airport transfer without carseat?

[jofo]

Based on what I've read in previous threads, I just want to double check that my understanding of the current carseat requirements is correct. We are flying into SNA.

The ONLY current airport transfer possible with a baby without a carseat is Disneyland Resort Express?

Taxis, Super Shuttle, Karmel, etc. all would require us to bring and use our own carseat?

Thanks!

 

[mrswh]

Well, it depends how old/large your child is. If he/she needs a carseat to be legal in CA, then really, do you want to bring him/her in a shuttle or taxi anyway? Super Shuttle is the worst - those 15 passenger vans are death mobiles, especially for unrestrained kids. There is actually a federal law against schools purchasing them to transport children.

If you call a private transportation service they may have a car seat you can use, but who knows what you will end up with. If you just need a tush booster, probably not a worry but if you have a little kid, maybe a different story.

We took the Disneyland Resort Express on our last trip because it was just me and the kids and I couldn't drag enough suitcases to pack the boosters. I still didn't feel 100% comfortable b/c they were unrestrained but much better in the bus than a taxi.

Just my opinion.

 

[skiingfast]

The ONLY current airport transfer possible with a baby without a carseat is Disneyland Resort Express?

That or a limo, though if you call arond you might find a shuttle with car seats.
DLRE is pretty cheap from SNA, I think $9 per direction from Getaway today.

 

[scoker]

It is a pain but I always try to bring my daughters own seat when we travel. I still do and she is a good size 5 year old. I don't know of any airline that charge a fee for the seat to travel and they don't count it against your baggage allowance. Every airline that I've traveled on has wrapped it in a study bag and if you have decent size rolling luggage a bungee cord can be use to strap it to the luggage so you don't need another hand. My DD and I travel on our own fairly often and it can seem like a trip to handle luggage, carry-on, child and then the car seat. Bungee cords are worth their weight in gold.

Hope you can come up with a convenient solution.

 

[lalasmama]

Yes, you are correct--you will need a car seat for your child for anything other than the Disneyland Express.

I'm hopping on my soap-box here. Sorry!

As a former car seat tech, I have to mention Best Practices versus the law.... The CA law itself is that any child under 8yo or 4'9" needs to be in a proper child restraint (infant seat, convertible, combination, or booster seat). There's no "in a taxi" exclusion, or "in a passenger van" exclusion that I've seen or heard. Now, best practices would say take a car seat to be used on the plane as well, and then if you need it once off the plane, you are ready to go.

As others have pointed out, some shuttles may provide car seats, but you have no idea what they will be providing--a car seat that was in an accident that wasn't reported? a car seat that's expired? a car seat reeking of baby puke? a plain, unclean, "nasty" car seat? a forward-facing-only seat for a child who is still rear-facing?

I allowed my 7-to-turn-8-year-old-on-our-trip to ride on the plane and on the D-land Express without a car seat. (She's still in a booster--even occasionally harnessed depending on some variables--at home.) I did this because (1) the D-land Express is so big that we would do more damage than anyone could do to us, vehicle wise, (2) the seats are "compartmentalized", meaning they are designed to be safer in the event of a crash, (3) I knew we wouldn't need to go anywhere by car.

Disclaimer: I realize I'm hard-core about this. I'm not trying to offend anyone. I lost multiple family members in a crash where kids were not properly restrained in an SUV, and it's been a cause of mine ever since.

 

[Geemo]

Take your own car seat. As mentioned in a PP, use a bungee cord to hook it to your carry-on luggage. That's what we do, it's never been a problem.

Geemo

 

[jofo]

DLRE is pretty cheap from SNA, I think $9 per direction from Getaway today.

Thanks for the tip, I didn't realize they sold DLRE tix!

 

[heather_sue_98]

So, does the Disneyland Express even have seatbelts? I will have it scheduled, and I was planning on bringing boosters for my two booster-age kids. However, they can't use them on the plane, and if they can't use them on the shuttle... well, less to pack for me!

Edited to add:
When purchasing fare on the Disneyland Express, do they mail or email vouchers? How long does it take to get them from when I purchase online?

 

[bumbershoot]

So, does the Disneyland Express even have seatbelts?

No, it's a coach-style bus. Run by Grayline, which is like Greyhound. No seat belts to hold your booster/carseat in.



OP, as far as I know, unless you want to take public transportation, that's the only one like that.

