Carseats for kids

Do I need to bring a carseat on our cruise? We have a 2yo who will fly on our laps and a 4yo who will have a seat. Cruising out of MIA so we would be in a taxi/shuttle only from hotel to port and returning home vice versa. I cant imagine the island transportation requiring carseats so I doubt that to be an issue.

Please dont rag on me for suggesting driving from the airport - cruiseport without kids in carseats... just trying to find best solution here, 1st time cruising with kids so it's a big change for us

Do I need to bring a carseat on our cruise? We have a 2yo who will fly on our laps and a 4yo who will have a seat. Cruising out of MIA so we would be in a taxi/shuttle only from hotel to port and returning home vice versa. I cant imagine the island transportation requiring carseats so I doubt that to be an issue.

Please dont rag on me for suggesting driving from the airport - cruiseport without kids in carseats... just trying to find best solution here, 1st time cruising with kids so it's a big change for us

You will have to book a shuttle in Florida if you are not going to use car seats because a taxi will not take you without car seats since it is the law to have the kids in them. You can try to get a taxi with car seats, but you will have to wait. In the islands, it depends on where you are, most taxis have removed the seat belts but you can find some that have them if you ask.

Make sure your child is under 2 if they are going to be a lap child on the flight. If they are 2 and you try to have them as a lap child, all of you will miss the flight.

And assuming your 2 year old is really under 2, bring a birth certificate to prove it.

Would suggest checking with your airline. Lap children have to provide birth certificate. Pretty sure a 2-year-old requires a ticket. Under 2 can sit on your lap.

In Miami a shuttle bus would work. Not all taxis have car seats (very few as they take up room even if stored in trunk). They are required. You could try über or booking a taxi ahead and specifying you need a car seat.

I have never brought or seen anyone lugging car seats around a ship to use at a port...

And assuming your 2 year old is really under 2, bring a birth certificate to prove it.

Ummm... His 2nd birthday will be on our cruise so he really is unde 2 for the flight there, just not home

Ummm... His 2nd birthday will be on our cruise so he really is unde 2 for the flight there, just not home

Then definitely bing the birth certificate. You can take a shuttle, or maybe contact local car services to see if they provide them.

Ummm... His 2nd birthday will be on our cruise so he really is unde 2 for the flight there, just not home

Double check with the airline as they may require a him in his own seat on the way home and using a car seat to fit, but there is an off chance they may waiver it if the round trip started prior to his birthday.

As for the car seat as long as the airline does not require it for the flights, leave it in your car. Without the car seats plan on using shuttles or buses while in the departure port state. If the airline requires it for you return trip have it as checked luggage on the way down, then you can use it in for taxis or car ride shares & private car services.

In ports of call, most foreign governments don't require tourist to use car seats for children in taxis and it is very doubtful that tour bus will even have seatbelts to hook up a car seat. Exclusions to no car seat needed, might include US territories and protectorates like the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Check the island's website for current info.

I have never brought or seen anyone lugging car seats around a ship to use at a port...

I have, multiple times...

I have never brought or seen anyone lugging car seats around a ship to use at a port...

I have plus many of the strollers have seats that do double duty as car seats, especially for infants; so you may not have noticed them.

Problem is often lack of seatbelts, however, have found seatbelts are there but often tucked down in seats; you have to look for them and pull them out.

And assuming your 2 year old is really under 2, bring a birth certificate to prove it.

They are going to need at least a birth certificate to cruise, so they will have it with them anyway. Not sure of the ship and itinerary, so they might all need passports which will be able to be used as proof.

Do I need to bring a carseat on our cruise? We have a 2yo who will fly on our laps and a 4yo who will have a seat. Cruising out of MIA so we would be in a taxi/shuttle only from hotel to port and returning home vice versa. I cant imagine the island transportation requiring carseats so I doubt that to be an issue.

Please dont rag on me for suggesting driving from the airport - cruiseport without kids in carseats... just trying to find best solution here, 1st time cruising with kids so it's a big change for us

I believe you'll be fine with infant in lap since you purchased a roundtrip ticket (even though the child will be two by the time of your return flight.

