Traveling without a car seat.

[pandabebe]

For those of you that did not bring a car seat with you, how did you get from the cruise terminal to the airport? Did you take a shuttle (therefore did not require a car seat), request a cab with a car seat or did you reserve a limo? Initially we weren't planning on bringing our car seat down with us, but in light that we have a very early flight home after the cruise I'm debating whether it would be worth it to just bring it so we can grab any cab in front of the terminal. And, can anyone recall how easy it is to grab a cab at the cruise terminal. It's been over a year since I've last cruised and I can't recall. TIA!

[cb at sea]

Cabs are PLENTIFUL at the port...just get in the taxi line!

 

You may want to bring it...using a taxi is much faster than the shuttles. And, if you decide to go somewhere in a cab/car at one of your ports, you'll like having it.

[Colorado Kat]

It's a pain, but I would bring it along.

[p3sgirl]

I'm running in to a similiar situation. Do cabs even have seatbelts in the back? My plan was to wear him in the Ergo.

[MNmomof4]

Cabs do have seat belts. We always bring our and the cab drivers are great about waiting while we install them. We have brought both car seats for the cab to and from the airport. In ports we were just walking around so we left the car seats in the cabin.

[acceber32]

We are not taking our car seat either. However, we are renting a car and a car seat to get us from the airport to the port. In port we don't have any plans to take DS far from the cruise port.

[pandabebe]

We are not taking our car seat either. However, we are renting a car and a car seat to get us from the airport to the port. In port we don't have any plans to take DS far from the cruise port.

 

What are your plans to get you from the port to the airport? Are you parking your rental car/car seat?

[courteliz24]

I was having this dilema as well with our son. I did some research and found this Sit n Stroll.

http://www.amazon.com/Lilly-Gold-Stroll-Combination-Stroller/dp/B0006UF43M

 

Its expensive to by brand new but I searched ebay and Craigslist and ended up buying one used for only $25. Now my soon has a restraint for the plane and we can easily take taxis in port. I would suggest looking into used ones if you can find them.

[B_Mc]

We're also struggling with the decision and for now we're going to take the cruise line shuttle from airport to port (and back again) and not bring our seat. For us, this means no vehicles in port, but we're okay with that.

[angielane]

We're cruising on RCI Jewel of the Seas in March...the RCI travel planners said that their airport transfer is a bus, and does NOT require a car seat.

 

Of course, it's $30/pp (Round trip) AND they charge for the baby...so it seems a bit pricey.

[irun5k]

We drove to the port and parked so our only issue was whether to take the car seat along for a couple of excursions.

 

We did the Turtle Farm in Grand Cayman- a bus, so no car seat. In Cozumel we took a taxi to Chankanaab. I think it was only a mile or two to the park from the pier we were at so we just rode in the back seat, I kept my son on my lap. It was a very hard decision to do that but at some point I rationalized that a mile on a straight stretch of road is probably safer than, say, when I used to ride on my grandfathers knee on his John Deer tractor around the farm.

 

So anyway, while car seats are a lot to lug around, there is no substitute for the safety they provide. Cabs are generally easier to get at the terminal, and you'll be safer as well. I would definitely weigh:

 

1) length of the ride from terminal to airport, and in what conditions (freeway, etc.)

2) input from others on how hard it has been to get a shuttle

3) types of excursions you want to take

 

good luck & happy cruising

[acceber32]

What are your plans to get you from the port to the airport? Are you parking your rental car/car seat?

 

 

No, it's a one way rental. My husband is going to drop DS and I off at the port and then drop the rental off at the rental agency. They will then shuttle him over to the port (or we may try to drop a step out and use the car set in the shuttle van so we don't have to be separated). Once we get back from the cruise we will do it all in reverse. This is in Port Canaveral, I don't know how other ports are for this type of a thing but the rental agencies in Port Canaveral are a mile away from the port and all run free shuttles to port. Hope that helps!

[Chicky2181]

For those of you that did not bring a car seat with you, how did you get from the cruise terminal to the airport? Did you take a shuttle (therefore did not require a car seat), request a cab with a car seat or did you reserve a limo? Initially we weren't planning on bringing our car seat down with us, but in light that we have a very early flight home after the cruise I'm debating whether it would be worth it to just bring it so we can grab any cab in front of the terminal. And, can anyone recall how easy it is to grab a cab at the cruise terminal. It's been over a year since I've last cruised and I can't recall. TIA!

