?s for bringing a toddler

[alyssa0922]

We will be taking our then 16 month old on a cruise next Christmas, Emerald out of Houston. Any answers to the following are much appreciated. We already know she will be too young to participate in the youth program, we are ok with that! :-)

 

1. Since we will be bringing her portable crib (yes I know we could get one from princess, ours folds to carry on size to take to the beach too) do we have to stay in a cabin that has a 3rd bed? We would like to stay in a balcony on the caribe level (bigger balcony), but when I go to book and state 3 people it doesn't give the deck 10 option to book, thinking this is because none of those cabins have Pullman/Murphy beds?

 

2. What is the price for a 3rd person in a cabin? Is it the same no matter what type of cabin or is it a percentage of the price for the first/second passenger price in a particular class?

 

3. Any been there done that helpful hints and tips of taking a toddler would be appreciated as well.

 

Thank you! :-)

[runnerodb83]

We will be taking our then 16 month old on a cruise next Christmas, Emerald out of Houston. Any answers to the following are much appreciated. We already know she will be too young to participate in the youth program, we are ok with that! :-)

 

1. Since we will be bringing her portable crib (yes I know we could get one from princess, ours folds to carry on size to take to the beach too) do we have to stay in a cabin that has a 3rd bed? We would like to stay in a balcony on the caribe level (bigger balcony), but when I go to book and state 3 people it doesn't give the deck 10 option to book, thinking this is because none of those cabins have Pullman/Murphy beds?

 

2. What is the price for a 3rd person in a cabin? Is it the same no matter what type of cabin or is it a percentage of the price for the first/second passenger price in a particular class?

 

3. Any been there done that helpful hints and tips of taking a toddler would be appreciated as well.

 

Thank you! :-)

 

We just got back from our 2nd cruise with our baby. The first one, our child was 8 months and only sitting. This last one she was 14 months and just started walking. there is a big difference, when they are mobile they want to get into everything as you may as well know, but cruising is a good and relatively safe venue for this.

 

1) Yes, you have to book in a 3rd/4th cabin. The benefit is you can use those pullman beds for storing strollers, carseats, extra bags etc. We placed the port-a-crib (a pak and play) in the closet, it fits well. Only the top category Caribe balconies have 3rd/4th berths. you may do better booking a lower category minisuite which will be close in price probably. alternatively, a Oceanview cabin on plaza deck is a great location since its close to the intl cafe for milk and food 24hrs a day and it doesnt require an elevator ride to an anytime dining room. the art gallery is also a nice place to let the kids walk around and the area is very quiet.

2) It typically is a percentage of the full fare. Babies are not discounted from the normal 3rd/4th fare.

3) Lots of hints, but many are based on your child and their age...

-bring the meds you need for them, and any incendentals, such as pedialyte and child medications.

-a minisuite is well worth it for a newly walking toddler, ours loved walking back and forth.

-we always tried to avoid elevators, especially on grand class, maybe bring a backpack or frontpack that will hold your baby, and if they arent used to it, try putting them in it before you cruise so they are used to it.

-you can request baby food on the website under dietary requests. that being so, make sure you bring some food you know they will eat.

-the crib can fit well in the closet, and then its possible to watch tv in the rest of the room, i have a picture but its still on my phone, i can upload if you want to see it.

-dinner can be a challenge, although adults will eat to satisfy taste, most kids will eat to satisfy hunger. we found when we stopped allowing our little one to eat cherrioes whenever she wanted, up till dinner, she was hungry for almost anything we put on the plate in front of her which kept her busy at dinner, and made it less stressful for us. its also helpful to keep a list of foods they like so you can ask the dining room staff, we totally blanked on this the first night which made it a bit stressful.

-most of the staff is really great with kids, tip accordingly.

-communicate with your steward your childs naptime. we didnt on this last cruise and we missed a day and a half of turn up and turn down service; our steward would always come to the room when our daughter was napping or down for the night.

-if you dont have assigned seating, head to the dining room at 5:30 when they open, you will get a seat with your group and the service is much faster. its easier on the waiters too.

-although the kids area will not take kids under 3, you can go in with them and play in the areas, just check with the staff.

