Car seats required on Airport shuttles ?

[pearl12970]

Are car seats required on Airport shuttles from MIA to hotel or shuttles to the port of Miami ? We will be travelling with a 3 year old.

What about shore excursions ? Do we need car seat on the islands ? We are plannning to take the 7 day carribean cruise on Liberty of Seas.

[6rugrats]

Most airport shuttles have no seat belts, and thus, there's no belt to use to fasten a seat in.

 

Please post your ports for comments about seat belt laws.

[cb at sea]

If you take buses and shuttles, you won't need a car seat---as said--no seat belts!

[pearl12970]

Ports :

 

Miami, Florida; Labadee, Haiti; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; George Town, Cayman Islands; Cozumel, Mexico

 

Most airport shuttles have no seat belts, and thus, there's no belt to use to fasten a seat in.

 

Please post your ports for comments about seat belt laws.

[6rugrats]

Ports :

 

Miami, Florida; Labadee, Haiti; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; George Town, Cayman Islands; Cozumel, Mexico

I think there should be a sticky at the top of this forum listing car seat laws by country as it's asked all the time. For most countries, no restraint device is needed on buses or shuttles, as there is no way to fasten them in.

 

Miami - Must have a car seat in a private car/taxi

 

Haiti - Are you kidding :)! Anything goes here. Stick with shuttles and buses, IMO

 

Cayman Island - children under age four must be in appropriate child seat in a car

 

Mexico - Does not require child seats. Can be another crazy place, but not as bad as Haiti

 

If I was planning any private shore excursion where I needed to take a taxi, I would bring the seat, as inconvenient as it is.

[crusinmama06]

When you say "airport shuttles" - what do you mean? If you mean a shuttle van or taxi, there are seat belts and you are required by law to put the child in a car seat. Just ask some of the recent posters around here to tried NOT to bring a car seat and were not allowed in the shuttles. ;)

 

If you mean shuttle bus or mini coach, then no seat belts and no car seats.

 

And in Labadee, there are no excursions anywhere outside the gated RCCL private area, so you won't need any car seats there. It's just a beach day.

 

Mexico and Grand Caymen, yes, car seats are needed. You can take excursions in those ports that have buses, but its kind of hard to figure that out in advance.

[6rugrats]

Mexico does not require a child to ride in a car seat. There is a law that all passengers must use a seat belt, but I have been in many cabs in Mexico that don't have working seat belts. In Mexico, I have watched children ride on their parent's laps, standing up in the back of pickups, etc.

 

That said, I am incredibly puzzled by the constant question, "What are the car seat laws, do I have to bring my car seat?" And why is this most often asked? Because the parent doesn't want to have to haul the seat around.

 

Reality check here; if you are traveling in any type of car or vehicle that has seat belts, you should bring a car seat. What matters most is your child's safety, not your convenience or what the law is.

 

And yes, I've hauled seats all over the place and it's been a big PITA. But that's life with children.