Which pushchair/stroller?

[gnomette]

Hi all, we are sailing on the Grand Princess on her European Medeley this weekend! We are taking our 10 month old daughter and were originally planning on just taking our backpack type carrier that she goes in. However it dawned on us that it may be more sensible to have a stroller so that she has somewhere to nap whilst out and about. We have two types, a Phil & Teds sport -a three wheeler off road type and a Mamas and Papas Ultima which is more comfortable but not as good on uneven terrain. Neither folds down particularly small, will this be a problem? I don't mind buying one of those umbrella fold types as we have a few trips planned for the next year or so if people think it is worthwhile. We are not flying this time if that is relevant by the way.

 

Any other tips on cruising with a baby or what to take would be greatly appreciated. :) Oh and what does everyone else do about car seats?

[jam82]

Yes, bring a stroller. I have used my Maclaren umbrella stroller over and over. It was worth every cent. The more narrow the stroller, the better.

[MnAsMom]

Hi all, we are sailing on the Grand Princess on her European Medeley this weekend! We are taking our 10 month old daughter and were originally planning on just taking our backpack type carrier that she goes in. However it dawned on us that it may be more sensible to have a stroller so that she has somewhere to nap whilst out and about. We have two types, a Phil & Teds sport -a three wheeler off road type and a Mamas and Papas Ultima which is more comfortable but not as good on uneven terrain. Neither folds down particularly small, will this be a problem? I don't mind buying one of those umbrella fold types as we have a few trips planned for the next year or so if people think it is worthwhile. We are not flying this time if that is relevant by the way.

 

Any other tips on cruising with a baby or what to take would be greatly appreciated. :) Oh and what does everyone else do about car seats?

 

If you will be visiting places with cobblestone streets then I would maybe take your Phil and Teds. It will handle the streets a whole lot better than any umbrella stroller. Only negative would be the space it takes up in your cabin. If you want to go with something compact then go with a Maclaren umbrella stroller. The Quest would be a good model for you... has an extending footrest to be more comfortable when she sleeps and has a couple of recline settings... the next one up is the Triumph but it only has one recline setting and no extendable footrest.

 

Car seats are difficult cause they take up a lot of space and can be a pain to lug around with you. Is she still in an infant seat by any chance? If you by chance have one of those newer models that will accomodate a larger child (up to 30/35lbs) Graco Snugride 35 or the Chicco Key fit 30 then you could take that along. Some taxis and buses may not have seatbelts so a car seat would be useless.

 

Good luck... hope you have a wonderful cruise!

[gnomette]

Thanks, some great advice. I'm not sure about the cobbled streets but we are going to some older cities so I expect so. We have a suite so hopefully storage of it in our cabin wouldn't be too much of a problem. She is still in an infant carrier and like I said hopefully we should have a good amount of storage so perhaps we should just take it anyway.

 

Good to hear positives about the Maclarens as we are flying later in the year for a family wedding so it may be worth considering anyway.

 

Thanks guys.

[RoadTripFanatic]

Take a good sturdy umbrella stroller and the backpack. The backpack could be a life saver depending on the port. Places like Athens where you are climbing lots of steps a backpack would be much easier to use. Large strollers are very difficult to use on cruise ships because of the narrow hallways. You want something small. The same goes for European streets.

[gnomette]

Thanks RTF, I think a trip out to look at umbrella strollers is in order tomorrow. I'm with you on the backpack carrier being easier out and about but if we go on any full days out it will be good to have somewhere for her to nap and also for getting about on the ship now that she is getting heavier!

[Tggrtoes]

We specifically bought a Maclaren umbrella stroller for when we cruise (and other travel). Agree with OP that it's worth every cent. I personally wanted a lightweight one that wasn't a hassle to deal with in the hallways and didn't take up a lot of space, but that also reclined for naps and had a nice visor to shield from sun.

 

I know others take their big strollers and haven't had a problem, but I much prefer having something small that I can easily navigate. (Others have purchased the cheap umbrella type strollers and I think those are fine too, but they don't recline.)