Is the quality of transporation better on Disney excursions?

[vpalmer]

In the "are there seatbelts in taxis in St. Martin" thread I noticed that there was a difference in experience as to whether or not there were seatbelts in taxis in St. Martin. That led me to wonder if the quality of transportation is better if you take a Disney sponsored excursion rather than walking out a taking any cab. What are your experiences with this? Not just in St. Martin but at all Disney ports.

We are traveling with a three year old so quality, specifically how it relates to safety, of transportation is a big deal to me.

 

[WDWLVR]

In my experience I would say somewhat but not as much as you are looking for. For example on an excursion we took in St. Thomas our transportation was in an open air bus (really seats put in the back of what looks like a large pick-up truck). In St. Martin we were in a real bus. In Antiqua we were in vans. In Grand Cayman we were in mini busses. So it really depends on the port as well.


What doing a DCL excursion will get you is peace of mind that if you are delayed in any way the ship will wait for you because they know you are with an excursion. The same does not hold true if you are out on your own.

 

[TheWog]

I agree that there is probably some vetting that goes on in the process of selecting tour operators (accident history, safety violations, etc.), but you are also dealing with local customs and practices. The peace of mind factor is big for using DCL to book your tours. Whether the vehicles are actually safer is hard to say.