Princess Cruises with a baby

[Niniloo]

Does anyone have any experience travelling on Princess Cruises with a baby and can share their experience? 
 

We are well cruised with Princess as a couple however we will be taking our baby on her first cruise in 2023 around the Mediterranean! She will be 15 months old.

 

Can we use a pram/stroller on board and in the dining rooms?

How are Princess with taking ready-to-drink milk on board?

I sterilise bottles in a microwave, how do we go about this on the ship?

How do you bath a baby in the shower cubicle (we have a balcony deluxe stateroom with shower only)?

Can highchairs be provided in the dining rooms?

Can pram/strollers be taken on Princess organised excursions?

 

If there is anyone who is able to shed some light on these and their experience that would really help so I can be organised for our cruise! Very excited to take our little one on board!

 

Many thanks!

 

Nina

Edited June 16, 2022 by Niniloo

[caribill]

11 minutes ago, Niniloo said:

Does anyone have any experience travelling on Princess Cruises with a baby and can share their experience? 
 

We are well cruised with Princess as a couple however we will be taking our baby on her first cruise in 2023 around the Mediterranean! She will be 15 months old.

 

Can we use a pram/stroller on board and in the dining rooms?

How are Princess with taking ready-to-drink milk on board?

I sterilise bottles in a microwave, how do we go about this on the ship?

How do you bath a baby in the shower cubicle (we have a balcony deluxe stateroom with shower only)?

Can highchairs be provided in the dining rooms?

Can pram/strollers be taken on Princess organised excursions?

 

If there is anyone who is able to shed some light on these and their experience that would really help so I can be organised for our cruise! Very excited to take our little one on board!

 

Many thanks!

 

Nina

 

I can answer only a couple of your questions:

 

You will have no access at all to a microwave oven.

 

High chairs are available in the dining rooms and buffet.

 

You can use a pram/stroller around the ship. In a dining room, if you are using a high chair they will likely park the pram/stroller in an out-of-the-way place.

 

If you need diapers, bring all you think you need and more. Will not be available from Princess.

 

[dog]

1 hour ago, caribill said:

 

I can answer only a couple of your questions:

 

You will have no access at all to a microwave oven.

 

High chairs are available in the dining rooms and buffet.

 

You can use a pram/stroller around the ship. In a dining room, if you are using a high chair they will likely park the pram/stroller in an out-of-the-way place.

 

If you need diapers, bring all you think you need and more. Will not be available from Princess.

 

Adding- come with a back up plan if one/ both of you are quarantined.

Never take yours eyes off child , especially on open decks, around pools etc.

buy a seat for child on Princess excursions

take advantage of kid’s club

move up to a mini suite with bat tub

there is a small mini fridge in cabin, but no heating facilities- ie: no microwave

strollers can go everywhere 

 

[cr8tiv1]

I am in the grandmother category but have seen my daughter travel with an infant (not cruise).

 

Kid's club:  Your toddler is a little young for this activity.  But I understand you can "visit" but need to stay.

 

My daughter bought/brought along a inflatable bathtub and bed for hotels/visiting homes.  The bed would fit nicely in the (open) closet area.  I am not sure Princess provides cribs/pack and plays.  Bring magnetic hooks to hang a cloth shower curtain to create a "private" space for toddler.  

 

I don't know how you would take a pram on an excursion.  If it is collapsible, you might be able to take it on a tender.  The van would have nowhere to store it during transport.  

 

I have not seen many baby necessities in the shops.  Bring more than you think you will need.

 

Wean your baby off the bottle.  Start with a straw.  Create a suction with your finger.  Place in mouth and baby will naturally suck milk.  Once child gets the idea, drinking from a straw will be an easy transition.  Lots of sipping cups on the market.  There will be no way to sterilize bottles on the ship.  I read that Princess does provide some bottled baby food.  Not sure.

 

Good luck.

 

 

[Niniloo]

Thanks for everyone’s help so far! Please do continue to provide me with your advice and guidance!

 

My plans were going to be as follows:

 

Milk - She will only be drinking milk in the mornings and at nighttime for bed. Otherwise she will be on food at other times. I will bring milk with me from home and luckily as we are from the UK and cruising around Europe, her milk is widely available if I need to buy it (as are her nappies/diapers) and bring it back onboard (which hopefully I can?). I want to bring supermarket baby food for her in jars and dry baby snacks from home which hopefully Princess will allow me to bring on board too? I may need to email them to confirm. I know everything can come with us from the UK to Greece where we embark, it’s whether the ship will then allow me to bring all of it onboard for her. For sterilising bottles, I may bring a UV sterilising bag if there’s no microwave available. I will bring a sippy cup too for water which I will get boiled already from a bar/restaurant on board and leave to cool myself.

 

Bath - I may purchase the inflatable bath that “cr8tiv1” recommended. Sadly “dog”, upgrading to a mini-suite with a bath for us is rather expensive and a massive jump up in price from a Balcony Deluxe in the UK! Cruises are much more expensive in the UK than the other side of the pond we have found!
 

