Cruising with an infant

ETaylor1015 · January 19, 2018

Hello,

My husband and I love to cruise and have been wanting to go on one, but we now have a new baby. She will be about 7 months old when we are thinking of going on a oasis class ship. Questions:

1. Can cruising with an infant be fun?

2. Did you feel confined with not enough space in cabin? ( she won’t be crawling yet but likes to stretch out , roll around some)

3. Did you spend a lot of time napping in cabin or did your baby nap in the stroller while out doing activities ?

4. Were you able to dine in the dining room? Did you sit with others or alone ?

5. Does the cruise offer any baby type foods ( hey they should since they charge a full price fare!)

6. As for the nursery, could you drop baby off for an hour here and there to do an adult activity ? Did you need advance reservation ? Did you feel the staff were good with babies ? Was the nursery crowded and did it feel clean ?

7. Could you get a medical grade fridge \ freezer to keep breast milk frozen ?

8. What types of things did your baby seem to enjoy on cruise ?

9. Is there a cabin location / type that worked best with infant ? Can’t afford suite but want a balcony at the very least .

10. Did you feel cruise accommodated your infant ?

11. Did they need a passport?

Any other tips will be appreciated !

cb at sea · January 19, 2018

The minimum age is 6 mos....so you'll just beat that requirement!

You will need to bring any and all baby stuff...diapers, meds, etc...as the ship doesn't sell that stuff.

Yes, you can book nursery hours...the staff is great with kids of all ages!

If you're breast feeding, just do it! The fridge in the cabin will not freeze anything...but it will keep stuff cool enough for a day or so. Keeping the cabinet door ajar helps the dorm cube style fridge cool better. So much easier to just breastfeed straight from the source than pumping and bottling!

A 7 month old will be happy if you are...they really won't know or care what the ship offers!

Definitely a balcony is the best....gives you and hubby someplace "to be" while baby is napping or down early for the night. A stroller is a must, too...especially if baby will nap while out and about in it! Use the dining room...easier than the buffet....they love kids! You can ask to be seated with just your party, or if you prefer, they will attempt to seat you with other families.

There are lots of "mashable" foods...but if you need baby cereals, best to bring them, ready to eat. They may be able to puree some things, but I'd be prepared with my own foods baby is used to.

On closed loop Caribbean cruises, no American needs a passport. A state issued BC for baby is all that's required....for over 16 yrs, BC and DL or other state issued ID is fine.

Edited January 19, 2018 by cb at sea

NateUpNorth · January 19, 2018

Hello,
My husband and I love to cruise and have been wanting to go on one, but we now have a new baby. She will be about 7 months old when we are thinking of going on a oasis class ship. Questions:

1. Can cruising with an infant be fun?

2. Did you feel confined with not enough space in cabin? ( she won’t be crawling yet but likes to stretch out , roll around some)

3. Did you spend a lot of time napping in cabin or did your baby nap in the stroller while out doing activities ?

4. Were you able to dine in the dining room? Did you sit with others or alone ?

5. Does the cruise offer any baby type foods ( hey they should since they charge a full price fare!)

6. As for the nursery, could you drop baby off for an hour here and there to do an adult activity ? Did you need advance reservation ? Did you feel the staff were good with babies ? Was the nursery crowded and did it feel clean ?

7. Could you get a medical grade fridge \ freezer to keep breast milk frozen ?

8. What types of things did your baby seem to enjoy on cruise ?

9. Is there a cabin location / type that worked best with infant ? Can’t afford suite but want a balcony at the very least .

10. Did you feel cruise accommodated your infant ?

11. Did they need a passport?

Any other tips will be appreciated !

1) Yes

2) No. Ours went into the pullman bed. (and now I await the rule mongers and hysteria and shocked responses of the snowflake type that believe we should have bubblewrapped her)

3) Were in cabin to sleep only. Regular hours. She slept in the stroller if she wanted to.

4) Yes. We were a with family, table of 10, so "technically" with others. Brought her crayons/books to keep her occupied. Depends entirely on the child/parent. We were prepared to leave if she disturbed others, never happened. She entertained the tables around us. End of cruise some stopped to say they were worried initially on night 1 and prepared to change tables, however by night 7 were impressed and looked forward to seeing her dressed up each night.

