Sailing with an infant, what are pros and cons?

[jamesr3939]

We have already booked the cruise for April 22of 2017 and baby is not due until October of 2016 . We are all in JS so tub wont be a problem. I had never heard of the six month rule. We were on the Anthem in February and saw many small babies.

Thank you for the information its helpful in making the decision.

 

Yep, six months is the rule and it can be as much as a year depending on the number of sea days.

 

Sounds like you are cutting it a little close. Hope for early October!!

 

I agree on the previous posting about it being the parents decision not the grandparents. When we did Club Med Thanksgiving vacation with the eight week old I was about to say they couldn't travel. Luckily, DW overrode me and said defer to the parents. It did all work out well.

 

I guess the biggest issue I saw with traveling at that age was parents had to split up nap times and outside times. Club Med was very warm during the day and even in the shade a little hot for the baby. Parents would rotate taking baby back to room with A/C so she wouldn't get overheated and could sleep.

[Jenjer]

Babies skin also can not take the chemicals in sunblock so no beach trips or very difficult beach trips. We vacationed on land when our kids where 6 months DD and 4 months DS. We brought a portable swing, pop up sun tent and battery powered fan. We spent most of our pool time before 10 am with a few very short walks on the beach. Was inside from 11-3 everyday.

 

Every baby is different but at that age the crowds , music, light, activity might over stimulate just something to think about. Someone mommy, daddy or grandparent will miss most dinners and shows taking care of baby and if mommy breast feeds its usually mommy. If she bottle feeds its lots of cleaning bottles in the sink.

 

If the child has any and I do mean ANY health issues then its a hard NO!!!!! My DS was early and his pediatrician did not want us to leave the country. Yes there is a DR. on board and they have some pediatric sized medical supplies but not infant.

[LeesSummitCruiser1]

Some of our greatest family memories are of cruising with our children before they reached the ages of 2.

 

OP: you may want to take your questions to the family board here as most the posters there have first hand experience with what you are wondering.

 

The number 1 thing you need to be concerned with is the child's age. They must be 6 months on the first day of sailing. If he is born in late October and your trip is in early April, he will not be old enough. No exceptions. Even 5 months and 29 days won't cut it.

 

Glad this is a new rule my 12 year old was 4 months and 3 days on her first cruise. She turns diamond on her own on the next cruise. Her goal is pinnacle before she graduates college. Hope she has a great part time job ;-).

[LeesSummitCruiser1]

My grandson will be 6 months old when our family reunion sails in April of 2017. We are trying to decide if they should cancel. What do we need to take for a 6 month old with us? Passport, food, crib/ What are the pros and cons.

 

My 12 year old was 4 months and 3 days her first cruise before the 6 month rule was in effect. No problems at all. She slept most nights in her umbrella stroller at our table while we ate. If she woke I knew it was my job to take care of her no issue at all, that's what dads do. The best thing about starting at 6 months is they can easily be diamond before 18 and possibly diamond +.

[NewSalt]

We cruised with both our DGSs before they were walking. I guess my DD and DSIL think its a good idea since it's the vacation they choose whenever we ask them what type of trip they'd like to take.

 

As PPs have said, much depends on the baby. My DD took her first 18-hour car trip when she was four months old, and it was a breeze. I have a nephew who was bothered by the vibrations in a car, so any travel, even to the grocery store, was an ordeal.

 

But I think a lot depends on the type of parents, too. Any travel with children is a lot of work. My DH and I enjoyed spending a lot of time with DD, as do my DD and DSIL with their boys, so we didn't mind the effort involved. On our first two cruises, DH and I babysat at night so DD and her DH could have some alone time, and we've taken the boys to some of the evening shows, sitting in the back in case the baby didn't fall asleep or got fussy; that never happened. The last few cruises they preferred quiet time on the balcony, with wine and cheese, reading and watching the show the stars put on. It was a nice change from their hectic lives. Some parents need more down time and separation from their child and would miss the adult activities they usually enjoy on vacation.

 

As far as health issues are concerned, I would never be comfortable leaving a preverbal child while I vacationed.

 

We've had two medical issues while on land-based vacations; one involved driving miles at night on dark, unfamiliar roads to find an emergency room in a hospital whose quality of care was completely unknown. The other occurred at Disney World when DGS was served a food that contained one of his allergens, even after all of our best efforts to inform WDW of his allergies and their assurances that they would make sure his food would be safe to eat. Despite their reputation for efficiency, they completely mishandled this emergency. We've always felt more secure knowing that medical help is only minutes away on a ship, should it be needed.

 

If you read the other recent thread about cruising with young children, you probably noticed that the majority of parents who've done have found it to be a positive experience.

[Thetrail]

My grandson will be 6 months old when our family reunion sails in April of 2017. We are trying to decide if they should cancel. What do we need to take for a 6 month old with us? Passport, food, crib/ What are the pros and cons.

I see zero pros and way to many cons.....JMHO......K.O.....:(

[Panda3]

IMHO...until a child can tell you where it hurts I do not think he/she should go on a cruise. It.s all about an emergency situation for me. However, on my last 3 cruises since January I have seen many more infants than toddlers on ships.....so no one seems to be concerned.

 

I agree, your children are your most precious treasures. Why put them in harms way unnecessarily?