Alamo/car seat rental?

[andrews_dad]

There most certainly is such a thing as an expired car seat. They have expiration dates stamped on them. Times change, safety standards increase, and that foam inside doesn't cushion your child as well once it's old and compressed. You can't tell by looking at it.

This is what I would do, personally ... I would go to Walmart and buy seats. Two brand new Cosco Sceneras would be about $80 ($40 each) plus tax. They are easy to install after a quick read of the manual, and accommodate rear-facing infants as well as forward-facing kids up to 40 pounds. Booster seats are even cheaper if that's what you need, in the $20 range.

When I was done, I'd drop them off at a Goodwill or other thrift store ... there must be some of those near WDW. While you shouldn't buy used seats due to not knowing their history, some people do, and someone buying my very-lightly-used seat would actually be getting a good one. Plus it saved me a little money anyway. Yes it would take a bit longer going to Walmart to get them and all, but $40 cheaper plus helping out a stranger down the line.

If you do absolutely need to rent one, inspect them all carefully before choosing. Check all over the plastic body for cracks. Lift the cover a little and check the foam for cracks or missing chunks. Find the expiration date, which will be stamped on the plastic body, usually on the underside or the back. It will probably be molded into the plastic (so not a contrasting color or anything, look very closely!) and say something like "Do Not Use After DEC 2012". If there are any cracks or dents in the body or foam, or it's expired, don't use it. And I would point those issues out to the people working there.

And how are you getting to Wal Mart? Leave the kids at the airport or take them to Wal Mart with no seat? And why does that trump bringing your own? No airline fee for a car seat. If you don't want to lug it, pull up to curb. Call over sky cap. Tip $5-10. Will wheel all your luggage to the check in for you. I have taken my car seats to Disney 8 times (go 3 times per year), oldest now 4 youngest 1. Also flown the seats to the Bahamas. Just can't wrap my brain around why anyone would rent them or buy them new at new location?

 

[CarrieR]

The frustrating thing is, Andrews Dad, you shouldn't check a car seat, either. The baggage handlers have been known to toss them around and they can get damaged -- visibly, or invisibly. They should really be carried, and used, on the airplane. Pain in the rear!

If our seats are involved in a crash we throw them away. We carry the latest car seats and the entire seat is cleaned throughly between uses and bagged. We actually have full time employees who do nothing but clean the seats and deliver them to the garage. We do this because: We value our customers, we believe in safety and we do NOT want any type of liablility.
Using a seat that is unsafe, expired (if there is such a thing) or recalled, would put our company in a serious liablilty situation should, God forbid, something were to happen. Liability issues are the reasons a greeter cannot assist you in selecting or installing the seats.

GMEH, can you tell me (and I ask this genuinely and respectfully) how the car seats are cleaned? What is the process, what cleaning supplies are used? HOW they are cleaned is as important as THAT they are cleaned.

I am thrilled to hear that you toss the ones that have been in a crash and (presumably) the expired ones. They expire after 6 years, give or take, depending on the model. (At least one is as short as five and some are as long as ten. Most are six, though, and a do not use date is generally stamped somewhere on the shell.)