Cruising with 7 month old and 3 year old

[mistyraj]

Has anyone cruised with a 7 month old? Any tips? We are on RCCL Indy in June.

 

The 3 year old has cruised before but not when she has been old enough for kids club etc

 

Thanks

 

 

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[cb at sea]

Bring any and all possible medications for the kids...the ship doesn't sell anything "pediatric"...so be prepared!

 

Your 3 year old will have a blast in the club...they really know how to keep young kids entertained!

 

I always recommend using the dining room rather than the buffet, whenever possible....so much easier being served than schlepping your dishes, utensils, drinks, etc...while dealing with kids...the dining room staff LOVES kids!

 

I guess you know about a blow up tub....useful for bathing the 7 mo. old in a shower, if that's what your cabin has! Bring all the diapers, wipes, etc...you will need, too!

[LOVINCRUIZIN]

Snag a crew member for private in-room babysitting as soon as you board. You'll appreciate the time alone at night, and the staff they allow do this are great!!

My kids are now 11 and 15, but we had many successful cruises with the help of a sitter (some years, we brought one with us!!)

[Maverick!]

We've cruised on the RCL Indy and also cruised last year with a 3 Yr-O and a 7 Mth-O.

 

Loved the skating rink since my 3 Y-O skates. He tried the kids' club and was not too keen. So we ended up having lots of family time together and accepted that we would not necessarily stay for the shows, get to dine alone or see all the sights in port. We had fun maximizing beach days, stop-offs in the toy room every now and again, running around the arcade, bowling alley, and other activities the ship offered. A couple of times, we divided and conquered, sometimes splitting up with one or the other.

 

I am sure you will enjoy yourselves no matter what you plan and end up winging between naps, attention deficits and whimsies of two kids !

Edited December 31, 2016 by Maverick!

[gerif]

Snag a crew member for private in-room babysitting as soon as you board. You'll appreciate the time alone at night, and the staff they allow do this are great!!

My kids are now 11 and 15, but we had many successful cruises with the help of a sitter (some years, we brought one with us!!)

 

Child must be at least 12 months of age for in-room babysitting.

[JH31115]

We cruised with our 16 month old twins last summer. We bought magnetic hooks and asked our room steward for and extra sheet to hang between the kids pack n plays and our bed. Also used the extra hooks to stay organized with all our stuff. Agree with cb at sea, dining room staff was amazing! Buffet is tough with kids. Stick to the dining room. Staff there is alway so helpful.

Sit to a schedule making sure your don't forget about napping.

Bring some dish detergent and small sponge to wash sippy cups and bottles.

Make sure you reserved a pack n play and bring a fitted sheet for pack n play since cruise gives you just a regular sheet folded up.

 

 

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[lkt89science]

We are cruising with our son in March. He will be 13 months then. We've started researching and trying stuff out so travel will be less overwhelming.

 

Daycare- We are looking forward to couple time, but our son has never been in daycare before. Thankfully a gym nearby takes kids as young as 6 months for an hour, and there is a Tumble Town drop-off center in the next city. The first time went well.

 

Shower- A suite is not in our budget, and a blow-up bathtub is one more thing to buy and store, so we are gradually introducing showers. Right now it is just a rinse after a shallow bath.

 

Sleeping- Our son sleeps on a Montessori floor bed, so the first time he saw a hotel Pack n Play he was fascinated-- for 3 hours. This time I am going to do a better job introducing the pack n play over naps and bringing a sheet that smells like home. Or just doing the family bed.

 

Schedule- One way we have found to make childcare seem fair: one person does morning nap, the other gets afternoon and whoever does bedtime gets to leave at 9 and enjoy the rest of the evening. I really, really hope we get that balcony we are on the waiting list for.

 

Travel- We live close enough to drive and have discovered this magic form of transportation- driving through naptime. We will take a nice long break in the middle somewhere he can crawl around.

 

Hope this helps!

[Bratface1005]

If your little one is on formula and you are bringing water for the formula make sure you carry it on. If you check it it will not make it up to the room. I was told to check mine for my 6 month old and had to go down and fight to get the water for her. I ended up at guest relations telling them if I couldn't have the bottled water I brought then they would have to provide bottled water for me as she was too young for the filtered ship water. They sent my water up right away. Make sure you have a folding stroller for the kids too. Bring a small bottle of detergent. that way if they kids soil their cloths you can "wash" it in the sink and dry it in the shower or balcony (get beach towel clips to hold them on the chairs.) Bring a night light so you can see at night with the lights off. Also bring magnets to hang the compass on the walls or any other important papers.

[Ashland]

If your little one is on formula and you are bringing water for the formula make sure you carry it on. If you check it it will not make it up to the room. I was told to check mine for my 6 month old and had to go down and fight to get the water for her. I ended up at guest relations telling them if I couldn't have the bottled water I brought then they would have to provide bottled water for me as she was too young for the filtered ship water. They sent my water up right away. Make sure you have a folding stroller for the kids too. Bring a small bottle of detergent. that way if they kids soil their cloths you can "wash" it in the sink and dry it in the shower or balcony (get beach towel clips to hold them on the chairs.) Bring a night light so you can see at night with the lights off. Also bring magnets to hang the compass on the walls or any other important papers.

I believe you can request the water you need for formula with the special needs department and it will be in your cabin...no need to lug it on.