having a baby...

[Amink]

we are having a baby this september, we have been toying with the idea of booking a cruise for fall 2008, hopefully out of NY or NJ.

 

Have any of you cruised with a 2 year old?

 

We woudl ideally like to leave baby with DH's parents, but if we can't then we woudl take baby with us.

 

How does one cruise with a 2 year old?

 

Any tips, or advice you can offer woudl be wonderful!

[I&MsMom]

First, congratulations! How wonderful!

 

I was in the process of writing a very detailed response to your question, and it went POOF!

 

No time to reconstruct now (coming up on bed and bath time...) but suffice to say, we started cruising when DD was 25 months, and we haven't looked back since! Just love it (mostly because of how easy and wonderful it is with kids!)

 

I'll check back with details ASAP...

[Amink]

Thank you!

 

And I look forward to your longer post, I am nervous about taking a baby, but want to hear all sides.

 

Thanks,

Ami

[JackieH]

I will let you know in August;) . Im going on the Carnival Valor Aug 2006, the kids will be 12, 6 and 2. This is our 2nd cruise, the first with our youngest. We picked Carnival as they will take kids as young as 2 and not potty trained in Camp Carnival. I honestly dont know how she will react there(In Camp Carnival) so we will have to play it by ear. She is now 20 months old, and She stays at home with me. So She is not use to being away from me for long periods of time. So the whole Camp Carnival thing will be a new experience for all of us.

[Nliedel]

CONGRATULATIONS! I love my two year old. Actually right now he's wrapping a piece of baloney around his wrist so maybe I should ship him to you so you know what you're getting into! LOL.

 

Those two year olds are slippery little buggers and in two years you are going to need a break. You can successfully take him or her because you are two against one, but if you have a way to give your little one quality spoiling time with Grandma you might want to consider it.

 

Toddlers are a joy to be around but they toss fits, get into EVERYTHING and eat dirt if you don't watch them. I know this is not everyone's experience but I am on number four in the Toddler Trap and I've seen it all. Time alone with my husband is precious and that's good. The best thing you can give your little bundle is a strong marriage (if you can. Not everyone has that and I don't mean to imply that single parents aren't good parents cause they are).

 

So take your baby if you have to, but know it will be a working vacation.

 

Now he's feeding the baloney to the cat, whether the cat wants baloney or not. LOL!

 

Have a fabulous pregnancy and an easy delivery. Your whole world is about to change for the better.

[renata102]

we took our daughter on her first cruise when she turned two years old. She turned two on the third day on board. She was not meant to come on the cruise. Let me explain, we had planned this wonderful cruise without her (2nd time since she was born) to Bermuda for 8 days. Well my poor mother had to undergo a full emergency hysterctomy (OMG SP) weeks before the cruise. We could not find anyone to take the baby. Well we added her to the cruise for a mere 250. GREAT!

than hurrican Fabian hit bermuda the night before. SO off we went to Halifax Novia Scotia Canada and all of new england :( that is for another story!

 

well first we upgraded to a family balcony suite for extra room! we also called ahead once a week to make sure the playpen was available lol ;)

 

she was too young to go to the group daycare, but we hired a babysitter twice during the trip. BUt I hate to say my little girl, is okay in public, so she was not a handful. we did alot of things both on board and on shore. we napped a little more than we were used too... but oh well. she ate in the regular dining room all the time (we love the main dining and rarely went to the windjammer cafe) we never ordered from the kids menu ONCE. she had raost leg of lamb, all the chilled fruit soups, no appitizers. If the menu was to adult liek we resorted to the steak or grilled chicken breast (hey she was eating maine lobster in maine when she was 11 months old and when we had a lobster bake in maine for this cruise, she ate her own lobster tail).

 

It all depends on how you are with your child and how your child's temperment is. We have been vacationing iwth since birth. We now have 7 month old son and he is more laid back than my daughter. we are going on a cruise in 5 months (family cruise with many generations) and they tow are coming. At least my 5 year old will be able to be in the children;s program and having so many family members the one year old will be well cared for :)

 

just pack som good toys, favorite books, favorite blankies adn binkies (we took her off the binky right after we finished the cruise)

 

Just take it easy, have fun, don't get stressed out!

[shellie100]

we are having a baby this september, we have been toying with the idea of booking a cruise for fall 2008, hopefully out of NY or NJ.

 

Have any of you cruised with a 2 year old?

 

We woudl ideally like to leave baby with DH's parents, but if we can't then we woudl take baby with us.

 

How does one cruise with a 2 year old?

 

Any tips, or advice you can offer woudl be wonderful!

I've taken my son at 1-1/2 and 2-1/2. My ideal cruise with him at that age would be a port-intensive Caribbean cruise (probably one starting in the Caribbean, rather than further away), with lots of beach days and catamaran sailing/snorkling days. The sea days had their challenges, but those can be fun, too, if you have lower expectations for what you think you will be able to do on the cruise, in terms of activities and downtime. If I were you I would opt for a cruiseline that has activities and babysitting for 2-yr-olds. I don't know if my 2-yr-old would have put up with being left in a kids club, but it would have been nice to have that option.

