Am I crazy??

[Ked2288]

Hello. Just wanted some feedback from other cruisers who have traveled with small children on Carnival. We want to go on Carnival Liberty Western Caribbean over my husband's spring break. However we are bringing our 18 month son along. Is this a horrible idea? I know he is too young for kids club so I'm not sure how many activities will be available. I also am a strong RCCL fan but there weren't any interesting/affordable cruises during this week. Ive never been on Carnival before. Any feedback would be great! Or tips on fun baby friendly excursions in Belize, Cayman Islands, and Cozumel. Thanks!!

[flcruiser08]

Hello. Just wanted some feedback from other cruisers who have traveled with small children on Carnival. We want to go on Carnival Liberty Western Caribbean over my husband's spring break. However we are bringing our 18 month son along. Is this a horrible idea? I know he is too young for kids club so I'm not sure how many activities will be available. I also am a strong RCCL fan but there weren't any interesting/affordable cruises during this week. Ive never been on Carnival before. Any feedback would be great! Or tips on fun baby friendly excursions in Belize, Cayman Islands, and Cozumel. Thanks!!

 

You're not crazy, it will be a lot of fun ( just don't listen to the negative people on here) It will be different but fun, check out the family cruising board.:D

[CruiseGirlKS]

You're not crazy, it will be a lot of fun ( just don't listen to the negative people on here) It will be different but fun, check out the family cruising board.:D

 

x2 You will have a wonderful time. :)

[maggie cruises]

we waited until our youngest was 3 1/2 before we started cruising as a family but then again we had a bunch of kids that we were waiting to grow up a little before we started our big time travel, which btw we have now been doing massive amounts of in tha last 10 years.

 

that said we did do Disney and beachfront vacations here in the good old USA when the older kids were little and when we had infants and yes we had fun and we didn't think it was too much work and we lugged all the stuff with us, double stroller at Disney and all and would not have changed it for anything.

 

of course when we had 2 in diapers we had grandma with us and when we had a 2 and 4 yo in the double stroller at Disney, we had an 8yo to help and by the time the 3 older ones could easily frolic in the waves on the Cape with daddy as he knew the routine by then, I was happy to sit back and observe it all with my 4 month old infant in my arms.

 

 

don't expect to relax or have private time unless you have a 3rd adult with you and as long as you don't mind strolling a baby around the evening venues you will enjoy

 

you love your child and don't want to leave them behind of course and neither would I, but I also know that you will be caring for the baby every waking minute he has on the ship.

 

the bright side is he will be exhausted most days and might just fall asleep in the stroller and you can just wheel him in the MDR or wherever and enjoy a meal, if he stays sleeping you can then stroll into a venue for a drink and maybe an entertainer or you can go up top for the deck parties.

 

also remember ships are not stroller friendly and don't expect to use the elevators expect to use the strairs and to have one of you on each end of the stroller and just pick it up much much easier. bring the smallest lightest stroller you can

 

the crew will love the kid though and you will have a 24/7 experience as a family, the last part being the most important.

 

also remember to bring what you need to feed him, sippies etc and extra diapers as they are very expensive and in short supply on a ship and hope for calm seas as you do not want a seasick 18 month old.

 

at least when we had rough seas, my then 13 and 9 yo's were able to run from the MDR table and get to the bathroom in a hall in time. Just sayin this to make you aware of the potential issues.

 

in port, I can't help much but I would think you do not want to feed him anything there nor over exert him. look for calm beaches or day passes to 4 or 5 star hotels but still he is a baby so bring bottled water from the ship.

 

the only vacations we take are family vacations so enjoy your cruise as a family!!!!

[maggie cruises]

You're not crazy, it will be a lot of fun ( just don't listen to the negative people on here) It will be different but fun, check out the family cruising board.:D

 

and please don't confuse any negative comments on this thread with realistic and logical info

[coltsmama]

I'll be sailing with my 10 month old this Sunday for our first family vacation. I know it'll be a different kinda vacation than normal, but i'm excited to include him in the fun. I'll post a review after we return and let you know how it goes

[Purvis1231]

You will have a good time, sure at times one of you will stay with the child while the other goes off to enjoy certain activities (if you chose).

[Rgrgirl0307]

I don't think you're crazy, we've always taken our kids everywhere with us! My youngest is 5 now, but life was so much easier when he was younger and lighter as he would let me "baby wear" him until he was about 2 1/2, if was just so easy to strap him on and go. You could also look for a back pack type carrier to take off ship with you for him if you don't typically "wear" him! I think taking your children is totally normal and provides amazing experiences!

