Any ideas regarding car seats and cruises?

[jaysue]

Hi all, travelling from Toronto to Florida and doing a 10 night land trip - Orlando, Vero Beach and Ft Lauderdale (we will have a rental car for this portion of the trip) and then taking transportation (TBD) from parents condo in Ft Lauderdale (Commercial and US1) to Port of Miami and then after disembarking, transportation (TBD) to MIA airport for flight back home.

 

We are trying to figure out strategy for car seats and we our clueless re the cruise portion - can we have them stored on the ship in luggage storage? Any other ideas?

 

Should we rent the car seats in Orlando and then drop them off with the car rental at Ft Lauderdale airport - if we do this then any ideas on transportation arrangements (kid friendly for example) from Ft Lauderdale to Port of Miami that have booster seats (kids will be 8 and 4)?

 

We are concerned about safety issues and want to make sure we make safe choices for our family where possible

 

Any ideas would be most appreciated

 

Thanks in advance

Jason & Susan

[Bababooey Land]

Hello.

 

that is an excellent question. one that im sure people will have different point of views. We have a 17 month old and we are extremely strict about using car seats, within reason. So I understand what you are going through. The car rental part of the trip is not the problem, thats easy. I personally think the taxi ride from Ft. Laud to Port of miami (about 45 mins) is too far to not use a car seat for both kids, especially the 4 year old. I would take your own car seats the entire trip. I have read on here that people store their car seats in the shower while on the cruise. I doubt the cruise company will have a place to store the car seats, but it never hurts to call up and ask. Maybe there is a rental storage in the port of miami where you can store the car seats?

 

your other option is to rent a car the entire time. expensive and a pain, but then you wouldnt have to bring your own car seats.

 

You can also rent a car for the day to get you from Ft. Laud to Miami.

 

When you get off the ship, maybe take the shuttle to the airport..its prolly a 20 min ride? that might be safe enough to take the kids on. its not entirely safe though..i think thats a parents choice. technically, they should always be in car seats.

 

just a few suggestions. good luck!

 

Larry

[PattyW]

Hi all, travelling from Toronto to Florida and doing a 10 night land trip - Orlando, Vero Beach and Ft Lauderdale (we will have a rental car for this portion of the trip) and then taking transportation (TBD) from parents condo in Ft Lauderdale (Commercial and US1) to Port of Miami and then after disembarking, transportation (TBD) to MIA airport for flight back home.

 

We are trying to figure out strategy for car seats and we our clueless re the cruise portion - can we have them stored on the ship in luggage storage? Any other ideas?

 

Should we rent the car seats in Orlando and then drop them off with the car rental at Ft Lauderdale airport - if we do this then any ideas on transportation arrangements (kid friendly for example) from Ft Lauderdale to Port of Miami that have booster seats (kids will be 8 and 4)?

 

We are concerned about safety issues and want to make sure we make safe choices for our family where possible

 

Any ideas would be most appreciated

 

Thanks in advance

Jason & Susan

 

There's room to store the carseat on the floor of the closet in the cabin - we've done it twice and will do it again in May. There's probably room for two big carseats if you just lay one on top of the other, but I imagine your 8 year old is in a true belt positioning booster. You could pick her up an inexpensive backless one for this trip if you want to conserve space, but even the highbacked ones (like the Turbobooster) don't take up that much room.

 

In May we'll be bringing a Britax Marathon and a belt positioning booster (as of yet not purchased) and I don't anticipate any problems.

[CKEA_Cruising_Family]

Great question! I'll be in the same situation next year when we travel. We will be driving our car to the port and parking (so no problem there). We only have 1 port (Pt Canaveral/Orlando) where we will likely be doing an excursion that requires transportation. I don't believe you need carseats officially when on buses/shuttles, but I'm not sure I feel safe without them. However, I really, really hate to carry on car seats for 1 day trip. Dilema!

[jaysue]

Thanks for the feedback :) - we will have connecting cat 6A on Carnival Valor so maybe just take our own seats and tag and store them in the closet is the way to go - have to think about this

 

Another option is to drop the rental car at Miami Intl and then take a shuttle to the Port....

 

Is there a rental car dropoff(s) at or very close to the Port of Miami?

 

TIA

Jason

[BethCarp]

I don't believe you need carseats officially when on buses/shuttles, but I'm not sure I feel safe without them.

You can not use car seats on buses or shuttles so problem solved.

 

OP, will your 8yo need a carseat/booster? Your 4yo could probably use a backless booster which could easily store in a suitcase under the bed. IIRC, neither will be required by law to be in a carseat in the state of Florida.

 

We will have a 3yo and a 6yo when we go in Nov. I am going to try to get a shuttle to and from the airport, pre cruise hotel and pier. If I can arrange that, then we will not be bringing carseats for either. If I can only arrange a cab, then I will bring a backless booster for my 3yo.

