Those with young kids, how do you get from the airport to port

[mommyto2kids]

One of my current challenges is trying to figure out transportation.

 

We are flying in from Toronto ON and are planning to come in 1-2 days before our cruise. Flying into and embarking from Miami.

 

We are not interested in renting a car if we can help it, but I am struggling with transportation issues b/c of our 2 young kids ages at the time of the cruise 3 and almost 6 b/c they traditionally travel in a booster and car seat.

 

I am looking for info about what others do.

 

I would love to just be able to just grab a cab, but I don't know if that is an option.

 

We could rent a town car, but the cost is much more.

 

I know that we could research and find a hotel with a shuttle, but I expect we are probably only going to get either a shuttle to the airport or to the port.

 

Also we will need transportation from the port to the airport when we get off the cruise.

[GirlWriter]

Hi there. We are traveling with a toddler also and have prearranged transportation everywhere. There are a "handful" of cabs with child and/or booster seats in them, but if you just leave it up to chance when you get to the airport, you'll be waiting for a long time. So I recommend contacting a local taxi or car hire company in advance and letting them know what you need and when you will be arriving, and arrange for them to pick you up. It will cost a little more than a normal "hail 'em on the corner" cab, but it's a lot less stress than lugging along your own car seats and/or renting cars. Hope this helps!

[cb at sea]

A shuttle may be your best bet, if you don't want to bring the kid seats..the shuttles are buses with no seat belts, so carseats are useless. You can book shuttle service thru the cruiseline.

If you use a cab, you'll need the kid's seats in Fl.!

[mommyto2kids]

Thanks for the input.

 

I like the idea of maybe booking the cabs ahead of time, at least something to look into.

 

The only issue I have with the shuttle is that the hotels I have found with shuttles to the airport and port are close to the airport and we are thinking of coming in a few days early and I want to be in the downtown area.

[mommyto2kids]

I was hoping to just edit my last post, but it has been too long.

 

I have emailed two cab companies and two shuttle companies to find out my options.

 

Thanks

[SuperCoolOne]

We booked a car ahead of time with car seats installed and it worked great going to the port.

 

The day we got back, I called to confirm while we were waiting to disembark only to find out that they had one car available (instead of a van) and wanted to do 2 trips and charge us for both trips, instead of 1 trip in a van.

 

We ended up going in a regular taxi, without car seats, to go from port to airport. Hated to do it but we didn't have any other options at that point. The cab driver didn't say anything either. We also talked to the kids and told them this was a one time thing.

[Berk987]

One of my current challenges is trying to figure out transportation.

 

We are flying in from Toronto ON and are planning to come in 1-2 days before our cruise. Flying into and embarking from Miami.

 

We are not interested in renting a car if we can help it, but I am struggling with transportation issues b/c of our 2 young kids ages at the time of the cruise 3 and almost 6 b/c they traditionally travel in a booster and car seat.

 

I am looking for info about what others do.

 

I would love to just be able to just grab a cab, but I don't know if that is an option.

 

We could rent a town car, but the cost is much more.

 

I know that we could research and find a hotel with a shuttle, but I expect we are probably only going to get either a shuttle to the airport or to the port.

 

Also we will need transportation from the port to the airport when we get off the cruise.

 

Hey Canadian Girl,

From TO also. We fly into FLL and then take the a/p shuttle to the hotel. They have seat belts so our 4 and 5 yr are fine for that 10 mins ride. If you're more comfortable take your boosters w/you but I've queried that before on the boards and the answers are usually 50/50. We won't since our ride is so short (yes, anything can happen but I'm not going to think that way). I found that travelling in various states, taxis are exempted from having a car seat. Not sure of the laws in FL. Can you image in NYC whereby a large % of population take cabs. Have you ever seen anyone lug around a booster or car seat in NYC?

[NEcruisers????]

We travel with our childs booster seat. It's small, it is lightweight and easily put into a totebag and checked through with the regular luggage while flying. NOT all airlines charge for checking booster and or car seats. :)

[mommyto2kids]

If it was one booster I would probably be ok, but it is a booster and a car seat.

 

I emailed the florida cab companies, no one has car seats etc.

 

Am now looking at a town car or shuttle, will have to price both options and go from there.

[Terpnut]

When our kids were that age, we bit the bullet, and checked and carried both car seats and/or boosters. Please remember that, from a safety perspective, a "shuttle", which is usually a small, commercial van, isn't much safer than riding in a car (which most taxis are) if your kids aren't properly restrained anyhow.

 

And renting a car (unless you want to have more transportation flexibility but you stated that this was not so) offers no benefits whatsoever because you still probably have to use shuttles anyhow when you pickup and return the car.

