transport to resort from airport with 1 & 3 yr old

[princesscrazydaughte]

We are staying at the Polynesian in Sept. We have a 1 yr old DS and a 3 yr old DD. We aren't planning on renting a car and we would rather not bring the car seats. Does the shuttle transportation provide proper seating for the little ones? Thank you all for any guidance you can provide.

 

[ducklite]

Not sure if you mean service from the airport or around WDW.

If you mean Mears from the airport, they don't provide car seats. Because their vehicles are registered as buses, legally kids don't need to be in a car seat.

If you take a car service (not a taxi) from the airport and make advance arrangements, they will have car seats for you. I've been in a couple of taxis that had a car seat in the trunk, but it's very rare.

Disney's shuttles are all buses, so again, no car seats, They don't have seat belts, so the car seat wouldn't work anyhow. They are like city buses.

You mention you aren't bringing car seats, what about on the plane for the 1 year old?

Anne

 

[princesscrazydaughte]

We were planning to purchase a seat for the one yr old (he will actually be almost 20 months when we fly in Sept. But he is such a love bug that he really insists on being held the whole time. Our DD will be almost 3 1/2. We are staying 6 nights and we are going to have so much to bring already that we were trying not to lug the carseats just to transport to and from the airport. We are planning on using all Disney transport---which leads to another question, what is included and what is an additional charge?

Anyway, our main concern is safe transportation so if that can't be done without bringing the carseats, then we will bring them. I just hate to do it for two twenty minute transports. I keep thinking there must be a solution since so many kids do it every day. Please Help. Thanks so much for your replies. These boards are a life saver.

 

[ducklite]

I'm pretty sure that when a child is under two and a seat has been purchased for them on an airplane they are required ot have a car seat. (Jel would know this one for sure I think).

As far as Included v. additional charge...

To and from the airport is not included. You have to arrange this through Mears.

Once you get on property, all transportation on the boats, busses and monorails is included. of course if you chose to take a cab it would not be.

Also, I'm not sure whree you got the idea that the transfer was 20 minutes, but that's not really accurate. If you are driving or taking a car service, it's still a full half hour from MCO to WDW, depending on which resort you are going to it can be even longer. With mears you'll be put on shuttle bus with people going to a variety of hotels, and very likely your "tour" will be over 45 minutes, and as long as two hours!

You also mention that you have a lot to pack--maybe there's a solution for you. I assume a lot of what you are packing is diapers and such. For about $30 more you could take a car service from MCO to WDW. (I like yourride.net) They will stop at a grocery store and you can buy diapers, snacks, juice boxes, things like that. It will be a lot more relaxing, only you and your family will be in the car. You can tell them you need a booster for your older DD, and they'll supply it for free.

Something to think about.

Anne

 

[princesscrazydaughte]

I will definitely look into the car service. Thank you so much!!!

 

[HappyMommy2]

Hi! We recently returned from a WDW trip with our 3- and 1-year-olds--like yours our trip was 6 nights onsite, and once there we used only Disney transportation. What worked out GREAT for us was taking the baby's carseat on the plane (we had purchased a seat for him), and then using a town car service to and from the airport. We used Cartier Town Car and at our request they supplied us with a nice carseat for the 3-year-old. We actually used a Cartier van--we were doubtful as to whether the four of us (including two large carseats) plus all our luggage and a huge double stroller and the groceries from our grocery stop would fit comfortably in a Town Car. Everything turned out really well and it was wonderful to feel so secure with both kids in carseats during the ride from MCO to WDW.

Once we got to the hotel it was easy to stow the baby's carseat on a high shelf in the room, and we didn't have to bother with it again till we were ready to go home.

Have fun! Our 3- and 1-year-olds had the time of their lives!

 

[swilphil]

We recently returned from a trip with our 3 yo and 1 yo. We had planned on taking a cab to/from the airport, but since there were 5 of us and we weren't sure about the car seat situation, we hired a towncar service. Tiffany Town Car provided one car seat, and would have provided the second if we would have needed it--free of charge. The best part about the car service is that they meet you at the baggage claim and take your stuff to the car for you. We had 5 people, so we were charged $90 round trip for a van. I think with 4 people, you can get a car for less. There is a $5 off coupon on the Tiffany Towncar site. The grocery stop is also nice. You can read more about the different car services on the Transportation Board.

 

[tw1nsmom]

Just an FYI, you don't have to put your child in a car seat on the airplane. I'm not trying to say what is safe or not safe, just that the airlines won't require you to use one. Actually if you have decided to bring yours on the plane you're going to want to make sure it has an FAA approved tag somewhere on it. without it they will meke you gate check the seat. I know others have different opinions, but we didn't bring seats for our then 2 1/2 year old twins. They stayed in their seats with the seatbelts on for the whole flight, but without the car seat we were able to put the armrest up and let them lean against us. Whatever you decide, I hope you have a great trip.

 

[princesscrazydaughte]

Thanks for all the help. Yes, the reason for not taking the carseat is that they can sleep lenthwise, up against us, neither of them much care for the car seat and I'm afraid it will result in a noisy flight. The car service sounds great and the grocery stop will sure help. Thanks again for all the advice.

 

[tricia]

I don't bring our car seat on flights either. We used Yourride.com last time and they supplied a great car seat for free.