When we have needed carseat transportation in Florida we've used South Florida Shuttles. We also opt to not travel with carseats when we can.

www.southfloridashuttles.com

(954) 227-0311

Just amazing service we had (last March) from hotel to port and from port back to airport.

You can also opt to use the ship shuttle from port back to airport if you have a return flight that will work with this ...however it will more than likely be a bit pricier.

Best of luck and enjoy your cruise...we travel with extended family often that includes toddler grandchildren and always manage to work it out.

Ummm... His 2nd birthday will be on our cruise so he really is unde 2 for the flight there, just not home

You need to address this issue with the specific airline you are flying. It is very doubtful they will allow you to have your 2 yr old as a lap child on your flight home. You haven't said what airline you are flying, but I know Southwest requires you to show the child's birth certificate and they give you a Boarding Verification Document that you need to present at the gate.

I believe you'll be fine with infant in lap since you purchased a roundtrip ticket (even though the child will be two by the time of your return flight.

 

When we have needed carseat transportation in Florida we've used South Florida Shuttles. We also opt to not travel with carseats when we can.

 

www.southfloridashuttles.com

(954) 227-0311

 

Just amazing service we had (last March) from hotel to port and from port back to airport.

 

You can also opt to use the ship shuttle from port back to airport if you have a return flight that will work with this ...however it will more than likely be a bit pricier.

 

Best of luck and enjoy your cruise...we travel with extended family often that includes toddler grandchildren and always manage to work it out.

Wouldn't chance it. Watched a Reality show few yrs ago about Southwest Airlines. Customer had round trip ticket with Lap child. Kid was under 2 on flight down so no problem. But on flight back had turned 2. They checked Birth Certificate and made parents buy an expensive ticket for that flight. Another issue they had was no Airline approved car seat with them...

Children are not required to sit in a car seat on an airplane BUT if you choose to use one, it must have the FAA APPROVED sticker on it. Not all car seats do. And booster seats are not allowed.

Children are not required to sit in a car seat on an airplane BUT if you choose to use one, it must have the FAA APPROVED sticker on it. Not all car seats do. And booster seats are not allowed.

It is true that booster seats can not be used on planes and car seats must be approved, but almost all car seats in the US are approved. It should have that information in the users manual and on a sticker somewhere on the seat.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

You do not have to have your 2 year old in a car seat on a plane, but I recommend it as it definitely makes it easier for them to fall asleep.

Every state is different when it comes to car seats and taxis and Florida does require them, so you will need to bring one anyway. You can either check it as luggage(they do not charge to check a car seat), bring it in the plane, or specifically request a taxi or uber with one.

Almost any Caribbean nation will not have any car seat laws, at least the laws are not enforced, so I would not drag it off the ship. Europe is country dependent, but seemed to be more lenient than the US.

Nearly all US car seats are FAA approved, however, if you buy one internationally, many are not FAA approved. This happened when we ended up having to buy a car seat for our 13 month old when we were in Dubai. We had a heck of a time finding a reasonable priced car seat that was FAA approved. Cheapest one we could find was $200.

Do I need to bring a carseat on our cruise? We have a 2yo who will fly on our laps and a 4yo who will have a seat. Cruising out of MIA so we would be in a taxi/shuttle only from hotel to port and returning home vice versa. I cant imagine the island transportation requiring carseats so I doubt that to be an issue.

Please dont rag on me for suggesting driving from the airport - cruiseport without kids in carseats... just trying to find best solution here, 1st time cruising with kids so it's a big change for us

They may not require it, but that might be the place where you most want it. Depending on what island(s) you are visiting, you may be on some rough/winding/hilly roads. It might be better for all involved for the little one to be in a car seat.

They may not require it, but that might be the place where you most want it. Depending on what island(s) you are visiting, you may be on some rough/winding/hilly roads. It might be better for all involved for the little one to be in a car seat.

Unfortunately many cars on the islands don’t have seatbelts so that may not be an option.

Flown a few times with grandkids those ages. Really can't help with the lap baby thing as we always just got the seat.

