Disney World

We are going to Disney World and taking the Magical Express bus from the airport to DW and a taxi from DW to the airport at the end of the trip.

On the plane I was going to use the CCO for a 3 yr old and a Keyfit for a 10 month old. I don't think I can use car seats on the bus. Just making sure that is ok?

On the way back we are going to take a taxi to have flexibility to leave the park as late as possible before our flight (got into a cinderella lunch!). Do taxis have latch? I seriously can't remember what I have done in the past in taxis. If not, does the european install RF or a FF seat belt install usually work the best/fastest? Will I need a locking clip or do all taxis have locking belts?

As far as the Keyfit, should I bother bringing the base in case the taxi has latch or just do a baseless install?

Hi! I can answer some of your questions. First of all, correct, the seats cannot be used on the Magical Express. There are no seatbelts. They will put your seats in the storage compartment under the bus with the suitcases.

I would think most of the taxis will have LATCH, because it's been standard on cars in the US for like 13 years, but you never know. I would not bring the base for the keyfit and just install baseless with the seatbelt. It's one less thing to cart around and worry about.

I'll let one of the techs answer your more technical questions, though I don't think you'll have any problems. Those two seats are very install-friendly and Mears transportation rules most of that area and they have decent vehicles.

Have a great trip!

All taxis in America should have locking seatbelts; it has been required since... 199x? Not sure of the exact year. But I think taxis would all be newer than that! I agree that I wouldn't bring the keyfit base, just practice a baseless install before you travel. Whether the FF or RF installation on the coccoro is easier probably depends primarily on which you have done more often, and the details of whatever car you end up in.

FWIW, I was surprised to discover the Disneyworld Magic Express buses we rode between Orlando Airport and Disneyworld Resort and back in Aug. 2014 were equipped with seatbelts (lap-shoulder belts). On previous Disneyworld trips we took in 2008-2010, there were no seatbelts on the Magic Express buses other than the driver's, but this has changed at least on their newest buses, if not fleetwide. I didn't travel with carseats on our Aug. 2014 trip, though, and didn't see other bus riders with carseats to attest to whether or not parents/caregivers were allowed/encouraged to install their carseats rather than stow them on the Magic Express.

If other recent travelers with carseats don't reply to your thread here about their experience with Magic Express buses equipped with seatbelts, you could probably find out more by tracking down a telephone number for Disney's Magic Express service to call and inquire. If you have your Disney travel packet with your Magic Express transportation vouchers in hand, there's probably a phone number you can call on the vouchers if I remember correctly, like for updating your flight info. or for other Magic Express related inquiries. You could also check out Disboards.com (an all things Disney site with an active member discussion forum, kind of like the car-seat.org of Disney travel info. ) in the Transportation subforum to see if members there have recent carseat travel experience aboard the Magic Express buses. And failing any of those potential info. sources, if you have your carseats along with you any way, you can always find out as you board the Magic Express, but if you're like me you probably prefer to be prepared and know ahead of time or else you wouldn't be asking here first, lol. Hope you have a great trip and please share with us how it goes carseat-wise!

The info I recently received from the Magical Express is that carseats are not permitted onboard; they must be stowed underneath. This is also mentioned in the online FAQ. I would be surprised if there is any wiggle room on the policy.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/faq/airport-transportation-and-check-in/car-seats-magical-express/

Motorcoach transportation has a great safety record overall (despite some unfortunate, high-profile crashes in recent years). And it sounds like the newer buses have seatbelts, so all the better. Still, I would love to hear a tech's perspective on a 10-month-old riding unrestrained -- motorcoach safety for very young children has not been analyzed in detail or incorporated into the official CPS curriculum, as far as I know.

Welcome!

While the newer DME busses that I have ridden do have seatbelts, I don't believe they lock in any way. I probably would personally choose to carry the infant's seat onto the bus, at least, if they will permit you to do so. In my experience, despite the policy the car seat usage policy is variable dependent on the bus driver (I have definitely seen infant seats in use on the bus before.) If indeed the belt does not lock, you would need a locking clip with the Keyfit (I would practice a baseless install with locking clip before your trip,) and you could use the blue belt lockoff with the Coccoro. In the taxi, I would probably go ahead and just do the seatbelt install instead of LATCH, since that's usually easier for popping in and out.

Calling the 800 number for DME will get you someone who (at best) can tell you policy. Because Disney contracts with an outside company (Mears) and the call centers are sometimes not even in Orlando, they will often tell you things that are not really representative of reality! I've been told some really off the wall things by call center reps that I absolutely know to not be true from my experiences in the parks. So while you can call, I would not count on that information to be accurate. DISBoards might be able to give you an idea of what has historically been permitted though!

Congrats on getting lunch with Cinderella!