Bringing baby's nanny or babysitter on a cruise - any advice?

[squidward]

My DH and I will be taking our new baby for his first cruise on May 30th (Celebrity Summit to Bermuda). We have decided to bring our baby's nanny along with us. We will be staying in a suite and she will have her own cabin. Our baby will be 9 months old.

 

Does anyone have any experience/advice on cruising with a nanny or babysitter? We made the decision because our son will be too young to qualify for the cruise line's babysitting service. This will allow DH and I to enjoy our nights out and to give us free time to ourselves during the day as well.

 

Thanks!

 

Squiddy;)

[Kerry's Girls]

I have not cruised with a nanny before, but I have traveled with one. My advice is to make sure you have a clear conversation of what you're expecting (and I used to also do something in writing attached to the travel information with bullet points of the expectations, so everything was confirmed at once). I had friends who thought that because they were paying for the cruise, they had the nanny 24/7, and the nanny thought that after working hours she could do anything she wanted. So be specific about when will her free time be, how meals and ports will be handled, is she allowed to "entertain" in her cabin, who is paying for what (you're paying for tips, but what about sodas, cocktails, ice cream, spending money, etc.).

 

Have a great trip!

 

Best,

Mia

[cb at sea]

I would put baby in with nanny....and have privacy!

Definitely give her her duties, hours, etc.....

Having an "onboard babysitter" is a wonderful thing!

[ckekjhaze]

Obviously this is a trusted employee of yours that you and your baby are comfortable being with, so not sure what sort of advice to give. Id give her a cell phone to use for the trip. Since you know her- would excessive drinking, smoking weed and hooking up be a potential issue? If so, get a morals clause in writing. If there is a show or activity she might enjoy from the capers are you giving her any time off?

 

Besides being very clear about who is paying for what, has she cruised before? What will you do if she gets sick and is unable to work? What if an emergency arises and either all of you or just your nanny has to fly home? Are you going to pay for all of that? Hopefully won't happen but have all those contingencies in writing also.

 

I would definitely do an "adult only" excursion. Not sure how many days you will be in Bermuda, but getting some alone time with spouse will be a treat.

 

When my oldest was a baby we did some travelling with a young woman who wasn't a paid nanny but she was staying with us for a few months from Brazil. SHe was related to my husband's brother's wife.

 

Since I exclusively nursed I was never away from my baby for long, but one of the things I loved was always having someone right there to take photos. Also make sure to take some of her too.

 

Have fun

Kathy

[squidward]

Since you know her- would excessive drinking, smoking weed and hooking up be a potential issue? If so, get a morals clause in writing.

 

This made me chuckle. Our nanny is a church-going grandmother who is a complete teetotaler. Her only vice is Nesquik.

 

Thanks everyone else for the advice, it's very helpful. Seems like the best thing to do is write out a schedule for her to be very clear when we need her to be taking care of the baby.

 

We are planning to keep the baby in our suite, since there will be room and we want to be able to spend time with him in the morning when we wake up. Then we'll probably hand him off to the nanny for the bulk of the day, and take him back around 4:00 PM so our nanny can get ready for early seating and have her dinner. Then we'll hand him back to her when she is done with dinner. She can watch him in the suite, and then she can go to bed once we are done with our evening activity. Sound like a plan?

[quincytoo]

This made me chuckle. Our nanny is a church-going grandmother who is a complete teetotaler. Her only vice is Nesquik.

 

Thanks everyone else for the advice, it's very helpful. Seems like the best thing to do is write out a schedule for her to be very clear when we need her to be taking care of the baby.

 

We are planning to keep the baby in our suite, since there will be room and we want to be able to spend time with him in the morning when we wake up. Then we'll probably hand him off to the nanny for the bulk of the day, and take him back around 4:00 PM so our nanny can get ready for early seating and have her dinner. Then we'll hand him back to her when she is done with dinner. She can watch him in the suite, and then she can go to bed once we are done with our evening activity. Sound like a plan?

 

It looks like she will be working quite alot. Does she work 7 days a week??

