Car seats and Royal Caribbean transfers

[jenny368]

We are driving to Baltimore and cruising on the Enchantment. We will be stopping in Port Canaveral and plan on taking the Royal Caribbean transfers to Disney and then back to the ship again. We will also be stopping in Nassau and Cocoa Cay. I am not worried about the Bahamas but was wondering if anyone had any advice on whether I should take my 20 month old's car seat with us on the cruise. Mainly worried that I will need his car seat on the R/C transfers to Disney. Has anyone done this?

[cb at sea]

The transfers are buses with no seatbelts...you won't be able to attach the seat...

[cruisealot]

We flew with our daughters car seat from Boston to Tampa to use on the transfers, and we never used it. It was just one more thing to carry around with the luggage and take up space in the hotel room.

[mikesteg]

I would double check directly with RCCL for something as important as possibly not getting on the bus. We're on CCL with xfer from LAX to port in November and our agent said carseats were not required. I believe she said we could bring carseats, but we'd have to buy transfers for the babies. That, on top of not needing the car seats at any other time, we elected not to bring them.

 

CB's point about seat belts is interesting as well. If the bus doesn't have belts or LATCH, you may not even be allowed to use a carseat because it would present a danger to other pax in the event of a serious crash.

 

In any event, I think it is a safe bet that is you use a bus seat for the car seat, you will be required to pay for it. Therefore, I think you should still call RCCL (or at least call your agent) and get the Word. :D

[mjkacmom]

We are driving to Baltimore and cruising on the Enchantment. We will be stopping in Port Canaveral and plan on taking the Royal Caribbean transfers to Disney and then back to the ship again. We will also be stopping in Nassau and Cocoa Cay. I am not worried about the Bahamas but was wondering if anyone had any advice on whether I should take my 20 month old's car seat with us on the cruise. Mainly worried that I will need his car seat on the R/C transfers to Disney. Has anyone done this?

 

Every transfer bus I've ever taken didn't have seatbelts, and city and school busses, at least hear, don't have them. BTW, love your siggy pic - my twins are 7, but I used to love having them share swings!

[sandytoes03]

I remember looking into this, and I'm pretty sure that if want the babies to have their own seats, so that you could use car seats, you would have to pay for them. Now, is the bus even equipped for car seats? That I don't know, but sort of doubt it.

[Marie51]

The buses I've been on haven't even had seat belts.

[Mom2B&Z]

but just arranged a transfer to/from port of canaveral with 3 point seat belts for my boys who are 5 and 3. DS1 will have his booster seat, DS2 is harnessed in a car seat. I would not travel in a vehicle unless my kids were restrained. Period. However I'm a car seat technician (Canadian trained) and am rather obsessive about this point. In port, if we can't get suitable transportation we are walking or taking water taxis.

IMHO buses offer good protection for adult passengers, but they simply are not set up to protect children smaller than the average 4 year old. Also keep in mind in ports their vehicle standards are not necessarily what we have in North America.

[jenny368]

We will not be taking transfers in any other port except the R/C bus transfer from Port Canaveral to Disney. Sounds like if we want to go this route there is no need in taking our car seat.