Brilliance of the Seas w/ 7 mos old baby

[bogs1009]

I am looking for some information and advice on Brilliance of the Seas with a 7 mos old baby. This would be a 4 night cruise out of Tampa.

 

Do you recommend the Brilliance with an infant? Is there child care available, is the ship big enough? Is there a splash pad or a place they can go in the water?

 

We are booked on the Allure of the seas in January but when I was looking for vacation options with our baby it seemed like this option might work as its cheaper than staying at a nice resort in Florida. I did some research initially and it seems like the Oasis class work better for babies, we know this will not be the same type of cruising we are used to before Kids but looking to get away for a few nights with him and enjoy the open waters.

 

Has anyone recently traveled on the Brilliance with a baby?

[Clarea]

I would double check, but I do not think that Brilliance has a swim diaper area.

[myacuna]

Brilliance does not have a swim diaper area. From what I remember, it may have a nursery. Its been awhile since I sailed her with a baby. We had a lovely time with our almost 1 year old on her and we are headed back in Sept with our son, who will be almost 4 this time.

 

*I do recall borrowing toys on brilliance, which leads me to believe they have nursery dropoff. Its a nice service, and very affordable.

[TBone2K]

We did Harmony with 9 month old, so I'll try to relate.

Adventure Ocean has a Royal Tots section for under 2, but space is limited, so sign up early. DW and I dropped DS there once night for a couple of hours to have a dinner to ourselves. The information I am finding says Brilliance has Royal Tots, so you are good to go there. There may also be an option of in room babysitting.

No swim diapers are allowed in any pools. The only exception is ships with a toddler splash area like Anthem. This is different from the kids splash pad, but no matter since Brilliance doesn't have one anyway.

 

Bring an inflatable kiddie pool to use on your (hopefully) balcony and for baths. Ask you TA to put on your reservation that you need a playpen/pack'n'play.

 

Brilliance should be good enough, but Oasis might be better. The only thing I would say about Oasis is things that you might want to try with your little one (like the carousel) are really aimed at older kids and are crowded. So it may depend on how your little one is with crowds.

[Mikeandliz]

Slightly off your topic, but you may find the info helpful.

 

https://www.cruzely.com/the-complete-guide-to-cruising-with-a-baby-from-someone-whos-done-it/

 

 

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[cb at sea]

A blow up TUB...not a "pool" is what you will want for bathing and splashing.

[Qstrom]

Personally I'd just wait until the child is older before I'd do a cruise.....timeshares are a better choice until minimum age 3 and out of diapers......just MHO......

[myacuna]

Qstrom - I don’t agree, honestly. Cruising is very easy with a baby if you go into it knowing that (a) vacationing with a kid is very different from without (b) you need to be a little smarter about packing - know you need to pack more than you think and © research your ships!

 

We’ve cruised with our son 4 times since he was born. We’ve always chosen ships with a nursery and have only had an issue once (2.5 year olds have bad separation anxiety). We’ve always found fun stuff for him to explore, we choose excursions that make sense for him, and we are flexible with him. We use a stroller for naps and find ways to relax while he’s sleeping.

 

We will continue cruising with him because, overall, we get a decently priced vacation, don’t have to fly, and have options for relaxation throughout the trip.

 

 

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[bogs1009]

Thank you for the suggestions so far, we will have a different mindset going into this cruise if we choose it or our Allure cruise in January. We know it will be the same as we are used to. The tub idea is a great one for the balcony and bathing.

 

Just trying to decide if we should do this one in October as its basically the same price for a balcony room than it would be for a a nice resort in florida for 4 nights which doesn't include food.

 

Has anyone used the nursery on the Brilliance?

[myacuna]

We used the nursery on brilliance and anthem. They were both good experiences

 

 

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[Cuizer2]

is the ship big enough?

 

I'm sure you child will fit with room to spare.

[ONECRUISER]

Personally I'd just wait until the child is older before I'd do a cruise.....timeshares are a better choice until minimum age 3 and out of diapers......just MHO......

Over the years seen many Wee Ones on Cruise ships. Me, Single Dad raising of 3 on my own while in the Army. Started taking my kids on Royal when they were 2, 5 and 9. 2yr old was 100% out of Diaper's and Pull-ups. Always took them everywhere with me including vacations, cruises. Even home schooled my oldest threw High School, she graduated at 16 and now is over half way threw becoming a Doctor. Probably reason I'm still single. Twice I took Grandma and Grandpa with us on a cruise. Was lucky, my kids were Angels all the time in Public, great travelers as we drove more then we flew. At home was another story at times, more so when my girls became teenagers. But bringing kids on a cruise might work for some and might not for other's... Love Radiance Class ships when sailing myself, kids were younger in 1990's was the Vision/Voyager Class. Now my kids adult's they love the Oasis Class...

[TBone2K]

...

 

Good grief, of all the people to be correcting me...

 

Anyway, back to the OP. Yes, I implied balcony, but highly recommend getting it. We found very helpful to be able to have a place to be and have conversation or whatever while the little one was sleeping. The nursery and also the play area was a boon to us as well.

 

As for comparison with a land vacation, I suppose a lot of the same items apply, baby or not. Food, cooking, cleaning, activities are all things that are looked after on a cruise, but may not be depending on the type of land vacation you take.