chinita415

Look at the app Bounce. They partner with local businesses to store bags and it's about $8 a bag. Like Airbnb and Turo. I am using this to store carseats as we are in town for the day but docking at Pan American Pier. Usually hotels or businesses. There are a bunch in Old San Juan and other parts of town.

Yes I am still hoping they will offer a motor coach shuttle since it sounds like usually day visit ships normally dock at Old San Juan and only those starting and ending at San Juan are out at Pan American Pier. 

I think we will just stick to the food tour and wandering around Old San Juan. Will venture out on another visit when the kids are older. I am sure we will be back on the future  

It's actually 5 ships total that day. Very disappointed that DCL will not arrange for motor coach transportation into Old San Juan. We are in port from 8:30a to 4:30p.

I have figured it out. Will use our own carseats for Uber or taxi. Store the seats at a Bounce location (Hotel Casa Blanca) in Old San Juan. Take Flavours of San Juan food tour. If the kids get antsy we will take turns outside the restaurant with them. We did a walking food tour in Havana when we cruised with my oldest when she was 8m and it was fabulous. Hoping this will be the same.

There are other people on our sailing in same situation with kids needing carseats or people in wheelchair. Not many accessible tours from DCL or for younger kids. I will definitely give DCL feedback. We have been to other ports (in Europe most recently) where the ports were out of main parts of town but had motor coaches as shuttles into town. Would except the same here.

Will be in town for the day on Disney Fantasy on January 11th. Apparently 3 other ships in town and we dock at Pan American which I understand is not walking distance from Old Town.

Want to do a walking tour or a food tour. We did something like that in Havana when we had just one kid at 9mo a few years ago and it was great. I will have a 5yo and 19mo. We will have our own carseats. Maybe I can find a private tour guide with a car??

Are there car service with car seats? 

Any suggestions?

Good tips already. My DD just turned 2y. She cruised when she was 8 months and 16 months. Much harder at 16 months because she was so mobile and curious. About the shower - we just put towels on the shower floor to make it less slippery. Did it when she was 8 months with her sitting and 16 months with her standing. I did not want to bother with the inflatable thing.

We use the Summer Infant 3D lite stroller for the first trip and the GB Pockit Plus for the recent trip. Would love to get the Babyzen Yoyo but have sticker shock. The GB is not as sturdy but I love how small it folds and great for carry on size so you don't have to wait at the gate. We also bring our own carseat (the Cosco Scenera Nex) and it nests perfectly in most umbrella strollers. I use 2 bungee cords to secure it to the stroller.

As for eating, MDR was easier as we did not have to schlep our own stuff and staff loved entertaining her as many have kids at home that they miss. We got to see staff members' kids' photos many times.

Pay for the photo package. We have great formal family photos from both cruises with her. The most recent one was our "grandma" cruise with both GMs. We definitely got our money's worth. Not sure how it works for Carnival, but for Princess as long as someone in the cabin who got the package is in the photo it is included in the all inclusive package.

I was on the Royal Princess in April and here was our PnP in our room. Pretty sure we had a deluxe. DD was 16 months on this cruise. Her first cruise she was 8 months old and we went to Cuba from Miami. We had a small ocean view cabin then and initially had a PnP but sent it back because it was too cramped. She co-slept with us on that trip. 

We gladly paid for gratuities for her on both trips. The staff works hard and I don't mind paying for them . 

As for general tips, she was much easier on the first cruise because she was not that mobile yet. She had her first of many solids food on that sailing. We did not ask for puree food but ordered mostly soups and other soft foods off the MDR menu. MDR worked much better than buffet because you did not have to carry all your own stuff. DD was able to sit through longish dinners at 8 months. At 16 months, not so much so we ended up taking turn walking around with her. At 8 months, we did bring the umbrella stroller but mostly wore her in a carrier so we could just walk up and down the stairs. We did fine in the shower for both trips. First trip, we laid towels on the shower floor so she could sit on it and use the shower head.  We knew she could not use the pool so spent an extra 3 nights in a Miami hotel so she could use the pool.