 

All three of my nannies were in their mid twenties so I would have had to cut them more time off then what you have stated but that might be the nice thing about having a older nanny :)

[ckekjhaze]

Nesquik? That's cute. Sounds like she will be on duty for 12 hrs or more per day- that seems like a lot. If you have a good relationship with her there shouldn't be any problems, but if you do put everything in writing build in a flexibility statement for unexpected events. You may wake up with a migraine and need her earlier than usual, or be later than 4p coming back on the ship from an excursion and maybe trade off the time the following day.

 

Common sense, but if she is feeding him from the buffet- not the time to try new foods. Also give her a notarized letter authorizing medical treatment. If needed life-saving measures will be performed no matter what, so no worries, but anytime you are on shore and not immediately reachable you want to be sure he can be made comfortable if something happens.

 

I still get cold shivers when I remember a little boy who was howling in first aid at a resort after breaking his ankle. His babysitter didn't have authorization and he couldn't receive anything for pain til mom was located. SHe was on a submarine excursion and didn't have cell phone service underwater.

 

Not trying to scare you- but I always expect the best and try to be prepared for the worst.

[NYteacher]

Sounds like you have thought of everything. The only thing I would add is to let her have sometime in Bermuda. The weather is nice and maybe she could push the baby around in a stroller while there. It would be too hard (for me) to be on a ship and never get even the chance to go ashore and look around.

 

Finally I'm pretty sure nanny needs a passport. If she doesn't have one, you should consider paying the expense of her obtaining one since she wouldn't otherwise have it.

[newbiecruiser09]

My DH and I will be taking our new baby for his first cruise on May 30th (Celebrity Summit to Bermuda). We have decided to bring our baby's nanny along with us. We will be staying in a suite and she will have her own cabin. Our baby will be 9 months old.

 

Does anyone have any experience/advice on cruising with a nanny or babysitter? We made the decision because our son will be too young to qualify for the cruise line's babysitting service. This will allow DH and I to enjoy our nights out and to give us free time to ourselves during the day as well.

 

Thanks!

 

Squiddy;)

 

Besides all the other advice given, I'd see about giving the nanny some time in port alone (on on an excursion) to explore and have a bit of time to herself and/or give her one night "off" on the ship. It seems that with your plan the only time she will have to herself if when she is sleeping. You could spend the time with your little one exploring the ship or leisurely exploring the port too.

[squidward]

OMG, I feel like such a slave driver! I will definitely give her one day off in Bermuda.

 

The only time we absolutely need her to watch the baby will be from around 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM, and when we go ashore by ourselves. The rest of the time we will happily take care of the baby. We are looking forward to spending lots of time with him (otherwise we could just leave him home!) so I don't think our nanny will be working more than 6-8 hours a day, which is less than she works for us at home.

[sandytoes03]

OMG, I feel like such a slave driver! I will definitely give her one day off in Bermuda.

 

The only time we absolutely need her to watch the baby will be from around 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM, and when we go ashore by ourselves. The rest of the time we will happily take care of the baby. We are looking forward to spending lots of time with him (otherwise we could just leave him home!) so I don't think our nanny will be working more than 6-8 hours a day, which is less than she works for us at home.

 

That sounds like a better plan. Otherwise, if you and Dh wanted so much time alone, (nothing wrong with that) I was going to suggest just leaving your son home. If you had the nanny watching him almost all his waking hours, then it didn't make sense to bring the nanny and son along. Whatever you decide, hope you all have a good time!

[squidward]

I am also giving my nanny an opportunity to bring a guest. Since the cost of the stateroom is the same whether there is one or two passengers, it won't cost any more.

 

Except, that is, for the taxes and port fees, which are about $275 on this cruise. So I told her that either she or her guest would have to pay the $275 if they want to go.

 

That sound fair?

[quincytoo]

I am also giving my nanny an opportunity to bring a guest. Since the cost of the stateroom is the same whether there is one or two passengers, it won't cost any more.

 

Except, that is, for the taxes and port fees, which are about $275 on this cruise. So I told her that either she or her guest would have to pay the $275 if they want to go.

 

That sound fair?

 

I think you meant neither??? Your posts sounds like you are making them pay their port fees and taxes, I could see asking the guest to pay theirs but not asking your employee to pay hers.

