Is it worth it taking an infant and toddler?

[ardentcruiser]

My wife and I are considering going on the Disney Wonder next year for a seven day Mexican Riviera cruise. There will be other family there but we are trying to decide if it is worth taking an infant (three months old) and toddler (three years old) on the cruise, or if we should wait until the kids are older. We are particularly concerned about having space in our room to sleep everyone. Is there room in a regular balcony room for four people (two adults, a toddler, and an infant)? Any suggestions?

[GTO-Girl]

My wife and I are considering going on the Disney Wonder next year for a seven day Mexican Riviera cruise. There will be other family there but we are trying to decide if it is worth taking an infant (three months old) and toddler (three years old) on the cruise, or if we should wait until the kids are older. We are particularly concerned about having space in our room to sleep everyone. Is there room in a regular balcony room for four people (two adults, a toddler, and an infant)? Any suggestions?

 

IMO I would never try taking a 3 month old infant on a cruise. To me that is just too young to have them so far away from pediatric care.

 

If I were in your shoes I would wait awhile until the children were older...

[Zezzie]

My wife and I are considering going on the Disney Wonder next year for a seven day Mexican Riviera cruise. There will be other family there but we are trying to decide if it is worth taking an infant (three months old) and toddler (three years old) on the cruise, or if we should wait until the kids are older. We are particularly concerned about having space in our room to sleep everyone. Is there room in a regular balcony room for four people (two adults, a toddler, and an infant)? Any suggestions?

 

We took a Disney cruise on the Wonder when our youngest was almost a year old...that's the youngest I would take on a cruise but that's me. She was able to enjoy the cruise just as much if not more than the rest of us! :) We had an inside stateroom and it was tight with 2 adults, 1 child and 1 infant (in a pack 'n play...which took up much of the space) Our relatives had that type of balcony room and I think it would give you a little more space but I would be worried about the balcony with how young the children are....again, that's me.

 

Whenever you do decide to go I'm certain you will have a wonderful time! We all loved it! :)

[PoopDeckPappy]

I took my daughters when they were 6 months and 22 months. The both loved it. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Some line require kids to be at least 6 months old so just double check with DCL first.

[jerseyralph]

I would consider going with a 3 year old. I would not take an infant. Our DD was 5 on her first cruise and she LOVED the kids club. Liked them less as she got older. Her first cruise was the Wonder. She did not want to come out of the club in the evening. DH and I often ate dinner alone. We have taken many cruises on assorted lines since she was five. She liked the clubs for kids less on each and every cruise, each and every line. whatever you decide, have fun!

[Grandprix]

My wife and I are considering going on the Disney Wonder next year for a seven day Mexican Riviera cruise. There will be other family there but we are trying to decide if it is worth taking an infant (three months old) and toddler (three years old) on the cruise, or if we should wait until the kids are older. We are particularly concerned about having space in our room to sleep everyone. Is there room in a regular balcony room for four people (two adults, a toddler, and an infant)? Any suggestions?

 

Are these children even born yet?

I'd wait till they are out of diapers.

[GrandmaHofmann]

You're paying a premium to be on a Disney ship and that age kids won't get bupkus out of it. I'd wait. Maybe the family would go on another line with good kids programs if there are other kids involved and cut your price in half.

[PoopDeckPappy]

It's about being with your family. It's vacations like the one you're considering taking are what great family memories are made of (for you too not just the kids). So even if they don't know they are on a boat or don't remember it you'll have a great time knowing you're together. I had an NCL booked about 6-8 months after we got off the Magic and I explained to my daughter that we were going to go on a cruise again and that it would be different, "there won't be any characters." She said but I want to go on the Mickey boat. Nuff said, cancelled NCL and booked DCL the next day. They will love looking at pictures and home movies when they are older and seeing them with you when they were little kids. We kill a few hours a month doing just that and they love it. The pic attached sums it all up for me (met Pluto walking down the hallway and he walked my DD to his scheduled appearance).

 

As Granprix hints at, diapers are just one more thing to contend with but you can save yourself a lot of extra packing and buy some peace of mind by using the service that delivers baby goods directly to your stateroom. We had food, disposable bibs, formula, diapers, wipes, etc. waiting in our stateroom upon arrival. The price was reasonable too (like buying the stuff in a CVS or Wallgreens not on sale). Babies travel lite is the company.

[ardentcruiser]

Are these children even born yet?

I'd wait till they are out of diapers.

 

The baby to be three months old at the time of the cruise has not yet been born, but we definitely know there is a baby in there! :)

[Host Mick]

The baby to be three months old at the time of the cruise has not yet been born, but we definitely know there is a baby in there! :)

 

In that infants under 12 weeks old are not allowed to travel, you sure are cutting it close. I hope that he/she stays on schedule.

