Baby onboard!

[Jannevt]

Have some of you travelled with a 7-8 month old baby?

Were thinking about rccl i May from NJ.

How did you get to the port?

We dont have a baby seat with us, and the taxies in NYC dont have babyseats.

How many baby glass of food did you bring?

Is the baby food from the package that rccl provide ok baby food? Its says organic, so I hope its not full of sugar or what so ever.

How did youre baby handled the heat?

If someone have a "story" to tell on theyre experience on a criuse!?

[dforeigner]

Have some of you travelled with a 7-8 month old baby?

Were thinking about rccl i May from NJ.

How did you get to the port?

We dont have a baby seat with us, and the taxies in NYC dont have babyseats.

How many baby glass of food did you bring?

Is the baby food from the package that rccl provide ok baby food? Its says organic, so I hope its not full of sugar or what so ever.

How did youre baby handled the heat?

If someone have a "story" to tell on theyre experience on a criuse!?

 

Car seats are mandatory for that age group. Maybe you could consider purchasing a car seat/stroller combo similar to this one. Which if the baby is getting an assigned seat, this particular seat can also be used on board the plane.

 

 

 

I cannot comment of the food as I have not sailed on board RCL.

 

Diapers, bring plenty of extra ones.

 

Make sure the little one stays hydrated. They can overheat rather easily. Heat and humidity is something that can wear them off easily.

 

Do not forget sun block and some type of hat or cap to keep the sun off the eyes.

 

When we travel, we do take a regular car seat for the little one and one of these for the older one.

 

Wish I could be of more help. Maybe you'll get more answers by Monday.

[cb at sea]

Before the cruise, count out everything that you use for baby in 1 week....and bring that, with a tad more, just in case! Diapers, formula (if you aren't breastfeeding), wipes, jarred food, etc.....

 

Bring any medications that you'll need for baby....for stuffy noses, coughs, tummyaches, etc.....

 

You will need a stroller....lots and lots of walking, and while you're out, baby can nap in a stroller, so it will make life easier on you. Also, consider a balcony cabin, so when baby is down early for the night, you'll have someplace "to be" without sitting in a darkened cabin!

 

I'm sure you can get some kind of "ingredients" list for RCI's baby food (didn't know you could buy it from them!)....it won't be "full of sugar"....I don't think any baby food is!!!

[dforeigner]

I just thought of something. There are a few limo service companies in NYC. I will post some links. Send them an email and ask if they provide a vehicle with a car seat. Some of these services may also operate out of NJ. If not, then maybe then can provide you with information as to who to call to transport you from the hotel to the ship.

 

http://nylibertylimo.com/ This company does provide car seats for a fee.

 

http://www.limores.net/ This company does provide car seats for a fee.

 

http://nyclimousine.com/ This company does provide car seats for a fee. This company also works out of NJ.

 

 

 

http://www.dial7.com/ This company does not provide car seats.

 

http://www.carmellimo.com/ This company does not provide car seats.

 

http://www.arecibocc.com/ This company does not provide car seats.

 

 

Hope this helps.

[beanersmom]

If you are comfortable with it, Carnival provides tansfers between airports and ports on full size buses. You will not need a car seat on the bus as there are no buckles to install it. Your baby will have to sit on your lap. If you are comfortable with it, it is possible. Please double check this info first:)

[parrotthead]

Usually if a babyfoodp is labeled and called "Organic" it will be AllNatural. -No Sugars or Addidatives.

If you can get the Brand Name I can help...we do All (MostlyAll) Organuc for our Baby (9mo)

-"Gerber Organic" has DHA added(no worries there)

-"Plum"

-"Happy Baby/Tot" &

-"Ellas Kitchen"

ALL have nothing but Organic Fruit/Veg etc in them.

[mjkacmom]

I think NYC taxis are exempt from carseat laws?

[tamsocal]

Have some of you travelled with a 7-8 month old baby?

Were thinking about rccl i May from NJ.

How did you get to the port?

We dont have a baby seat with us, and the taxies in NYC dont have babyseats.

How many baby glass of food did you bring?

Is the baby food from the package that rccl provide ok baby food? Its says organic, so I hope its not full of sugar or what so ever.

How did youre baby handled the heat?

If someone have a "story" to tell on theyre experience on a criuse!?

 

we have only cruised with babies & kids. At different stages of their lives it certainly has been more work than others but has always been fun.

SOmetimes we have cruised without carseats and other cruises we have brought them along. Just depends on how we were getting to the port, if we had excursions that we needed the carseats for, return port and if we needed them to get home. Our planning has always been follow the same rules that we do at home for carseat needs. You will find other posts that choose to ride in a taxi without them, rental car, etc-- but I guess that is a personal choice.

