Best adult cruise on a line suitable for infants?

[the_dylaness]

We'd love some help choosing the right cruise for us. DH and myself will be traveling with a 7 month old- planning on a 5-7 night Caribbean. I see that Disney and RCCL both have nursery facilities available but not sure if anyone else does that I've just missed.

 

I don't see an infant really getting the full benefit of all the vast kids amenities available- what I'd really like is a quiet adult cruise (we like HAL, Celebrity, and especially Seabourn...) that happens to have capabilties to care for kids. Looking at what's available for Caribbean at the time we want to go, I don't think it's going to happen. I have done Carnival once and although it is a good product for the price I don't think I would like to travel on them again. Any ideas on what would be the best compromise for two boring adults (wine tasting, trivia, reading...) and a seven month old?

 

Thank you!

[cb at sea]

Infants get NO benefit from cruising.....they have no idea where they are. All of the mass-market lines do have some kid facilities...but most have nothing for the under 2-3 age range. The exception is Oasis/Allure...they do have baby care.

 

So, whichever you pick, you'll pretty much be in charge of your child. Stick baby in a stroller, and go where you want... just like at home!

[Keith1010]

It's really a personal decision.

 

I know that when our children were very young we would never consider taking them to a very fancy restaurant on land. As such, we would not take them on Seabourn. Does that mean you can't? No. But the reality is that the vast majority of the passengers who sail on Seabourn would prefer not to have a young infant on board. Again, I'm not saying right or wrong.

 

If this was me, I would look at something like Celebrity or Princess.

 

I would save the luxury lines for another time and honestly for a time that you and your husband can enjoy them more without having a baby to pretty much watch 7 x 24.

 

Keith

[the_dylaness]

We definitely aren't considering Seabourn for this vacation, much for the reasons you mentioned. What we WOULD like is accessibility of in room babysitting and/or a nursery (Celebrity restricts in room babysitting to children ove 12 mos, Princess doesn't offer.)

 

Are there other lines we should consider that do have nursery or babysitting available for a seven month old? Disney and RCCL are all we're finding so far, but I am unsure if they really meet our desires in other ways.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Its a personal decision. I cruised when my son was 3 months on NCL and the older kids took care of him while I dined with the adults. With a group this sometimes works well. I cruised with my son very easily at 6 months but I brought along a nanny. Then we cruised again when he was 13 months and this was a bit more challenging- we used the babysitters at night on Celebrity starting at 8PM (this was when it was available from 8PM on and was subject to availability). This worked well for us. Then I didn't cruise again until he was almost 4 because I wasn't really getting the full benefit of the cruise experience traveling with a toddler. It was really hard for me to run after him all over the place. We walked alot and climbed more stairs than I care to remember.

 

As for daycare- I was not impressed with the babycare I saw on Disney. It was the crying room and I wouldn't have left my child there.

 

I have read good things about Cunard's nannies and I have sailed them 3xs and the babies did look contented for the most part and there were only like two in there anyway. Cunard is a really nice line and I enjoyed them.

[milton333]

Infants get NO benefit from cruising.....they have no idea where they are. All of the mass-market lines do have some kid facilities...but most have nothing for the under 2-3 age range. The exception is Oasis/Allure...they do have baby care.

 

So, whichever you pick, you'll pretty much be in charge of your child. Stick baby in a stroller, and go where you want... just like at home!

 

You're wrong about what ships have facilities for under 2. Nurseries (for fee) are available on the following Royal Caribbean ships:

Oasis

Allure

Freedom of the Seas

Liberty of the Seas

Radiance of the Seas (by June 2011)

Splendour of the Seas (by end of November 2011)

 

Cunard has nannies for infants. I'm not as familiar with their program, but you can check out the website.

 

 

IMO, you're also wrong that a 7 month old infant has "no idea where they are." At this age, they can sit up, roll over, possibly crawl. They smile and laugh and interact with their caregivers. They can listen to and appreciate music, and their vision is pretty much the same as ours, so they can appreciate sights, art, colors. They are beginning to eat solid foods and can appreciate different tastes. Of course, they appreciate time spent with their parents. A 7 month old infant isn't an amoeba :rolleyes:

[GOLDENBONNY]

We'd love some help choosing the right cruise for us. DH and myself will be traveling with a 7 month old- planning on a 5-7 night Caribbean. I see that Disney and RCCL both have nursery facilities available but not sure if anyone else does that I've just missed.

 

I don't see an infant really getting the full benefit of all the vast kids amenities available- what I'd really like is a quiet adult cruise (we like HAL, Celebrity, and especially Seabourn...) that happens to have capabilties to care for kids. Looking at what's available for Caribbean at the time we want to go, I don't think it's going to happen. I have done Carnival once and although it is a good product for the price I don't think I would like to travel on them again. Any ideas on what would be the best compromise for two boring adults (wine tasting, trivia, reading...) and a seven month old?

 

Thank you!

 

 

With 7 month old I would recommend HAL for many reasons.RCL and Disney is way too loud and too big for baby (I think) I would not leave my 7m.old baby on any line alone :cool:

[the_dylaness]

Thanks to everyone for their input (and laughs---"a seven month old isn't an amoeba" was pretty funny!)

 

We have chosen Disney as we would like to at least have the option of a few adult hours without the baby by our side, and HAL did not have any way for us to have a single minute alone. They seemed to have slightly more upscale amenities and activities available than RCCL, as well, and fewer "nickel and dime"-ings. We'll see in a few months, I guess.

[Gatrcruzer]

There is nothing wrong with taking an infant on a cruise, BUT just keep in mind that it is not the same as going cruising alone. I took my daughter on her first cruise when she was 13 months old and she had a blast! However, we went on Celebrity so had to care for her ourselves, which was less than relaxing. The sad fact is that your options will simply be more limited if you choose to bring a 7 month old along. If you want a cruise with a nursery, your options are limited to some of the Royal Caribbean ships, Disney, and Cunard. Also note: you will be charged the full rate for a 3rd person in the room (unless you get a "kids sail free" deal). Of the lines with nurseries, Cunard will likely give you the most adult experience (although Royal Caribbean isn't bad). You certainly have the choice to go on one of the other lines you mentioned, but it will be up to you to care for your child the whole time. Some people deal with this by bringing a nanny or relatives along to help with the care. I would also like to point out that there are some lines that are not very child-friendly at all (e.g., don't have highchairs, and have clientele that are hostile to those bringing children along). My recommendation would be to stay away from those until the child is much older. Best of luck to you. We are literally in your boat: our preference is for Holland America or Celebrity, but for now we're sticking to RCL or Disney. It's just the best solution for us at this point in time.

[B_Mc]

I would highly recommend sticking with a family-friendly line even though your baby won't use the children's facilities. You'll at least not be out of place with a LO in the MDR or around the ship. The staff will likely have more experience meeting the needs of a LO. Just a thought. We sailed on RCL with our 10 month old and no, he did not go to any of the kid's programs (other than toy borrowing) but we were surrounded by other families, kids, etc.

[Essiesmom]

I see that you are gong in Jan, and I think that another option for you might have been P&O from Barbados. Their cruises are 14 days, but they also offer a nursery. EM