Things to do with a one-year-old?

[angielane]

Our baby will be one year old when we go on our 10-night cruise in March. We're really looking forward to it, and know it will be different than our prior cruises. We're on the Jewel - so there's NO nursery for him - and we'll be with him all the time (early nights, and nap time!)

 

For those who have cruised with an infant or young toddler, do you have suggestions of things to do with him? On this ship? At port?

 

He may be walking by then, so I gather from other posts we'll spend some time walking up and down the hallways...

 

Are there other fun things you've done?

[cb at sea]

Whatever you do at home to entertain him, you'll do on the ship. I would advise getting a balcony cabin, so the adults will have someplace "to be" while the little one is napping or down for the night. I'd hate to have to sit in a semi-darkened room from 8pm onward!

[angielane]

We did get a balcony, and i'm actually looking forward to some reading time...something i just don't seem to have time for at home anymore.

 

does anyone know if there's a light on the balcony?

[jam82]

I've never been on the Jewel, but there has been a light on every balcony on every ship I've ever been on.

 

Another great thing to do with a one year old is to take them to the disco or another lounge during the day while it's closed so they can run or crawl around.

[dmr19]

We brought a blow-up pool that we put on the balcony. Our daughters loved it. We filled it with buckets from the sink and emptied it into the shower. We brought bubbles, cups, and paint brushes for water play. Bring books, DVDs, crayons, little people, a good stroller, and a good bib. There was a daily "Under Two Zoo" on the NCL Dawn with lots of toys.

[prekteacher1]

Take a grandparent along! They love spending time with the little ones so you can enjoy your time! Family cruises are so much fun!

[Julienatul]

We go for walks in the stroller, loisten to music wherever it is playing. Bring along a small blow-up beachball and go to an empty lounge and let the baby run around during the day. We bring a bag of small toys to pay with, dvd player with movies, bubbles on the balcony are fun. At one, they really like to stack objects so grabbing a few plastic cups off the lido deck or washing out a few empty yogurt containers to play with can entertain them for hours.

[SusieV]

Leave them with grandparents!

 

We don't plan on cruising with our son again until he is old enough for the kids' club. He had fun, but we were exhausted and didn't really get to enjoy the cruise as much as we'd hoped.

 

We spent all day trying to keep him entertained and then at night we had to take turns going out. Not exactly a vacation, IMO.

[sandytoes03]

Leave them with grandparents!

 

We don't plan on cruising with our son again until he is old enough for the kids' club. He had fun, but we were exhausted and didn't really get to enjoy the cruise as much as we'd hoped.

 

We spent all day trying to keep him entertained and then at night we had to take turns going out. Not exactly a vacation, IMO.

 

 

OP already said that their baby is coming along, not being left. Not everyone has grandparents to leave kids with, or wants to for that matter.

 

OP, since you booked a balcony that will be great. As others metioned, blow up pool, walks, toys, and of course some books. Maybe look on the roll call and see if any other parents with little ones will be sailing. You could meet up with them and have "play-dates." ENJOY!!

[Kerry's Girls]

My twins loved going anywhere there was dancing at that age - on deck near the pool during the day or in the back of one of the lounges before and after dinner. Empty lounges are also great for exploring because the furniture is mostly rounded so you don't have to worry as much about falls.

 

Some of us really enjoyed spending all that time on a cruise with our little ones in a stress-free environment. Not like home where I have to worry about meals, laundry, cleaning, etc. Have a great time!

 

Best,

Mia

[angielane]

Some of us really enjoyed spending all that time on a cruise with our little ones in a stress-free environment. Not like home where I have to worry about meals' date=' laundry, cleaning, etc. Have a great time!

 

Best,

Mia[/quote']

 

 

Thank you for this! Some postings - here and on other threads - have made me nervous...but I know we'll enjoy it!

 

I don't get to spend workweeks with my DS...so it's a treat just to be with him (yes, even when he's cranky!)- without the hassles (or distractions!) around the house....

 

We'll get babysitting when we can....but, honestly, if we don't get to enjoy all the ship's entertainment - who cares? We've seen plenty on prior cruises.

 

I wish it were an option to bring along grandma...as others have said, not everyone has that luxury! My mom and DH's mom are in frail health...not an option...but it'd be a real treat!

 

These are lots of good ideas! He'd love chasing a beach ball around the disco...plus I didn't think about all the music on the ship...he loves to listen to music...and dance...and people watch!

[Lessum]

We just returned from our very first cruise on Sunday. We had our 4.5 yo and our 15 month old with us. I was SO nervous about all of us in on cabin and what we were going to do with them. IT WAS A BREEZE! The best vacation I have ever been on! We did have the balcony so that was helpful. We would sit on it until they were a good and asleep. Once they were we could turn on a small light and the tv on low. We didn't go out at night at all...and that was fine. We know we will go on more cruises as they get older and even alone without them and will be able to enjoy the nightlife later. For now, it was family time. As for entertaining the baby...it wasn't hard. We brought a few small toys...although she could really have cared less about them. We also brought a dvd player and movies and it was NEVER turned on. We would let them watch a "kids" channel on the tv while we were getting dressed. The baby loved going for walks in the stroller and EVERYONE...especially the staff stopped to talk to her. Our cruise did have about 2-4 hours a day of babysitting (for a fee) for the 15 month old and we did use it (was awesome). Other than that, we walked, went into port, to the beach, pool on ship, etc...she loved it! And so did the rest of us! You will have a blast! ENJOY! Wish I was still on my cruise!

[angielane]

Our cruise did have about 2-4 hours a day of babysitting (for a fee) for the 15 month old and we did use it (was awesome). Other than that, we walked, went into port, to the beach, pool on ship, etc...she loved it! And so did the rest of us! You will have a blast! ENJOY! Wish I was still on my cruise!

