Flying SWA (WN) with 4 kids ..

[1sttimerwith4]

We are flying Southwest with 4 kids .. 2 of which will be in carseats plus we are renting a van when we arrive .. Any suggestions to make the trip a litle easier?

 

[Nemo14]

Print your boarding passes 24 hours before your departure, but with little ones, they will have you preboard anyway, so you should have no problem sitting together. SW is very kid-friendly. Where are you flying from?

 

[1sttimerwith4]

BWI to MCO ..
I read somewhere SW was like a public bus inthe air .. That kind of worried me ..
I guess I can't be worse then all of us (4 kids included) on the Subway in NY earlier this summer ..

 

[Nemo14]

BWI to MCO ..
I read somewhere SW was like a public bus inthe air .. That kind of worried me ..
I guess I can't be worse then all of us (4 kids included) on the Subway in NY earlier this summer ..

We fly SW a lot and have had very few problems with them. It's not luxury, but for the price, you can't beat it. Depending on the crew, we've had people sing, tell jokes, or whatever, and they're usually quite attentive to kids.

 

[The Mom]

You might want to sit in two different rows, if possible, so that at least one of the adults and one of the carseats is in front of the other carseat and children. That will lessen some of the complaints by other passengers that your child is kicking them. Been there, and because of the way seats are squeezed together, and the bulk of the carseat, it's impossible to prevent this from happening, unless you have a child who can spend the whole trip without moving his/her feet.

 

[Nemo14]

These site have some useful information too. I know that they recommend that the car seats be placed in the window seat, so if you have 2, that would require 2 rows. The rows by the way are 3 seats across with a center aisle.

http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/infants.html

http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/taking_the_kids_index.html

 

[CindiFan]

I've flown SWA several times & haven't really had any problems with them. We flew w/them last fall as a family to MCO. At the time our daughter was 2.5. We were among the 1st to board since we had a little one. When flying with kids on SWA you really don't have to worry about the whole 'cattle car' thing & trying to get the seats you want since you're boarding 1st. I agree with a previous poster - some of the flight attendants can be quite entertaining.

One suggestion I've heard for keeping the kids occupied is to bring some window clings. You can ususally find them easier around holidays. Kids seem to really enjoy putting them on the windows, taking them off & putting them back on again. Another thing my daughter enjoyed was pipe cleaners - we made different shapes (flowers, circles, bracelets) & she'd play with them for a while.

Have fun on your trip!!

 

[1sttimerwith4]

Thanks for the suggestions ..
I figured we would have to be in two rows .. I am not sure which would be easier, strait across or my Dh behind me with 2 kids ..

I'm already feeling like an idiot carring 2 big carseats .. But it's $108 to rent 2 carseats in the rental van .. Seems REALLY stupid when I have them already!

 

[amykissangel]

I agree - save the money! And you're direct to the MCO (right?) so you won't have to carry the carseats through more than one airport. That's a big relief when you have FOUR kids to watch! Have fun, try and relax! Your kids will remember this for a long time, even the littlest one.

Especially if they're anything like my little sister, who, 5 months after we were back made this comment on her 3rd birthday:

Mom: Where are we going today? (We were going to get party balloons)
Alyssa: We goin' to Disney Wol'd, Mommy!
Mom: (Laughing) Not quite yet, sweetie.
Alyssa: We gotta go now, Mommy. We gotta see da tea-cups and da horsies and (gasps!)-
Mom: What??
Alyssa: We gotta see Mickey, Mommy. He misses me.

:wave:

 

[ELopez]

The car seats have to be by the window - I'm pretty sure it's a safety issue and not an option. It's good to take the car seats on the plane. Not only is it safer in case of turbulence, but the little ones know that getting out is not an option.

When we fly (we also have 4 young kids), all the typical rules go out the window. It's more important to keep them happy since we have other passengers to think about. We take lots of suckers and snacks. Take your whatever they drink out of (bottle, sippy cup, etc), but remember you can't take liquids on the plane. Ask for some bottled water or juice or whatever as soon as you get on.

I also suggest you take something new for each child (doll, barbie, book, whatever they like) - it keeps their attention longer.

For our 3 older kids (now ages 5, 6, & 7) we bought a portable DVD player w/3 headphones. That has been worth it's weight in gold!

Have a great trip!

 

[MouseearsDeb]

We are flying Southwest with 4 kids .. 2 of which will be in carseats plus we are renting a van when we arrive .. Any suggestions to make the trip a litle easier?

How old are the kids? Depending on the youngest's ages, they don't have to have a car seat. Two years ago when DS was 3, we took his ginormous :animwink: car seat on the plane from BNA to MCO. MISTAKE!!! Coming home, we checked the car seat at the counter with our other luggage, to which they placed it in a plastic bag. That was soooo much easier.

