce a secondary screening and makes getting through security a little smoother. As always, follow the directions of the Security Cast Members.
Disney Restaurants + Strollers
Another time you may be asked to park your stroller is when dining at Disney restaurants.
In my experience, this has been somewhat restaurant-dependent rather than a hard-and-fast rule across Walt Disney World. Most table-service restaurants will ask—or strongly encourage—you to leave your stroller in designated stroller parking before being seated, particularly when space is limited.
I have had Cast Members make exceptions when we had a baby who was too young to sit in a highchair or was actively sleeping in the stroller. However, I have also heard from other parents who were asked to remove a sleeping child and park the stroller before being seated.
Tailored Tip: If your baby falls asleep in the stroller before a dining reservation, don't assume you'll be able to roll the stroller to your table. You can always ask the Cast Member when you check in, but be prepared to take your child out and park the stroller if required.
This is another reason I love having a stroller with an undercarriage basket that can be emptied quickly and a lightweight tote ready to hold anything we need to bring into the restaurant.
The Tailored Take
The best Disney stroller setup is the one that makes your park days easier.
For some families, that's bringing the travel stroller they already know and love. For others, it's renting a double stroller for a few days in the parks. Think about your children's ages and stamina, how you'll get around Disney World, and what will be easiest to manage at the end of a very long park day.
A little stroller planning before your trip can make a surprisingly big difference once you're there.