Disney transport has worked very well for us through the years, but in December we will be off property for much of the stay and end up on property the last couple nights. One of my concerns is the cost of car seat rental too. We would need 1 car seat and 2 boosters. Does anyone know the fees most companies charge? Or can you recommend a company that deals well with carseats? We've had some real beaters in the past and waited a ton of time for them to dig them out. (Not in FL.)
When our kids were in harnessed seats we always took them on the plane, even when using DME and on property transportation. We just put it under the bus at the airport and stuck it in the corner of the closet area for the duration of our trip.
I have heard too many horror stories over the years about the car seats that the rental places have available...old dirty seats, missing parts, instructions...sometimes they have either expired (generally after 6-8yrs) or have been recalled!
I would most definitely bring your own seats with you. The car seat should be used on the plane (unless it is one of the very few that aren't FAA approved) and if you bring low back boosters they can be brought on the plane as carry ons (each person gets one carry on and one personal item).
We are traveling next month and my kids (4yo & 8yo) will each be bringing a low back booster on the plane w/ them so we can use them when we arrive.
I'm not warm and fuzzy about checking any kind of car seat (or booster). Checked baggage has the possibility of getting lost or delayed (I know the chance is slim, but if you arrive at the airport and don't have the seat...there aren't a lot of options!), and even gate checked baggage can be damaged in the cargo hold.
I know there are thousands of people that can post and say, "I checked X number of seats over the years and everything was fine" but Murphy's Law says if "I" do it my kid's seats will be lost, damaged or delayed.
Incidentally, the NTSB issued a travel advisory today about using car seats on aircraft...
The first paragraphs say...
The National Transportation Safety Board today issued a Safety
Alert to advise parents of the dangers to young children on aircraft
when not restrained in an approved child restraint system or device. The
Safety Alert notes that preventable injuries and deaths have occurred in
children younger than 2 years who were unrestrained.
Specific child passenger safety issues on aircraft include the
likelihood that parents and caregivers may not be able to maintain a
secure hold on a lap-held child during turbulence and survivable
accidents. Additionally, unrestrained children have become separated
from their parents during survivable crashes and parents were unable to
locate them during the evacuation.
You can read the entire advisory
here.
and if I had to wait for buses and saw that it was chewing up our break/park time, I'd be a very unhappy camper. So for me, it reduces a lot of anxiety.