 

For taking the car seats along- we didnt find the combo stroller/car seat to benefit us. They were bulky for storing on the ship and also were not practical for us with inclimate weather, etc- a standard stroller worked better for us.

 

We rarely used a stroller on the ship but i do recall taking a stroller to the MDR when singleton was little and he slept during dinner.

 

babyfood- early on with starting solids we took babyfood with us-- just made it easier for us knowing that we had what the kids liked & wouldnt have to worry.

 

If you don't really know how much baby products you go through in a week- maybe keep track for a week before you go. We always took about 15% more diapers, wipes, etc but you can most likely always buy costly supplies if you need

a blow up bathtub is nice to have- $7-10 form babies r us- some get the duck version- we liked the simple two tube bath tub- we used it for the little ones to play in on the balcony, take baths in in the bathroom, took it to the beach so they could splash in it, have read about people using at the pool- but I can't remember that we ever did this?

When we left form drive to ports- we typically always took out own pack n play but the cruise ship cribs worked fine- the plus to pack n play is that w could collapse them when little ones were not sleeping to have a little more room. SOme ships have PNP vs crib.

A rain cover for the stroller was nice to have on various ports.

Bring some toys that they are used to as well as a couple new ones for variety

Re the heat- we just kept well hydratad and on beach days we did bring along protection- either a popup tent or our personal PNP from the cabin with the outdoor attachment- nothing really more than that- just paying attention to them and our temps and their temps

 

for the car seats we bought the backpack bags that also have wheels- sometimes we wore them on our backs & other times we attached them to our luggage & drug them behind us

 

Enjoy!

[aamiee]

We cruised out of NYC last year my son was 6 months old and didn't need a carseat in the taxi.

We packed pouches baby food (plums or Ella's kitchen) so much easier than jar food and weght a lot less too

[Cruisin' Chick]

If you are comfortable with it, Carnival provides tansfers between airports and ports on full size buses. You will not need a car seat on the bus as there are no buckles to install it. Your baby will have to sit on your lap. If you are comfortable with it, it is possible. Please double check this info first:)

 

OP is considering RC, not Carnival.

 

Here's what I would add: fly in to your embarkation city at least a couple of days prior to the cruise (even more if you're coming from Norway). Plan a shopping trip to bring the items that you couldn't fit into your luggage or carryon, such as extra diapers and dishwashing liquid for cleaning the bottles. You can also shop for some baby food to take just in case you don't care for the selection onboard the ship.

[TheCalicoCat]

How did you get to the port? We brought our car seat - one one leg our our journey, there was an open seat for the car seat - otherwise it went under the palne as "gate checked" luggage with the stroller frame (Our car seat snapped into a frame - creating a stroller) & we got it as we got off the plane.

We dont have a baby seat with us, and the taxies in NYC dont have babyseats. There are exceptions to taxis & car seats (in some areas - I don't know about NYC Specifically) but that is not the choice that I would take.

How many baby glass of food did you bring? We shipped food from diapers dot com to our hotel - the food was the same brand that we used at home. (But we travelled from the US to a different state in the US.)

Is the baby food from the package that rccl provide ok baby food? Its says organic, so I hope its not full of sugar or what so ever.

How did youre baby handled the heat? No problems, we had plenty sunblock & sought out the shady spots. We also gave him plenty to drink.

If someone have a "story" to tell on theyre experience on a criuse!?

 

Hope that helps.

[dforeigner]

I think NYC taxis are exempt from carseat laws?

 

Yes, NYC taxis are exempt from carseat laws. But what about about the parents and once you make it to NJ? For the record, I am not a lawyer.

 

About NY:

What is the child passenger safety law in New York State?

1. The law requires children under the age of four to be restrained in a federally approved car seat when riding in a motor vehicle [Section 1229-c(1), NYS Vehicle & Traffic Law].
   
2. If the weight of a child under the age of 4 exceeds 40 pounds, the child may be restrained in an appropriate child restraint system, allowing the child to use a booster seat. Children ages 4, 5,and 6 must be properly secured in an appropriate child restraint system, one for which your child meets the weight and height recommendations of the child restraint manufacturer. [Section 1229-c(1), NYS Vehicle & Traffic Law] A child safety seat or harness/vest or booster seat may be used.
   
3. The vehicle's safety belts are not defined as a child restraint system under this law, as safety belts are not designed for children under 4'9" and therefore, do not protect young children.
   

Are children required by law to sit in the back seat?

Although New York does not have a law preventing children from sitting in the front seat, it is highly recommended that all children age 12 and under ride properly restrained in the back seat. Researchers estimate that just by putting a child in the back seat instead of the front seat reduces the chance of injury and death by more than 30%.

 

 

Are children under the age of four required to be restrained in a car seat while riding on a school bus?

