Minibuses in the Caribbean

[Niclia]

We're looking at doing a mix of diy trips and shore excursions on our upcoming cruise in the Caribbean. A lot of the shore excursions seem to be on minibuses. Can anyone provide any insight as to whether the minibuses have seat belts?? Are they generally over the shoulder or lap belts? I can't find anything in P&O's literature about seat belts so just wondering if they actually are in minibuses?

 

Any help would be appreciated. I'm not happy for my 3 year old to travel without a seatbelt and don't want to book if they don't tend to have belts.

[swaddy]

The ones we went on varied by island but were usually converted lorry base with bench seat, lap belts, roof and half open sides- no Windows.The roads were bumpy and at times we lifted into the air. Good fun but no booster seat or child seat in evidence. Perhaps you would need to inquire before you book.

[the english lady]

We're looking at doing a mix of diy trips and shore excursions on our upcoming cruise in the Caribbean. A lot of the shore excursions seem to be on minibuses. Can anyone provide any insight as to whether the minibuses have seat belts?? Are they generally over the shoulder or lap belts? I can't find anything in P&O's literature about seat belts so just wondering if they actually are in minibuses?

 

Any help would be appreciated. I'm not happy for my 3 year old to travel without a seatbelt and don't want to book if they don't tend to have belts.

 

Depends on the island you are on.

On one excursion we had a very very basic minibus...if it had seatblelts would not have been much good judging by the state of the rest of it.

Equally another island had superdooper minibuses .

Pando can only work with what the island has. If its a poor island with basic minibuses then that is all pando will be able to use.

what islands are you visiting and we should be able to work out from that.

[Niclia]

Thanks, both.

 

I've just spoken to P&O and as it isn't a legal requirement to have a seatbelt in much of the Caribbean, they won't guarantee that any of the vehicles will have seat belts. When they select shore excursion providers, they require them to have seat belts but don't enforce this requirement. They also won't refund any money spent on excursions if seat belts aren't provided even though it's clearly a safety issue.

 

I have to say that I'm disappointed at this as it means that even their family friendly excursions,such as beach breaks, aren't actually that family friendly when in a minibus. It looks like we're going to have to start looking at alternatives and doing our own thing everywhere.

 

As an aside, they will guarantee seat belts in the UK and most of Europe.

[annieuk]

Things certainly do vary from island to island. The most basic ones we had were on Tortola - couldn't really be described as minibuses. They had bench seats with probably four people to each bench with open sides, no seat belts. Having said that the experience was wonderful, going round the island, right up to the high point where there was an incredible view over the most glorious beaches and what was most lovely, the scent of the pines and herbs growing on the roadside - can't say it was the safest of vehicles and obviously up to you if you would go on such a trip.

 

In St. Kitts we had an amazing trip on the Sugar Train and the mini buses that took us to the station were fully airconditioned with seat belts. Went on a rather ramshackle vehicle in Dominica but didn't feel unsafe. As has been said P&O can only provide such vehicles that are available on each island. The only way you could be sure would be to hire a car but I certainly wouldn't recommend that on some of the islands, some of the bends were like being in Switzerland.

[the english lady]

Thanks, both.

 

I've just spoken to P&O and as it isn't a legal requirement to have a seatbelt in much of the Caribbean, they won't guarantee that any of the vehicles will have seat belts. When they select shore excursion providers, they require them to have seat belts but don't enforce this requirement. They also won't refund any money spent on excursions if seat belts aren't provided even though it's clearly a safety issue.

 

I have to say that I'm disappointed at this as it means that even their family friendly excursions,such as beach breaks, aren't actually that family friendly when in a minibus. It looks like we're going to have to start looking at alternatives and doing our own thing everywhere.

 

As an aside, they will guarantee seat belts in the UK and most of Europe.

 

They can only use what an island can supply. If it is a poor island like Dominica , it cannot say we must have seatbelts...if the vehicles themselves are pretty ropey.

If you hire a car no guarantee you would get the same standard of car, as if you hired one here.

You maybe visiting some 3rd world countries. Maybe the destination of this cruise is not the right one for you.

