Best tips for cruising with kids

[Mommyshark]

We are bringing our 1y/o and our 4y/o on a cruise for the first time! My husband and I have cruised a couple times, but never with our kiddos. What do we need to know? What are your tips/observations about cruising with kids? Does Club Ocean have more than just "Night Owls" for babysitting my 1y/o? Tell me how to me a great guest and not make anyone mad, also. lol.

[Cheese sandwich]

I've only done one cruise with a kid, three years ago when my oldest was 20 months. Now, I've got 3 kids all under the age of 5 so I'm definitely going to be following along on this one :)

 

As for my own experience, I noticed that my kid got way more tired than usual. Even at 20 months, he wasn't much of a napper but he napped every day on the cruise. Also, he tried all the foods! All the servers were so surprised he wanted the food off of the "regular" menu and not the kid menu. So you may find your kids are way more adaptible than you may realize.

 

I'm also of the belief that sleep and meals should be as regular as possible for small kids. As soon as you start missing regular meals or bedtimes, it starts a chain reaction. So I'd recommend that if you want to have a late night or a long day or something like that, do it in the first couple of days of the cruise because by the end, they will be pretty exhausted from it all.

 

Down time in the room is also a must.

 

Take snacks and water along.

 

An umbrella stroller or light weight stroller for the little one.

 

Take some toys but not too many. Maybe some favorites and a couple of new dollar store type toys but not too many.

 

Adhere to their bedtime routine.. whether it's bath, story, song, noise machine etc. It will add a bit of familiarity.

 

As for making anyone mad, I think that would pretty hard to do but I'd say a pretty Golden rule of thumb is, if your kid starts acting up (like screaming and inconsolable) during a mealtime, maybe of of you take that kid for a walk to calm down or back to the room and get room service if it's a real meltdown.

 

It can be fun but exhausting. We now say that vacations (with our kids) is just taking care of them in a different place. We just came back from a land vacation and although it was not relaxing in the way it used to be pre-kids, it was still great to get away and we made some awesome memories :)

[imridingdolphins]

Cruised last year with kids the exact same age. Bring plenty of diapers for the 1 year old because you cannot rely on the fun shops to have any at all, let alone ones in the kids size you need. If there is any way you can avoid having to lug their car seats along, do it, because the cabins don't have a lot of room to store them.

 

Bring lots of patience, there will be meltdowns and it may end up being you melting down! Keep in mind that you won't be able to do whatever you want, whenever you want. No romantic dinners. No going to the comedy show. No going to the lido deck movie. Best you can hope for is once they fall asleep, you and your spouse can take turns going out and looking around, getting drinks, etc... But, you have kids, so you already know this. ;) We still had fun but it is challenging. Keep a positive attitude about it and you'll be just fine!

[GradUT]

Because you even ask this question lets me know that you are a responsible parent. But here are just two things that you might want to keep an eye on:

 

1) Meltdowns in public places, particularly the dining room—Please take your child away somewhere that he/she can quietly recover.

 

2). Babies in pools—This is a definite no-no for public health and hygiene, so you’ll have to tell the 1-year-old that 4-year-old sibling can get into the pool but he/she cannot.

 

If you have not already seen this, here’s some useful info from Carnival about sailing with your toddler and baby:

 

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3668/kw/Baby%20pool/session/L3RpbWUvMTUzMzc2Nzc2MS9zaWQvZlVPcG9FemZyNWdHSDVxYUZsenJ0Q3NydlpoX2ZGNFglN0V5QVVvampyd1dQNWIwV0t4VU4xNWpHRjRmWVF0JTdFT1ZLU1VLT01zT2o2Q05VMHdoX1BkYTl5bVQ0MUkyNUIyOU9Nc3VVTk55eVNfdGpGaU45azhPa2Z2USUyMSUyMQ%3D%3D

[cb at sea]

1 year old will have little to nothing...the 4 year old can take part in the "clubs"....and they LOVE it! You do need to bring every and ALL "baby stuff", as the ship really has nothing....Bring any pediatric meds you might conceivably need....ear drops, nose drops, allergy, tummy, fever, etc....meds. The ship doesn't have that stuff. Wipes, extra clothes for when there's some sort of nasty "blow out" which diapered kids have frequently....and it's true that they cannot use the pools. Be prepared for that.