 

 

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[brooklynfc]

What would be crazy is my brother and his wife taking their kids on a cruise right now. In April they will have a newborn, 1 year old, 2.5 year old, and 6 year old. Even with their trust Auntie Broke (that would be me and what the boys call me) by their side, it would be crazy!

 

Its not crazy. It will just be different. If you have been use to adult time on your cruises, this will be a bit of a change. I hope that the difference doesn't turn you off Carnival for good.

Edited January 29, 2014 by brooklynfc

[SteelerCruiser]

my son has been cruising since he was 2. He is now 8. He loves to cruise! I will say the first time we had the expectations set too high. After the first couple of time with him we learned to go with the flow. He was not old enough to go to the kids club on RCCL our first cruise and our second cruise with him he did not really want to go. Eventually he decided to give it more of a try and loved it. He will go more time on some and not as much other times. He didn't even care to go on our RCCL cruise weekend before last. All in all I would say just go with the flow and enjoy the times. Go to the beaches and lather on the sunscreen thick! At 18 months the beach will be a blast!!! One thing that we always we made sure to take is and UMBRELLA Style Stroller. Comes in handy on boat as sleeping can be done there if tired and helps with moving about the ship in general as carrying all the time will tire you all out faster. It also is great to use in port!

[Lerin]

What else are you going to do: leave the baby home with the dog?

You're not crazy. Just a mom wanting a great family vacation.

Have fun. :cool:

[Xmansmom]

I took my son for the first time when he as 19 months old. We had a great time. Like everyone said, come prepared, go with the flow and everything will be fine.

 

One suggestion. After returning home make a photo album of your trip. I do this every vacation. My little likes me to read them like they are his personal story book. I use Shuttle fly but there are several sites that you can use or you can make one yourself. I also write a little bit on each page to remind us what we did.

[Phlybice]

Hello. Just wanted some feedback from other cruisers who have traveled with small children on Carnival. We want to go on Carnival Liberty Western Caribbean over my husband's spring break. However we are bringing our 18 month son along. Is this a horrible idea? I know he is too young for kids club so I'm not sure how many activities will be available. I also am a strong RCCL fan but there weren't any interesting/affordable cruises during this week. Ive never been on Carnival before. Any feedback would be great! Or tips on fun baby friendly excursions in Belize, Cayman Islands, and Cozumel. Thanks!!

 

You will be thrilled just doing the things YOU do with him, and the memories created. At that age, just work around them. We just beached it a lot, and did no tours.

 

Miss those years.

[Cruise life]

Cozumel take a cab to Chankanaab, they have a wonderful toddler beach and a shaded (Mayan-themed) path you can stroll a baby thru- bring an umbrella stroller with good wheels. Belize not so sure as you will be tendering. If it's not too rough, take the tender in and stroll the shops. I would not go anywhere with a baby there on an excursion, but older kids would love the cave tubing. It has been a long time since I have been to Grand Cayman, but this will be your nicest and safest port IMHO so do whatever you feel like, maybe go to the turtle farm. A baby would like that:)

We took our twins at 25 months. We took lightweight umbrella strollers we bought specifically for the trip and spent a lot of time in the water, bring extra swim diapers and a couple of rash guard shirts and make sure to have Desitin and apply it every night. Wash the sand off well. I used a pack and play and put the kids in there when I had to get ready so I knew they would not be crawling around. We had a balcony and I had to put some luggage up against the door because they wanted to open the door all the time, which was almost too heavy, but the two of them could do it. Have fun!

 

 

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[forwardcabin]

That baby will never remember that he was on a cruise. He will never remember that he stayed with relatives or a baby sitter while you went on a cruise. Of course you can make an extensive video or create a really detailed scrapbook for future reference when he is older. In the end, you must decide what is best for you and your child.

 

Here's hoping you have a great family cruise. Bon Voyage!

[Phlybice]

That baby will never remember that he was on a cruise. He will never remember that he stayed with relatives or a baby sitter while you went on a cruise. Of course you can make an extensive video or create a really detailed scrapbook for future reference when he is older. In the end, you must decide what is best for you and your child.

 

Here's hoping you have a great family cruise. Bon Voyage!

 

Odd statement. The baby won't remember most events from the first 4 years of his life. But I wouldn't put him in a box.

 

The enjoyment is the parents memories of that time together. I wouldn't have missed cruising with my kids at that age for the world.

[kellane]

You know your child and his or her temperament and I think that's the most important factor when considering whether or not a cruise is a good idea.

