Baby car seat or not for transfers

[Ericco]

Hello Cruisers,

We are going with Allure next week and we'll arrive in Miami Intl Airport.

I was wondering if we need to take a baby car seat with us.

We will do four transfers : MIA to FL Hotel, FL Hotel to Cruise, Cruise to MIA Hotel and MIA Hotel to MIA Airport.

We will take an umbrella stroller for the cruise but also I was considering to take a baby car seat.

I have read that most transfer shuttle don't event have seat belts so no point having a baby car seat.

Also a baby car seat to carry and take onboard is something I could do without.

 

Thanks for your replies

 

Eric

[cb at sea]

The "transfers" are buses...no seat belts..no kid seats needed. If you're doing a cab...it's up to you...

[bethco]

If you are in a shuttle van, they do have seat belts in most. Many shuttle companies have child safety seats available. I would recommend contacting the companies you are using and ask. Many of the hotels in Fort Lauderdale are very close to the cruise port. I would be less concerned about that leg than between Fort Lauderdale and Miami which will be quite a bit of highway of time.

[Ambiverol]

First, I must admit, I have strong opinions on this subject. I've seen some awful things that would have been non-events with a properly secured child. Since having my own child, I do everything I can to make sure he is as safe as possible in these situations. I go as far as buying him his own airplane ticket and securing him in an FAA approved child seat, although he qualifies as a lap baby. This will obviously make no difference in a catastrophic air crash, but it will be a big help in an accident which involves skidding off the runway, clear air turbulence, etc.

 

So, if it was me, I'd bring it. Otherwise, if something happened that would have been ok had he been in a car seat, I would feel lousy.

 

Some thoughts...

-It is possible a "transfer" vehicle does not have seat belts or a latch system, but it should

-A large, full-size bus does not have a car seat requirement. Anything smaller does (although many people seem to ignore this on vacation)

-It is also likely that a transfer company has car seats on hand for this very situation. That may solve all of your problems.

-MIA to Port Everglades is a decent ride and the drivers in So. Fla are pretty nutty

 

Whatever you decide, have a safe trip and enjoy.

[njkruzer]

You didn't say old the baby is. Is the baby in its own seat on the plane? I know when our kids fly our granddaughter, turning 2 when she arrives in NJ from LA on Thursday to sail on the Quantum, she will have a car seat to use on the plane, which is required. So if the baby has its own sear you have your answer. I'm no sure what the rules are for babies in Florida, so you might want to check that also. Most of all, have fun.

[brillohead]

My son always flew in his carseat... I wouldn't have traveled any other way.

[podgerkev]

I've recently returned from a cruise on the Liberty out of FLL. My wife and I wrestled with the decision of whether or not to bring a car seat for our 11-month old. We were leaning towards not bringing it.

 

Just to be sure we checked ahead with the concierge of the Hotel we were staying at to ensure our child would not need a car seat. She assured me that in their shuttle bus it would not be required. We were flying in the day before.

 

So we decided against it - and all was good on the flight to FLL. She traveled as a lap infant. The problem came when we arrived at the airport, called the hotel, and was told no shuttles were available as they were all taking cruisers to the port. Not to worry, says the concierge - take a taxi and we'll re-imburse you on the cost of the fare since you already paid for the shuttle.

 

At the taxi stand there are signs advising that ALL children under 5 must have a car seat in order to use a cab. The attendant there said we could not use the cab without a seat. This is the law in Florida. Then We checked with a couple of the larger shuttle companies at the airport, and we were told the same thing.

 

So how the heck were we going to get to our Hotel? I mulled over the idea of leaving my wife and daughter at the airport while I went to Wal-mart or Target to grab a cheap car seat to use, but in the end we decided to wait at the airport until our Hotel could send a shuttle. That was about 2 hours after we had landed. Let me tell you, it's not fun being stranded at the airport when you want to enjoy the Florida sunshine!

