bring the marathon carseat?

[drewsmom4405]

Hi all! I love reading all of the posts about your cruising experiences. We are planning a family cruise to the Carribean with about 12 people in July or August.

 

I am trying to go with the flow - but I am worried about a few things. Our ds will be 27 mo. We are thinking we'll travel on Carnival so he can go to the Kids Club.

 

We have two Britax Marathon carseat. Should I plan on bringing one of them with us? We will be traveling to an airport in NYC, flying, and doing some excursions. Should I spend the $ to get a smaller/portable car seat?

 

I want to be able to book this trip and be excited about it - not worried about so many different things.

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

K-:rolleyes:

[Wendi&Max]

I would absolutely take the seat. You may consider buying a less-cumbersome seat for travel. Until my son graduated to a belt-positioning booster I always used his carseat for flights and things like shuttles/taxis/rental cars, etc. The booster still comes along with us if we are going to be driving or driven in anything with seatbelts but we can't use it on the plane.

[FPP777]

I am not suggesting you take it or buy something else. Just a few things that you may want to consider. You will obviously use it on the way to the airport.

Not sure if the Britax will fit in an airplane seat. And it will be hit and miss in the Islands as to if your transportation for excursions have seat belts.

[Celebrity Bride]

Hi, I have travelled with 2 Britax Marathons on a flight/car rental/cruise. Yes, they do fit in airplane seats (we flew Alaska Air), although the person in front of you will not be able to recline their seat at all... and please let them know this as soon as they sit down... the Marathon is quite large and when the child is sitting in the carseat on the airplane, their legs will be pretty much touching the back of the seat in front of them. You also won't be able to have the seat-back-table/tray down. BUT with all that said, the Marathons were a lifesaver for us, as my girls were very comfortable on the plane and slept almost the whole way because of it. They also installed very easily.

 

While in the cabin on the cruise ship (we were on Radiance of the Seas), we had to store them in the shower, when it was not in use, as we didnt have any extra space in the closet left from our suitcases.

 

The one thing that is wonderful about the Marathon, is that is does not need a locking clip, like most other car seats, so if you are going to be in and out of vehicles a lot, this saves lots of time and hassle and you don't have to worry about leaving the locking clip behind.

 

I do suggest getting a cover for your seat that is either a backpack type or has wheels so you can pull it... protects the seat while not using it and makes it easier to carry around.

[margalou]

Here is a gadget that may help you out...

It's called a Go Go Kidz Travelmate. They have several listed on Ebay. It's basically a contraption that has wheels on it that allows you to attach your carseat to it and then use the carseat kind of as a stroller. Instead of carrying your car seat and child through the airport, you can wheel them. Sorry I can't explain it very well, but the pictures will.

http://www.gogobabyz.com/products/gogo_kids.html

It does mention that it is compatible with your carseat (Britax Marathon).

[live4vacation]

drewsmom,

We bought the go go babz attachment for our marathon carseat and it works like a dream. I would opt for the wheels instead of buying another carseat, your son will be most comfortable in his normal car seat. You can also hook the carseat into the plane or car without removing the wheels. Although, I know it is safer for the kids to be in a car seat on the plane but I would check it at the gate as your child will have no leg room and probably be kicking the person in front of them the entire trip!! Hope this info is helpful :)