Traveling to Jamaica

We've just booked our first family vacation to Jamaica (yay!) and I was wondering what we will do about carseats etc. We aren't renting a car but we will be transferred by bus or mini bus to the hotel and back from the airport (I'm pretty sure it's about an hour drive) and I will have my 2 year old and 9 month old with me. We have 2 Radians that travel well and I'm not unwilling to buy a seat for my 9 month old for the luxury, but what about when there? I'm sure this has been done before... ideas?

Buses usually don't have seatbelts. So you'd put the Radians on the luggage rack.

Make sure you get a bulkhead row on the plane. The Radians tend not to fit rear facing very well.

Wendy

I can tell you that in all of my travels that stupid van from the airport to the resort was one of the scariest things EVER in my life in Jamaica!! It was a large van not a bus, no seat belts in any of them, the driver stopped at 2 "watering holes" along the way (drinking and driving is normal there) and we transferred bussed to a new one. Umm yeah that guy did the same thing. SCARY! We have transferred buses no less than 4 times ever and I've been there several times. Now we take a cab! It took us 4 hours to make the 1-1.5 hour trip from the airport to the resort because we couldn't find a sober driver. Add to that the speed in which they drive on 1 lane roads with a cliff on one side and a drop down into the water on the other side and their remedy to that situation is to just honk going 60mph before going around the corner! I seriously almost peed my pants several times!

Anyways you will want to have some way to contain the kids at customs in Jamaica in their seats/ slings/ or car seats strapped to something! Depending on the time of year and traffic of the incoming planes it is just one big room with a big ole fan nothing else and it could take anywhere from 10 minutes to 3 hours to get through customs. I've been several times, but the ride from airport to resort is something that would easily ruin your trip. If you can get a taxi so you can install the car seats!

As for Jamaica as a family vacation? It is one of my top picks! The people are super friendly, the price is right, there is a lot to do down there, and it is seriously like disney "one of the happiest places on earth" because everyone is so friendly and in such a mellow mood. Plus seems like it rains daily there so it's a good excuse to say "sorry kids it's raining nap time" and take them in. By the time the rain stops they are awake, well rested and so are mommy and daddy.

Thanks for the tips you guys! I was thinking about maybe organizing a private transfer from the airport to the hotel and vv so that I can arrange something with errr...SEATBELTS!!! LOL

So I guess I would install the Radian RF on the plane? I gess that's a good idea huh? Should be an interesting install with those funny seatbelts! I guess that'll be my next post... airline seatbelts

Thanks again

Rear facing a Radian takes up a lot of room, but airplane seatbelts are easy. Just buckle and pull.

The seat isn't approved for a nine month old forward facing, so yeah, rear facing it'd have to be.

Wendy

Are you flying into Montego Bay? Staying in Negril? We found the whole bus/luggage porter thing to be very scary. They can be pretty aggressive. One porter even asked me if I wanted to buy drugs. And another porter instructed me to tip each of the 5 porters hovering around our group regardless of whether they actually touched my luggage. The taxi drivers are much better and paying for a taxi from MB to Negril is fairly cheap. The only problem with taxis is that they are usually small cars. You might want to contact the resort and ask them if they can help you arrange transportation. I'm not sure if you are staying at Couples Resort in Negril, but just so you know we didn't like Couples--the beach was not cleaned daily and the rooms were dirty and in need of updating.

Yeah the driving in Jamaica was really scary! We were lucky to find a LARGE bus that also had seatbelts, but most of the transportation was small vans (some with seatbelts, some not), or a taxi. And be careful b/c there are always agressive people trying to sell you junk, and it gets a little scary.
It was my least favorite destination when we went on our cruise - dirty, scary people and scary transportation!

Do you have an infant seat available to you for the 9month old for the trip, I would think that would be ideal for the situation, keep the little one contained (ie when you're out to dinner if there isn't a high chair etc.) and maybe easier to install than a RF Radian.

I still have the Chicco Keyfit available and my DD is only 13lbs now so I think we should be okay for September. If she fits then we will travel with the Chicco as it's way easier than the Radian in cabs etc.

As for transportation: being a travel agent I'm going to be arranging private transfers and I will be sure to demand SEATBELTS!!! LOL

My DH is bugging me to not purchase a seat for our dd but that's not going to happen!

steph_s said:

I can tell you that in all of my travels that stupid van from the airport to the resort was one of the scariest things EVER in my life in Jamaica!! It was a large van not a bus, no seat belts in any of them, the driver stopped at 2 "watering holes" along the way (drinking and driving is normal there) and we transferred bussed to a new one. Umm yeah that guy did the same thing. SCARY! We have transferred buses no less than 4 times ever and I've been there several times. Now we take a cab! It took us 4 hours to make the 1-1.5 hour trip from the airport to the resort because we couldn't find a sober driver. Add to that the speed in which they drive on 1 lane roads with a cliff on one side and a drop down into the water on the other side and their remedy to that situation is to just honk going 60mph before going around the corner! I seriously almost peed my pants several times!

.....

As for Jamaica as a family vacation? It is one of my top picks! The people are super friendly, the price is right, there is a lot to do down there, and it is seriously like disney "one of the happiest places on earth" because everyone is so friendly and in such a mellow mood. Plus seems like it rains daily there so it's a good excuse to say "sorry kids it's raining nap time" and take them in. By the time the rain stops they are awake, well rested and so are mommy and daddy.

Click to expand...

maybe cause they're all drunk! lol