Yes. The law states that children under the age of four must be restrained in a federally approved car seat while riding on a school bus [Section 1229-c(11), NYS Vehicle & Traffic Law].

 

 

Are children required to be in a car seat when riding in a recreational vehicle?

Children under the age of four riding in campers, recreation vehicles or mobile homes are required to be in a car seat.

 

 

Can I be fined if my child passengers are not in car seats?

Yes. The driver is held responsible for properly restraining child passengers under the age of sixteen, and can be fined a minimum of $25 up to a maximum of $100. The driver will receive 3 points on their driving record as well.

[see Section 1229-c(5), NYS Vehicle & Traffic Law.]

 

 

 

Having said that, some may not feel comfortable transporting their little one without a car seat.

[Prinycesa07]

Have some of you travelled with a 7-8 month old baby? I travelled with my daugther who was 10 months at the time from NYC.

 

How did you get to the port? We took a train and then a taxi about 10 blocks down from the train station. We didnt use a carseat.

 

How many baby glass of food did you bring? 1 per day

 

Is the baby food from the package that rccl provide ok baby food? Its says organic, so I hope its not full of sugar or what so ever. No idea, i brought my own. Im not an organic person so it wouldnt have worried me but i didnt know they provided it.

 

How did youre baby handled the heat? She loved it. Just bring sunblock, sippy cups of water to hydrate and a big sun hat.

 

If someone have a "story" to tell on theyre experience on a criuse!? My daugther playing in the ocean was one of the happiest times i've ever seen her. We're taking her again at the end of this year and she will be almost 3 and i hope she loves it just as much. It was worth the whole trip.

[dforeigner]

Have some of you travelled with a 7-8 month old baby? I travelled with my daugther who was 10 months at the time from NYC.

 

 

Actually we have, with a barely one year old and an almost three year old. We flew to Puerto Rico and spend a couple of nights there prior to sailing on board the Summit. We did bring along car seats though.

 

We have also sailed out of Texas (prior to having little ones) and NYC but left the little ones at home with the in-laws. Although we had a blast going solo with the wife, I really enjoyed sailing with the little ones last year.

 

Next year, we are sailing again with the little ones. This time, we are bringing Grandma along.

[PattyW]

Have some of you travelled with a 7-8 month old baby?

We took an 11 month old on a cruise.

Were thinking about rccl i May from NJ.

 

How did you get to the port?

We flew to Fort Lauderdale and then by car to the port.

 

We dont have a baby seat with us, and the taxies in NYC dont have babyseats.

Can't help here - we brought the carseat for the plane and the car.

 

How many baby glass of food did you bring?

We sailed on Princess and they provided baby food. We did have to order the amounts though. I just counted the number of jars of fruits/veggies etc that we used per day and multiplied it by 7 when we placed the order.

 

Is the baby food from the package that rccl provide ok baby food? Its says organic, so I hope its not full of sugar or what so ever.

I'm sure it's fine, but I remember the baby food we received was not a familiar brand - and the labels were in Spanish of French. But you could read the ingredients and there was nothing but the name of the fruit/vegetable or meat in it. We were on Princess though and this was years ago - 2003. I'm sure you could call Royal Caribbean and get more information on the food choices.

 

How did your baby handled the heat?

Sunblock, a hat and shade were alls he needed . Also, we were back on the ship for her nap during the most intense periods of sun. She handled the heat well - no problems. It may have made her tired, because she slept great.

 

If someone have a "story" to tell on theyre experience on a criuse!?

Our baby loved her first cruise. She was a bit older than your baby, but my "story" is that she completely transitioned to adult/regular food during that week on the ship. With encouragement from our family we were traveling with, we used the ample supply of buffet and other food to give her "tastes" of things here and there and she just loved it all. The dining room soups, scrambled eggs - you name it, she ate it and loved it. As a first time mother, all I had given her previously was jarred baby food; I was too nervous to give her "real" food for fear she'd choke. She sure showed us she was ready - after eating cruise food - she never looked back.

[6rugrats]

Yes, NYC taxis are exempt from carseat laws.

True and I find this amazing.

 

 

What are the rules regarding child safety seats and seatbelts in taxicabs?

Drivers of yellow medallion taxicabs and for-hire vehicles and their passengers, are exempt from laws regarding car seats and seatbelts. Keep in mind, the TLC encourages everyone in the vehicle to buckle their seatbelts while riding in a cab. There are no Taxi and Limousine Commission rules regarding this, as it is a State exemption. Passengers with children are encouraged to bring their own car seats, which the drivers must allow passengers to install.

*NOTE - Children under the age of seven are permitted to sit on an adult's lap.

 

I guess cab drivers in NYC never get into accidents.