Itchy&Scratchy

I used (and will be using again on our upcoming cruise) our car seat on the plane. Stashed it in the closet in our inside room. I don't advise on checking them when flying - they are always safer when in use on the plane. If you must - don't check them in as luggage, but gate check them instead. It a little safer.

Yes, we used puddle jumpers for our kid right up until he hit 50# last year. He was still able to use them on our last cruise last November - he was 5 years and 7 months at that time. He even used them in the hot tub. :)

This summer we had to buy a vest for him, because puddle jumpers only go to 50#.

I wouldn't rent a car seat. They are often filthy, expired, beat up, or may have been inappropriately cleaned. Very unsafe.

For a 1 year old I'd buy a Cosco Scenera NEXT - $34-40 and use it for rear facing. Or use your own. Especially since you are going on a cross country trip.

Safety 1st Guide 65 often has installation quirks. So, I wouldn't risk bringing it on a trip to install in unfamiliar cars.

Yes, Graco 4ever will be cumbersome to travel with.

for a 1 yo I'd get Cosco Scenera NEXT. It's a rearfacing seat only, and will rearface an average kiddo to about 2.5-3 years of age. It's outgrown in forward facing mode before rear facing mode, but for $34-40 price it's a great travel seat. Install with seat belt (not latch).

Also great to use on planes. Check the images:

https://community.babycenter.com/post/a57092524/cosco_scenera_next_on_a_chicco_liteway_plus

We brought our Britax Frontier Clicktight with us on a cruise, just because we needed it on a drive back. We'll have to do it again this November. It stored very well in a closet on Regal Princess. However, we didn't use it in ports. Our child has been cruising since he was 4, and he is rather large, so while here in the US he is still harnessed at 6, we've never actually used a car seat in port. I don't know if I'd be as comfortable with that if he were 2 years old.

For an average 2 year old I'd recommend an Evenflo Maestro. Around $50-60, harnesses to 50#, very light, 19" wide, a very good travel seat. In most foreign cars, if they don't have isofix/latch, you will need to use a locking clip (sold separately).

Please do not check your car seat as luggage when flying. Since your 2 yo is required to have his/her own seat anyway, just use your car seat on the plane. You simply don't know how luggage handlers will handle your car seat and whether it will be compromised on arrival. Using it on the plane is the only way to make sure that your seat arrives WITH you and that it will not be damaged. You may not see the hidden damage, but your seats may be unsafe.

Thank you - I appreciate your response. We are planning to take a shuttle/bus

will you be flying and taking a taxi from the airport to the port? Then I highly recommend Cosco Scenera Next for $30-40 as a travel seat. It's easily attached to a stroller, and has an easy seat belt install in US cars (not a good install with latch). If the child has his own seat on the plane, it's best to use a car seat on the plane as well.

You can also strap a car seat to a rolling suitcase or a folding luggage cart.

https://www.google.com/search?q=image+of+cosco+scenera+next+stroller&rlz=1C1VFKB_enUS697US697&oq=image+of+cosco+scenera+next+stroller&aqs=chrome..69i57.8847j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Also check out the Travel with Children board for more tips.

https://community.babycenter.com/groups/a10635/traveling_with_children

Really? Is bringing a car seat that much of an inconvenience to ensure the safety of your child? I'm not a parent but sounds pretty selfish and irresponsible to me. But hey what do I know.

so, you've never traveled with a kid and a car seat in a foreign country...

then you would probably not know that most foreign cars do not have locking seat belts, and that you would need to bring a locking clip with you to secure your US car seat. Many US people wouldn't know it beforehand either... And without built-in lockoffs or a locking clip, you will not be able to install your US car seat if the seat belt in the car does not lock.

Also, foreign cars may or may not have latch/isofix so you could secure your car seat with that, but if your kid is over 40#, you can't use latch/isofix to install most seats anyway.

Also, a lot of convertible car seats are 20#+, so traveling to the beach with a 30# kid, a stroller and a 23# seat that you may or may not be able to install in a foreign car, may in fact, become rather cumbersome. Where are you going to leave the car seat when you get to the beach?