5) Not sure. Honestly can't remember. Mom took care of that. LOL

6) Did not use. Too much we could do together on Oasis that we didn't use it.

7) No.

8) Absolutely everything. Including the shows. Honestly, she loved every second of it. Water, central park, carousel, diving show, splash pad, beaches.

9) We had the lowest of the low category - inside cabin. LOL. If she hits the hay at an early time a balcony would be fantastic to sit on and enjoy an evening drink.

10) Yep. However we are super easy going and so was our little girl. Remember - she will be splash pad only, and it's a tiny tiny area, but she won't know the difference.

11) Yes. Caveat - we're Canadian so needed one just to get into USA

Tips -

Umbrella stroller, anything bigger/fancier will be ridicoulous and cause you (and other passengers) grief.

If you're getting pictures, pick your spot and line up early. The photogs are great, but nobody (likely including yourselves) wants you taking 30 mins to get a smile out of the baby. LOL.

Do the early dining. This was our plan in case we had to pull the parachute cord in the main dining room and grab food later. (never happened, but just saying)

Make sure you take her into the Diamond Lounge during one of her fussy times, it will validate all their opinions on kids on cruises.

Character breakfast is fun, as is the parade.

nanwel · January 19, 2018

Took both my grandkids from 9months

rented a stroller in Port Canaveral - then they could sleep - it was small enough to use on the ship and not an umbroller do not like them for a whole week. Were asked to leave that in the hall before coming in to the dinning room and most other venues so we did not always take it.

Had to store in the bathtub at night - not allowed left on the balcony, in the way for floor space.

Did take a carrier and used that a lot!

They provided a pac and play for bed.

Asked us to use special bags for disposable diapers.

Did not use a babysitting service - we had me (grandma) along for the cruise in the adjoining room.

They brought a plate of watermelon or fruit to the table when we sat down at night for them to eat while we waited for dinner and ate - we found if they ate that right away, they were bored when we ate, so we covered it with the napkin till we were actually eating.

Stroller most usefull on the outside decks, they could sleep when we swam/ate slept etc.

Baby food is hit and miss, bring stuff you know you will need. We stocked up at a market before boarding (we came from Canada).

You can request a special fridge before you leave, but it probably will not arrived until you keep bugging them

my daughter pumped some, and used that each day so it never needed freezing.

Enjoy!

We were on 3 different cruises with infants and Disney was best, but RC came in a close 2nd for baby stuff.

gerif · January 19, 2018

Nate - your child was obviously considerably older than 7 months, so much of your response is completely irrelevant to OP’s queries.

To the OP - you will find that the crew will dote on your baby. You could request a medical refrigerator from special needs but I’m pretty sure they do not have freezer compartments as they are meant to hold medicine not breast milk. You will find mashable items such as potatoes (you may want to bring one of those plastic grinder things to mash other veggies. Also yogurt, oatmeal and grits are available. Some babies will enjoy the cold fruit soups. Hard to say about behavior. DGS was a joy to take to dinner. He would just sleep through the meal as an infant and amuse himself as he got older. DGD was the complete opposite. Couldn’t take her anywhere until she was almost four. Hope your baby is like DGS. If not, one of you will not be enjoying many meals or shows.

NateUpNorth · January 19, 2018

Nate - your child was obviously considerably older than 7 months, so much of your response is completely irrelevant to OP’s queries.

Not sure I'd say "considerably". Most of my comments apply, except maybe the crayons part. Should have maybe said "toys".

Curious as to how you came to that conclusion and why you feel babies should be excluded from everything I described?

And as for the activities part, whilst she probably didn't comprehend much of what was going on, she most certainly responded to it favorably.

To the original poster

- my overall tone is attempting to be "relax, take it easy, you'll have a great time, and it will be a wonderful family vaction.

- not "couldn’t take her anywhere until she was almost four. Hope your baby is like DGS. If not, one of you will not be enjoying many meals or shows" which you may find discouraging.

Edited January 19, 2018 by NateUpNorth

jchiefs13 · January 19, 2018

We too are doing our first cruise with baby - in April. She will be 8 months at that point.

