Would you take a baby on a cruise to Hawaii?

[Florida_cruisers]

If so, what is an appropriate age you think?

I know that we won't be able to do a helicopter ride or anything like that, but I can compromise. Also, leaving the baby with the grandparents it is not an option for me, it will break my heart. And the grandparents could not go on the cruise because of flight phobia.

[agridealer]

Have you ever been on a cruise before, or will this be your first? We haven't been on a cruise with a baby, but will be in November. For us, I feel like having been on several cruises will give us an idea of what to expect, and help us think of things that are potentially different/difficult with a baby. If it were my first cruise, it may be tougher, but still would take her.

[Florida_cruisers]

I have been on 3 cruises before with my 4th one coming up. So I know that cruises can be exhausting some times if there are not many sea days.

[AmyinVail]

We've personally postponed cruising Hawaii until our children were old enough to stay home w/ grandma. First, the flight is too long and they get ansy. Second, I just think they're too young to really appreciate Hawaii. So, this November our youngest will be 3.5 and we're cruising Hawaii w/o them. We once tried a short cruise w/o them and missed them terribly - so haven't done that again - but, for Hawaii, I just don't think it would be worth it to them to come along. All kids are different, though, and my friend took her 9 month old to Germany and she did fine on the flight and the hotel hopping. I suppose it all depends on your kids!

[AmyBeth68]

Since you asked, I personally would not bring an infant on a cruise. We waited until our youngest was 3 and able to participate in the kid's clubs before we cruised. What I like most about cruising is the opportunity to spend lots of quality time together as a family and lots of couple time while the kids are enjoying their activities.

 

However, with that said, I'm not opposed to others doing so. I really have no problems at all with infants on a ship. They are just so darn cute :).

 

But only you know your baby's temperament and can decide based on that. I've known many babies who could be bundled up and brought anywhere! :) I've known others who would be over-stimulated by the experience and cause their parents stress. So I'd really judge it based on your child's personality and how easily they adjust to changes in schedule, temperature, crowds, etc. There are so many variables that you will need to consider.

 

I know that for us Hawaii will probably be a big trip that won't happen very frequently. We plan to bring our children there in the coming years, when they can fully appreciate the splendor of Hawaii and can handle the long flights with ease. But that's just my own situation, knowing that Hawaii might be a once in a lifetime thing :).

 

Good luck with your decision. I'm sure it will work out for the best!!!

[factor]

I'm not trying to knock a cruise with this response. We have been on 5 cruises. And another this month with our 9 and 2yr olds. I have been to Hawaii before but not on a cruise. I did look into the cuise idea when we returned. There is way to much to do there to have to worrie about the ship leaving and all. If it were me, I would plan to go again by plane and resort. The place is beautiful and relaxing. As for taking your young one. We took our 5 year old and she doesn't remember any of it. Not even to this day looking back on the pictures and she's 9 now. When we went, she was old enough to do the kids stuff at the resort's so we had time to ourselves to relax.

 

Good luck and have fun.

 

BTW, a good site to go to and see what Hawaii has to offer on the Islands is http://www.gohawaii.com.

 

We did Maui, Kauai and the Big Island.

 

Take care!

 

~factor

 

any questions on the islands, I'll be glad to try and help to answer

[familycruzer]

I am a parent all for cruising with children but I think I would draw the line with infants. It is just too much to deal with ... stroller, high chair, diapers and so on.

 

I would suggest you wait until they are at least three and then give it a shot.

[tricialee]

I used to love travelling with my infants. Granted, I never did a cruise, but I did 12 days in Japan, and Disney. I found it much easier to travel with an infant than with a toddler. They never run off on you, are easy fo feed, they do not talk back, flights are actually easier on them as they love to suck (keeps the ears equalized). I would travel anywhere with a child under 8 months, as long as I had a backpack carrier (Baby Bjorn for a smaller one) and a changing pad. And, it also helps if you are breastfeeding, this makes it REALLY easy, not even much food to bring along.

[savdoc2]

We haven't been to Hawaii, but our 18 month old DD has been on 33 flights so far and 1 7-day cruise. In my opinion, it is no more work traveling with a baby then staying at home. We love to travel and having children has not changed that. Our second daughter is due in May and I am looking at booking a cruise for late fall or winter. We would take both girls. I agree with the pp that breastfeeding makes travel easy.

[Kuffam]

We were on the POA 1/23 with our DD4 and DS 18mos. DD loved the cruise and still talks about it. She did ok, played with her $0.88 animals most of the way home. DS however was a handful. I'd wished we wanted a year until he could be in the kidsclub. There was a couple who had an infant who was sleeping every time we saw them, they said they didn't have any problems.

 

If your doing the NCL's Hawaian cruises I think they lend themselfs to traveling with kids. You are in port every day (sometimes overnight) so you can access shopping (all ports except Maui have free shuttles to Wal-mart) and freestyle dinning works well if you plan ahead (or use roomservice).

