Your best tips/advice for traveling with kids?

[sjb.illinois]

Hello all~

We are taking our kiddos (DD10 and DS7) on their first cruise this December. We have an inside quad, so it will be a bit cozy, but we're fine with that. I would love to hear from those who have cruised with kids before some of the ways you have kept the cabin organized, the most important things you recommend packing, or any other cruise-specific tips.

Thanks in advance!

[boulders]

We travel with large rolling duffles. They're light and fit lots. Once unpacked, they can slide under the bed. The side compartments are great for shampoo/sunscreen/toothpaste.

[sjb.illinois]

Boulders, we'll be flying. Have you found the duffels to hold up well with being checked?

[wake74]

Great advice on the rolling duffles. We have taken ours on too many trips to count, all flying, and while they are getting a bit scuffed up from all the conveyors, they still have many years left in them. We like the LL Bean ones, but we both grew up in Maine, so we are partial to anything Bean. If it ever breaks, just send it back to them for a new one.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Carnival has self-service laundries. Hopefully, you're going at least a day ahead of time. You can stop by a store and pick up a travel size of laundry detergent (there should be a vending machine selling detergent in the laundry room, but it's nice to get it ahead of time just in case the machines are out of order).

[Keith1010]

Think through the timing of getting ready for dinner. It is very doable but can be challenging with the one bathroom so think through that.

 

It's a wonderful cruise for families and I wish you all a wonderful time.

 

Keith

[boulders]

Boulders, we'll be flying. Have you found the duffels to hold up well with being checked?

 

I've bought our rolling duffles at Costco. We go on several trips a year. They occasionally need replacing, so I can't tell you how many plane trips they survive. It's generally the zipper that goes - mostly because we tend to overstuff them. We just flew yesterday and I had to repack one suitcase because the zipper was gone. Luckily we had more than enough duffles on hand. At $39 each, I don't worry too much about how long they last.

[newbiecruiser09]

As for packing, I would really encourage the kids to NOT bring a lot of stuff for the cabin (toys, books, stuffed friends etc). We took our kids (6 &12 at the time) 2 yrs ago and told DD (6) that she could only bring one thing to sleep with and a few books and that was all. DS had his iPod and a book and that was all. Also we really impressed on them the need to not drop their clothes, shoes etc all over the place (like they do at home :roll eyes: ) so we all had enough room. We also have the policy of everyone carries their own stuff so that helps limit what they "Have to" bring.

[youngestof9]

bring ziploc bags - they're great for wet clothes or missing pieces to games along the way. Once you wear an outfit, put it in a ziploc then throw it in your suitcase. I bring the gallon and the Hefty 2.5 gallon bags.

[topspot]

We (DD,DH and I) always do an inside, and on three cruises DD brought a friend,(same friend all three times and they still are friends), so I don't think it was that bad. :eek::eek:.

 

The over the door shoe organizer is great for keeping the cabin neat. We each get a row for our little things.

Getting ready for dinner worked this way for us. DH and I would get ready, and tell the girls what time they would have the cabin. They would come to get ready as we went to the lounge. They would get ready, then meet us in the lounge at a prearranged time and we could all go to dinner. If its too tight for the four of you getting ready, since your children are younger, you could split it up girls get ready first then boys.

It is also useful to know where the nearest restroom is just in case:o.

[kestrel]

I don't think it will be too bad sharing cabin with 2 young kids. Bathroom should not be an issue until they reach teen or preteen :)

 

We told the kids that each could only bring one carry-on and one backpack. There is enough space under the beds and in the closet to store the empty luggage. Definitely try to use the self laundry facility on the cruise so that you don't need to pack too much clothing.

[Mom2B&Z]

While I can't speak to the Carnival ships, I can say that spending a bit of time on embarkation day getting everything organized is very helpful. I give everyone a drawer for their clean clothes, with dirty clothes going back into the suitcases...rolled up, so they are good to go when we leave. Otherwise we do a small cosmetic-type bag for each person's toiletries in the bathroom, which is handy because you don't lose stuff if the ship is rocking. For toys, we let them each bring a stuffie for bedtime, then a few small toys that fit into a large ziploc bag (I think that's the gallon size in the US). Add these to the iPad and iPod touch and we are good to go, even in airports and in-flight.

We prefer to pack 4 people into three rolling suitcases, with a rolling carry-on as an emergency bag. The carry on has the minimum amount of clothing/stuff we could live with if our big bags don't end up in the right place ;) The kids carry their school backpacks as carry ons, but there isn't much in them: few toys, book, change of clothes, snacks and that's about it.

Happy travels!