To take our carseat or not to take it..

[Mrs Lapo]

Thank you very much for all the useful information. I haven't flown since I was very young so I wasn't thinking that the straps wouldn't be able to be pulled tight enough o secure him. I will definitely be taking it. And I think I will just get that strap to transport while at the airport but can I ask another question that may seem stupid.. if I use my car seat on the taxi ride over to Universal then what do I do with it while I'm at the park??? Would they hold it somewhere for me?

Also, I have a light weight car seat (not sure of the brand name since I've had it for sometime now) how would I find out if that car seat is ok to use on the plane? Will they check it? We are flying Southwest. I know one person said they've never had a problem but I don't want to get there & then be stuck.

Thanks!!!

 

[Star Mom]

Still debating if we should stick with the rental or uber to/from parks to hotel. We want to avoid the shuttle as it is complete waste of time, and takes forever!!!! My only problem is the car seats.

The hassle of taking it off, loading it on the shuttle to the airport from park and ride with 2 kids and bags, stroller etc
We are flying southwest, so no worries there
Renting a car, picking it up from the rental center, installing the seats in...
Of course, the additional parking fee per day at our resort, gas, tolls etc...
We are no staying in Disney property this time, as we found a better deal off site.

Do you think we can get away with the kids with no car seat and taking a cab/uber to/from the parks to our hotel...idk I'm torn with doing the right and safest thing. Please help!!!

 

[Caseheidi]

Thank you very much for all the useful information. I haven't flown since I was very young so I wasn't thinking that the straps wouldn't be able to be pulled tight enough o secure him. I will definitely be taking it. And I think I will just get that strap to transport while at the airport but can I ask another question that may seem stupid.. if I use my car seat on the taxi ride over to Universal then what do I do with it while I'm at the park??? Would they hold it somewhere for me?

Also, I have a light weight car seat (not sure of the brand name since I've had it for sometime now) how would I find out if that car seat is ok to use on the plane? Will they check it? We are flying Southwest. I know one person said they've never had a problem but I don't want to get there & then be stuck.

Thanks!!!

I was wondering the same thing about where to store it while at US. I would really look into renting a car for the day, then it is just in the car. Also cabs can be expensive there, so look at the cost of a day rental vs a two cab rides. I know that we have used a car rental desk in one of the hotels next to DTD, and it was not as expensive or as much hassle gettin there as the WDW Car Center. We just took a bus to DTD and walked to the hotel.

As for how you know if your car seat is safe, look for a sticker on the car seat. If it does not have a sticker with information on its airline rating, then you cannot use it on the plane. Once you start reading the sticker, it becomes obvious what it is. If the sticker is not there, even if it has been removed, airlines will not allow it to be used.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Still debating if we should stick with the rental or uber to/from parks to hotel. We want to avoid the shuttle as it is complete waste of time, and takes forever!!!! My only problem is the car seats.

The hassle of taking it off, loading it on the shuttle to the airport from park and ride with 2 kids and bags, stroller etc
We are flying southwest, so no worries there
Renting a car, picking it up from the rental center, installing the seats in...
Of course, the additional parking fee per day at our resort, gas, tolls etc...
We are no staying in Disney property this time, as we found a better deal off site.

Do you think we can get away with the kids with no car seat and taking a cab/uber to/from the parks to our hotel...idk I'm torn with doing the right and safest thing. Please help!!!

Personally, I would not use uber or a cab without putting dd in a car seat. But we buy her a seat on the plane and she sits in it on the plane...always has, even when she could have been free. It was worth it to have the space on the plane.

 

[kohlby]

I recently flew and didn't want to carry an additional booster with me. (I did transport one regular booster but have two kids who needed one). I ended up taking an inflatable booster, the Bubble Bum and it worked great and was so easy! I realize that option will only work for those with children in boosters, but I wanted to update since we have now used it. (There are other travel car seats on the market, though the one I used many years ago took at least 5 minutes to get the child into. That was a travel 5 point harness and was many years ago, so I expect there are easier options out there now).

 

[DisneyOma]

A friend is going to be at Disney and renting for a few nights around the same times as us (universal) and after I sent her prices, her DH is riding the Magic Express or a cab back to the airport to rent because it's less.

Will they let him on DME? He wouldn't have the proper flight information, and they are really picky about that. Most of the DME buses I've been on are completely filled - they stop at multiple resorts sometimes to fill up, and you have to have a reservation, along with flight info.