My two cents as someone who is thinking about the same things, but hasn't experienced it yet:

1. Can it be fun? Why not? To me it's all about attitude. I've seen lots of folks on a cruise just dead set on being miserable, and guess what - you will be! If you are okay with not going as fast and as far as you did when you cruised pre-baby, I think you'll be okay. It will be an adjustment for us, but I'm looking forward to seeing a new world onboard with baby.

2. Confined in a small cabin? We're set for an interior. It'll be tight with the pack and play in there no doubt. Much like pre-baby cruising I'm hoping that if we're awake we can be out and about (within reason). When it's her naptime I figure I'll use that time to read or nap myself.

3. Napping in cabin or in stroller? We don't walk on eggshells at home, so baby is used to noise and can nap through it. However, I am concerned about the new sights being a distraction - so I am anticipating when we see the signs that she's getting tired we will need to retreat to the room for the naps, but she's a 30 minute napper more often than not right now, so I don't think it will be too bad. It's a good time to reapply sunscreen to everyone :)

4. Dining room? We are traveling with another couple and they know all about baby, so they'll be expecting and more tolerant. Again, _today_ our baby does well going out to eat more often than not, so I'd expect we'll be okay - so we'll try it and if it doesn't work (too long in one spot etc) then we'll modify.

5. Does the cruise offer any baby type foods? I lucked out and got baby added when they were doing the kids sail free deal, but we're still paying taxes/fees/gratuities. I've read that often they are willing to mash things up for you etc and there is always lots of stuff by that age you can probably cut up on your own into small pieces for baby. But I'd still be packing all of the other food just to make sure!

6. As for the nursery? No thoughts here! :) Eager to see what others think.

7. Could you get a medical grade fridge \ freezer to keep breast milk frozen ? YES! When I talked to RC they can put a regular fridge (not sure if it has a freezer component) in your room but you need to contact them ahead of your sailing. The fridges in the rooms are NOT cold enough to safely store mixed formula or breastmilk IMHO. Breastmilk can sit at room temp for 3-5 hours safely, but don't expect it to last days in the fridge like it would in a normal fridge. I was also told they can bring distilled water for us to mix formula too.

8. What types of things did your baby seem to enjoy on cruise ? Eager to find out!

9. Is there a cabin location / type that worked best with infant ? My two cents - level 3 or 4. Why? Think about where the dining room and the shows are. This way when you head to these things (or back when baby gets cranky) you can probably run one flight of stairs instead of hoping to get crammed into an elevator.

10. Did you feel cruise accommodated your infant ? We'll see!

11. Did they need a passport? Nope providing you are on a closed loop (starting and ending point are the same in the US). In this case you will need a Govt issued birth certificate.

Other things I've considered taking:

- small packs of soap to wash outfits in the sink if need be

- small plastic container we use to scrub bottles at home and our bottle brush

- powdered formula (so we can mix as we need it and not need the fridge which would take up even more space in the room) - unfortunately, (TMI warning) I haven't been able produce enough to breastfeed exclusively.

- don't forget the small things you'll kick yourself for not having (bulb syringe for example)

Judy

Edited January 19, 2018 by jchiefs13

NateUpNorth · January 19, 2018

We too are doing our first cruise with baby - in April. She will be 8 months at that point.

My two cents as someone who is thinking about the same things, but hasn't experienced it yet:

1. Can it be fun? Why not? To me it's all about attitude. I've seen lots of folks on a cruise just dead set on being miserable, and guess what - you will be! If you are okay with not going as fast and as far as you did when you cruised pre-baby, I think you'll be okay. It will be an adjustment for us, but I'm looking forward to seeing a new world onboard with baby.

2. Confined in a small cabin? We're set for an interior. It'll be tight with the pack and play in there no doubt. Much like pre-baby cruising I'm hoping that if we're awake we can be out and about (within reason). When it's her naptime I figure I'll use that time to read or nap myself.

