We are taking our first plane ride to WDW as a family, and I am wondering if we should take our own car seat and booster seat (my kids are 3 and 6), or if we can just request these items from the car rental place we plan to rent from. Does anyone have any experience in this area? I was just hoping to not have to hassle with these things at the airport.

I have only flown about 4 times in my life, and a little nervous about all of the restrictions and policies this time around.

Help!

I'm not sure if they will allow you to use the booster seat on the plane. I did take and used my son's car seat on his trip last November after he turned three. I don't know if you've looked but there are car seat bags that you can get that have wheels on the bottom of them so you can "roll" the car seat through the airport instead of carrying it.

If I recall correctly, I dont think that boosters are allowed on planes.

As for rental car provided car seats... this has been discussed in the past and if I also recall correctly, it was with mixed reviews. Some reported getting a real crappy/dirty/worn out car seat that may or may not have been installed correctly. Some had great results with new or well-kept devices. Also, depending on how long you will be there, the costs can add up fast. (Mine was like $10/day.)

When I rented a van from Hertz in Orlando last year, we did reserve a car seat. When we arrived, it was not installed. They provided me with a brand-new looking seat but I had to put it in. They did credit me the one day rental of the seat, though, for my troubles. (Only had the car overnight.)

Personally, I will take my own seat/booster next time. Just put them in a bag of some sort for the plane trip if they will not be using it on the plane.

When I rented a van from Hertz in Orlando last year, we did reserve a car seat. When we arrived, it was not installed. They provided me with a brand-new looking seat but I had to put it in. They did credit me the one day rental of the seat, though, for my troubles. (Only had the car overnight.)



I think I recently read (on one rental site or other) that they do not install the seats for you because of liability issues. If something happens they don't want to be at fault for improperly installing it.

I'm not sure that I'd want to depend on the quality and cleanliness of seats from a rental car company.

Booster seats are not allowed on the plane. I would just have them shipped in the cargo hold.

Another option...go to Wal-Mart when you arrive and buy some cheap ones and leave them when you return home.

thank you for all of your wonderful suggestions and insights. I think we have decided to just take our own since the rental car company does charge $10/day for each seat we reserve. That can add up quickly.

Decided to start a new thread for my question.

Belt positioning booster seats are not allowed for use in an aircraft. Pretty obvious reasons for that, airplace don't have shoulder straps. Booster type seats, that still use a 5 pt. harness, can be used on the plane if they have the FAA approval sticker on them. For instance the new Britax Regent is a 5 pt. harness up to 85 lbs., but is not FAA approved because it is too wide to fit between the armrests.
I would bring my own carseat and just check it with baggage. I wouldn't trust a carseat from a rental car place, not knowing its history or being familiar with proper installation.