Best Stroller for a Cruise (Polling Data)
If you’re boarding a cruise soon with an infant, toddler, or any size child that needs a stroller, it helps to know what type to bring. A lot of things that make strollers good on land actually make them terrible for a cruise ship.
I polled parents on Facebook across several different cruising groups. I got 131 responses to the poll.
Then I cross-referenced the most popular strollers with their features and Amazon reviews, as well as my own personal experience with some of these strollers. The final result is a list that tells you what’s working for everyone else, why it’s working, and where you can find it.
Jump To Section:
Most Popular Stroller for Cruise
Best Stroller for Cruises, Best for Naps on Cruises
Best Stroller for an Airplane/Best Stroller for Stowing on a Cruise
Best Luxury Strollers for a Cruise
Best Luxury Stroller for a Cruise/Best Storage Stroller
Runner Up Luxury Stroller/Best Breakdown Feature
Best Double Stroller for a Cruise/Best Triple Stroller for a Cruise
Highest Rated Stroller for Cruise
Best Last-Minute Stroller for a Cruise
Here's what you need to know to make an informed decision. Cruise ships have small doorways and hallways, and most surfaces you’ll be pushing your little one will be flat and smooth—no bumpy roads, no curbs, no uneven pavement. That means you need a narrow stroller, and it doesn’t need to have jogging wheels.
The stateroom doorways on Disney Cruise Line (our favorite, if you don’t know what page you’re on) are 22 inches, so unless you want to break the stroller down before you enter and exit your room, you’ll want one narrower than that.
This also means that if you need a double stroller, do not bring a double wide. Finally, you don’t want to bring a long, fancy jogging stroller because it will take up a lot of room in the elevators.
Therefore, the best stroller for a cruise will most likely be a compact stroller, easy to store, but with decent storage and reclining ability if you want to use it for naps on the pool deck.
I’ll go out on a limb and assume many of you would also like some less expensive options as well. Here goes.
Most Popular Stroller for Cruise
Umbrella Stroller (23 votes*)
Max Recommended Weight: 45 lbs
Dimensions: L30.1 W15.25 H35.6
Stroller Weight: 8.2 lbs.
Amazon Rating: 4.5 Stars
*This requires a disclaimer. The stroller most people recommend was not a brand, but a type: umbrella. What they mean by this is a stroller that folds up to the size of an umbrella, has an umbrella shade, and is very light and cheap. There are many different brands of umbrella stroller, but since we’re Disney fans, I’ll give the Disney-themed ones. Ironically, this is the one item in all the world that is not marked up because it’s branded by Disney.
These strollers are cheap. They will get your kid from A to B, as long as your kid is small, and the ground is flat. Your child will have to nap sitting up, and the storage is minimal. Therefore, if all you need is a way to keep your kid contained from one venue to the next, this stroller is for you. If you want it to do anything else, keep scrolling.
Pros: Inexpensive, extremely light, decent fold, sunshade
Cons: wheels are wobbling before you buy it, fragile frame, small storage, small sunshade, no recline, hard to push for taller parents, no five point harness, but again, it’s really cheap
Best Stroller for Cruises, Best for Naps on Cruises
Summer Infant 3D Lite (12 votes)
Max Recommended Weight: 50 lbs
Dimensions: L27 W18 H43
Stroller Weight: 13 lbs
Amazon Rating: 4.6 Stars
At first glance the 3D Lite looks like an umbrella stroller. Don’t be fooled! It literally has everything you need for a cruise and some stuff you didn’t know you wanted. It’s lightweight and small, but reclines almost flat, has great undercarriage storage, comes with a handle bag, AND a cupholder for parents. It has a decent price as well.
Pros: lightweight, compact, good storage, free extras, good recline, good handle height for parents
Cons: It’s a lightweight aluminum frame. Not very durable. Folding is not as compact as some other options on list.
