Travel, WWYD?

Yes, ANOTHER travel thread. The in laws are taking all their children's families on a cruise next month. I have a nearly 3.75 yo and will be 6 yo. We will be flying to the port city, taking either a shuttle or taxi to our hotel and sight seeing for a couple of days. I am not yet sure how we'll get from the hotel to the boat or where the car seats will reside while we are on the ship.

My youngest will use a Maestro. I was hoping to get a Harmony Folding travel booster for my oldest since she's not reliably 40# yet and a big car sleeper who goes completely noodle. It seems they are unavailable, though. I don't foresee having extra space to safely pack the high back pro of a booster into our luggage. WWYD?

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I would get a boostapak (if available in the US yet) or a bubblebum. I LOVE our boostapak. My son, age 6, used ours on a looong vacation this summer, sat well and slep well in it. The shoulder belt guide is awesome and very easy to use. He rides in a HBB at home. If I hadn't been able to get a Boostapak, I would have tried the Bubblebum. I PERSONALLY would feel comfortable using the bubblebum with a kid close to 40 lbs and 6 if belt fit was good.

If price is an issue for you, I'd just bring a backless that gives him a good belt fit.

I'm thinking it won't be far from the hotel to the boat and back so you should be ok with a backless providing your not traveling at night. Maybe you could also sit next to her to keep her awake if necessary?

I don't think the folding booster is available anymore. I was trying to figure out what to do for my DS (turning 6 in 2 weeks) and was looking at them a couple months ago but when I was looking again last week they are not in stock in stores and not available to order online either.

I agree that a NBB might be the best option for your oldest. My DS also tends to sleep more in the car. We're flying next week and I haven't tried him in our Go yet (he used it in Aug but has grown since then), my back up plan is to grab a Literider for him if he's too tall for the Go. We won't be doing a ton of driving and if it's at a time when he might fall asleep hopefully I'll fit in the backseat between the kids to help keep him upright.

Do you travel often? Would checking on a travel vest make sense? (although I have no idea how well those work with floppy, sleeping kids).

ETA - the Harmony NBB starts at 30lb and fits smaller kids really well, my DD started using one very occasionally at 5.5yo and probably 42lb.

We do not travel by plane often, and I don't think there will be any driving involved past rides between the airport, hotel and ship. I am going to check out the Literider as it would be the easiest and most inexpensive option. Hopefully either DH or I can sit beside her every trip, because she falls asleep fast in the car! Although, without head wings to lean on she might not be able to relax enough to just fall asleep like usual.

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I've been thinking about your situation and had a few questions that might help clarify things.

First, what carseat/booster is the older child using now? (My natural inclination would be to just bring that, since it will be familiar and you already know how to install and use it.)

Also, is the port city in the US and is your flight on a US-registered airline? (If not, that can limit your options.)

Do you anticipate needing carseats/boosters at any of your ports of call?

And when you're in the port city doing pre-cruise sightseeing, do you anticipate mostly walking and using public transportation? Getting a rental car? Using taxis?

Cruiseship cabins are awfully small but other posters on this forum have mentioned that they were able to stow their carseats somewhere in the room and/or with the crew. Obviously a small booster is a little easier to deal with in that regard, especially when you've already got a carseat for the younger one.

We've been using a BubbleBum for my daughter for short taxi rides since she was 4 (and just over 40 lbs.) and it's actually a great backless booster with generally very good belt fit. For a family of 4 in a taxi, it's usually one parent up front and one in the back between the two kids, so I wouldn't stress too much about the kiddo falling asleep; you'll be right there to keep her in the right position. And even champion car-sleepers can sometimes hang in there for a 20-min. cab ride from hotel to port.

Hi. Part of my trouble thinking this out is that this is a big, multi-family trip where there has been little planning past the sail dates. Also complicating things is that I'm the only car seat-conscious person in the group (despite there being more than a dozen kids, at five of whom are 6 and under). Asking for specifics on what we're doing so I can plan safe transport for my family is met with exasperated sighs. It's a mess! Plus, DH is adamant that we are not "lugging" our carseats onto the ship. He says there's no space in our room and simply doesn't want to have to fuss with it.

We are sailing out of New Orleans and will visit two places in Mexico that I can't recall ATM. I am hoping we can do all of our site seeing in NO on foot or trolley. And, while I'd like to visit some sites in Mexico, I just have no idea how what we are doing at the other ports.

DS rides in a PS, and DD is harnessed in a P70 (due to aforementioned noodle-y sleeping and difficulty accessing our buckle stalks).

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