Shuttle from LAX to HoJo's

[meagus]

Hi all,

Just after some advice for a first time traveller to disneyland. There will be five of us traveling, including 7, 5 and 2 year year olds. Or travel agent has booked us with Karmel shuttles to transfer us form airport to hotel, but I have read on another thread that they won't take you without childseats, which they won't provide. I'm not keen on bringing our own child seats from Australia.....any advice on other shuttle services you have used with young children?? Or has anyone else used Karmel shuttles with children??
Thanks in advance!

 

[Oz Mum]

Hi there,

Our travel agent also quoted us for Karmel Shuttle but after reading up on here I went ahead & booked DK Livery (new name GoLansky) myself.

A driver will meet us at the baggage carousel at LAX (important to me as we have never travelled overseas on our own before AND first time ever with the kids - I'm a bit nervous!!) & will drive us to Anaheim in a Chevy Suburban where we will be picked up again 6 days later for the return trip to LAX - the cost is $180 for the round trip.

My youngest daughter requires a booster seat which they said was not a problem & they have confirmed the seat in all correspondence. It was easy to book online & they were very prompt with their replies. Most reviews on here seem positive... Fingers crossed

Might be another option for you.

 

[meagus]

Hi there,

Our travel agent also quoted us for Karmel Shuttle but after reading up on here I went ahead & booked DK Livery (new name GoLansky) myself.

A driver will meet us at the baggage carousel at LAX (important to me as we have never travelled overseas on our own before AND first time ever with the kids - I'm a bit nervous!!) & will drive us to Anaheim in a Chevy Suburban where we will be picked up again 6 days later for the return trip to LAX - the cost is $180 for the round trip.

My youngest daughter requires a booster seat which they said was not a problem & they have confirmed the seat in all correspondence. It was easy to book online & they were very prompt with their replies. Most reviews on here seem positive... Fingers crossed

Might be another option for you.

Thanks for your reply. I too did look look up GoLansky online after reading about them on here. I will contact our travel agent today, not sure why they would book Karmel if we will get to LA and can't take us without carseats!
I too am nervous about traveling overseas with the kids.....first time for us too!! Eek!!
$180 round trip sounds ok to me too!!

Thanks again

 

[heidispidi]

I can vouch for DK Livery/Lansky. We used them (Daniel) for our trip last month. Daniel was waiting for us outside the Arrivals gate after we collected our luggage. He was courteous and his vehicle (a large black Suburban) was spotless and new. He had 2 booster seats in the vehicle (which we didn't need as out kids are 11 and 15). He stopped for us to do a quick grocery shop ( buy bottles of water, if nothing else!). On departure, he was 15 mins early to pick us up for our run to the airport. Great service and a good price!

 

[meagus]

I can vouch for DK Livery/Lansky. We used them (Daniel) for our trip last month. Daniel was waiting for us outside the Arrivals gate after we collected our luggage. He was courteous and his vehicle (a large black Suburban) was spotless and new. He had 2 booster seats in the vehicle (which we didn't need as out kids are 11 and 15). He stopped for us to do a quick grocery shop ( buy bottles of water, if nothing else!). On departure, he was 15 mins early to pick us up for our run to the airport. Great service and a good price!

Great to read, thanks so much for the reply. I have emailed Karmel to see what they say about carseats, but am still awaiting a reply. I think I may be leaning towards canceling our booking with them and booking with Lansky. I will also have to contact our travel agent and hope that she can refund our money we have already paid for transfers with Karmel that we may not be able to use!! Grrrr!

 

[meagus]

Of anyone who has been reading this thread and is interested, I have received a reply email from Karmel shuttles. It states that they do not supply car seat/child restraints, but they are a requirement of the Californian law for any child under age 8. They strongly recommend that travelers supply their own age appropriate car restarts for their children, as parents/guardians traveling with children are responsible for their safety. (That's a summary of what they wrote to me anyway!!)
Might have to look into another shuttle service that will provide child seats.....I am so not keen on lugging around three car seats with us when we travel!

 

[Oz Mum]

Gee that is so strange - no way would I want to lug seats with us. I want to have as little to carry as possible so one of us can have hands free to hold onto the kids hands whilst walking through the airport etc.

