Cruising with an infant AND a toddler. I think I've lost my mind.

[maighdeanmhara]

So, DH and I booked a cruise about 3 days before we found out we were expecting number 2. After much debating, we've decided to bring the baby along. So, we will be cruising with a 2 year old and 6 month old. This is also going to be the 2 year olds first cruise.

 

We have a balcony cabin booked on the Carnival Legend and my parents will be in the adjoining balcony. There is a possibility of other relatives joining us. We're heading to Cozumel, Isla Roatan, Belize and Grand Cayman.

 

While I'm certainly excited, I have my moments of "What on earth are we thinking?" So, any tips, advice or encouragement would be great .

[Beckyv]

So, DH and I booked a cruise about 3 days before we found out we were expecting number 2. After much debating, we've decided to bring the baby along. So, we will be cruising with a 2 year old and 6 month old. This is also going to be the 2 year olds first cruise.

 

We have a balcony cabin booked on the Carnival Legend and my parents will be in the adjoining balcony. There is a possibility of other relatives joining us. We're heading to Cozumel, Isla Roatan, Belize and Grand Cayman.

 

While I'm certainly excited, I have my moments of "What on earth are we thinking?" So, any tips, advice or encouragement would be great .

 

Go for it! You have family with you so this will make it loads easier!! It wont be the easiest thing but i will definitely be doing the same when we have another one!

 

Good Luck

[liljay6915]

I don't think you have lost your mind at all I found cruising with infants to be a breeze. We cruised when our DS was 3 months old and he slept through dinners and was really easy going. Just make sure to be flexible and you will have a great time. We also have cruised as he has gotten older and I found that keeping the same schedule you have at home will help with your 2 year old (naps/eating).

[PapaJoe71]

DW and I were just on the Miracle in Feb with twin 17 month olds, DS16, DD15 and DD11 we were in a group of 20 friends and family. The balcony room was tight with 2 cribs but we made it work. If I had it to do again I would have gotten the next cabin up in size. But what we did was we would fold up one of the cribs each day and the other stayed up the entire time. One we placed at the foot of the bed because it just fit between the wall and the bed. Both of our boys are climbers but one was able to get his waist over the edge and flip out of the crib, so he got the crib at the foot of the bed.

We brought a laptop and some of their movies for before bed time.

We had two umbrella strollers and they were good because they fold up so small but when I took them by myself we had clips to hook them together, this made them so wide it was imposable to use. Again if I had to do it over again I would have brought our two place stroller it is a in lime not side by side.

If the 2 year old is not potty trained we brought a small inflatable pool and set it up in the corner of the lido deck and got some water for them to splash in. just get a cheep one and toss it when you are finished with it.

Our family was awesome about helping out and each of the older kids each took a night to sit and listen to the baby monitor incase there was a problem so we were able to go out a few nights also.

All and all I would do it again in a hart beat so just go for it and have fun things will happen that may stress you out but that would happen if you were at home also so let it go and have a good time.

Best of luck

PS start a list of everything your baby may need so you don’t forget anything, I defiantly over packed but when someone in out group needed something I had it. JC

[cello56]

Make sure that you get your baby on the cabin manifest right away. Not all cabins can accomodate four people, and there is a limited number of 'souls' allowed both on board the ship, and in each area of the ship for lifeboats.

[1025cruise]

Also, make sure that at the time of your cruise your baby is 6 months. 5 months and 29 days will be denied boarding.

[B_Mc]

Make sure that you get your baby on the cabin manifest right away. Not all cabins can accomodate four people, and there is a limited number of 'souls' allowed both on board the ship, and in each area of the ship for lifeboats.

 

I second this. They will book baby as "TBA". YDS was booked on his first cruise at only 30 weeks gestation!

 

And I think you'll have a great time! We're just back from our cruise with our just-turned-3-year-old and 10 month old - busy, but fun!

[Cruisin' Chick]

I echo making sure to book the baby (there's been some threads from people who just assumed they could just show up with baby and were turned away) and to double check the age as the cruise line will know from the required birth certificate if the baby doesn't make the minimum age. Then plan your packing list. If you're flying to your embarkation city, pad in an extra day and go shopping for anything left behind. You'll want to have a good supply of diapers (and pullups if the older one is in training) and medications -- you can't depend on the ship's store having these.

[2CuteKiddies]

You're definitely not crazy. Our daughter's first cruise was when she was 2 and our son has been on two cruises in his first year! Just be flexible with your plans and bring enough of everything (medicine, diapers, etc) to get you through the trip.

 

Umbrella strollers are good for navigating tight spaces and are easier to store than many full-size strollers.

 

It might be worth calling Carnival to see if the kitchen will make pureed vegetables for babies, in case the 6 month old is at that stage. Disney does it (we were on Disney when our son was 6 months) and I've read that Royal Caribbean definitely does not. I don't know about Carnival.

 

Carnival's minimum age for Camp Carnival is 2 years, so it's worth checking out. Our daughter loved it when she was that age. We'd ask her if she wanted to go and she'd run to the cabin door, ready to go!

 

I'm sure you'll have a great time!

[maighdeanmhara]

Thank you! We did have to switch cabins and gave my parents the one we had booked (the bowling alley balcony).

Yes, the baby has been added as TBA. If he were to be born on his due date, he would turn 7 months on he cruise, so I'm pretty confident he'll be old enough.

 

I am wondering if it's better to bring a birth certificate or to get him a passport? DH and I have always used our passports, so we go to the passport line. If the kids only have their birth certificates, do we have to go through both lines?