Bed - Princess do provide a crib which I have already requested and I will use the Princess towels as a mattress cover/sheet and will bring blankets from home. Where we will put this crib in the stateroom I have no idea, perhaps near the sofa as there is more room and will be near me.

 

Pram/stroller - Our pram/stroller is collapsible so hopefully will be ok on excursions and we will book many of the Discovery Family excursions via Princess. Surely Princess is very used to catering for babies in prams/strollers and I can always speak to the Shore Excursions desk when on board to confirm and ask if there will be any issues on the excursions. In Europe, infants sit on a parents lap in taxis/coaches/buses so no additional seat from me will be required. Shouldn’t be a problem on a tender too surely as they have to cater for wheelchair users too? It’s whether there’s any security or safety issues of a baby being in a pram/stroller on a tender. We can always collapse it and carry her on the tender if required.

 

If anyone thinks I may have missed something from their experience please let me know!

 

Thanks!

 

Nina

[dog]

You sound prepared. Re: baby on a bus- guess no seatbelts or car seats required?

Med cruise in summer months can get very hot.

 

enjoy 

[phabric]

I have a Caribbean cruise booked with my 2 yr granddaughter for later in the year..  After, just returning from a 14 day Northern European cruise, I have decided to cancel the granddaughter’s cruise as she would not be allowed into the pool or kids club unless she is potty trained.  Not much for her do on the ship.  Don’t want other passengers to look at her if she decides to have a melt down.
 

If taking Princess excursions, most buses would put the stroller/pram under the bus (luggage area) where they put the wheelchairs/walkers.

 

On buses, in Norway/Denmark it was the law to wear seatbelts. On a Caribbean Princess excursion, someone brought a car seat, all the seats are counted for with a purchased ticket, plus there were no seat belts, driver had to store the car seat in stairwell of the bus. Not much room in balcony cabins to store a car seat.

[arizonaperson]

To the op/ author-

 On cruise critic if you scroll past the Roll Call board/forum there is an area called special interests cruising and within that is family cruising. Might want to  post your questions on that thread as well. I say take your child on a cruise for sure. We started out many, many ,years ago  with an eight week old infant for his first international trip and many more after that.

On the family board many parents  will have helpful tips for you.

 

[whataboutport]

We booked (but cancelled) an Alaska cruise with our then 2.5 yr old and I was going to bring the smaller stroller bc our everyday Uppababy was too wide to fit through narrow doorways. Measure your stroller/pram to make sure it can fit. It might not be a big deal for you but for me I really wanted to be able to roll our stroller into our cabin then take out the kid.

[cr8tiv1]

@NinilooOne more essential baby item is the Ergobaby carriers.  My daughter loved them (and so did her kids).

 

The buffet "might" have milk in cartons in the morning.  The refrigerator is more of a cooler than a true refrigerator.  I have learned that it will "get" colder if the air vent is better exposed.  

 

If you do use a towel to add cushion to the crib, please place it between the mattress and the sheet.  

 

Princess should provide "special" waste bags for the soiled nappies.

 

Bring along some liquid dishwashing soap in a leak proof container.   I do travel with the kitchen sink.

[akeasley]

Princess doesn't have changing tables in their public bathrooms so you'll be doing the diaper changes in your room. 

 

If affordable, I would get a mini suite with a bathtub. I have read other threads about parents bringing a plastic pool to wash their baby in the shower.

 

We did receive a tray of baby food but you'll need to bring all your diapers and wipes as there is no place to buy them on the ship.

 

Princess will supply you with a pack n play.

 

Milk should be available at the buffet, at least at breakfast.

Someone mentioned getting special baggies for the diapers but I don't remember getting those. Just brought some from the dollar tree. 

 

 

 

Edited June 16, 2022 by akeasley

[cruzsnooze]

DO NOT hang a curtain between you and the baby. If the baby chokes or turns blue or had a medical emergency (seizure, allergic reaction ) you need to be a parent and intervene. Although a 15 month old won't be able to open the door to the balcony an older child could and the parents would be obvious so the suggestion of a curtain is dangerous for those 2 reasons. 

[Nebr.cruiser]

At fifteen months, we didn't sterilize bottles anymore--actually we quit doing that long before.  Of course there may bwe some reason you need to, for your child, such as immune system problems, but if not, perhaps try gradually weaning her to non-sterilized sippy cups, or better yet a real cup.

 

I don't know if umbrella type strollers are availible in the UK, but they are very small and easy to transport if you find a large collapsible pram difficult and might be easier for excursions or around the ship.  Not as comfortable, of course, for a long day.

[toofewcruises]

On 6/16/2022 at 3:03 AM, Niniloo said:

I will bring a sippy cup too for water which I will get boiled already from a bar/restaurant on board and leave to cool myself.

Not sure this is going to be possible.

[dog]

1 minute ago, toofewcruises said:

Not sure this is going to be possible.

Can get it for tea, so should be able to get it for baby.