 

Back in the 80's and 90's when we had nannies for our children we had to pay them overtime for any hours worked past 8 hours.

 

Does this hold true in the States??? It sounds like your nanny works some pretty long hours, I remember those days when it felt like I was at work more then with my children :(

[squidward]

I think you meant neither??? Your posts sounds like you are making them pay their port fees and taxes, I could see asking the guest to pay theirs but not asking your employee to pay hers.

 

Back in the 80's and 90's when we had nannies for our children we had to pay them overtime for any hours worked past 8 hours.

 

Does this hold true in the States??? It sounds like your nanny works some pretty long hours, I remember those days when it felt like I was at work more then with my children :(

 

By "either" I meant that either my nanny or her guest would have to pay the guest's tax and port fee.

 

Not to worry, we are paying for our nanny's cabin and for her port fee and tax and we will pay her salary. Her guest will just have to pay for her own port fee and tax, which is $275. (The cabin is $280 p/p, BTW.)

 

[it's not unusual in NYC for nannies to work from around 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. We pay a weekly salary, so on days when we come home early she still gets the same pay. We also pay her when we go on vacation or go away for a long weekend, even though she doesn't have to work. So she ends up averaging about 40 hours a week, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less.]

[6rugrats]

 

Back in the 80's and 90's when we had nannies for our children we had to pay them overtime for any hours worked past 8 hours.

 

Does this hold true in the States??? It sounds like your nanny works some pretty long hours, I remember those days when it felt like I was at work more then with my children :(

Although it's not legal, many people pay their nannies "under the table" to avoid paying taxes and benefits. In that case, nanny has no legal protection and may work many more than 40 hours a week without overtime. This does not work well if you and nanny have a falling out and she turns you in. Also doesn't work if you decide to run for public office :).

[quincytoo]

By "either" I meant that either my nanny or her guest would have to pay the guest's tax and port fee.

 

Not to worry, we are paying for our nanny's cabin and for her port fee and tax and we will pay her salary. Her guest will just have to pay for her own port fee and tax, which is $275. (The cabin is $280 p/p, BTW.)

 

[it's not unusual in NYC for nannies to work from around 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. We pay a weekly salary, so on days when we come home early she still gets the same pay. We also pay her when we go on vacation or go away for a long weekend, even though she doesn't have to work. So she ends up averaging about 40 hours a week, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less.]

 

That is very close to the same for us as well :) We lived in Whistler at the time and my first nanny's wage included a duel mountain ski pass from us. Every chance she got she was sking....it was hard to ask her to babysit past her reg hours as she was on the moutains. Next nanny I just upped her wage rather then give a pass.....I got more hours from her.

 

Living in Whistler everyone I knew had to do it by the book, way too many immigration sweeps and such. The nannies were all a close bunch and well ....better to be safe and legal then not.

 

Have a great cruise :)

[Julienatul]

I too would spell out ahead of time which hours are expected and which hours she may be free. All day everyday may be a bit much. Spell everything out ahead of time so there is no misunderstanding.

[ckekjhaze]

I am also giving my nanny an opportunity to bring a guest. Since the cost of the stateroom is the same whether there is one or two passengers, it won't cost any more.

 

Except, that is, for the taxes and port fees, which are about $275 on this cruise. So I told her that either she or her guest would have to pay the $275 if they want to go.

 

That sound fair?

Yes very fair:) Have a wonderful cruise!

[imsulin]

Are you willing to pay for Nanny's tips and on-board and off-shore expenses? We took our 16-year old babysitter with us to Mexico for a week, and paid for everything. She basically watched the kids at night for a few hours, and spent the rest of the time with all of us. She was not a "Nanny", but a high-school kid who was wonderful. We even offered to take her shopping, but she didn't buy much.