 

I would highly recommend a balcony for all the extra time that you will be in the room...naptime, bedtime, etc. That way, YOU can continue enjoying the cruise experience, even while your toddler has his rest time. I refuse to be in a room without a balcony again with a kid!

 

When my son was 2-1/2 we brought a DVD player to dinner every night (with headphones!), and that little guy sat through every dinner. It was amazing, I got to really enjoy dinner, as opposed to when he was 1-1/2 and we didn't bring the DVD player.

 

Personally, I don't have anywhere to leave a toddler for 7-10 days at a stretch, not sure that I would have wanted to. Anwway, I have traveled a ton with my son since he was 3-months-old, and so he is very accustomed to travel. Maybe a set of grandparents would join you on the cruise and help with the baby? Just a thought.

 

Anyway, good luck whatever you decide!

 

Shellie

[Amink]

we want to leave from NY or NJ so we don't have to fly, as those ports are about 20 min from home :) - or will be once we move this summer :)

 

I have had 2 balcony cabins in the past, not sure I could go back either! I love my balcony!

 

I was lookign at Carnival, because of the kids program, they take 2 year olds, and the baby sitting service is reasonable, and baby doesn't have to be potty trained.

 

We have kicked around the idea of traveling with my parents and grandparents, but they live in MO, and would want to leave from Texas, and they like long cruises that we just couldn't afford. As for DH's parents, unless things change, we won;t be able to go on vacation at the same time, they own a business, and we go away, they hold down the fort, when they go away, Mike holds down the fort.

 

So we would either end up leaving baby with grammy and grandpa in NJ for a week, or takign baby with us, either I am open to.

 

What I am really wondering is what have you guys done about sea days/entertainment/fun for baby.

 

have you taken a small blow up pool and let baby splash around in that? or was baby potty trained so he could use the pool for a few minutes in the morning before it gets crowded?

[mnmmom]

I can certainly understand you concerns. We will be crusing with our 17 month old son next month, as well as our 9 year old son. We have always traveled with our oldest (except for a few Mom and Dad trips which are also nice) and have already brought our youngest on quite a few trips. That being said, I have to admit that vacations are not quite the same with the kids as they are without. It all depends on your outlook and what you are hoping to gain from the trip. As long as your expectations are not the same for a cruise with the kids as it is without, then you will be fine!

 

I will probably post info after our cruise (we leave the 27th of May and get back June 3rd) about how the trip went with our littlest. I know that I had a ton of concerns about this trip (primarily because we are going with a large group for a wedding at sea where my oldest son, my husband and I are all participating in the wedding... and it obviously means that I did not get to pick a baby-friendly ship or cruise line), but I have mellowed out quite a bit after reading so many wonderful stories about cruising with babies and toddlers.

 

"Just go prepared!" is my current motto. This will be our longest trip with both children (at a total of 10 nights away from home), so I am packing like a mad-woman! My MIL jokes that pack whatever I want and make my DH act like a pack-mule. I just know from experience that I would prefer to take things I might not need rather than limit what I take and have to scurry to find something at a store (on the ship even) when I really need it. Plan on packing every medicine imaginable for your 2 year old, many new toys, and a portable DVD player if you have one.

[4 cruisers]

Years ago when we cruised with our then 22 month old son, my husband would take him to the kids' play room and play with him (and several other attention starved kids whose parents left them there everyday and were on the world cruise...sad). I wrapped little gifts for dinner time. The wrapping and ribbon were very entertaining! LOL! I bought bargain bin pop up books that were very entertaining and quiet. LOL! We always dressed him according to dress code of the evening. He was a very popular little diner and cruiser!

 

A funny after-note...our second son (born 10 years later) didn't cruise until he was 6. Just NOT cruise material until then! LOL!!!! He's now an amazing 14 year old who will be going on his 6th cruise with us in June. I would have never taken a chance that he might disrupt anyone when he was litte. I'm sure it was partly because we were "older" parents the second time around, but genetically the second one is just more head strong.

[I&MsMom]

We've taken 4 cruises, with kids, since the first in 1/05. They were all Carnival. We picked Carnival for the reasons you mentioned, and DD was 25 months on the first one. We've had such a good experience, and find it to be such a good value, that we've booked our 5th on the Freedom in '07!

 

Just an aside here: Carnival is VERY strict about the age requirements. They measure a child's age as of date of embarkation. Period. So, "almost" two (even if it really is almost by anyone's definition) isn't going to get your child into camp. Have seen some pretty upset parents and some very apologetic but adamant counselors...

 

Also, we've always been provided with a beeper or cell phone, so you know the counselors can reach you if necessary. That makes me feel much more at ease about letting her go to camp.