[Badfinger]

We are bringing our 1y/o and our 4y/o on a cruise for the first time! My husband and I have cruised a couple times, but never with our kiddos. What do we need to know? What are your tips/observations about cruising with kids? Does Club Ocean have more than just "Night Owls" for babysitting my 1y/o? Tell me how to me a great guest and not make anyone mad, also. lol.

 

My tip would be to buy your husband a massage towards the end of the trip.. he will need it after being a pack mule all week.

 

Agree with above...I could and would tolerate screaming kids most anywhere except in the MDR. Yes, I would be that guy giving the parents dirty looks....really dirty looks. Flame away!

 

Good luck to you.

[mkcurran]

We are bringing our 1y/o and our 4y/o on a cruise for the first time! My husband and I have cruised a couple times, but never with our kiddos. What do we need to know? What are your tips/observations about cruising with kids? Does Club Ocean have more than just "Night Owls" for babysitting my 1y/o? Tell me how to me a great guest and not make anyone mad, also. lol.

 

Can you convince a set or two of the grandparents to join you? Otherwise pack lots of patience.

Also ziplock bags to bring treats from the buffet back to the room for snacks.

[beachbum6264]

Have you checked out the family board? You'll find more information there than your brain can hold. Have fun!

[Mommyshark]

Thanks for the tips, cheese sandwich! What kind of stateroom did you have? Did you use a pack n play? My l/o will be 17 months, and that's my plan. I'm really hoping to embrace the "family nap" while the 4y/o is in Club Ocean. I know turn taking with DH is inevitable with nap time and the early hours of bed time. We're both super cool with scheduled down time. MDR - idk if we'll make it! Will try though. But if it doesn't work out, that's okay.

Edited August 9, 2018 by Mommyshark

[Mommyshark]

**currently calculating how much diapers and adding a bunch** 😂😂

 

I told my husband we will have to pack our patience!

[Mommyshark]

Have you checked out the family board? You'll find more information there than your brain can hold. Have fun!

 

Totes going to now!! Thanks!

[Mommyshark]

My tip would be to buy your husband a massage towards the end of the trip.. he will need it after being a pack mule all week.

 

Agree with above...I could and would tolerate screaming kids most anywhere except in the MDR. Yes, I would be that guy giving the parents dirty looks....really dirty looks. Flame away!

 

Good luck to you.

 

It will be interesting testing the waters of the MDR, that's for sure! I'm more worried about her throwing food than crying. Still not putting up with it! Might do a whole lot of lido eating. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[welove2cruise2014]

Thanks for the tips, cheese sandwich! What kind of stateroom did you have? Did you use a pack n play? My l/o will be 17 months, and that's my plan. I'm really hoping to embrace the "family nap" while the 4y/o is in Club Ocean. I know turn taking with DH is inevitable with nap time and the early hours of bed time. We're both super cool with scheduled down time. MDR - idk if we'll make it! Will try though. But if it doesn't work out, that's okay.

We just had a non-cruise vacation and MUCH to my delight and surprise, our (tall) almost 2 year old slept like a DREAM in a pack n play. So hopefully will be the same on our upcoming cruise as well :)

 

We also hope to be able to do a midday nap. She / we took naps daily on our recent beach vacation. I was worried she wouldn't, but I put her down, made sure it was fairly dark, and walked away... she knew it was "nap time" at that point!!

 

We are going on NCL and likely will be doing a lot of early bedtimes and trading off in the evenings.

 

Good luck!

 

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[Mommyshark]

Can you convince a set or two of the grandparents to join you? Otherwise pack lots of patience.

Also ziplock bags to bring treats from the buffet back to the room for snacks.

 

 

Next time hopefully. A couple of grandparents would be awesome!! To a degree..... lol

[Mommyshark]

I want to mention the ports are Gramd Cayman and Cozumel (plus). Anybody care to weigh in on what we should do? Does Playa Mia allow swim diapers? That's the one with the fun little kid water stuff, right?

 

Also, we are in an interior cabin. Is that bad?

 

Plus - My son turns 5 on our second sea day!!

