is 6 months to young to go on cruise?

[SecretSK]

I wouldn’t, mostly because in my experience, the facilities are not convenient for a baby in diapers. I haven’t sailed Royal in a while (I hope this has changed) but the last time we were on a ship with a toddler in diapers they didn’t have changing tables in the public restrooms. When we were playing in the nursery, all the way forward, we were told we’d have to return to our cabin to change a dirty diaper. Our cabin was aft, so it was not a fun process. 

 

The possibility of the baby being exposed to illnesses before being immunized is a concern, too. It’s not actually comparable to sending your 6 month old to daycare - unless your daycare happens to cater to international travelers. 🙂

[torpeedo]

Simple answer is NO.  Mostly for all the reasons noted.  Cruise ships are no place for a baby. 

[GarlicBread]

3 hours ago, jsf said:

If you think the baby will remember being on this cruise you are wrong,this means you are doing this only for yourself.

 

So babies should just stay in the house until they're old enough to remember then? Because I'm pretty sure you could use the same statement for anything you do or anywhere you go with a baby....

[spookwife]

If there are more than 2 consecutive sea days, you must be 12 months old to sail..on day one.

 

but no, I wouldn’t take a 6 month old on board, even if the ship had a Nursery.  Even rotating who has diaper duty, one person is always going to be left out of many activities.  

[tallnthensome]

I sail with my kids every cruise but would never consider taking then that young .... So ... no. 

[davekathy]

Why would anyone want to. 🙄

[cindivan]

You certainly get a lot of people who say no. And a few that say yes. And it seems to me the people that say no haven’t done it, and the people that say yes have brought a young baby. We never brought our kids when they were that young, but for us it more financial. I think for quite a while I was on the probably not side. But we went with a bunch of extended family including my niece and her then 7mo. Yes we had a lot of extra helpers. But mom and dad had agreed before the cruise they would all retire early and focus on enjoying the days. We all still had a great time and no one felt put out with having to take care of baby. Still a great family time that we wouldn’t have had it they had chosen to stay home. I think it’s very much about expectations. Yes it’s more work to travel with a young child, but you lose the shopping and cooking and cleaning tasks. 

[bc cruiser]

N0.  I was on a cruise ship once and we left Cozumel late afternoon, everything was fine and later that night cruising the waters got really rough and everybody was throwing up and the lobby was full of people who couldn't stay in their rooms.  I have a video of it.  Babies can't talk to you and they might be in pain.  The norovirus is very contagious also.

 

[Iamcruzin]

4 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

 

I would say that if you are going to take a child that young it raises risks enough to have a passport for the child and the parents since infants can go south very quickly health-wise.

 

That statement speaks volumes because I know from reading your replies on Passport threads you are not an advocate of needing one on closed loop cruises.

[John&LaLa]

14 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

 

If the cruise has 3 or more consecutive days at sea, then 6 months is too young and RC won't allow it.

 

Remember when Navigator got extended sea time due to the broken stabilizer and the family got kicked off the boat because they had a child under 1 year old.

 

 

[John&LaLa]

I wonder if hurricane Dorian is affecting anyone with a baby

 

 

Edited September 2, 2019 by John&LaLa

[John&LaLa]

Our youngest sailed when he was minus 9 months🤣🤣

 

 

Edited September 2, 2019 by John&LaLa

[Iamcruzin]

8 hours ago, mayleeman said:

No more germs on a 2200 passenger ship than in daycare...  hee hee hee!

Add in to the equation that not everyone believes in vaccinating their children. Public schools and Daycare require proof here. Even with that there have been resent outbreaks of the measles in parts of Brooklyn.

Edited September 2, 2019 by Iamcruzin

[sjb317]

I would have taken my boys on a cruise at 6 months if we had been financially able to.   All three sons were strictly breastfed at that age so it would have meant packing some diapers, a few clothes and a stroller.  Instead, we did camping vacations which were fun but so much work.  Cruising where everything is done for you seems ideal. 

 

We did take two different grandsons on cruises when one was 14 months and the other was 16 months.  I would not hesitate to do that again as my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed it.   The grandkids may not remember it, although one says he does, but they enjoy the stories and the pictures and we talk about how Mimi took them on a big ship so it has created some good memories for all of us. 😀

 

Sherri🙂

 

 

Edited September 2, 2019 by sjb317

[ReneeFLL]

14 hours ago, chipsdog said:

thank you everyone, that has made my mind up and saved me loads of money !

 

I think you made a wise choice. The baby will never remember it and the parents might not enjoy the cruise that much. It the seas get a little rough the baby would probably be better off at home. Enjoy your cruise now and a later one with the child.

[Iamcruzin]

8 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

I wonder if hurricane Dorian is affecting anyone with a baby

 

 

The only affect I can foresee is 9 months from now.

