kchobbs Posted November 8, 2006 #1 Share Posted November 8, 2006 Hi there, we are about to fly from Canada to Ft Lauderdale in December and will be taking our 16 month old son with us on a cruise to the Caribbean. We plan on staying two nights in Ft Lauderdale before beginning our cruise. My wife thinks we need to take a car seat with us but I am reluctant to lug it around and store it in the limited room we will have in our inside cabin. Do taxi drivers in Fort Lauderdale carry infant car seats with them? Our ports we are visiting are Curacao, Isla Margarita, Barbados, Dominica, and St Thomas. If we opt to take any excursions using taxis, do taxi drivers in these areas have infant seats? If we opt to take any bus excusions, I am sure buses probably do not have seat belts to secure infants seats anyway. Feedback appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrp96 Posted November 8, 2006 #2 Share Posted November 8, 2006 It is not common in the US for taxi drivers to have car seats available for kids, and I definitely didn't see any available in taxis in the various ports of calls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruisin' Chick Posted November 8, 2006 #3 Share Posted November 8, 2006 I would find a way to take the car seat as there are safety considerations here. We took our girl's even when she was 3 and was glad we did. And now that she uses a booster seat, we take that along. I haven't seen a cab that does have a child's car seat. At first, we used extra large trash bags (doubled) to carry it. Then my hubby found a large canvas duffle bag that the booster seat fits when taken apart and tied together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kchobbs Posted November 8, 2006 Author #4 Share Posted November 8, 2006 Thanks for the feedback, i have checked a few other posts and have found perhaps a solution to not having to carry the typical large car seat for infants. I just can't see myself and my wife carrying a huge car seat down to the beach along with a stroller, diaper bag, beach towels,toys etc. etc....let alone a cooler. The cooler would have to have a few cold ones in it just for me after carrying all of this...:) The link is http://www.kidsurplus.com/cos22-909jrm.html We have not booked any excursions yet and the flexibility and option of being able to hop on a taxi once at port leans towards being prepared. i guess the other option is to only book excursions through the ship and go on big air conditioned buses and have our son sit on one of our laps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wentworth Posted November 8, 2006 #5 Share Posted November 8, 2006 Thanks for the feedback, i have checked a few other posts and have found perhaps a solution to not having to carry the typical large car seat for infants. I just can't see myself and my wife carrying a huge car seat down to the beach along with a stroller, diaper bag, beach towels,toys etc. etc....let alone a cooler. The cooler would have to have a few cold ones in it just for me after carrying all of this...:) The link is http://www.kidsurplus.com/cos22-909jrm.html We have not booked any excursions yet and the flexibility and option of being able to hop on a taxi once at port leans towards being prepared. i guess the other option is to only book excursions through the ship and go on big air conditioned buses and have our son sit on one of our laps. You don't need to book the excursions thru the ship to travel on the buses. We took several tours with our 16 month granddaughter and rode on buses each time. She rode on her grampas lap. Small and medium size buses are ususally parked at the port. You can book your tours in advance over the net or just wait until you get off the ship to arrange a tour. We brought a small portable (cheap) stroller, not an umbrella stroller with us. It was perfect because the seat adjusted back and the baby could sleep comfortably while in ports and on the ship. You may have the most problem re the car seat in Fort Lauderdale. We stayed only the night before the cruise. Transportation was provided by hotel shuttle bus and no car seats are required. If you plan on taking a taxi, you will need to prearrange a car seat when you call. Have a great cruise.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eskwire Posted November 8, 2006 #6 Share Posted November 8, 2006 I think for the Ft. Lauderdale part of the trip you may need black car service (more expensive...but isn't that what our kids are for) rather than a regular taxi to accommodate any car seat rental needs. Also I've read on these posts that lots of the cabs in the Islands don't even have seat belts to hook your car seat to...so be prepared to wait for a cab that does have seat belts or to not use a cab on the Islands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotch Posted November 9, 2006 #7 Share Posted November 9, 2006 That travel seat you are looking at is intended for older toddlers, from 25 to 40 lbs. You must have a large 16 month old if your child meet that criteria. That travel seat alternative also doesn't appear to provide much protection in a collision, which is what the typical child seats are designed to do. Consider