Maybe the 1st step for you would be to speak to your Travel Agent & let them know they have booked you onto a shuttle service which you can't use & taking 3 car restraints with you is simply not an option. As this is a safety issue hopefully they will come to the party & refund you or at least transfer you guys to another service.

Good luck with it

 

[mum2fourkids]

Hi op!
I have been reading your post as we are traveling to disneyland next Wednesday! I have also booked with karmel shuttles for my family of 6. My youngest child is 7, average height but heavy for his age. I wonder if they will refuse us travel if I don't take a booster seat? I read the q&a on their website, it's been carefully worded by saying it's the parents responsibility but they don't come out and say that they can/will refuse service without a seat. Might email them too.

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[meagus]

Gee that is so strange - no way would I want to lug seats with us. I want to have as little to carry as possible so one of us can have hands free to hold onto the kids hands whilst walking through the airport etc.

Maybe the 1st step for you would be to speak to your Travel Agent & let them know they have booked you onto a shuttle service which you can't use & taking 3 car restraints with you is simply not an option. As this is a safety issue hopefully they will come to the party & refund you or at least transfer you guys to another service.

Good luck with it

I have just emailed our travel agent and now will just wait to see what they say. Was going to call them first, but thought I'd like an answer in writing just in case I have to fight for my money back! Haha!
I agree, this is a safety issue. I would not put my children into a car in Australia without car restraints, so I will not do it in LA.
Thanks for your good wishes.....I will keep you posted on what they say!

 

[meagus]

Hi op!
I have been reading your post as we are traveling to disneyland next Wednesday! I have also booked with karmel shuttles for my family of 6. My youngest child is 7, average height but heavy for his age. I wonder if they will refuse us travel if I don't take a booster seat? I read the q&a on their website, it's been carefully worded by saying it's the parents responsibility but they don't come out and say that they can/will refuse service without a seat. Might email them too.

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The way I read their email was that they would take you, but if you didn't have car restraints for children that needed them, then that was your problem and your responsibility. I'm not saying they won't refuse you, as they also quoted the Californian law that states all children under 8 require a car seat, so I would probably email them first, rather than get turned away when you get to LA!!

Good luck and have a fabulous trip! Counting down til ours!!

 

[ssour]

If they're like supershuttle it's up to the driver's discretion if they take you without car seats or not. This is normally fine from the airport as you could just wait for a driver who is willing to take you but a bit riskier coming back to the airport as they only send one driver out and if they say no you're stuck.

OP I imagine your TA booked with Karmel because that's what was in their system. Most of the smaller transfer companies that supply seats won't be in a booking system, they need to be booked direct.

We have used Zippy Shuttle before without any issues.

 

[meagus]

For anyone interested, I have spoken with my travel agent and she had no idea about this car restraint issue with Karmel shuttles, and was very apologetic and surprised that they had let her book it for two adults and three children, knowing about the car seat problem. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I told her I was getting a quote from Lansky, which I am now waiting on, and she was happy to refund the Karmel shuttle fee that we have already paid if we decide to cancel it. Our other option was to hire car restraints for the kids each way, which was going to cost us about another $70 odd dollars. No thanks.
Anyhow, I now await the quote!

 

[Aussiefamof5]

I can vouch for DK Livery/Lansky. We used them (Daniel) for our trip last month. Daniel was waiting for us outside the Arrivals gate after we collected our luggage. He was courteous and his vehicle (a large black Suburban) was spotless and new. He had 2 booster seats in the vehicle (which we didn't need as out kids are 11 and 15). He stopped for us to do a quick grocery shop ( buy bottles of water, if nothing else!). On departure, he was 15 mins early to pick us up for our run to the airport. Great service and a good price!

I have read some conflicting reports on these guys, but their service is really cheap we have been quoted $170 each way LAX to Anaheim. Are they really that good? I'm just reluctant to book someone different...

 

[Ausdad]

I have read some conflicting reports on these guys, but their service is really cheap we have been quoted $170 each way LAX to Anaheim. Are they really that good? I'm just reluctant to book someone different...

I have used both super shuttle and D K Livery (GO Lansky) and I have travelled with daughter when she was 2,3,4,5,6.

California law says it is your responsibility not the drivers. So if they get pulled over it is you who will get fined and not the driver.

