Question regarding transportation from LGB to Hojo and carseats

[LoveDisneyMom]

Hi all!

So we are about to book a trip in November for our family and so far the cheapest flights I have found fly from Seattle (we live in Vancouver, BC) to Long Beach airport. To fly to John Wayne (which we did our first time) is about an extra $80 per flight.

So far though I have only been able to find shuttles (as opposed to the DL express that goes to John Wayne which we took last time) that take you from the Long Beach airport to Hojo and we have two kids (one will be 5 and one will be 14 months). Is there anyway to avoid bringing two carseats? Is there a form of transportation that I havent found thats available that would work?

Also does anyone know how long that drive is?


Thanks so much for any help!

 

[sleepymouse]

The only company I know of using to avoid bringing your own seats is DK Livery. Roundtrip from LGB is $155 and the company provides car seats/booster seats as well as a 20-minute grocery stop. If you decide to bring the seats, flat rate taxi is the way to go. It should be about $45 from the airport and $55 back to the airport.

 

[bumbershoot]

The Express bus is only from LAX and SNA.

Good for you for checking out transportation options BEFORE booking the flight! You're doing better than I did years ago, when I saved us money by flying into ONT airport, only to find out that the Super Shuttle pricing structure was completely different than the LAX and SNA pricing structure, and we lost ALL the flight savings because of how our exact trip worked out. (DH came in and left separately from us...ONT had a high "first passenger" fee and low fees for other passengers...so DH paid the first passenger and so did I, twice each...)

 

[Hojoanaheim]

There are a couple options we normally recommend for airport transfers from LGB. There are shuttle companies you can take like Super Shuttle or Primetime shuttle. You can book these ahead of time on their websites, but they do not provide car seats. I believe that it is not necessary to have car seats for public transportation. You can also get a taxi from the airport when you arrive and these will run you around $55 or so. Taxis also do not provide car seats because it is a form of public transport. If you would like car seats there is a private town car company that we work with at the hotel that will be happy to provide complementary car seats. This will be $65 for a pick up from LGB and $55 for a drop off to LGB for a car that fits 4 guests. If you wanted more information about this or to set it up, please call us at (714) 776-6120 or email us at stay@hojoanaheim.com. We will be happy to help you 

HTH,
Kriss

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

There are a couple options we normally recommend for airport transfers from LGB. There are shuttle companies you can take like Super Shuttle or Primetime shuttle. You can book these ahead of time on their websites, but they do not provide car seats. I believe that it is not necessary to have car seats for public transportation. You can also get a taxi from the airport when you arrive and these will run you around $55 or so. Taxis also do not provide car seats because it is a form of public transport. If you would like car seats there is a private town car company that we work with at the hotel that will be happy to provide complementary car seats. This will be $65 for a pick up from LGB and $55 for a drop off to LGB for a car that fits 4 guests. If you wanted more information about this or to set it up, please call us at (714) 776-6120 or email us at stay@hojoanaheim.com. We will be happy to help you  HTH, Kriss

This is incorrect. You need car seats in taxis and shuttles, per California law.

http://www.carseat.org/Legal/99_Enf.pdf

Taken from the the document:

There are no exemptions for taxis or vehicles registered out of state. Under no circumstances may a child be transported unrestrained.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

DK Livery's quote seems rather high for a shuttle service from LGB to DLR IMO. You might simply call a few potential shuttle services and ask if they will provide carseats and/or boosters, and just reserve in advance.

As far as legality, it's true the law mandates carseats and boosters in taxis/shuttles in California. But the law puts the burden on the parent, who is considered to be illegally transporting the child without a proper restraint system. The driver and company are specifically exempted and cannot be ticketed unless they are transporting your child without you in the same vehicle. That's why some drivers will take you without a car seat--if you're in the car, they can't get a ticket. But you should still follow the law.

 

[Hojoanaheim]

This is incorrect. You need car seats in taxis and shuttles, per California law.

http://www.carseat.org/Legal/99_Enf.pdf

Taken from the the document:

There are no exemptions for taxis or vehicles registered out of state. Under no circumstances may a child be transported unrestrained.

As far as legality, it's true the law mandates carseats and boosters in taxis/shuttles in California. But the law puts the burden on the parent, who is considered to be illegally transporting the child without a proper restraint system. The driver and company are specifically exempted and cannot be ticketed unless they are transporting your child without you in the same vehicle. That's why some drivers will take you without a car seat--if you're in the car, they can't get a ticket. But you should still follow the law.

Thank you for clarifying that! The taxis and shuttle companies never mention anything about car seats so this is very good to know

 

[planningjollyholiday]

Are you flying jetblue? I noticed they have some great airfares from SEA to LGB in November for $138 roundtrip on some days plus one bag free. Sorry no advice for a shuttle that provides carseats, but wanted to let you know that in case you do end up bringing them just take a taxi to get to the HoJo. It's cheap, fast, and easy. It will cost about $50 each way, and it will take about 25 minutes. We've always checked our boosters at the gate for free and it has never been a big deal to bring them along. LGB is an awesome airport that is small, wich means easy to navigate with kids.

 

[poohmickey]

In February, when we used a taxi to get from the Grand California back to Long Beach airport, the rate was up to $60, not including tip. The parking attendant said they had just increased the rates.

 

[bumbershoot]

As far as legality, it's true the law mandates carseats and boosters in taxis/shuttles in California. But the law puts the burden on the parent, who is considered to be illegally transporting the child without a proper restraint system. The driver and company are specifically exempted and cannot be ticketed unless they are transporting your child without you in the same vehicle. That's why some drivers will take you without a car seat--if you're in the car, they can't get a ticket. But you should still follow the law.

Not to mention how some of the shuttle drivers drive. I want to have a 5 point harness while in those shuttles sometimes! Having a shuttle driver driving me and a little kid around in speedy Southern CA isn't the moment I want to test my arm strength (or the slipperiness of a little kid in a lap belt) vs the physics of a crash or even a hard stop.

 

[LoveDisneyMom]

Thanks everyone for the help! I actually am booking it through jetblue and just saw that in their getaways package they charge only a few dollars a day plus tax for a car rental so Im thinking we might do that. If not then I guess we will just be booking a taxi. I hate having to bring the carseats because I dont feel comfortable checking them. Apparently checking them can cause structural internal damage from being thrown around that can affect the safety of them.

 

[LoveDisneyMom]

Are you flying jetblue? I noticed they have some great airfares from SEA to LGB in November for $138 roundtrip on some days plus one bag free. Sorry no advice for a shuttle that provides carseats, but wanted to let you know that in case you do end up bringing them just take a taxi to get to the HoJo. It's cheap, fast, and easy. It will cost about $50 each way, and it will take about 25 minutes. We've always checked our boosters at the gate for free and it has never been a big deal to bring them along. LGB is an awesome airport that is small, wich means easy to navigate with kids.

We are doing that flight! We paid $144 roundtrip, that was the cheapest I found.