Is a car seat required on Disney transportation?

[sassymom]

I am bringing our 2yo DS's car seat for the flight and ride to the resort. My question is will I have to bring it with us on the bus rides to and from parks etc.? I was planning on leaving it in the room until we were ready to leave again. We do not plan to leave WDW property our week there. Any people who have traveled with little ones and stayed on site would know this first hand I'm sure. Here's to hoping I won't have to lug it around the whole time...

 

[belle&beast]

You do not need your car seat once you are onsite as long as you are using Disney Transportation. We held our 2 yo on the buses and by the end of the trip he wanted to sit by himself. You will only need a carseat while you travel in a car/van if you go off property- no need to take it to the parks! Have a great trip!

 

[sassymom]

Oh that is great to know. I had seen both answers to the question. I was hoping to just leave it in our room and not have to use it again until the ride back to the airport.

 

[SueM in MN]

The WDW buses don't have any seat belts.

 

[gottalovethem]

What about Disney express from airport to hotel? I was not planning on bringing any car seats, was gonna let 3, 4 sit next to me and baby on my lap. . .

 

[Mike N Kathy]

You dont need it on the flight and u dont need it on ME or disney transportation i would recommend NOT taking it ...its more of a hassle then anything ...

 

[sassymom]

I was told by the airline that my son would need a car seat for the flight and also the ride from the airport to Pop. After that I don't know. I was planning on just putting it in the corner of the hotel room after that. Maybe try calling your airline and finding out directly from them.

 

[tjmw2727]

I was told by the airline that my son would need a car seat for the flight and also the ride from the airport to Pop. After that I don't know. I was planning on just putting it in the corner of the hotel room after that. Maybe try calling your airline and finding out directly from them.

No airline "requires" a CRS for a child but the FAA and AAP recommend using one for children under 40'lbs so its a good idea to have one for the flight. Make sure your carseat has a sticker on the back indicating it is approved for use on an aircraft.

If you are renting a car you will want the carset to get from the airport to POP. If your using ME (Disney's free transportation and luggage delivery) to get from the airport to POP you won't be able to use the carseat since the ME buses don't have seatbelts. In fact ME dosen't have anything to do with the airlines so be leary of information given to you by the airline regarding ground transporation.

If you are using disney buses from your resort to the parks etc and again there are no seatbelts.

For information or other questions on ME or WDW park/resort transportation there is a great transportation discussion board here on the dis, just a few titles down from here!

So using it in the aircraft is recommended, but after that unless your renting a car you won't need it again until your return flight home.

HTH
TJ

 

[hollyb]

I am shocked there are no seatbelts on the buses. God forbid we get into an accident. I guess my fear comes from living in a big city. Seeing awful accidents almost daily. This has post has just made up our minds to rent a car and not take the buses.

 

[gottalovethem]

thank you for the info on car seats. I feel better knowing I'm not taking mine along -- both dd and ds are 40 pounds. How far is it from the airport to the WDW hotels? I can't wait to go!

 

[SueM in MN]

I am shocked there are no seatbelts on the buses. God forbid we get into an accident. I guess my fear comes from living in a big city. Seeing awful accidents almost daily. This has post has just made up our minds to rent a car and not take the buses.

The buses that go from park to park are like buses you will find in city bus service all over the US. Almost all of them have molded plastic seats without any seatbelts. The buses have always been like that (long ago in another century, when I rode a city bus to my college classes, they were all like that. There are very few bus accidents with injuries though).

 

[staci]

thank you for the info on car seats. I feel better knowing I'm not taking mine along -- both dd and ds are 40 pounds. How far is it from the airport to the WDW hotels? I can't wait to go!

It is about 30 minutes, give or take a few. If you are taking ME the bus will likely stop at 2-3 resorts, so it will depend on which resort you are going to. When we went and stayed at POP it was the first stop. WDW property is very large too, so it can take a few minutes for the buses to get from the edge of property to some of the resorts.

 

[Windy City Heather]

Car seats are not allowed on Magical Express but be aware that if you travel at an off time (midnight) you might not get a bus but a van or town car instead.

I don't travel to Disney with the car seat but we once arrived at 12:30 am and they were running mostly town cars and a few vans. I was stuck without a car seat and I had one very, very nervous ride.

