Car seats for excursions?

[Juliet25]

Call me a paranoid new parent, but I'm kinda concerned about taking DD on a cruise with us. I've worked it out so they'll we'll be able to enjoy ourselves by putting her in Flounders for awhile, and basically catering our activities to her moods/needs for sleep.

The thing I'm hung up on is the excursions. There's several we can go on, but I don't know how thrilled I am about putting her on my lap while traveling in a bus.

Has this been an issue with anyone else? Has Disney addressed this by adding carseats? (My DD will be 16 mos at the time)

THANKS!

 

[CAMICKEY]

We have never had a problem with excursions as all of the excursions we have been on are either on a bus or van and these types of transportation usually do not require a car seat - and we just put him on our lap (did not feel very comforatble at first - but never had a problem). I use to hate having to lug a stroller and a car seat when traveling on an airline to our vacation spots. Fortunately our DS (6) no longer needs the car seat on flights and is only required to be in a car seat in California as far as I know. - Mike

 

[hydster]

When we've taken our kids that small (actually about 2 is the youngest we've done) we decided that going on an excursion with a small child that age would be a nightmare at least for us. The problem with doing an organized excursion is if your child absolutely hates it, gets really tired, cranky or whatever you dont have much choice except maybe to eat the cost of a taxi if you can get one and go back to the ship. In the past the only thing closely resembling an excursion is to take the kids and a bucket and just go to a close local beach near the port and make sure that we can get a taxi on the way back. I dont know what cruise you are going on but places on the W. Carrib like Chankanaab there were 100's of cabs just sitting there waiting. We've only gone in taxi's that were actually mini vans or a little bigger and we felt ok not having our kids in car seats. I would have preferred them to be in them but I didnt want to lug them so I belted them in with me and held on for dear life. If you just want to see the area most places will drop you off at a shopping/tourist area either right at the port or from the tender or it isnt too far of a walk to go to stores and shopping.

HTH
Heidi

 

[jel0511]

DCL will not provide car seats for any type of excursion, regardless of the transportation used. Some of the excursions (I know Cozumel for example) they place you in cabs to get you to your destination. If you need/desire a car seat you need to provide it yourself, DCL won't. Also, the previous poster is correct that usualy when you're on a bus, car seats aren't required and usually they're aren't seat belts to strap them in. If you're really afraid and want to be safe, you're best bet is to rent a car at the ports you're visiting or try to hire private taxis to get around and lug your own car seat from home.

 

[tekel89]

I totally understand your concern. We are cruising in July and my DS will almost be 3. I'm also very nervous about getting around the islands without a carseat. I have been to St. Maarten before years ago and the way the cabs and vans drove I was absolutely terrified!!! A few months back on this board someone else shared our concerns and recommended a portable car seat. Its called a Tote 'n Go Portable Car Seat. It folds flat and can fit in a diaper bag. It meets all auto standards but is not approved for aircraft. I plan on ordering this before my cruise. I forget who actually makes it - but just do a search on the web and it comes up.

Hope this helped!
Helen

 

[Juliet25]

Thanks, all, for your advice!

 

[SandraLee]

I would never put a 16 month old in a taxi in Cozumel without a carseat. Those taxi drivers are crazy and . . . I figure I would never put my child in a car at home without being in her seat, so why would she be safe on vacation without a seat? It really isn't a matter of what the law is, for me, it is truely a matter of safety.

Either leave your child in Flounders and enjoy your excursion, or make sure you bring your own carseat. Check with DCL to see if they use 'local' taxis or chartered busses. For me, it would make a BIG difference.

 

[justcruisin]

Some cars don't have rear seatbelts. The busses and vans also don't have seatbelts.

DS was 2 in Nassau, 3 in Cozumel. We gave the driver $10 when we entered the cab and asked he drive slowly. This has worked well for us.

You can also purchase a foldup cloth carseat, maybe someone can post the link ... I think www.onestepahead.com may have them.

 

[ClarabelleCow]

Just curious, how many city folk are out there. Do you worry about car seats when taking taxi's, subways or busses, how do you handle it? When my dd was young, we didn't worry about the car seat because they just didn't have them in St. Maarten at the time, most of the cars didn't even have seat belts in the back. Just seven years later, when my ds was born, its a hole different story. I'm not in anyway saying a car seat isn't important. But just curious as to how its handled.