staying at a hotel near the beach or public transportation so you won't have to lug your car seat all over the place. But for the occasional taxi rides either in Fort Lauderdale or in the Caribbean, having your own car seat is really the only way to go for peace of mind. We own different car seat carriers for travel, and our current favorite is this one. We've taken a full size car seat onto two cruises (Carnival and Disney) now and managed to fit it in the closet of both cabins. I admit they were outside cabins with a balcony, but I seem to recall my mother's inside cabin had the same closet depth -- it just wasn't as wide. We do not store any suitcases in the small closet; we always put our suitcases under the bed -- we've fit three good size cases plus duffle bags under the bed. I suspect if you really had a room crunch onboard your cabin stewart may be able to find alternate storage for the car seat for you. (Maybe call the cruiseline and ask.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kchobbs Posted November 9, 2006 Author #8 Share Posted November 9, 2006 Our son must like his meat and potatoes....he is now 15 months old and is already 25 lbs and over 30 inches tall. The one on the site I posted http://www.kidsurplus.com/cos22-909jrm.html just sounds like the solution to me. It is compact, weighs 4 lbs, and apparently does meet federal regulations. I do not want to in anyway jeopardize my sons safety, but at the same time I want to be able to have the flexibility of being able to have the choice of taking some taxi rides, excursions etc...trying to pack as lightly as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotch Posted November 9, 2006 #9 Share Posted November 9, 2006 Our son must like his meat and potatoes....he is now 15 months old and is already 25 lbs and over 30 inches tall. He is going to be a good size man! Seriously, I wish I could get DS to eat more. I really do hope that portable seat works out for you. I totally understand your desire to travel lighter. I would just remain way too nervous to use that portable seat because of the lack of head and side support in the event of a collision. I also realize I'm a bit A-retentive. :rolleyes: By the way, I just found that portable car seat on Amazon as well -- have you read the reviews? There are also a few reviews on epinions. If you do end up getting it, I'd appreciate hearing a review upon your return. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cusyl Posted November 9, 2006 #10 Share Posted November 9, 2006 Looks like a good deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kchobbs Posted November 9, 2006 Author #11 Share Posted November 9, 2006 thanks for researching the reviews of this. It looks too good to be true and based on the reviews of others, it sounds like it is a waste of time and money. Looks like dad is going to be lugging a car seat throughout the caribbean :( . I suppose if we stick to large bus tours, we can leave the car seat on the ship and have him sit on our laps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerry's Girls Posted November 10, 2006 #12 Share Posted November 10, 2006 I think you could end up dragging the car seat to shore, only to find that none of the taxis have seat belts. I'd stick to large bus excursions. If you are going to take it with you when you get off the ship, you might buy one of the carry bags that have backpack straps and wheels on them (I got mine at Right Start for about $30). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l929 Posted November 10, 2006 #13 Share Posted November 10, 2006 That "car seat" you mention, the tote n go, is not that great. It is hard to put in and very uncomfortable. If you are bringing a stroller anyway, you might want to consider the sit n stroll which is a carseat and a stroller. It's pricey at $200, but you can always use it as an extra car seat at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stbmom Posted November 11, 2006 #14 Share Posted November 11, 2006 We are using the Tote N Go and haven't had a problem with it. I think you have to try it and see if it works for you. I couldn't imagine trying to lug around a full carseat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexxity Posted November 15, 2006 #15 Share Posted November 15, 2006 Yes, yes and yes. Take one. If you can afford it book him a seat on the aircraft too so that you can strap his carseat into. We just got back from travelling to the US from the UK and we had a seat for our monster. It was worth every penny. We lugged that car seat everywhere except into Manhattan, what a nightmare we had not using the carseat then. Never again. We used the seat in a car service to Brooklyn and they were ok with it and then we used it on the train home. It's heavy but it's going to make your life so much easier. Take it, take it, take it. We also bought a carseat bag to carry it in. Get one of these. Don't forget a sixteenmonth old is more wriggly than you ever realised. Lexx - Who considers herself, well, an expert after travelling halfway round the world with a baby.:p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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