How do you deal with carseats while sightseeing?

[Fairy]

We have a 6yo who always rides in a carseat here in the US. Normally, we rent cars when we travel, so this is a no-brainer. But we're not doing that this time, and honestly, I'm not sure how we're intending to get around. We'll be at the Marriott with the mall in it. Are there shuttles to the tourist attractions, like the Ostrich Farm? Or do we need to take cabs? If the latter, then we're in a serious quandary about how to lug the booster seat around. Getting it in a cab is easy; lugging it with us wherever our destination is will be hard. Thoughts?

[Andrea J.]

the marriott with the mall in it??...would you mean the renaissance downtown marina tower or the renaissance suites at seaport?

i understand your dilemma re: the booster seat.
i recommend bringing one.
since your child is 6, could he sit in the back seat with a seatbelt instead of being in a booster?

or you could make contact/agreement with a taxidriver and keep the booster in their trunk and use that taxi exclusively with a set arrangement.

"some" taxis have booster seats available.

contact by private message our 2 forum members that own their own cabs
Taxidriver
cyrilo croes

[Fairy]

Uhhhh ... excuse my total ignorance, my husband made the hotel reservations and I clearly don't know WHAT I'm talking about . Eek! I believe after taking a look that it must be the Renaissance Suites. The one in Oranjestad. I *think,* I have to double check.

So, what you're saying, regardless, is that we really should bring our booster. Ok. Not my first choice, but not willing to put him in a car without a booster.

Someone who's been to Aruba a few times tells me that there are no seatbelts in the cabs. I'd be surprised if this were true, but since you clearly know Aruba, would you be able to confirm? Perhaps I'll PM the cab drivers on this board, too.

Are there shuttles from the hotels to places of interest?

Thanks so much.

[Andrea J.]

there ARE shuttles to some places of interest.
MOST of the cabs have seaatbelts...maybe all.

if you are downtown at the renaissance, you can easily catch the public bus up to the Butterfly farm.......cheaper than a cab, but not as comfortable.

if you sign up for a particular tour or something, yes there are pick up services.

[Arubalisa]

Originally Posted by Fairy

Someone who's been to Aruba a few times tells me that there are no seatbelts in the cabs. I'd be surprised if this were true, but since you clearly know Aruba, would you be able to confirm?

Andrea J.'s Profile

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[Fairy]

Originally Posted by Arubalisa

Visits 35

Hi Andrea --

I'm sorry, I don't understand your post. Were you trying to confirm the seatbelt question?

(I didn't include the link to your profile cuz I don't have enough posts yet)

[Fairy]

Originally Posted by Andrea J.

there ARE shuttles to some places of interest.
MOST of the cabs have seaatbelts...maybe all.

if you are downtown at the renaissance, you can easily catch the public bus up to the Butterfly farm.......cheaper than a cab, but not as comfortable.

if you sign up for a particular tour or something, yes there are pick up services.

Thank you, Andrea.

[Arubalisa]

Yes, Andrea was saying that most if not all taxis have seat belts.
Many of Aruba's taxi drivers offer late model (newer) vehicles.

If for whatever reason you were offered a taxi which did not meet your requirements, you could always refuse and ask for another taxi.

[badney]

Perhaps I am a bad mommy, but as the mother of a six year-old daughter, we have traveled a couple times by taxi in foreign countries in the last two years and we have never used a car seat with her - just belted her in or sat her on our lap and belted her in. The drivers understand the circumstances, drive slower and are more aware. It is a hassle to lug around a booster seat everywhere!

[Andrea J.]

nope you are not a bad mom.
different stroke for different folks.

heck, when my son was an infant we used the rear facing car seat, then graduated on to the regular car seat, then on to the booster.
by the time he was 5 and in kindergarten, that was that!
here in aruba when he was little (i think we were here only once when he was a toddler/preschooler) i honestly do not remember having a car/booster seat and just remember him being belted in.
he is now an old man of almost 25.

the usa (or is it MA and ME? and individual states?) that have different car seat policies

aruba, as of now has no car seat/booster policies. ......or if they do, they are not followed by all.

i was in a car accident in aruba in august.
was rear ended by a lady going 20+ mph.
we had our seat belts on.
if we had a kid unbelted in the car or we were unbelted, there would have been HUGE injuries.
also
airbags in most cars in aruba are an option.

if one does have the option of bringing the booster seat i would highly recommend.
age 6 though is on the cusp.........