Edited September 2, 2019 by Iamcruzin

[John&LaLa]

1 minute ago, Iamcruzin said:

The only affect I can foresee is 9 months from now.

 

Referring to post #35, not post #37

[ReneeFLL]

5 hours ago, Ashland said:

You're going to listen to a bunch of strangers on this board or were you looking for a reason to not take your DS, DDIL and grandchild on the cruise with you ??

Discuss this with your family and make the decision based on their opinions.

Many families cruise with babies especially when they are going to cruise on a ship with a nursery (which you are unfortunately not) or have plenty of help from grandparents which they will.

We have cruised often as an extended family with little ones....it really isn't that hard.

 

She came on here to ask advice from people about their thoughts and experiences were and for some opinions. Sounds like this is the first baby for the couple so they would have NO experience with a 6 month old and cruising so yes she is listening to strangers to get some info. That's what cruise critic is for.

[cindivan]

I hear a lot of people talk about if baby will remember it. Obviously probably not at that age. But will I as a mom remember spending a lot of quality time connecting with my young child without all the every day tasks of shopping and cleaning and cooking?    And will DH and me just be able to enjoy each other and our child(ren) without the stresses of everyday life?  Absolutely. It won’t be the same experience as our honeymoon with no responsibilities other than us. But it’s a great family time.   You just have to agree beforehand expectations and schedule. 

[OSUZorba]

Just because a kid won't remember something specific into adulthood, doesn't mean it has no effect on them. My 3.5 year old still remembers the cruise she did at 18 months. She still remembers and very actively talks about Disney trips from more than a year ago. It has still activated parts of her brain and gave her exposure to new experiences that has allowed her to develop and learn. And since we've been taking her to Disney and other amusement parks since she was 6 months old, she just rode Tower of Terror and asked to go again, while most kids her age are afraid of basic kiddie rides. I doubt she remembers going down the family water slide at 11 months, but she knows she loves water slides today and will go down any she is tall enough for.

 

No one would ever say "why do you read to your infant, they'll never remember that book when they are 35?" So why do so many people feel the need to say it about vacations?

 

Also, at least for me, the amount of bonding I get in a week on vacation with my daughter is massively more than a week at home. That a lone is worth every drop of extra effort it is to take her with us.

Edited September 2, 2019 by OSUZorba

[lovescats5]

And what if she got sick at school, or what if she got sick at gymnastics, or what if she got sick at day care, or what if a mosquito bit her and she got West Nile (that happens in some places in the US), or what if...…  You can do whatever you choose to do and we can all justify our actions.  We choose to take her and that was our decision.  You chose not to go on a cruise with your baby and that was your decision.  Just because you go to a land based resort does not mean they cannot get sick either.  I expressed my opinion, you expressed your.  We do not agree.

[chipsdog]

9 hours ago, Ashland said:

You're going to listen to a bunch of strangers on this board or were you looking for a reason to not take your DS, DDIL and grandchild on the cruise with you ??

Discuss this with your family and make the decision based on their opinions.

Many families cruise with babies especially when they are going to cruise on a ship with a nursery (which you are unfortunately not) or have plenty of help from grandparents which they will.

We have cruised often as an extended family with little ones....it really isn't that hard.

 

I was not looking for a reason not to pay to take them, they have never been on a cruise so had no idea if it was suitable with a baby, I am not going to take the risk and will arrange something else suitable for them!  thank you everyone for your helpful comments

 

[atush]

16 hours ago, mayleeman said:

No more germs on a 2200 passenger ship than in daycare...  hee hee hee!

Well maybe a little, just because of the larger number of people (from all over).

 

You are right though, daycare is full of germs but i forget this as mine didnt go there.  they did go to nursery school a few days a week at 2 and brought home all sorts.

[marci22]

6 hours ago, lovescats5 said:

And what if she got sick at school, or what if she got sick at gymnastics, or what if she got sick at day care, or what if a mosquito bit her and she got West Nile (that happens in some places in the US), or what if...…  You can do whatever you choose to do and we can all justify our actions.  We choose to take her and that was our decision.  You chose not to go on a cruise with your baby and that was your decision.  Just because you go to a land based resort does not mean they cannot get sick either. 

The thing I would worry about is medical access. If you're on a ship you are limited to onboard services or what you can find in port. 

[sparks1093]

9 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

That statement speaks volumes because I know from reading your replies on Passport threads you are not an advocate of needing one on closed loop cruises.

I'm actually an advocate for using the documentation that makes the most sense for your personal situation as it's not a one size fits all proposition for many people. I've said numerous times that if someone's risk is higher than normal that it should be a consideration and as I mentioned, traveling with an infant significantly increases one's risk. Of course if someone feels comfortable traveling sans passport with a 6 month old that's fine since we all handle risk differently.