How to Make Your Strollers at Disney World Easy to Find

If you’ve ever been to Walt Disney World theme parks with a small child, you know that keeping track of your stroller can be a real challenge. Stroller parking lots fill quickly and strollers are moved to accommodate newcomers. Unless you’ve decorated yours to stand out from the crowd, it can be difficult to locate yours in a sea of lookalikes. Before your next visit, consider some of these DIY ways to make strollers easier to find in the Disney parks!

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How to make your stroller stand out at Disney World

When it comes to travel, I’m not usually much of a planner. I pack my suitcase a few hours before heading to the airport and I rarely think much about what I might need upon arrival. I wing it. It’s more fun that way… sometimes.

There are, of course, moments where this fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants philosophy has let me down. Like the time I found myself at the end of a long day in Magic Kingdom, holding an exhausted 3-year-old, searching in vain for a stroller that had disappeared from its spot in the stroller lot.

Consider this a cautionary tale about the importance of personalizing your strollers in Disney theme parks. 

Don’t make this rookie stroller mistake 

As you might imagine, the streets of Walt Disney World are crowded with single strollers, double strollers, and jogging strollers. As parents approach rides, restaurants, and bathrooms, they drop off their child’s ride in the closest stroller parking area, with the naive expectation that they will find it in the exact same spot upon their return. Rookie mistake!

Hardworking Disney cast members are always on the move, wading through the sea of parked joggers and rental strollers in these lots, making order out of chaos. Strollers are moved often, sometimes to another lot entirely.

Cast members will help you find your displaced stroller again. But, if you can only tell them, “It’s a black umbrella stroller,” good luck to you. (That is, for the record, exactly what I said in the case of my disappearing stroller. I was that rookie.)

DIY ways to make strollers at Disney World easy to find

On a subsequent Disney World vacation, I paid much closer attention to the masses of strollers parked in lots across the parks. Here are a few DIY tricks that some clever families use to make their strollers stand out:

• Buy a new stroller – A polka dot stroller is much easier to locate than a plain black one.
• Attach a balloon – Attaching a helium balloon to your stroller makes it visible from afar. Just note that balloons are not permitted in Animal Kingdom, so have a backup plan for that park.
• Tie a ribbon – It may sound simplistic, but a colorful ribbon tied around your stroller’s handle can make it easier to spot from a distance.
• Hang a backpack on the back – Any burst of color attached to your stroller can help draw attention to it.
• Make a sign – Before you leave home, add your family name to a sign and laminate it. If you lose your stroller, this will make it easier to track down. Or purchase an already made sign from Etsy to print.

BYOS (Bring Your Own Stroller) to Disney World

Once I started paying attention, I was surprised by the lack of variety when it came to strollers at Disney World. This may be, at least in part, due to restrictions at Disney World, that limit the types of strollers that guests can bring into the Florida parks. Stroller size matters now, so be sure to measure your double jogging stroller before bringing it to WDW.

The following items are prohibited in Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios:

• Wagons or “stroller-wagons“
• Scooters
• Strollers larger than 31” (79cm) wide and 52” (132cm) long
• Any trailer-like object that is pushed or towed by a stroller
• Balloons, in Animal Kingdom

These rules apply to the water parks as well.

What to know about Disney stroller rental

If you are planning to rent Disney World strollers, the task of making them stand out becomes even more of a challenge. All tan strollers with blue awnings look alike!

I definitely recommend bringing brightly colored toys or accessories (like the Hawaiian lei in the photo above) to attach to your Disney stroller. Even the smallest pop of color can catch your eye and make your Disney vacation easier.

Read this TravelingMom article to decide if renting magic strollers is right for your family. Whether you’re planning a one-day or multi-day stay at a Walt Disney World resort, you may prefer to pick up a rental from an Orlando area stroller rental company like Orlando Stroller Rentals.

Just the tiniest bit of advance planning can save you from the hassle of losing your stroller at Disney World, Disneyland, or even at your Disney resort.

I was eventually reunited with my missing black umbrella stroller, after losing it in Magic Kingdom. It had been moved to another lot and I found it completely by accident, long after I’d given up looking. Once my daughter could relax in the stroller, and I didn’t have to carry her anymore, Walt Disney World was once again the happiest place on earth!

Where to buy discounted Disney tickets

Planning a trip to the original Mouse House? Traveling Mom recommends Get Away Today for discounted Disney tickets and vacation packages. Not only does the company have the lowest prices, it offers a best price guarantee. If you ever find park tickets cheaper, Get Away Today won’t just match the price, the company will beat it.

Even better, save $10 on a two or more night trip with code TravelingMom– just for Traveling Mom Readers! After purchasing your tickets from Get Away Today someone will reach out to you to answer any of your Disney vacation questions or help you create an itinerary for your visit. Their customer service can’t be beat!

You may also be interested in this TravelingMom article: How much does it cost to go to Disney?