On 9/6/2019 at 8:31 PM, Bellie said:

How did you like the Pockit? I've been looking at it and similar models potentially to get.

 I like for the portability and carryon size. The plus (not original) reclines so good for naps. Not so good is the small wheels. Somewhat harder on cobblestone or broken sidewalks or dirt. But feasible if you lock the front wheels. Also the fold is sometimes hard especially if you have something small in the basket. 

We use the Pockit Plus at home too. We use the Summer Infant when we go to amusement park and need more basket space.

I would get the Babyzen Yoyo if I wasn't so cheap. Also carryon size but easier to open and close and sturdier wheels.

We were on the Royal Princess in April with my then 16 months old daughter. I bought the GB Pockit+ for that trip because it is carryon size for the plane. Previously have traveled with the Summer Infant 3DLite. We also had my mother in law in a manual wheelchair. It was a pain to wait for the elevator during peak times but we dealt with it.

We cruised with daughter last summer when she was 8 months old to Cuba. We brought the Summer Infant but mostly wore her in a carrier then. It was much easier that way as we could walk the stairs.

When my daughter was 8 months old, she ate some of her first real food on that first cruise. I brought puree foods. I had some pouches but also bought the cheaper containers and the reusable pouches. We never asked them to puree foods. We ordered her the soups and she ate some of the softer foods. Not on this cruise but a few months later when we went to Disneyland she LOVED the crawfish cake which is like crab cake in consistency. She is a little more picky now but still eats a lot of real food but also toddler favorites like pasta and she still likes the pouches for snacks sometimes. 

Our daughter was perfect in the MDR ay 8 months. By at 13 months, she wanted to be moving so we took turns. Agree MDR is the ideal place to be served. We just went to buffet some of the time because my MIL like seeing her food first.

I used to be a pack mule but much better now. I have a gallon zip lock bag with a few diapers and a smaller sandwich bag with wipes. I have a coverall (good for nursing cover, high chair cover) that I use to put baby on to change. 

If not nursing, the single use formula powder sticks are great. A water bottle for me and formula mixing. Pouch puree food with the flow control valves. 

But I ALWAYS bring more diapers than I need. As we go through them, I make room for souvenirs. Did this for 2 weeks trips. Even though seems like a lot, worked out.

Also, I didn't know until that Cuba trip... babies in swim diapers not allowed on ship pool due to filters being different than land pool. We actually stayed 3 days in South Beach so we could swim in pool with her.

We took baby girl to Cuba at 8 months and came back from Mexico a few weeks ago. She's now 17 months. You got this. We wore her on the first trip and stroller on the recent one. I had the Summer infant 3D stroller the first trip and splurged on the GB Pockit Plus recently. Totally worth it. 

I put in my 2 cents in that Alaska with 16 months old thread linked about. Let me know if you have more questions. We traveled a lot before baby and she hasn't slowed us down. Hawaii at 6 weeks. Japan at 3 months. Cuba at 8 months. Singapore/Malaysia at 13 months. And recent Mexican cruise.

I saw this recently. 

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/living-abroad-motherhood_l_5cd57c94e4b054da4e87d1a6

>>“The big idea in the U.S. is that everyone talks about how you have a kid, and your entire world revolves around said child,” she said. “In France, the mentality ― at least in Paris ― is, ‘I decided to have a kid and now they will mold into my lifestyle.’”<<

I guess we are more Parisians than Americans then.

Yup available. 

https://ensure.com/nutrition-products/ensure-powder?gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=Cj0KCQjwt_nmBRD0ARIsAJYs6o2RKxllSdAOeV5PnGn_9AmjibxA9iAvC787sohMngiBsrr4gnOXSW8aAoWVEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Talked to your doctor and nutritionist if you can use a powder form. Carnation Instant Breakfast  powder mixed with whole milk is often used as a cheap version of Pediasure for children. Pediasure itself now has a powder form. I wonder if Boost or Ensure are available in powder form as well.