 

[sassymom]

Has anyone travelled with a 2yo? I am not sure I feel comfortable with him being on the plane on a bare seat. I was hoping the comfort of his own car seat would help ease any fear on the flight itself. Do they allow you to store your seat somewhere on the ME? Now I am more troubled about this than ever. Any story from someone who took their 2yo and how you worked it out would be greatly appreciated...He's not anywhere close to 40 lbs, my DD5 is only 38 herself, my kiddos are smaller than most their ages.

 

[jodifla]

I am shocked there are no seatbelts on the buses. God forbid we get into an accident. I guess my fear comes from living in a big city. Seeing awful accidents almost daily. This has post has just made up our minds to rent a car and not take the buses.

You won't be able to use any Disney transportation then. Trams, monorails, trains, buses to and from the hotels and parks. No mass transit has seat belts.

 

[4lilpoohs]

I just went by myself in December with my 2 and 5 year olds. I did bring a carseat for my 2 year old. For me it was a must have. You can't use the carseat on DME. They store it under the bus with all of the luggage/carry ons.

 

[Windy City Heather]

My dd3 has flown to disney 5 times. I only took the car seat the first time when she was 14 months old. You can't use it on Disney transportation and I find it to be a royal pain on the planes. The car seat allows her access to kick the seat in front off us. You can't put the tray table down. I have to lug it through the airports and then to disney. Kids under 2 don't even need a seat on a plane let alone a car seat! If the plane is going to crash I don't think her car seat would help.

My dd3 is a peanut too. The seat belts on the plane are too big for her. I always have to ask for a blanket to fold up and put behind her so the seat belt fits.

 

[sassymom]

I just went by myself in December with my 2 and 5 year olds. I did bring a carseat for my 2 year old. For me it was a must have. You can't use the carseat on DME. They store it under the bus with all of the luggage/carry ons.

Thanks a bunch . It won't be hard for us to get through the airport with it as we will be a party of 9. As long as I have somewhere to put it on the ME ride.

 

[nancy drew]

Has anyone travelled with a 2yo? I am not sure I feel comfortable with him being on the plane on a bare seat. I was hoping the comfort of his own car seat would help ease any fear on the flight itself. Do they allow you to store your seat somewhere on the ME? Now I am more troubled about this than ever. Any story from someone who took their 2yo and how you worked it out would be greatly appreciated...He's not anywhere close to 40 lbs, my DD5 is only 38 herself, my kiddos are smaller than most their ages.

i traveled with a 15 month old and had a car seat for the plane. i would never put a child that young in a seat without a 5pt harness and a car seat. the FAA and AAP recommend children use a car seat or harness up to 40 pounds (see link for details) and ill take their word for it when it comes to safety.

Kids under 2 don't even need a seat on a plane let alone a car seat! If the plane is going to crash I don't think her car seat would help.

thats because the people who run airlines are smart and they know that people wouldnt fly if they *had* to buy a seat for their infants. also then the accident rate for motor vehicles would increase dramatically from the increased traffic. so even though it is extremely dangerous to hold a child on your lap on a plane, they let you do it. kind of like how we all didnt have car seats when we were little. and a car seat would be a huge help if the plane skidded off a runway. the child would fly out of your arms if you came to a sudden stop, but a car seat securely strapped in to a seat would protect your child. also, in a collision on the ground (or close to the ground) even if you were somehow able to hold on to your child and prevent them from launching across the plane, the force of your body smashing your child against the seat in front of you would be about 1000 times your normal body weight. the child would serve as an airbag for you, basically. a car seat would protect your child in that case as well.

sorry to be all preachy, but my friends husband is an expert in airline safety and accident investigation and ever since he told me about all of this i cannot believe it is legal to allow children on planes without proper restraining devices.

and all that being said, my kids (2yo and 8mo) will be riding on disney transit without car seats. so go figure

 

[Vijoge]

I am shocked there are no seatbelts on the buses. God forbid we get into an accident. I guess my fear comes from living in a big city. Seeing awful accidents almost daily. This has post has just made up our minds to rent a car and not take the buses.

I have never seen a seatbelt on a bus-not city buses or long distance carriers like Greyhound, etc. Our schoolbuses don't have them either, except for the smaller type buses they use for handicapped kids who use carseats. No seatbelts on trains, either.