 

Hello,

 

We decided to leave the car seat at home since the baby is sitting on my lap for the plane ride. We hired Fort Lauderdale Limousine Service to provide transportation from the airport to the port. It is a private sedan for 3 adults and one infant, and they will provide a car seat. This is what they quoted me: "The cost of your private trip will be $39 + 20% gratuity plus $7.00 for the car seat. If you need a round trip would be that rate for each way.

This price includes all fees, tolls and charges, there are no hidden fees."

I think that is a great deal considering how much RCI would have charged us.:)

-Lisa

ps. their website is www dot fortlauderdalelimoservice dot com

[pandabebe]

Hello,

 

We decided to leave the car seat at home since the baby is sitting on my lap for the plane ride. We hired Fort Lauderdale Limousine Service to provide transportation from the airport to the port. It is a private sedan for 3 adults and one infant, and they will provide a car seat. This is what they quoted me: "The cost of your private trip will be $39 + 20% gratuity plus $7.00 for the car seat. If you need a round trip would be that rate for each way.

This price includes all fees, tolls and charges, there are no hidden fees."

 

I think that is a great deal considering how much RCI would have charged us.:)

-Lisa

 

ps. their website is www dot fortlauderdalelimoservice dot com

 

Thanks for the info. Guess I should have mentioned that we're coming out of the Port of Miami :p. What are you doing when you get off the ship? Are you booking the same limo service? And if so, what time did you ask them to pick you up from the pier? I'm debating whether to hire a limo as well but am not sure what time I'll be getting off the ship. As I have an early flight I'll be doing self-disembarkation, but even then I have no idea if I'll be off 6:30 or 7:30...don't want to pay the waiting fees as I've heard they're quite hefty. Thanks again in advance!

[Kerry's Girls]

Thanks for the info. Guess I should have mentioned that we're coming out of the Port of Miami :p. What are you doing when you get off the ship? Are you booking the same limo service? And if so, what time did you ask them to pick you up from the pier? I'm debating whether to hire a limo as well but am not sure what time I'll be getting off the ship. As I have an early flight I'll be doing self-disembarkation, but even then I have no idea if I'll be off 6:30 or 7:30...don't want to pay the waiting fees as I've heard they're quite hefty. Thanks again in advance!

 

You may want to check the car seat laws in Florida - I thought from what I've read here that taxis in Florida will refuse to take a small child without a car seat. Not a situation you'll want to be in if you're trying to catch an early flight.

 

Best,

Mia

[milton333]

My two cents: you can buy a convertible Cosco Scenera car seat for $35-40, and take it with you (gate check if you do not buy a plane seat for your child, but keep in mind that turbulence occurs unexpectedly and can cause very serious injuries or death to an unrestrained lap child). It's best not to gate check, because you do not know how the seat is handled in the cargo bay, if it's just tossed up there, but a checked seat is better than none at all.

 

You do not know the history of any rental or limo-supplied car seat. You don't know if it is expired (the plastic of the car seat will get brittle and fail over time). You don't know if the seat has been involved in an accident but not replaced. You don't know if the seat has been cleaned by soaking the harness straps in water (which weakens the harness). You may not have the harness adjusted to the proper height for your child - at or below shoulder height for rear-facing, at or above shoulder height forward facing. Most seats require complete rethreading of the harness to change the height - will you or the rental company take the time to do that correctly?

 

A rental car seat will be an unfamiliar seat, are you confident that it will be installed and used 100% correctly? While this is a short trip, your odds of being in a serious accident from airport to ship port or while on an excursion are exactly the same as your odds of getting into an accident any other time you take your child in your car at home (in fact, you're probably more likely to have an accident with a taxi driver, given their aggressive driving practices). The fact that it's "just this once" will be no comfort if your child is injured because he/she was not properly restrained.

 

 

ETA: For kids over 3, you might look into the Ride Safer Travel Vest: http://www.safetrafficsystem.com/

[gdynkin]

Most of the replies were related to the travel between the airport and the boarding the ship. What about on the islands? What are the rules if you take an excursion or a taxi on each island? Do you need to lug a car seat/booster with you? My kids are 6 & 4.

