New Minnie & Mickey Mouse Stroller Rentals at Disney World
Walt Disney World has rolled out a brand new lineup of Minnie & Mickey Mouse stroller rentals at Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and Disney Springs. This post covers the change, pricing, and my clueless commentary–and solicits your feedback on the refreshed wheels!
In addition to featuring character models of Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse in the same new cartoon style as Runaway Railway, these strollers have a sharp red, black, and yellow color scheme that replaces the previous plain beige & blue strollers. In technical terms, those were very blah.
Otherwise, these are the same molded plastic bases with soft sides, including mesh paneling that allows air flow and a fabric roof. Walt Disney World’s rental strollers are essentially designed for durability and daily use by different guests, meaning that there are minimal moving parts that can break (e.g. no reclining) or elements that can get dirty or worn (e.g. no padding for the seat). Here are other details about these new Mickey & Minnie Mouse rental strollers at Walt Disney World…
Let’s start with pricing and parameters:
Single Stroller – Recommended for children 50 lbs. or less and under 38 inches tall.
- Daily: $15
- Multi-Day (Length of Stay): $13
- $100 USD credit card deposit is required for strollers rented at Disney Springs.
Double Stroller – Recommended for children 100 lbs. (total weight) or less and under 38 inches tall.
- Daily: $31
- Multi-Day (Length of Stay): $27
Length of Stay Rental – Pre-pay the number of days that you will require a stroller and save. Purchase a Length of Stay rental ticket for less per day when rented for multiple days. Then, upon visiting a theme park, simply show your receipt at the rental location to receive your stroller for the day.
Stroller Return – Strollers should be returned to a rental location before leaving the theme park.
Stroller Replacement – Strollers cannot be removed from the parks. When visiting more than one park in a single day, simply present your rental receipt at another park to obtain a replacement. Likewise, if you misplace your stroller, replacements are available with a receipt at various locations throughout Walt Disney World, based on availability.
Okay, now time for commentary. This is a seemingly insignificant change, arguably not worthy of a standalone blog post–but then again, yesterday we covered the announcement of a Toy Story Land “playset” (gift shop). This is easily more interesting and consequential than that.
In actuality, I think this is moderately interesting news. For one, these are a nice visual upgrade over the old blah strollers that also offers more exposure for Minnie and Mickey Mouse. That second point may seem unimportant, as the characters once had greater recognizability than even Santa Claus. However, they’ve started to slip in recent years, and if there are two characters who deserve widespread exposure and visibility, it’s Mickey & Minnie.
For another thing, whenever there has been any change with strollers at Walt Disney World in the last few years, it has been a hot topic among readers of this blog. Two years ago, Walt Disney World banned oversized strollers, requiring them to be no larger than 31″ (79cm) wide and 52″ (132cm) long. Additionally, wagons were no longer permitted.
This led to outrage, confusion, and concerns about third party stroller rentals no longer meeting the size parameters. Disney’s stated reason for that particular size update was to help guest flow and ease congestion. Setting aside the legitimate concerns many readers had at the time, that goal made sense. There had been a proliferation of Humvee-sized stroller-like monstrosities in the parks, including ones shaped like pumpkin coaches and spaceships from Star Wars. The huge strollers were causing crowd flow issues.
Only a few months after that, Disney inked an exclusivity deal with ScooterBug, the company that provides all such devices at Walt Disney World’s theme parks and Disney Springs. This resulted in Walt Disney World no longer allowing third-party vendors for strollers and mobility aids to be dropped off at Bell Services prior to guests arrival at the hotel, nor can they be left with Bell Services by guests for vendor pick-up at the end of a trip.
This change is much less “exciting” in retrospect, as a lot of the comments at the time were fueled by uncertainty and vagueness in the announcement. With that said, there were a couple of obvious reasons for the change, with the first being the burden all of these deliveries pose for Bell Services. The proliferation of third party vendors for strollers, ECVs, groceries, etc. meant that Bell Services was often constantly dealing with trucks doing drop-offs at Walt Disney World. The other obvious motivation was that the third parties are competition for Disney and ScooterBug, and the companies had no incentive to help out their competitors.
Nothing about this cosmetic change to Mickey & Minnie strollers strikes me as even remotely controversial, but I also didn’t anticipate the backlash to either of those past changes. This may come as a shock to all of you, but I’m not exactly an expert on strollers. However, as someone who operates a Walt Disney World blog, it’s probably knowledge I should have, which is another purpose of this post–to solicit that from you.
I’ve unintentionally locked eyes with parents trying to navigate an oversized stroller amidst the gridlock of post-fireworks crowds in Magic Kingdom, and seeing the desperation and dejection in their face is something I can never unsee or forget. This actually occurs with surprising regularity–not the locking eyes part, just seeing strollers stuck in the sea of crowds and parents looking like they’d rather be anywhere else in the world right then.
