Travel in Disney

This is thinking way ahead...

We are thinking of going to Disney World next May. Our plan is to fly and rent a car for a week. We woud be staying on property with no plans to go elsewhere.

Ds2 is easy. He will use his seat on the plane and remain RF in the rental.

DS1 will be 6.5. He is currently 46" and 48lbs. I expect he will be over 48" and over 50lbs. He rides harnessed, but in a hbb with my dad rarely. He does well sitting still and following the rules.

Will he be okay on the plane without a seat? He might have outgrown our Nauti harnessed by then and I am not taking the FR90 lol.

I am thinking a Bubblebum fir our limited travel there but that freaks me out. Is that even feasible? Any other options for travel boosters?
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I would absolutely bring a backless booster for a child of the age, size and maturity you describe, no hesitations. A BubbleBum is likely a good choice but it's a little different to sit on- so make sure he can practice with it before you go!

If you are just doing Disney, and staying on property, I wouldn't rent a car at all. They have the Magic Express bus (a full sized bus) that transports from the airport to all onsite hotels, and then buses that run from the hotels to the parks. You wouldn't need any seats at all as the transport is all done by full size buses.

We did this a few years ago with 4 and 7 year olds, and this was such an easy trip!

sunnydayz said:

If you are just doing Disney, and staying on property, I wouldn't rent a car at all. They have the Magic Express bus (a full sized bus) that transports from the airport to all onsite hotels, and then buses that run from the hotels to the parks. You wouldn't need any seats at all as the transport is all done by full size buses.

We did this a few years ago with 4 and 7 year olds, and this was such an easy trip!

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I don't really want to deal with the buses, a stroller etc. We might be going back to rest mid day, so would feel better with more flexibility.

Glad a backless might be okay lol. I have a hard time with the lesser protection.
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I agree with using Disney transporation and skipping the rental car. Buses run frequently and for going between the hotel and the parks, by the time you figure in getting to/from the parking lots (if you're driving yourself), compared to using buses that pick you up and drop you off right near the entrance of wherever you're going, a car will not save much time, if any. The exception would be if you are doing a lot of traveling between different hotels, because that would require two buses each way (hotel 1 to a park and park to hotel 2). Strollers are no more difficult on a bus than in a car, either way you have to collapse the stroller. We drove to Disney in January and even though we had a car there, we used it only twice the whole time - once the first night to get a few groceries and the second time to go to another resort for dinner. Other than that, we chose Disney buses for everything because they're just easier. (This was with a double stroller, 4 kids ages 2-9, and a 6 months pregnant mom!).

Also if there are any special events or road constuction or whatnot, then the bus drivers will know exactly where to drive to make the drive as easy as possible, whereas private car drivers are more likely to get caught up in things and experience delays/headaches/etc.

But if you do rent a car, then I agree that a backless booster for the 6 year old is fine.

We have done Disney twice with a double stroller we rented from Kingdom Strollers. Disney transportation is the way to go!

I'd do a backless for the 6yr old. He'll be fine on the plane w/o a car seat.

I love having a car in Disney, especially at Values. Last trip we left mid-day and waited 45 minutes for a bus. It was August and horrible. There's been times we've had to wait for a second bus. And during peak hours, it was almost always standing room only on the Value buses.

DH wants to go next summer but we have 6 kids in seats so I worry it'll be too...hard. We did it with 4 kids and it was very hard.

He will not bring any carseteats for the plane except the baby. The next oldest will be 4 by then, though.

So I might bring 5 boosters just in case we rent a van. I don't know if we're renting a van or what. (And 10 YO will probably 5 step by then and could almost now at 9 and is very tall). I'd like a Sure Ride for the 4 YO though.

How does Disney transport work? If a bus or shuttle or whatever got into an accident (and the kids and baby are all riding unrestrained, right) then we'd just become projectiles and fly through the aisle and die? Am I missing something??? How is Disney transport safe? I know such accidents are rare but if it happened...I'd be nervous with 6 unrestrained kids!

The Magical Express is a large motorcoach, and often has shoulder belts (though I don't know if you can use a booster with them). The on-property buses are like city buses. Because buses are very large and heavy, which means that they win over nearly anything they hit, and slow down slowly: passengers in the bus don't go flying like they do in the car that hit it because the bus continued moving longer. Big motorcoaches use compartmentalization, as well, to protect passengers, while a city bus doesn't have much... but still, should a car:bus accident occur, you'll likely fare better in the Disney transportation bus.

We rented a stroller there and used Disney buses to/from the park, even with a car. Parking was not worth the hassle.

This was a recent Disney bus/vehicle crash. I'd much rather be in the bus than the vehicle. http://www.mynews13.com/content/new...icles/cfn/2016/5/14/bus_suv_crash_head_o.html

As far as wait times for buses, May is a very low season. It's a great time to be there and large crowds are unlikely other than during Star Wars events surrounding 5/4 or another special event in not remembering. We have flown to Disney twice, when dd was 5 and then again when she was almost 8. We took a seat both times and used it both times to transfer to different resorts by taxi for meals. We're planning another trip in September, this time driving, and are unlikely to use our vehicle other than for meals. Parking at any park is a big deal, and at the Magic Kingdom you have to park and then ride a Monorail to the park entrance.

Even when we drive to Disney we use their transportation once we get there. It's way more convenient and, as pointed out, often faster. I'm not concerned about the safety for the reasons given above.

If you do plan to drive, though, I agree that a backless booster is fine. I'd pack a BubbleBum, probably.

LISmama810 said:

Even when we drive to Disney we use their transportation once we get there. It's way more convenient and, as pointed out, often faster. I'm not concerned about the safety for the reasons given above. If you do plan to drive, though, I agree that a backless booster is fine. I'd pack a BubbleBum, probably.

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All of this. I love Disney transportation, even if it is inconvenient sometimes.

Just so you know there are now 3 big cheer competitions in May in Disney. It was previously only 2 weekends but now it will be 3. Some people don't like being there when cheer is going on.