3. Napping in cabin or in stroller? We don't walk on eggshells at home, so baby is used to noise and can nap through it. However, I am concerned about the new sights being a distraction - so I am anticipating when we see the signs that she's getting tired we will need to retreat to the room for the naps, but she's a 30 minute napper more often than not right now, so I don't think it will be too bad. It's a good time to reapply sunscreen to everyone :)

4. Dining room? We are traveling with another couple and they know all about baby, so they'll be expecting and more tolerant. Again, _today_ our baby does well going out to eat more often than not, so I'd expect we'll be okay - so we'll try it and if it doesn't work (too long in one spot etc) then we'll modify.

5. Does the cruise offer any baby type foods? I lucked out and got baby added when they were doing the kids sail free deal, but we're still paying taxes/fees/gratuities. I've read that often they are willing to mash things up for you etc and there is always lots of stuff by that age you can probably cut up on your own into small pieces for baby. But I'd still be packing all of the other food just to make sure!

6. As for the nursery? No thoughts here! :) Eager to see what others think.

7. Could you get a medical grade fridge \ freezer to keep breast milk frozen ? YES! When I talked to RC they can put a regular fridge (not sure if it has a freezer component) in your room but you need to contact them ahead of your sailing. The fridges in the rooms are NOT cold enough to safely store mixed formula or breastmilk IMHO. Breastmilk can sit at room temp for 3-5 hours safely, but don't expect it to last days in the fridge like it would in a normal fridge. I was also told they can bring distilled water for us to mix formula too.

8. What types of things did your baby seem to enjoy on cruise ? Eager to find out!

9. Is there a cabin location / type that worked best with infant ? My two cents - level 3 or 4. Why? Think about where the dining room and the shows are. This way when you head to these things (or back when baby gets cranky) you can probably run one flight of stairs instead of hoping to get crammed into an elevator.

10. Did you feel cruise accommodated your infant ? We'll see!

11. Did they need a passport? Nope providing you are on a closed loop (starting and ending point are the same in the US). In this case you will need a Govt issued birth certificate.

Judy

Well put. You will have a total blast! Your plans sound (despite the protestations of gerif) exactly like our cruise when our daughter was tiny. Enjoy!

NewSalt · January 19, 2018

We've sailed on five cruises with our DD and her DH and their two boys, who are now four and seven.

While all five trips have been a delight for all of us, sailing at this age is really a little easier than it will be in a year or so. Pre- and early walkers don't need as much room as toddlers do, and are pretty content in a more confined area. They're also easier to amuse; peek-a-boo can keep them in stitches for as long as you can keep it up. With DGS1, it was easy to enjoy the shows. He either loved the music and clapped appreciatively or dozed off. By the time DGS2 was that age, the older boy was three years older and lost interest more easily but didn't fall asleep.

DD brought a little blow-up pool which fit between two loungers, which worked perfectly and served as a bath tub back in the cabin. (We emptied it into a drain, not the pool.)

While DH and I were available to baby sit, most nights DD and her DH preferred to sit on their balcony and read or look at the stars with a glass of wine. They also enjoyed the balcony during nap time, and having the boys fully rested made dinner each night much more pleasant.

DGS1 was diagnosed with food allergies shortly before his first cruise, and the ship did an amazing job of accommodating them as well as having suggestions as to foods suitable for his age.

The crew is beyond amazing with little ones. On our second cruise, our waiter felt bad that DGS couldn't enjoy the rolls that were on the table each night so HE asked the chef to prepare some that didn't contain any of his allergens and surprised him with them. That brought tears to our eyes.

We visited DW last summer instead of cruising, and the boys loved it. But they're very excited about our cruise next July, and are talking about it and making plans for "The Big Ship" already.

gerif · January 19, 2018

Not sure I'd say "considerably". Most of my comments apply, except maybe the crayons part. Should have maybe said "toys".
Curious as to how you came to that conclusion and why you feel babies should be excluded from everything I described?

And as for the activities part, whilst she probably didn't comprehend much of what was going on, she most certainly responded to it favorably.

To the original poster

- my overall tone is attempting to be "relax, take it easy, you'll have a great time, and it will be a wonderful family vaction.

- not "couldn’t take her anywhere until she was almost four. Hope your baby is like DGS. If not, one of you will not be enjoying many meals or shows" which you may find discouraging.

