Babyra Posted January 22, 2008 #1 Share Posted January 22, 2008 We have a single Chariot with both the jogging and stroller wheels. Is this type of stroller too bulky on ships (first cruise coming up)? Better to buy/rent an umbrella type stroller? Advice much appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted January 22, 2008 #2 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Well after lots of practice we have learned to buy the lightest and most foldable umbrella stroller we could find. If the baby is young, then one that reclines (for naps) and has some storage underneath. But for the sake of space, you want something that folds as small as possible so you can toss it in the closet in your cabin when not in use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babyra Posted January 23, 2008 Author #3 Share Posted January 23, 2008 Thank you! You are clearly an experienced cruiser. Did you take your children on board as infants? Better to wait until they are 3 and can participate in programs, or worth the effort? Will have parents to help with babysitting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoelsCat Posted January 23, 2008 #4 Share Posted January 23, 2008 I also prefer a small stroller that fold compactly for traveling. We have taken our Maclaren all over the world -- We just returned from a family cruise (12 of us in all) that included an 11 month old and our 2 yr old. I definately think it was worth it. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juniorcop Posted January 23, 2008 #5 Share Posted January 23, 2008 My hubby and I are also cruising with our 10mos old DD this Feb and I talked him into getting a smaller stroller after reading alot of posts. We did have a 45lb Evenflo. We had a hard time deciding so we got a Graco Alano (I think it is a metrolite). It is a 19lber but you can pull it behind you like a suitcase cuz the wheels roll while folded. Then I read more posts and I wasn't convinced we made the right choice so now we also have a Peg Perego Aria which is 9lbs. I have NO idea which one we should take. We are the type that use the cupholders and storage underneath. The Graco has the cupholders but the Peg does not. There isn't much difference between the two size-wise. Maybe 3" tops. Graco has big wheels for different surfaces. Peg has the smaller. We are using it around ship and on shore excursions to beach and shopping. We also plan on taking backpack for diaper bag. I do have a front carrier but it will be nice to take a break from the weight every once in awhile. Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karita Posted January 23, 2008 #6 Share Posted January 23, 2008 After much debate about taking our chicco full stroller for our 11 months old in July, i also decided to get a light stroller for the ship and excursions. Thinking of getting the maclaren quest, it weighs 12lbs and heard good reviews on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myraid Posted January 23, 2008 #7 Share Posted January 23, 2008 After much debate about taking our chicco full stroller for our 11 months old in July, i also decided to get a light stroller for the ship and excursions. Thinking of getting the maclaren quest, it weighs 12lbs and heard good reviews on it. We have the Maclaren Quest and we love it. Very easy to push around and our DS is big for his age! We plan to take it on our next cruise, even though he will be 3 because I think he will still use it now and then.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoelsCat Posted January 23, 2008 #8 Share Posted January 23, 2008 We have the Maclaren Quest and we love it. Very easy to push around and our DS is big for his age! We plan to take it on our next cruise, even though he will be 3 because I think he will still use it now and then.:) I can't say enough good things about the Maclaren. I love mine. I have a triumph -- which I think is pretty similar to the quest. To the poster who is deciding between the Aria and the Metrolite: Personally, I dislike the Peg Aria. We had one and I ended up donating it. I much prefer the metrolite to the Aria. But of course, YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmmaK Posted January 24, 2008 #9 Share Posted January 24, 2008 We have the Maclaren Quest and we love it. Very easy to push around and our DS is big for his age! We plan to take it on our next cruise, even though he will be 3 because I think he will still use it now and then.:) We borrowed the Maclaren Quest from my SIL for our cruise last week. It was great for DS (19 months) and reclined a bit for when he was sleeping. We have the Maclaren Volo at home which is even lighter in weight, but doesn't recline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jam82 Posted January 24, 2008 #10 Share Posted January 24, 2008 I agree. The Maclaren is the way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merela Posted January 25, 2008 #11 Share Posted January 25, 2008 Most Gracos are too big. I think anything less than 20 lbs will do. Although most corridors are wide enough for big strollers, it's