Mears and car seat

[anthonysmommy]

We will be taking our 10 1/2 month old DS to WDW for the first time in May. We did not get DS a seat on the plane, so we will not need a car seat for the flight. And we will be using Dis Bus Trasportation to/from the hotel and parks. The only reason we will need a car seat is for the Mears transportation (van) to/from airport. Our travel agent says we don't have to bring a car seat on Mears, we can just hold him. I'm kind of leary about that. Does anyone know if this is true?

Thanx!

Jenn

ASSp - June 1999
ASSp - July 2001
ASMo - May 2003

 

[jel0511]

Yes, you'll have to hold him. Usually Mears uses a large bus, like Disney transportation to get you to/from the airport. You'll have to hold him on all WDW transport also, since you have to fold up the stroller on the buses. As a mother who has flown MANY times with infants, I suggest you re-think getting a seat for your son on the plane. The seats are offered at half price, and it's much safer for your son to have his own seat. I've encountered turbulance MANY times, where if I had been holding my child, I probably would have lost grip of them, letting them fly through the cabin. It's also MUCH more comfortable to fly without holding an infant. They have their own space, and in their own car seat, usually fall asleep.

I also wanted to add, that we never use a shuttle bus to get to/from WDW, we always rent a car so our children can be properly restrained. Also, as noted below, you can not use the car seat on any bus type enviorment, since there usualy aren't seat belts to properly restrain a car seat.

 

[AndyN]

You should be leary.
It's a very unsafe way to travel. If you have the option of bringing a car seat, I think you should bring one. Although I do not know if they will allow you to use a car seat on their bus or shuttle. Besides, the sate law requires that the child should be in a car seat. Did your travel agent mentioned to you that there are alternative services to mears. Such as FL TOURS who can provide you with car seats and other great services you wont find on mears shuttle? FL TOURS is sponsor of this site. you can learn more about our services at www.fltours.com or contact us at customercare@fltours.com
Andy

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

I agree with Lori and Andy. Children seem to travel much better in their car seats, it is a familiar thing to them. 10.5 month old infants tend to hate to be held/restrained by parents. I fly often and the kids that seem to be the loudest and most cranky are the ones being held. The ones in car seats are the ones that are happiest and fall asleep.
A lot of airlines will allow you to use the car seat at no charge IF they are not full. Worst case, take the car seat to the gate, if there is room, they will let you on, if not, they will gate check it for you.

 

[maciec]

We have flown several times with dd before she turned 2 and she never had her own seat. It would have been a waste of money for us because she would have screamed the whole way to get out of her car seat. I understand that some people think it may be safer to have a baby in their own seat due to turbulence, but I have never encountered enough turbulence on a flight that dd would have been jolted out of my arms.

I would suggest that you not use Mears also. I would suggest hiring a towncar also. It's just your family in the towncar and no one else. You don't have to worry about stopping at 3 other resorts before finally getting to yours. The ride in a towncar is more comfortable. Every driver that we have ever has, has had a wealth of knowledge about Disney and the surrounding area. For you and dh to travel on Mears it would cost you $56. If you book with Cartier towncar it's $70 plus tip for a roundtrip. I definitely think it's worth the extra money to have my own car and driver. Plus the Cartier and many other towncar companies provide at no extra charge a 30 minute grocery store stop. Make sure that if you book with a towncar company to request a car seat. Many companies offered me a booster seat for my 2yo and boosters are not safe for children of that age.

I hope this helps. By the way, dd turned 2 in November and we had to buy her, her own plane seat this time. It didn't bother me this time because she is much bigger now and needs her own seat.

 

[welovedis]

I wholeheartedly agree with those who have suggested at least taking the car seat with you to the gate. If the flight is not filled to capacity then they will allow you to bring it on board and let her sit in the seat. if the flight is filled then they can always gate-check it for you and you'll have it for the remainder of the trip if you choose to use a car service instead of Mears.

I have traveled with my DS since he was 2 1/2 months old, some trips by choice others by necessity--a total of 17 flights in his 6+ years. We never took a flight that we didn't use his car seat (until he was out of a regular car seat) because it was the safest place for him. While air travel is very safe it can be turbulent at times and we have experienced many of those times.

Also--the others that recommended a car service are really right on the money. It may cost a little more in dollars but really makes up for it in convenience and less stress to you and your DH. If you do use a car service you would feel most comfortable using your own seat for your little one--since you know how to install it in your own car--and they would probably feel most comfortable in something from home anyway.

I have personal experience with both bad turbulence and a bad experience on Mears--on DS's first flight there was a family seated 2 rows in front of us on a USAir flight and we hit a lot of turbulence. I was worried that DS would wake up (he was asleep in his carseat) when I heard the toddler from the family go 'thunk". His mom was sitting in the aisle seat with him on her lap and he felt right down and hit his head on the armrest of the seat diagonally across from her. While he didn't require stitches he was bleeding and, rightfully so, was screaming his head off. That clinched for me the fact that DS would never ride on my lap.