P.S. I am a car safety and car seat fan. Yes, there are travel-friendly car seats out there.

You CAN make a 10 AM flight; but I'm not sure about "easily". FLL can get clogged - how many people will be debarking from your ship? How many from others coming in the same day? Will it be at the end of a vacation period when there might be many land vacationers flying home? Could the ship be delayed?

 

If you are CERTAIN that you will be off the ship BEFORE 9:00 AM, there is a reasonable CHANCE you can get to the airport, check your bags, clear security and get to the gate before they close the doors at 9:45 --- but no one in his right mind would bet on it without a good, affordable Plan B in mind.

we didn't make a 10 am flight twice....

Last November Caribbean Princess didn't let people off the ship as scheduled due to immigration/customs hold up. We didn't get off the ship till noon. Then it took an hour to drop off luggage at Spirit Airlines (that was very unusual) and they lost my husband's driver's license at that moment. Thankfully, we had his passport. So, by the time we actually made it to the gate was about 2 pm. We made it to the 5 pm flight.

i'm pleased to read so much positive about the regal buffet. except for ultimate dining, i didnt want to spend anymore for food and looks like i dont have to on my short 5 nite trip

We enjoyed it very much last April, and we were rather disappointed with Caribbean Princess buffet after experiencing Regal choices.

Regal even had sushi one day at the buffet.

I have spoken with Princess regarding a 7 or 8 day including Aruba stop. I was told as of January 2019, there would be no more but would still be available on some longer sailings. Disappointed. Has anyone else been told this? I know I book early... :confused:

Do you eat Itchy & Scratchy burgers during that week or Crusty burgers,:D

There are reasons that 33.7% of United States adults were listed as medically obese (BMI of 30 or more) in 2014. Indulging in multiple courses (and usually not a salad course) as a norm is probably one of them.

51 weeks out of a year I don't indulge in multiple courses. Far from it.

Oh, my. I hadn't considered the speed at which one eats when we selected to dine at a table larger than just ourselves. I thought it would be nice to meet another couple through the dinning experience. We may do a lot of just waiting at dinner. Live and learn, I guess.

we've never had this problem... We've dined with a variety of people since we always agreed to share a table during our Anytime dining.

Oh, and on all 5 of our cruises, most of the multilple main dishes came out at the same time or following each other back to back.

I only had a couple of "bad service moments", when the waiter forgot to bring another appetizer or entrée. Or it took 10+ minutes to get a dessert menu after the plates have been cleared off.

We'll see how the upcoming cruise goes. This will be the first time cruising for our parents. Dad and I eat very quickly*, hubby and his mom eat at an average speed, and my mom eats very slowly. Friend's family eats at an average speed. :) I think we'll be just fine.

*both of us can easily eat 2 entrees in the time it takes my hubby to eat one entrée.

Thanks!

Yes, I am a car seat safety nut, so I've had a couple of problems with the FLL taxi drivers who don't believe in seat belts either. Even for 4 year old passengers. :(

I checked the rates and that's what gave me the idea that the taxi driver may have asked for 240 pesos, but my friend thought that he was asking for $240. In the end, she paid $240 and was extremely upset.

We are definitely going to a beach in Cozumel! I am getting a full face snorkeling mask.

My friend is refusing to disembark at Cozumel because she had a horrendous experience with the taxi drivers during her last cruise to Cozumel.

Her family wanted to go to a free or reasonably priced beach, and the taxi drivers demanded $240 to take 6 of them to a "free beach which includes beach chairs". She tried to negotiate the price with other drivers, and they were yelling at her and nobody wanted to take them to any beach for less money.

When they got to the beach, it was very bad and the chairs were extra $15 each.

Has anyone else have any bad experiences like that? We were in Cozumel in 2009 with this same friend, and I don't remember any outrageous taxi prices. I do believe that we paid about $20 each way. The beach was underwhelming, but it didn't have rickety chairs for $15.

I am interested in Monkey Bar or Paradise beach. Still in a process of researching.

Could the driver have been asking for 240 Mexican pesos instead of $240? Do they ask for dollars or pesos? I'd think dollars, since most of us are American?

