How do you feel about safety of young kids on shuttles?

[ExcitedMama]

It just seems wrong to put my kids on a shuttle without their car seats. They will be newly 5 and 7.5. My oldest is probably ready now to switch to a booster but I'm making him way until after our road trip to DL so he won't have to stay so uptight so long and because the five point harness is safer. I know school buses don't have seat belts so are shuttles pretty comparable? My kids don't ride the bus but if they did I'm wondering if a shuttle is pretty much the same thing. I've never been on one so I have no idea what to expect. On the off chance any of the shuttles are different this would be from the Hyatt Orange County.

 

[SMD]

If you're talking about a charter bus like DL Express, there's nothing to anchor the safety seat to. If you're talking about smaller shuttles, you likely do need to legally use some sort of safety seat.

 

[DLgal]

Buses are exempt from carseat laws. The shuttle from the hotel is likely a small bus.

If you are aren't comfortable with it, rent a car with carseat and the drive yourself to the parks every day.

 

[Elima2015]

I wouldn't feel comfortable with my kids riding without appropriate car seats in a shuttle/large van size vehicle either. I would be ok with a bus. For your kids' ages, and assuming they are 40lbs +, I would look into a Bubble Bum.

 

[oakleycat]

For an airport shuttle (van type), ask if they have seats/boosters available as some do. The shuttle to the parks is usually a small bus, and I've never felt unsafe taking my kids on those even as infants. Even if you park at DL, unless you walk in you will end up taking the tram (from Mickey & Friends) or bus (from Toy Story lot) with no seatbelts available.

 

[ExcitedMama]

For an airport shuttle (van type), ask if they have seats/boosters available as some do. The shuttle to the parks is usually a small bus, and I've never felt unsafe taking my kids on those even as infants. Even if you park at DL, unless you walk in you will end up taking the tram (from Mickey & Friends) or bus (from Toy Story lot) with no seatbelts available.

I have no idea what the hotel shuttle to DL is like. I was hoping someone here would know. I was never worried about the tram when they were much younger, I did that a bunch from the garage, because of course it goes so slow and it's not on the road. I was assuming since they advertise it must be something families do so little kids just do it but I have no idea. We have either stayed on site, walked or I've driven there so the shuttle is a whole new experience. I'm glad to hear you felt it was safe! Anyone else?

 

[Mamato4boys]

I hated taking the ART shuttle with my kids last November. My older boys were fine, of course, at 14 and 11, but my little guys were 2 and 10 months. We were super squished into the buses with a bunch of other people (sometimes having to stand, holding our little guys, because there were no seats available and no one willing to give up their seat. Most of our drivers went entirely too fast considering the number of people standing. I spent every morning ride worried something was going to happen (afternoons and evenings there was enough room to sit, so it wasn't too nerve wracking). We stayed at the Stanford Inn, so we were a later stop in the morning and it was always packed.

For what it is worth, it wouldn't have been nearly as bad if our littles were 5 and 7 (although I probably would have been a bit anxious), but we are done with shuttles for at least a few more years.

 

[bumbershoot]

On the off chance any of the shuttles are different this would be from the Hyatt Orange County.

I have no idea what the hotel shuttle to DL is like.

There are very few hotels that have their own shuttles. Almost everyone uses ART.

Googling "hyatt orange county shuttle" I found a picture of their shuttle taken in 2015 on trip advisor.

I would call and talk to them.

Fwiw we stayed at the Hilton garden inn nearby and just walked to and from. It's not short, but it's doable.

 

[ExcitedMama]

Ok, I'm confused now. I assumed when they said on the website the had a shuttle it was their shuttle. I had no idea it was a shuttle that stopped at all the hotels! Does anyone know if there is a set route they take? I know we walked past the transit hub on our walk to the motel last time and I thought all those shuttles had a hotel name on them. Is the return trip direct to the hotel? This will be the second stop of following my husband for work so after a week of being at DL I'm not sure they will be up for a long walk back and forth, especially after having got used to the walk from DLH!

 

[dec2009mama]

it would be best to call the hotel direct and ask if the shuttle they are referring to is a dedicated hotel shuttle or the public ART shuttle.

 

[sashasmommy]

I've never taken the shuttles at Disneyland, but we frequently take a small bus from a park and ride 8 miles to the airport and never thought twice about it. They do have seat belts (lap belt) on that bus, but we always just held our daughter when she was a baby and now that she's 4, we put her in the lap belt. I have seen plenty of families on that bus and have never seen anyone with a kid in a car seat. (Heck, we even took our car seat with us, but never actually used it on the bus, we just put it with the luggage. I guess we probably should have used it, seeing as there was a seat belt we could have secured it with.)

 

[bumbershoot]

it would be best to call the hotel direct and ask if the shuttle they are referring to is a dedicated hotel shuttle or the public ART shuttle.

Yep.

OP, I don't think your hotel uses ART but I think it's one that stops at embassy as well. I think they are one of the very very few with their own.

You need to call them and talk about the shuttle with them.

Does anyone know if there is a set route they take? I know we walked past the transit hub on our walk to the motel last time and I thought all those shuttles had a hotel name on them. Is the return trip direct to the hotel?

Almost all of the shuttles you saw there were ART. And yes they have set routes. And no, ART routes aren't direct.

You need to call the hoteland find out the specifics of the bus.

There are also people who walk from that area up to the disney bus lot and get on the Disney bus from there.