[constansl]

At the airport, the taxi service would not call for a cab with a car seat and would not allow us to see if any of the taxi drivers were carrying a car seat. So annoying. I never had this trouble traveling anywhere else and was caught off guard by my assumptions that taxi everywhere have car seats. We were forced into taking the shuttle. It wasn't so bad, but we paid a lot of money to share a ride to our hotel. A taxi would have been faster and more affordable. We talked to guest services and made arrangements to use the agents car seat to get to the port. The agent in the morning had no idea what we were talking about, so we had to find a taxi driver who would illegally take us across to the port or wait to later in the day for an expensive shuttle. We took the risk. For our return trip to the Airport we decided to take a ship excursion. It was rather convenient given the fact that the excursion included storing luggage and the ride to the airport. I wish I had made plans before my trip because not having a car seat was very stressful. Definitely don't rely on the idea of a taxi unless you bring your own seat. At the ports, we never used a car seat. I expected that though.

[milton333]

Most of the replies were related to the travel between the airport and the boarding the ship. What about on the islands? What are the rules if you take an excursion or a taxi on each island? Do you need to lug a car seat/booster with you? My kids are 6 & 4.

 

Which islands? You'll likely find different laws by country, state, territory . . .

 

IMO, children should always be properly restrained in a vehicle, no matter where or for how long that ride lasts. Vehicle seat belts were designed to restrain adults. Some of the significant risks when restraining a child of 4 or 6 in a regular lap/shoulder belt include what's called "submarining," where the child slips out under the lap belt. If you've ever seen a toddler escape from an older-style highchair by sliding under the tray, you know what that means. Younger kids don't have the hip structure that is necessary for proper lap belt placement, so in addition to possibly sliding under the belt, the belt can ride up on their abdomen and focus all of the forces of the crash on their internal organs, which can be fatal. Additionally, if the shoulder belt is not placed in the middle of the collarbone, the belt may slide off the torso and allow significant spinal cord injuries.

 

All of which is saying, regardless of what the various laws may be in port, the laws of physics still apply ;) If your child should be boostered at home, he/she should be boostered in port. And while I'm personally okay with taking a chance of an accident in an open-air taxi or a vehicle without belts, for myself, I'm not okay with taking that chance for my child.

 

The Ride Safer Travel Vest, linked above, comes in two sizes, can be used up to 80 lbs and 8 years old. If a 6 year old can sit properly in a seatbelt so that it is always in proper position low on hips and middle of the shoulder blade, then a backless booster for as little as $12USD can be found at most retail outlets. It's rare for a 4 year old to be able to sit still at all times to be sure the seatbelt is properly positioned, so a high-back booster, which provides more structure, would be more appropriate. Or the RSTV.

[Marie51]

We're cruising on RCI Jewel of the Seas in March...the RCI travel planners said that their airport transfer is a bus, and does NOT require a car seat.

 

Of course, it's $30/pp (Round trip) AND they charge for the baby...so it seems a bit pricey.

 

For that amount of money it might turn out cheaper to hire a private driver with a carseat.

[Marie51]

Most of the replies were related to the travel between the airport and the boarding the ship. What about on the islands? What are the rules if you take an excursion or a taxi on each island? Do you need to lug a car seat/booster with you? My kids are 6 & 4.

 

I have been on 3 cruises with my young grandchildren. As far as carseats............sometimes you are lucky to get a cab with 4 wheels.

[cantwaitforoasis]

this topic never crossed my mind! thanks for posting it!

 

Do you have to pay at the airport to check the carseat?

 

How about a stroller?

[milton333]

this topic never crossed my mind! thanks for posting it!

 

Do you have to pay at the airport to check the carseat?

 

How about a stroller?

 

You can gate check a stroller and car seat for free, at the end of the jetway just before you get onto the plane. However, if you can avoid gate checking a car seat, that's better, because they get tossed around and could become damaged, thereby compromising your child's safety. The plastic of the seat could crack, or the harness tightening mechanism could be bent, etc.

 

This is one of those things were you have to question whether it makes sense to cut corners. A carseat for your child is the safest way to ride in the plane, because of sudden turbulence, and you'll want to know that your carseat hasn't been damaged by being tossed around in the cargo bay. The price of a child's seat on the airplane is less than the cost of gratuities you'll tip on the cruise.