[Mythicalbee]

My wife and I are considering going on the Disney Wonder next year for a seven day Mexican Riviera cruise. There will be other family there but we are trying to decide if it is worth taking an infant (three months old) and toddler (three years old) on the cruise, or if we should wait until the kids are older. We are particularly concerned about having space in our room to sleep everyone. Is there room in a regular balcony room for four people (two adults, a toddler, and an infant)? Any suggestions?

 

We are taking our 4 and (one week shy of) 3 year olds in October and I would not have done a cruise even last year at 3 and 1 1/2. There are a lot of good points given, including pediatric care, age restrictions, paying a premium price and not getting anything out of it. And seven days is a long time if the kids just aren't having it. And just to make a point, God forbid your baby or momma (who I assume is going to be 3 months at time of travel so being 'built' right now) has any issues at birth... you have a paid trip you may not be going on. On the plus side of things, you'll have family to help out, the verandah rooms (from room reports) seem plenty comfortable for a family of 4 (our DS4 will bunk it, while DS3 will pack n play it), and you seem pretty cool with the idea of doing this trip!

 

It's high risk, but maybe that's comfortable for you? What about doing a shorter 4 day cruise? Less investment of time and money. I think it's a purely personal decision -- so if you take the trip and anyone says anything negative, hand 'em a mickey ice cream cone with a smile :) Otherwise, since you're asking, my vote is shorter cruise or wait a year or two.

[carlat78]

I took my daughter on a cruise when she was 6months old, but I didnt put her in daycare she stayed with me the entire time. With her being so young I didnt feel comfortable having someone else watch her. But we still had a ball, oh and it was a short 4 day cruise, couldnt of done any longer..lol

[luvhubandbabys]

To me disney cruise line is a bit pricey. $$$$ Having a 3 mo old who will be waking to feed still multiple times a night--being tired from having an infant doesnt seem like a fun idea on a cruise. A cruise should be relaxing having an infant is anything but... LOL I would wait just because of the price I would wait all my children to be able to participate in the fun. Wait until that baby was a bit older and less demanding on the parents. Baby is king, right.. I would wait until age 2 or older to cruise..

[ducklite]

I would do something different for another few years until your kids were really old enough to get something out of the cruise and to be able to go into the pools.

 

One thing I'd be worried about on a cruise is having the baby waking those in cabins around me three or four times a night. Those walls aren't all that soundproof.

 

Maybe if you want Disney, consider going to their Vero Beach resort. Really laid back yet still has Disney touches. You're landside with medical care, grocery store and CVS a few miles away for extra diapers and such, a great beach to play on, childrens play areas, we find it as relaxing as a cruise. A one bedroom villa rental for a week would cost less then an inside cabin on a four day cruise.

[GoldenRose]

We took our son on his first cruise (RCCL, not Disney) when he was just under 8 months old, and his second when he was about 15 months old. Cruising with a baby was much less relaxing and more difficult than cruising without a baby, but it was still better than staying at home. We did bring my mom with us, which was a huge help.

 

That said, I think 3 months is probably too young. A 3 month old isn't likely to be sleeping much more than 3 or 4 hours at a time, and since you'll all be in the room together, he or she will almost certainly wake up everyone in the room for every feeding. This is likely to be brutal. Seriously, wait until the baby can more or less sleep through the night. You won't know your child's habits and temperament until the baby is here, and you just can't plan on a baby being a good traveler.

 

Having taken one child on a cruise at under a year old, we decided not to do that with our second. We've booked her first cruise (on Disney) for when she'll be around 22 months old. We are currently trying to figure out what to do for a vacation when she'll be around 15 months old, and we are considering booking another cruise, but haven't decided what to do. Traveling with two kids is much harder than traveling with one, and traveling with a baby is tough, period.

[House-of-P]

YOU alone know what your kids (OK, maybe not so much the newbie) can handle... and how much of them you can handle ;-]

 

Our DS was 18 months on his first cruise (14 days, Panama Canal), 6 months when he took his first plane ride (HI), and less than four weeks on his first road trip (3 weeks up the CA, OR, WA coast)... he's a PRO traveller! My husband and I have been blessed to take many vacations in our lifetime, but having a son with whom to enjoy our adventures is so much MORE FUN! We're doing our second cruise this CHRISTmas on the Wonder (first Disney--we're SToKeD)!

 

It IS about spending time with family. Period. If you're kids don't remember it, YOU WILL! Youo will be able to tell them about "the time when..."--they eat that stuff up! Make a photobook of your adventures from Shutterfly or Costco. Our DS looks at ours (he's 2 now) frequently and he "tells" me about the pics.

 

***We tried to do NCL when he was 5 months (he'd turn 6 en route), but they would not let us book. Check w/ DCL about their age restrictions. Also, BONUS: they have a nursery for the wee ones. Most ships do not.