Cruise to Rome- stroller?

Hi everyone!

We are taking our first cruise with our baby who will be 14 mos at the time, and I know there are a lot of stroller pro's out there.

We have a bumbleride indie, and I was going to use that b/c the way i remember Rome, one of those smaller umbrella strollers with the small wheels may not hold up. On the actual ship should i look into one of those little umbrellas anyway? I originally looked at the city mini gt and the citi mini, to just bring one stroller, and realized the bumbleride indie is the same width (off by .5") so the citi mini isn't that much more "mini".

Any input would be appreciated!

Thanks so much!

You do need wheels that can handle the cobblestones, but you want something light enough to carry up and down steps when necessary. I had a MacLaren side-by-side that worked well. And note that if you're going to see the Sistine Chapel you have to carry the stroller most of the way - it turns out it the Vatican wasn't built stroller friendly :rolleyes:. The most miserable time I've ever had in all our travels was carrying the stroller through the endless narrow corridors and stairways that led to the Sistine Chapel.

Have a great time!

Best,

Mia

thanks so much for the input!

I have an I'coo Pluto and LOVE it!! The wheels are nice and pushes like a dream! Very small and light weight folds up great! I also have a Joovy Kooper and I think it would work well too but I dont like the fold on it as much and its a bit heavier. THey both fully recline .

DD lives in Rome and several families leave their strollers in the lobby as the elevator is too small for them. They look like umbrella strollers with more substantial wheels. Never saw anything more substantial.

Many streets have been modernized with smooth sidewalks. But some are very narrow. The Via del Corso sidewalks are only a person and a half wide.

516mama, when are you heading to Rome? I'm cruising out of Rome in October with a 14 month old. I would love to know how your stroller works out and if you have any advice to give post cruise if your cruise is before mine.

October 2012, we might be on the same cruise, lol! Where are you from?

I still don't know what to do, my friend took a cruise this summer and they used a city mini. They said it fit through the hallways fine, and through the doorway of their cabin, but they had to fold it immediately because they wouldn't be able to get past the bed.

Of course each cabin is different, but I'm still so torn! I'm sorry of leaning towards bringing my regular Stroller for when we will be in time itself and ferrying a cheap umbrella Stroller for the cruise. (cheap meaning I'd only have to play $50-$100 for an umbrella versus $200-$350 got the city mini.)

Also the pp who said she hadn't seen anything more substantial than an umbrella Stroller in the hallways got me thinking...

Sigh, still undecided...

Hi, I'm American and live and France. We've lived here since Isabella was 7 months old. France screwed up and spit out all our American strollers. McClaren stroller was the last one I have purchased and have used for a year. It's a champ lightweight turns on a dime and takes every cobblestone France has to offer, a lot ;-). We did Rome with her at a year old and used a backpack with metal frame. It costs more than a stroller but great. That was the ideal system for her transport.

516mama

I live in West Islip and I'm leaving out of Rome 10/15 for 21 days on HAL. I noticed the 516 so I guess you're Nassau County? Are we on the same cruise? What are your plans for excursions? Are you planning on bringing a car seat with you?

Just wanted to know how someone else is handling it all.

You know, I hadn't remembered what stroller you had and have spent the past week researching what a good stroller might be to take to Rome (we are doing a week there before the actual cruise) and then use on the cruise and in ports and I came up with the Bumbleride Indie, which happens to be what you have. The stateroom doors are 23" wide so it wont go in without being folded, but you wouldnt want to store it other than folded.

I think doing two strollers would be too hard to handle luggage wise. I do have a Kelty carrier that I plan on using for most of Rome, but want to have a stroller with me anyways.

Another vote here for a Maclaren umbrella stroller!!!! They are so lightweight but can do the hard duty on cobblestone streets. My son is 6 now, and we traveled in Europe this summer (land vacation). If he still fit in the Maclaren, darn it, I would have brought it!!!!!! They get tired even at 6, and it would have been nice to have in the airports. He's a tall 6, though, so we are past stroller age. Bottom line...... bring a stroller. It's worth its weight. The Maclaren is so lightweight and versatile, you won't be disappointed. I bought mine off Craig's List half price, so you don't need to spend big money if you don't want to.

When my son was younger we have traveled throughout Europe using a Mclaren (the basic model) and it was great. They are actually very sturdy, do great over uneven surfaces and fold small and are easy to carry. As previous posters said, you will have to carry it quite a lot. Also, when on the ship we would fold it and fit it in the closet as the cabin is not that large and open strollers take up a lot of space. The only downside is that the stroller does not recline so if my son was napping we would usually sit down in a cafe and prop the stroller in inclined position but some of the nice Mclaren models do offer a recline. The basic model only costs about $100 so it's a worthy investment.