[merela]

I think it is the easiest to travel with your children when they are infants. They don't complain and they don't know any better. ;)

 

You do have to pack more when you travel with your infant (diapers, formula, and stroller). But ships nowadays provide crib and some even provide baby food, so depending on the age of your baby, cruising is the easiest way to travel because you don't have to lug your luggage around different towns.

 

If you are an active person before you had your baby, you can put your baby in a backpack-like chair and take the baby everywhere. My sister and her husband were very active before they had their kids, so they are able to do what they used to do, even with their kids along. They really like cruising now because they like the idea of visiting several countries without having to deal with transportation or what to eat at each city.

 

Find a cruiseline (Princess for one) that offer self-laundry service. You bring some laundry detergent and just do baby's laundry as you see fit. This way, you don't have to pack that much either.

 

I've travelled with 6M, 12M, 20M, 30M, 3YO, 4YO, 5YO--basically 4 kids (not all mine) in 3 different cruises over the last 2 years and I must say, the 20M old and the 5YO gave me the most trouble.

 

Try to stick to the routine you had at home with your baby. Don't expect to go on major excursions offered by organized tours. You and your spouse may have to take turn going to shows or activities because someone needs to be in the cabin when the baby naps. Other than that, it will be

I think cruising to Hawaii is the same as cruising in faraway places. Pick a cruise and itinerary you will enjoy and just go for it.

[Florida_cruisers]

Would a resort hotel be easier with a baby or the cruise??

Sorry for posting so many questions.... I am just nervous about it and want to plan it well.

I appreciate your responses, REALLY!!

[savvyria]

I would rather cruise with an infant than a whiny teenager any day!

[factor]

Would a resort hotel be easier with a baby or the cruise??

Sorry for posting so many questions.... I am just nervous about it and want to plan it well.

I appreciate your responses, REALLY!!

 

Depending on the location:

I would cruise. When at most resorts, you have to cook and clean or go out for all meals. Pretty costly.

If going somewhere that is a once in a lifetime thing(well maybe a 1 time thing) I would go to a resort. For example, Hawaii would be a resort time for me and the family. Due to the other islands to visit. There is so much to do.

As for Jamacia, Cozumel and other's like this I would cruise. Only due to limited things to do and you would get bored a lot.

A plus for a cruise is that you can put them in camp for an hour or so and have quiet time alone with your spouse. Or go to the Spa for a couples massage. Or relax by the pool with a good book. And so on.

 

Good luck with your choice. No matter what it may be. You will have fun and make the best of it. Like the old saying goes: You make your vacation what you make it....

 

Again, Good luck

 

~factor

[AmyBeth68]

Unfortunately, many cruise lines, if not most, will not take infants in the kids clubs/camps. :(

 

Some of the larger resorts will provide you with a vacation nanny...such as FDR in Jamaica. I'm not sure if that is the case in Hawaii...but there are some really amazing family resorts on many of the Hawaiian Islands. It may be another nice option for you.

 

I think cruising with an infant can most definitely be done...and you will probably enjoy yourselves because cruises are such a wonderful experience. As I said earlier, I probably wouldn't do it for myself...but that doesn't mean it's not a good idea. Just offering my own opinion.

 

We looked into family friendly resorts all over the Caribbean before our first cruise. They all sound wonderful. Cruising worked for us at the time because we wanted to see many different places during our vacation and our youngest was able to participate in the kids activities onboard.

[boatbunny]

Hey Florida,

 

Hope this helps you out. We love to cruise, going on a third next month and I wish we had discovered it long ago. But, we also went to Maui last spring with our then 7 and 4 year old. I would definitely vote for resort over cruising, especially if Maui is on your agenda.

 

There is so much to do in Maui, we spent 10 days and could have used at least another 4. We had to force ourselves to take a "day off" from exploring and hit the beach for a relaxing day. We also thought about cruising, but once I really started researching all there was to see and do, I thought we would feel cheated by traveling all that way and having to rush back to the boat after an excursion.

 

My kids did great on a flight from Boston to Maui (9 hr flight there, 10 hr on the way back). We booked an early am flight, 6 am, so they were excited when we got up in the am, at the airport, and by the time the plane was in the air, they were sound asleep until we landed in Chicago for a stop. We booked a flight leaving Maui early evening, and again, they slept for most of the 7 hour flight. We took along our laptop which allowed us to play kid movies (they had earphones so didn't disturb anyone else). Be sure to check that your seat on the plane has access to the necessary outlet to do this.

 

There is a great book called "Maui Revealed" which tells you how to get to many out of the way, non tourist areas. I cannot recommend it enough. I believe they also publish books for the other Hawaiian Islands. Might help to take a look at this to get an idea of how much there is to see and do, then decide if you will feel rushed if you are doing it on a cruise. We also spent a day on Molokai, you can take a ferry over and rent a car for easy money, and explore that too.

 

Hawaii is a big trip, expensive and for us on the east coast, a long trip. We will go back, but I won't ever cruise it, there is just too much to do.

 

Good luck in your choice, either way, there is a special feeling you get in Hawaii, I can't wait to get back and experience it again!

