Waterloomarc

We took our daughter when she was 7, 9 and 15 months old (and going again next month month). The 7 and 9 months cruises were great; at 15 months she was a bit of a handful so we took a year off! IMO 9 or 10 months is a GREAT time to take them, they're so entertaining! Anyway on to your question. Here is my .02

Definitely take the disposable bibs. They're a life saver.

We took a small inflatable pool which we used on the pool deck for her to splash around in. That was a great success. It only took 3 or 4 trips with an ice bucket to get it full enough for her to play in. We never used it as an actual tub. Our first 2 cruises we had a tub and by the last she just used the shower.

My biggest thing that we enjoyed is to forget the powdered formula. Who wants to mess with that? We brought a case of pre-mixed bottles (we used similac but I"m pretty sure enfamil makes them too). We put the case under the bed and just pulled out bottles as we needed them. They don't need to be refrigerated. We also brought the individual powder sleeves of formula that are pre-measured to pour in 8oz of water. (think those flavored drink things you pour in bottled water). We stuff a few of those in the backpack for excursions "just in case".

IMO this was so much better than messing around with powder and tubs and shaking etc.

Obviously bring plenty of diapers and wipes. I found wipes on each ship i've been on but never saw any diapers. Never needed any but I always looked just for kicks.

Oh and at 10 months definitely bring some teething tablets and ibuprofen!! A teething toddler does not make for a fun cruise mate!

Enjoy your cruise! The cruise we took when DD was 9 months has been my favorite out of the nine we've been on. I hope you have the same experience!

Yes it is absolutely worth it to me! We've had it 4 times now and unfortunately I haven't been able to get it yet for my upcoming September cruise...but I'm still hoping.

I don't care about the priority tendering as I tend to sleep in to let the crowds die down anyway. But the dedicated guest service line comes in handy. But far and away the biggest reason I buy it is to skip the line and check in and have the cabin ready when I board.

Buy it. If you regret it, it was only $60 and chalk it up to experience. Hell that won't even buy dinner anymore especially in Canada!

It would definitely be a tight squeeze. Your best bet would probably be just to let the 4 year old sleep in the bed with the two of you and let the 8 year old have the couch.

I feel your pain I pay we pay for my mother in law to sail with us as well. It's great to have the baby sitter but it's tough on the wallet...especially since my wife won't let me book her in anything other than balcony!

The other option that comes to mind if you're feeling risky is to call carnival and have them book the 3 of you in a cabin for 4. That way you'll have the extra bed (one out of the ceiling and one out of the couch) should both kids wind up in the room with you. The risky part is that Carnival could bump you out of the cabin if they need it for a booking really with 4 people. It's just a matter of whether you want to roll the dice or not.

Done both. Got a kid so water park trumps. Personally I prefer smaller ships though.

There are couches and chairs in the shade on the serenity deck as well. No loungers though.

I'll avoided the Dream class for a long time because I prefer smaller ships. However until my daughter get a little older we've been restricted to drivable ports...therefore I was forced to try her last year. I was sure it would be the crowded hellish behemoth I had made it out to be.

It was fine. In fact we're going on her again in September. There were actually several areas of the ship that I quite enjoyed. I didn't find it that crowded at all. However like others here I'm not the "gotta have a chair by the pool" type. As long as I can get one in the sun I'm fine and that was never a problem. I don't eat and the buffet except for lunch and then I don't use the 'specialty' stations so those may very well be crowded but I wouldn't notice. There are plenty of Mongolian and Mexican restaurants around here so I'm not about to try to eat that on vacation ;) We did anytime dining and never had to wait once. I can't comment on how hot the food was since my daughter was 15 months at the time... It's only recently I'm starting to get to eat hot food again!

Relax. Enjoy your cruise. I wouldn't say she was my favorite ship but she was much better than I was prepared for. Much.

Do you need parking. Most downtown hotels can be had for $120-150 a night if you don't need to park. Parking can cost anywhere from $30-40 though ime. Obviously what you consider close plays important too. The further out the cheaper the hotels.

We took my DD on 3 cruises before she was 15 mos and I have to say I was always petrified of others reactions if she had a meltdown. Overall we had good luck and only on her last cruise did I have to remove her from the dining room a couple times. She's turning 2 tomorrow and we took a year off to avoid ruining somebody else's vacation while she was in her loud/mobile/easily bored yet still not old enough to understand consequences phase.

IMO you can't blame the kid. Speaking as a parent who tries to be extremely conscientious of others, you probably can't blame the parents either. I know with ours there's no warning for when you need to stay out of public. She can be an angel today and sit for an hour happily eating and coloring at a steakhouse while tomorrow (parents enboldened by today's success) she wouldn't sit still for 5 minutes to get an ice cream cone and you just want to crawl under a rock! No hints whatsoever. So that screaming toddler may have been perfectly fine at home and maybe even perfectly fine on other cruises. Kids are fickle creatures.

Anyway you gotta just take the good with the bad. Life ain't fair and maybe you next go round will be better. N

Took 3 cruises with DD while she was under 2 (6, 9 & 15 mo) Definitely not free ;) Definitely worth the expense though. She was always a good eater and we got by on fruit plates and various other sides. And bread...tons of bread.

