Carseats

[clonegirl]

Has anyone gone cruising without taking car seats? We're taking our 2 yr old and 3 1/2 yr old on RCI-AOS with us in 2 weeks and were planning on leaving the car seats at home.

[eandj]

There is no law at most ports re carseats. If you go on private tours, you can sometimes arrange to have carseats provided. Otherwise it's just holding your children in your lap. I guess I'd have to consider how many tours you will be taking vs just a walk to a nearby beach. Lugging 2 carseats certainly can be inconvenient. But for safety.... Comes down to the choice is yours.

[twopugs]

We have ordered the Eddie Bauer portable seat. It isn't ideal for us b/c it is forward facing and our son is under a year. However, he is ok for the weight requirements so we will give it a try. I feel like it is better than nothing and good to have for the future....plus I found a deal online and got it for $30.

[GaTechCruiser]

I am taking ours due to getting from the airport to our hotel in Miami and then from there to the port.

[ANETLY]

I am still debating this too, the only place I need it is on the plane. We're taking a shuttle from the airport to the hotel and ship and they don't have seatbelts. But, it would be nice to keep him put on the plane. We are still undecided.

 

Hope others come on and share their experience with this.

[sas80]

We had the luxury of having an open seat next to us on our flight from MCO to SJU for the Serenade in January.

 

It was fabulous because DS (14 mos at the time) had his own seat to sit in, and play in. He felt like such a big boy! And, since DH and I sat on either side of him, he could stand on the floor and walk and move between us without bothering anyone.

 

If I were in a situation where we had to purchase an extra seat for him, and my final destination didn't require a car seat, I don't know that I would choose to bring one along.....

[crewmom24]

Trying to decide if whe should bring the car seats. We are cruising out of San Juan with an almost 4 yo and a 20 mo. We will take a shuttle to the port from the airport. I haven't arranged for one, but have been told that it is easy to get a ride to the port. My 1st question is, would we need/be able to use car seats for that? We have rented a car in Aruba and could rent car seats with it, I think, and the only other place we were going to drive anywhere was maybe getting a taxi tour in St. Kitts. So 2nd question can we use the car seats in a taxi in St Kitts?

Debbie

Crown Princess 3-15-08

[c-cruise]

We are bringing our car seat along on our next cruise (leaving today!!!) even though it will be a hassle transporting it. Checked out the Eddie Bauer portable seat, but discovered it was not approved for use on an airplane. We bought our daughter a seat and plan to use the car seat on the plane as well as in rental cars. We are flying overnight so hoping she will be able to sleep in the car seat.

 

On our last cruise with our daughter we didn't have to fly or rent a car so we left the car seat at home. We held her in our lap on the tours that we did.

[dmargolit]

Here is another option for airline travel - I love this product. no need to bring your car seat on the airplane. :D

 

http://www.kidsflysafe.com/

 

CARES is designed specifically for aviation use for children age 1 and older who weigh between 22 and 44 pounds. These youngsters are old enough to be in their own seats, but are too small for the seat belt alone to protect them. Their bodies cannot withstand the jolts that are common in routine transportation, much less emergency situations, and they flail forward or slide beneath the seat belt if they are not held securely in place.

Each year more and more young children fly. But until CARES came along, what was missing was a convenient, hassle-free way to keep young flyers safe. Here’s what makes CARES such an invaluable travel solution:

• CARES is the first and only harness type Aviation Child Safety Device to be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as an alternative to a car seat.
  
• CARES is an elegantly designed belt-and-buckle device that works in conjunction with the regular airplane seat belt and provides young travelers the same level of safety as a car seat.
  
• CARES weighs just one pound and fits into a 6" stuff sack! It is easily portable, simple to install, adjustable to every size airplane seat, and usable on any seat in the airplane, except in the emergency exit rows.
  
• Need your car seat on the other end of the trip? Just check it through as luggage – and carry CARES on board in your pocket!

[Ricanicole]

I am still debating this too, the only place I need it is on the plane. We're taking a shuttle from the airport to the hotel and ship and they don't have seatbelts. But, it would be nice to keep him put on the plane. We are still undecided.

 

Hope others come on and share their experience with this.

 

 

 

Check with the airline and the car seat mfg. When I flew to FL with my then 2 y/o DD, they would not let me bring it on the plane, I had to put it in as check luggage. They put it in a big airline bag (almost like a clear trash bag) and tag it with your name then it will be on the belt with the rest of the checked luggage. I would double check prior to flying to make sure. This could be something that is one less thing to carry. I had no problems with her sitting still. I took a portable DVD player with headphones and you never knew she was there (unless she was laughing at Mater from Cars:rolleyes: ). Try this site and see if it helps with answers:

http://www.travelwithyourkids.com/on-the-plane/airline-rules

 

Good luck and have fun!

 

Erica

[bmgaritty]

Check with the airline and the car seat mfg. When I flew to FL with my then 2 y/o DD, they would not let me bring it on the plane, I had to put it in as check luggage. They put it in a big airline bag (almost like a clear trash bag) and tag it with your name then it will be on the belt with the rest of the checked luggage. I would double check prior to flying to make sure. This could be something that is one less thing to carry. I had no problems with her sitting still. I took a portable DVD player with headphones and you never knew she was there (unless she was laughing at Mater from Cars:rolleyes: ). Try this site and see if it helps with answers:

http://www.travelwithyourkids.com/on-the-plane/airline-rules

 

Good luck and have fun!