Pretty sure green eggs and ham is on his birthday, too. I'm so excited for him!!

[Cheese sandwich]

Thanks for the tips, cheese sandwich! What kind of stateroom did you have? Did you use a pack n play? My l/o will be 17 months, and that's my plan. I'm really hoping to embrace the "family nap" while the 4y/o is in Club Ocean. I know turn taking with DH is inevitable with nap time and the early hours of bed time. We're both super cool with scheduled down time. MDR - idk if we'll make it! �� Will try though. But if it doesn't work out, that's okay.

 

We had a balcony cabin. We had our son on the sofa and (after trying it out at home before the cruise) we rolled blankets/towels lengthways to create a "bump" and didn't have any issues with that.

 

I think the pack n play could work well too if she's comfortable sleeping in it. At the time, our son refused to fall asleep any other way except with one of us laying beside him and he'd wake up if he carried him. We don't have this issue with our younger two so would definitely use a pack n play instead.

 

We also brought a blackout curtain and magnetic hooks and hung that up between out bed and his so we could watch movies on the iPad and the glare wouldn't bother him.

[Cheese sandwich]

 

Also, we are in an interior cabin. Is that bad? ����

 

 

It will be a bit challenging because you won't have a balcony to "escape" to but it will make sleeping easier! We've travelled in an inside cabin before having kids and it is a bit smaller and a lot darker but if your kids aren't too bothered by a bit of light or they're heavier sleepers it could be just fine!

 

Just try the blackout curtain trick I mentioned one post up.

 

Our evenings consisted of one of us going to get dessert then eating that on the balcony and chatting then watching a movie on the bed on the iPad using headphones and a splitter.

[PDsandman01]

Our daughter cruised for the first time with us just after her 2nd birthday and we had a blast.

 

Among what's already been said like an umbrella stroller, patience, etc. We bought a cheap round 2ft inflatable ring pool from Amazon for bath time. Blows up and deflates quickly and doesn't take up much room. Fits perfectly in the bottom of the shower. Perfect little bathtub.

 

If you need a carton of milk or two after breakfast just ask someone working the buffet they'll grab some from the back.

 

We also brought the portable DVD player from the car and a few movies for our her. Wasn't much to entertain her on TV during down times or before bed while mom and dad got her settled in.

 

We found that our daughter was treated like royalty. The hostesses had to have hugs every night, waiters loved playing with her, our steward tucked her dolls in bed while we were out, and everyone stopped working to waive as she strolled by.

 

Just remember, it can get busy and trying sometimes but, be sure to slow down and enjoy the countless little moments you'll always remember.

[mikesyl27]

I would recommend a balcony cabin for the fact it probably give you more room plus you can go into the balcony during naps and bed time for quality time with hubby.

I would do your homework on the ports to see what you all can do. I wouldn't do to many land excursions.

Grab some cereal from the breakfast before leaving for port.

Bring some juice boxes for port as well.

Talk to your cruise rep if the ship has strollars and a pack and play.

Load up a tablet with their favorite movies. Bring their favorite books.

Lastly carry on all the children's things, meds, and change of clothing.

 

 

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[thehappierhomemaker]

our first cruise our boys were 5, 3, and 8 months. We were able to put the older ones in camp but pushed the youngest in an umbrella stroller in the evenings, he slept and we had a nice dinner and drinks! Each cruise since (7 years) has been better and better as we were able to take advantage of the camps and they became veteran cruisers!

[maryred]

Thanks for the tips, cheese sandwich! What kind of stateroom did you have? Did you use a pack n play? My l/o will be 17 months, and that's my plan. I'm really hoping to embrace the "family nap" while the 4y/o is in Club Ocean. I know turn taking with DH is inevitable with nap time and the early hours of bed time. We're both super cool with scheduled down time. MDR - idk if we'll make it! �� Will try though. But if it doesn't work out, that's okay.

 

I want to mention the ports are Gramd Cayman and Cozumel (plus). Anybody care to weigh in on what we should do? Does Playa Mia allow swim diapers? That's the one with the fun little kid water stuff, right?