I'm wondering the same thing, which beach they take you to. I'm looking for something pretty painless and with good facilities and access to shade as we're traveling with our 2 year old. (We always bring her little pop-up cabana anyway though)

Regarding your preference for cruise line guarantees; don't let the cruise lines scare you. There's nothing wrong with 99.9% of the independents. They have a vested interest in getting you back in time. If anything, they have to offer better service because they're not being fed business by the cruise lines. Anyway, it's none of my business but just wanted to share that. Don't want you to limit yourself if you find something else that's available. We used to always just grab an (independent) excursion when we got to ports. Now, however, that we travel with a kid we enjoy the convenience of the ship's excursions. Sorry to veer off topic.

Still wondering about carnivals beach excursions if anybody has any experience!

We've tracking with our daughter since she was 6 months old, first cruise at 7 months. She'll be two at the end of May and we'll take her on her 4th cruise in September. The "they won't remember it" particularly annoys me. Sure she won't but WE will! It's about making memories as a family not just for one member. Will my daughter remember spending all day in the water with me in Costa Maya when she was 9 months old? Absolutely not. Will I ever forget it and was it worth every penny? You're darn right. Will I ever forget that the first time she ever reached up and hugged me back was on a vacation? Absolutely not. Not to say we don't make memories at home but why not make memories together everywhere. This is also not to say we won't ever take a vacation without her...we talk about it all the time but when push comes to shove we chicken out. I travel for work and it's hard just being gone 3 or 4 days and I just can't justify leaving her for a whole week or more. (This probably will change as the terrible twos take hold!)

I have not, however, worked up the courage to take her on a plane. I have visions of toddler melt-down and disrupting 150 other people's flight. I really miss flying as it cuts down on options tremendously but I'm just not willing to chance it right now. Maybe in another year or so, since I also don't want to go too long before exposing her to it.

I love the Fascination. Been on her 3 times now (JAX is a cheap flight from BHM what can I say) I wish these Fantasy class ships still got more play on 7 day routes. I would take them more. I know I'm in the minority and it will never happen but a guy can wish right? There's just more a feel of being on the ocean to me, and as the OP said there are plenty of outdoor spaces. Looking forward to taking one of the longer cruises on here out of San Juan.

We bought an Uppababy G-lite umbrella stroller for ours. She was 15 month on our last cruise and it worked well. It has a good sunshade and a decent sized basket underneath for storage. Also you can remove (easily) the cushion/seat thing and your kid can then just sit in the mesh sling - I think this is great for hot weather as sometimes all that padding can get hot.

On her first 2 cruises we took our big (relatively speaking) Britax and the umbrella was definitely better. I missed the bigger wheels of the Britax occasionally while in port but not enough to justify the space it took. The thing I noticed cruising with her at that age was how much I use the stroller on the ship. The first 2 times (6mo and 9mo) I never used it on the ship. But it was great to have to wheel her around the decks when it wasn't too crowded.

Good luck. I always say I'm going to do it but I always chicken out and go back to the balcony. I hear that sleeping is great because it's always dark.

Yep like most I started cruising with Carnival. I was terribly disappointed with the robes on NCL in comparison. They served the purpose I suppose but the ones on CCL are much more substantial b

I'm no lawyer but if it was dismissed I can't see how it would matter.

Very odd that you've sent it so many times to no avail. I always Fax mine and never email. I've had a response the next day each time.

I know this is going you be an annoying question, but are you SURE you're faxing it to the right number?

I only ask because with all the complaints on here about carnival this is one area where you see very few.

Yes we've brought our Britax on two cruises. Brought an Uppababy umbrella one our most recent cruise though.

The entertainment on the Dream for my September cruise rescued my opinion of Carnival. I wonder how long it will last before they cut down the rest.

I've stayed at the Hilton a couple times. Still walking distance to Bayside, although the IC is much closer. Great view of the ships when you open the curtains in the morning.

Lol I know, I was referring to the old Yo Queiro Taco Bell commercials ;)

Love Belize. Would never rent a car there though! Don't let people (here) frighten you. I've found the people warm and friendly. You'd be surprised how far a smile and an acknowledgement will go. So many passengers walk by these folks and just ignore them like they're dirt do it's only natural they try to stop you to get your attention. Make eye contact, smile, say no thanks. In other words treat them as you would want to be treated if you were doing that as a living.

As far as safety goes at least Belize is an English speaking country. If I were stranded in Mexico about all I could do would be to ask for a Taco Bell. In Belize and least you can talk to people.

Don't be the jerk who leaves his light on all night. Only tip that matters ;)

Other people can see you in the reflection on the glass...so sit accordingly if you're wearing a robe. Or doing anything else!

We took my 15 mo DD to the turtle farm last month and she loved it. I was surprised how much she was interested by it actually. I agree there's more for them to do when they're older though. Mine was quite content to look and point and run back and forth on the platform. My kid hates sand though...

First rule of government and media: over-inflate non-threatening info. Minimize truly threatening info. Really think a shoe bomber is a bigger threat than Ebola? Or a fence hopper??

To stay on topic though, I own shares of both so I'm a double loser. On paper.