[toofewcruises]

1 hour ago, dog said:

Can get it for tea, so should be able to get it for baby.

But probably not boiled...

[donaldsc]

I am going to sound like a grouch here and I don't know how well behaved your 15 month is.  However I would hope that if she behaves like a normal child and decides to badly misbehave in the dining room you would get up and take her out.  Also I would not want to be on an baby unfriendly excursion and have it ruined by a baby acting up.  It would ruin it for the rest of us.

 

I expect to be flamed for these remarks.

 

DON

[Happiest when cruising]

15 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

I am going to sound like a grouch here and I don't know how well behaved your 15 month is.  However I would hope that if she behaves like a normal child and decides to badly misbehave in the dining room you would get up and take her out.  Also I would not want to be on an baby unfriendly excursion and have it ruined by a baby acting up.  It would ruin it for the rest of us.

 

I expect to be flamed for these remarks.

 

DON

Yes, you might get flamed… we have had our 7 month old and 4 year old with us and enjoyed every moment. My curiosity would be what you think a normal child is, or does. 

[cruzsnooze]

9 minutes ago, Happiest when cruising said:

 we have had our 7 month old and 4 year old with us and enjoyed every moment. My curiosity would be what you think a normal child is, or does. 

You enjoyed it but did everyone else? Everyone thinks their child is perfect and they are  to their own parents and grandparents. You are entitled to bring any age child on your cruise but Don was just reminding you to be mindful of those around you. 

[akeasley]

53 minutes ago, cruzsnooze said:

You enjoyed it but did everyone else? Everyone thinks their child is perfect and they are  to their own parents and grandparents. You are entitled to bring any age child on your cruise but Don was just reminding you to be mindful of those around you. 

I agree with what Don said. I think it's up to all parents to make sure their children are well behaved on the cruise and to be respectful of other passengers that are wanting to enjoy their vacation.

[arizonaperson]

Oh no  😕 to the op/author for the insensitive off topic replies.

[Happiest when cruising]

20 minutes ago, akeasley said:

I agree with what Don said. I think it's up to all parents to make sure their children are well behaved on the cruise and to be respectful of other passengers that are wanting to enjoy their vacation.

 

1 hour ago, cruzsnooze said:

You enjoyed it but did everyone else? Everyone thinks their child is perfect and they are  to their own parents and grandparents. You are entitled to bring any age child on your cruise but Don was just reminding you to be mindful of those around you. 

I have no idea if everyone else enjoyed their cruise. I hope they did.
Now if we could just get the adults to be behave and be respectful of other passengers, that’s a cruise I would like to be on. 

[donaldsc]

4 hours ago, Happiest when cruising said:

Yes, you might get flamed… we have had our 7 month old and 4 year old with us and enjoyed every moment. My curiosity would be what you think a normal child is, or does. 

 

I have kids and grandkids.  Most of the time they were pretty good.  However all young children including mine had their off days and off times.  There is no way that you can reason with a young child who decides that at that moment in time he or she does not like what is happening to him.  They are just children.

 

DON

[karatemom2]

I’m always surprised to see this “well behaved” thing come up whenever someone brings up young children on cruises. Honestly I have never been as bothered by little kids as I have been some rude adults:

 

Never seen a baby drunk, profane and obnoxious

Never seen a baby be rude and condescending to crew

Never had a baby ram into me with their wheelchair or scooter. 
Never seen a baby holding a whole row of seats in the theatre or hogging deck chairs

Never had a baby hold up a whole bus of people on a shore excursion by returning late

Never saw a baby lick their fingers while serving themselves at buffet or grab food and put it back. 
Never saw a baby pick a fight at trivia

 

i could go on, but I think you get my point. For all the ridiculous fuss people make about babies and young children on a cruise, they are generally a pleasure when compared to some of the so called adults onboard. 
 

Hope you enjoy a lovely cruise OP and try not to let the rotten adults ruin your cruise! 😉

[Happiest when cruising]

47 minutes ago, karatemom2 said:

I’m always surprised to see this “well behaved” thing come up whenever someone brings up young children on cruises. Honestly I have never been as bothered by little kids as I have been some rude adults:

 

Never seen a baby drunk, profane and obnoxious

Never seen a baby be rude and condescending to crew

Never had a baby ram into me with their wheelchair or scooter. 
Never seen a baby holding a whole row of seats in the theatre or hogging deck chairs

Never had a baby hold up a whole bus of people on a shore excursion by returning late

Never saw a baby lick their fingers while serving themselves at buffet or grab food and put it back. 
Never saw a baby pick a fight at trivia

 

i could go on, but I think you get my point. For all the ridiculous fuss people make about babies and young children on a cruise, they are generally a pleasure when compared to some of the so called adults onboard. 
 

Hope you enjoy a lovely cruise OP and try not to let the rotten adults ruin your cruise! 😉

Well, this is a fantastic post!  I’ll do my best not to let anything 

ruin my upcoming cruise. Sadly, the little kids aren’t coming with us.