what to do with car seat

[littlelaura]

we are staying off-site, and relying on shuttle transfers to and from WDW. we have been advised (by our travel agent) to take a car seat for our baby (who'll be 9 months) to use on shuttle bus / minibus. what do i do with it once in the parks? do disney have an area where they can 'look after it' for me. i dont know if it will go in a locker, and don't want to carry it around the park all day.
the shuttle transport is with mears, who in past experience use minibuses that carry 9-12 people, all with seatbelts. under florida law, my ds will need to use the carseat - and i wouldn't dream of having on my lap -way too dangerous. i won't be able to leave the carseat with driver, as its unlikely that it will be the same driver/vehicle that picks us up. any suggestions?

 

[mdurette]

I am not sure about what to do with the car seat once you get Disney. But, I would verify with Mears that the shuttle transporation that will be available at your hotel CAN accomidate the car seat. (many do not and that will be an awful position for you to be in). But, at 9 months is your child still in one of those bucket seats - the kind you can take with you? If that is the case and if you find out the transporation will handle it - just bring your stroller and snap the bucket into the stroller. Then all you have to do is store the base and that SHOULD fit into a locker.

 

[momof2n2]

in 2001 we were taking the shuttle from airport to cruise and were told that we had to HOLD our son on the shuttle.

I checked after we got home with the Florida dept of highway - or whatever it was called and sure enough at that time the bus was NOT required to use [or let us use] the car seat. The idea nauseated me then, but I admit, I never saw it from your POV.

I am sure you in fact DO NOT need it.

 

[littlelaura]

But, at 9 months is your child still in one of those bucket seats - the kind you can take with you? If that is the case and if you find out the transporation will handle it - just bring your stroller and snap the bucket into the stroller. Then all you have to do is store the base and that SHOULD fit into a locker.

because he'll be 9 months, he will be able to use an upright forward facing one. I wasn't going to use the bucket style one that clips to the quinny, because if went 'missing' we would be really stuck, and i dont fancy losing a carseat and stroller!
when we've used mears in the past, they've always sent a minibus with seatbelts (as oppose to a large coach) which should be able to accomodate the carseat. The travel agent said that we would HAVE to use one out there, and i really wouldn't feel comfortable in not using one - you wouldn't ride ToT without a restaint;would you?
We could always use a taxi to and from the parks, as we are staying in Lake Buena Vista, which i believe is only a few minutes away. But this would be a waste of money if we can travel for free with mears, and does not solve the problem of what to do with the car seat once we're in the parks.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

because he'll be 9 months, he will be able to use an upright forward facing one.

Actually, a child should ride rear-facing until he/she is at least one year old AND at least 20 lbs in weight. So whatever you do with the storage of your seat, please make sure the seat you use is a convertible seat that can be installed rear-facing.

I would ask at the Baby Care Centers within the parks if you could leave your seat with them. Or ask at the stroller-rental locations. I'm sure a seat would not fit in the lockers.

Good luck! That's one reason we like to stay on-site. Even though I'm a car-seat fanatic, I don't mind holding my toddler on my lap on the big Disney buses.

 

[BuzzandAriel'smom]

I would talk with someone at Mears. I can't imagine them wanting to take the time to properly install a carseat for all that need them. I was so nervous using Disney transportation without carseats but I guess in busses it isn't a law. Strange!

 

[shellybaxter]

It is my understanding that it isn't a law that carseats be used in Taxi's either?

OP maybe you should rent a car? That way you can go to and from Disney on your (or your son's) own time and the car seat would stay in the car.

 

[abeyst]

Actually, a child should ride rear-facing until he/she is at least one year old AND at least 20 lbs in weight. So whatever you do with the storage of your seat, please make sure the seat you use is a convertible seat that can be installed rear-facing.

I as just going to say this.

OP- I noticed you're in the UK. You guys might have different child seat laws than the US. Here the laws are what Claire&TheBoys stated above.

I don't have any advice to help you situation, though, I'm sorry. I've been taking my kids since they were 9months old, and we've stayed on site and I've never used a child seat for them on the busses/boats/monorail.