Best Stroller for an Airplane, Best Stroller for Stowing on a Cruise
GB Pockit+ (15 votes)
Max Recommended Weight: 55
Dimensions: L28 W18.5 H39.7
Stroller Weight: 12.3 lbs
Amazon Rating: 4.5
This stroller is a favorite for cruising and flying parents because it basically folds down to the size of a large encyclopedia. It’s comfortable for kids and has a little bit of recline. It’s sturdier than umbrellas (which is reflected in the price), but it has one of the smallest wheelbases of any stroller in the list, which is great for elevators. Of course, that means it lacks undercarriage storage.
Pros: Easy to store, great for overhead compartments and staterooms, comfortable seats, decent recline
Cons: Small sunshade, not a deep recline, very small storage
Best Luxury Strollers for a Cruise
While the 3D Lite is the best stroller for one cruise, if you plan on cruising or flying on airplanes regularly (or frequently walking down narrow corridors with your child, as one does), you may want a higher end stroller that will last. You also may want to look at these strollers if you plan to use the stroller at the ports because they will handle the streets better. Here’s a list of the best luxury strollers for a cruise.
Best Luxury Stroller for a Cruise, Best Storage Features
Uppababy Minu (10 votes)
Max Recommended Weight: 50 lbs.
Dimensions: L35.5” W20.3” H41”
Stroller Weight: 16.9
Amazon Rating: 4.6 stars
I rank the Uppababy Minu number one for luxury strollers because although it didn’t technically get the most votes, four different models of Uppababy were recommended for a total vote count of 20 votes. I think they cannibalized each other’s scores. After looking at the recommendations and features, I felt this was a winner.
The Minu has great recline, easy to access storage, and good storage on the back. It’s also, in my opinion, the classiest looking stroller with its leather safety bar and handlebar. The Minu, however, is not as compact for folding, and almost too wide.
Pros: Good look, reputable brand, good storage, good recline, good sunshade, easy to fold
Cons: does not fold as compactly as others on the list, slightly wide (possibly good for older kids)
Runner Up Luxury, Best Breakdown Feature
Yo Yo Babyzen (10 votes)
Max Recommended Weight: 48 lbs.
Dimensions: L33.9 W17.3 H41.7
Stroller Weight: 13.7
Amazon Rating: 4.5 Stars
The Yo Yo Babyzen is an ultra-lightweight travel stroller with good reclining and sunshade and a really cool breakdown feature that turns it into a shoulder bag. It’s great for quick storage and carry-on. Despite it’s lightweight, it’s fairly durable.
The only drawbacks are that the breakdown has too many steps, and the undercarriage storage is not particularly useful. It does, however, have two different storage areas on the back. If you’re looking a stroller to hold a diaper bag, this isn’t it, but it will hold plenty of supplies spread out across the storage.
Pros: Compact breakdown feature, easy to carry, good sunshade, good recline, decent handle height, extra back storage
Cons: Too many steps to break down, not useful undercarriage storage, incredibly annoying commercial on Amazon
Best Double Stroller for a Cruise, Best Triple Stroller for a Cruise
Baby Jogger City Select (3 votes)
Max Recommended Weight: 45 lbs. per kid
Dimensions: L38.5 W21.7 H43.5
Stroller Weight: 26.4 lbs
Amazon Rating: 4.4 Stars
Baby Jogger is a reputable brand. In fact, 6 different Baby Jogger models were suggested, so any Baby Jogger that’s small would be great for a cruise. This is the best double stroller or triple stroller that was recommended in my polling. If you plan on bringing a double stroller, you will want a front/back (tandem) stroller, and not a side-by-side double. Side-by-side doubles barely fit down the hallways, and you better hope there’s no housekeeping cart. Therefore, the City Select is perfect if you add the extra seat. Then if you have a third, older kid, you can by a riding board and get all three on the stroller without adding any width.
The problem with this stroller is it barely fits through the door as a single, and you have to pay extra for each additional seat. But since you got all these kids, you might as well get them all in one stroller.
