Transportation from airport for those with carseats?

[Meredith'sMom]

Hello!

We may be returning to Disney soon with our infant daughter. DH and I had a fantastic honeymoon there, but we had to cancel our 1st anniversary trip when we found out I was expecting. Now that we're planning a trip with the wee one it's a whole new ball of wax. I've read through the archives, but still have a couple of questions.

What are the options for getting from the airport to the hotels (on-site) for those with carseats? Is renting a car our best bet? Will car services (we took Tiffany TownCar for our honeymoon) allow you to install your carseat? Also, what do people do on shuttle vans and buses? Do they just forego the carseat b/c it's a larger vehicle, or does no one with a baby take a bus/shuttle type vehicle?

Thanks for any and all tips. I've also been researching the best resort and reading all the old Disney for Families threads.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Besides renting a car, which you can obviously do, you can also install your carseat in a town car.

Maybe someone can confirm, but I do not think that the shuttles have seatbelts at all. Personally, I would not take a chance with a lap baby on an airport shuttle. Of course Disney (and other) busses do not have seatbelts, either, but the Disney busses do not drive at the fast speeds that a person would travel going to and from the airport.

If you want to do what is the very safest for your baby, probably renting a car is your best option. You can then bring your own infant seat, install it in the rental car, and then drive to the parks. You'd also have the car available if you need to run to the grocery store for any supplies.

It really isn't hard to secure a rental car, at least from an offsite company. I did this when I took a solo trip with my 5yo last month.

I rented a cart for my luggage, piled everything on it and wheeled it to the rental counter and then out to where the rental cars are. Very easy. You could have your stroller gate checked and be able to easily wheel your daughter around the airport. Would be a bit of a hassle if using an offsite company, though. When I was flying home I did curbside baggage check before returning the rental car.

Traveling with an infant is a bit more complicated than without, huh?

T&B

 

[goofyandmore]

Tiffany will definitely allow you to install your infant car seat. Give them a call and Deb will confirm. Every time I have used them, they offered their own car seat for my youngest and they have it installed already. I love Tiffany. Congratulations on the Baby. Don't forget you can do baby swaps on rides with your husband so that if one goes on the ride without the baby, the other doesn't have to wait in the long line again. Carolyn

 

[Tigger&Belle]

As to the best resort, it really depends on your budget. The monorail resorts are wonderful. The Poly is especially nice because you can easily get to the MK and you can either monorail or walk to the TTC to get to Epcot. The Epcot resorts also make getting to Epcot and MGM easy, especially if you have the energy to walk (we did that in the mornings when staying at the Swan).

The moderates and values are fine, though, too. If you have a rental car and are driving to the parks you won't have to rely on the busses. Many people like the busses, however.

Happy planning and welcome to the DIS!

T&B

 

[DemoBri1]

Personally...I'd rent the car. With a wee young one like you have, having to adhere to transportation schedules may not be the best thing. This way you can make your own schedule and get to where you want to go, when you want to go. Plus, you'll have the added security of the car seat at all times.

As far as the best resort goes, if you child was a bit older I'd say you were probably looking at one of the monorail resorts, since you'd probably be spending the bulk of your time at MK. If MK is not that big of a priority then the Epcot Resort area is probably a good bet. You can walk to Epcot, and boat/walk to MGM. AK is not that long of a drive and neither is MK. Beware that all of these resorts are Deluxes with the exception of the S/D.

It's great to hear that we have a new Dis'er out there. Whatever you decide...ENJOY YOUR TRIP!!

 

[Meredith'sMom]

Thank you so much for the great advice!

I have been thinking that a rental car is the best option too, even if we rely on Disney transportation a lot while at the park. The good thing about my fairly high-maintenance daughter is that she is superb in strollers, cars--her motto is "keep moving and nobody gets hurt."

I also thought that a monorail resort might be the best. DH and I honeymooned at the GF (and spend SO much on food at the best restuarants every day--we knew we'd never live that well again!) but it doesn't look like that's in the cards this time. We'd planned our anniversary trip at the WL but I'm concerned that it might take a little too long to get around from there. The Contemporary seems like a great bet, but DH and I don't really like the decor (but perhaps location is more important).

Yes, this will be a master feat of organization--not that our honeymoon wasn't. DH reseached these boards and followed the Unofficial Guide faithfully.

Thanks again! I've lurked here forever and am glad I finally joined.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

What I like about the Poly over the CR (besides the decor) is being able to walk to TTC to hop on the Epcot monorail. Of course it's nice to be able to walk to MK, but it's true, how much time will you spend there with a baby? Trust me, you'll spend lots of time there in a couple years!

I think that WDW is a great place to go with a high maintenance baby/toddler (I've had a couple of those myself...). There is so much visual stimulation and the child is never bored!

Speaking of high needs, I need to rescue my older kids from my yelling 5yo.

T&B

 

[Meredith'sMom]

That is a great feature of the Poly--I didn't realize that you could walk to the TTC from there until a few days ago. DH and took a fun walk to the Poly from the GF last year to explore (and this was in early August--so hot!).

To confess, though, DH and I are Magic Kingdom junkies! We went 3 of the 7 days of our honeymoon, and 2 e-ride nights. We felt like we should've done MGM another day though. The good thing about this trip is that my mom will join us and watch the baby some, and we'll be doing the Baby Swap as well.

Thanks again for your helpfulness!