Best bet to ensure getting car seats

[lazarru]

Doing the 7 day cruise in early march, when we get back we're planning on seeing some friends in Tampa for a couple of days, then heading back to Orlando for the flight home. What is our best bet for renting a car in order to ensure we get car seats, we need 2. We don't want to bring them with us and I've seen some people have issues in getting cars seats. Are there any companies that seem to do better in making sure they have them?

 

[JennsBabySky]

Honestly, I'd really bring them with you. In addition to there being no guarantee, usually the rental ones are really gross! Plus it really is much safer to use them on the flight.

Ok, off my soapbox now (sorry, I have to put in my 2 cents with the carseats). Realistically, it probably is more difficult to secure the car seats in the cape Canaveral area since all the car rental places are sooooo small. I'm sure the amount of carseats available are minimal. Personally, I'd call each regional office directly and ask about carseat availability and the chances they will be out. I'd also ask about the age of the carseat and what they did to ensure that it hasn't been in a crash. The one time we used a rental carseat, the seat was older than dirt and filthy! We paid $55 for renting the seat for 6 days and I had the newest version of that exact same seat in my husband's truck and I paid full retail price of $50 for it! If the regional car rental agencies don't have a good answer, I'd probably rent the car at the airport and leave it parked in the parking lot for the week. But then you'd have to pay parking -- ouch. There is probably no easy answer to this one, it is such a pain to travel with the carseats (we just got back from a plane trip on Saturday) and it is so hard to schlep them everywhere. Luckily my oldest can now use the low back booster for trips. It made it a little easier.

Good luck, hopefully others will have had success with the regional rental agencies.

Jennifer

 

[safetymom]

I agree about bringing your own. You don't know until you get there whether or not they even have any, the condition of the seat, whether or not the seat was ever in an accident.

Then you need to learn how to use the car seat when you are in a hurry to leave. Studies have found that 80% of people use their car seats incorrectly.

 

[jel0511]

Another post for bringing your own car seats. Also, most car rental places only have car seats available for kids up to 2, if they are older than that are in a booster with 5 point harness, usually you can't find those available for rental. We always bring our car seats, and they fit nicely in a car seat bag together. We just check it with luggage (our kids are both over 3) and pick it up at baggage claim, very easy. My sister has rented car seats before, and I can tell you it was a horriffic experience. Dirty seats, she even has to wait at the airport for over an hour once to wait until one was returned!!! YIKES!! Also, if you are renting for a small location in Cape Canaveral, they most likely won't have the seats there, they usually only carry them at their more busy locations, like MCO.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I know for when we rented a car in England...we had to call ahead and put in a request and it was guaranteed when they called and said it was.

I don't see how requesting it would be any different. And if you are with a reputable car rental agency--you shouldn't have ANY worries about the car seat being in an accident previously.

We always bring our seats though. England was an exception b/c we only rented a car for 3 out of 14 days and could not justify lugging 2 additonal pieces when the kids were still riding in strollers. Sounds like you are in a similar predicament. Your only tried and true response will be to contact your car rental agency and find out the protocol.

 

[JennsBabySky]

I know for when we rented a car in England...we had to call ahead and put in a request and it was guaranteed when they called and said it was.

Wow! I wish the US companies would do the same. You can request a carseat ahead of time, but none of the car rental agencies that I know of will guarantee availability.

I don't see how requesting it would be any different. And if you are with a reputable car rental agency--you shouldn't have ANY worries about the car seat being in an accident previously.

I would have agreed with this statement, BEFORE I actually used a rental carseat. It was absolutely disgusting, way too outdated, no manual, etc. Plus, you are relying on everyone who has rented a carseat to be completely candid about their driving experience. Unfortunately, I doubt everyone would report a minor fender bender. Some carseats require replacement even after this. Plus, without a manual, I'm not sure how you would properly install a different carseat than you use at home. The rental agencies will not install it for you, because they are not trained properly. Even if you get it installed by the rental agency, I would reinstall the seat. Chances are, someone untrained installed it because they thought they should, not because they knew how. And if you have a 3 - 4 year old of average to above average height, the carseat might end up being unusable for you. Some carseats on the market have lower top harness straps than others. So, while your child might still fit easily into your carseat, they could be too tall for the rental.

Sorry to have so many negatives. Unfortunately renting a carseat from a rental agency is almost never a good experience. I've read lots of complaints from people about this, but I can't even think of one good experience I have read. On the other hand, I have read of some great experiences with the condition of the carseat from towncar services, but I would think it would be cost prohibitive to Tampa.

I wonder about services such as A Baby's Best Friend. They might rent them. I just wonder how they would get them to you. Maybe they would drop them off at the rental agency. Maybe call them. I would imagine the odds are MUCH better at being guaranteed a seat in good condition. I haven't personally used these services, so I am not sure how it works. Of course, I would rather see you fly with your carseats... But, at least having a safe carseat to use for your ground transportation is imperative.

Good luck,
Jennifer