[jaysue]

Thanks BethCarp, I will look into the backless design and see what the kids think of that.

 

Another thought I had was to take the family to the Pier in the rental car, drop them and the luggage off, go return the car on my own with the rented car seats and then grab a cab back to the Pier and join the family in the terminal (this is a hastle but might be the most workable solution and then reserve a shuttle for disembarktion day)

 

Cheers

Jason

[Bababooey Land]

i like your idea Jason. i have done that before at airports and its worked out well. adds some extra time, but in the long run its worth it.

[jaysue]

i like your idea Jason. i have done that before at airports and its worked out well. adds some extra time, but in the long run its worth it.

 

 

Thanks Bababooey Land - much appreciated - I talked to DW about this as well and she is warming up to the idea - now to find the nearest car rental agency to the Port of Miami that has a shuttle and also is at MCO :D

 

Cheers

Jason

[Celebrity Bride]

Hi,

 

I have cruised with 2 Britax Marathons and we stored them in the shower stall when we were not using the shower... we had them in car seat covers, so there was no worry about water dripping on them. We just stacked them one on top of the other with the top one turned upside down.

 

I have found that when we have used rental cars in the past and rented the car seat from them, the car seats were old looking and I would rather drag my seats with me and worry about the storage part once on the ship. We have nice car seat bags that both have wheels on them as well as backpack straps.

 

 

Jenn

[jaysue]

Hi,

 

I have cruised with 2 Britax Marathons and we stored them in the shower stall when we were not using the shower... we had them in car seat covers, so there was no worry about water dripping on them. We just stacked them one on top of the other with the top one turned upside down.

 

I have found that when we have used rental cars in the past and rented the car seat from them, the car seats were old looking and I would rather drag my seats with me and worry about the storage part once on the ship. We have nice car seat bags that both have wheels on them as well as backpack straps.

 

 

Jenn

 

Thanks for the idea Ms. Jenn

 

Cheers

Jason

[ck53]

One quick question!

 

You do not need a car seat in the buses or cabs, when you are on an excursion?:confused:

 

Just trying to figure if we should leave it in the car @ the parking terminal or if we do need if for excursions to the beach!

 

Thank you!

[Bababooey Land]

One quick question!

 

You do not need a car seat in the buses or cabs, when you are on an excursion?:confused:

 

Just trying to figure if we should leave it in the car @ the parking terminal or if we do need if for excursions to the beach!

 

Thank you!

Hi CK53. here is what i think the confusion is. For safety purposes, kids, toddlers, infants should be in car seats. bottom line. in an accident, the safest place for a child is in a child seat. i think that is a fact and difficult to argue. now on to the sticky thread. buses, taxis, etc. i beleive (not 100% certain) that legally children are allowed on buses and taxis without a car seat. just like they are on a airplane. it is highly recommended though that they are in a car seat. having said that, it is a parents decision on how to handle traveling in a bus or taxi with a child. For myself, we have always used car seats in taxi's. We have only not used a car seat when using i.e. a hertz shuttle bus that is a 5 min ride. but i wouldnt feel comfortable riding on a 30 min bus ride or taxi ride without a car seat. i have a feeling though on your excursions, you will see lots of kids taking bus excursions and not using car seats. Its a decision you have to make as a parent. hope this clears things up. good luck! Larry

[As You Wish]

One quick question!

 

You do not need a car seat in the buses or cabs, when you are on an excursion?:confused:

 

Just trying to figure if we should leave it in the car @ the parking terminal or if we do need if for excursions to the beach!

 

Thank you!

 

If you are riding on a bus or shuttle, you will not be able to use a car seat because there are not seatbelts. None of the cruise sponsored excursions or airport transportation I've been on have had seatbelts in the buses or shuttles. If you're using a taxi for transportation, then you have the option of using a car seat--you might just have to dig around to find the seatbelts stashed under the seats. It depends on your ports as to whether or not carseats are legally required in taxis, but regardless of the law, you'll find many parents who decide (for better or worse) not to use them.

[jaysue]

If you are riding on a bus or shuttle, you will not be able to use a car seat because there are not seatbelts. None of the cruise sponsored excursions or airport transportation I've been on have had seatbelts in the buses or shuttles. If you're using a taxi for transportation, then you have the option of using a car seat--you might just have to dig around to find the seatbelts stashed under the seats. It depends on your ports as to whether or not carseats are legally required in taxis, but regardless of the law, you'll find many parents who decide (for better or worse) not to use them.

