Cocoa Beach Shuttle from Port Canaveral to MCO

[sas80]

This is just my opinion and maybe we are an anomalie.

 

I would NOT use Cocoa Beach Shuttle to take your family back from Port Canaveral if you need car seats for the ride.

 

When I initially called (months before we needed them) I was assured that they provided car seats. Just call the day of departure and make the reservations. Sounded easy! Great!

 

I called the day of our departure and made the reservations. Made sure to let them know that we would need 1 infant and 1 toddler car seat. I was told that the trailer with the car seats was kept AT Port Canveral and that they would only need to fetch the seats from the trailer once we met up with the shuttle coordinator after we were off from the ship. Cocoa Beach Shuttle was WELL aware that we had an 11:55 am flight out of MCO. I was assured this would not be a problem.

 

We met up with the shuttle coordinator at 8:35 am Sunday and saw lots of other Cocoa Beach Shuttle people loading up and heading out before us because we had to wait for our car seats to actually arrive at the port.

 

When I relayed the information about how the car seats were supposed to be in a trailer on site I was told that they didn't have any there that day. When I asked "why not, we have reservations, you know we need them" I was not given an answer, just a shoulder shrug.

 

Eventually I was told that a trailer was hit on the freeway the night before and that is why the car seats we needed were not at the port but I was NOT told that the trailer that was hit was the trailer with all the car seats. The impression I got that "typical operations" had become confused because of this accident.

 

I was left wondering, if this was the trailer with the car seats, why was it so hard to get them onto some shuttle that morning so they could be at the port. My confusion was compounded because the whole time we were waiting there was a BIG bus type Cocoa Beach shuttle parked across the street from us apparently doing nothing but staying parked. Because of the nature of that vehicle, we could have taken it legally, without car seats OR they could have loaded the car seats to sit on it and wait to pull them for their passengers that needed car seats.

 

All told we waited about 45 minutes for the car seats and then another 15 minutes for a shuttle to arrive to take us to the airport. Of course we, the parents, were left to install the seats. We departed port Canaveral at 9:50 am and our flight from MCO was to depart at 11:55 am. This meant that we would arrive at MCO with far less than the 2 hour window. In my head I knew that we would probably be okay BUT the whole situation did stress me because I kept thinking "what if" we miss our flight somehow? Traffic, security, something.... I specifically made an effort to get off the ship with enough time thinking that we would would probably be on our way by 9 am. 9:15/9:30 AT THE LATEST and even thinking that made me stress a little.

 

Not to mention that another family who needed car seats arrived after us and were being told excuses as well. We left the port with them still waiting on their car seats to arrive.

 

I'm not that hard to please. A 30 minute total wait would have been acceptable. Standing there in the heat with 2 kids under 3, watching other passengers get loaded and be on their way, while you are waiting for car seats that don't seem to be anywhere close to the port is stressful. Then, having the car seats arrive and still watching other people get loaded up and depart before you is just plain annoying.

 

That's my story. Just be aware.

 

I do welcome any other experiences with Cocoa Beach shuttle that specifically pertains to CAR SEATS to see what others experiences have been. As I said in my opening statement, maybe this was just an anomalie. Please don't post just to contradict my original post if you dont have an experience that involves car seats. I fully admit that, for families not requiring car seats, Cocoa Beach shuttle was probably great.

[6rugrats]

Perhaps they were just lying to you :).

[sas80]

Perhaps they were just lying to you :).

 

Lol, who knows what was going on.

 

I kept telling myself that things would probably be okay but you just cant help letting the stressful feelings creep in every now and then, you know? That is what sucked about it the most....

[6rugrats]

Yes, it's especially stressful when you are traveling with children, who are usually tired and whining by then! Glad it worked out finally.

[sas80]

Yes, it's especially stressful when you are traveling with children, who are usually tired and whining by then! Glad it worked out finally.

 

And, to top the situation off, our 3 year old wanted to be out of the stroller at that time. Of course he always tests his boundaries - "how far can he REALLY go?" And he decided that it would be fun to pick up the trash off the ground and put it in the receptacle. While I normally encourage being a good citizen, and did recognize that it wasnt fair to require that he be cooped up in the stroller the whole time, when I saw him put a cigarette butt into the trash it didn't help the situation....:D