You might have read my recent thread asking about photo packages for different cabins. We were on the Royal and got one package for 2 cabins. As long as one of us were in the picture, it was included. Exceptions were some of the "special prints." The candid photos we got were from the roaming photographers during dinner at the MDR. They were pretty patient and let us take various combinations.  Other more candid ones were when Stanley the Bear was walking around the ship. 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2650782-photo-package-with-more-than-one-cabin/?tab=comments#comment-57320063

I was on the Royal Princess last month and it was a Pack N Play like the one in the above link. We put in in front of the couch. We had the stroller in the closet but not sure she would have stayed there by herself. Baby girl is 17 months and slept fine.

We were on RCI last summer and it was the same crib. 

2 hours ago, oskidunker said:

My advice is to go have a nice Mexican lunch in town and forget about Princess. 

 Exactly. We too were on the Royal recently and the Mexican food was not authentic. Hard yellow shell tacos and fajitas which are TexMex.

Yup no seatbelts in Cuba. I wore baby in a carrier during our classic car ride. I was very hesitant but glad I did it

Agree with concerns about flying in morning of cruise and also stocking up in Miami via Uber with one adult.

We did take yogurt and boxed cereal off the ship.

Ah I see flying in from NZ. Wow that's such a packed schedule with no down time in Miami.

Just bring everything from home if you can't make time in Miami. I guess without a carseat you are severely limited. You won't drive at all the rest of the trip?

You don't want to be without diapers. We were just on a cruise out of LA and there was a wedding on board. One of the guests who came on just for the wedding had to ask me for diapers because they forgot. I thought they forgot for the whole cruise. Thankfully it was just for a few hours.

What cruise line are you traveling with? I did not think they allow less than 12 months old to travel on an itinerary with more than a few sea days in a row. Coming from NZ, won't you have more than 2 in a row?

We went to Havana last August with our then 8.5m baby. Do not plan on buying anything there. In fact, I brought extra to share. I bought all of my supplies in Miami the day before we board at Publix. 

I would just bring 2 weeks supplies of diapers. I did that when we went to Singapore and Malaysia a few months ago for over 2 weeks even though we could have bought stuff there. Distributed between mine and DH's suitcase. I figure as we go through the diapers, we made room for souvenirs which we did!

We were with RCI and had considered ordering for delivery but it was so much more expensive and I did not want to count on someone else for diapers! It worked find the way we did it. 

I don't worry too much about germs. No more than at the playground. We have traveled a lot with our girl and there were some wooden cribs in Asia with teeth marks! She added to them...

I am surprised you found the travel crib small. My baby (16 months now) is a little shrimp though but she had tons of room . This was our recent one on Princess a few weeks ago. Same one RCI uses. I sent mine back on our RCI Cuba cruise because we were in a tiny OV cabin.

3 hours ago, jdeanski said:

Yes, the wifi calling feature worked very well with no problems.  I'd just make sure your phone said wifi and not whatever the onboard cellular network is....

Maritime Net or something. I messed up and roamed $18 for 4 mins. Doh. Had paid for $5 a day roaming in Mexico and didn't turn on airplane mode again when we boarded. I caught the error soon though. 

55 minutes ago, AZ Stan (FKA Stan in Chicago) said:

I noticed your comment about WiFi calling.  My phone service uses WiFi as a default, unless it is not available, then uses cellular.  According to your experience, do you think I could make phone calls using Medallion Net onboard?

Stan

We were on the Royal 2 weeks ago and got unlimited Wifi. We have Verizon and did set up Wifi calling and texting because my father was in a respite nursing home and we needed to be available. Worked great. 

Just want to report back we had a lovely day last week. The tour guide took us to the Golden Zone (Av. Playa Gaviotas by Hotel Plaza Mazatlan) for shopping. Then to the Luna Palace. When we got there, plenty of deck chairs and service was EXCELLENT. We were right by the wall above the palapas. Bought stuff from vendors below (beach cover, mangos) but were not hassled. No loud bands. The later group that arrived though didn't seem to all get loungers and sat at tables outside the buffet.

We had a good time and it was exactly what I was looking for this time. Hope to come back in the future to explore the city.

!Gracias, y que le vaya bien!