 

All the excurisons we were on had motor vehicles that DID NOT have individual seat belts - a la bus style - now if we plan to hire a pvt taxi then we would want to have those car seats with us

 

Thanks

Jason & Susan

[sandy toes]

From the rental drop off back to the port you can take a free shuttle. I would use the car seats up until I got to the dock. On the bus shuttle (ship transfer) there are no seat belts. On island, I doubt there will be seat belts in even a taxi. If you find one with seat belts it would surprise me. I cruise several times each year and have never found them. For the ship sponsored excursions, most of the time you will ride in a van or an open air van. You don't know until you get ready to go to where ever. It is not like you can choose. I know it is upsetting not to be able to do what we think of as standard at home but when on holiday many things are not the same as back home. Just be flexible and stay as safe as you can.

[ck53]

Thank you for the imput. I have cruised before but never w/ my grandson! I guess I'll bring it and I'll just play it by ear. At least I won't panic if there are no seat belts. Thank you again!

[TRIBE1959]

I don't have any small enough for car seats anymore but we rented a car and left it at the pier for the convenience. Was only 145 for the week so allowing for transfers shuttles etc worked out about even. Also All of the ship tours we were on in Jamaica had MANDATORY seatbelt use last week driver stayed parked until we were all buckled up.

[sandy toes]

I don't have any small enough for car seats anymore but we rented a car and left it at the pier for the convenience. Was only 145 for the week so allowing for transfers shuttles etc worked out about even. Also All of the ship tours we were on in Jamaica had MANDATORY seatbelt use last week driver stayed parked until we were all buckled up.

Wow! Last time I was there, I thought the driver was going to trun over a van and there were NO seat belts to be found (someone in the group actually asked and complained loudly about his driving). 4 mo ago no seat belts were seen anywhere when doing the Southern route ports.

[Eclipsepearl]

I think these would be a good investment for you:

http://www.safetrafficsystem.com/

 

They're actually recommended by car seat techs. People use them when they have center lap-only belts and need to put a child there. This was the issue I was researching when I ran into this recommendation and I thought it would be also good for travel...

 

Your kids are a good age for them and they would be easy to store in the cabin and bring on excursions.

 

I wouldn't chance rental car seats. The only time I did, it showed up old, beatup and the wrong size. Never again!

 

Most states allow three year olds to be in boosters but techs prefer "4 & 40" rule for the age and weight. There has been recent publicity around some accidents involving 3 yo's in boosters, whether a 5 point seatbelt would have saved them, etc. etc. I prefer not to debate it and have ordered a 5 pointer that goes up to 65lbs (higher exists) for my three year old.

 

If you get these vests for this trip, they would be good for that use too, patching your little one until he or she hits 4, if that issue has come up in your house.

[dosi]

When we were in FL last summer my son was six and he didn't need a booster. He hasn't needed one here in Cali since he turned six either. What we did do....when he had to have the booster.....was put the booster into the stroller with all the carryons and push all the junk around while he walked. This worked out great at the airport and while waiting to get onto the ship.:)

[ck53]

Eclipsepearl,

 

Never seen anything like that, very good and easy to pack!

 

Dosi,

 

Think that is exactly what we are going to do too.

 

Thanks!

[mjmalino]

Here is my 2 cents about the backless booster seats. I was never one for them as I was told that they are good for short trips, but tended to not be very comfortable for long hauls. Now, that being said, my DH, 2 DS and myself live in CA, and our families live on the east coast. My parents thought that it was ridiculous to keep schlepping the booster seats cross country every time I went to see them, so they invested in 2 backless boosters for when we came home. My kids loved them. My parents loved them. My parents liked the fact that they were compact, my kids loved that they had cupholders in them. I liked the fact that they kept my kids safe. So, if you really want a safe and compact booster seat to take with you, you may want to look into them. Even if you only use them for traveling, you have them when you need them and they are quite light.

[dosi]

Actually the last booster seat we bought for Timmy had a removable back. So when we traveled we would just use the seat portion as a booster, but in our own car we would use the entire thing. Ours was made by Graco. It is now supplying safety to the third child to use it. Those things last forever!!!

[sandy toes]

I think these would be a good investment for you:

http://www.safetrafficsystem.com/

 

They're actually recommended by car seat techs. People use them when they have center lap-only belts and need to put a child there. This was the issue I was researching when I ran into this recommendation and I thought it would be also good for travel...

 

Your kids are a good age for them and they would be easy to store in the cabin and bring on excursions.

 

I wouldn't chance rental car seats. The only time I did, it showed up old, beatup and the wrong size. Never again!

 

Most states allow three year olds to be in boosters but techs prefer "4 & 40" rule for the age and weight. There has been recent publicity around some accidents involving 3 yo's in boosters, whether a 5 point seatbelt would have saved them, etc. etc. I prefer not to debate it and have ordered a 5 pointer that goes up to 65lbs (higher exists) for my three year old.

 

If you get these vests for this trip, they would be good for that use too, patching your little one until he or she hits 4, if that issue has come up in your house.

Thank you for this link. This will be something good to post at work. There are always people asking about different safety seats for travel. Great post.