Infant Amenities (Nautica)

[sammiedawg]

We considered an Oceania Alaska trip for kids and grandkids.  Certain cruises are designated family friendly with  organized activities in the card room for ages 5 and up.  

 

After discussing with the on board sales consultant from Alaska, we decided against it because I cannot figure out where  kids can just go to play.  We don’t want to annoy others.  

We are not interested in dumping kids off for the day in the card room.   The card rooms are small. 

 

My sympathies to the stroller pusher on Oceania. I have been the designated stroller pusher many times on land and on Disney cruises.  Disney cruises are quite noisy, the decibel level is off the chart because of blaring movie screens, piped in music, screaming loud announcements.  Kids making noise are the least of it. 

 

 

[kitty9]

LHT28, I never said having having kids on this cruise was bad, nor did I ever imply that the poor dad was noisy, so please don’t read those negative things into my post. I was merely pointing out that this cruise has more kids that I have seen on previous O cruises. 

 

Want to know obnoxious?  Sitting on my scooter, waiting for the elevator and having a very elderly man get off the elevator with his zipper all the way down, nearly exposing old ping and pong.  

[Damicom]

57 minutes ago, kitty9 said:

LHT28, I never said having having kids on this cruise was bad, nor did I ever imply that the poor dad was noisy, so please don’t read those negative things into my post. I was merely pointing out that this cruise has more kids that I have seen on previous O cruises. 

 

Want to know obnoxious?  Sitting on my scooter, waiting for the elevator and having a very elderly man get off the elevator with his zipper all the way down, nearly exposing old ping and pong.  

TMI

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, kitty9 said:

LHT28, I never said having having kids on this cruise was bad, nor did I ever imply that the poor dad was noisy, so please don’t read those negative things into my post. I was merely pointing out that this cruise has more kids that I have seen on previous O cruises. 

 

Want to know obnoxious?  Sitting on my scooter, waiting for the elevator and having a very elderly man get off the elevator with his zipper all the way down, nearly exposing old ping and pong.  

I asked if the baby  & dad  were noisy  

I could understand complaints if the baby was screaming & the dad was walking through the  public areas where people were enjoying the  slot machines

hope you mentioned to the old guy  he was flying low

 

 

 

[StanandJim]

Everyone who has posted to, or read this thread, should listen to this:

 

Edited February 11, 2019 by StanandJim

[wripro]

21 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Where are the odds greater on an O ship:

 

1. Encounter an unruly child at the pool or a dining venue; or

 

2. Have a geriatric that’s either to senile or uncaring go on a ship’s tour for which they aren’t physically qualified and drastically slow down the tour?

 

On a personal level,  aboard O I have witnessed more issues arise from older passengers with various stages of dementia than problems created by children.

You can solve the tour problem by taking private tours which are probably cheaper than the prices O charges. And it's not always the elderly who hold ups tours. Sometimes younger passengers just "have to take extra time for shopping" and disregards all their fellow passengers. Another reason to go private.

[doctork]

Do you have a nanny, or could you hire one for this trip?  It's an important family event, grandparents want mom&dad and the baby to come even though it is acknowledged that Oceania is not at the top of the "Children's Cruise" list, so why not hire a nanny to make things easier for everyone?  Then there is someone dedicated to caring for the baby 24/7 who can smooth over the rough spots, see to meals at a casual dining spot or order room service, change diapers and put the child to bed at appropriate times, while all the other grown-ups have the usual fun.  Baby can make appearances when he is at his best (and "disappear" when he is not), and everyone will love him.

[ORV]

7 hours ago, doctork said:

Do you have a nanny, or could you hire one for this trip?  It's an important family event, grandparents want mom&dad and the baby to come even though it is acknowledged that Oceania is not at the top of the "Children's Cruise" list, so why not hire a nanny to make things easier for everyone?  Then there is someone dedicated to caring for the baby 24/7 who can smooth over the rough spots, see to meals at a casual dining spot or order room service, change diapers and put the child to bed at appropriate times, while all the other grown-ups have the usual fun.  Baby can make appearances when he is at his best (and "disappear" when he is not), and everyone will love him.