So, you seriously put an infant in a Pullman? I should hope not. I was just pointing out that depending on individual temperament babies can react quite differently to various situations. DGD was a very difficult baby and toddler (she is now 21 and about to graduate college with top honors btw), and I have witnessed parents having to remove their unhappy little ones from the dining room and shows. You were also traveling with family which makes a difference.

I will say that an infant is usually easier than a toddler as they are not yet mobile.

bfamily4 · January 19, 2018

We are taking our first cruise with an infant in 9 days, and we are very excited. Our older kids were 3 & 4 when we started cruising, and in our experience, the younger the child the easier. Infants and small children are easily entertained and they don't complain much (ie: I'm tired of walking). Although this is our first time cruising with a 10 mos old, we did take our oldest to an AI in Mexico when she was 9 mos old. At 9 months she loved the pool and the sand/ beach. Shows kept her occupied and if they were too long she just fell asleep. And we've never traveled with family, only Dh and me. I think that in order to have fun and enjoy traveling with infants/kids, you have to have the right mindset and expectations. If you're expecting to have the same experience before kids, then I think you're setting yourself for disappointment. If you go into the cruise knowing that yes, it will be different, yes, it's more work because your baby will still rely on you for everything, then you're off to a good start. Dh and I agree that we don't travel to get a vacation from being parents, but to see the world through our children's eyes-that is priceless. Our older kids were 1& 2 when we first took them to WDW, and that trip has been the best Disney trip because they believed in all of the magic. That made it much more excitingly for us. Yes, they won't remember but Dh and I have the memories. I'm sure there will be people on this board telling you to leave the baby home in order to have fun,but you will blink and that baby will be an adult and leave you. Life is too short.

firerecruit71295 · January 19, 2018

Hello,
My husband and I love to cruise and have been wanting to go on one, but we now have a new baby. She will be about 7 months old when we are thinking of going on a oasis class ship. Questions:

1. Can cruising with an infant be fun?

2. Did you feel confined with not enough space in cabin? ( she won’t be crawling yet but likes to stretch out , roll around some)

3. Did you spend a lot of time napping in cabin or did your baby nap in the stroller while out doing activities ?

4. Were you able to dine in the dining room? Did you sit with others or alone ?

5. Does the cruise offer any baby type foods ( hey they should since they charge a full price fare!)

6. As for the nursery, could you drop baby off for an hour here and there to do an adult activity ? Did you need advance reservation ? Did you feel the staff were good with babies ? Was the nursery crowded and did it feel clean ?

7. Could you get a medical grade fridge \ freezer to keep breast milk frozen ?

8. What types of things did your baby seem to enjoy on cruise ?

9. Is there a cabin location / type that worked best with infant ? Can’t afford suite but want a balcony at the very least .

10. Did you feel cruise accommodated your infant ?

11. Did they need a passport?

Any other tips will be appreciated !

We cruised with our little guy when he was just 7 months old and we had an amazing time but you have to plan ahead... for everything. And a huge shout out to my wife for thinking about just about everything.

1. Cruising with an infant can be an unforgettable experience (good or bad haha)

2. I would recommend getting a balcony cabin and I will explain why on the next questions

3. Our little guy napped in the stroller (an awesome umbrella stroller that lays completely flat... I can get you the model if you're interested) and my wife bought a clip on fan with Styrofoam blades to clip on it to cool him off while he napped in the shade/stroller ( I told you she thought of everything) We also brought some very light/thin receiving blankets and used our towel clips to attache the blankets around the stroller to provide more shade if needed. Otherwise if he/she naps better in the room then you can bring your baby monitor and lay him in the pack n play and you can go sit and enjoy yourself on the balcony without feeling confined to an interior or oceanview room.

4. We ate in the main dining room every night... we always request a table to ourselves in advance and never have an issue getting it. We would do the late dining and get him asleep in his stroller before dinner then bring him to the dining room with us in the stroller. He isn't a light sleeper and had no issues with him waking up. Enjoy it this time because the next cruise we went on when he was 1 wasn't the same story... in that case we started taking advantage of the nursery.

5. Our little guy loved people food by 7 months and we were able to find stuff for him to eat for every meal... scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, oatmeal, corn, pudding, jello, etc. I have heard if you ask them to puree some veggies they will do that for you but we never did that. My wife brought baby food along too to supplement when needed.