I can tell you from personal experience, don't book the bulkhead seat if planning to take a car seat. On the newer planes that have "air bag" seat belts in those rows they won't let you put a car seat in a seat with "air bag" belts.

If you don't want to lug a car seat then use the CARE strap system on the plane. We got caught up in the FL car seat law the very first month it became law and it was a huge hassle, since we didn't know, taxis didn't know, nobody seemed to know.

Since, we have used a car service and had them bring car seats. My understanding is shuttle buses like hotel and car rentals don't need car seats. We used the ship shuttle (tour bus) at the end of the cruise from the port to MCO and no car seat is required.

In the islands it seems nobody cares. At Costa Maya we went to Maya Chan in a van with no car seats.

They may not require it, but that might be the place where you most want it. Depending on what island(s) you are visiting, you may be on some rough/winding/hilly roads. It might be better for all involved for the little one to be in a car seat.

An improperly installed child safety seat can become a projectile injuring not only the child but anyone in the path of the car seat. It's one of the reasons so many fire, first aid/paramedic, & police stations offer free on demand installation checks on car seats and boosters. Any family with child requiring these devices by state law should have one in each vehicle for each child. Once checked it should remain secured and not removed to another vehicle without being checked again for proper installation.

Sent from my STV100-2 using Forums mobile app

Wouldn't chance it. Watched a Reality show few yrs ago about Southwest Airlines. Customer had round trip ticket with Lap child. Kid was under 2 on flight down so no problem. But on flight back had turned 2. They checked Birth Certificate and made parents buy an expensive ticket for that flight. Another issue they had was no Airline approved car seat with them...

The OP can certainly check with the carrier she's using for exact policy.

Yes I watched that "reality" show too...lot's of drama created for the camera specifically.....This isn't always the case in real life situations.

A child doesn't have to be in a carseat on the carrier so if they had to purchase a return flight seat this was a non-issue...more than likely if a child was this young and would not sit belted in...the FA would have advised the parent to at that point hold the child in lap.

An improperly installed or unsecured child safety seat in many cases is more dangerous than not using one. A parent will be more vigilant and ready to react to foreseeable hazards like rough, winding mountain roads for a child not in a safety device than one that is in one but not installed 100% to manufacturer standards.

An improperly installed child safety seat can become a projectile injuring not only the child but anyone in the path of the car seat. It's one of the reasons so many fire, first aid/paramedic, & police stations offer free on demand installation checks on car seats and boosters. Any family with child requiring these devices by state law should have one in each vehicle for each child. Once checked it should remain secured and not removed to another vehicle without being checked again for proper installation.

 

Sent from my STV100-2 using Forums mobile app

Who suggested it be improperly installed or unsecured? Not me.

We flew with my newly 4- and 2-year-old last year to our cruise. Checked my 4-year-old's seat and brought my 2-year-old's on the plane. Bringing it on the plane was the best idea--kids are used to sleeping in those during car rides, so it made her naps easier. We got a rental car (flew down day early; stayed extra day) so needed them there, though some rental car companies have them available for a fee (quality questionable on some; I saw one in the rental car pile that looked like it had been puked on). Stored the seats in our stateroom closet nested together. We never drove anywhere in port so not needed then. But after visiting many Caribbean islands without kids, I would NOT want my kid in a taxi there w/o a seat; roads are often narrow and windy through hills and drivers maneuver them at crazy speeds. I would recommend choosing a bus for transportation.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Who suggested it be improperly installed or unsecured? Not me.

I'm not suggesting that you stated it would be improperly installed. But you did suggest that the car seat would be useful in ports of call.

The fact is many islands use European and Asian cars manufactured that do not include the same safety hookups needed by car seats sold in the USA and possibly those sold in Canada. Without the correct hookups or adapters the likelihood that it will be improperly installed is great. Some owners even remove the safety belts that came with the car leaving the only option of setting the car seat total unsecured.

If the OP does want to do tours with the child in an appropriate safety seat they can do research on what private tours companies offer correctly installed car seats for their vehicles.

Sent from my STV100-2 using Forums mobile app