Don't know when your going, but Thrifty rental has a great deal on mini vans that I looked up for our dates of 9/30-10/8. It is $225.15 including taxes and fees. Could not find a better deal. We used them last year and were very pleased. Only drawback is they are off site of the airport, so you have to shuttle over.

You might consider using WDW Magical Express if your staying on property. One of our options was to use ME the night we flew in. Then the next morning have the National Car Rental at the WDW car care center pick one of us up and rent from them. Using a coupon from the entertainment book was going to get us in a full size for less than $200.00.

Hope this helps a little.

PS- Unless it has changed, you can roll your stroller to the gate. They will give you a claim ticket. Then when boarding, you will park it just outside the plane entrance. They will then place it in the luggage area. When you land, by the time you unload, it's generally waiting on you. VERY NICE!! Only drawback was getting our bicycle stroller through the check point. It was a little bulky, but so worth having it at WDW.

 

[1sttimerwith4]

Good to know about the stroller .. I will be doing that!!

I think I will try the way there with both carseats and if it's more hassle than not I will check them on the way back.

I rented a mini van from dollar for $202 (that's for 6 days) They are in the airport no shuttle needed

 

[Hakunamatata]

.. Any suggestions to make the trip a litle easier?

We will be praying for you.

 

[Nemo14]

Good to know about the stroller .. I will be doing that!!

I think I will try the way there with both carseats and if it's more hassle than not I will check them on the way back.

I rented a mini van from dollar for $202 (that's for 6 days) They are in the airport no shuttle needed

Just so you know - we rented a mini-van from Dollar last February, and although it was quite nice, we are used to our Grand Caravan, and this one was just the regular size one - not a lot of room in the back for luggage. There were only 4 of us, so it wasn't so bad, but luggage and what-not for 6 could be tight.

 

[wannabeBelle]

Definitely make it a point to check in 24 hours prior to the flight to insure that you and all of the kids will be seated together!!!! I flew SW but I was by myself so it wasnt any issue as to if I sat with anyone specific or not. Have a great trip! Belle

 

[wjaye918]

BWI to MCO ..
I read somewhere SW was like a public bus inthe air .. That kind of worried me ..
I guess I can't be worse then all of us (4 kids included) on the Subway in NY earlier this summer ..

Few people that I can think of that ride public buses can afford to fly...even on SW. Although they are usually the cheapest, it is still not "cheap". I have flown with SW many times and have had great service. In fact, for my most recent trip to WDW for Mardi Gras (Feb. 2006), the flight from New Orleans was a little bumpy at times. The flight attendant came on the intercom and joked with us saying, "We are trying to get you ready for all of those rides at Disney World!" It was obvious that was where 90% of the plane was heading.
Have a great trip. I am flying back to WDW on SW for Thanksgiving! Yeah!

 

[joelleharbert]

We're flying SWA with three kids in 9 days and honestly, I'm not really worried at all. We're not taking car seats (we have a 6,4, and 2-year-old) and even though it's our preference just to rent one when we get down there, I agree it's safer for them to be in a car seat on the plane. Our idea was that when we got done dragging the kids, three adults, a ton of luggage, and whatever else we had to take, the car seats had to go. We're packing the two older ones' boosters in our luggage and renting one for the youngest when we get there. As far as entertaining them goes, they are each getting a little dose of Tylenol or Benadryl before we go through security just so they don't get air sick or whatever. My doctor actually recommended this on our last flight, so don't flame me. I would rather take precautionary measures than have 3 sick kids on the flight. :hurl: I also packed them each a backpack with crayons, coloring books, a Disney word search for the oldest, and fruit snacks and other snacks for all three. Also, in my previous experience with SWA, the pilot and flight attendants were very entertaining and it made the flight very smooth all the way around. I'm hoping to have a similar experience this time. Good luck and I'm sure it will be great. Also, remember, 99% of the other people flying to Orlando on your flight will probably also have either kids or know they are going to have kids on their flight (they're flying to Orlando, for crying out loud!), so don't worry if your kids get a little fussy. It happens.

 

[hrmom26]

hi
i flew to Disney in 2004 with my kids (two) and my brothers ( one) i think what saved my sanity was their back packs. now you my have to edit this with the new security laws but i got a back pack for each kid and filled it with there fav. toys, snacks and so forth. i also let them buys some thing in the air port to put in it. it kept them busy the whole time. i made sure they didn't know about the stuff in the backpack until we were on are way so it would all be new! we did not bring a stroller it was just one more thing to carry around we rented one in the parks so i wouldn't have two carry it on and off busses, airports, stairs , and threw crouds. hope this helps