Magical Express/car seats About This Page:

[rachelwater]

Hello,

I am new to these boards. We are planning our family's first trip to WDW, and we leave in nine days! We are wondering what people who have young children (ours are 2 and 4) do about car seats for their trip to Disney? When we have flown with the kids before, we have always brought their car seats with us, used them on the plane and then in the rental car. But we hear that you cannot install a car seat on Magical Express? So do people just assume that their kids will be safe enough riding on a big coach bus, or do people with young kids opt out of the Magical Express in favor of a form of transport that can accommodate car seats? We have the same question about the transport from WDW to the Disney cruise line?

Thanks for any advice anyone can offer!

[chezp]

I just wanted to say hi and welcome to the boards!

I can't help with your question, but I'm sure someone else will be able to.

[lukeandbrookesmom]

Welcome to the boards!
I've never seen anyone with carseats on DME or the Disney parks buses. My children are young and on the DME DH sits with one and I sit with the other. With the video on board they tend to sit very still and watch As far as the park buses go we pretty much do the same. We never get on a bus with standing room only either with the kids.

[Colexis Mom]

We've always rented a car (and had the kids car seats) so it was never an issue for us. But we've always rode Disney transportation (busses between parks and resorts) with the kids since they were small (15 months and 4).

[Minniemouse27]

I'm a car seat technician (to give you some validity to my statements ) and am on the more active/hyper side of being safe than most!

When we went to WDW in December w/ dd (6yo) and ds (2yo) we took ds' car seat (Britax Boulevard) to use on the airplane (rear facing!) then placed it under the DME bus for the trips back and forth to WDW. For dd, we didn't bring anything (she was using a Britax Husky at home which isn't FAA approved for aircraft). Once we were on property, we just used WDW transportation and stored ds' car seat in the corner of our room in the "closet" area.

There is no way to use car seats on either DME or WDW transportation on property due to the lack of seat belts. Bus travel is different than car travel when it comes to safety. The DME buses have compartmentalization (ie the seat backs are high and are designed to protect you in a crash situtation) and the buses on property are similar to city transit buses which travel at slower speeds and on familiar routes.

Ds slept on my lap for the trip to WDW on DME and just sat there for the trip back to MCO. On property, he either sat on one of our laps or in his own seat depending on the crowd level on the bus. He did great!

I was fine doing this (and my almost 7yo is still sitting in a harnessed seat at home!) and would do it again in the same situtation.

If we were renting a car, I would have taken dd's Graco Turbobooster (back up seat) broken it down, placed the back portion in our checked luggage and taken the bottom "low back booster" portion on the plane as a carry on. Once we arrived at MCO I would put the pieces back together again. This way, if our luggage was lost or damaged, I would still have something for dd to use in the vehicle.

Does that help any?

[lauren-roxy]

Welcome to the boards!!

[emtpej]

Hi and welcome!

I have used the WDW buses and not the DME. As far as I know, if the coach / bus does not have seat belts or anywhere to attach the LATCH system, then the child safety seats are not used and are stored with the baggage / left at the resort. However, you need them if you use a cab our other vehicle like that, but you should be able to request a cab that has what you need -- but I don't know how much longer it might take.
There is also a DME fact sheet at disney's website:
Walt Disney World Resort - Detecting Browser Properties . . .

[j4crew]

and to the boards

[rachelwater]

Thanks to everyone for your friendly and helpful answers! What a nice group of people seems to be gathered here! Does anyone know what kind of bus Disney uses to transport guests from WDW to the cruise terminal? Is it the same as the ME?

Thanks,
Rachel
7 days to go till our family's first trip to WDW!!!

[Fortissimo]

Welcome, Rachel!

Yes, the same busses are used to transport you for the DCL.

Have a magical trip!

[Disney 4ever]

Don't have an answer for your questions but wanted to say

[Pris]

The cruise line busses are the same type as DME, sometimes even the same busses as they often do double duty. to the boards and have a magical trip!

[MMMD]

Welcome!

The buses for the Cruise are the same as the DME buses. Have a great trip!

[GinaButtrfly]

We did not bring seats with us at all. I am a stickler for car safety at home and never ever travel without buckling the kids in properly in their booster seats. I was fine with the WDW transportation and no car seats. We have had terrific and SAFE vacations

[Carousel96]

I will admit that it kind of freaked me out the first time DD rode DME without a carseat. But I got over it! They'll stick the seat under the bus with the rest of your luggage.
I think everyone above has explained the logistics -- no seatbelts, so there's no way to secure the seat -- and physics -- the theory of safety via compartmentalization.
But I did want to say welcome to the boards and reassure you that you aren't alone in wondering about this.