Does everyone bring a car seat?

Do you have to take a car seat? I totally wasn't planning on bringing my baby car seat along with all the other baby gear they have.

If you search car seats, you will find it's a hotly debated topic.

It is safest for your child(ren) to always travel in their car seat(s) (including on an airplane). But some parents decide that some less than safe options are worth the risk.

In general, transport in full-size busses is considered safe without seat belts based on how they are built and other statistics. So if you plan excursions with companies that use full-size busses or ones you can walk to and you are driving to your port city, then you won't need a car seat.

You also need to be aware that in some countries taxis/vehicles frequently don't have seatbelts. So plan any excursions carefully.

I got light-weight car seats for my kids that we used on the plane and then to and from the airport/hotel. The seats stacked nicely in our closet while we were on board.

We did bring a car seat on all 3 of my son's cruises, for safety reasons and also because I believe that my son sleeps better in a plane in a car seat. If you arrange private excursions, you should inform the operators that you are bringing a car seat and need transportation with seat belts. We didn't tell them about the car seat on our first cruise and ended up a seat short on the minivan, since they thought the 2 year old was going to be sitting on someone's lap. I wound up in the back, where you would normally stack luggage.

There is a special strap that they sell for car seats to attach to carry on luggage. We bought it, but found out that it didn't work for our combination of car seat/luggage. A $5 Mommy hook was able to attach the car seat to the carry on, so we were able to wheel it through the airport and didn't need to carry it around. Make sure you test whatever you purchase ahead of time so you don't have to carry a car seat through the airport. Please also note that FAA regulations require airlines to allow you to install car seats, but they must be FAA approved. Not all car seats are FAA approved (some are too wide to fit in a standard airplane seat) so you should check and make sure it has a sticker or print out a page in the manual that documents FAA approval.

Generally, if you are booking ship tours, they will use large buses which will not require car seats.

Make sure you test whatever you purchase ahead of time so you don't have to carry a car seat through the airport. Please also note that FAA regulations require airlines to allow you to install car seats, but they must be FAA approved. Not all car seats are FAA approved (some are too wide to fit in a standard airplane seat) so you should check and make sure it has a sticker or print out a page in the manual that documents FAA approval.

I agree with testing everything. My husband ended up coming up with a better idea mid-trip but our first plan was not working at all.

Nearly every harnessed seat approved for use in the US is FAA approved. The exceptions are rare enough that you are highly unlikely to have one. It is good to know where your sticker is before you fly though. Since most seats are FAA approved frequently they won't even ask, but it's good to know where it is to show a flight attendant so you aren't stuck juggling stuff trying to find it while everyone's trying to board around you. What you are looking for is a line on one of the informational stickers on the seat (usually in red writing) that will say "This restraint is certified for use in motor vehicles and aircraft." (Frequently parents look for something that actually says "FAA approved" but it won't actually have FAA on it, jut the line above.)

Also, the FAA rules allow for car seat use. But if you are not flying on a US airline, then you would need to contact the carrier to find out the rules for car seats before booking your tickets.

We took one on our first cruise with DS since we needed it for travel between airport/hotel/port and for additional travel after our cruise. We did not use it in ports. We took a Duck tour in one, walked around with him in the ergo in one, and left him in the ship with his grandparents in the third. Next year we will not take our seat on the ship. We are driving to the port and will leave it there in our car. We will use busses and ferries in Bermuda. If I were going to use a cab or similar vehicle I would definitely take the car seat.

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