 

Also, we are in an interior cabin. Is that bad? ����

 

Plus - My son turns 5 on our second sea day!! ����

Pretty sure green eggs and ham is on his birthday, too. I'm so excited for him!!

 

If you didn't already request it during the booking process, ask them to have the porta-crib, it's really a pack-n-play, set-up in your cabin. That way being in an interior if there is furniture (snack table and chair, and maybe the night stands) that needs to be removed it will already be done. In fact to fit the pack-n-play they may need to leave the 2 twin sized beds separated, instead of in the king bed configuration. Though listed as about 180 square feet once you take away the area for the bathroom, the closets, and the on the wall desk area you are left with a room that is about 10'x12' with 2 dorm style twin beds.

Interior cabin when the lights are shut off are completely pitch black. Though great for anytime sleeping with how much floor space you will lose to the porta-crib being used, you will want to bring at least 1 nightlight. Preferably a battery operated one as there is only 1 outlet in the cabin at the desk area which is kind of in a corner. Another item to bring is a travel clock, again with how dark the cabin gets it's can be very discerning to wake-up from a nap or a night's sleep and not realize if you've been down for 1 hour or 8.

Another word of caution concerning an interior cabin, rarely will the 3rd or 4th berth be a sofa bed, and with the porta-crib there will be no room for them to bring in a trundle or camp bed. What is there already is usually a Pullman bed or 2, in other words a bed that folds out of the wall or drops from the ceiling. It will be at the height of the upper bunk of a bunk bed. It will have a ladder to access the bed but only a 2-3 inch lip to prevent roll-out so check getting a folding travel safety rail that is held in place by the weight of the mattress and the occupant. But more concerning is if the 4 soon to be 5 year old, will s/he stay in the bed all night. So you may want to call your travel professional and very carefully go over the cabin's bed configuration. Then if there are only pullman beds as the option start teaching the older child to not use the ladder unless a parent is awake and watching them.

As for the Dr Seuss Green Eggs and Ham breakfast that happens on your last full sea day on board the ship. So depending on your port schedule if may be the last full day aboard the ship or earlier in the cruise if that's your only seaday.

[Mommyshark]

We are going on NCL and likely will be doing a lot of early bedtimes and trading off in the evenings.

 

Good luck!

 

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SAME with early bedtimes and trading off in the evenings. :D

[welove2cruise2014]

We are going on NCL and likely will be doing a lot of early bedtimes and trading off in the evenings.

 

Good luck!

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Forums mobile app

 

 

SAME with early bedtimes and trading off in the evenings. :D

The early bedtime when we took our last trip was actually kind of nice. Lol. Our daughter is usually up by 6am every day. When left to our own devices, DH and I could be up till 11 or later. So it was actually refreshing to be in bed earlier!!

 

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[Mommyshark]

SAME with early bedtimes and trading off in the evenings. :D

The early bedtime when we took our last trip was actually kind of nice. Lol. Our daughter is usually up by 6am every day. When left to our own devices, DH and I could be up till 11 or later. So it was actually refreshing to be in bed earlier!!

 

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The last cruise I went on, I was pregnant with my youngest. We never stayed up past 10. Its tough to admit, but it was pretty early bedtimes on that trip, too! Naps, too. :'):')

[Mommyshark]

Cruised last year with kids the exact same age. Bring plenty of diapers for the 1 year old because you cannot rely on the fun shops to have any at all, let alone ones in the kids size you need. If there is any way you can avoid having to lug their car seats along, do it, because the cabins don't have a lot of room to store them.

 

Bring lots of patience, there will be meltdowns and it may end up being you melting down! Keep in mind that you won't be able to do whatever you want, whenever you want. No romantic dinners. No going to the comedy show. No going to the lido deck movie. Best you can hope for is once they fall asleep, you and your spouse can take turns going out and looking around, getting drinks, etc... But, you have kids, so you already know this. ;) We still had fun but it is challenging. Keep a positive attitude about it and you'll be just fine!

 

 

Yep I'll miss going to a comedy show. But I love naps, relaxing, and downtime so I am hoping I won't feel like I'm missing out too much. Good to know you still had fun! I know it will be challenging, but so worth it to get back on a ship!! I'm definitely going to keep a ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ attitude. lol