Car Seats on Magical Express?

[Ninnygunk]

I apologize in advance.....I'm sure this question has been asked a million times but I searched & couldn't find the answer. We will be traveling with a 2 & 3 year old on the Magical Express. Must they have car seats? I don't want to show up unprepared! Thanks in advance!

Jenny

 

[robinb]

I apologize in advance.....I'm sure this question has been asked a million times but I searched & couldn't find the answer. We will be traveling with a 2 & 3 year old on the Magical Express. Must they have car seats? I don't want to show up unprepared!

No, in fact they cannot travel in car seat on ME.

 

[Lewisc]

PP is correct, DME buses don't have seat belts. It's physically impossible to use a car seat.

 

[Edd]

If you are concerned, which you should be, there is car service that you can use car seats with, however car service is not free. You can also buckle up your kids in a rental car or the taxi service. There have been no major accidents with the DME busses to this date.

 

[CleveRocks]

I don't think there's cause for concern about young children and motorcoaches. But for anyone who is concerned, the only viable and cost-effective route would be a rental car. WHY?

A car service will allow you to place your children into child safety seats and safely transport them and you to your resort. HOWEVER, once there, you are stranded. WHY? Because you'll then need to use Disney Transport buses at least some of the time ... and like DME motorcoaches, DME buses don't allow car seats. It would seem silly for someone to say "You shouldn't have your young child unrestrained in a DME bus" but then also say "It's OK to have that same child unrestrained in a Disney Transport bus."

Of course, you could choose to stay at a monorail resort and choose to go only to Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Or you could choose to stay at an Epcot/BoardWalk area resort and choose to go only to Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios. Or you could choose to pay hundreds and hundreds of dollars for taxis and car service rides to and from everywhere. Of course, all of that would be rather silly. I'm just trying to bring everything to its logical conclusion.

 

[TDC Nala]

The motorcoaches do not have seat belts. You would not be able to buckle in a child safety seat. As noted above, same is true of all WDW mass transportation vehicles (buses, trains, boats and monorail)

 

[Edd]

It should be noted that none of the Disney, on property, transportation uses the super highways on their way to their destinations. DME busses travel up to 70 miles per hour for a stretch of about 30 minutes, between the airport and the resorts. All Disney transportation is governed to 35 miles an hour. That is quite a bit of difference in driving speeds riding from MCO to the resort and riding from the resort to the theme parks.

The kingdom is patrolled by the Orange County sheriffs department. Private cars driven by Disney employees and rental cars get the majority of tickets.

 

[Ninnygunk]

That puts my mind at ease. We weren't planning on taking them on the plane either. Didn't wanna lug them around with a 2, 3, 10 & 13 year olds. We'll do quite well to get to the hotel with all members of our party!

 

[goofy4tink]

If you are concerned, which you should be, there is car service that you can use car seats with, however car service is not free. You can also buckle up your kids in a rental car or the taxi service. There have been no major accidents with the DME busses to this date.

It should be noted that none of the Disney, on property, transportation uses the super highways on their way to their destinations. DME busses travel up to 70 miles per hour for a stretch of about 30 minutes, between the airport and the resorts. All Disney transportation is governed to 35 miles an hour. That is quite a bit of difference in driving speeds riding from MCO to the resort and riding from the resort to the theme parks.

The kingdom is patrolled by the Orange County sheriffs department. Private cars driven by Disney employees and rental cars get the majority of tickets.

Oh come on now Edd....I have yet to be on a DME bus that comes remotely close to moving at 70 mph....in fact, I usually end up on the bus that is moving at about 45 down the highway. 70 mps for a stretch of 30 mins between the resorts and airport??? That's the total time it takes to make that trip...if the bus was moving at 70 the whole time, it would make it to the airport in about 15 mins!!
The buses, both DME and resort to park, are very safe. Yes, there have been some incidents over the years where a park bus was involved in some kind of accident. But, I don't think anyone on the buses was injured. Being on those buses is really quite safe.
Now, if someone is nervous about not having their child (or children) belted in at all times, then they should rent a car for the duration. But that is their own choice.

 

[Edd]

Di,

You know me well enough to know I wouldn't make that up. The busses are supposedly governored to 65, but any driver will tell you more than likely he can get 70. I have followed many busses doing 65 to 70 and even have had a few pass me while I was doing 65 to 70. The speed limit from the port is 70 and on the greenway 65.