[shellie100]

I would take an infant just about anywhere, and just about have! Especially since I was breastfeeding it was soooo easy. I carried him in a sling-type carrier and nursed him whenever he made any fussing whatsoever. Everyone just thought he was just sleeping in there ;) Traveling with a 20-month-old was much more of a challenge, but still way more fun than being at home. Not to mention it was winter and we did lots of sunny beach excursions :rolleyes: ahhhhhhhh...

 

As far as baby gear, we did not bring a car seat (except when Tommy was really little then I traveled with his carrier-type car seat), we did bring an umbrella stroller, and the high chair thing was a non-issue because the staff took care of having it already there every night. I carried my baby most of the time so I didn't need alot of stuff. When he was really little I pretty much just packed diapers and onsies and went on my way! Though at 20-months I brought more clothes and a few toys. Oh, and last time when I dressed him in his little suit for formal night, people went crazy over how cute he was. So fun!!!

 

I am way way way too active to just not travel until my kids are "old enough". Besides, I only have one kid so far, so if I wait until I am done having kids and then wait until the youngest is "old enough" then I would never travel. And traveling without my little companion is not an option for sooooo many reasons.

 

Even though Tommy will likely not remember the traveling, I think the fun memories go into some subconsious memory bank that builds who he is as a person. Alot of studies say that a personality is determined by the time a child is 3-years-old. So, their experiences must be in there somewhere, even if it is only a watm fuzzy feeling deep inside. That probably sounds corny. Oh well.

 

Just accept that traveling with a baby is not like traveling pre-baby. It is more work but worth it.

[mslvp7]

I started traveling at 8 months old (& I'm pretty old now-lol) & was eating in nice dinner houses at probably a month old 3-4x monthly while growing up....didn't cruise until I was in high school-& they weren't called cruises back then.

 

My 2 cousins also started traveling while in diapers -they were 3, 4 when we went to Europe for 3 weeks -moved every day for 14 days & they did fine. They shared a room with me-I was 15 at the time & it worked out great. I did have to pack their suitcase however! We'd eat breakfast some mornings at 6am & have dinner most nights at 10pm & finish at 11:30....some days we toured on buses...other days we drove, took taxis, trains, etc. they were fine. Every night was a dress up dinner, we even took them to the Moulin Rouge in Paris - I'm trying to figure out how but the grandparents stayed in Italy & all of us went so that meant they went also...we didn't use babysitters. The French didn't care - I was only 15 & they served me champagne as if Iwere an adult - I looked 18 easily because we were dressed up.

 

I think if you bring up kids with a varying schedule from the beginning they're used to the uexpected & will always enjoy the adventure of traveling. I'd never put them in a quiet room to nap - let them nap with the vacuum going, the radio on, etc - then they'll sleep easily when in a noisy restaurant, etc. I'm probably pretty lucky - I get by with 4-5 hours of sleep a night &even pull an all nighter every once in awhile. and, I'm in my 50's and not about to start going to bed early.

 

 

 

[http://www.greatcruisinghome.com]

 

 

But only you know your baby's temperament and can decide based on that. I've known many babies who could be bundled up and brought anywhere! :) I've known others who would be over-stimulated by the experience and cause their parents stress. So I'd really judge it based on your child's personality and how easily they adjust to changes in schedule, temperature, crowds, etc. There are so many variables that you will need to consider.

 

I know that for us Hawaii will probably be a big trip that won't happen very frequently. We plan to bring our children there in the coming years, when they can fully appreciate the splendor of Hawaii and can handle the long flights with ease. But that's just my own situation, knowing that Hawaii might be a once in a lifetime thing :).

 

Good luck with your decision. I'm sure it will work out for the best!!!

[lb1cruiser]

I would definitely cruise!!! We took our kids to a resort in Hawaii when they were 6 mo. & 21 mo. and it was a nightmare! Your choice is to either cook yourself (not my idea of vacation) or lug the kids to a restaurant, where you wait, eat, kids get fussy, etc. I felt totally exhausted by the end of the trip. Go on a cruise line that offers in-cabin babysitting (Celebrity does, not sure which other ones do) so you can get a break once in a while. We got an awesome sitter on Celebrity, just ask to meet them first, request a woman who's either childcare educated and/or a mother herself. Have her show up when baby's already asleep (8pm or whatever) then you & husband can get a break and all the sitter has to do is sit and read a book, have her walkie-talkie you if there's a problem. I'd get a balcony cabin so you guys can have a romantic deck to sit on while baby napping. You can get room service when the thought of hauling baby up to dining area too much to deal with, but otherwise you can enjoy the instant gratification of the buffet. Whether I'd try the dining room would depend on the baby's temperament (or get the sitter for dinner time so you can enjoy a quiet elegant dinner alone). If you're nursing you won't need to worry about bringing extra food for baby (you can always find cheerios, crackers, etc. for baby snacks).

Life's too short to wait until your kids grow up to experience it with them. I'd have cut off my arm before I'd have left them with anybody for 10 days or whatever. That's why cruising is the only big vacation we take anymore- we get breaks to reconnect with each other but we get to kiss them and hang with them everyday too. Good luck-

Laurie