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Stroller?


MomtherOfDragons
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I see a lot of suggestions for the Summer Infant light weight strollers and I'm sorely tempted to buy one, but I'm afraid our little guy will sit in it once and then be done. We use a jogging stroller at home when we walk around our property and go fishing, but otherwise he walks or we carry him (like in a parking lot). Would it be a waste of money to buy a $70 stroller or would it be better to buy a $15 Walmart umbrella one? He will just have turned 2 when we go (and he is our last, so no "future" use out of it).

 

This will be our first cruise with our kids (8,5, and 2). I don't recall seeing other people on our previous cruises with strollers, but I also wasn't really looking.

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I see a lot of suggestions for the Summer Infant light weight strollers and I'm sorely tempted to buy one, but I'm afraid our little guy will sit in it once and then be done. We use a jogging stroller at home when we walk around our property and go fishing, but otherwise he walks or we carry him (like in a parking lot). Would it be a waste of money to buy a $70 stroller or would it be better to buy a $15 Walmart umbrella one? He will just have turned 2 when we go (and he is our last, so no "future" use out of it).

 

This will be our first cruise with our kids (8,5, and 2). I don't recall seeing other people on our previous cruises with strollers, but I also wasn't really looking.

Get the cheap one...as you may end up not using it...however it would be better to have it and not need it than need one and not have one....especially in ports.

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Those $15 strollers are awful to push and probably awful to sit in. I would get something similar to the summer infant one (maclaren, Chicco Echo, Chicco liteway, etc.) But look for a used one. When I live they are all over Facebook marketplace, Craigslist, etc. I would be surprised if with a little effort you couldn’t find one for $20. Or maybe you have a friend who has one you could borrow? We have cruised 3 times with a Chicco Echo or similar, and it is really nice to have the storage basket, decent shade, etc. On our last cruise we took it for the baby, but at one point in port my 4 year old who pretty much never uses a stroller at home asked to ride in it.

 

 

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I did lug a stroller on my child's first cruise at 18 months old, but barely used it. I did find a toddler sized baby carrier came in handy though, especially navigated crowded areas with a lot of uneven pavement/stairs which seemed to be almost all our ports...lol! On second cruise at 3, I left the stroller home and did not miss it.

 

 

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MomtherOfDragons:

 

 

We are cruising in a couple weeks and bought the Summer Infant lightweight for my 2 year old granddaughter so if you are going after that, I will let you know how we liked it. It seems nice but we will see how convenient it is. It is bigger than I expected.

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We went ahead and got the Summer Infant one from the Amazon Open Box Warehouse. So we paid $66. I feel like the $20 ones are a complete waste. They dont push well, dont have shade or storage and can't be comfortable for the kids. We are also traveling with our 2 year old and other 2 older kids.

 

I will probably try to sell to a consignment store or on FB Marketplace for $20-$30 and recoup some money.

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I'm solidly on Team Get A Decent Stroller. I have a very active (now) 3.5 year old who has done 2 cruises. She loves them, she has a blast, its the best family time money can buy. But the days are big. She hadn't slept in a stroller ever until we got on a cruise ship. She'd get overwhelmed and climb into her stroller and pull the shade down like a celebrity avoiding paparazzi. And then usually sleep a bit. It was less about being able to carry her and more about her having a space that was hers and calming. But you want it to be comfortable to push, with a nice big sunshade and some storage.

 

Borrow one from a friend. Check out Craigslist.

 

I love my toddler carrier too, but its an entirely different experience. Not as good for hot places and not as good at being personal space for her. Great for her being able to see things and for places with stairs/cobblestones/etc. If you're going to Europe, get a toddler carrier. If you're going to the Caribbean, get a stroller. Don't buy a new one for either experience.

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I did lug a stroller on my child's first cruise at 18 months old, but barely used it. I did find a toddler sized baby carrier came in handy though, especially navigated crowded areas with a lot of uneven pavement/stairs which seemed to be almost all our ports...lol! On second cruise at 3, I left the stroller home and did not miss it.

 

 

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I have used baby or toddler carriers for my kids on 3 cruises ranging from 9 months to 2 years old. They are wonderful and I use them a ton and would never travel with a child 3 or under without one! But I use them for some things and a stroller for other things. I always take both. (I occasionally fly without stroller, but it depends on the trip, I would definitely not cruise without one with a 3 and under either.)

 

 

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A stroller....any kind...is a god-send on a cruise. If the child wants to walk, put your stuff in the stroller! I wouldn't go and pay a bundle for a stroller, especially if the one you have is narrow enough for the hallways and room storage. But DO bring something.

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We just got the Graco Literider LX (Got at Toys R Us on one of their last days for $27, it usually goes for 70-80 on Amazon). I had put my 22mo old in one in the store and she hated it, I think because it wasn't her trusty comfortable Britax lol. I probably would have paid full price for it anyway... we have used it a couple of times and she likes it now that she's gotten used to it.

 

I was/am not a fan of the true flimsy "umbrella" strollers, and to be honest, I did not care for the Summer Infant ones either.

 

The Graco Literider LX is lighter and folds up slightly smaller than our Britax. It has a nice sized storage basket and a decent sunshade. It offers a surprisingly smooth ride for a 4wheel (compared to our 3 wheel jogger).

 

It folds like a regular stroller. Not the umbrella fold. (Has one handlebar across, not the 2 like the umbrella ones).

 

Seat only has 2 positions, fully upright and mostly reclined. Works for us so far. Good luck!

 

 

 

 

 

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I dont think our guy will tolerate being carried.. I have two careiers but havent used them since he was 8 months old.. Texas is just tooooo hot. We’ll be in cozumel in late february, so im not entirely sure if it’ll be too hot or not for it.. May see if we can get him used to back carrying in our mesh one before then..

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  • 4 weeks later...

We just returned from our cruise and we brought the Summer Infant 3D Lite and were very glad we did. We thought about just bringing an umbrella stroller since the Summer Stroller was a little bigger than expected. My son and DIL were very happy they didn't starting with the 4 1/2 hour plane delay. My granddaughter fell asleep in it for most of the wait. Once on the cruise things were very exciting to her and the easiest way to get her to nap was to push her in the stroller. It worked out great for us.

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