Pros: Comfortable, narrow for a double stroller, great storage
Cons: Very heavy for this list, significant cost for extra seats, tandems don’t recline well for naps
Highest Rated Stroller for Cruise
Bugaboo Butterfly (5 votes)
Max Recommended Weight: 50 lbs
Dimensions: L 36.5 W17.7 H40.3
Stroller Weight: 21.1 lbs
Amazon Rating: 4.7 Stars
In my opinion, the Bugaboo Butterfly should be the best luxury stroller for a cruise. Unfortunately, this isn’t just about my opinion. I asked a bunch of other people their opinions, and only a few of them recommended the Bugaboo Butterfly, which is a shame.
The Bugaboo Butterfly has incredible reclining and comfort. It has great storage that can be accessed from the front or back. It has a simple fold that makes it extremely compact, and it’s very narrow and durable. It even has an adjustable footrest.
It’s only lacking in back storage and handlebar height. Otherwise, it’s the perfect cruising stroller.
Pros: Great storage, recline, sunshade, footrest, and folding feature
Cons: Short handlebars for parents, No back storage
Best Last-Minute Stroller for a Cruise
Kolcraft Cloud (3 votes)
Max Recommended Weight: 50 lbs.
Dimensions: L29.9” W17.6” H41.7”
Stroller Weight: 11.8
Amazon Rating: 4.5 stars
At this point, you might be wondering, what do I put my baby in on a cruise? Well, we forgot to bring a stroller on our first cruise with our third child, so we stopped by Walmart and picked up the Kolcraft Cloud. It’s similar to the 3D Lite but lacks the amazing reclining and storage. It does have decent storage and decent recline and sunshade. But where it really shines is that it comes standard with a cupholder and tray for both the parents and the child.
Our little guy loves it, and we love it, so if you want to be like Second Family to the Right, pick this one up. However, only two other people in the poll shared our enthusiasm for this hidden gem.
Our little guy in the Kolcraft Cloud. Napping with his foot on the food tray. Eyebrows artificially darkened for April Fools.
Since it’s called an umbrella stroller, maybe it’s what people were referring to when they recommended umbrella. And yet, since it doesn’t fold into a cylinder, I don’t think it can be called an umbrella.
Pros: great storage, small footprint, recline, sunshade, included trays
Cons: doesn’t feel very sturdy (but ours hasn’t broken after two cruises and two flights)
Best Stroller for a Disney Cruise
To sum it up, the best stroller for a cruise will have a narrow width, good folding ability, reclining, storage, and a good sunshade. Pick one out and have fun on your cruise. If you want to see my best strollers for a Disney Park, or the best double stroller for Disney, click on those links. Below I’ve got a chart of all the data I collected. If you’re detail oriented, you’ll notice that I left a high ranking stroller out of my list—the Zoe. Since their products have been pulled from Amazon, I can’t really compare them to the other strollers, and nothing I noticed about the features seemed to be unique, but it’s probably a great stroller.
Polling Data Chart
FAQ about strollers on Disney Cruises
Does Disney Cruise Lines provide strollers?
Yes, DCL has a limited amount of strollers. Apparently, these are Baby Jogger City Minis, which are kind of large for a cruise ship. They also have strollers and stroller wagons available for use on Castaway Cay.
Where do I store my stroller on a Disney Cruise?
You must either store your stroller in your stateroom ( in the closet or under the bed is best), or there is public storage available. This is only a good option if you don’t plan on using it. You aren’t allowed to leave it in the hallway.
Is there anywhere I can’t take my stroller on a Disney Cruise?
You can’t take the stroller into the theater, and they prefer you not take it into the dining rooms. Cast members will help you negotiate this. Ironically, you also can’t take the stroller into the it's a small world nursery. Some of the ships will let you park it in the waiting area of the nursery if there’s room. For more information on bringing a infant on a Disney Cruise, check out this post.
An understanding of the nautical terms of port and starboard, and what they means for docking and having the best views on a cruise ship.