To tell you the truth they might get ticketed for doing 45 on the greenway to and from WDW. And I might add the fleet of drivers are not the most experienced bus drivers around. Most of them have come from the Mears Shuttle van fleet and learned their driving on the shuttle vans. There is a high turnover rate in bus drivers because of the pay rates.

There have been several accidents involving the DME and DCL busses. The State of Florida considers that information confidental, including passenger injuries, and only lets it out to the company and the insurance company involved. I have also been to the Highway Patrol's office about 6 miles from the airport and tried to get that information about accidnts. They have turned me down for the confidential reason.

Check the speed limit next time you head to WDW on the greenway. You are in for a big surprise.

 

[goofy4tink]

Di,

You know me well enough to know I wouldn't make that up. The busses are supposedly governored to 65, but any driver will tell you more than likely he can get 70. I have followed many busses doing 65 to 70 and even have had a few pass me while I was doing 65 to 70. The speed limit from the port is 70 and on the greenway 65.

To tell you the truth they might get ticketed for doing 45 on the greenway to and from WDW. And I might add the fleet of drivers are not the most experienced bus drivers around. Most of them have come from the Mears Shuttle van fleet and learned their driving on the shuttle vans. There is a high turnover rate in bus drivers because of the pay rates.

There have been several accidents involving the DME and DCL busses. The State of Florida considers that information confidental, including passenger injuries, and only lets it out to the company and the insurance company involved. I have also been to the Highway Patrol's office about 6 miles from the airport and tried to get that information about accidnts. They have turned me down for the confidential reason.

Check the speed limit next time you head to WDW on the greenway. You are in for a big surprise.

Ahh, but the buses running between port and MCO (or port and WDW) are different than the buses running between MCO and WDW. Yes, you're absolutely right about the bus speed on the greenway. I know that the two times I've made the trip to port, there were DCL buses passing us. Won't argue that point with you. I just don't think the buses running between the airport and WDW are routinely traveling at 70 mph. Can they? Yep. I just don't think they do.
Accidents involving Disney buses? I'm sure they exist. But I doubt they are all that much more frequent than any other bus system. Of course, you do have to add in that nasty tourist element in central Florida!! Those tourists, unfamilier with the area, have to be an incredible road hazard. I've seen some really spooky stuff on the roadways of WDW!!!!!

 

[Edd]

The busses from the airport routinely travel the greenway. DCL and DME busses are all the same company and the two are mixed into service. They are all the same busses and same drivers. On Monday, tuesday and Wednesday the DCL busses do not have any ships to meet at the port and so are used in the DME. They all travel every day 65 -70 miles per hour whether you go greenway which is used 90% of the time, DME busses have no reason to travel the Beach Line as the Greenway is more direct to WDW, or the Beach Line.

I have been driving commercial vehicles on the orlando highways for over 16 years and have not had a problem with that nasty tourist element yet. Not one accident.

 

[goofy4tink]

The busses from the airport routinely travel the greenway. DCL and DME busses are all the same company and the two are mixed into service. They are all the same busses and same drivers. On Monday, tuesday and Wednesday the DCL busses do not have any ships to meet at the port and so are used in the DME. They all travel every day 65 -70 miles per hour whether you go greenway which is used 90% of the time, DME busses have no reason to travel the Beach Line as the Greenway is more direct to WDW, or the Beach Line.

I have been driving commercial vehicles on the orlando highways for over 16 years and have not had a problem with that nasty tourist element yet. Not one accident.

You misunderstand me.....I don't have an issue with the buses per se...I'm saying that there is a lot more roadway to speed on when heading to port, vs heading to a resort. That's my issue.
I just haven't been on a DME bus that moves that fast. In fact, the buses I've been on seldom get out of that right lane. Sometimes they move to the middle lane but not often!! I must be getting the pokey puppy drivers.

But you have to admit, tourist drivers do some strange things. I've been on buses, where a regular car driver is in that far left lane, looks up, sees a sign and abruptly charges into the far right lane in order to get off at that exit!!! Happens at least once on every trip I've taken. Or the drivers who are tired of being behind a bus and then charge past them, even though that lane has now 'gone away' and it is a one lane roadway!! You couldn't pay me enough to drive a bus at WDW!!! Those drivers have to have eyes in the back of their heads!!!