Dubai with a stroller: which vehicle?

The short answer

For a family of up to seven, the Mercedes V-Class is the vehicle most parents ask for. It has electric sliding doors on both sides, seven seats and room for six bags, and our fleet page lists it for families with prams and large suitcases. For eight to thirteen people, the 13-seater van has a rear luggage area for about ten bags.

A standard taxi seats four with a few cases. That is workable for two adults, one baby and a single folded stroller. Add a second child, a second stroller or a third suitcase and you are asking a taxi to do a job it was not built for.

Count the stroller as luggage

A bag here means a medium suitcase, roughly 65 to 70 cm tall. A stroller takes the space of more than one of them, and it matters whether it folds. We do not publish a size for strollers, because they differ too much. For planning, count each one as two bag places. That is our own rule of thumb, not a measurement, and we confirm the real fit in writing.

Hand luggage on laps is not counted. Anything that will not stand upright, such as a travel cot, goes on the list as extra.

Three families, worked out

Two adults, two children, three cases, one stroller. Five bag places are needed, which is the whole luggage space of the SUV. It fits on paper with no margin. The V-Class has room to spare, and the extra seat is useful when a child wants to lie down.

Two couples with two babies, five cases, two strollers. Six people and nine bag places. The V-Class holds six, so it is three short. The 13-seater van holds ten and takes the lot with one place spare.

Eleven people, nine cases, two strollers. The seats fit in the 13-seater van, but thirteen bag places are needed against its ten. The Sprinter holds twelve, so it is still one short. The mini coach holds twenty and takes everything, or you keep the van and add a luggage vehicle that leaves with the group.

Doors, loading and the walk

The V-Class has electric sliding doors on both sides, so you can load the stroller from whichever side suits the kerb. Its seats are captain’s chairs, each with some room around it. The 13-seater van is high-roofed and easy to board, with forward-facing rows and the luggage behind the last one.

The driver loads and unloads at each stop. At the airport, pre-booked cars generally cannot wait at the arrivals kerb, so the vehicle is a short walk from the hall and your confirmation says where. Keep the stroller ready for that walk. The DXB arrivals guide covers the route.

Airline rules are yours to check

We do not tell you what your airline allows for strollers, car seats or extra bags. Check your own ticket and ask the airline at check-in. What we need from you is the number that arrives in Dubai: how many strollers, whether they fold and how many cases.

Day trips with a stroller

A day booking keeps the stroller in the vehicle between stops, so you do not fold and unfold it at every kerb. On a theme park day the driver drops you at the gate and collects you when you finish, and the bags can stay in the van. The Legoland and theme park guide explains the gates and drop-off.

For the wider picture of which days need a driver and which can use a taxi, the family holiday guide sorts a week into driver days and taxi days. A short outing can use hourly hire, which starts at four hours within Dubai.

Child seats

Child seats are free on request in our cars, SUVs and vans. Give each child’s age when you book and the right seat is fitted before the driver arrives. If you need a particular type of seat, ask us before booking and we confirm in writing what we can arrange. This guide does not cover seat rules.

What to send us

• The number of adults and the age of each child.
• The number of strollers, and whether each one folds.
• The make and model, or the folded size if you can measure it.
• Suitcases, and anything else that does not stand upright, such as a travel cot.
• Flight numbers for an airport run, and the hotel by name.

We reply with a fixed written quote naming the vehicle and whether a luggage vehicle is part of it. Start on the booking page.

Related: Family holiday in Dubai · How many suitcases fit in each vehicle · Dubai airport transfer for groups · Airport Chauffeur · Van with driver · Get a quote

Keep reading

• How many suitcases fit in each vehicle: Bag counts for the V-Class, 13-seater van, Sprinter, mini coach and 50-seater coach, with worked sums for real groups and what to do when the bags win.
• Dubai layover with young children: A 6 to 10 hour layover in Dubai with toddlers or babies and no hotel room: the time sum, one area instead of four, bags, a stroller and where the nap happens.
• Loading time for group luggage at the airport: A method to estimate the minutes between meeting the driver and leaving the airport with 20 to 70 people, with stated assumptions and six worked groups.
• Family holiday in Dubai: A family week in Dubai: which days a van with a driver earns its place, which days taxis or the Metro are fine, and a simple way to work out the cost.
• Three generations in Dubai: transport plan: Grandparents, parents and children on one Dubai trip: which vehicle holds eight to thirteen people with bags, how to split the days and where to build in rests.
• Dubai Metro and a coach for groups: When a group should ride the Dubai Metro for one leg and take a vehicle for the others: a decision table on luggage, terminals, hours and stations, plus three worked examples.