Let's see, a Nanny would need their own room, probably booked at solo rate. At this point chartering a yacht might be more reasonable. 

[Mura]

That's just what I was thinking.  And you'd probably have to pay her a salary as well ...

[wripro]

You won't need a nanny on Disney.

[StanandJim]

46 minutes ago, Mura said:

That's just what I was thinking.  And you'd probably have to pay her a salary as well ...

-as well as getting her a cabin for herself at single occupancy prices.  Yikes!!

Perhaps finding a Nanny who is married to a Valet is the answer, here..... 

 

Edited February 22, 2019 by StanandJim

[doctork]

True. - the nanny and baby would likely need a separate room from mom and dad.  You might find a young family member or babysitter who would go along as "nanny" just for the "free cruise experience."  The family may already employ a nanny, or hire one for the occasion.  Many families book more than one room if they have more than two kids (we have three) and many cabins accommodate only 4 people.

 

Someone is planning an expensive, but very important and treasured family gathering, it sounds like the participants want to meet and play with the new young family member, and much of this thread has been spent emphasizing that Oceania clientele don't want kids spoiling their trip.  Bringing a nanny to care for the baby is one way to avoid inconvenience to other travelers while still allowing the family to gather.  Budgetary constraints have not been emphasized by the OP,  just practical questions.  One way to manage the practical challenges is to bring the nanny and all the baby equipment with you.

 

Kids are expensive.  In our family, we found that bringing a nanny can be perfect for some situations despite the expense, and our nanny certainly helped our (now adult) children develop into well mannered and experienced travelers.  The nanny option hadn't been mentioned in the thread, so I brought it up.

 

I was just checking out he Oceania forum because DH and I have been considering trying it out.  We are fond of smaller ships and longer cruises, we haven't sailed with Oceania yet, and Oceania has some very appealing itineraries, but I don't really "know" the cruisers here.  I'm sorry I've apparently offended some people with my suggestion; I thought it might be helpful for the OP to consider it.  If it is over their budget, they can discard the idea.

 

Edited February 22, 2019 by doctork
remove extraneous material

[CraftyMomster2112]

I’m certainly not offended by the idea of hiring a nanny; more likely I’m considering how I can get this lovely woman to hire me for that job!  Such a fuss over a situation that might not happen at all.  A first-world problem indeed.  

[StanandJim]

1 hour ago, CraftyMomster2112 said:

I’m certainly not offended by the idea of hiring a nanny; more likely I’m considering how I can get this lovely woman to hire me for that job!  Such a fuss over a situation that might not happen at all.  A first-world problem indeed.  

On our very first Oceania Baltic Cruise, one of our shipmates sailed with a bodyguard in tow.  

The Bodyguard and I became friendly over a number of smart cocktails in Martini's and he eventually let it slip that his trip was costing his boss 17.5K (for a 14 night cruise).  That would be salary, travel stipend, expenses and fare.

[CraftyMomster2112]

On 2/22/2019 at 2:42 PM, StanandJim said:

On our very first Oceania Baltic Cruise, one of our shipmates sailed with a bodyguard in tow.  

The Bodyguard and I became friendly over a number of smart cocktails in Martini's and he eventually let it slip that his trip was costing his boss 17.5K (for a 14 night cruise).  That would be salary, travel stipend, expenses and fare.

 

 

Whoa.  Now that is absolutely fascinating.   Thanks for sharing!

[ljandgb]

I just have to say that we've sailed exactly once on Oceania, and met some absolutely delightful shipmates.  Some we still keep in contact with 4 years later.  But reading this thread, if I hadn't ever cruised Oceania, I'd be thinking hard against it.  The OP is not asking to bring a pack of untrained dogs.  It is a single infant.

 

And I'm not offended by the nanny suggestion either, but I would think that most cruisers, especially those in the stage of life  that they still have very young children at home, probably don't have the funds to pay the sum total for a nanny.  Not everyone, but most.