 

If I had to do it all over again, I'd take a car seat to be on the safe side, in case you have to make alternate travel arrangements - not to mention it's safer for your child, of course! You can still bring it on the airplane and gate check it (with most airlines) if you don't want to pay for an infant seat on board.

 

Also it would have been nice to have the option during our evening stay in FLL to be able to take a taxi out somewhere for dinner or shopping, but because we didn't have a car seat we were kind of restricted to things within walking distance of the hotel.

 

Once you get on the ship, you can pack it away and forget about it until you get off. In most Ports in the Caribbean, any taxis or shuttles may not even have seat belts. But you could check with your tour operator in advance.

 

Hope this helps!

[IWORK2CRUISE]

Hello Cruisers,

We are going with Allure next week and we'll arrive in Miami Intl Airport.

I was wondering if we need to take a baby car seat with us.

We will do four transfers : MIA to FL Hotel, FL Hotel to Cruise, Cruise to MIA Hotel and MIA Hotel to MIA Airport.

We will take an umbrella stroller for the cruise but also I was considering to take a baby car seat.

I have read that most transfer shuttle don't event have seat belts so no point having a baby car seat.

Also a baby car seat to carry and take onboard is something I could do without.

 

Thanks for your replies

 

Eric

 

Many with infants will rent a car instead of using shuttles. You could rent a car at MIA to return at FLL the next day. Drop baby and others at the port then return the car at FLL and take a shuttle back to the port. Do the reverse on the return.

[Ericco]

Thanks very much, I'll take the baby car seat then.

Btw, he's 8 months old, and this is going to be his first of many holidays in the US.

 

 

 

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Edited January 20, 2015 by Ericco

[Mjoellnir]

weird.. do no taxi companies offer baby seats there?

[brillohead]

Another thing to keep in mind -- when flying, even if you are flying with the child as a "lap baby" (and I would never consider that for an overseas flight, but to each his own), if there are any empty seats on the flight, they'll rearrange your seats at the airport so you can have an empty seat between each parent, and put the child in the empty seat with an approved carseat.

 

If you don't have the carseat with you, that's simply not an option -- they won't let you put the baby in a seat without a restraining device. So best to take it with you in the event you'll get to use the free seat on the plane.

 

For ease of transport within the airport, assuming you'll be using a stroller or a baby-pack to carry the baby, you can get bungee cords and strap the carseat to a rolling bag, or you can get one of the little wheeled luggage carts that folds up and stows under the seat or in the overhead bin. That way you don't have to physically carry the carseat all through the airport.

Edited January 20, 2015 by brillohead

[nolesrule]

Another thing to keep in mind -- when flying, even if you are flying with the child as a "lap baby" (and I would never consider that for an overseas flight, but to each his own), if there are any empty seats on the flight, they'll rearrange your seats at the airport so you can have an empty seat between each parent, and put the child in the empty seat with an approved carseat.

 

Carseats should only be used in bulkhead/window seats, because they are bulky and will impede an evacuation if they are installed in a middle or aisle seat. In fact, I've never been on a plane where they would allow otherwise (widebody jets with two aisles might have some exceptions for seats between the aisles, but I haven't been on one with a kid).

[Ashland]

weird.. do no taxi companies offer baby seats there?

Public taxi's do not here in the US.

[pcur]

Take the baby car seat, even if you have to gate check it at the airport.

 

My friend's brother and SIL flew Charlotte to Denver last week for a family funeral. Their DIL and grandbaby went with them. In the funeral limo on the way to the grave site, they were broadsided by a truck running a red light.

 

Grandma was cut all over from flying and broken glassware. She had to fly home a week later for leg surgery.

 

Grandpa got bashed up, had hip surgery, and is stuck in a rehab hospital in Denver for a MONTH.

 

DIL was in the hospital for a week.

 

Baby was fine. She was in a secured car seat in the limo.

Edited January 20, 2015 by pcur