Going on excursions without a carseat?

[stars918]

Is it okay if I take my one year old on excursions with us without a carseat?

Would NEVER even think to do this anywhere else but can't imagine sitting on the ship at each port.

I know there has to be someone out there that did this???? Make me feel better.

 

[lindakmonty]

I feel the same way you do, and in Grand Cayman I did the same I took my 2 1/2 year old to the sea turtle farms etc. w/o a car seat... yes, he was 2 1/2 but he is TINY he only weighed maybe 20 lbs. I agree, normally I wouldn't even think of doing this, but it was ok just for a few miles down there. For me anyway... hope this makes you feel better. I did take his stroller as well, they just put it in the back

 

[stars918]

Thanks for your quick reply. We are leaving in a few hours for L.A. and board the Magic on Saturday This will be my first cruise so my mind is racing as you can imagine!

 

[Niagara2]

Many of the islands have no rules like in USA concerning safety. Our first cruise when our kids were 5 and 6 was an eye opener for me. We got in a tour van ( arranged by DCL) and when I asked about seatbelts the driver looked around the seat for awhile and then pulled through an extension cord to tie around my son. We went but I felt very unsafe. Then the driving is a whole new experience. We have gone on other cruises and other excursion and some did have seatbelts and you could of brought a carseat. It is something to think about. Sorry I couldn't give you better news but may help you make decisions. Maybe you can pre-arranged private tours on line with this issued addressed before you go.

 

[HooKooDooKu]

When we've taken DS on DCL, we've always placed safety ahead of our pleasure.

At age 1, we either left DS in Flounders or only went places where we could walk off the boat. At that age, I'm not even willing to tender to shore with a 1yo because on-board life vests are generally too big for him to utilize in an emergency.

When we were on the Westward Repo, DS was a little more than 2-1/2yo. He was now big enough that I didn't mind using tenders with him, but when it came to travel without a car-seat, we opted to leave him in Flounders for the most part. Our one exception was the underwater boat excursion in Curaco that required a bus ride. But then, we were not taking that excursion for our us, it was for him because he's recently become facinated with fish.

 

[lbgraves]

When the kids were 3 & 5 we decided not to take the carseats which meant no taxis for us. We walked around the ports with the kids in their strollers for maybe an hour & then returned to the ship. We actually love spending the afternoon on deck at the Mickey Pool with only a couple kids in it.

 

[rsjj]

when we went, our DSs were 2 & 4 at the time. we flew out to florida, did not bring our car seats w/us. and did dcl sponsored excursions. what made me "feel better", was having the little one in my lap. i know, it's not even safer, doesn't even protect him, should anything happen, but it just made me feel better! anyways, havinig done that, from our own experiences, we would do it again.

 

[mmouse37]

I am all for safety....but remember when we were all growing up car seats were unheard of!!! I can remember myself and my four sisters all laying down sleeping in the back of the station wagon on long trips...I know things are different now, but when travelling to other countries they do not have the same policies as we do. Do you take the risk and not put the child in a car seat....do you stay onboard and miss an excursion because the excursion bus does not have seat belts/car seats??? All I know is we have to be reasonable when it comes to these things...not everywhere we go will have the same standards as the U.S. and sometimes you have to go with the flow. If we expect everywhere we go to have the same comforts and convenience as the US we might as well all stay home. What would be the point of taking a trip if we never leave the ship because taxis/buses doe not have car seats, seatbelts....

I think we need to realize that we cannot go through life in a bubble and sometimes we have to do things we are not 100% comfortable with or we would never go anywhere outside of the US. I say we should all take reasonable precautions but sometimes we can't protect our kids as much as we would like. Obviously this is just my opinion.

 

[lindakmonty]

well said mmouse37!!

 

[Favorite Auntie]

mmouse37, I have to disagree. While islands and other countries would have different standards, MY standards do not change, no matter what soil I am standing on. The room steward can take your car seat for you and put it in a closet for you somewhere and then get it for you when you need it. I would NEVER drive even a mile here w/o a carseat for a child, so I wouldn't do it on a foreign island either. It is true that we grew up w/o carseats and bike helmets and we survived....but how many did not? I just think that Flounders would be a safer place for a 1 year old than a tour bus on an island w/o a restraint.

 

[goofymama]

mmouse37, I have to disagree. While islands and other countries would have different standards, MY standards do not change, no matter what soil I am standing on. The room steward can take your car seat for you and put it in a closet for you somewhere and then get it for you when you need it. I would NEVER drive even a mile here w/o a carseat for a child, so I wouldn't do it on a foreign island either. It is true that we grew up w/o carseats and bike helmets and we survived....but how many did not? I just think that Flounders would be a safer place for a 1 year old than a tour bus on an island w/o a restraint.