6. We have used the nursery A TON (our little man who is 2 1/2 will be going on his 5th cruise next month with us). The staff is FANTASTIC and I never had an issue leaving him there... and trust me when I say I was a little timid at the thought initially but after meeting the staff and seeing the facility I never had a worry. You can drop the child off I believe whenever but go straight to the nursery when you board the ship and reserve your times (especially later at night/dinner times) because they tend to fill up. If they are full... don't sweat it... lots of people book times in the beginning of the cruise and then up cancelling some of them and room frees up.

7. Not sure about the breast milk... Wife stopped nursing at 6 months

8. Our baby loved/loves water so just being in the baby pool (Very small wading pool for babies with diapers) he was happy. But we found an inflatable "bath tub" that looks like a duck (found at target I believe) that we inflated and filled with some water and set it by our beach chairs and little man LOVED it. Brought a few small toys and he had a ball... this tub came in handy for bath time and also... here is where the balcony comes in... we were able to fill it and set it on the balcony if we wanted to just sit out there and relax.

9. GET THE BALCONY... I know its more expensive than interior or oceanview but I feel it was a necessity when cruising with an infant

10. The cruise employees LOVED our baby... I think a big part has to do with many of the workers have babies back home and they are gone for extended periods of time so it was a way of feeling at home with their baby for a bit. They had the pack n play waiting in the room for us (I would bring your own mattress topper and sheets for the pack n play). We had a great time... definitely different than cruising just as a couple but can be just as fun... just in a different way HAHA

11. We got him a passport... Not sure if he "needed" it but wanted to avoid any potential hiccups.

My wife brought a small laundry detergent (like liquid packets) to do some of his onsies in the sink and then had clothespins to hang them on the chairs out on the balcony to dry (another way the balcony came in handy)

We brought a small dish soap to clean out bottles and forks/spoons

He was drinking formula by this point so we brought a six pack of big bottled waters on (people say the water is fine but didnt want to risk it)

I think thats about it. Feel free to message back with anymore questions. HAVE FUN!

noidea389 · January 19, 2018

We took our son when he was 8 months old. It is TOTALLY doable. I will say that it was much more enjoyable since my mom came with us and offered to stay with him a few nights so that my husband and I could do our thing. But even without her, we would have been fine! Honestly, it was easier to take him as an 8 month old than it was an 18 month old. So go now instead of next year!

As for food, we brought plenty of baby food pouches with us. But the MDR was really good about giving us options for him to try. We ended up taking a ton of pouches home with us. With that being said.... BRING. EXTRA. EVERYTHING. Diapers, wipes, snacks, clothes, bottles or cups, a few favorite toys.

For sleeping arrangements, we let him sleep with us for the week. It was easier than bringing a pack and play and a lot less of a hassle to have to move things around each day. I'm not sure if you're comfortable with co-sleeping. But it worked well for us for the short term.

The staff LOVED him. People around the ship knew my son's name by the end of the cruise without us ever meeting them. To the point where we would go look for pictures and one of the photographers knew exactly where my pictures were because they had been talking about how cute he was (... IS ;)) This could be a really fun time for you guys as long as you know it probably won't be like any other cruise you've taken pre-baby.

I also suggest a balcony cabin because you can still enjoy the ocean if you need to be in the cabin while baby is sleeping. I was able to read and relax on the balcony even though I was confined to our room.

I hope some of these are helpful. But I definitely recommend going!

lakings39 · January 19, 2018

Hello,
My husband and I love to cruise and have been wanting to go on one, but we now have a new baby. She will be about 7 months old when we are thinking of going on a oasis class ship. Questions:

1. Can cruising with an infant be fun?

2. Did you feel confined with not enough space in cabin? ( she won’t be crawling yet but likes to stretch out , roll around some)

3. Did you spend a lot of time napping in cabin or did your baby nap in the stroller while out doing activities ?

4. Were you able to dine in the dining room? Did you sit with others or alone ?

5. Does the cruise offer any baby type foods ( hey they should since they charge a full price fare!)

6. As for the nursery, could you drop baby off for an hour here and there to do an adult activity ? Did you need advance reservation ? Did you feel the staff were good with babies ? Was the nursery crowded and did it feel clean ?