 

[quakechicago]

This is an old thread, but the law in Florida is 3 and under need a carseat regardless of in a taxi or uber or whatever. You are not required to have one on DME.

 

[cjparker0110]

Hello, I am planning our first trip to Disney in November. My son will have just turned two so I did have to purchase him a ticket for the plane. We have never flown anywhere before so I am questioning whether or not to bring his car seat. I was thinking it would be easier on the plane to have him strapped into his familiar seat but then I'm not sure what to do with it for the rest of our trip. We are not renting a car & I'm assuming the Magical Express bus will not have seat belts so he would not use it then. We are taking a cab to & from Universal one day but I was told you can request a cab with a car seat..is that true?

So I'm just not sure if it is worth the hassle of having to lug it through the airport, to the hotel, storing it somewhere in our already cramped room & then back again if he will only use in on the plane. I'll also have our stroller & two other children so the less "stuff" we have to bring the better. Any advice from you veteran travelers?? Thank you in advance!

If you are planning to take a cab (or any other transportation other than ME and WDW stuff) you will need a car seat. I would not recommend getting one from the cab company. No guarantee that it is clean, or safe, or comfortable. It probably will be the cheapest of the cheap.

That said, there are a lot of mixed feelings about taking a child on a plane without a car seat. Some people will call you evil for it. They are not required on the plane. For us, we will be opting not to use them for our kids on our trip because we will have 4 children 6 and under. I can't imagine trying to lug all 4 seats AND luggage, AND keep track of the kids in the airport. It's just not doable. They are not needed for ME or WDW transportation.

For the cab to Universal: I don't know if it made the market yet, but Volvo was in the process of developing an inflatable car seat for children 3 and under. That might be an option. Bubblebum makes an inflatable booster for kids 40# and up but this would be for the young ones. If it got produced it could be the answer to your question because it would not take up all of the room.

 

[monorailsilver]

We used a car seat on our kids when they were at that age. It was just easier for them and us because they were strapped in better (putting the car seat in was another story) and they were higher so they could see out the window. I did take off their shoes as a precautionary measure for the accidental kick..thank goodness my kids are not seat kickers!

We never rented in WDW either and just kept the car seat in the resort closet.

 

[pooh4evr]

Everyone saying to take one for the cab ride to Universal- then what do you do with the seat all day?

 

[Angel Ariel]

Everyone saying to take one for the cab ride to Universal- then what do you do with the seat all day?

I guess you'd have to find a locker, if one is big enough to fit a car seat

 

[alicat8]

We brought my daughter at a little over 2 and I was glad we had the car seat on the plane. I don't know how she would have been in those awful seats otherwise. In her seat, she slept the entire flight! It was a pain to carry, but I thought it was worth it to avoid a plane meltdown (our flight is a little under 3 hours).

We rented a car and had somewhere to leave it though. I probably would have brought it anyway.

 

[Mintycake]

Great thread. We are planning to go to DW next year and staying onsite. But am concerned about the shuttle bus service (I have just started my research but a lot of places say it's terrible!) so to get around this we are thinking of using Uber. My daughter will be 6 going on 7 and she is really tall (currently 48 inches already!) so does anyone know the law in Florida if she'll need a car seat? We used it last time we were in FLA but she was only 3 at the time. I don't want to bring it if I don't need to.

 

[cjparker0110]

http://www.flhsmv.gov/safetytips/CPS.htm

Looks like she won't need a carseat! However, check it out before you go because laws do change fairly often and could by time you go. Some states keep them in a carseat or booster until they are 8. I've heard proposals to keep them until they are 10 but I don't think that would ever go through...but you never know.

 

[Baklava]

http://www.flhsmv.gov/safetytips/CPS.htm

Looks like she won't need a carseat! However, check it out before you go because laws do change fairly often and could by time you go. Some states keep them in a carseat or booster until they are 8. I've heard proposals to keep them until they are 10 but I don't think that would ever go through...but you never know.

Yep! It's 8 in California unless they are 4'9". Starting in 2017 there's a new law requiring rear facing until the age of 2 (with an exception for kiddos over 40 pounds or 40 inches.)

 

[kohlby]

Legally, a 6/7 year old doesn't need a car seat in FL currently. But safety-wise, I'd take one no matter what for that age. The inflatable Bubble Bum could be a good option. At 48", the shoulder strap won't fit properly without a booster.