Cruising Oasis of the seas with a 9 month old

[nationsgirl89]

My daughter and I are to set sail June 23 on Oasis for the western caribbean. There will be 20 family members ranging from 9 months(my child) to mid 50's. I have researched almost every review and I haven't found many reviews with infants for this ship. I have a modified chicco umbrella stroller but would really appreciate any and all advice out there.

*****NOTE******

This is not the place to state your opinion on cruising with kids. I do not care if you think it is inconsiderate to cruise with a young child. I have paid for both of us (yes even though she is an infant) and we have every right to be there. so... keep your nasty opinions to yourself. If you can help give any suggestions or tips I would be most appreciated. AGAIN DO NOT POST IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING UGLY TO SAY ABOUT CRUISING WITH CHILDREN

 

Thanks so much,

[Ready 2 Go]

LOL! I like your disclaimer nationsgirl89. You may also want to try over on the Family Cruise if you havent done so already. There is usually lots a good info. I usually just take a cheapy umbrella stroller that folds up small. But like I mentioned, try either Family Cruise or the Royal Carribean board. Hope this helps and enjoy your family cruise!!

[nationsgirl89]

LOL! I like your disclaimer nationsgirl89. You may also want to try over on the Family Cruise if you havent done so already. There is usually lots a good info. I usually just take a cheapy umbrella stroller that folds up small. But like I mentioned, try either Family Cruise or the Royal Carribean board. Hope this helps and enjoy your family cruise!!

 

I have looked on both boards, there is a lot but not a lot on the newer programs like royal babies and tots and the in room babysitting. I would love some parental reviews on these programs. including the programs that involve the parents.

[Genia11]

We cruised with our DD when she was 10 month old last year and it was quite enjoyable.

We didn't really use much of the children's facility, but we did go by to borrow toys for her for the week. We also did drop by a couple of time to play in the common area where they had small toys as well as slides, etc...

What we appreciated the most was the splash zone for babies... she thoroughly enjoyed that area and so did we.

Following fellow cruisers' advise, we also brought an inflatable tub for baths... it was a great idea.

We had a crib delivered to our room and that's where she slept for the week. It was a pack n' play.

Hope the above helps.

[bralli]

No worries, you are on the right board for cruisers with kids. You should feel comfortable traveling with your baby and a cruise ship is a pretty darn child friendly environment IMO (contrary to the blog post: http://www.cruisecritic.com/blog/index.php/2012/05/29/9-reasons-not-to-take-a-baby-on-a-cruise/). To me the MOST stressful place I've ever been to with a baby in the group was Disneyland. You are going to have a giant ship to explore in the stroller. You will be able to find places to let them crawl around and you will have an unlimited supply of food on hand (although at 9 months they are probably not eating much other than baby food). My only advice is to be flexible and understand that your baby is going to need to be so too. You should have a blast.

 

As mentioned, you can't drop your baby off at the normal kids center but you CAN arrange one on one childcare for your baby if you want to take in a show or do some specialty dining where you don't want to deal with the baby. At least on the last ship I was on the baby sitting is usually one of the housekeeping staff and the charge isn't too horrendous. (Although in that big family group you are in, I'm sure you can get someone to do that for you. :)...)

[nationsgirl89]

No worries, you are on the right board for cruisers with kids. You should feel comfortable traveling with your baby and a cruise ship is a pretty darn child friendly environment IMO (contrary to the blog post: http://www.cruisecritic.com/blog/index.php/2012/05/29/9-reasons-not-to-take-a-baby-on-a-cruise/). To me the MOST stressful place I've ever been to with a baby in the group was Disneyland. You are going to have a giant ship to explore in the stroller. You will be able to find places to let them crawl around and you will have an unlimited supply of food on hand (although at 9 months they are probably not eating much other than baby food). My only advice is to be flexible and understand that your baby is going to need to be so too. You should have a blast.

 

As mentioned, you can't drop your baby off at the normal kids center but you CAN arrange one on one childcare for your baby if you want to take in a show or do some specialty dining where you don't want to deal with the baby. At least on the last ship I was on the baby sitting is usually one of the housekeeping staff and the charge isn't too horrendous. (Although in that big family group you are in, I'm sure you can get someone to do that for you. :)...)

 

 

Thank you so much. This really does put me at ease. I'm such a planner and am trying to be as prepared as I can be, not only for me, but for those enjoying the cruise around me. Thank you again!

[nationsgirl89]

We cruised with our DD when she was 10 month old last year and it was quite enjoyable.

We didn't really use much of the children's facility, but we did go by to borrow toys for her for the week. We also did drop by a couple of time to play in the common area where they had small toys as well as slides, etc...

What we appreciated the most was the splash zone for babies... she thoroughly enjoyed that area and so did we.

Following fellow cruisers' advise, we also brought an inflatable tub for baths... it was a great idea.

We had a crib delivered to our room and that's where she slept for the week. It was a pack n' play.

Hope the above helps.

 

Glad to hear you had a great time. I will buy an inflatable tub for sure. Do you recommend the rectangle or the circle tub?

Thanks so much for your response. It really puts me at ease. I am getting so excited and anxious

[Genia11]

Glad to hear you had a great time. I will buy an inflatable tub for sure. Do you recommend the rectangle or the circle tub?

Thanks so much for your response. It really puts me at ease. I am getting so excited and anxious

 

We got this tub

[adidas66502]

We did Oasis with our 11 month old last October and had a great time! We used the Royal babies and tot program a few of the evenings and one afternoon while we did massages. Our daughter really had a great time! We made sure we went to a few of the morning baby play sessions which was fun because we got to know the other parents of babies on the ship and ended up spending lots of time with those families at the pool. We liked that we could check out bags of toys and leave our stroller at the childcare center while our child was there. The girls working in the child center were wonderful and took special care to do what they could to make our child comfortable. We had no problem scheduling childcare times or making changes. The baby and tot area was very well kept with plenty of toys, a television, and a separate sleeping area with cribs. Everytime we were there the staff were down on the ground playing with the kids and late at night there were children being rocked by staff as they slept. It was a great program and we would't hesitate to use it again!

[beachchick]

I don't want to be intrusive or impolite, but may I inquire if you mean that your daughter's father will not be cruising when you say, "My daughter and I"? I only ask because, if this is the case, then you may need to prove that her father is allowing international travel or you would need to prove that you have sole legal and physical custody and do not need the other parent's permission to go between countries. Although many if not most people are not required to show such proof, the fact is that they can be required to do so and a number of members here have been among those required to show proof.

 

Also, I believe that the minimum age for in-cabin babysitting is 1 year. I know the price has gone up to something like $20/hour. I'm also pretty sure that there are specific limits to the number of hours for the nursery; however, I don't know if you have to sign up for that like you do for in-cabin babysitting. (With other family members onboard, you may have a number of offers to help you out anyway.)

 

Hope you have a wonderful time!:)

 

beachchick