Legend Review with 9 Month Old

[irky416]

We just got off the Legend with our daughter who was 9 months old. I just wanted to give a quick review since they were helpful to me when I was trying to plan.

 

We did bring a car seat as we bought her a seat on the plane. Such a good decision. She is at the age where she wants to be down, crawling and climbing on things. I can't imagine having to have held her in my lap for the entire flight.

 

 

And we managed to being less luggage this time than we ever did with just the two of us! (Minus the stroller and carseat)

 

 

We flew in a day early and sent my husband to Target on the hotel shuttle to get all the supplies we would need. He picked up food pouches, diapers and wipes. Stuff that would have been too bulky to pack. That worked out really well. We ended up with waaaay too many diapers, but I was glad to have more than enough than have to worry about running out. We budgeted for 10/day and only used about half that.

 

Overall, the trip went pretty well. The baby got sick the first few days, so that was an interesting experience and we pretty much stuck to our room and she needed more sleep than usual. After she was feeling better things picked up a little.

 

I'm not sure if we will be taking any more cruises while she is still taking two naps. It was a lot of being locked up in the room. She doesn't sleep for long enough in the stroller so we tried to be in our room for her naps. And without a lot of space, we had to tiptoe around the cabin because if she woke up and saw us, she wanted to be awake. One time, she woke up after we thought she was out and I had to squeeze myself into the corner by the door and my husband had to throw himself down behind the bed. We were stuck in those positions for a few minutes trying our hardest not to laugh too loud at the ridiculousness of the situation.

 

The room with out pack n play in it:

 

We had a balcony and were so glad we did. We spent a lot of time out there while the baby was napping and sleeping at night. She liked being out on the balcony, too. It was nice to be able to have her outside where it was usually shaded and she could crawl around without me having to worry about people stepping on her.

 

We also brought a stroller and I was so glad we did. We don't use it much at home, but we used it a lot on the ship. We bought an umbrella stroller for the trip and was glad we had that over our regular City Mini. We had the First Years Ignite stroller and it worked really well in the room and around the ship. It folded up nice and small and we stored it in one of the closets when we weren't using it. I did miss the canopy on the City Mini and being able to steer with one hand, but I was glad we had the smaller stroller.

 

Plenty of space in the little hallway

 

 

 

Continued below for more pictures...

[irky416]

We have a travel pack n play that weighs only 7 pounds and folds up really small. I was glad we brought that, so she had something familiar to sleep in. And it takes up less space that a regular pack n play so we had a little more room in the cabin. (Pictures above)

 

We did the early seating and went to dinner every night but one. We found what worked best was to send my husband in first and have him order for us while I kept the baby out in the lounge for ten minutes to play. That took off some of the time she had to sit. Our appetizers were waiting for us when I'd take her in and then she could sit in her high chair and eat while we ate. Only 2 of the nights did we have to take turns taking her out so she wouldn't disrupt others and that was only because of the long time between finishing our dinner and them brining out dessert.

 

Strangely, the baby decided she would only eat Cheerios, Puffs, or pouches on the trip. Usually, at home, she eats whatever we eat and does really well with it. I think she was thrown off by all the changes and only wanted her "comfort" food as she has Cheerios and a pouch every single day at home. She also didn't want to nurse which made me a little worried about her getting enough to eat/drink. As soon as we got home, she started eating and nursing again, so I really think it was just a reaction to all the changes. Just something I didn't even think about until it happened to us.

 

The high chair was set up for us every night after the first night. We had to ask for the tray the first night and they seemed confused about it, but we didn't want her pulling at the table cloth and wanted her to have some space for her Cheerios away from our plates so she wouldn't grab at them. After that first night, the tray was always with the high chair, too.

 

The high chair. We brought two of her sippy cups so she would have something familiar and were glad we did. We also brought a small bottle of dish soap and a bottle brush and just cleaned them out in the room every night.

 

The waiters were very good with her. Most of the crew seemed to genuinely enjoy having her around. We heard from so many people who had small babies at home. One waiter told us about his two month old that he hadn't even seen yet. It broke my heart a little.

