Itchy&Scratchy

So here's why I need help - my DIL, who is a wonderful mom, worries about everything. (Her first question about this cruise was whether it would be during hurricane season.)

I'm pretty sure DIL's first reaction will be that the three year old - who IS quite the climber - will fall over the balcony rail. I know how high the balcony rails are, and that no child has EVER fallen over, but can y'all help me prepare for her objections? Honestly, this is a woman that is worried sick that the baby will be grabbed by a stranger at the professional baseball game we're going to for our family vacation this summer.

sounds like you roll your eyes at your DIL a LOT and don't like her too much either. She is just being a mom with a 3 yo kid.

We don't cruise in the summer because it's a hurricane season, so she is correct there.

We didn't get a balcony until the kid was 6. And he is still not allowed on the balcony if there is no adult present. He can open balcony doors very easily.

And yes, some kid fell to her death on a Carnival cruise over the foyer railing.

I too worry about somebody kidnapping my kid. When he was 2-3 yo, his favorite game was "run away from mommy" and he'd be gone in a blink of an eye. And if you think there are no predators on a cruise or at a baseball game - think again.

Bring a baby monitor and the parents can enjoy socializing in someone else's cabin as their daughter naps or sleeps at night in the Interior cabin.

it's different for everyone.

We started cruising with our kid when he was almost 4. He did great, loved it, etc. He was still napping at that time, so I read a book while he napped and DH got to have some fun outside the cabin.

We couldn't pawn our son off onto the kid's program even if we wanted to. We want to sometimes, but he has stranger and separation anxiety, despite being in preschool since he was 2, so leaving him with total strangers was a no-go.

So, he goes with us everywhere. Even the happy hour. Thankfully, kiddo loves his tablet, and can spend hours on it quietly. He is also very well behaved during dinner - while he is watching a cartoon or playing a game with the headphones on. We've see other kids getting bored with the adult conversation and become wild after 30-40 minutes, but ours is occupied and good to go.

We don't mind him tagging along to everything. Our excursions are always beach related, so no running through Catherine's Palace or Hermitage museum until he is way older (he is 7 now).

Our friends' kids are totally opposite. They LOVE the kid's program and ask about going first thing in the morning. They stay there till closing time, with breaks for family time and meals. They've been cruising since they were 3.

On our last cruise together we didn't even see our friends' kids on the ship.

There are much bigger limitations in terms of cruising with a 2 yo in regards to pool use, kid's programs, babysitting, kid's potty training status... So, we left our kiddo home with the grandparents until he was potty trained while we cruised. But we missed him terribly, so he started cruising at 3.

We were in Cozumel in November 2017.

Taxis both ways were pretty modern and had seat belts, however, they were not US models of cars and I cannot tell you whether their seat belts lock the same way the US models do or whether they had latch.

If I were you, I'd bring a locking clip with you just in case.

P.S. That said, if we are ever in Cozumel again, we won't even disembark. It wasn't worth it. We went to Ocean Beach Club not too far away. The beach was overcrowded and it was almost impossible to find a spot for all 5 of us. The water was cold and very choppy and my 6 yo couldn't even swim. Heck, I couldn't swim and I am a good swimmer. They had a pool which was a plus. All in all, $17 pp (no food or alcohol included) was an overkill. Supposedly, it included wifi, but only my DH's phone ever got the connection. I would honestly call it a disappointment. The taxi was about $25 each way for all 5 of us - it was the only thing I wasn't disappointed about, really.

at least 1.5-2 hours. We have a 6 year old, who's been cruising since he was 3. A tablet with downloaded cartoons/games and headphones solves any problems. Nobody has ever heard a single peep out of him during the dinner time, and we've always been complimented on his great behavior. Our kid cannot go to the kid's club due to his separation anxiety, but our friends' kids are always at the club during dinner.

No, the staff can bring out the kids' meals faster, but not everyone's meals.

Other solutions:

Do any time dining and get a table for 4. This way you won't bother anyone, have to wait for anyone which can speed up the dinner.

Or ship the kids off to the kid's club and enjoy a dinner at MDR.

Or eat at the buffet as a family.

Regarding being isolated for diarrhea. You will be asked if this is normal for you. If it is a normal reaction to certain food allergies, or you have other bowel conditions you will likely not be isolated.

exactly.

My medication's side effects are very much spot on norovirus symptoms.

Not once did I have a problem with anyone noticing them or questioning me.

