wagonlover
New member
I was hoping for some input on travel arrangements. I’ve been thinking about this for a while, but it seems to get more complicated as I think about it. We’ll be going to Disney World with DH’s extended family. The plan now is for us to drive to an airport hotel, stay there overnight, take the hotel’s shuttle to the airport in the morning, and then to take Magic Express after we land. From what I’ve read, car seats are not allowed on Magic Express, and there is no place to install them even if they were. We’ll be staying in the park, so in theory won’t have any car rides after the flight. The main issues are the plane itself, and the airport shuttle. This is supposed to be a 6 minute, less than 2 mile ride and from what I’m told has lap belts. I’m not sure that there would be time to install anything even if it were compatible. I also want something just in case we need to take a taxi or use a car for some reason. Another issue is that we’ll be traveling with DH’s family, who already think I’m a little nutty for not turning the kids forward yet, so I don’t want to make a big deal about the car seats. DD1 is 5.5 yo, about 39 lbs., and 42 inches. DD2 is 4, and very skinny at 29 lbs and 39.5 inches.
For DD1, I bought an RSTV2 for an emergency. We can’t use this on the plane, so I think we’ll use the plane’s lap belt. I know she’s about a pound under the recommendation for this, but I can’t see buying and bringing a whole car seat just for that reason. She’s also too tall for a CARES harness (which has a 40 inch height limit.) I don’t know what to do about the airport shuttle. I guess I would use the lap belt with the idea that it’s a very short ride.
DD2 is more complicated because she’s so skinny. I’ve been thinking of various options. One is to buy an inexpensive light seat for the plane and emergency travel. This would not necessarily help for the shuttle. In terms of which seat to buy, I guess I could do a Scenera Next. She wouldn’t have much height to grow with this, though I’m not worried about other trips. I was also trying to figure out what the lightest combination (harnessed booster) seat is. Maybe a Maestro? I was a little worried about the width of this on the plane. Again, one of the concerns is getting the seats through the airport and installed without making a big deal about it. I’ve considered other options as well, though none is perfect. I.e. (1) CARES harness for the plane and another RSTV2 for emergency – though she is technically below the RSTV2 limit, and I’ll only use the CARES once, (2) CARES for the plane and IMMI GO for emergency – this is expensive, and I may not otherwise use the GO. Or, because DD1 is 39 lbs, I guess I could buy her something like a Maestro to use on the plane, and use a CARES for DD2 on the plane. None of this of course helps me for the shuttle, and I’m still not sure what to do, maybe the lap belts.
As you can see, I’m way overthinking this. I would love input from experienced travelers. Thank you in advance for your help, and your time in reading this long post!
For DD1, I bought an RSTV2 for an emergency. We can’t use this on the plane, so I think we’ll use the plane’s lap belt. I know she’s about a pound under the recommendation for this, but I can’t see buying and bringing a whole car seat just for that reason. She’s also too tall for a CARES harness (which has a 40 inch height limit.) I don’t know what to do about the airport shuttle. I guess I would use the lap belt with the idea that it’s a very short ride.
DD2 is more complicated because she’s so skinny. I’ve been thinking of various options. One is to buy an inexpensive light seat for the plane and emergency travel. This would not necessarily help for the shuttle. In terms of which seat to buy, I guess I could do a Scenera Next. She wouldn’t have much height to grow with this, though I’m not worried about other trips. I was also trying to figure out what the lightest combination (harnessed booster) seat is. Maybe a Maestro? I was a little worried about the width of this on the plane. Again, one of the concerns is getting the seats through the airport and installed without making a big deal about it. I’ve considered other options as well, though none is perfect. I.e. (1) CARES harness for the plane and another RSTV2 for emergency – though she is technically below the RSTV2 limit, and I’ll only use the CARES once, (2) CARES for the plane and IMMI GO for emergency – this is expensive, and I may not otherwise use the GO. Or, because DD1 is 39 lbs, I guess I could buy her something like a Maestro to use on the plane, and use a CARES for DD2 on the plane. None of this of course helps me for the shuttle, and I’m still not sure what to do, maybe the lap belts.
As you can see, I’m way overthinking this. I would love input from experienced travelers. Thank you in advance for your help, and your time in reading this long post!