Can We Trust Virgin With Our Car Seats In Cargo?

[angel659]

Hi

We have booked a car to be picked up from MCO. TA has advised us to take our own car seats, as we need 3 and its rather expensive to hire them.

I am worried that they will get damaged. TA has advised me that Virgin do put them in a special bag so they know they are car seats, so staff treat them as fragile. To be honest can you really trust them? Perhaps Virgin, but MCO staff? What are your suggestions? We cant buy them when we are out there, as we are travelling with twin boys, who will be 23 months and our 5 year old girl. Waiting at the airport really isnt an option for us, as the kids will be tired and just will just want to get to hotel for a nap.

Please help!

 

[trevorsem]

Your correct, they don't put them in protective packaging. On the luggage rack as I collected our cases, I saw about three car seats wrapped only in a plastic bag, although they appeared undamaged.

Trev

 

[kevin harrison]

We put our daughters car seat into the cargo with Virgin and it was fine when we collected it. At Gatwick you hand it over at a seperate place to where you hand over your suitcaes, on the other side of the hall. They keep them seperate from suitcases and when you get to MCO they don't appear on the carousel, they are at the side, this also applys to Pushchairs also.

They didn't put mine in a bag, they just tagged it up.

 

[angel659]

We put our daughters car seat into the cargo with Virgin and it was fine when we collected it. At Gatwick you hand it over at a seperate place to where you hand over your suitcaes. They keep them seperate from suitcases and when you get to MCO they don't appear on the carousel, they are at the side.

Thanks is it clearly signed where to drop them off at Gatwick? Sorry never done this before, first time with children. Also I have not been to MCO since I was 13 always flown to Sanford.

Should I label them up and package them?

 

[trevorsem]

Thanks is it clearly signed where to drop them off at Gatwick? Sorry never done this before, first time with children. Also I have not been to MCO since I was 13 always flown to Sanford.

Should I label them up and package them?

Don't recall MCO, but at Gatwick they were on the carasouel upon arrival.

T

 

[kevin harrison]

Thanks is it clearly signed where to drop them off at Gatwick? Sorry never done this before, first time with children. Also I have not been to MCO since I was 13 always flown to Sanford.

Should I label them up and package them?

When you drop your luggage off, the Virgin staff will tell you where to go, from memory you can see the desk across the hall.

Labelling and packaging them up won't do them any harm.

Last time we did all this, when we got to MCO we upgraded to a 7 seater, and they had built in child seats, so we wasted our time and energy.

No need to be sorry, we all help one another round here

 

[kevin harrison]

Don't recall MCO, but at Gatwick they were on the carasouel upon arrival.

T

Really? My pushchair and childseat were at the side of the carousel both ways. Having said that we were travelling Premium economy - don't know if that was the reason they were seperated from the luggage.

 

[allie5]

Our car seats and buggy were at the side of the carousel at MCO (they always are), though they tend to come through on the carousel at Gatwick.

Virgin supply big clear sacks and packing tape to wrap your seats in. We also take a couple of those flat luggage straps and firmly tie them up as well. The clear sacks ensure the baggage handlers are aware of their contents and to date (4 trips with car seats) ours have never even suffered a scratch!

When checking in at Gatwick, someone has always come and collected the seats from us (I think the check in girl radios ahead)...but maybe we have been lucky! When FIL checked his golf clubs in one year they went to the oversize baggage desk which was to the rear of the queue for check in.

 

[angel659]

Thanks for all your help I really appreciate it. I will definately take ours, as its $21 per day for car seats. Hubbie would rather spend that on an upgrade from F4 to 7 seater.

Cheers
Michelle

 

[trevorsem]

Thanks for all your help I really appreciate it. I will definately take ours, as its $21 per day for car seats. Hubbie would rather spend that on an upgrade from F4 to 7 seater.

Cheers
Michelle

If your upgrading to a 7 seater check if it includes inbuilt or additional car seats as I think 7 seaters do. America also has regulations around car seats.

Trev

 

[angel659]

If your upgrading to a 7 seater check if it includes inbuilt or additional car seats as I think 7 seaters do. America also has regulations around car seats.

Trev

Cheers will definately look in to it thanks

 

[kevin harrison]

As I posted earlier in the thread, we upgraded to a 7 seater, which had inbuilt seats, for $99 for the fortnight. Well worth it, and I'm doing the same again come September.

If you decide to, don't tell them you want to upgrade, just show interest so they have to try to tempt you then. Originally they tried to upgrade us for $199, but as I say after showing some interest, then telling them I wasn't interested they halved the price!!

It's great having all that space and not having to carry a car seat as well as luggage is a bonus.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Or,
buy the seats out there.

We take ours in a Slazenger cricket bag on Virgin with no problems whatsoever, plus extra space for other things

We always buy a pushchair out there and leave it as it has paid for itself over two/three weeks.