Transporting Children

[Hev1128]

We are doing a Princess Northbound from Vancouver to Whittier.

Our hope is to arrive into Vancouver 2 days before departure.. I will have a 4 and 8 year old. 

I know we don't need car seats on the plane...but how does ground transport work in Vancouver?

Will have the same question for the Alaska end, but I can post that on that board separately unless somewhere here knows.

My plan was just to bring backless boosters for both to be safe...but would LOVE less luggage if possible.

[martincath]

1 hour ago, Hev1128 said:

We are doing a Princess Northbound from Vancouver to Whittier.

Our hope is to arrive into Vancouver 2 days before departure.. I will have a 4 and 8 year old. 

I know we don't need car seats on the plane...but how does ground transport work in Vancouver?

Will have the same question for the Alaska end, but I can post that on that board separately unless somewhere here knows.

My plan was just to bring backless boosters for both to be safe...but would LOVE less luggage if possible.

Locally, ICBC have a very nice Plain English brochure - if your 4yr old is over 40lbs, a booster would be OK but if not a proper seat is required if any seat is required. Professional drivers - taxis as well as buses - are exempt, so if you're willing to risk your kids' safety in an accident, you can legally toss 'em in the back seat with an adult belt on(!)

 

Technically only Canadian-spec seats should be used here, but from speaking to local car seat experts (long story short, my sister came to visit with our not-quite-1-year-old nephew, and as I was driving them around I studied many reviews before buying one and then found the best-rated professional car seat installer to get lessons on doing it right) taking your Canadian seat over the border/bringing a US seat up here is deemed fine by police on both sides for visitors, it's just residents who get slapped with tickets to stop us buying much cheaper and only marginally different US spec seats.

 

But considering how walkable Vancouver is, you really won't be crimped much by sticking to transit including coming in from the airport (free for under 13s too, so only the two adults need buy tix).

 

If memory serves, AK rules are tighter though - even schoolbuses with all their enhanced safety features need seats/boosters strapped in and used if there is a seatbelt installed on the seat, which is certainly often the case on a chartered excursion coach or schoolbus rather than transit buses - so honestly, given that airlines are not allowed to charge for child car seats I'd suck it up and bring the ones you use at home and know how to install.. or else buy brand-new ones on arrival and donate them before you fly home (I would not rent one - even a week of rental is more than an excellently rated budget seat can be bought for, it was all of CAD$50 for me to acquire one recommended by multiple agencies, though that was several years ago now so I'd budget for more like $80-100)

[Hev1128]

1 hour ago, martincath said:

Locally, ICBC have a very nice Plain English brochure - if your 4yr old is over 40lbs, a booster would be OK but if not a proper seat is required if any seat is required. Professional drivers - taxis as well as buses - are exempt, so if you're willing to risk your kids' safety in an accident, you can legally toss 'em in the back seat with an adult belt on(!)

 

Technically only Canadian-spec seats should be used here, but from speaking to local car seat experts (long story short, my sister came to visit with our not-quite-1-year-old nephew, and as I was driving them around I studied many reviews before buying one and then found the best-rated professional car seat installer to get lessons on doing it right) taking your Canadian seat over the border/bringing a US seat up here is deemed fine by police on both sides for visitors, it's just residents who get slapped with tickets to stop us buying much cheaper and only marginally different US spec seats.

 

But considering how walkable Vancouver is, you really won't be crimped much by sticking to transit including coming in from the airport (free for under 13s too, so only the two adults need buy tix).

 

If memory serves, AK rules are tighter though - even schoolbuses with all their enhanced safety features need seats/boosters strapped in and used if there is a seatbelt installed on the seat, which is certainly often the case on a chartered excursion coach or schoolbus rather than transit buses - so honestly, given that airlines are not allowed to charge for child car seats I'd suck it up and bring the ones you use at home and know how to install.. or else buy brand-new ones on arrival and donate them before you fly home (I would not rent one - even a week of rental is more than an excellently rated budget seat can be bought for, it was all of CAD$50 for me to acquire one recommended by multiple agencies, though that was several years ago now so I'd budget for more like $80-100)

I used to be a car seat tech- so I'm about safety...but also, reality. thanks for all this info.