when the service carts are parked in the hall ways while the cabin attendants cleaned out the rooms that the big strollers get into trouble. Our Combi stroller fully reclines and it has a big basket. I believed it's only 16 lbs and it folds up nicely when we put in our closet. We had an inside cabin, so we had to put the stroller away every night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spriteshadow Posted January 26, 2008 #12 Share Posted January 26, 2008 We have 22 month old twins, and a Valco double stroller we love. It isn't small by any means, but it's the same width as a wheelchair. DH and I HATE using umbrella strollers, they're so hard on our backs, and they mean we both have a kid to push. Do any of you think using our normal big stroller will actually present a problem? Or would it still be easier to just use two smaller stroller? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sailinglisa Posted January 26, 2008 #13 Share Posted January 26, 2008 Exactly how wide is your stroller? I'm asking because normal door widiths on standard cabins are only about 21 - 22" wide - you may have to collapse the stroller just to get it through the cabin door. And also, when the room stewards have their supply carts in the halls which is usually about half the day (morning to early afternoon and then again about 5:00 - 9:00pm) you will have a lot of difficulty maneuvering around with that wide of a chair. The hallways are not that wide. And as for storage in your cabin, it really will take up a lot of space. You really would do better with narrower and lighter strollers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanciRDH Posted January 26, 2008 #14 Share Posted January 26, 2008 We have 22 month old twins, and a Valco double stroller we love. It isn't small by any means, but it's the same width as a wheelchair. DH and I HATE using umbrella strollers, they're so hard on our backs, and they mean we both have a kid to push. Do any of you think using our normal big stroller will actually present a problem? Or would it still be easier to just use two smaller stroller? Maclaren strollers fold umbrella style, but are alot taller. My dh is a big guy,(with back problems, lol!) but has no problems pushing our Mac Quest. I didn't discover this brand until our 3rd arrived, and now it's our only stroller by choice. Cabin doorways are narrower than standard, and navigating busy hallways is tough for wheelchair passengers, I've seen it. Also take into consideration how much room your folded stroller takes...if the 4 of you are sharing one cabin, space is limited and you might want something that folds up into the closet or under the bed easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spriteshadow Posted January 26, 2008 #15 Share Posted January 26, 2008 I just looked up the Maclaren... holy cow! That's a lot to spend on a stroller just for a 7 day cruise. Like I said, I love our current stroller, I'm just worried about the size of it. Plus DH has pointed out that with the rest of our luggage in the car it probably won't fit. So what I'm going to look for I guess is a pair of light single strollers that recline, have some kind of storage, and won't cost half one of our fares! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted January 26, 2008 #16 Share Posted January 26, 2008 I just looked up the Maclaren... holy cow! That's a lot to spend on a stroller just for a 7 day cruise. Like I said, I love our current stroller, I'm just worried about the size of it. Plus DH has pointed out that with the rest of our luggage in the car it probably won't fit. So what I'm going to look for I guess is a pair of light single strollers that recline, have some kind of storage, and won't cost half one of our fares! They are totally worth the price, but I understand if you are only using it for a week that it might not be the best way to spend your money. I got my Mac Triumph used for about $75. It's in great shape and I saved about $100. Another great thing about Macs is that they have great resale value when are you done with them. And they work for years! My almost 7 year old rides in ours often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanciRDH Posted January 26, 2008 #17 Share Posted January 26, 2008 I just looked up the Maclaren... holy cow! That's a lot to spend on a stroller just for a 7 day cruise. Like I said, I love our current stroller, I'm just worried about the size of it. Plus DH has pointed out that with the rest of our luggage in the car it probably won't fit. So what I'm going to look for I guess is a pair of light single strollers that recline, have some kind of storage, and won't cost half one of our fares! You can catch them on sale, especially the Volo for less than $100, each with shipping. The volo doesn't recline, but truthfully, do you need them for napping? Albeebaby has them on sale often, usually when the new "model year" arrives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spriteshadow Posted January 27, 2008 #18 Share Posted January 27, 2008 Thanks for the tips, I'll keep an eye out. Our multiples association has a used strollers for sale board too, I'll check there. I'm assuming the $100ish ones you're talking about are for singletons. I'll be looking for two of them. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spriteshadow Posted January 27, 2008 #19 Share Posted January 27, 2008 Thanks for the tips, I'll keep an eye out. Our multiples association has a used strollers for sale board too, I'll check there. I'm assuming the $100ish ones you're talking about are for singletons. I'll be looking for two of them. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy16_ Posted January 27, 2008 #20 Share Posted January 27, 2008 Hey, I've been researching maclaren for our next cruise (3/2/08), and I've seen that you can buy these attachments so that you can put them together or apart. Though that would come in handy so you didn't have them always together. Look at the site listed above and ebay also has tons of them, alot are brand new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juniorcop Posted January 27, 2008 #21 Share Posted January 27, 2008 My hubby also suffered sticker shock when I suggested we get a smaller stroller. We knew our BIG stroller wouldn't fit in the car w/luggage, too. We went looking at Babies R'US and got both the Graco and Peg on clearance which made it easier for us. I was there two weeks ago and they still had clearance strollers. We looked at the Maclarens. They had one model on clearance but it didn't have the tray for the child. They also had a Combi stroller that folded up just as small as the Maclaren and weighed 9lbs. with a carry strap, too. It was less than $100. It would probably fit in the cabin's closet. It did have a child tray, but I personally didn't like the basket. There was also a Baby Trend Trendsport for under $40. This stroller looked like a good option for just a 7 day cruise. The Maclarens all have really good reviews. The others not so much. I noticed that the reviews varied based on what was important to the reviewer or what their particular age of child needed at the time of their review. We seriously thought about just a basic umbrella stroller but I wanted a useable basket to store my tiny diaper bag, camera, beach towel, etc. and my husband wanted a tray so baby could self-feed. If our daughter was older than her 10mos, I don't think the tray is that important. I also thought of the time we are going to have baby around deck of ship & excursions and will probably appreciate having the sun canopy. I am still torn as to what stroller to take. The Graco would probably work but I just don't relish the idea of closing and carrying a 19lb stroller to get on and off a tender boat or to climb stairs if I get tired of waiting for an available elevator around the ship. The Peg will probably slide right under the bed in the cabin. Then I decide to take the Peg but then think I'll miss the parent cupholders to free up my hands and bigger wheels when we go to the beach. AAAAHHHHH! Is there a "perfect" stroller??? :) So for those that are looking for cheap places for strollers, check out Babies R'Us and Amazon.com also had strollers on clearance. I saw Baby Depot also was closing out last year's models. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy16_ Posted January 27, 2008 #22 Share Posted January 27, 2008 You can buy organizers that fit the Peg that have dual cupholders and even a small mesh bag attached for like $20. You can also buy just cupholders to clip on. Albeebaby.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted January 27, 2008 #23 Share Posted January 27, 2008 I had that Baby Trend stroller on our last cruise and it was totally fine. It's well worth the $40 and I can totally understand why you'd not want to spend $100+. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katerkat Posted January 27, 2008 #24 Share Posted January 27, 2008 Look at the Combi ST. It's only about $70 in stores and you can get it on sale off eBay or any of the various online baby stores, especially last year's colors. I love mine. We bought it for Disney World and I considered a Mac, but balked at the price. My Combi has been awesome for two trips to WDW and one to DL - it reclines very deeply for napping. It's now the only stroller I use around town. Of course, for the cruise, I was trying to save space so I brought the free Babies R Us umbrella stroller - BIG mistake. (It was free for a reason.) Should have just gone with the one I knew worked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilydog76 Posted January 28, 2008 #25 Share Posted January 28, 2008 I couldnt help but add my 2cents to the stroller dialogue. I have the best small stroller that has now become my fave the Chicco Capri Stroller. I initially bought this "just on case" and rarely use my big stroller. This stroller has taken a beating and I love it!!http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?pChicco Capri Stroller roductId=2585640 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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