From those observations, my assumption has long been huge and clunky strollers are a mistake. That smaller strollers are better, with the most compact and lightweight options being best. In my mind, a stroller is a sort of like a tripod–the goal should be striking the right balance of compact size, weight, durability, strength, and price. (I assume carbon fiber strollers are a thing?)
If I were shopping for a stroller, I’d probably want one made of the lightest, space age materials that can hold a lot of weight but don’t weigh much themselves and condense down to the smallest size possible, while also not breaking the bank. When Walt Disney World crowds get rough, I’d want the ability to call an audible, collapsing the stroller and carrying the kid through the congestion.
However, and I cannot stress this enough, I have no clue what I’m talking about. When watching Dwight stress test a stroller with a watermelon, my reaction was “that seems like a smart idea.” I’m pretty sure that wasn’t the intended takeaway. (Sarah is going to be mortified that I wrote all of this, as my uninformed opinion of strollers is one of many topics I should “keep to myself.”) Anyway, I’m curious–are Walt Disney World’s rental strollers a solid option? Is renting from a third party the better bet? If so, which one(s) do you recommend? What makes for a “good” stroller while navigating crowds and the parks in general?
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Care to share your thoughts, experience, and recommendations on strollers at Walt Disney World? Thoughts on the new Mickey & Minnie Mouse designs? Do you agree or disagree with my assessment of what makes a good stroller in the parks? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Tom, it’s lines like these that keep me coming back! “seeing the desperation and dejection in their face is something I can never unsee or forget”
And I’ve got 4 kids, 3 are teenagers now, but then have a bonus 5 year old. City Mini’s whether double or single are definitely the best for reasons stated above: easy to fold, easy to push and provide great storage. We rented double and single’s from offsite agencies even though we owned a City Mini. Easier to rent at WDW than deal with taking our stroller from home on the plane. I almost miss using the stroller because of the storage as I like having stuff in the park but don’t like carrying a backpack. Next time we go, we’ll probably just use an umbrella stroller for our youngest. Not ideal, but since she’s able to walk most of the day its the simplest solution now.
On our last trip in Oct 2020, we opted to bring the stroller we had long since stopped storing in the back of the minivan. It was a lifesaver, particularly at the end of the day ( we were at Caribbean Beach and man, would those walks back from the skyline have been long carrying a sleeping 4 year old). In fact, we are seriously considering renting from a 3rd party for our June trip because I’m worried about our now 6 year old’s stamina especially when she will have spent the day keeping up with her older siblings even though She’s too old/ big/ active for a stroller at home. Also, I wouldn’t give up park/ rope drop time even for a cute Minnie stroller.
We rented the citi mini gt double from kingdom strollers. We scheduled a time to pick it up/ drop it off at the bell hop. It was perfect for carting around 2 kids all day. We own the single version and I can collapse and toss it in the trunk of my car while holding a child. We preferred to rent outside of the parks so we could have a stroller for exploring resorts and Disney springs. The double had to be collapsed to get on the skyliner, but we were told the singles could be wheeled on without collapsing them.
The first time we took the kids to WDW, the kids were 2 and 4. We rented a nice double stroller from a 3rd party vendor who dropped it off at the hotel and picked it up when we left. For that age set, it was perfect. Last summer when we went they were 5 and 7, They were too big for most double strollers, but they were still under 100 lbs. total, so we rented a in-park double stroller. They’re no frills, but they work just fine for late preschool/early elementary aged kids who can walk a fair amount on their own, but sometimes need a break. Not to mention how handy it is to have a place to store snacks, water, sunscreen, etc. without lugging around a huge backpack. It’s almost worth the price just for that!
Baby Jogger City Mini GT2 is the best one hands down it rides like a dream, it’s compact and has a one hand fold. There’s a reason it’s the most popular at Disney World for stroller rentals. I used a Graco with 4 cupholders which is fine for what it is. The umbrella stroller which is the absolute worst. I also used the more expensive Summer Infant umbrella which is okay but not great.
Now that our kids are older we rent the wdw stroller because we don’t have to worry about taking it in and off the buses and when they need a break from walking (since we do park open to park close) they can jump in and out if the stroller with ease. When they were younger we would bring the lightest a stroller that took only one hand to open and close. This made it easier to get around crowds and carry it on the buses.
One of my daughters is named Karin and I am getting a bit annoyed with the derogatory way her name is being used. Maybe we should use your name – UpstateNYer.
Before having kids we assumed the lightweight foldable strollers would be best too. Then we had twins, and when they turned 6 months bit the bullet and bought one of the big bulky ones (A double city mini GT, though I’m sure that means nothing to you ) After pushing them in it literally a few yards, we looked at each other in shock and asked, “How did we not own this before??”
