Car service in San Francisco that has car seat?

[decoste45]

Hi all,

We are going on a Mexican Riviera cruise out of San Fran in October with our 16 month old son. We would rather not haul his car seat and were wondering if anyone knows of a car service that has car seats available?

We would need transport from airport to the hotel, then to the pier the next day, then back to the airport upon our return.

We don't care about the cost as it would save us a lot of hassle.

I am from Canada so a lot of those travel type of car seats are not available here as they don't meet our safety standards (Eddie Bauer etc).

Thanks!

[kdrosend]

we just got back from cruising with our grandaughter who was 6 months old. We did the same thing as you & found companies that supplied car seats. It was a nightmare to say the least. My advice to you is take your own car seat. The seats were not up to safety standards. Next time we will bring our own. Good Luck!

[crusinmama06]

we just got back from cruising with our grandaughter who was 6 months old. We did the same thing as you & found companies that supplied car seats. It was a nightmare to say the least. My advice to you is take your own car seat. The seats were not up to safety standards. Next time we will bring our own. Good Luck!

 

Do you mind sharing your story? What happened? And with who?

 

It may prevent someone else from going through the same. Thanks!

[SteveY]

Decoste:

 

I live in SF Bay Area and would be happy to ask around for you. I know it's difficult at times to find a reliable car service with car seats. When is your cruise out of SF?

[Eclipsepearl]

I too had a bad experience with a car service and their seats. They showed up with an old infant bucket when my son had long outgrown it. These companies, it turns out, are infamous for supplying seats which are expired, dirty, missing parts, etc. I wouldn't risk it, no matter how nice they are on the phone.

 

I fly transatlantically with three kids and always bring a car seat. If I can manage it, on my own with three little ones, I don't see the big deal in bringing your own car seat, especially if you only have one child and at least two adults. You can use it on the flight and he'll be so much safer (ask nicely for an extra seat if you haven't purchased one).

 

If you're flying in October, you could probably manage it. You're not flyins at peak season. Also, as a former Flight Attendant, I can tell you that 16 months is a tricky age to travel and he'll be much more settled and easier to control in a familiar car seat on the flight.

 

If you think yours' is too heavy or bulky, think about getting something reasonably priced and light to carry. I used one of these with my first child and it was light and easy to carry. It's sold in Canada;

http://www.coscojuvenile.com/product/detail.asp?ID=2695

 

You can then use the Scenera as a second hand seat. It's not as fancy as the more expensive seats but gets good ratings from car seat techs.

 

Use a small, foldable metal luggage cart and an extra bungee cord or try to strap it to your stroller.

 

For the minimal convenience of having the car service provide a seat, it's not the risk. Your child's safety is too important and you'll be so glad you brought it on board for the flight!

 

Good luck!

[decoste45]

Thanks everyone.

SteveY - we are flying to San Fran on Sunday Oct 12 and then back to the airport from the pier on Friday Oct 24.

We will probably just bring the car seat. We will be holding him as we didn't buy him a seat on the plane. It's a short enough ride - and direct that we didn't bother. So, the seat will only be used in the car/taxi.

[calikak]

decoste, come say hello again on our roll call--we're all starting to talk about excursion ideas and another family has joined our group!

 

We just got the Eddie Bauer portable seat to bring along on this trip. I am impressed with its design--it wouldn't be great for long car rides across country but for taxi rides across town it looks like an ideal solution. You could easily pack it in a carry-on sized suitcase or a decent sized beach tote.

[All4fun1]

Here's a blog where someone reports the kinds of car seats you may end up with if you choose to rent

http://www.deliciousbaby.com/journal/2007/dec/22/advantage-rent-cars-frightening-car-seats/

 

We always bring our own seat when we travel. I will not "borrow" a seat that I basically do not know the history of... If a seat has ever been in an accident it should be destroyed (it could have damage that is invisible to the naked eye) however with rental car seats there is often no way to know.

[SteveY]

I have asked around with no luck. It's difficult to recommend any car service catering to families with little ones. I have had a difficult time finding such service in other cities as well.

 

Perhaps as you get closer to your cruise, I could offer to transport your family if you can't find a car service.

 

Steve

[decoste45]

Thanks Steve!! You are a very generous person to offer your services!!

I am gratefully declining as we jsut booked our little guy a seat on the plane. So, we will be bringing his own seat and it will be an easy thing to install in a taxi.

Thanks again Steve.

Calikak- we will get back on Roll call soon.

4 months.... hooray!!!