I'm with you Auntie! Hanging out in the back seat with no carseat or seat belt is well and good ... unless you're in an accident. Unfortunately, no one can predict when or if they will be in an accident. Why take a chance when the consequences could be devastating? Yes, there are risks to everything in life, but this risk can be easily minimized or eliminated by 1) taking along a carseat with you, 2) going on walking tours or 3) making a reservation at Flounders for the little ones.

 

[castlegazer]

This has been why I keep asking this same question -and yes, some people have brought their car seats on excursions and taxis - take buddybear as an example.

Our last cruise we decided because I was pregnant to just head to Megan's Bay in St. Thomas and not go to St. John. We took a taxi. That was the most harrowing ride I ever had - it was incredibly bumpy, steep, narrow streets - I was sure I was going to go into labor right then and there. At some points we were going up the steepest hill and we had to hold on for dear life to the seat in front of us. Then you would come back down the other side and hang on again so as to not topple forward. Then to top it off, our taxi broke down right on the descent to one of the hills. It was so narrow, we had to stand on the side of this road and wait until he could get the taxi back running - no one would pick us up.

We finally made it - had an OK time at the beach, but we worried the whole time when to get the next taxi back because if that one broke down, we needed enough time to hitch a new ride back to the ship.

I am worried about this as I want to take my kids to see the beaches - but I do not want them to experience this ride from he double hockey sticks.

 

[stars918]

Thanks to all of you for your input.

 

[lindakmonty]

You all do have good points... at one year old I would probably stick to the Flounders idea but it also depends the port, the distance you're talking about and everything involved... I left my son at Flounders when he was 18 months but at 2 1/2 I took him w/o a carseat the short distance... good luck and just go with what you personally feel comfortable with.

 

[mmouse37]

I can understand what you all are saying...definately....as I said that was just my opinion.....everyone will do what they feel is best for their family. I am very lucky now that my kids are young adults and we don't have to worry about car seats....more power to the people who bring their carseats with them on vacation and excursions....it is definately a big undertaking.

Just curious....do the buses and for that matter, the monorails (they travel at about 40 mph) at Walt Disney World have seat belts? I do not recall but I don't think so.......would that keep you from using the WDW transportation?

 

[Favorite Auntie]

Just curious....do the buses and for that matter, the monorails (they travel at about 40 mph) at Walt Disney World have seat belts? I do not recall but I don't think so.......would that keep you from using the WDW transportation?

I hardly think that is the same thing, so I was tempted to not even respond.... No, the monorail not having seatbelts would not keep my from bring a small child on them. But, I can't remember EVER reading on the news about a tragic monorail accident at WDW, and as we all know, if anything happens at WDW it makes the news. They are also on individual controled tracks and the chance of them being hit, or hitting another monorail is practically non existant. And when we use the ferrys at WDW, my sisters bring life jackets. Some may call this over kill, but it is what makes them feel comfortable.

 

[Favorite Auntie]

Oh yeah, the buses? I have never been on a WDW bus that hit 40 MPH, have you? They don't even leave the property, and the conditions at WDW are ENTIRELY DIFFERENT from St Thomas, St Martin, Cozumel. We do take the kids on the buses. And the buses from the airport to the port have seatbelts and everyone is safely buckled in on that trip.

 

[lbgraves]

I have to say that the first time we rode the WDW buses I was extremely uncomfortable with the kids 3 & 5 at the time. One result that we had to deal with afterwards was them saying that they wanted to sit on the regular seat in the car now. NOT going to happen.

 

[HooKooDooKu]

I can understand what you all are saying...definately....as I said that was just my opinion.....everyone will do what they feel is best for their family. I am very lucky now that my kids are young adults and we don't have to worry about car seats....more power to the people who bring their carseats with them on vacation and excursions....it is definately a big undertaking.

Just curious....do the buses and for that matter, the monorails (they travel at about 40 mph) at Walt Disney World have seat belts? I do not recall but I don't think so.......would that keep you from using the WDW transportation?

In general, mass transit (Buses, Trains) is MUCH safer than "personal" transportation (cars, taxis, vans). Even here in the US were child seats are MANDATED BY LAW, school buses don't have seat belts. So it's not a fair comparison between a "wild taxi ride" on the islands and a bus at WDW.

I'd be willing to bet that if you looked into the facts and figures, you'd find that a 1yo is safer riding completely unrestrained (neither car seat NOR seat belt) in a typical US city bus than he is when he's properly restrained in a car seat in your car.

 

[cnj]

We just bought a Cosco carseat that weighs 4 pounds. I just typed "compact car seat" into the search Google. It looks small enough to put into a diaper bag.
It will just make me feel safer when traveling with my 2 year old in taxis. We leave for our cruise in 1 week and the carseat is supposed to arrive on Monday!
I haven't actually received the carseat yet, so I can't comment on the effiiciency of it, but I feel it is better than nothing.

Jen