Itchy&Scratchy

I thought the portions in the photos look rather small. Kind of like MSC portions. And, yeah, our family can pack away multiple appetizers, entrees and even desserts each. Of course, since Carnival charges for the 3rd plus entree, we'll limit ourselves to 2 max.

was this an appetizer or a main dish? Was it good? One donut was $4?????? What? That's crazy.

yes. My DS has been sleeping in one on cruises since he was 5. They have a small railing, although at 13 they don't usually need it. He is going to be 13 on our next cruise. He was sick once, so I left him on the lower bunk and climbed into one of the pullman beds. I am far from young, light and athletic, so it was a pain in the rear to climb and out, but it was safe to sleep in.

oh, sorry, misread it as you choosing between 3 devices to bring with you: stroller, carrier and the 3rd. 🙂 I am not familiar with these ports and how much walking will be involved, but I would assume that a lot, if you are not vegging out on the beach like we do at every port. 🙂 Water is super cold on the West coast, so I guess those are not very beachy in the traditional way. ah, yes, that would explain it! stroller it is. Mine was tall and heavy, 34# at 2, while our friends' kid was tall and super skinny and finally got to 40# at 8. He was hyper, though, so not easily contained in a stroller. I was so sad when mine gave up on a stroller at 14 months and never looked back. That sucker was expensive and I only got to use it for a few months.

I hope you enjoy! We just sail in the Caribbean - usually with our about to be 13 yo, but sometimes I take my parents with us. Both in early to mid-70s. My mom is in better shape than I am, but my dad is becoming increasingly less mobile, so we stay around the Caribbean. Plus, we love warm weather and beaches. 🙂

why not sail in the Caribbean where it's quite a bit warmer?

which ports are you going to? Does your 4 yo actually need a stroller? Can you use a sit and stand stroller? Mine gave up on a stroller at 14 months, preferring to run like the wind, so we never brought a stroller when he started cruising with us at 3. We only cruise to Caribbean ports, so walking from ship to a taxi stand is not all that bad, unless you are in Costa Maya. 🙂

how tall and how much does he weigh? It appears he has some specials needs which make him need a stroller more than other kids. I'd bring a stroller. That said, depending on his weight, do you have something like an Ergo Baby? Must sit on the hips, instead of shoulders, though. This is not me, I got this photo from ergobaby website. That reminds me, I still have mine, even though my baby is about to be a teen, and is way over 100#. I was able to wear him till about 34#, since I have a very bad back, but it went to 40#. What amazes me about this photo is not that she is baby wearing a toddler, but that she is hiking in her flip flops. 🙂 what's the third thing? I also still have a very bulky Baby Jogger City Elite, which is not suitable for travel. Are you flying or driving to the cruise? Are you going to take taxis at the ports? https://community.babycenter.com/groups/a10635/traveling_with_children - check out this board, great advice.

we would, however, last time we got covid on the ship, we didn't get symptoms until the day after disembarkation. We usually go on short 7 night cruises, so by the time you get infected, start showing symptoms and maybe test positive, we would already be off the cruise. We wear masks on the flight anyway (to and from the cruise), so at least we would'n get other people sick. Last summer (no cruise) I got symptoms and they were just like last time, so I already knew it was covid. However, I kept testing negative for a couple more days. My parents who got covid at the same time (independently from me and also NOT on a cruise) got a positive test each with minimal symptoms (dad) and even before mom developed symptoms.

I usually get a pedicure at a salon the night before I leave for the cruise. I do my manis myself. Saves me a whole lotta trouble and money.

that's what we started with before we had our kid. Although, back in 2009 we could sail for $258 a week pp, and now it's unreasonably expensive. $2,500 for an inside for a 7-9 day cruise for 2 people? Not even during a school break? Wowza. Our last cruise with RCI was in 2022 - we loved it, but that last cruise was still reasonably priced. Not anymore....

no. You cannot put 3 people into a 2 person cabin.

oh, that's terrible.

Wow, I just looked at the price and it's much cheaper than what we would pay during spring break. Are you going to be in the same cabin or dad will have his own? Connecting, adjacent? If you get balcony, look at deluxe balconies - they have a small sofa and are a little bigger. A mini-suite is just $40 more pp than a balcony.

I personally only book on Princess website. Apparently, booking through a TA may sometimes get you some additional perks for free (like princess Plus or a specialty dinner or OBC), but the one I used to use never provided anything good and their prices were higher than direct ones. Will you be needing an accessible room? That may limit your choices a bit. Make sure not to book under the pool deck, buffet, over or under MDR or theater. This late in the game the prices will probably be a bit higher.

wow. That's a lot. MSC charges $15, but there is a lot more natural shade on Ocean Cay than on Princess Cay, so we didn't even need it after prepaying it.

Enchanted all the way, please. We tried Caribbean Princess in 2016 and found it old and tired, and the buffer food wasn't as amazing as the Royal class (Enchanted). ours is first week of April. If you wait till the middle or end of April, OP, or go on a 10 day cruise, there will be fewer kids. We went on a 10 day Enchanted cruise for Thanksgiving, and the crowd was geriatric, with very few kids. I know my Enchanted review is from 2022 (link in signature), but you can look at the food pics in it if you want. I can't wait to be on her again this June.

That horse was beaten to death in this thread:

Bonaire

good grief, I didn't jump on you at all. I just said we've seen a few on less than 20 cruises.

that's not how cruise fares work in general. A 16 month old traveling as a second passenger will usually be charged the same fare as a 16 or a 66 year old. Usually, the reduced fare is applied to the 3rd and 4th passengers, but not always. If you booked a cabin for 2, you will not be able to add a 3rd passenger for free, unless a promotion mentioned above is taking place, and even then - 3 and 4 passenger cabins usually cost more, so it wouldn't be free.

wat??? It's magical. I am serious. We don't even snorkel... It's more dangerous here in the US on a regular day.

what? of course, they do. we've been on around 20 cruises total (maybe, even fewer) and we've seen service dogs on quite a few of them.

well, 3 is more than 2, so....

considering that we always sail as 3 or 5 people, and none of us ever purchase specialty dining, excursions and/or alcohol packages, spend any time in a casino, it doesn't make any sense to me to charge a poor solo traveler for 3 people.