-no swim diapers in pools, but i think its fine to walk with your child in the wading areas at the edge of pools

-christmas will have a lot of kids on, and there are a lot of activites for kids of all ages. make sure to engage yours.

-bring a roll of duck tape/packing tape to cover any outlets in the room thats near the ground

-a set of magnetic hooks is usefull for hanging formal wear if you come back to your room after your child is asleep and their crib is in the closet

-a powerstrip is also useful (generic comment)

-if you have movies on your phone and an HDMI out port, get a small HDMI to large HDMI and you can play them on TV as well as music from your phone's memory card.

 

i think that's it, if i think of others ill add, or if you have other questions ill be happy to answer them as best as i can.

 

most importantly, realize you cant do all the things you once did on a cruise, especially if you have no one to stay in the room at night when your child is asleep and all the activities are going on. rather than being bummed, its fun to experience cruising in a new way and spend a lot of quality time with your child (which im sure you will based on the questions you've asked). enjoy!

Edited December 30, 2013 by runnerodb83

[Pam in CA]

-no swim diapers in pools, but i think its fine to walk with your child in the wading areas at the edge of pools.

Excellent suggestions for the OP. I would say no swim diapers at the edge of the pools or anywhere water is shared with the pools. Any leak anywhere and the pool has to be closed, drained, decontaminated and refilled... meaning the pool is unusable for a day or so resulting in many unhappy passengers. It's not worth taking the chance. Instead, you can bring a small blow-up wading pool, fill it, let your toddler play, and empty at the side of the ship, away from the pool area.

[runnerodb83]

Excellent suggestions for the OP. I would say no swim diapers at the edge of the pools or anywhere water is shared with the pools. Any leak anywhere and the pool has to be closed, drained, decontaminated and refilled... meaning the pool is unusable for a day or so resulting in many unhappy passengers. It's not worth taking the chance. Instead, you can bring a small blow-up wading pool, fill it, let your toddler play, and empty at the side of the ship, away from the pool area.

 

Pam, while I agree with you about the importance of keeping bodily fluids away from the pool I'll disagree about the dangers of an toddler walking on the edge and the low likelyhood that a dribble or two of urine will contaminate the pool. Ironically, folks should keep their toddlers out of the pool for the health of the toddler. The number of folks that don't shower (rinsing doesn't do much) before entering a pool (with soap) and those with incontinence, even minor, does much more "damage" to the water quality of the pool and to the health of children. I don't let this stop me from using the pool, but i avoid putting my head under and keep my daughter out of any pool until she has a stronger bacterial resistance that comes with age and being larger. Fun stuff in the pool includes, fecal matter, saliva, mucus, sweat, lotions, and perfumes. All this is in the pool no matter how frequently its cleaned, but the solution is dilution. The larger the pool, the safer the water (all things being equal). I would avoid some of the smaller plunge pools.

 

That said, I haven't been sick from pool water but am aware of the dangers after working in wastewater treatment design. An important thing to remember is that if you smell a strong chlorine smell, the pool is actually underchlorinated as the smell is created when chloramine compounds form and its prudent to stay away.

[runnerodb83]

We will be taking our then 16 month old on a cruise next Christmas, Emerald out of Houston. Any answers to the following are much appreciated. We already know she will be too young to participate in the youth program, we are ok with that! :-)

 

1. Since we will be bringing her portable crib (yes I know we could get one from princess, ours folds to carry on size to take to the beach too) do we have to stay in a cabin that has a 3rd bed? We would like to stay in a balcony on the caribe level (bigger balcony), but when I go to book and state 3 people it doesn't give the deck 10 option to book, thinking this is because none of those cabins have Pullman/Murphy beds?

 

2. What is the price for a 3rd person in a cabin? Is it the same no matter what type of cabin or is it a percentage of the price for the first/second passenger price in a particular class?

 

3. Any been there done that helpful hints and tips of taking a toddler would be appreciated as well.

 

Thank you! :-)

 

i almost forgot...dishsoap is very helpful for washing bottles and pacifiers. The soap in the cabin is really just hand soap and doesnt lather much unless rubbing it in your hands. we forgot it on this last trip.