You might want to post this question on the Disney for Families board or the Transportation board to see if you can get this question out to a bigger audience. Good luck!

 

[beattyfamily]

You do not need a carseat to and from the parks on the buses, shuttles or taxis.

If you want to be safer then just rent a car and keep the carseat in the car.

 

[madams2]

Why not rent a car? Dollar.com has the cheapest rates and they are located on site at MCO. You can find discount codes around to get a minivan rental for under $200/week

 

[CanadianGuy]

I'm going to move this over the Transportation board.

Thanks!

Knox

 

[littlelaura]

Actually, a child should ride rear-facing until he/she is at least one year old AND at least 20 lbs in weight. .

the european law is obviously different, as ours allows children to ride in a forward facing seat from approx 9 months providing that the child is 9kg/20lbs.
i'll have to try and get hold of mears...... and see what they say, unfortunatley a hire car is not an option for us

 

[littlelaura]

does anyone have an e-mail address for mears? i've found their website, but can only see a mail address or phone number, and i'm in the uk

 

[mickeyluv'r]

One reason car seats aren't allowed on buses is that they are by far the safest mode of transport. That may not make you feela whol elot better, but that's part of why school buses don't have them. Buses are reinforced better than cars, and since they weigh so much more than cars that also helps.

 

[abeyst]

I did a search and couldn't find one. I'd call Mears for you, but I have laryngitis so I can't use the phone for a few more days. maybe someone else on here can call for you....

Just to make sure I understand you correctly, Mears is doing your airport transfers to the hotel, right?

Who is doing your shuttle service to/from your hotel to the parks? What type of transportation are they providing (motor coach, van, etc.)?

Are you concerned about both the airport transfer to your hotel and daily shuttle service to the parks, or just one or the other?

 

[jodifla]

It depends what type of shuttle vehicle you'll be in. If it's more like a van, you'll need the car seat, because you'll have seatbelts in the van and need to use them.

If it's more like a bus, then there ARE no seatbelts, and you can't use a car seat.

So I agree, you need clarification on exactly what type of vehicle they'll be using, because that makes a difference.

I think this is why most folks use Disney transportation or their own car when they have small children. There's really no place at the theme parks to store a car seat.

 

[littlelaura]

I did a search and couldn't find one. I'd call Mears for you, but I have laryngitis so I can't use the phone for a few more days. maybe someone else on here can call for you....

Just to make sure I understand you correctly, Mears is doing your airport transfers to the hotel, right?

Who is doing your shuttle service to/from your hotel to the parks? What type of transportation are they providing (motor coach, van, etc.)?

Are you concerned about both the airport transfer to your hotel and daily shuttle service to the parks, or just one or the other?

mears are doing the tranfers from hotel to parks. its the smaller shuttles i thought we'd have to use the car seat on, as oppose to the larger coaches

It depends what type of shuttle vehicle you'll be in. If it's more like a van, you'll need the car seat, because you'll have seatbelts in the van and need to use them.

we've always been sent the smaller van shuttles in the past for park transfers, so i presume thats what we'll have again, although i guess it depends on how may people need tranfering - more people means a bigger vehichle. I'll try contacting the hotel to find out if its the same all the time. thanks for all the responses

 

[abeyst]

We used Mears in 2000 when DS was 1. We transferred from the airport to the hotel in a cargo van (with the seat belts, holds 9-12 people). We didn't have a car seat for DS - DH held him on his lap. (No flames, please! Just stating our experience.)

I'm not sure mears will MAKE you have the car seat. You will have to talk to them about that.

Let us know what you find out and what you decide to do.

 

[littlelaura]

i spoke to the hotel, who said that we won't need one for the park transfers as they are coaches and not the van shuttles. not sure about the airport ones though. we've decided to take his (bucket style) car seat with us anyway. that way if its a smaller vehicle doing the airport run, he'll have his carseat, and also gives us the flexibility of using taxis (if we need to). we wont need to use it going to the parks, but will have it 'just in case'. we'd be really upset, not to mention stuck if a driver refused to take him because he didn't have a car seat....
thanks again for all your help and advice

 

[abeyst]

Glad it all worked out for you! Enjoy your trip!!