Toddler car seats

[emily1]

1st cruise with a 4 1/2 yr old & twin 2 1/2 yr olds & not sure what to do about car seats. I saw the Eddie Bauer portables but they're over $200, more then I want to spend for 1 wk.

[riderfan89]

Car seats for what?

[emily1]

For when you're at ports or even from the plane to the ship. We'll be landing in Orlando and have about an hr drive I believe.

[riderfan89]

Hmmm. That's a good question. We've only ever traveled with our own vehicles with our kids - I had never thought of car seats in cabs, etc. We're militant about proper car seats (sounds like you are too). I'll be interested to read what others have to say about this....

(Sorry I have no answers, but interesting thread...)

[MamaParrotHead]

Head over to the Family Cruises board, there's lots of info over there! :)

[Leia]

Hi - we've travelled with our kid since he was about 18 months, and the times we've brought car seats we've regretted it. In ports, the vehicles won't necessarily accomodate them (ie taxis may not have seat belts, neither do buses) and they take up a huge amount of space in the cabin. To get you from the airport to the port in Orlando, I'd recommend using a car service. It's about the same (or cheaper) as a taxi and you can request that they provide car seats or boosters. We just did this in September. Call me less than PC on this topic if you like, you have to do what works for you.

[trock]

Try Craigslist, Ebay... also my sister picked up two at an "estate sale' for like $20 just for the purpose of travel..

Good Luck!

[NCTribeFan]

You won't be taking a cab from Orlando to the port. At least, I hope not. :eek:

 

Do a 1-way car rental and get car seats with the rental.

 

I rented 1-way from Avis for a ridiculously low price each way. They'll shuttle you to and from the port, too.

 

Unfortunately, it seems the wonderful thread on the Florida Departures board where the locals posted ALL that wonderful, useful information has gone away. I have no idea why. It was absolutely THE best, most informative thread I've seen on any of these boards. It had everything you could possibly want to know about airport shuttles, car rentals (including discount codes), hotels, parking, restaurants, shopping. EVERYTHING!

 

So, now, rather than just going to one place, we get a half dozen threads a day about getting to the port, where to stay, what time to book a flight home, etc, (all of which should be on the Departures board anyway as they aren't cruiseline specific). Such a shame.

[trock]

Florida Thread

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=495&order=desc&page=400

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=412

[jlc22043]

I work for a car dealership and I know that there is a lot of liability when it comes to car seats. I did use a company a couple years back called "Visiting Baby" that rents out all baby gear so you don't have to lug it around. It was great but they only serve the Tampa area.

 

I have been in your spot before and opted to not bring the car seat. I paid slightly more to ride the motor coach with my son (I figured if it got in an accident we'd have a better chance of walking away then if we were in a taxi). When we were in ports there are several excursions though the ship that have a motor coach (versus a small van) that gets you to and from where you are trying to go. It does get very difficult while in port trying to tote around seats.

[summercruisin']

I went with my 7 year old and 18 month old. Took both car seats (one full-size and one booster). Both easily fit in a car seat travel bag I bought for about $20. It was very convenient and fairly easy (it has an over-the-shoulder strap for easier carry - still bulky but worth it), and I was glad I had the car seats. We used them in Florida and in the ports (had NO problem finding cabs with seat belts). For the record, it is no fun toting them in ports, so I'd suggest planning accordingly (ie plan tours that don't require taxi rides).

 

Another upside to the car seat travel bag is that the airlines don't charge for them when you check them. One of our suitcases was over 50 lbs, and we were able to take diapers, shoes and other things out of the suitcase and put them into the car seat bag at no additional charge. Worked out very well.

For the record, we had no problem storing the seats in the cabin, either. When we cruise again, I'll be doing the same thing.

Enjoy your cruise!