7. Could you get a medical grade fridge \ freezer to keep breast milk frozen ?

8. What types of things did your baby seem to enjoy on cruise ?

9. Is there a cabin location / type that worked best with infant ? Can’t afford suite but want a balcony at the very least .

10. Did you feel cruise accommodated your infant ?

11. Did they need a passport?

Any other tips will be appreciated !

1) Absolutely!

2) Not at all. We had an ocean view balcony and there was plenty of space. Pack n play sat in front of the couch and we still had a small walkway to get to the balcony.

3) Combination of both. If we didn't have any activities planned and we wanted him to get in a really good nap, some afternoons we'd put him down for a nap in the cabin and my wife & I would have some drinks and play cards on the balcony. Majority of time he'd just fall asleep in the stroller when we were out and about and then we could go and do anything we wanted with him sleeping right there next to us like attend trivia, have a drink at a bar, etc.

4) We had dinner in the dining room or a specialty restaurant every night. One night in the MDR he started getting a little fussy towards the end of the dinner, so I left with him while my wife stayed to finish up and we just met up afterwards. For the most part we were able to keep him entertained through most meals and some we'd also try to strategically get him to nap in the stroller during the beginning portion of a few of those meals. We sat by ourselves at our own table for all of our meals.

5) Nothing "baby specific" however there is plenty of baby friendly food on board. Apple sauce was a favorite of our son's. They also had mashed potatoes, soups and other foods that we could feed our 10 month old.

6) We used the nursery a number of times. Shortly after we boarded the ship we headed over to the nursery to sign our son up and also schedule some times. We tried our best to anticipate ahead based on our scheduled dinner/show times and erred on the side of booking too much time and cancelling in advance for any time we decided not to drop him off. Drop-off without an appointment is subject to availability depending on how many kids and staff members are there because they have to maintain a specific staff to kid ratio at all times. The nursery was excellent, clean and the staff were very friendly.

7) N/A

8) We were on the Allure and our son LOVED the carousel. Not exaggerating at all when I say that we easily rode it over 100 times during the week. It was almost never crowded so we'd just stay on and ride it like 10 times in a row, letting our son pick a new animal to ride each time. Despite its tiny size, he enjoyed the infant splash pad. He loved the Dreamworks characters, parades, the infant/toddler play area just outside the nursery, ice/water shows and all of the staff who would interact with him everywhere we went.

9) An ocean view balcony worked great for us.

10) Absolutely. While I do think it's a bit excessive for RCI to charge the full 3rd/4th passenger rate for an infant, the staff definitely goes out of their way to try to accomodate you and your child. When we dined at Izumi our server would run next door to Windjammer to get a bowl of apple sauce for our son, at the MDR the server would immediately bring out mashed potatoes and some other infant-friendly foods for him to eat, the photo staff would play with him and do all kinds of funny things to keep him smiling during pictures. A lot of these staff members have kids at home who they dearly miss and there were a number of them who truly treated our son as if he was one of their own.

11) We had one for him, but like someone else pointed out depending on where the cruise goes a birth certificate may suffice.

Feel free to reach out with any other questions or concerns. Like a few others said, if you're relaxed and just go with the flow you'll have an excellent time. Cruising with an infant is obviously not the same as crusing without a child, however don't think for a second that it means you can't have an amazing time.

ETaylor1015 · January 21, 2018

Thanks everyone for your replies! Were any of you on a cruise with a norovirus outbreak? How did you handle that? Also as for ports , did you attempt any excursions or stay on the ship? We have done so many of the ports over the years that there isn't anything we have to Do! When booking nursery times did you pick times around a show or daytime activities?

ETaylor1015 · January 21, 2018

Would love to know what stroller you used ! We have an uppababy Vista which is pretty big so want a smaller one!

What did you do about ports? Excursions or stay on ship?

[qsuote=firerecruit71295;55039945]We cruised with our little guy when he was just 7 months old and we had an amazing time but you have to plan ahead... for everything. And a huge shout out to my wife for thinking about just about everything.