Transport from airport to hotel?

[sparrowlight]

Hey y'all! We are planning our FIRST family trip to Disney World in May (my husband and I honeymooned there four years ago) and can’t wait!!

I have a few questions but my main one right now is about transport with small kiddos. My kids will be almost three and 15 months during our trip so they both need car seats. We are flying into Orlando, and staying at the Waldorf Astoria (gotta love travel points from my husband!) — and our main question right now is about transport from the airport to the hotel. The MEARS shuttle was weirdly cagey about providing car seats. We don’t have Magical Express, of course. What’s our best, most economical transport, with safety and car seats in mind? Car rentals doesn’t make sense because we don’t need it during our trip.

Thanks for suggestions!

 

[halfpintpeggy]

I would suggest Uber - but not certain if they can provide car seats, I'd check it out!

 

[caliope]

We used a town car service from the airport and requested a car seat at the time of booking. It worked very well. It was probably more money than a basic cab or shuttle would have been but knowing that a car seat would be available was worth the peace of mind.

I looked into uber but everything I read suggested that car seats weren't typically available. I didn't investigate further so I don't know if that's accurate.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Uber in Orlando does not offer car seats as of yet. They are supposed to roll out Uber Family, but I have not heard an actual date yet. We use Park Avenue Limo in Orlando. Tiffany Town Car also gets good reviews. You may want to post this on the Transportation forum for more info.

 

[jtopp]

Staying off site, I wouldn't rule out a rental car just yet. You could rent the car seats, and have the convenience of mobility without relying on the hotel shuttle schedule. This is especially true on your first family vacation, where you may run into unforeseen circumstances. Plus, you have the freedom for off site meals, shopping, site seeing, supermarkets and any and all emergencies. Sometimes, the cost can be justified by the convenience. Have a fun and safe family trip.

 

[pooh4evr]

I agree you might want to consider getting a car. I am not familiar with where the Waldorf is located, but you may not want to be beholden to their shuttle schedule. Plus handling a stroller, and the necessary diaper/park bags for little kids on a shuttle can be a really tough balancing act.

 

[Lupeix]

I have stayed at the Wyndham, which is right across from the Waldorf Astoria, and I strongly recommend you rent a car, specially with kids that age. Their shuttle services are not as good as Disney transport. With both kids under 5 I will probably rent even if staying at Disney property, they are not good at waiting, specially at the end of the day. It is also easier to lug around stroller, etc. You will arrive and leave the parks much faster. My record was 10 minutes from room to inside Epcot.

A good limo service will give you car seats but they are expensive, roundtrip from the airport will cost you almost the same as renting a car for a week if you can get a good deal. Prices are ~140 roundtrip form the airport for a sedan plus the cost of car seats, taxes and tip. So worse case scenario you have a car parked for a week you can use if you want (assuming they do not charge you for parking at the Astoria).

take a look here for limo services from the airport:
http://www.mousesavers.com/transpor...-limo-and-van-transfers-for-disney-vacations/

 

[Aussie Princess]

I am staying onsite was my 4 yr old son and we have chosen to have a car obi cousin staying off site you will need to factor in parking costs at the parks as well

 

[SteveMouse]

You might also consider bringing your car seats from home, especially if they are certified for use for air travel- you could use them on the plane

 

[writerguyfl]

Hertz has a location at the adjacent Hilton Bonnet Creek. Typically, there are no extra fees to rent from one location and drop off the car elsewhere. So, you could do two one-way rentals. Although, Hertz does tend to be more expensive than other car rental firms located in the WDW area.

 

[TWK]

I would bring your seats from home, you can have your 2 year old use it on the flight, and check the baby's at the gate. It is a pain in the rear, but probably the only option if you need them. Then I would probably rent a car. I am guessing you aren't required to use a car seat in the shuttle, and that is why they wouldn't require them (just like the Disney Express... it is a tour bus, so you don't need car seats) This doesn't help you, but is the #1 reason we stay on site... dealing with carseats when not traveling by car is such a hassle. Good luck!

 

[Pesky]

Try Tony Hinds. He is highly recommended on the Universal Studios board. His fees often include a stop at a Publix which is dang handy. You can either google his contact info or search on the Universal Board as I'm pretty sure it is in one of the stickies. Oh and bring your own car seats. TRUST ME. We rented them with a rental car company (large one in a large airport) and they were downright scary. You can get carseat cover bags from Walmart for $25 each and we always loaded up the spare space with diapers, blankets, etc. Those do not count towards your bag allotment, but are kind of a pain. We always did curbside check-in and then DH went to park the car while I waited with the kids to make that portion easier.