[alyssa0922]

Oh my goodness! Thank you so much for all of the information and tips! Anything else you can think of would be much appreciated as well! Would love to see the photos you were talking about if it isn't too much trouble.

Thank you!

[caribill]

Be aware there is no baby sitting available.

[runnerodb83]

Oh my goodness! Thank you so much for all of the information and tips! Anything else you can think of would be much appreciated as well! Would love to see the photos you were talking about if it isn't too much trouble.

Thank you!

 

I think I attached a photo of the crib, it doesn't give that good of perspective unfortunately but you should get the gist of what their "crib" is and how it fits. Our steward made the crib up nicely every evening.

 

Since you are going over christmas, maybe bring a little toy or book for every day. My mom brought my daughter a book for every day of the cruise, nothing fancy, but enough to keep my daughter interested.

 

We tipped out steward on christmas eve and at the end of the cruise. We also bought him some candy to go with the xmas tip. I told him i wanted to use the money to skype or call his family back home, he was very greatful and didnt want to accept it initially. I think tipping the stewards and bar staff a little extra on an xmas cruise qualifies as charitable giving, these people are working so hard and are away from their families, it can be something that just makes their day a little better. I know they make good money compared to many of their countrymen but its rewarding to see the reaction these folks have when you give them something unexpected especially when its not really related to their job performance. Our steward was friendly enough but a "fair" steward at best. He did much better after the xmas tip ironically. But it really was worth it to see the look on his face.

 

Diaper tip, if you dont already, get used to dumping any solids into the toilet. It will keep the stink down in your bathroom. We also brought those diaper disposal bags and/or doggy doo bags to keep the stink down.

 

I think thats all, let me know if anything else pops up. Remember to use the dietary request form on the website at least 30 days before if you want baby food on the ship.

[Mr_Astro]

Don't rely on the tv's having HDMI sockets.

 

Some ships/cabins have them, some do not, some are difficult to access.

 

Pack accordingly.

[RAPM5856]

On our grandson's (then 15 mo) first cruise our waiters where our godsend at dinner. After the first evening, they had Logan's favorite foods waiting for him when we all showed up for dinner. Then he never got crabby waiting. They also loved 'playing' with him after dinner as he wandered around. They were GREAT!

[skynight]

We would like to stay in a balcony on the caribe level (bigger balcony), but when I go to book and state 3 people it doesn't give the deck 10 option to book, thinking this is because none of those cabins have Pullman/Murphy beds?

Thank you! :-)

The Emerald Princess has 16 balcony cabins on the Caribe deck that can accommodate a third or forth person. 3 person cabins are: C503,04,05 & 06. 4 person cabins are C501,02,18,19,22,23,26,27,30,31,34,and 35. These are all available when I looked at the Princess web site. Unfortunately the current Princess site does not allow you to view which cabins have extra berths. I retrieved it from older published information. Work with your Travel Agent to obtain one of these cabins. If you want to keep the large balcony have your booking marked "No Upgrade" or you can have it marked with the "Meta Upgrade" option meaning only an upgrade to a mini suite or higher will be accepted.

 

Like a previous poster stated, if you can spend the extra money go with a mini suite, there will be a little extra room for the child to move around and play some, and it will have a sofa for you to sit on during nap time.

[alyssa0922]

Thank you sknight for finding those rooms! I will call princess! :-)

[alyssa0922]

Runnerrod thank you for posting the pic! You have been extremely helpful!!!

[runnerodb83]

Runnerrod thank you for posting the pic! You have been extremely helpful!!!

 

my pleasure, it was daunting the first time we went, but everything worked out. We found that once we got on the ship, the stress of travelling with a baby dropped to almost nothing and we learned a lot of tips quickly. I'm happy to pass on our tips in hopes that your cruise will be as great as our 2 cruises have with a little one.

[alyssa0922]

Yes, daunting and a learning curve! :-) we have done 7 cruises before, but with a little one in tow we are expecting a whole new ball game! Again, thank you so much!

[Cruise_me_Crazy]

Alyssa0922

Would live to hear how your cruise went. Please update us on your return! :)