 

Waaaay OT, but I watched a program on HBO recently about the completely ridiculous and overly-competetive procedure to get your kid into (get this) a private PRE-SCHOOL in Manhattan! You ask for forms before the child is even born. Then, you submit it (along with a substantial check). Then you call to confirm the Tuesday after Labor Day. Then you are notified on March 6. Then you have meetings in these pre-schools. Then you find out if your TODDLER has been accepted. Oh - forgot to mention that "whatever" pre-school is the precursor for admittance into a private Kindergarten, a private elementary school, a private secondary school, and then guaranteed admittance into Ivy League universities. We're talking $20,000 a year for PRE-SCHOOL! Hitting self on side of head: OMG! My kids went to a church pre-school and public schools and all have degrees and are successful! I'll never live this down.

[squidward]

Are you willing to pay for Nanny's tips and on-board and off-shore expenses?

 

I plan to pay for her on-board expenses, and will have her ship card linked to my credit card. She doesn't drink soda, let alone booze, won't gamble and has very modest taste so I don't expect her to to on an on-board shopping spree. But I will spell out what she can purchase with the card just to be safe.

 

Off-shore will be up to her. Maybe I'll send her on a excursion that I'll pay for. Depends on what she wants to do on her day off.

[imsulin]

I plan to pay for her on-board expenses, and will have her ship card linked to my credit card. She doesn't drink soda, let alone booze, won't gamble and has very modest taste so I don't expect her to to on an on-board shopping spree. But I will spell out what she can purchase with the card just to be safe.

 

Off-shore will be up to her. Maybe I'll send her on a excursion that I'll pay for. Depends on what she wants to do on her day off.

 

As long as everything is worked out ahead of time, it should be no problem. I'd sure put it in writing, though. (I'm probably watching too many "Judge" shows). I do hope that you'll consider Nanny part of your family while on this cruise, and treat her as an adult.

[squidward]

Hi, everyone. Just wanted to let you know we had a GREAT cruise to Bermuda with baby Franklin and our nanny.

 

Our nanny took care of the baby from about 7:30-10:30 every night, which allowed us to enjoy our evenings. She also took him for a few hours each day, so we could do adult excursions. We were in Bermuda for 3 days, and we gave our nanny the second day off to enjoy the island.

 

The only problem we had was coordinating the hand-off some evenings. Some nights our nanny was late because she didn't remember where and when to meet us. The whole cruise experience was new and a little overwhelming for her and her friend. She also missed her own dinner a few nights! In the end we always found each other, and were never late to our 8:30 seating, but still . . .we wish it had gone a little smoother some nights.

 

We really enjoyed all of the quality time we had with the baby, and have already booked another cruise for February, when he will be 18 months old (and eligible for on-board babysitting:)).

 

I'm happy to answer any cruising with baby and nanny questions!

 

Ed

[just_us_three]

I plan to pay for her on-board expenses, and will have her ship card linked to my credit card. She doesn't drink soda, let alone booze, won't gamble and has very modest taste so I don't expect her to to on an on-board shopping spree. But I will spell out what she can purchase with the card just to be safe.

 

Off-shore will be up to her. Maybe I'll send her on a excursion that I'll pay for. Depends on what she wants to do on her day off.

 

I've enjoyed reading this thread, some great idea's for when/if we ever take a nanny with us, but for now, I just want to say that I'm totally jealous of your nanny! :p

She sounds perfect, you sound lucky and I hope you all have a wonderful time, baby included.

[alj1208]

I don't have a nanny, but I do use sitters at home. As a rule, I always feel that if I treat the sitter well, and that includes generous pay and tips, she will treat my child well. If your nanny is having a good time, is paid generously and feeling respected, it's all good.

[new2cruising72]

This made me chuckle. Our nanny is a church-going grandmother who is a complete teetotaler. Her only vice is Nesquik.

 

Thanks everyone else for the advice, it's very helpful. Seems like the best thing to do is write out a schedule for her to be very clear when we need her to be taking care of the baby.

 

We are planning to keep the baby in our suite, since there will be room and we want to be able to spend time with him in the morning when we wake up. Then we'll probably hand him off to the nanny for the bulk of the day, and take him back around 4:00 PM so our nanny can get ready for early seating and have her dinner. Then we'll hand him back to her when she is done with dinner. She can watch him in the suite, and then she can go to bed once we are done with our evening activity. Sound like a plan?

 

wow what a plan