I had to visit the medical center on Princess about 4 years ago .... so take this for what it is worth. My bill came to $131 total. This covered an exam for a torn ACL, a knee brace, anti-inflammatory meds and pain meds. I was waiting in the reception area for quite a long time ... seems like $131 was pretty much their standard charge for a visit with meds, as I talked to 3 other patients that said the same ... again, about 4 years ago. I thought the charge was pretty reasonable and it even covered a follow up visit a few days later.

Now, IV hydration ... I am absolutely sure this wouldn't be covered under that standard charge, although the shot might be. I've heard some real horror stories about high charges on cruise ships for medical care when there are more complex illness in play.

last year on Princess our friend went to the doctor for severe cold symptoms. $400.

This same friend was patient zero on the Royal Caribbean cruise with noro symptoms. He was confined to his quarters for 5 days out of 10, but was told it was voluntary confinement. His wife and kids didn't get sick.

I didn't like how the closet is split in two in a sideways cabin. We usually put two suitcases lying down open for easy access on the floor in the closet, but in a sideways room it would be impossible.

We don't eat any different onboard than we do at home, rarely gain weight, etc..

we go all out on the cruise, eat till we burst, go back for food multiple times, and my husband eats so many desserts..... We don't gain weight on the cruise, and we don't exercise on the cruise either. To each his own. For me cruises are the times of pure, unadulterated gluttony galore. All the fantastic food that nobody ever cooks at home - yum.

Of course, we only cruise 1-2 times a year....

we were in E502 and E332 and the view from both was this:

update: by the time of cruising dad was a little better, so we didn't rent a wheelchair or any other device.

Dad did pretty well on the cruise, slowly shuffling places. We only went to the beach at the destinations, so he only had to walk to the taxi and from the taxi to the beach.

On our way back our flight was at 5 pm, we spent the whole day at the airport, and by the time we got back home, we were all exhausted and dad was in a lot of pain. ATL airport is huge.... The wheelchair was waiting for dad at the gate, and it was great. I honestly didn't remember requesting it actually, so I was confused as to why they were waiting for Dad. Turns out, it was the best decision ever, of course, but my confusion about it was quite baffling. :)

On a stop in Costa Rica, we took a rafting excursion and had to be bused to the river. So we're going up a hill with no shoulder space and the driver is passing two other buses and we can't see what's coming over the hill yet! There have been big rigs coming the other way and this was insane!

 

Unbelievably, I think I was the only one concerned about it.. but to this day, I have an untrusting feeling when I get on a tour bus in third world countries. :(

same here. We were in Jamaica, and the road didn't have a shoulder either. The bus was so close to the edge, both DH and I were scared for our lives. It's been a few years since, but my DH still feels quite uneasy about it.

we always arrive about 1:30 pm (the flight lands in FLL at 12:40) and the embarkation takes about 5 minutes. No crowds.

That's on Princess.

you never know. I called and got my parents upgraded for free from inside to a balcony after they got an upsell offer for $99. The balcony was the same price as the inside cabin at the time. It was after the final payment.

The worst they can do is say no - so, I'd call.

Thanks for the booster suggestions. He’s normally harnessed in a britax frontier and we’re driving to port. We are leaving him on the ship with grandma for one port, walking to an excursion for another, and didn’t really want to lug that huge heavy seat for the last stop since we might not even go do anything. We’ll be walking around and will have to carry the seat around until we decide what to do. If he was younger we’d for sure not travel in port to avoid the seat issue.

I meant that you'd need one for travel to and from the departure port. We don't usually bring a seat/booster with us to destinations.

And we fly to FLL and then take a taxi to the port - hence, the nbb for taxi travel. When we rented a car to drive back from FLL, we brought the Frontier with us on the flight to FLL. It stashed very nicely in the cabin closet.

Noro is a nasty little bug {virus} that nasty, unclean people spread by not not performing personal hygiene. In short they, they use the toilet in a haphazard way and don't bother to wash their hands. They then contaminate everything they touch. Because it is a virus, hand sanitizers have no effect.

little kids spread noro like wildfire, but I wouldn't call them nasty, unclean people.

Do you have the name of it? My son turns 5 the week after we cruise next month and he is still harnessed and will be for probably 2+ more years. But we’re driving to port and his seat is insanely heavy so I’m considering allowing a booster just for the actual cruise. He’s a huge kid, 45+ inches and over 65 lbs so size wise I’m hesitantly considering it.

bubble bum is the inflatable one. Another really good one for travel for children of your kid's age, size and maturity is myfold.

