Which itinerary with a 1yo?

[JayhawkCruiser23]

My husband and I are looking to do our first cruise post Covid/new baby. We are looking at doing: 

1. Perfect Day/Nassau (4night) 

2. Key West/Nassau(4night)

3. Cozumel/Grand Cayman(5night)

 

We have done CocoCay (before it was Perfect Day) and Nassau previously, but willing to go again if its the better choice with a little one. Our little one will be between 1-1.5 years old for the dates we are looking.

Thanks!

[sandy toes]

This is one of those threads that has potential to go off down a rabbit hole. Please, beware. YOUR primary focus should be to make some family memories and have fun together. We have cruised with a 10 month old. That little one was a true gem. She was calm, friendly, slept great, napped every afternoon. There was no way we would have repeated that with the babies that followed. They did not have her affect and were each 3-4 before they were on ship. I do think a short cruise is best because it will be YOU that will be looking after the baby, same as at home, only now in strange surroundings and on a ship and in various ports. Think which ports you would like to visit? Is there something either you or your husband really would like to see? I do know that from a personal stand point, that same child that was on her 1st cruise at 10 months, went to Key West at 15 months and was so excited to see the polydactyl cats and kittens at Hemingways' home.  We bought a small umbrella style stroller with a great sun/rain hood and big basket for "stuff". It was well worth the money as she used it until she was almost 3 when in ports. We did lots of walking and the stroller was her little private throne. I would suggest either cruise #1 or #2 but that would be what would work for me, for our little one. Key West has nice shaded sidewalks to push as you sight see and child friendly shops. Nassau is the best of the 3 ports for kid friendly. Perfect Day is a BIG beach port and if the baby loves water AND sand, that would be a fun port. Now, one last thought, the ship. Royal has the great kids area for the babies. I would make sure the ship had one that has reopened. Also, remember to ask early on for the 'Crib" in the cabin. They are really more of a pack n play unit but good for 4 nights. Be sure to bring cuddle toys. blanket, whatever and formula for the baby. The chef will make whatever you want for the baby. They are fabulous! I hope you have a wonderful time planning and then enjoy your first cruise as a family unit. How exciting. 

[SG65CB]

Perfect Day would be the easiest with a young child. No ground transportation needed, don't have to worry about car seats, the ship is nearby and you can easily stop back at the ship if you need to. Pool and beach are available at no cost. 

 

 

[sandy toes]

Another thought.

Both Key West and Nassau have nice sidewalks for a stroller and you do NOT need to take any transportation as you can just walk right off the ship into their shopping/town areas. In Key West you can even walk from the ship to the southern most point in the US, to Hemingway's home and to all the points in town. You could lunch at Margaritaville and have a Cheeseburger in Paradise, or get a frozen Key lime chocolate covered slice from any number of shops. There is a treasure museum filled with things from shipwrecks. In Nassau, you can walk through the Junkanoo Museum, on West St (M-F 9-5) right in downtown. TONS of very colorful customs that little ones really enjoy.  Perfect Day does have a toddler splash area. I do not know the swim diaper rule or potty trained rule for the island. I know you know, but my 11 year old says I have to tell you, LOTS of sunscreen and a hat. She is also, the one that gave me the updates to share with you. 

 

Edited May 27, 2022 by sandy toes
Opps, needed to correct something.

[rimmit]

2 hours ago, JayhawkCruiser23 said:

My husband and I are looking to do our first cruise post Covid/new baby. We are looking at doing: 

1. Perfect Day/Nassau (4night) 

2. Key West/Nassau(4night)

3. Cozumel/Grand Cayman(5night)

 

We have done CocoCay (before it was Perfect Day) and Nassau previously, but willing to go again if its the better choice with a little one. Our little one will be between 1-1.5 years old for the dates we are looking.

Thanks!

My kids have been cruising since 9 months ans 15 months respectively, and my 15 months old first cruise was a 14 night TA.  They are 7 years and 11 years now.

 

My suggestion is stick with Cococay/Nassau.  With a baby you’re really not going for ports and just to kinda chill on a beach or be on a boat with a baby.  More important than the ports is making sure the boat has a nursery.  The majority of RCI ships have them, but not every one has one.  If you dont have a nursery than there will be no child care available, as your kiddo cant go to the kids club yet.  Going any place with excursions you may be tempted to do, but would be difficult if not impossible with a baby (unless you use the nursery while you gonon excursions) would just leave you disappointed in not being able to do them.  Really,  with a 1-1.5 year old I’d keep it simple.  It’s hard to predict what they’ll tolerate at this point and every baby/toddler has a different affect and things can change monthly with babies/toddlers  When we did more complex excursions in ports when our kids were young we’d hire private tours, so we’d be able to control bathroom breaks, stops if they were having meltdowns, skipping things that were less kid friendly, and really cater to their food and nap needs.  It did cost more, but lowered our anxiety abour potentially having a meltdown on the bus.  We did not have to do that with our first child, but our second was a little more difficult to tour with so thats when we started doing private tours.  Our first child was very easy going and had no issues on long bus tours.