Compared to the lightweight ones, pushing the heavier one is a breeze. I can push the two of them in it, at now a combined weight of 80 pounds (they’re 4), with 1 hand, and still easily steer on flat surfaces. The shock absorption in the rubber air pumped wheels means our forearms aren’t taking the brunt of every rock and slight bump (I’m sure it’s more comfortable for them too but that’s just a bonus). And the adjustable handlebar so that it can be sized to the right height for any adult pushing them is also amazing.
I would bet that for 1,200+ (because yes they make strollers that expensive) you could get the best of both worlds: lightweight and high performance. But for under 500, your options are lightweight and cheap, or heavy but very functional.
Hope that helps! I tried to channel my inner Tom and provide an excess of detail, because isn’t that what we’re all here for? Except that one mean guy in the comments a few months back
Our kids are past stroller age (11 & 9) now, but as a parent I never wanted to deal with a stroller in the park for the reasons you cited. Our first trips starting with kids aged 6 & 4 presented some challenges as they would fade pretty hard. That being said, I kind of enjoyed the challenge of power walking through the crowds with kids hanging off of me. It was like my own version of the Disney Olympics or something, and I looked at it as my exercise on vacation.
All that being said I loved BOB stroller we used for the kids, and I think it would have fared well at Disney. As a bonus, while they are quite expensive, I think its the only kid related thing we purchased that we were able to sell for basically what we paid.
Proud grandmother here, so been there, done that!
In October we took our first trip with our 10 month old granddaughter, and bought at home in a second hand shop a wonderful clean graco for $50.
We flew Southwest so it is allowed and if the kid is with you doesn’t count as an additional piece of luggage. As the grandparents we were permitted to bring it as a second piece of luggage.
It was middle weight, but cushioned, 3 cup holders, folded down for napping, etc.
One little hack I came up with (and am so proud of myself), lol, is that I bought on amazon a pack of 3 Disney drawstring bags and put all of her changing crap (pun intended), in one. Then her food stuff in another and the 3rd was misc., rain ponchos etc.
When we got to the transportation sites, each person grabbed a drawstring bag, someone grabbed the kid, I folded the stroller and on we went like a well oiled machine!!
They should have GPS in the new models for the Karen’s that get their strollers moved.. They are a lot nicer looking then the old ones!!
these certainly do look nicer and more fun than the plain beige. i remember when i was a kid, sea world had strollers shaped like dolphins. my mom said they were the absolute worst.
being a parent i can say the best solution i can recommend to people is simply bring your own. you know it you’re used to it. it’s a little bit of a pain taking it on and off transportation, but you always have it with you. at the airport for us is important, so kids aren’t wandering. we have a 4 year age gap so have a sit and stand which works perfect for both kids. just my two cents.
Under the ECV comments. It seems that WDW has thinned out their inventory. I definitely am in need of the rental when I enter the parks. The las 2 most recent attempts at renting a WDW ECV were futile. An hour after Park opening, there were none available. I was informed that hundreds had been rented. Upon struggling to walk around Epcot, I counted a grand total of 7 being used. I am sure that I missed a few, but not hundreds.
That’s interesting–thanks for sharing.
ECV use has definitely increased over the years, so if WDW hasn’t added to their inventory, it would make sense that they’re selling out. It’s also possible that they’ve needed to replace older ECVs in the fleet, but are having trouble procuring new ones due to shortages of everything.
Having done WDW twice with stroller-aged child(ren), my thoughts…
Trip 1, first child (not quite 2) – we flew down with our own umbrella stroller. It made it easier for us to have it for the airport and gate check it for the flight and for time at resort. It was small and light enough to fold easily and take on the buses, but comfortable and familiar enough that the little guy could nap in it midday. We added an extra sun shade but otherwise kept it pretty simple.
Trip 2, 2 kids (nearly 4 and 1.5) – we rented a double stroller from a third party (in the days when it could be picked up and dropped off with bell services). This was incredibly convenient. We were at the Contemporary so the double stroller allowed us to walk to and from the Magic Kingdom quickly and without tired whiny kids trying to keep up. I used a baby carrier for the airport for the little one and our older guy was fine to walk everywhere by this trip. Biggest perk to the more substantial stroller: storage underneath!!! In summer, not having to wear our backpack/diaper bag and being able to toss purchases under was a literal game changer (to the point that I don’t know what we’ll do now that the kids are probably old enough to do the next trip sans stroller.)
We never even contemplated renting in the park because we always wanted the kids to be able to nap in the stroller and that’s not happening with no padding and no recline. Plus you can’t do much of a rope drop strategy if you’re stuck in line to pick up a stroller. 🙂
Thanks for sharing those experiences! 🙂
My kids are past stroller age now but I have always been amazed at how many parents don’t own strollers. Maybe it’s because I live in a city but there was no way I could have survived being the parent of two young kids without our jog stroller, double stroller, snap-and-go stroller, and collapsible umbrella stroller (yes we owned 4 of them at various times in our kids’ childhoods). I mean, what do people do when they’re out and about with a sleepy 2 year old, just drag them around by the hand or slump them over their shoulder?