Now--the Mears part. As if that flight were not bad enough, we boarded a large Mears bus which made numerous stops (we were on our way from Miami Airport to the Port of Miami for a cruise) before dropping some people off at a really nice hotel right near the port. As we were pulling out of the hotel the bus we were riding in was hit by an electronic gate and was damaged heavily. Luckily no one was hurt, although some of the windows on our side of the bus broke and the glass fell on DH and on my seat as well as many others. We were stuck on that bus for more than an hour before I demanded to be let off. I got the hotel to arrange a shuttle and take us to the port where we were lucky to get on the ship. The driver was ordered by the dispatcher to make sure everyone stayed on the bus until the police arrived and that is why he made everyone wait so long. It was the most ridiculous thing I had ever experienced in all my years of traveling.

ANYWAY-sorry to be so long but I hope we all at least gave you some food for thought about taking the car seat and the car service.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

We have flown several times with dd before she turned 2 and she never had her own seat. It would have been a waste of money for us because she would have screamed the whole way to get out of her car seat. I understand that some people think it may be safer to have a baby in their own seat due to turbulence, but I have never encountered enough turbulence on a flight that dd would have been jolted out of my arms.

You were, indeed, fortunate to have encounted smooth flights, and I do wonder if you child screamed to get out of the car seat in the car?

It is not just "SOME PEOPLE" who think it safer for the child to be restrained in a car seat, the FAA and all airlines believe it also.

IMHO, there is no "waste" of money when providing for the safety of your child.

 

[maciec]

You were, indeed, fortunate to have encounted smooth flights, and I do wonder if you child screamed to get out of the car seat in the car?

My child has hated being in any car seat until just recently. We have tried several different ones to see if it was just ours. It wasn't. We would go to the grocery store 15 minutes away and she would cry the whole time. She flat out hates being confined.

It is not just "SOME PEOPLE" who think it safer for the child to be restrained in a car seat, the FAA and all airlines believe it also.

If the FAA and all airlines believe this way than they should require parents to pay for their child to have a seat no matter what.

IMHO, there is no "waste" of money when providing for the safety of your child.

Well when you pay $300 for an empty seat you might think differently. I agree however that if there would have been an empty seat in my row that we would have brought her car seat to try it out. Maybe if the FAA and airlines think it is safer than they could charge nothing for the seat but guarantee my child a seat. I understand that some airlines offer discounted rates for children under 2, however, each time I called US Air to inquire I was told there was no discount.

I knew that I was going to get shot for my statements, but let's just agree to disagree and not question each others parenting abilities. It's not fair because you know nothing about myself, family, or daughter. As I know nothing about you and yours. We are all here to share our own personal experiences not to be critical of others.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

If the FAA and all airlines believe this way than they should require parents to pay for their child to have a seat no matter what.

With this I totally agree, but, the fact is they do believe this and for some obscure reason do not insist on it.

This is from SWA's site.

Traveling with precious cargo?
If you're traveling with an infant or small child, you should know that proper use of an approved child restraint device (CRD) enhances child safety on aircraft. For this reason, Southwest Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) strongly recommend that infants and small children who weigh under 40 pounds be secured in an appropriate CRD when traveling by air.

Well when you pay $300 for an empty seat you might think differently. I agree however that if there would have been an empty seat in my row that we would have brought her car seat to try it out. Maybe if the FAA and airlines think it is safer than they could charge nothing for the seat but guarantee my child a seat. I understand that some airlines offer discounted rates for children under 2, however, each time I called US Air to inquire I was told there was no discount.

With all due respect, that has not happened nor would it have happened. No judgement here, just fact.

Airlines are a business, they are not going to allow a seat to be taken for free if there is a paying customer for it. I think that the airlines stretch a great deal in allowing a car seat to be used (at no charge) IF the seat is empty.

I do not know USAir's regulations, but, I would be far more upset with them for not having a discounted fare for children needing a car seat than I would the FAA. It is up to the airlines to impliment the recommedation.

I was not trying to "shoot" you for your opinion, I was pointing out that is not really very good advice to give out. You are we don't know anything about each other, but, I was not judging you, I was asking a question and offering an opinion. Not a whole lot different that what you were doing. The majority of posters here and on any other thread seem to agree a car seat is the safest for a child on a plane. You may disagree all you want, that is your right, but, if it were me, I would sit back, read and perhaps rethink my position on this issue. IMHO, there is NO price tag on safety.

 

[jel0511]

US Airways offers infant fares, I've gotten them all the time. I had an infant fare on my Feb 2003 trip, so they are still offering them. You just have to ask for the infant fare, they'll give it to you. Also, US Airways website doesn't allow for booking infant fares, you have to call them directly, or use Expedia.com, the only on-line booking agent where you can get infant fares.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

US Airways offers infant fares, I've gotten them all the time. I had an infant fare on my Feb 2003 trip, so they are still offering them. You just have to ask for the infant fare, they'll give it to you. Also, US Airways website doesn't allow for booking infant fares, you have to call them directly, or use Expedia.com, the only on-line booking agent where you can get infant fares.

They are only available in some markets. What I found interesting is if you are flying internationally you have to purchase a seat for the child.