They can guarantee seatbelts on coaches/minibuses in Europe , as that is not 3rd world.

[groovechick]

Thanks, both.

 

I've just spoken to P&O and as it isn't a legal requirement to have a seatbelt in much of the Caribbean, they won't guarantee that any of the vehicles will have seat belts. When they select shore excursion providers, they require them to have seat belts but don't enforce this requirement. They also won't refund any money spent on excursions if seat belts aren't provided even though it's clearly a safety issue.

 

I have to say that I'm disappointed at this as it means that even their family friendly excursions,such as beach breaks, aren't actually that family friendly when in a minibus. It looks like we're going to have to start looking at alternatives and doing our own thing everywhere.

 

As an aside, they will guarantee seat belts in the UK and most of Europe.

 

If you do DIY excursions but book with reputable local operators, such as recommended here on CC and on Trip Advisor, rather than picking up a bus/taxi at the port, you are more likely to get a vehicle which has seat belts and the company may even be able to provide a child seat. All the tours we did involved SUV-type vehicles which were all equipped with seat belts, including the oldest vehicle on Grenada, which was definitely showing its age but was perfectly safe. In fact many of the cars were far more luxurious and well appointed than our own cars, even though we were just doing the bog-standard tours. These tours are still cheaper than P&O and they will often tweak them to suit your requirements.

[Niclia]

Thanks, groovechick. Out of interest, which company did you use in Grenada? It's one of the islands we're looking at.

 

We're also looking at Barbados, Dominica and St Lucia so I would love to hear if anyone has any recommendations. I'm going to post on the family board as well and see if anyone there has used any suitable companies.

[the english lady]

Thanks, groovechick. Out of interest, which company did you use in Grenada? It's one of the islands we're looking at.

 

We're also looking at Barbados, Dominica and St Lucia so I would love to hear if anyone has any recommendations. I'm going to post on the family board as well and see if anyone there has used any suitable companies.

 

Barbados and St Lucia you should be ok with. They are well used to tourists.

Dominica will be your problem one. It's a beautiful island though. It's rainforest, so tends to rain a lot. All the other merged into one with us as they all seemed sort of samey. That one stood out as it was different. However it is poor. We complained about the state of our minibus when we got back on board. Basically we were squashed in seats behind the driver.

They will never do anything to endanger passengers, but other countries especially poor ones cannot meet the same standards that they do in Europe.

So I would not know what to suggest you do there. Maybe go on trip advisor or port section of cruise critic and see what people suggest.

[Nannyannie]

In Granada you can get the water taxi from the Quay which takes you directly to Grand Anse Beach. We did the Indian River Trip in Dominica which was good and the bus had seatbelts which worked. Tortola is the only Island which had vehicles which were open with bench seats. You do get a fabulous view from them but it may not be suitable for children. Cane Garden Bay is the popular beach on Tortola and is quite close to the port.

[EJMcruiser]

Can really recommend a day trip to Jyst Van Dike island on Tortola. Boat straight from the ship and no mini buses. Sooo beautiful. Grand Anse beach is nice but it's very crowded. We go to the Caribbean every year with our little ones and like others have said some islands (the best ones) are like third world countries and there will be an element of risk involved. In Barbados you can walk to the beach if you want to.

[groovechick]

Thanks, groovechick. Out of interest, which company did you use in Grenada? It's one of the islands we're looking at.

 

We're also looking at Barbados, Dominica and St Lucia so I would love to hear if anyone has any recommendations. I'm going to post on the family board as well and see if anyone there has used any suitable companies.

 

We used Grenada Sunsation and did a half-day tour which took us all over the island - Concorde Waterfall, Grand Etang lake, nutmeg factory, rain forest, etc. etc. You might find it a bit long with a little one, but have a look on their website. Ian, the person I dealt with there, was extremely helpful, friendly and efficient and Glen, our driver, was brilliant.