For me, I'd have the carseat, b/c if we had another baby we wouldn't do the lap-baby thing again after our experiences with DS. So we'd have the carseat on the plane, and would have it for the shuttle!

 

[mrswh]

So, does the Disneyland Express even have seatbelts? I will have it scheduled, and I was planning on bringing boosters for my two booster-age kids. However, they can't use them on the plane, and if they can't use them on the shuttle... well, less to pack for me!

Edited to add:
When purchasing fare on the Disneyland Express, do they mail or email vouchers? How long does it take to get them from when I purchase online?

The DLRE bus we were on did not have seat belts. I don't think you could use a booster if you wanted to. If you're not planning to go anywhere outside the resort, it sure is nice to be able to leave the boosters at home!

We bought the DLRE tickets with our DLR tickets (through WDTCO) and we received the vouchers in the mail with the tickets. You can just walk up at the airport and purchase a bus ticket, though!

 

[dismom73]

Just wanted to mention...booster seats cannot be used on airplanes. Most people aren't aware of this and lug them through the airport and then get upset when they are told they can't be used on the plane. You can bring them on with you and store them in the overhead bins, or check them (with no baggage charge).

Whenever we needed a car seat we ALWAYS brought our own, no matter how difficult. And I've flown cross country by myself with 3 kids. The ones companies rent don't get cleaned on a regular basis, and they get puked on, spilled food on and even urinated (or worse) on.

 

[jilld11]

I sell the express shuttle passes and we just email them to our clients. Takes no more than a day to get. You don't need car seats for your children in the resort express. Not meaning to get a hung up on legalities, but we were in San Diego in September 2011, and did not need car seats in taxis or car rental shuttles. Don't know what the law is for sure, but we were never asked. We only took them to a few close places on slow roads, but weren't required. When we go to Disney in Sep. 2012, we are not taking them as we only plan on driving from the airport to the hotel and back and not driving anywhere else. We are taking DRE both ways.

 

[dismom73]

I sell the express shuttle passes and we just email them to our clients. Takes no more than a day to get. You don't need car seats for your children in the resort express. Not meaning to get a hung up on legalities, but we were in San Diego in September 2011, and did not need car seats in taxis or car rental shuttles. Don't know what the law is for sure, but we were never asked. We only took them to a few close places on slow roads, but weren't required. When we go to Disney in Sep. 2012, we are not taking them as we only plan on driving from the airport to the hotel and back and not driving anywhere else. We are taking DRE both ways.

You are under the impression you didn't need them because the driver didn't force you to use them, but in CA it is the law. If you had gotten pulled over you would have gotten a ticket (or a warning depending on the officer). My DH is a CHP officer and he never gives warnings for car seat violations, always tickets so the parents learn their lesson. It can be confusing if you are coming from out of state and don't know the laws and most people go by their own state laws instead of looking up the law of the state they are traveling to (I am guilty of that myself!).

 

[jilld11]

I was pretty sure that it was the law to require them, but I was just trying to state that it has never been enforced for us. Actually, they didn't even question us and we have 3 kids. We never were on highways, freeways or fast roads, but we were still not even questioned. Where I'm from it is the law to have them in until 80 pounds or 4 feet. Any taller and they say that it will do more harm than good. Once again, not an expert, just our experience.

 

[Tgl2011]

Zippy shuttle will supply car seats, we will be using them on Saturday!

 

[scoker]

So as long as this thread has been hijacked and is now a car seat debate I will add my two cents. I am super uncomfortable whenever I get on some type of shuttle and they don't even have seat belts. Not just for my child but for anybody. The fact that you are going a short distance on a "slow" road does not guarantee that you will not be in a serious accident. I live in a suburb of Houston and most of the roads are 35mph speed limits. There are memorials everywhere of people that where killed close to home on "slow" roads. All it takes is someone pulling out of a parking lot or running a red light and a slow speed accident can be deadly. I know someone that was killed pulling out of their driveway and hadn't buckled up yet. How is that for a short distance. I will do everything in my power to make sure I have provided my family with the most safety and security I can even if it is not convenient.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

The question has been asked and answered. Since threads on this board are for planning fun trips to Disneyland and answering questions to help others plan, and not for debates I will go ahead and close it.

Just a friendly reminder that discussions on various topics on our Community boards are welcome, just keep them respectful, please.