 

She especially liked Kateryna who played with her every night. They saw each other one last time before we got off the ship and they were both excited.

 

They also had high chairs up on the lido deck. These could be hard to find sometimes, but a waiter was always willing to bring one if we couldn't find one on our own. They were the same high chairs they had at dinner.

 

We brought a few of her favorite small toys, but she found lots of other things to play with. She loved climbing all over stuff and she especially loved playing with the cups they had for drinks. We went up to Camp Carnival on the first day to ask about baby friendly stuff, but they were closed to get ready for the introductory talk and we never made it back up there. We found plenty for her to do, though. We mostly took her to one of the lounges so she had a little more space to crawl around and climb on things. And there was hardly ever anyone there during the day, so it worked out perfectly.

 

Continued below....

[irky416]

Trying to climb around the window kept her entertained for awhile:

 

She enjoyed destroying the towel animals every night:

She loved making these chairs rock:

More climbing stuff:

 

There was plenty of things available on the ship to keep her entertained.

 

We did not bring an inflatable tub. I'm glad we didn't. We usually shower her with us at home and that worked out well on the ship. We didn't have enough space in our luggage for the tub and it would have taken up precious space in our room that we didn't have. And she's too little to understand that she's missing out on the pool, so we wouldn't have used it for that purpose either.

 

Continued below....

[irky416]

For excursions, we tried to go to Chankanaab in Cozumel. That turned out to be a disaster because she still wasn't feeling well and she refused to nurse. We did bring her carseat off the ship and had no problem putting it in a cab. The second we pulled out of the cab station, I was so glad we had her safe in the seat. It was annoying to cart around the park, but I was still glad we had taken it.

 

She napped in the stroller and then cried when we put her in the sand. I don't even think we were there for a whole hour. If she would have been in a better mood it may have been better and I think she would have enjoyed it, but it just didn't work out that day. I also fell over some coral in the water and scraped my leg up really badly, so we just called it a day. I'm sure one day we'll look back and laugh at our failed Cozumel excursion!

 

In Costa Maya, we just got off the ship and walked around the port area. That went much better!

 

We didn't even bother to get off the ship in Roatan because we wanted to go after her first nap and we were there for such a short period of time, it didn't seem worth it.

 

We had plans to go to the Turtle Farm in Grand Cayman, but after the disaster at Chankanaab, we scrapped it. She was getting over her cold and didn't seem to want to stay awake and happy for very long and I was afraid it would be another $90 mistake, so we just walked around the port area. I think it was the right decision, even though I was very disappointed.

 

One more post continued below....

[irky416]

When we got back to Tampa, we had a lot of time to kill before our flight, so we went to the Tampa Aquarium. They held our luggage for us which was nice.

 

She loved the aquarium and it was nice for a few hours. It started to get very busy around 1 pm, but before that it was very enjoyable!

 

 

Overall, we were glad we hadn't pre-booked any excursions and played the ports by ear. We learned we had to adjust our expectations. I have never not got off the ship in a port, but it just didn't work out with the baby. We relaxed a lot more than we would have on a cruise before a baby, but it was nice.

 

I would be glad to answer any questions if there's anything I didn't cover!

[LuvCruising01]

Awesome review! One of the best I have ever seen. Glad your cruise went well!

[boowaaccaa]

Thanks for posting this review!! We are also travelling on the Legend with our 10 month old. We are leaving in a few weeks.

[RAHK2012]

Thanks for the review! Your daughter is soooo adorable! We will be leaving in less than 2 weeks on Freedom of the Seas with 7 month old. Super excited! Is that the 4moms pack n play?

[irky416]

Thanks for posting this review!! We are also travelling on the Legend with our 10 month old. We are leaving in a few weeks.

 

Have fun!

 

Thanks for the review! Your daughter is soooo adorable! We will be leaving in less than 2 weeks on Freedom of the Seas with 7 month old. Super excited! Is that the 4moms pack n play?

