shellseroni

I'm bringing my three year old for the first time in less than a month on a 15 day :eek: cruise. It's our first vacation as a family, so it's a pretty huge deal. I've been asking little questions here and there and just perusing the boards for this information. Here are some things I've come up with that you may have not considered.

-Sippy cups! Apparently getting a cup with a lid for a toddler is either very difficult or impossible on Carnival (probably the others, too, but I haven't looked at them). My little one is drinking out of an open cup now, but to avoid mishaps in the MDR, I will be bringing some take and toss cups for her with lids and straws.

-Laptop with DVDs. From what I understand, the tv's either do not have regular hookups for dvd players and/or they do not have dvd players. For us, we have a lot of sea days so we'll probably have some downtime in the cabin. My daughter is obsessed with Frozen, so we'll probably get to watch that like 50 times on this cruise. LOL

-Easy to pack activities like coloring books. I'm bringing some tiny ones for the MDR also, because there is usually a lot of wait time in there and my daughter has yet to learn about this thing called patience.

-Since we're bringing a laptop, we're going to have music on it also for her. She LOVES to dance. (Note: if you're going on the Dec. 6 cruise to Hawaii, my girl will be the one jumping up and down in time to EVERY song.)

-Really good sunblock. It's expensive on ships and probably a bit more in ports than you'll plan on spending. So just go ahead and bring the baby sunscreen with you (and don't forget about yourself).

-Travel easy kid friendly snacks like goldfish crackers. Toddlers can be super picky (which I'm sure you know) and it's probably a good idea to bring some tried and true snacks for those emergency situations in which the little one is on the verge of a tantrum because he/she doesn't see any food he/she wants to try.

-Nightlight for the room if you don't plan on leaving the tv on as some parents do. The rooms get super dark. My girl is in the stage of NOT liking the dark, but we'll probably just leave the tv with the deck channel on. No activity for her to get caught up in watching and we won't have to hassle with finding an outlet that will work for a nightlight.

-We plan on bringing her small blanket from home (it packs easily). I really don't know how she's going to do on the ship for 15 days. The blanket will be a little bit of security for her.

-Super important. Bring medicine for your little one (i.e. Tylenol or Advil). If the sunscreen is expensive on the ship, medicine is just downright outrageous. Plus, since I've never sailed with a kid I don't know if they have infant versions of medicine.

Sorry for the somewhat long post. This is something I've been working on for a bit. Honestly, somebody should ask what we DON'T have to bring for a toddler. I feel like that list may be shorter. LOL. I basically plan on packing as I would for a regular vacation with just a few exceptions. Good luck to you with your little one.

Responses I've gotten from another thread (in case anyone here is curious for their own little ones).

-Carnival ships use hand held shower heads and most people with toddlers just use that for them.

-Inflatable bathtubs are very awkward and do not really fit in shower stall. In other words: too much hassle and not enough pay off.

-If planning to use shower for toddler, definitely do this at home first so the kid isn't terrified of the ship's shower.

-Most kids did well and actually enjoyed taking a shower "like a grown up".

From this information, looks like I won't even bother with buying and packing the inflatable. I just hope it all works out. :)

Oh yes the hand held shower head makes it easy and quicker than filling up the tub anyway :) my girls love showers on the cruise it's something fun and different since they do baths at home! Have fun cruising with kids is great!!

Thanks! We're looking forward to it since it will be her first real vacation. And the fact that "Gammy" and "Papa" are coming, too, will just make her day. :D

I would tell you to bring some cups with lids. I usually bring a couple of the take and toss brand with lids and straws and wash them out in my cabin sink. One thing they don't have is kids cups especially in the dining room! Just a tip :)

Thanks! I didn't know they don't have toddler cups on the ship. My daughter drinks out of an open cup now, but still has some accidents. May be nice to have those for dinner in the MDR (especially on formal nights since I don't want her to stain her dresses).

I thought the blow up tub would be a good idea but in actuality it was kind of awkward once in the shower. Live and learn!