That's one of the main reasons we sit at a table for 2. Unless you really enjoy the conversations around the table each evening, it eliminates so many problems. :)

well, there is going to be 9-10 of us (my family + friend's family) at the table. We cannot isolate my mom just because she eats slowly. :) ;p

We'll simply order dessert long before she is done.

The only problem I have seen when a passenger at our table orders two mains is that the waiter will not go on to the desert course for anyone at the table until that person has finished both entrees.

then we'll be in trouble on our upcoming cruise, since my mom eats at an excruciatingly slow speed.

Got to ask - how many people can eat two entrees? If people are just wanting to try the different options may be it is time for Princess to consider having a taster option made up of all the entrees that day.

you'd be surprised...

We have a very athletic friend that loves cruising. We go together cruising all the time. He'd alone have 4-5 entrees fully consumed, and then finish whatever we didn't finish. He is not obese at all. Very athletic, plays hockey and does yoga.

My hubby, who doesn't usually eat much, can finish off 2 entrees. Plus appetizers. No, he is not obese. He only does it while cruising 1-2 times a year.

I usually order a couple of entrees and several appetizers, but do not eat veggies/garnish/side dishes - I prefer to eat meat only. I may nibble on the side dish if it looks interesting, and if it's really good and worthy, I'll finish it, but that happens very seldom.

My dad can finish several plates at any buffet, not including dessert. Unfortunately, his voracious appetite caused diabetes, so he can no longer enjoy THAT much food. He is obese.

I don't think my mom will be eating more than 1 or maybe 2 entrees at the most. She is not obese.

P.S. I indicated the obesity status because PP mentioned it and said that, perhaps, only the obese people could finish more than 1 entrée. Not true!

never happened to us either. All of us (7 adults and 1 kid) always get multiple entrees.

We are not avid cruisers (only 5 cruises so far, and #6 is coming up on Regal Princess), but we do have a 50/50 experience with Royal Caribbean.

The first 3 cruises were on RC (Liberty, Navigator and Independence). RC offers a lot more things to do on the ship than Princess. You can participate or you can watch many fun activities (rock climbing, ice skating, mini golf, water sports, kiddy pool, etc.).

Princess is geared more towards the adults, just like Celebrity. If your kids are not into the Kid's club and have to go with you everywhere on the ship, there is very little to do on Princess besides sunning or swimming on the pool with kids. Our kid will not stay at the kid's club (stranger anxiety), so he had to trail us everywhere. It rained every sea day on Caribbean Princess. There was nothing to do with kids. At least on Regal my husband took him to the gelato shop, but there was no gelato cafe on Caribbean. Caribbean Princess' photos were deceiving, because they showed a great looking kid playground/jungle gym, but when we arrived, we discovered that it was in the room for kids 8-12 years of age, and my then 5 year old was not allowed in. Now, I must mention that kids 8-12 years old are NOT interested in this playground at all. Caribbean Princess crew should really rethink this arrangement.

You have to pay-per-view for movies and cartoons on RC. Regal offered a variety of movies and cartoons for free, on demand, and plenty of them were dubbed in other languages. Caribbean Princess didn't offer the same - their TV programming was set.

From 2009 to 2012 RCCL menu didn't change at all. They offered the same dishes on all three ships (MDR and buffet). We got tired of it, and that's when we tried Princess. Our first cruise with Princess was on Regal. We loved the food and the Chocolate Journey. MDR dishes were simply great, but the buffet on Regal blew me away. It was fantastic. I am looking forward to exploring it again this November.

So, naturally I thought it was going to be the same on Caribbean Princess, and no, it wasn't. MDR dishes were slightly different from Regal, but great nevertheless, but the buffet was small and underwhelming. We didn't go hungry by any means, but both my husband and I were disappointed. Oh, and I must mention that the kid's menu food in MDR was subpar. My son is a good eater, but the kid dishes were simply inedible (I tried them after the kid complained and I concur). Eventually, he would just eat something at the buffet beforehand, and have a fruit salad and ice cream at MDR.

We didn't have this problem on Regal. Also, Regal offers MDR menus in a variety of foreign languages, which is a huge plus.