 

For example, I have two children. My oldest would have been fine on a cruise as a toddler. He has a very easygoing personality and changes to his daily schedule never bothered him. My youngest, however, would have been a nightmare. If you ever got her off her schedule, everybody was going to pay for it. If she wasn't happy, no one was happy!

[jiggs]

also remember ships are not stroller friendly and don't expect to use the elevators expect to use the strairs and to have one of you on each end of the stroller and just pick it up much much easier. bring the smallest lightest stroller you can

 

 

???? Confused by this. We've traveled on multiple cruises with a stroller and never carried it up the stairs. Elevators everywhere with plenty of space.

 

 

take him and you'll have fun. Get a balcony or bigger so you can enjoy sailing at night while he sleeps.

 

our 2.5 year old at in the dining room every night and we got compliments from several people how well he did. He loved being with Mom and Dad all the time.

[golfadj]

We took our one year old at the time grandson on a cruise with our kids and had a great time.

 

It was different as we ate in the DR and after awhile he was fussy and had to take him for a stroll around so as not to bother others.

 

His favorite part was I took him to rear lounge when it was empty and he went for a crawl. Took him on the stage and he loved jumping off.

 

Took turns watching him at night so parents could go out and about.

 

His experiences as a baby will help make him the man he will become

[maggie cruises]

???? Confused by this. We've traveled on multiple cruises with a stroller and never carried it up the stairs. Elevators everywhere with plenty of space.

 

 

take him and you'll have fun. Get a balcony or bigger so you can enjoy sailing at night while he sleeps.

 

our 2.5 year old at in the dining room every night and we got compliments from several people how well he did. He loved being with Mom and Dad all the time.

 

elevators are small crowded and take forever to stop on your floor for my money picking up the stroller is easier and the OP should be prepared to do that as a viable alternative

Edited January 29, 2014 by maggie cruises

[Mysticks1]

Don't forget to bring everything that you might possibly need especially any medications. You won't be able to buy much for a baby on your trip. Just keep in mind that you will have to limit your activities. Please be very considerate of the others on the cruise. A crying baby can be heard in the cabins next door as reported by many here on the boards. You may have to leave the dining room during dinner, etc. As long as you are flexible then you should have a good time. I would bring an umbrella stroller to use on the ship.

[stargate fan]

Hello. Just wanted some feedback from other cruisers who have traveled with small children on Carnival. We want to go on Carnival Liberty Western Caribbean over my husband's spring break. However we are bringing our 18 month son along. Is this a horrible idea? I know he is too young for kids club so I'm not sure how many activities will be available. I also am a strong RCCL fan but there weren't any interesting/affordable cruises during this week. Ive never been on Carnival before. Any feedback would be great! Or tips on fun baby friendly excursions in Belize, Cayman Islands, and Cozumel. Thanks!!

 

When we had kids, almost 26 years ago, my husband and I started taking "family vacations." I understand you wanting to bring your baby with you. Though we couldn't afford to cruise until the boys were 14 and 11.5, we did take them on lots of land vacations.

 

One thing to know is that babies and children who are not potty trained are not allowed in the pools, even with swim diapers on. I've read where parents bring small blow-up pools, find secluded areas on an exterior deck, and let their babies have fun splashing in the water. (They filled the pool with water from the showers, which is fresh rather than the salt water in the pools.) I've also read that these parents use the blow-up pools to bather their babies in the shower in the cabins.

 

Have fun planning your trip.

[Green4me]

No more crazy than we were in 1994 when our kids were 6, 2.8 and 15 months and we took them on a plane to WDW for a week, we lived in MA at the time.

 

Neither DW nor I would trade those memories for the world. Did we ride all the rides or see it all, no way. But have fun, absolutely. The pictures remain on the wall today.

 

Go for it, take lots of photos, patience, a sense of humor.

 

Best :)

[tomsuelaw]

We have cruised with both our kids when they were only 7months old! And have cruised since then at various ages. Loved it! Start them young. Will you face a few challenges being out of your normal element and routine? Yep! But I believe this makes us and our kids more flexible people in the long run.

 

Some tips from our experience. If at all possible, try to get a balcony room so you and your significant other have a place to hang out when your little one naps or goes to bed early. If your little one likes to stroll, bring a stroller and do laps around the ship., Exercise for you to burn off the extra calories and entertaining for your lil one. Feel free to ask your server for something even if it is not on the menu they can sometimes get it. For example, our kids love grapes, every night they each had a bowl of these as an appetizer.

[tomsuelaw]

Oh and in Cozumel, check out Paradise Beach Resort! We had a blast with our toddler there last year. They have pools, a beach with inflatable toys and slides and lots of activities. Food and drink were also yummy!