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From MIA to POM transportation with 4 and 2 years old


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First time to cruise with 4 and 2 years old grand kids. I checked the CC board and googled some but not sure.

 

My understanding is that we need a car seat for 2 years old. 4 years old can be OK with one of options which includes the use of car seat belt. Both have to be at the rear seats of the car.

 

Taxi and rental car is not exempted from car seat law.

 

School bus type transportation is an exemption.

 

So the question is Van type shuttle NOT exempted?

If RCL bus shuttle exempted, any one actually took their shuttle with small kids? Do they have seat belts?

 

Or any successful experience with a shuttle service with small kids?

 

We have no option to purchase a car seat at MIA. I was quoted $170 with two car seats for 4 adults and 2 kids by Larry Limo, which I felt little steep for $30 trip.

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First time to cruise with 4 and 2 years old grand kids. I checked the CC board and googled some but not sure.

 

My understanding is that we need a car seat for 2 years old. 4 years old can be OK with one of options which includes the use of car seat belt. Both have to be at the rear seats of the car.

 

Taxi and rental car is not exempted from car seat law.

 

School bus type transportation is an exemption.

 

So the question is Van type shuttle NOT exempted?

If RCL bus shuttle exempted, any one actually took their shuttle with small kids? Do they have seat belts?

 

Or any successful experience with a shuttle service with small kids?

 

We have no option to purchase a car seat at MIA. I was quoted $170 with two car seats for 4 adults and 2 kids by Larry Limo, which I felt little steep for $30 trip.

Check this out for example at amazon : Trunki Boostapak. We take this on every trip. Have a great trip.

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Check with Uber. I think I saw something about requesting a car seat. Not positive. Just a thought. Good luck.

 

 

Check this out for example at amazon : Trunki Boostapak. We take this on every trip. Have a great trip.
Thank you for the suggestions. I have never used Uber but will check with the family. Trunki is not suitable for 2 years old unfortunately.
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The 4 year old should definitely still be in a car seat for safety. You should bring their seats on the plane, especially for the 2 year old. You won’t know if rented/borrowed seats will be the right size, clean, expired, ever been in a wreck, etc. best to bring their own seats that they are familiar with and you know the history of. If their seats are too big for travel, their are good travel options out there. I believe the Cosco Scenera Next is the one frequently recommended for younger children as an inexpensive lighter weight seat for travel (under $40). Depending on the 4 year olds size they might be able to get away with the bubble bum inflatable booster seat for $30. My son turns 5 the week after we cruise and he is huge-nearly 70 lbs and almost 4 feet tall. He’s normally harnessed and we’re driving to port with his harnessed seat but for port we bought the bubble bum

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I can completely understand preferring not to bring their carseats....Options I would consider are Uber (that offers carseats), cruiseline shuttle (sometimes the best option for this situation which we had to do for our Alaska cruise) or private shuttle that will offer carseats...example....http://www.southfloridashuttles.com ...We have used them from hotel to port and back to airport.

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I can completely understand preferring not to bring their carseats....Options I would consider are Uber (that offers carseats), cruiseline shuttle (sometimes the best option for this situation which we had to do for our Alaska cruise) or private shuttle that will offer carseats...example....http://www.southfloridashuttles.com ...We have used them from hotel to port and back to airport.

We once booked a cruiseline shuttle and ended up in a prepaid taxi...

The trunki was suggested for the four year old.

A two year old has to be in a good regular car seat at all times while in a car, in my opinion.

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Thank you for more suggestions.

 

I checked the South Florida Shuttle and sent an email inquiring about the car seats.

Also checked the Uber site and that could be an option as well.

South Florida Shuttles will bring the correct carseats for the ages of your children. Due to liability you must always then install them yourself. We easily did this while the driver loaded up our luggage...this is actually a good thing then you'll be confident they are installed and latched in properly.

 

This is a policy with all private companies that provide carseats...even when renting a car.

 

Best of luck on your travels.

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A Bubblebum could be a good option for a four year old.

But not a 2 year old and in this case the OP is traveling with two toddlers....Usually carseats provided by private companies like South Florida Shuttles are no cost...so why not use a carseat for the 4 year old too.

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At those ages my first choice would be to take seats for both kids and use them on the plane. My second choice would be to take a seat for the two year old and use it on the plane, and take a small booster seat (bubble bum or harmony youth booster are good choices) for the four year old IF the child is mature enough to sit still and upright in it for the short trip. Somewhere very far down the list, below using a cruise line’s large bus, would be using a car seat provided by someone else that you don’t know the history of. There is a very real chance it could have been cared for incorrectly and be unsafe and there would be no way for you to determine that.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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Any shuttle service that is in the form of a bus does not require child seats as busses are engineered in such a way as to be safe.

 

My recommendation would be a Costco Scenara for the 2 year old and a Safe Rider Travel Vest for the 4 year old. I have twins and we always bring our Safe Riders. They are lifesavers, though pricey if you don't plan on using them more than 1-2 times.

 

 

And please don't rent seats from car companies! We did this once and it was a disaster, even with a very highly recommended limo company out of Orlando. The seats were nasty, one wasn't a rear-facing seat (which we needed), one's harness wouldn't tighten, and the driver had no clue as to how to properly install a seat! The 30 minute or so trip to Disney was terribly nerve-wracking and we learned then to always bring our own!

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