For our second cruise with Princess, we chose Caribbean Princess only because of the destinations on that sailing. Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire were fantastic, and we are very happy with our choice. The ship itself was a bit tired and dirty, and I had to wipe the entire cabin with Lysol wipes. It was a dirty cabin and especially bathroom.

Regal was grand and clean. However, I was a bit disappointed in the layout of the ship. On RC ships there was one long promenade with shops and cafes, perfect for strolling, eating and looking in stores. On Princess ships the Promenade is split between 3 levels with stairs between all of them. A little inconvenient if you are traveling with people with limited mobility.

So, basically, if you are looking for great food but don't care about activities with kids, go with Princess. If you are looking for kid-friendly activities and are ok with good food, go with Royal Caribbean.

Oh, one more thing. RCCL has been pretty bad about pricing in the last few years. It's very expensive, and the 3rd/4th passengers are even more expensive than the first 2. All three times on Princess our kid has travelled for $99+ tax, and the 1-2nd passenger prices have been very enticing when you catch a great sale.

P.S. Forgot to say - we had the most uncomfortable twin beds on Regal. Rather painful to sleep on for both me and hubby (we are in very early 40s). Caribbean had OK twin beds. RCCL had average beds - neither super comfortable, no super uncomfortable.

P. P. S. Our friends cruise a lot, and they tried different cruise lines. They love Regal Princess the best. The food is the greatest, kids love Kid's club, comfortable, grand, clean, etc. Oh, and their most favorite thing by far? Chocolate Journey. They are really-really into food quality.

Except for the water slides on the Harmony Of The Seas the ships are basically the same. The Allure Of The Seas is a wonderful ship and that would definitely be my choice for a first time family cruise.

my friends who are not first time cruisers actually hated the Allure. Long lines for buffet (about an hour to get in), huge crowds, charges for movies and cartoons for kids, etc., all of these were just a bit disappointing. She also complained about food compared to Regal/Royal Princess.

we brought our car seat for the kiddo, and I didn't want to entrust a $300 seat to just anyone. The luggage handlers on Caribbean Princess broke our suitcase twice, so I don't trust them with a car seat whose safety may be compromised. We brought it onboard ourselves and stashed it in the closet.

You will definitely need a stroller for your toddler before the luggage handlers bring it to you later in the evening, so keep it with you.

MUST have water shoes! We didn't know a year ago, so I had multiple cuts to my feet from very sharp rocks both on the beach and in the water, and my kid sliced his foot pretty badly. This year all of us are wearng water shoes!

DH is a measly 6'1, so he didn't have any problems. We had a queen on Royal Carribbean, and always twin setup on Princess (Regal and Caribbean). I found the beds to be very uncomfortable, but they were long enough to accommodate a 6'1 person.

on our very first cruise I totally blanked out and didn't bring rubber flip-flops for beach/pool/upper decks. I don't know what I was thinking. I had to wear my dressy shoes to the pool (they were ruined) and sneakers to the beach and tubing (they were ruined as well). Hubs forgot his toothbrush.

Now that we are older and travel with a kid, we also have to pack up our entire pharmacy...

If you are going to Princess Cay, water shoes are a must...

Battery operated nightlight is great for the bathrooms on any cruiselines and inside Royal Caribbean rooms (we found no usable outlets), and plug-in nightlights for inside rooms are fine for Regal and Caribbean Princess.

We don't bring ducktape or magnets. No use for those.

It's better to have SPF lotion in bottles instead of sprays for ship use. OK to use sprays on shore. Too windy for sprays on the ship (and you can't spray inside unless you want to inhale that stuff).

Make sure sun hats are snug, or they'll fly away on the ship.

We also bring Lysol wipes and wipe down our seats on the plane (plus window and folding trays), and the entire room on the cruise. They were very useful.

on our very first cruise we thought we had to dress up big time for formal nights. We ordered a tux for hubby and I wore a little black dress. Ha-ha. Not anymore. He wears slacks and a buttoned-up shirt for formal nights and I wear slacks and a nice smart-casual top. For smart casual - nice top and jeans. For casual - jeans and t-shirts.