 

Thanks. It's actually the phil&teds traveller crib

 

Enjoy your trip!

[croozymooner]

We took out oldest on the Norwegian dawn at 11 months and our youngest on the disney magic at 5 months. We find that so many of the crew members really seem to enjoy seeing babies because it reminds them of their little ones at home. We always let them hold the babies or play with them when they seemed like they'd want to and we'd get talking about the crew members little ones back home. Tough what some people do to support their families.

[boowaaccaa]

Did you try to take your daughter to any shows? I think (maybe) our son might like signing and dancing shows - depending on how late they are?

 

When we traveled by ourselves we went to the late shows so I am not sure how early the show is?

 

Do you have the capers by chance?

[irky416]

Did you try to take your daughter to any shows? I think (maybe) our son might like signing and dancing shows - depending on how late they are?

 

When we traveled by ourselves we went to the late shows so I am not sure how early the show is?

 

Do you have the capers by chance?

 

I really wanted to because I thought she would have liked them also, but they were just too late. I don't have the capers (they usually also became a toy) but most of them were around 8 or 8:30, I think. That was just too late for her, especially after sitting for so long at dinner. She was just pretty much done after dinner. It probably depends on when your LO usually goes to bed. We tried to keep her schedule similar to what it was at home.

 

She did enjoy watching the various dance classes they had on Lido deck, though!

Edited January 8, 2014 by irky416

[*Cassie*]

Thanks for the review! Question about the stroller, I was planning on bringing our City Mini for my 14 month old because it lounges back and has the shade, which our umbrella stroller doesn't, but you said you're glad you didn't bring yours. Do you think it would be too bulky, is that why?

[irky416]

Thanks for the review! Question about the stroller, I was planning on bringing our City Mini for my 14 month old because it lounges back and has the shade, which our umbrella stroller doesn't, but you said you're glad you didn't bring yours. Do you think it would be too bulky, is that why?

 

Honestly, the strollers aren't that much different in size. We set them up at the house to compare and I was surprised, but those few extra inches and the more streamlined design of the umbrella stroller made a difference in the crowded areas of the ship.

 

I also think it was easier to store the umbrella in the room because of the way it folds versus the City Mini.

 

But, I really missed the City Mini off the ship. Not so much for the recline, but because of the amazing shade.

 

If you think you will use it mostly off ship, I'd probably bring the City Mini. But we bought that umbrella stroller because it reclines slightly so she could still nap and it has a small shade. If yours doesn't have either, I'd just take the City Mini so that off ship so the baby can nap and have some shade.

 

Just be aware that it is very hard to navigate it in busy areas of the ship. I saw people with bigger strollers and they seemed to be having a harder time, but they could still get around with it.

 

Have fun!

[*Cassie*]

Thanks, that helps!

[boowaaccaa]

I really wanted to because I thought she would have liked them also, but they were just too late. I don't have the capers (they usually also became a toy) but most of them were around 8 or 8:30, I think. That was just too late for her, especially after sitting for so long at dinner. She was just pretty much done after dinner. It probably depends on when your LO usually goes to bed. We tried to keep her schedule similar to what it was at home.

 

She did enjoy watching the various dance classes they had on Lido deck, though!

 

Oh, 8:30 is too late for us too. Well that is too bad. We also would like to keep our LO on a similar schedule as we have at home.

 

Thanks!

[Ashland]

How did you manage the stroller on your flights? Did you gate check it just before boarding or were you able to bring it on the plane with you? I'm worried these small inexpensive strollers won't take much abuse. We have purchased a cheap one at Target and a travel "Gate Check" bag at Babies R Us...First family cruise with our grandson who will be 17 mos when we cruise Alaska this May..We're all very nervous..we have all cruised many times but this will be a new experience for us all :eek::)

[Kerry's Girls]

How did you manage the stroller on your flights? Did you gate check it just before boarding or were you able to bring it on the plane with you? I'm worried these small inexpensive strollers won't take much abuse. We have purchased a cheap one at Target and a travel "Gate Check" bag at Babies R Us...First family cruise with our grandson who will be 17 mos when we cruise Alaska this May..We're all very nervous..we have all cruised many times but this will be a new experience for us all :eek::)

 

Gate check is fine, but no guarantees. But there's no alternative - you can't bring it on the plane with you. I've gate checked strollers dozens of times and have had cup holders broken off, etc, but nothing major. They're loaded into cargo last and taken out first by hand to be delivered back to the gate, so get the easiest handling. Just don't be in a rush to get off the plane and it should be there as you step out. Have a great trip!

