A little frustrated regarding car seats [getting from one resort to another]...

[Reuben Varzea]

Hey folks - planning or trip for the fall and trying to sort out transportation, but I'm getting a little frustrated in some of my research doing regarding getting around on property and was hoping to hear experiences from folks who have been through this already.

Disclaimer: Yes, I DO care about my children's safety and recognize the important part that car seats play in that.

Traveling with my daughters who will be 5 and 2 at the time of our trip. For visiting parks, we obviously expect to utilize buses. My frustration is growing with regards to dining at other resorts, though (which is why I get why some folks don't bother unless they have a rental). What are the best ways to go from resort to resort? If you're traveling with children, how do you manage WITHOUT a car seat? I've been reading that taxi/Uber still require a car seat... what's the best way to approach that?

On a personal note: I find it somewhat odd that there is no car seat requirement for buses (which I COMPLETELY understand), but that its an issue for taxis. Why is it okay to take a 2 year old on a bus (a significantly larger vehicle, which jostles and rolls more than a smaller vehicle) without a car seat, but not in a taxi?

What have your experiences been, and does anyone have tips/suggestions on how best to approach this. Thanks in advance for any feedback!

 

[Kaytie]

Bus is larger, safer, different center of gravity.

Request a taxi with two car seats, or if your five year old is tall enough, bring a booster seat.

 

[Alesia]

Ask for a taxi with a car seat and bring a bubble bum for the 5-year-old.

Or use Disney transportation and transfer at a park.

 

[joelkfla]

There is also a limited supply of Uber cars with 1 car seat for an additional charge. If you like, you can check on the app for availability, and then fall back to a taxi if none is available. You'll still need your own booster for the 5yo, though.

In the current Uber app, slide the vehicle type to the left to see additional options, including car seats.

 

[Reuben Varzea]

Haven't look at the inflatable booster seats, but will definitely do so. Thanks for the tips!

 

[Kaytie]

It's called Bubble Bum.

 

[Princess Minnie321]

What resorts are you eating at?Can you take a bus to the park nearest the resort and then tranfer to a bus, boat, etc to get to the resort? When we ate at other resorts, we took the bus to MK and then the monorail to the poly and contemporary.

 

[Calee]

We ate at resorts but always use Disney transportation.

 

[Capang]

I wouldn't bother with uber or taxis with two kids that need car seats or boosters. The wait would be too long. Use the buses and transfer at parks when necessary. If it is too big of a hassle to eat at resorts then don't. Or eat at resorts near the park you will be at each day. If you are at MK eat at CM, 1900, WC, etc. you can easily monorail or boat there. At Epcot you can head towards one of the Epcot resorts by walking or boat.

 

[dancin Disney style]

We have never found it to be hassle to use WDW buses to get from resort to resort. It adds a little time but not enough that it's a big deal.

 

[Meeko5]

We don't mind disney transportation, my kids think it's fun to ride around all day we Just give ourselves lots of extra time and haven't had a problem getting anywhere on time. Last trip we spent a few hours at AoA: lunch, checking out the Cars theming, etc. we just bussed to a park then bussed to AoA, on a non park day. Took about an hour to get there but the bus rides were an adventure!

My DH and I love not having to drive, but there is uber that has a car seat if you can wait for those. There were plenty around whenever I checked last trip. We never ended up using it though.

 

[CarrieR]

If $$ is not an issue, an IMMI Go would be an easily portable option for the 2yo, and I agree with Bubblebum for the 5yo. (If she's not booster ready, a Ride Safer Travel vest is not an option.)

I work in Passenger Safety, and to be honest, I'd just bus everywhere. Busses distribute crash forces differently and have a much lower crash risk due to size and visibility. No car seats needed!

 

[Disney_traveler]

No kids, but we frequently eat at resorts. Whether we drove or not, we like to take the various forms of Disney transportation: bus, boat, monorail. We usually do this on an arrival/departure, off day, or day we want to take it slower. It's relaxing (to us).

 

[Minnesota!]

We have always relied on busses, including resort to resort. Never an issue. It's pretty slick, IMO. I wouldn't sweat the cars/Ubers/taxis, etc.

 

[NotUrsula]

It's simple: the best way to get from resort to resort with young children in tow is to drive yourself; it will take you 15 minutes, tops, and you can leave whenever you like if the littles get fussy.

Priceline a rental car and bring your own car seats (Grandma's lightweight versions if you have them available, rather than taking your regular ones out of the cars.)
If you bid wisely (not on an SUV or minivan, but a full-size, which are ALWAYS cheaper and have plenty of luggage space), it will cost you less than one round-trip cab ride.

 

[bumbershoot]

On a personal note: I find it somewhat odd that there is no car seat requirement for buses (which I COMPLETELY understand), but that its an issue for taxis. Why is it okay to take a 2 year old on a bus (a significantly larger vehicle, which jostles and rolls more than a smaller vehicle) without a car seat, but not in a taxi?

Buses are different. Always have bene, always will be. The schoolbuses that put in seatbelts make ZERO sense, because buses are different.

Ask for a taxi with a car seat and bring a bubble bum for the 5-year-old.

Agreed.

's simple: the best way to get from resort to resort with young children in tow is to drive yourself; it will take you 15 minutes, tops, and you can leave whenever you like if the littles get fussy.

Agree even more.

 

[unrequited23]

We traveled with a 5 and 2.5 yr old this May. While planning we decided to only use Disney transportation after weighing the pros and cons for our family...and falling down the rabbit hole of Uber threads. The only resort ADRs we made were at monorail resorts on our rest days. Bus to MK then monorail to resort was easy peasey.

Off topic, a CARES harness really encouraged my youngest to sit nicely on the plane.

 

[Reuben Varzea]

First - thanks for the explanation WRT to the difference in bus/car safety. I honestly didn't know and it always seemed bizarre to me.

Secondly - we've made changes to a couple of ADRs and now the only one that is likely to be an issue is a dinner at Jiko's at AKL (the other resort based ADRs we have are on the monorail circuit, so should be ok).

Thanks for all the feedback, everyone!

 

[disneyholic family]

We traveled with a 5 and 2.5 yr old this May. While planning we decided to only use Disney transportation after weighing the pros and cons for our family...and falling down the rabbit hole of Uber threads. The only resort ADRs we made were at monorail resorts on our rest days. Bus to MK then monorail to resort was easy peasey.

Off topic, a CARES harness really encouraged my youngest to sit nicely on the plane.

good to hear CARES worked out for you.
I bought two of them for our upcoming trip (which will include 20 hours of flying in each direction).
of course, the kids will probably only use the cares harness for take off and landing, since most of the time we're hoping they'll be asleep scrunched up in the seat...