[Julie Jean]

I am also taking my two young children on a cruise in July. They will be 1 year old and 2.5 years old by the cruise.

 

We took our eldest son on a cruise when he was 8 months old and it was the best holiday we've ever had!

 

Have a great time!

[lgionet]

You are not crazy ! You will enjoy it. I know I really enjoy cruising with my 2 boys. The younger the easier (I find) my 2 boys have cruised since the age of 7 months. Bring 2 good/comfortable strollers....and just be flexible ! Your night might need to get adjusted depending on your children a little but no big deal you are on vacation ! Have fun

[chipperberg]

Thank you! We did have to switch cabins and gave my parents the one we had booked (the bowling alley balcony).

Yes, the baby has been added as TBA. If he were to be born on his due date, he would turn 7 months on he cruise, so I'm pretty confident he'll be old enough.

 

I am wondering if it's better to bring a birth certificate or to get him a passport? DH and I have always used our passports, so we go to the passport line. If the kids only have their birth certificates, do we have to go through both lines?

 

We cruised when our son was 10 months old and he had a passport. You never know. Better to be safe than sorry in case of emergency...

[Prinycesa07]

Aw not crazy :) We cruised in 2010 when my daughter was 10 months and i was 4 months pregnant. Then again in 2012 when she was almost 3 and he was 18 months. Its not so bad. The 2nd time was nice when DD would go in the kids club sometimes so we just had the 1. An umbrella stroller is a must. And lots of snacks. We are excited for our next one since he will be 2 next week and they both can go in the kids club :D

[B_Mc]

We cruised when our son was 10 months old and he had a passport. You never know. Better to be safe than sorry in case of emergency...

 

I agree! My kids have had their passports since just a few months old.

[Glitterini]

We cruised when our son was 10 months old and he had a passport. You never know. Better to be safe than sorry in case of emergency...

 

I second this. Passports are better for travelling IMO. DS has had his since he was 2 months old

[CruisinWithMySweetie]

Bring 2 good/comfortable strollers...

 

We will be cruising on RCI Oasis with a 1 yr old and 3 yr old...do you suggest 2 umbrella strollers? Our double is definitely too large to bring. Our older DD loves sitting in her stroller and I'm not sure she could handle all the walking on such a large ship like Oasis?

[Funfab5]

We bought a backpack that held the baby and our "stuff" that we used for ports. That way we only had to bring one small stroller. We had a Combi that folds up like an umbrella stroller but has a small basket and a canopy. It has a strap making it very easy to bring along. DD5.5 walked, DS2.5 in the stroller, and DD0.5 in the backpack. Worked very well. We didn't want to haul the double stroller around or store it in our already tight cabin.

[kitkat343]

A double stroller could be really problematic, since you can't get a single stroller past the carts when they make up rooms, and have to fold it up and lift it. This, plus a kid, was a bit of a challenge for me when I brought my 2 year old back solo from excursions.

 

It sounds quite possible with Carnival, but if you would be willing to send the 6 month old to daycare, Royal Caribbean is currently retrofitting most of their fleet (slowly) to add a Royal Tot Nursery. It's not free, but is a good option if you are traveling with small children. Disney also has nurseries for smaller children.

[huneymoonerz]

You'll be okay! You have help.

 

We did a cruise just us and our 1/3 yos and were fine.

 

I still believe cruising is the easiest vacation we have taken.

[aznluv82482]

What do you do with the water for the baby pool after you blow it up? Makes no sense if it just goes back in?

 

 

 

 

The Phan Family

Cruising on Allure 9/1/13-9/7/13

[NatalieC2]

It is good to see so many people cruising with infants! I'm currently 30 weeks pregnant and am used to cruising once or twice a year. My last cruise was in my first trimester. Did you pick carnival for a reason? I would love to take a cruise when my little guy is 6 months, every cruise seems to charge full price except Disney but they are so expensive that we'll probably stick with carnival. I would love any advice on which cruises are best with infants.

[keltpa]

We cruised when I was about 20 weeks pregnant, then again when my daughter was 6 months and one week (as soon as we could basically) and then we got married on a cruise when she was 16 months old. We are going again for a week in November. Of the two we have done since she was born, we loved them and so did she. She was too young for the kids club, but they have free play time when you can go with your baby to play. The staff are AMAZING with kids - they really will go out of their way to help and give you anything you need (e.g. our daughter loves blueberries and even around the pool on the lido deck waiters were coming over and asking if we wanted some). Just take a good umbrella stroller (that reclines) and enjoy yourself! I have found the staff on cruises are way more accommodating towards small children than any other vacation (even Disney) and, honestly, so were the other guests. Just remember to be careful with hygiene, pack everything you may need and realize that it isn't going to be the same cruise you had before, but it might be even better! I personally would prefer to take my toddler on a cruise than any other vacation, Disney included.

[keltpa]

Oh, and at 6 months I would prefer Carnival because they are too young for any child care on board, so you might as well go with an affordable option. We will do a Disney cruise, but not until our daughter is old enough to appreciate it. The workers on the cruise ships for the most part have their own kids or even grandkids back home and will treat you like royalty!

[flhokie]

For cruising with little ones too young for kids programs I highly recommend Royal Caribbean! Many of their ships have the nursery so, if you sail on one of those ships, you have an option to have some adult time if you want. I agree that I would not pay Disney's prices at that age. While Carnival might be most economical, if you look carefully you can probably find a RCCL option close to the price.