Jogging stroller vs. Umbrella stroller

[TXGators]

Hi, this will be our second cruise, but first with a baby. We're cruising next week - was supposed to be New Orleans, but Carnival is re-routing to Mobile.

 

Anyway, we're conflicted over which stroller to carry with us on the cruise. Mama wants to bring the jogging stroller, which will allow the little guy (who will hit 11 months during the cruise) to recline and take naps. I'm concerned that the jogging stroller will take up too much space in our cabin (category 6B).

 

Also, bonus question...we are porting in Cozumel - are there car seat laws in Mexico, in case we do something like take a cab, or one of the Jeep-style excursions? We haven't booked an excursion yet, not sure if we will, but just curious what our options would be.

 

Thanks!

[gkrnjlr]

How small does the jogging stroller break down to? I would think that if the little guy would be more comfortable in it - that might be the way to go. Does it have a basket or cup holder that would also be beneficial?

 

You could let the little guy sleep in a reclined position in the stroller while you go do things on the ship instead of having to stay in the cabin while he naps.

[Tripinbrums]

At Walmart I found a very small stroller with a canopy and it does recline. It was perfect on the Glory. It was small so that I did not have to fold it up for buffets or even in our cabin. It was also good for the taxis , my hubby was going to throw it in the taxi's trunk , but when the guy opened it up there was no room. He had to collapse it and put it on his lap. FYI In Cozumel we love Chakanaab Park. It is so family friendly. We haven't been there since Hurricane Rita (I am not sure which one) though. Good Luck

[Tripinbrums]

At Walmart I found a very small stroller with a canopy and it does recline. It was perfect on the Glory. It was small so that I did not have to fold it up for buffets or even in our cabin. It was also good for the taxis , my hubby was going to throw it in the taxi's trunk , but when the guy opened it up there was no room. He had to collapse it and put it on his lap. FYI In Cozumel we love Chakanaab Park. It is so family friendly. We haven't been there since Hurricane Rita (I am not sure which one) though. Good Luck

[Utahrd]

These things are an Acquired Taste and I'm not sure how I would like using one in a humid place like Cozumel.

 

But I would take an 11-month old to Cozumel in a backpack:

 

http://www.rei.com/category/4500066

 

My kids would fall asleep in them. My daughter would fall asleep in the backpack when it was below freezing, a problem you won't have in Cozumel.

 

I was last in Cozumel a few months after a hurricane so I assume things have improved since then. But back then, the sidewalks were bumpy, very narrow or just plain missing.

 

This was probably a bad idea, but I even walked up to my knees into the water in Hawaii with my daughter in the backpack.

[rescue/fire]

i would hope everyone would bring a carseat for the cabs or cars and hopeing people just dont let baby sit on laps. this is not safe and children must be in car seats only way to go imho. may be a pain to carry it threw out the trip but it is soooo worth it as children are a gift from Job and its our jobs as parents to protect them in everyway possible

[jkrislc]

I just got back from a week in Mexico. You may be hard pressed to find a cab with seatbelts. I'd recommend taking the car seat, but you'll have to be persistent and perhaps go through several taxis until you find one with seatbelts.

[All4fun1]

We are taking a jogging stroller for the WDW portion of our trip (we own it, and ds still fits in it, so I'm not going to spend money to rent one there). I am going to stow it under the bed in the stateroom. It should fit after I take the wheels off of it. If yours is the kind that breaks all the way down like that, then you should be able to fit it under your bed.

 

I totally agree with this poster btw!

i would hope everyone would bring a carseat for the cabs or cars and hopeing people just dont let baby sit on laps. this is not safe and children must be in car seats only way to go imho. may be a pain to carry it threw out the trip but it is soooo worth it as children are a gift from Job and its our jobs as parents to protect them in everyway possible

Below is some info about car seats and taxis.

 

Taxi Videos

Taxi Videos

 

These videos show what happens to you and your child in some common taxi scenarios.

 

Taxi Video 1: What happens to your child if you buckle yourself in and try to hold on to him or her?

 

Taxi Video 2: What happens to you and your child if neither or you wear a seat belt?

 

We have decided not to show pictures of what happens when you buckle a child into your seat belt (they sit on your lap). Images of a child cut in half are too gruesome for this website.

(I can't get video 2 to work, for some reason...)

I just got back from a week in Mexico. You may be hard pressed to find a cab with seatbelts. I'd recommend taking the car seat, but you'll have to be persistent and perhaps go through several taxis until you find one with seatbelts.

 

Is it possible that the seatbelt could have gotten pushed down into the bight (crease) of the vehicle seat? Of course, I wouldn't want to stick my hands down there either. Who knows what you'd find... Sad that it's so hard to find a cab with seatbelts! If it's possible, I would suggest using the cruise ships excursions since most likely they will put everyone on tour busses, which are much, much safer than taxi cabs. And then that would negate the need for a car seat anyway.

 

hth!

[nothriver]

I love my jogging stroller but it is huge and I would never take it on vacation.

 

I'd say an umbrella is the way to go. I never had one that reclined, both my kids slept in them anyway.

 

I agree that you should take a carseat! Doesn't matter what the laws are - it is WAY more dangerous on the roads in Mexico, I can't imagine going without a carseat. I don't use a carseat because it is the law, I use them to protect my childs life.

[cb at sea]

The hallways on the ship are pretty narrow, and regular sized strollers make it difficult to manuver and take up an awful lot of space in the elevators! For the amount of time you'll be using it, the umbrella style will work just fine and be easier and lighter to haul around!

[gkrnjlr]

After reading this thread I think we'll lean towards taking the umbrella stroller instead of the regular "big comfortable" stroller. It is smaller. It doesn't have the cup holder or big basket but then again how long will we be using it? We'll just put a small backpack on it, I guess.

 

As for the back pack carrier for a child.....we bought one of these just for the cruise. We are HOPING that our daughter likes it. If not....it'll have been a waste for a purchase! Did you put your 11 month old in it prior to actually traveling and using it on vacation?

 

I totally agree about taking a car seat. We've been there without the kids before and just the way that they drove would make me 10000% sure that I would want to take a car seat. When we go to Cozumel I don't think we'll be doing anything other than shopping, etc. because I don't want to put my daughter in a taxi. I'd love to do SOMETHING there but don't want to put her in a taxi!

[jkrislc]

 

Is it possible that the seatbelt could have gotten pushed down into the bight (crease) of the vehicle seat? Of course, I wouldn't want to stick my hands down there either. Who knows what you'd find... Sad that it's so hard to find a cab with seatbelts! If it's possible, I would suggest using the cruise ships excursions since most likely they will put everyone on tour busses, which are much, much safer than taxi cabs. And then that would negate the need for a car seat anyway.

 

hth!

 

No, they weren't there at all. Fortunately, our group needed three cabs, so we were able to consolidate the kids into the one that did have functioning seatbelts. This is also an advantage of using a prearranged transfer service over local taxis.

 

As for you decision to take your jogging stroller to WDW, you wont be disappointed. We took ours and couldn't have been happier. While it was a little bulky to lug from California, it made the trip through WDW much more comfortable for us and our little one. I would, however, suggest taking a bike lock with you. We used one and had several people comment that it was a good idea to secure the stroller. While they seemed safe, I know of two people who had their strollers stolen while at the parks. Given the number of strollers, this isn't a large number, but better to be safe than sorry.