 

So, the way I see it, you really have two choices: (1) schlep the car seats/boosters and use them in a taxi, or (2) leave the car seats/boosters at home and accept the small safety risk on the two short taxi rides and restrain your kids using the standard seat belts. The first option is your best safety option, and the second is probably the most practical given the short transfer distances involved.

 

Another tip to consider as a good compromise is to bring two seat-only boosters--instead of the bulk of a car seat and a high back booster. While your kids are a bit little for just the booster bottoms, they will get most of the safety benefits, there's no "installation" so it's super easy to get them secured in the taxi, and it's not too heavy or bulky to check/pack/bring. Good luck!

[jtm22372]

we took the bus carnival provided and dd sat on my lap 18 months old . never did i feel it was unsafe. i remember being a kid we had no seatbelts.not saying its right but for the 2 short rides to and from the airport . i'm not sweatin it

[crusinmama06]

Miami airport to port is 8 miles

$26 flat fee for the taxi and yes, you need a car seat for at least the 3 year old (Florida state law).

 

If you took the cruise bus transport you don't need a car seat because full sized buses don't allow car seats. But thats out because you are coming in 2 days before the cruise.

 

My opinion -- in your case -- if you are staying TWO days then I would rent a car and bring car seats or backless boosters.

 

If you are staying one day, I would get by with a taxi and bring the car seat. I've never seen a taxi with a car seat. Doesn't mean it doesn't exist, I've just never seen it.

[charlies_mom]

Bringing the car seats might seem like a pain, but I would never risk the safety of my kids. Can you imagine driving your kids through traffic and on the highway in your home city? Not to mention that taxi drivers are much less careful then the average driver, imho.

 

We will bring both of the car seats onto the plane and then strap them properly into a taxi. This will be a pain and take a little longer, but well worth it. We also tip the taxi drivers well.

[lolakat]

We just bring the car seat. We use it on the plane and that works great for our daughter because she is used to being confined in the car seat and is pretty happy to just sit in it on the plane. We have a rolling bag for it that can also be worn as a back pack. It is not too combersome. I wouldn't worry as much about the booster seat but then again most of those are pretty compact and not a big deal to carry.

 

If you don't want to do that I would go with a car service. I would not count on getting a taxi on the spot with a car seat and I (personally) would not feel comfortable riding in a car or van without one.

 

Best of luck and have a great cruise.

[tamsocal]

Bringing the car seats might seem like a pain, but I would never risk the safety of my kids. Can you imagine driving your kids through traffic and on the highway in your home city? Not to mention that taxi drivers are much less careful then the average driver, imho.

 

We will bring both of the car seats onto the plane and then strap them properly into a taxi. This will be a pain and take a little longer, but well worth it. We also tip the taxi drivers well.

 

Above post is what we do. We travel numerous times a year and have never considered another option. It is part of the travel packing list for our family & we look at the safety benefit and don't focus on the extra luggage, extra things to schlep, etc--

Agree even I traveled across country in a Datsun B210 on my moms lap and survived but why bother w/ carseats at home if you are going to get by without them on vacation. I also work in the healthcare field in a city w/ heavy tourism and can tell you we see the result of safety choices that vacationing parents (& adults for that matter) make and some of the devestation/regrets they experience. We each have our own comfort level of what we are willing to accept though .

Safe travels!

[Marie51]

I have not used this company myself but it says they have car seats:

http://www.topshuttle.com

[Tggrtoes]

We run into this problem ourselves too. Given various issues, we've never wanted to take the car seat so have had to do a lot of prep ahead of time. It take DH FOREVER to get the car seats in correctly and it's just not an option for us to do on-the-fly.

 

I think best bet is to find a car service ahead of time that has car seats. We've had a lot of success with this. We have called various taxi services and while some say they have car seats, it's pretty hit/miss whether they will be decent quality or if they will show up. I would personally not put my eggs in that basket or else you end up with a last minute scramble at the airport. Go with a dependable car service. Try the Florida home ports board and see if there are any posts on the topic that fit your needs. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=495

 

If that's not practical, I think you will either need to bring car seats with you or else stay at a hotel that has a shuttle. FYI - most hotels do have some sort of transportation even in the downtown area, but there may be a high cost. Your concierge can likely help you too.

[nannybeth]

We have two kids, 3 adn 5, and will be flying into Orlando and traveling to Port Canaveral and back after the cruise.

 

We originally booked the RCI shuttle. Then I looked into renting a car. It was actually cheaper to rent a full sized car and rent 2 carseats from Avis than it was to take the shuttle.

 

This also means that we can stop at a drugstore on the way and buy last minute items like sandpails and shovels, water, etc.

[jerin]

Even when we had 4 in carseats, we always brought them. Of course, with 4 children 6 and under, a rental car was easier than 2 cabs. We had a dufflle bag that fit them all (it was huge). This time, we're down to one booster, so it will be a lot easier.