lmkoz Posted December 16, 2007 #1 Share Posted December 16, 2007 We are sailing on the Dawn out of Miami in March. I'm struggling with a few things. We are travelling with our 2 and 4 year olds. Ideally we would like to arrive a day or two before the cruise. My issues are: 1) where to stay pre- cruise 2) do we rent a car - I do not like the idea of the girls riding without car seats - is there any transportation that provides car seats that could get us from airport to hotel and then from hotel to port, or, if we do rent a car, is there anywhere on the ship that we can store the car seats? I can't imagine we'll have room in our oceanview stateroom. I'm debating simply renting a car and renting the car seats from the rental company but am concerned that they may run out etc. Anyone with any experience with this sort of thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthernNeighbour Posted December 16, 2007 #2 Share Posted December 16, 2007 We are sailing on the Dawn out of Miami in March. I'm struggling with a few things. We are travelling with our 2 and 4 year olds. Ideally we would like to arrive a day or two before the cruise. My issues are: 1) where to stay pre- cruise 2) do we rent a car - I do not like the idea of the girls riding without car seats - is there any transportation that provides car seats that could get us from airport to hotel and then from hotel to port, or, if we do rent a car, is there anywhere on the ship that we can store the car seats? I can't imagine we'll have room in our oceanview stateroom. I'm debating simply renting a car and renting the car seats from the rental company but am concerned that they may run out etc. Anyone with any experience with this sort of thing? Try HERTZ -- if I were you, I would try to call the Miami Airport rental office of HERTZ and verify that they can (for sure) provide the car seats. The last time we cruised from Miami, we rented a car at HERTZ and when we returned it to the Miami airport location, they had a free shuttle service to the cruise port. If you call the office there, you can verify that also. As for where to stay -- tons of hotels in the Miami area in all price ranges. Since we don't have kids, I'm not the best one to recommend a specific hotel. Perhaps someone (with kids) has a suggestion. As for the car seats storage in your stateroom, if they will fit under your bed at home (for storage) they will probably fit under the bed in your stateroom. But keep in mind, your empty luggage is going to go under the bed also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmkoz Posted December 16, 2007 Author #3 Share Posted December 16, 2007 Thanks for the reply - the problem is that they are big car seats and also because there are 4 of us in the stateroom, our room has a pullman ( a bed that rolls out from under one of the twin beds) so I'm not convinced we'd have underbed space for our luggage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zqvol Posted December 16, 2007 #4 Share Posted December 16, 2007 We are sailing on the Dawn out of Miami in March. I'm struggling with a few things. We are travelling with our 2 and 4 year olds. Ideally we would like to arrive a day or two before the cruise. My issues are: 1) where to stay pre- cruise 2) do we rent a car - I do not like the idea of the girls riding without car seats - is there any transportation that provides car seats that could get us from airport to hotel and then from hotel to port, or, if we do rent a car, is there anywhere on the ship that we can store the car seats? I can't imagine we'll have room in our oceanview stateroom. I'm debating simply renting a car and renting the car seats from the rental company but am concerned that they may run out etc. Anyone with any experience with this sort of thing? As I recall rental agencies in FL are not allowed to rent you a vehicle without car seats if you have children with you. That is not going to help you if you take public transportation. If you rent a car for a couple of day maybe DH could drop you at the pier with the children, then turn the car in and take the shuttle back, that way the kids are always in car seats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandyrella Posted December 16, 2007 #5 Share Posted December 16, 2007 Early March is not as busy as mid-March.... I think your best bet would be to rent a car and include the car seats. I have never heard of a car rental company running out of seats, not to say that it can't happen. I would suggest you book ASAP to ensure getting them. I agree that taking a shuttle, etc. would not be a great idea if they can't supply seats. Have you contacted any of the shuttle companies yet to find out if they can? As for where to stay, there are so many choices. We have stayed at the Holiday Inn Port of Miami in the past and are staying there again in March. I know that rooms go fast, due to the proximity to the port and Bayside Market being across the street but you can try. It's reasonably priced as well. It really depends on your wants and needs. You can also try the East Coast Departure board on this site. There is a lot of information there. Have a great cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAGVBSB Posted December 17, 2007 #6 Share Posted December 17, 2007 Many mini-vans now come equipped with "built in" car seats for children of that age. Perhaps you could check with the rental companies to see if they have any such vehicles available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmopolitan Posted December 17, 2007 #7 Share Posted December 17, 2007 I haven't done it but I believe that I've read on here that you can "store" things on the ship, even luggage. You can try emailing shipcoordinatordawn@ncl.com and ask if they will store the car seats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmkoz Posted December 19, 2007 Author #8 Share Posted December 19, 2007 Thanks for all the great replies - I will have to look into storing the car seats on the ship and if not, see about the minivan with built in car seat - sounds like a neat idea. Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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