That's the exact reason I'm asking here. THANKS! I didn't know if there was a tub out there that would fit the shower stall well or not. And now that I know the shower head is actually a hand-held, I don't see much reason at all to bring a tub. My daughter may surprise me and actually think it's a fun game using the shower. :D

Did showers with the 21 month old Granddaughter. One nice feature with Carnival is the hand held shower head. You can avoid hair and face if needed. Our little Diva started showers early as her Mom and Dad travel often. There was no way her germ phobic mom would ever put her in a tub out of her own home.

I never realized they had the hand held shower head. That will make life WAY easier when trying to bathe a cranky toddler. :)

My 3 year old just recently started enjoying showers...thank goodness! Try it while at home...showers may not be a problem at all and will get them in and out much quicker too:)

I don't know why I didn't think of trying it out at home. LOL. I guess I've just been a bit frazzled from everything else I have to plan. MY little one is sometimes scared of the running water in the bathtub, but maybe if she takes a couple of showers with me, she'll be okay. I have a month to get it figured out, so if it still doesn't work out, then I can look into getting a tub. (I hope it works, though. It would be one less thing to pack.)

This is the first time we're bringing our little one with us on a cruise. She is three years old. Our room will not have a tub and someone mentioned bringing an inflatable one with us. Just curious if anyone out there has tried this and if they have any brands they would suggest. If it makes any difference, but we'll be in an OV room (with french doors) on Carnival Miracle (Spirit class). TIA!!

This is the first time we're bringing our little one with us on a cruise. She is three years old. Our room will not have a tub and someone mentioned bringing an inflatable one with us. Just curious if anyone out there has tried this and if they have any brands they would suggest. Don't think it will make any difference, but we'll be in an OV room (with french doors) on the Miracle (Spirit class). TIA!!

Also posting this to family board, but the population here is much bigger and I'd really like some advice.

Phase 10 is awesome (I'm an avid player)....but it is definitely not the quickest of games. A game your kids may like along with all the adults involved may be Mad Gabs. I could be wrong on the name, but I'll look it up and double check. If wrong, I'll post a correction.

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When we were young we lived in France for a few years. Both my brother and I were photographed with our mom and were posted on her passport. Maybe this changed? But if you are going to Hawaii, which is the United States and are leaving and returning to the US, why would you need a passport to begin with?

Yup. As others have said now, our cruise has one stop in Mexico. Because the ship is registered (not sure if that's the right word) in a foreign country (probably Panama), it cannot have an exclusively U.S. Itinerary. It has to have at least one port outside of the U.S. For this cruise to Hawaii, we stop at Ensenada, Mexico, the second to last day. I kind of wish we didn't, though, so debarkation would be easier :/ Oh well. Can't complain. Going on a two week cruise to Hawaii :-)

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May seem obvious to some, but I honestly don't know. We are doing a Hawaii cruise out of Long Beach. We are both using passports. Our three year old daughter is coming with us, but we are using her birth certificate. Since she's only three, we don't have a government ID for her. Do you know if minors also have to have ID to travel on a birth certificate?

 

 

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Never mind. Found it on Carnival's FAQ. Only those who are 16 years and older are required to have a photo ID with their birth certificates. Phew! Had me worried there for a bit since our cruise is in less than two months and I thought I had everything in order. But it's good to know for other parents out there. Kids 15 and under do not need a government issued ID with their birth certificate. But those 16 and up MUST have one.

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All of the above is correct. For those traveling on a birth certificate, let me emphasize that an official birth certificate does not have footprints on it. If that's the only one you have ever had, contact the county records office in the county where you were born and get an official, government issued BC. And then have a photo ID, too. A passport contains both (proof of citizenship and photo) but if traveling on BC, you must have the second ID with photo.

May seem obvious to some, but I honestly don't know. We are doing a Hawaii cruise out of Long Beach. We are both using passports. Our three year old daughter is coming with us, but we are using her birth certificate. Since she's only three, we don't have a government ID for her. Do you know if minors also have to have ID to travel on a birth certificate?

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