 

We have found that cruising is by far the best way to see a bit of the world with kids in tow. It is also a great vacation. You pack and unpack once. The kids have a familiar bed at night. The dining room becomes familiar, too (we've eaten every dinner on every cruise in the dining room). You know that no matter where you are, you will be able to find healthful food your child will eat, and you can drink the water, eat the fruit, enjoy ice in your drink! And the camp: roughly 4,200 square feet of bright, cheerful space chock full of things designed solely to delight your child, staffed by the most caring, warm, fun, out-going and even-handed people you'd ever want to meet.

 

To be honest, we've never had a hard time entertaining our 2 (now 3) year old on sea days. Partly because we've not had more than 2 per cruise, and the kids are with us on port days. Largely, because she loves the camp so much, she'll go (for the most part!) as much as we'll let her. This past trip, she was so anxious to go to camp, I had to take her to show her that her "teachers" were not there on the first day! She was very disappointed to hear she'd have to wait until after dinner to see them!

 

Between a little time in camp after breakfast, then feeding her lunch, then a nap, maybe a little more camp time, getting ready for dinner, dinner, then back to camp for a couple of hours, it's a full day!

 

It is so nice to be able to read by the pool (a thing of the past when you've a little one! LOL), maybe even - gasp - with a drink of the day in hand. And then to be able to enjoy a drink in a BAR with DH and have a conversation which isn't interrupted every 45 seconds, and without adding the cost of a babysitter to the bar bill....pure heaven!

[4 cruisers]

So nice to read this thread without any baby bashing! I think things are looking up for family cruising! YEAH! We love having our family together. Before you know it, they are grown and taking their own vacations WITHOUT you!!!!:( My CC name it 4 cruisers, but sadly we have become 3 cruisers! Enjoy those kids, guys!:cool:

[Nliedel]

Wait! I can make it right at home.

 

Babies poo in the pool, they cry in the dining room, they are annoying and should NEVER be on a cruise.

 

I think that about covers it huh? People get so uptight about what other people are doing all the time. I have been known to do it myself, and *I* am perfect and everything. Kidding.

 

Kids are great. Breaks are nice. Today mine are all here and we have had Cheetos dumped on the floor, then sat on (can't dump em without sitting on em), the cat stuffed in a paper bag and hauled off for neferious purposes (they would not hurt her, but I am keeping one eye on the situation), a screaming fit when I decided the TV needed to be turned off (this by the one and a half year old, who should not even be interested in TV yet) and a horrible trip to the doctor where we found out Hernie-Roo needs surgery (Pretty routine but it's on his ears and since he is mostly deaf it's tricky).

 

I enjoy most of it, but I am really looking forward to my, "Girls only" cruise in June. :)

 

If anyone is feeling that empty nest thing going on I would be more than happy to drop ship them a couple for a week or so! LOL

[JackieH]

So nice to read this thread without any baby bashing! I think things are looking up for family cruising! YEAH! We love having our family together. Before you know it, they are grown and taking their own vacations WITHOUT you!!!!:( My CC name it 4 cruisers, but sadly we have become 3 cruisers! Enjoy those kids, guys!:cool:

 

I totally agree. I always tell people my kids will be grown and out of the house before I know it:( , so I would never dream of leaving them at home now. My kids are now 11, 6 and 20 months. We are going on the Valor in August, when they will be 12, 7 and 2. You are right, it is so nice to read a thread where there is no baby bashing. My goodness, you wouldnt believe how many people are surpised we are taking the kids on a cruise. We are a one income family, and only vacation once a year, That is all we can afford.We dont do weekend trips, so where we go the kids go. I couldnt imagine it any other way. ;)

[4 cruisers]

JackieH, you are my soul sister. Those times where beds don't have to be made, meals cooked and shopped for are the quality times that will come back to you in the years after the kids move on and out! Our vacations keep us in debt, but I wouldn't trade them for anything!

 

I truly envy the people who can take get aways without their kids (Nliedel, I think it's super that you enjoy getaways! I know from your posts, you are a wonderful Mom and have some extra stress involved). I just always relax more when my kids are with us. This could be that every time we go away for say a weekend to Las Vegas, someone always has a crisis. Illness, accident, once even an earthquake! LOL!

 

Amink, when I was pregnant with our first, we planned a trip to Hong Kong when he would be around 4 months old. I actually thought it would be no problem leaving him with my parents...HA! I didn't realize how maternal I would become by then! We went because there was no possibilty of taking him (in my way of thinking WAY back then, at least). I went on the trip and would you believe, that little guy cut his first two teeth while I was gone!?! That was the last trip we took without our kids! LOL!

 

Nliedel, have a super cruise!!! You SO deserve it!:cool:

 

To all those traveling with their kids....ENJOY! We'd be happy to cruise with you! Keeps things interesting instead of a bunch of old grumpy people!;)