 

Best,

Mia

[irky416]

How did you manage the stroller on your flights? Did you gate check it just before boarding or were you able to bring it on the plane with you? I'm worried these small inexpensive strollers won't take much abuse. We have purchased a cheap one at Target and a travel "Gate Check" bag at Babies R Us...First family cruise with our grandson who will be 17 mos when we cruise Alaska this May..We're all very nervous..we have all cruised many times but this will be a new experience for us all :eek::)

 

Yup, what Kerry'sGirls said. You can't take it on the plane so you either have to gate check it or send it with the checked luggage. We gate checked because we needed the stroller to help carry stuff (mostly the carseat).

 

We have now gate checked a stroller 4 times and nothing has happened yet (*knock on wood*). We did stick it in a bag right before we boarded and handed it off in the bag in hopes of keeping the stroller from getting torn/scuffed up.

 

Have fun! I can't wait to get to Alaska.

[packyourpixiedust]

Thanks for the review! Question about the stroller, I was planning on bringing our City Mini for my 14 month old because it lounges back and has the shade, which our umbrella stroller doesn't, but you said you're glad you didn't bring yours. Do you think it would be too bulky, is that why?

 

We picked the Joovy umbrella stroller as the alternative for our city mini. We cruise with it next week. It reclines and had a HUGE sun shade. My kid is a cry baby with the sun. Joovy Groove Umbrella Stroller, Black

http://amzn.com/B0085KJUYO

[packyourpixiedust]

Thanks for this review. We cruise on celebrity next week with our 7.5 month old. I love the idea of having someone order and us arriving late. Good call.

 

As got gate checking the stroller. We took the city mini to Florida and had the hand bar attachment on and it was broken off. We went to the claims people and within 10 min they had a check sent to our house for the price of getting the bar overnighted to us plus the handling fee of the hotel delivering. It was easy peasy. Nothing else was wrong with the stroller and we used those cheapy red gate check bags too. As for those bags I read a review that if you are using the city mini you should get the one for full sized car seats so you don't have to take the wheels off- worked beautifully. We bought the cheapy umbrella one for our umbrella stroller.

[irky416]

Thanks for this review. We cruise on celebrity next week with our 7.5 month old. I love the idea of having someone order and us arriving late. Good call.

 

As got gate checking the stroller. We took the city mini to Florida and had the hand bar attachment on and it was broken off. We went to the claims people and within 10 min they had a check sent to our house for the price of getting the bar overnighted to us plus the handling fee of the hotel delivering. It was easy peasy. Nothing else was wrong with the stroller and we used those cheapy red gate check bags too. As for those bags I read a review that if you are using the city mini you should get the one for full sized car seats so you don't have to take the wheels off- worked beautifully. We bought the cheapy umbrella one for our umbrella stroller.

 

I'm jealous of that giant shade on the Joovy.

 

The carseat bag is a good tip. We used a regular stroller bag but it might be easier to use the carseat bag because we take the carseat on the plane. Then we'd only have one bag.

 

When we checked the City Mini, we didn't have the bar on it, but it makes sense that it would be broken off easily. We have it on now, so I'll have to remember to take it off before we check it in March.

[Samara318]

Thanks for the review. What is the brand of your pack n play? I've never seen that one before!

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed your pictures- what a cutie. Seeing the crew member hold the baby was touching. The crew members have always been so loving with my son.

[ebandive]

Awesome review! So helpful! We have yet to take our kids on a cruise with it but hope to in the next year or two.