With that said, if you own a stroller, I don’t see why you wouldn’t bring it to the parks. I guess the only reason I can think of is you’re packing your car so full of people and luggage that there’s no room. I don’t know how we’d have navigated air travel without strollers for those long walks (and waits) in airport terminals so I’d assume anyone flying to Orlando would be bringing one.
And of course, I don’t mean to sound entitled — I realize there are folks who might not be able to afford decent strollers. It’s just that those probably aren’t the people who are going to be in line to pay $15-30 per day (in addition to the hundreds of dollars in admissions, food, and souvenirs) to rent one.
You can also buy a decent stroller on Amazon for less than it costs to rent one for a few days at the parks.
Thus, the only real use cases where it makes sense to me to rent one are A) No room in the car, as noted above, and B) Your kids are slightly too old for strollers but you arrived at Epcot and realized you’re going to have to drag them around for 8 miles in sweltering heat to do everything you’d planned, so you let them regress for a day and push their heavy little butts around under their shaded little roofs while you melt from heat exhaustion.
Yeah, I’m guilty of “B”…
Owning 4 different strollers makes perfect sense to me as the owner of just as many tripods. 😉 Different circumstances call for different ‘balance’ of size/durability/weight/agility/etc.
Thanks for all of the feedback–very interesting.
We always preferred a smallish, lightweight umbrella stroller. They are easy to quickly fold up when you are getting ready for transportation and small enough that if the parent pushing the stroller follows another adult in the party, you can create a mini-train to navigate through traffic without as much threat of ramming/getting run over by strangers. The lead partner does have to be willing to accept the occasional heal clip, but in our estimation it’s a fair trade to not be the person actually pushing the stroller after a long day on your feet. It is true that stroller umbrellas are often shorter than the bigger, bulkier versions, so I can understand why that might be a turn off for tall parents, but we managed to use them for several trips without suffering any lasting damage to our backs.
We rented with a 3yo last summer, and it was a great decision. Between not having to lug the stroller on the plane, not having to carry it on the bus/monorail/skyliner, and not having to worry about someone stealing our personal daily stroller, it was a great option. Our daughter didn’t complain about the rentals, and other than a couple issues (the shade is basically fixed and the storage isn’t that great), it worked great. It was also easy to clean off after the rain storms since the seat is hard plastic and just needed to be wiped dry.
Also, if you do a multi day rental in the parks and then go to Disney Springs, you do NOT need to put down a deposit; just show them your receipt from the park rental and they’ll get one for you (they will however look at your funny when you return it and walk away without them trying to give you your money back).
Oh Tom.
The collapsible strollers have their place, but I’m not sure that the 10-15 mile/day Disney trip is it. There are exceptions (some awesome and some expensive strollers) but the lightweight collapsible strollers are often too short – or not height adjustable for two different sized parents – and less nimble. And don’t forget that a family doesn’t just use the stroller for transporting kids; it’s also the supply chest, coat holder, snack pantry and souvenir storage.
I like the design of the new strollers! But keep in mind that in park stroller rentals prioritize durability over comfort so you are better off bringing/renting from outside the parks themselves. I’ve never used one; I try to optimize my travel stroller picks the same way you optimize your camera lenses. Happy to look at more Mickey and Minnie, though!
While most kids are resilient, I would not want to put one in a plastic bucket for hours per day and expect them to not have some residual effects of sitting (or trying to nap) on that hard surface. In addition, not being able to take it with you to your hotel which can also involve a lot of walking is a non-starter for us.
Our last trip (Dec 2019) we rented from a 3rd party company that delivered to our hotel (grandfathered in on the old policy). Our next trip (which was supposed to start tomorrow, but we’ve postponed due to Omicron concerns impacting the quality of the trip until late April) we will rent from Scooterbug. Its the convenience factors of:
1. Having the stroller at Bell Services upon arrival at the hotel (and leaving it with them when departing)
2. Taking the stroller with us as we walk to Epcot/DHS from our hotel (Boardwalk) f
3. Comfort of the actual stroller for our kid (recline, padding, cup holder for us)
4. Place to store some items under the seat while in the Parks (i.e. snacks, extra clothes, etc.).
5. ‘Customize’ it so its easier to spot coming out of an attraction (we use colored lightup slap bracelets).
For us, the Disney strollers make zero sense, especially with Park Hopping as now you are wasting time 2x per park to get and return the stroller as well. Cost was also cheaper for the 3rd party back then in 2019.
Thanks for this post! If you pay the multi-day rental does that include being able to rent at Disney Springs or anywhere else on property? Or just the 4 parks?