I personally use a $13 Harmony Youth booster that you can get at any walmart. It fits under the seat on the plane (by the way, you cannot use boosters on the plane, only harnessed seats) and is small/light enough for my kid to carry. It's also very narrow and comes with the seat belt clip (a big plus). Starting at 46" my child has had a good seat belt fit in it, but not at 43".

My kiddo was harnessed in our car way past 6 years, but when we travel and taxi trips do not exceed 5 miles we'd use the nbb. You should booster train your kiddo at home and keep reminding him about sitting straight, not leaning out to look out of the window or pick up a toy.

When the rental car rides were long, I brought along my child's Britax Frontier - bungee cord it to a luggage cart and wheel it around the airport. It was much easier than I thought it was going to be - and we used it on the plane as well.

we went to Lac Bay to the beach, and it was heavenly. Waist deep water for way more than a hundred yards. Perfect for chilling, floating, little kids. We spent about 5 hours in the water.

No beach to really speak of, though.

Snorkeling is great off Klein Bonaire.

You'll not need them in FLL but you may on your cruise stops.

unless she is planning on walking from FLL to the port or taking a shuttle bus, she will need a car seat for a 2 yo to be transported in a taxi. Sure, the taxi drivers may not care about her kid's life and health, but OP should.

I highly recommend an Evenflo Maestro or Safety 1st Guide 65/Cosco Mightyfit for travel.

Also check out the Family Cruising board on cc, and Travel with Children board on babycenter.com. Lots of useful information. When you bring the seat with you on the plane, use it on the plane - do not gate check it because it's the only way to guarantee the seat's integrity and safety. Luggage handlers throw the seats around like they do with luggage, and your seat may be damaged without you even realizing it.

P.S. When your child is 5+, you will be able to bring a no-back booster for travel. Before that, though, please keep your child safe in a harnessed seat.

The issue regarding birth certificates was highly publicized; .

This is absolutely bizarre. I have heard of currency being withdrawn from circulation, never heard of obsolete birth certificates.

exactly. Me neither.

Dihydrogen monoxide is likely the best thing but be careful. It is very dangerous if inhaled so be sure to use it properly or it can actually result in death. Used properly though dihydrogen monoxide can be quite beneficial.

it's better if you mixed dihydrogen monoxide with sugar and salt for electrolytes. If you have severe symptoms, a simple dihydrogen monoxide concoction may not be as helpful.

That is why Gatorage and Pedialyte are most often recommended before the colonoscopy instead of plain water. My mom usually dehydrates to the point of delirium....

Bourbon, as any alcohol, will only add to dehydration...

Our first Princess cruise was on the Grand and the food was awful. Then we tried Caribbean Princess and, like magic, the food was SO much better.

Regal Princess' food is so much better than Caribbean (I mean the Horizon court).

Our first Princess cruise was on Regal (April 2016) and we were very impressed with MDR and buffet food. Imagine our disappointment when the buffet we expected to see on the Caribbean Princess in Nov 2016 wasn't anywhere near as extensive and great as Regal.

re: age...

Pick a cruise during any school break, and you will get a much younger crowd with kids. Like us - 30-40s, school aged kids. We are limited to cruising during school breaks now (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New year, spring break.). We don't cruise between mid-April and Thanksgiving due to it being the hurricane season.

Ohhh how I wish our Deluxe balcony would have the new bed.

we found the air to be sufficiently humid. Hubs has extreme nose bleeds if the air is dry which are exacerbated by his allergies. He has never needed a humidifier onboard, and as a matter of fact, we had problems with swimming suits and trunks NOT drying over the period of 2 days because of the higher humidity. But if you feel that you need even more moisture in the air - I guess, you should bring it.

Ever Princess ship we are on we see people consuming large plates of food all day long so their taste palettes must not be that sophisticated.....Princess has not changed that much but the complaints some Princess cruisers have seem to be pretty petty in the grand scheme of a cruise.....:)

I agree.

My husband and I are tea drinkers and last month we found some good tea to drink at the Horizon court. Even if it wasn't Twinings. And, surprisingly, the water was extremely hot.

We don't eat poolside pizza anyway, so no complaints. Neither of us got tempted enough to try it over the years, and, unlike my hubs, I am a glutton who will shovel pretty much any food in my mouth. My kid liked it last year, but he is 6. :)

On the other hand, the goat cheese souffle was superb, and I had two of those.

on my very first cruise I didn't bring flip flops with me. I don't know what I was thinking or not thinking. I didn't know I should have.

So, I wore my very nice dressy black shoes to the pool and beach, and my running shoes to an excursion (underground river tubing). Both were ruined by water.