Shuttle or Park at the Port

[Kendall James-Vargas]

Do you prefer to take a taxi/shuttle to the port or park at the port for the duration of your cruise?

I have been conflicted about which option to choose since the cost will be about the same. I will be renting a car but have the option to leave the rental car at a friend's home about thirty minutes out from the port. The biggest conflict I'm facing is shuffling one car seat and two boosters along if we choose to take a taxi to and from the port. It seems like such a waste to pay for my rental car to sit at the port (or my friend's house) for a week, but it's so much easier and cheaper than renting a new car after the cruise disembarks. 

I wish our friends could shuttle us to and from the port, but we won't all fit in one car!

Edited November 13, 2023 by Kendall James-Vargas

[3Sisters]

If you are traveling with car seats, it's worth it to park the car at the port. I have never ventured to take my car seats onboard a cruise! I also have no idea if there is a holding area for them, but I would imagine you have to bring them into your stateroom. Has anyone brought car seats onboard a cruise ship before? If so, where do you store them? 

[FJB]

We usually fly into port cities so this hasn’t been an issue for us.  For the couple of cruises we have taken that are close enough to home to drive to - one was a large group cruise so we hired a bus to take us and pick us up.  For the other, we drove and parked our car at the port.  
 

concerning car seats - I guess I’m a bad daddy!  My daughter has been cruising since she was about 20 months old and I don’t ever remember taking a car seat with us.  Taki rides are usually short and busses are one of the safest modes of transportation so no car seats/seat belts necessary.  Besides, I’ve never been a seat belt user and my daughter has followed in my footsteps. I survived riding in the back of a pickup truck and on the fender of a tractor during my youth so it’s all good.  

[3Sisters]

@FJB I wish I could say the same about the car seats, but I feel guilty leaving them behind while traveling anywhere in the U.S. by car. I wouldn't want to chance anything happening while in the car, although driving in the ports of call can be daunting. I try to book bus rides/excursions since I don't intend to bring the car seats along, storing them in my stateroom. I'm not sure you don't want to hear this, but you should wear your seatbelt. I have heard so many horror stories, and after losing a cousin to not using his seatbelt, I fear for your safety! Clearly, you have been safe thus far, but to me, it's not worth the risk.