 

Erica

 

 

 

 

There is another area of that site you should check out.

http://www.travelwithyourkids.com/on-the-plane/should-you-use-a-car-seat-on-the-plane

 

It covers the recomendations for using a car seat on the plane and some of the groups that suggest using one with a child (like the FAA).

 

Also, it discusses some the legislation that may initiated for the flight safety of children.

[rebeccalouise]

This is a controversial issue. It come down to are you going to use it everywhere you go?

 

I have traveled with my toddler and have not used it. I just put him on my lap. Otherwise you have to haul around the carseat- take it shopping with you- take it to the beach with you, etc.

 

One more reason that I rarely get off the ship. I like cruises to no where! Once everyone else gets off the ship- you have the pool to yourself. No lines in the buffet, no noise pollution from the din of people talking, etc. Its great. They don't treat you half as well on land.

[sas80]

Trying to decide if whe should bring the car seats. We are cruising out of San Juan with an almost 4 yo and a 20 mo. We will take a shuttle to the port from the airport. I haven't arranged for one, but have been told that it is easy to get a ride to the port. My 1st question is, would we need/be able to use car seats for that? We have rented a car in Aruba and could rent car seats with it, I think, and the only other place we were going to drive anywhere was maybe getting a taxi tour in St. Kitts. So 2nd question can we use the car seats in a taxi in St Kitts?

Debbie

Crown Princess 3-15-08

 

From SJU to the ship, via taxi, for 2 adults and one child, and 4 pieces of luggage, it was $20.50 total, fyi. No car seat required.

 

Also, if you are flying on an RCCL airline, one that provides luggage service from the port to sju international, they do NOT weigh bags. Feel free to fill 'em up!

[bmgaritty]

Since PR is part of the US, it has to follow US federal mandates. Below is the car seat law for the State of PR.

 

Puerto Rico Transit Law 22

 

Effective January 7, 2001

Below are listed some of the most common violations for travelers.

 

 

SEATBELT / CHILD SAFETY FINES:

-Not wearing seatlbelt: $50 per person (driver is responsible for passengers)

-Children under four not in a car seat: $100 per child

-Children under 12 not traveling in the back seat: $100 per child.

 

-Driving without a driver's license with you: $25

-Permitting someone to drive who is not legally authorized: $100

-Driving without authorization: $100

 

 

Safe travels!

[lmg1230]

We have travelled a lot with our two daughters sometimes with carseats and sometimes without depending on the circumstances. When they were too small for the airline seatbelt we used carseats on the plane and have also checked booster seats if we were going to be in a car while on vacation. On the two cruises that we have been on we left the car seat at home. The first time we drove our own car and parked at our airport before flying out, took a shuttle from the airport to the cruise terminal and didn't do any shore excursions that involved transportation. On the second cruise we arranged for an airport limo car with a car seat to pick us up from our home and another when we arrived at the Vancouver airport. All of our shore excursions on that trip involved motor coach or train transportation and a car seat was not necessary.

[bmgaritty]

Trying to decide if whe should bring the car seats. We are cruising out of San Juan with an almost 4 yo and a 20 mo. We will take a shuttle to the port from the airport. I haven't arranged for one, but have been told that it is easy to get a ride to the port. My 1st question is, would we need/be able to use car seats for that? We have rented a car in Aruba and could rent car seats with it, I think, and the only other place we were going to drive anywhere was maybe getting a taxi tour in St. Kitts. So 2nd question can we use the car seats in a taxi in St Kitts?

Debbie

Crown Princess 3-15-08

 

I've rented a car in Aruba (I think it was a Ford -Taurus). - it was very close to the pier. I can't remember - Alamo? We brought a portable car seat/stroller - Sit n Stroll.

We did use the same in the taxis in St. Kitts.

 

It worked well on the plane from 12 months to 44 lbs. I never worried whether or not I'd have a seat - I always purchased one. It was worth my peace of mind - (just had to save longer for the flight:eek: !).

 

Safe travels!

[Eclipsepearl]

I also used the Sit-n-Stroll. It's a great product but the price is steep. Definitely a luxury travel item.

 

The CARES harness is good but can't be used in cars. Check Ebay and Craigslist for people renting them.

 

Another alternative is a Cosco Scenera car seat.

 

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4083774

 

This is a standard car seat which techs like, easy to install, light and cheap. It's usually sold for $40-50 and is FAA approved. My daughter made it to 3 1/2 in it. It has no bells or whistles, just a good, basic seat that gets your child safely where you have to go, either by plane or car.

 

Easy to stow in the cabin, easy to buy...

 

Take it home and use it for the baby sitter, grandparents, etc.

 

Just another idea to play with...

 

Two other small points; first, carseat rules are usually exempt in taxis. Some taxis even have integrated seats.

 

Also it's highly recommended by car seat techs and others to NOT rent cars with car seats. They can be nasty, expired, etc. Who knows if they've been in an accident... Just be careful.

 

Have a great time, whatever you decide. Make an informed decision on whatever works for you.

 

my flying tips;

http://flyingwithchildren.blogspot.com