With GoLansky just make sure you have confirmed they have the right car seats. As you would be aware there are very different types of seats needed for a baby, 2yo and an 8yo. If they get the wrong one its going to be one very uncomfortable trip for your kids.

I prefer the individual service you get with GoLansky compared to super shuttle (and the other similar ones). With the other shuttles you are basically siting there waiting for 20-30mins until the van fills up before you can go to your hotel. With GoLansky its just you in the car and much better.

I was apprehensive on our first trip with my daughter with a 2yo but be rest assured its not as bad as it sounds and its all easy enough.

 

[Aussiefamof5]

I have used both super shuttle and D K Livery (GO Lansky) and I have travelled with daughter when she was 2,3,4,5,6.

California law says it is your responsibility not the drivers. So if they get pulled over it is you who will get fined and not the driver.

With GoLansky just make sure you have confirmed they have the right car seats. As you would be aware there are very different types of seats needed for a baby, 2yo and an 8yo. If they get the wrong one its going to be one very uncomfortable trip for your kids.

I prefer the individual service you get with GoLansky compared to super shuttle (and the other similar ones). With the other shuttles you are basically siting there waiting for 20-30mins until the van fills up before you can go to your hotel. With GoLansky its just you in the car and much better.


I was apprehensive on our first trip with my daughter with a 2yo but be rest assured its not as bad as it sounds and its all easy enough.

Thanks Ausdad that's good to know

 

[mum2fourkids]

Hi everyone,

I posted a few post back about using karmel. I ended up packing my sons half booster seat in his check in luggage. He has a big suitcase so it fit really well, and as it's that hard foam stuff, it hardy weighs anything. Anyway, the shuttle arrived for us at LAX and nothing was mentioned about my sons age. The driver just said in general that I had to make sure everyone had their seat belts on. As I said my son is 7 and could pass as an 8 year old, so that's why it probably wasn't mentioned, it would be different if he was 3 or 4. The driver was fantastic though! Knew a lot about Australia so we had a lot to talk about. He pointed out places of interest etc as we were driving.

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[meagus]

That is great to read positive feedback about Lansky. I received my quote back from them and it is $190 return, which includes the three car seats/booster seats that we require and one stop at a grocery store on the way to our hotel ( I love this!). Both my email and quote from Lansky both indicate that we require the three seats and that they will pick us up from the arrivals area of LAX. All sounds good to me!
Thanks everyone for your input.....much appreciated for a first time traveller with young children!!

 

[annz53]

We are planning on using these guys :
http://www.graylineanaheim.com/docs/DRE Brochure.pdf
Just another option for you

 

[TNS_Tinkerbell]

Hi there, Our travel agent also quoted us for Karmel Shuttle but after reading up on here I went ahead & booked DK Livery (new name GoLansky) myself. A driver will meet us at the baggage carousel at LAX (important to me as we have never travelled overseas on our own before AND first time ever with the kids - I'm a bit nervous!!) & will drive us to Anaheim in a Chevy Suburban where we will be picked up again 6 days later for the return trip to LAX - the cost is $180 for the round trip. My youngest daughter requires a booster seat which they said was not a problem & they have confirmed the seat in all correspondence. It was easy to book online & they were very prompt with their replies. Most reviews on here seem positive... Fingers crossed Might be another option for you.

We used them for our past two trips, including one at the HOJO.
Way, way better than the shuttles and the busses.

We also had the problem of bringing a car seat, when we travelled with our DD.
One time with a full child coarsest, when she was 4, and know a booster style.

The shuttles are a pain to deal with, of yourself a favor and book here, or with another towncar service.
They are all roughly the same price.

And if you get a direct quote, that includes tax too.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[meagus]

We used them for our past two trips, including one at the HOJO.
Way, way better than the shuttles and the busses.

We also had the problem of bringing a car seat, when we travelled with our DD.
One time with a full child coarsest, when she was 4, and know a booster style.

The shuttles are a pain to deal with, of yourself a favor and book here, or with another towncar service.
They are all roughly the same price.

And if you get a direct quote, that includes tax too.

Good luck and have fun.

Thanks for letting me know of your experience with them. I am in the process of canceling the booking made for us with Karmel and will then book with Lansky.
Can't wait!