Car seats from MCO and on Disney buses??

[boysplustwins]

I am going to be travelling with my almost three year old twins. I suspect that I will need to bring my carseats for the M.E. bus from MCO. Will I need them when using the Disney buses to the TTC or parks? How have some of you handled this? We will not be renting a car.
TIA!
Janet

 

[safetymom]

Car seats are not required on busses. No way to attach them or use them on Disney transportation.

 

[mbb]

on our first trip..

We ended up in a 12 passenger van from Mears...no car seats required. And as safetymom said, you can't use them on buses.

Have you considered using aTown Car service instead of Mears?

Remember, with Mears, you may end up waiting a LONG time for a bus/van to be full, and then if your WDW resort isn't the first stop, you'll be waiting some more.

With a Town car, you would get a free grocery stop, personal service right from the airport, and they would provide booster seats for your kids...just a thought..

 

[Kimberle]

If you can afford it, I'd get a private towncar to take you from/to the airport. Most will provide car seats at no charge. This is what we do.

 

[boysplustwins]

I had thought about the Town Car, but there are eight of going. I guess I could call and request a passenger van. I figured that I would need the car seats to get to the airport from my home, so it wouldn't be that big of a deal to check them. I have never flown with the twins, so that is why I am asking. What is the determing factor for needing the car/booster seats? Can I use one of the fold-up kinds from One Step Ahead?
Janet

 

[mbb]

from www.fltours.com would cost about $130 round trip...

Holds up to 10 people, you could leave your seats in your car at the airport at home...and I'm guessing that it's cheaper than paying for 8 people with Mears.

We've used both MEars - our first trip - and FlTours. Traveling with our four year old twins on Mears wasn't the greatest...as I said, it was a long wait, and the boys were just soooo impatient. Andy had a driver waiting for us, we stopped and got groceries, and then right to the door of BCV My hands were full holding on to the boys!!

You're going to have a wonderful trip! Enjoy seeing the magic with your little ones!!

Give Andy an email - I'm positive he would be glad to help out

HTH!!

 

[JennsBabySky]

What is the determing factor for needing the car/booster seats? Can I use one of the fold-up kinds from One Step Ahead?
Janet

I suspect that at almost 3, your twins are probably too young for a booster seat. Even if they fit within the size requirements for a booster (smallest start at a minimum of 30#s), most 2 (and even 3) year olds are too young to sit still enough for the booster to be working effectively.

Personally, I really like having my carseat with me on the plane. My kids will actually sleep and play just fine in their carseat since they are used to eat from the car. Once I put them on my lap, it becomes a nightmare because they want to crawl, grab other passengers, stand on my lap, etc.

If the Disney transportation is on a full size bus, statistically those are safer than a carseat in a car. However, the vans are not considered as safe without a carseat. If you do use a full size bus without seatbelts, it is much safer to have your kids sitting in their own seat (in your lap they become your airbag which is not good).

Good luck,
Jennifer

 

[cdrn1]

It freaks my daughter out to think about her baby in a bus unrestrained. For that reason we are staying at WL our next trip. I have tried to explain to her that buses are statistically the safest form of travel but she is of the mind that stats can be manipulated to show what you want them to show. For Magical Express I am hoping that we can put DGD in her carseat on the bus even if we can't secure it to the bus; then we will just use the water transport and the monorail to go the parks.

 

[safetymom]

I used to be a safety educator concerning car seats, seat belts, busses, etc. The reason more school buses don't have seat belts is because of the design of the busses. They are designed to protect the occupants.

There have been many many studies that verify this information. Your daughter and baby would be very safe on the bus from the airport and on Disney property.

There is no reason for independent groups to falsify the testing information for busses in crashes. Too many groups have come to the same conclusion for the information to be wrong.

I am sure that there has been more testing on the busses than the water transports and monorails. If she feels more comfortable using the seat then go ahead and use it on the bus. I think it would be more for comfort than safety at that point.

Also make sure that you are using the car seat correctly!! Studies have shown that most people use their car seats incorrectly and may not perform well in the event of a crash.

 

[NJDisneymom]

For Magical Express I am hoping that we can put DGD in her carseat on the bus even if we can't secure it to the bus; then we will just use the water transport and the monorail to go the parks.

Please DO NOT put your DGD in a carseat on a bus that has no restraints!!!!! My goodness, if your daughter is concerned about safety that is about the WORST thing you could do. I agree with the others about bus safety, it most definately is not a case of manipulated statistics, it is about SCIENTIFIC testing. Call your carseat manufacturer and ask them about putting the child in a carseat on a bus with no way to strap it down and they will tell you DO NOT DO IT.

In the event of an accident that carseat is not only a projectile object, but its carrying a precious little girl who can't get out. She would be much better off on Mom's lap than in that seat that isn't strapped down.

 

[dcgrumpy]

It freaks my daughter out to think about her baby in a bus unrestrained. For that reason we are staying at WL our next trip. I have tried to explain to her that buses are statistically the safest form of travel but she is of the mind that stats can be manipulated to show what you want them to show. For Magical Express I am hoping that we can put DGD in her carseat on the bus even if we can't secure it to the bus; then we will just use the water transport and the monorail to go the parks.

There are no boats or monorails to MGM from WL

 

[Kimberle]

There are no boats or monorails to MGM from WL

You can take the small boat over to CR, then hop the monorail. (Personally, I find the bus much easier.)