 

 

Yay! I'm so glad you had a great time!! very encouraging!

 

Did you arrange for babysitting on the first day? I was thinking I would just go sign-up for a couple of hours a day....and then hope for the best in terms of availability....is that what you did?

[constansl]

My 15 month old enjoyed going up and down steps and walking around. She really loved the lights in the arcade. But that was about it. It was by no means relaxing but extremely enjoyable to spend time with my girl. We met other kids at the buffet, which we often visited before dinner. The stateroom was the most difficult because she wanted to explore everything. But I went in December so I was able to lay by the pool while she napped and I enjoyed my balcony in the morning and late night when I wasn't too exhausted. Would do it again in a heart beat

[traysd123]

I'd say, starting now it might be a good idea to start using his stroller in different ways at home.. maybe let him fall asleep in it once in a while, while you play music or the tv semi loud.. or after he falls asleep, place him in the stroller and walk him around your neighborhood..

On our first cruise, i took my daughter EVERYWHERE in her stroller and she would just fall asleep anywhere when she wanted to..

You have to get her used to it before she goes.

That way, you can take him to the Atrium and you and your hubby can dance, or to the shows, pretty much anywhere and he will just sleep right through it.. in other words, you won't be "confined" to your room :D

[lisaland15]

We did one of the Mayan ruins when our daughter was 16 mos. old.

 

 

 

She loved that backpack!

[mjkacmom]

Yay! I'm so glad you had a great time!! very encouraging!

 

Did you arrange for babysitting on the first day? I was thinking I would just go sign-up for a couple of hours a day....and then hope for the best in terms of availability....is that what you did?

 

My kids are older, but I don't remember seeing anything about babysitting on the Jewel. Make sure to bring a blow up pool, because kids in swim diapers aren't allowed in any of the pools - even the toddler/preschool pool.

[russianmom]

Yay! I'm so glad you had a great time!! very encouraging!

 

Did you arrange for babysitting on the first day? I was thinking I would just go sign-up for a couple of hours a day....and then hope for the best in terms of availability....is that what you did?

 

 

I am also pretty sure that NCL does not offer babysitting. They have the under 2 zoo where you can go play with the toys but you stay with your child.

[angielane]

Sorry, I was unclear...we're on RCCL Jewel of the Seas. I understand that in-room babysitting is dependent on staff availability...but that I can sign-up for it.

[Lessum]

Angielane,

We were on Carnival and they have the babysitting for the under 2's guaranteed from what I know. On Sea days it was very limited - only from 8am-10am, but on port days it was from port time (approx.) to noon for early days and 2-5pm on later days. We didn't have to sign up in advance or antyhing. Originally I really wanted to go on RCCL Freedom of the Seas, but everything I read said they couldn't guarantee babysitting so I didn't want to take the chance of them not having it so that is why we went on Carnival instead. In addition on Carnival, it is not in room sitting for the under 2s, it is at Camp Carnival so they have all their toys and equipment for the kids to play with. It was $6/hr, but they charged in 15min increments.

 

We did bring a blow up tub for the bathroom - VERY HELPFUL! We did not use it anywhere else. Our little one did fall asleep several times in her stroller which was great. But we just knew at night once the kids were in bed (8-9ish) we were in for the night - and that was ok for us...

 

HAVE FUN!

[jkeinva]

We did get a balcony, and i'm actually looking forward to some reading time...something i just don't seem to have time for at home anymore.

 

does anyone know if there's a light on the balcony?

 

We just got back from our very first cruise. We took our 22 month old and opted for the balcony room because we thought we'd have a place to go while our little guy was trying to fall asleep. The balcony had a light, but apparently, the lights interfere with the navigation systems, so the lights are turned off by the captain on sea nights (which was EVERY night), so we didn't really get to use the balcony at night to read/relax.

 

Entertaining our little guy - he loved walking around. We did numerous laps around the ship. We did some "fake" driving in the video arcade. We took advantage of the 8-10AM under 2 child/parent playtime at Camp Carnival on our Sea Days, and we brought some toys and washable crayons. Thankfully they were washable crayons because a little got on the bed linens. Our son LOVED the beach days. Plastic cups and sand toys were great to play in the sand at the beach.

 

Good luck and have fun. It was great to spend time with our son, but not overly relaxing.

[ladeeesquire]

DD was 2.5 on our first cruise with her this past september. Obviously more mobile than your little one but she just loved being on the ship! We'd walk around, watch people, sit and listen to any music playing, stroll around the gift shops, eat! She was old enough for the kids camp but we didn't use it.

 

We got a balcony room for exactly the reasons already mentioned and it was great! We did take her to the showroom one night and she really enjoyed it for awhile then fell asleep which was fine. (On our next cruise we will probably try a few more of the shows as she has a good attention span.) We tried to keep her on her normal sleep schedule as much as possible. Having proper rest made her much happier on our very busy port days. After she fell asleep we could move around the room no problem. We don't drink and don't care too much for the casinos so for us that was no loss.

 

The entire trip was actually very relaxing and enjoyable. There weren't tons of toddlers on our ship so by the end of the week our dd ended up being quite the celebrty. Without exception the other passengers just adored her and the staff were wonderful.

 

Have a great time!

[NewSalt]

I just wanted to thank all of you who took the time to post to this thread. We're beginning to plan a cruise this summer with our DD, DSIL and DGS, who will be 15 months old then. You've allayed some of our fears as well as convinced us to spend the extra money for balcony cabins. I especially loved the pictures!

 

I'll put a blow-up pool on my shopping list!