 

In Dominica we just caught the shuttle into the capital Roseau, and had a wander around because we'd done a long tour the day before and were on another one the next day. As TEL has said it is very poor and has very little infrastructure. Even though we wandered away from the main area around the port, we were constantly followed by people asking if we wanted tours. They were polite enough and left us alone when we said a polite no thank you, but it was so constant that that, and the downpours every 10 mins, drove us back to the ship after a couple of hours.

 

On Barbados we did the submarine tour through P&O as you can't book it direct and I would highly recommend this. I thought we might get to see a few fish and maybe the odd turtle - I was blown away by the sheer number and variety of different fish etc that we saw, as were the rest of the family.

[Clodia]

It is not possible to impose EU or UK standards of safety on another country. P andO cannot magic vehicles with seatbelts out of the air if they do not exist. If the OP is worried she shouldn't take her child!

In Greece on a P and O excursion, one woman complained because there was a 1000 foot drop at a photo spot and the railing was only about 8 inches high; Greece just doesn't do "Elf N Safety" like the UK and the local guide HAD said that anyone with young children might like to keep hold of them as there was a drop and only a very low rail.

Children are pretty resilient you know. And if you want UK standards everywhere, perhaps stick to holidays at home!

[Mysticalmother]

It is not possible to impose EU or UK standards of safety on another country. P andO cannot magic vehicles with seatbelts out of the air if they do not exist. If the OP is worried she shouldn't take her child!

In Greece on a P and O excursion, one woman complained because there was a 1000 foot drop at a photo spot and the railing was only about 8 inches high; Greece just doesn't do "Elf N Safety" like the UK and the local guide HAD said that anyone with young children might like to keep hold of them as there was a drop and only a very low rail.

Children are pretty resilient you know. And if you want UK standards everywhere, perhaps stick to holidays at home!

 

To be fair to the OP I dont think she is complaining or expecting UK standards to be imposed at all...but is just being a sensible parent and checking out safety standards before she parts with her cash! We have all heard of the unfortunately not uncommon accidents which have happened in the Caribbean...and I am always personally concerned for my own safety let alone that of a 3 year old. I think she has asked a very sensible question. IMHO.

[CCFC]

The safest minibus we found was from the airport to the ship, that had seatbelts but was squeaking and groaning all the way. The other trips we did had minibuses that were to be frank appalling. I'm 6ft 2 and had to sit over a wheel arch which meant my knees were up to my ears at one point, that rocked and rolled all the way.

 

I just put it down to being in the Caribbean, a bit like check-in is in a warehouse..

 

Its not put me off going again in 7 weeks I might add.

Edited October 13, 2016 by CCFC

[Niclia]

Thanks, Mysticalmother, that's exactly was I was doing!

 

We're well travelled and know that safety standards aren't always the same as at home. If it was the two of us, we wouldn't be concerned and would just do the excursions but it's very different travelling with a little one. We did a shore excursion in Belize last December which was in a minibus and the seatbelt situation wasn't great. When I realised these shore excursions were in minibuses (thank you P&O for telling us this!) I thought it wise to check. The last thing I want to do is spend hundreds and not go on the excursion and waste money or put my daughter in an unsafe situation.

 

We're sailing a few weeks and I'm definitely not leaving my little girl at home. We have lots of fun activities planned and will have a great time regardless. Thank you to everyone who has helped and offered suggestions for us to look at.

[PopsiB]

Thanks, Mysticalmother, that's exactly was I was doing!

 

We're well travelled and know that safety standards aren't always the same as at home. If it was the two of us, we wouldn't be concerned and would just do the excursions but it's very different travelling with a little one. We did a shore excursion in Belize last December which was in a minibus and the seatbelt situation wasn't great. When I realised these shore excursions were in minibuses (thank you P&O for telling us this!) I thought it wise to check. The last thing I want to do is spend hundreds and not go on the excursion and waste money or put my daughter in an unsafe situation.

 

We're sailing a few weeks and I'm definitely not leaving my little girl at home. We have lots of fun activities planned and will have a great time regardless. Thank you to everyone who has helped and offered suggestions for us to look at.

 

 

I think you should have done a lot more research on the islands and Caribbean in general before taking a small child there with the concerns you are having. Perhaps you would have been better to holiday in Europe until she is much older.