Infant on cruise...what do I need to know? No flaming please

[cwpsy]

Looking to book the NCL Spirit, Feb 24th and take my wife, her sister and the baby. The baby will be 9 months. What advice do we need for passports, bedding, etc...

Please...no "don't take the baby responses please".

[Beth & Rob]

I've been on many cruises and seen couples with infants, toddlers, small children. My kids were 3 on their first cruise.

 

I think the first thing that needs asking is where are you going? If you are planning on leaving the country, just remember if your child becomes ill, you will be at the mercy of a foreign county.

 

As far as a passport, your child will need one and to be on the safe side, better get one several months prior to your departure.

 

If both parents of the child are not traveling with, better get a notarized letter from the parent not traveling giving permission for the child to be taken out of the country.

[cmacf1]

I had the opportunity to take my then 28 month old daughter on a cruise last year with a friend of mine (left DH at home.) What a blast we had together! Here are some things that helped me out:

1) I took my own pack and play becuase I was afraid the supply of cribs would run out. It was pain to carry, but it cut downon my stress.

2) I had passport and notarized letter from DH (saying I could take her out of the country.)

3) I was prepared to remove her from the dining room or wherever if she started losing it. I did have to remove her once on an evening when she was overly tired.

4) I did not hang out with my daughter in really crowded areas (like on deck chairs by the pool.) We found less crowded public places in which to hang out.

5) I took my own Coast Guard approved life vest for her to use on excursions where we might be on a boat.

6) We had a cabin with a DVD player and I took her favorite DVDs to occupy her.

7) We had a balcony cabin. This was very handy for sitting outside when DD was napping. In fact, I loved naptime because I had a good excuse just to vegetate on the veranda!

8) I don't know whether NCL has babysitting available. If not, be prepared to spend all your time with your child.

9) I think the negative attitudes from other people mainly come from parents who don't remove a noisy child from a situation or don't monitor their older child's behavior. Using common sense about what will bother those around you will make others happier!

10) Take snacks and familiar goodies for your child.

11) Have a great time!!!!

[lovebug33]

Check out age restrictions. On Princess, you have to be a year old to go on some itineraries.

[cwpsy]

I did see the new regs requiring passports, we are going eastern carribean. The passport is in process.

The pack and play idea sounds great. Didn't know cribs were even available. I know I'll have to take a whole box of Cheerios, maybe two.

Her sister is going along to take the baby, so I don't have to worry about the babysitting...plus I already know that the baby is too young to qualify for the babysitting service.

Thanks for the replies....any more hints...keep em coming.

[Tammyg]

My DS has been on 4 cruises and he's only 6 so don't let anyone tell you not to take a little one:) We learned alot on our first one so here's a few things to keep in mind.

 

- make sure you have plenty of formula and diapers. You will have a very hard time finding these in port and they had nothing on the ship. Our ship also did not have changing stations in the bathrooms.

- we used the ship's "crib" which turned out to be a pack and play. After the first night we had them come and take it away. He slept in the bed with us. It was just too crowded for it in the cabin.

- we are very fortunate that we have an easy going baby so he was fine in the dining room. If he was fussy, we skipped the dining room and ordered in. It worked for us.

- My mom was in the room next door and she said she never heard him cry when he didn't want to go to sleep. And believe me there was one night that he was not our happy baby ;) So don't fret too much over the noise for your neighbors.

 

Hope this helps a little. You go and have a great time. Travel is a priceless gift you can give to your little one.

[bankerbabe]

Although I never got to take my kids on a cruise, when I took the kids to restaurants I always packed my diaper full of board books and other distractions. It would probably help you to do the same if you are going to eat in the dining room.

[Avril]

OP said "No Flaming please"

 

I'm wondering what "flaming" means.

[jerseygirl3]

All good suggestions...also, make sure her immunizations are up to date and get her a flu shot. Being in close quarters during that time of year, you'd hate to have her come down with the flu. Remember, since she would getting it for the first time, she needs two shots one month apart.

[Southbound]

I think the negative attitudes from other people mainly come from parents who don't remove a noisy child from a situation or don't monitor their older child's behavior. Using common sense about what will bother those around you will make others happier!

 

Disregarding the posted notice of "no diapered children in the pools" is another cause for negative attitudes from other pax. This notice does not mean it's ok to remove the diaper first or that swimmies are allowed. Having to drain the pool, clean the mess and sanitize before refilling the pool isn't a pleasant job for the crew nor for pax to see. If the child isn't potty trained, parents should honor the cruiseline's posted notice. It's a health issue, plain and simple.

[Cuizer2]

OP said "No Flaming please"

 

I'm wondering what "flaming" means.

 

Flaming is when people respond in a very negative and hostile manner. For example people who suggest that jeans are okay in the dinning room get called pigs (and worse). People who bring childen on a cruise sometimes get their parenting skills questioned (or worse). For the record, I see nothing wrong with bringing the kids (or jeans).

[mrsfuzzmo]

We travel without kids and the biggest suggestion that I can give...from a childless traveler recently having been on a cruise...is to NOT bring those huge strollers with every bag and pouch and giant wheels. When a parent got onto some of the elevators with one of those cadillacs, there was no room for any other passengers......not happy passengers in that case. An umbrella stroller would be much better. I cannot tell you how many of the huge strollers I saw trying to get down the corridors and into the rooms and it was just a bumping, crunching, banging mess. Many of the corridors to the cabins are not designed for a "vehicle" this large and we actually had to turn around a couple of times and find an open area to let them pass. This is not a flame. It is a helpful suggestion. Cruise ships are not made for some of these strollers. I had even seen a couple of families trying to load them onto the tenders....made for a good laugh from the rest of the boat!

[bankerbabe]

We travel without kids and the biggest suggestion that I can give...from a childless traveler recently having been on a cruise...is to NOT bring those huge strollers with every bag and pouch and giant wheels. When a parent got onto some of the elevators with one of those cadillacs, there was no room for any other passengers......not happy passengers in that case. An umbrella stroller would be much better. I cannot tell you how many of the huge strollers I saw trying to get down the corridors and into the rooms and it was just a bumping, crunching, banging mess. Many of the corridors to the cabins are not designed for a "vehicle" this large and we actually had to turn around a couple of times and find an open area to let them pass. This is not a flame. It is a helpful suggestion. Cruise ships are not made for some of these strollers. I had even seen a couple of families trying to load them onto the tenders....made for a good laugh from the rest of the boat!

 

I think that this is a good suggestion anytime you travel - some of those huge strollers are more trouble than they are worth. They do make some very nice folding strollers these days, and Toys R Us sells some very good accessory bags to store things in.

[chasetf]

I had the opportunity to take my then 28 month old daughter on a cruise last year with a friend of mine (left DH at home.) What a blast we had together! Here are some things that helped me out:

1) .....

9) I think the negative attitudes from other people mainly come from parents who don't remove a noisy child from a situation or don't monitor their older child's behavior. Using common sense about what will bother those around you will make others happier!

10).........

Great advice. I wish all parents were as considerate and responsible. Just paying attention of "what would bother me probably would bother you" and dealing with ones child would go a long way to creating more harmony. :)

 

Having raised our three daughters and being around our new granddaughter, we always appreciate and enjoy well behaved childern. ;)

[katyjeka]

We've always traveled with umbrellas strollers, but have no problem waiting for the next elevator, if room is limited due to a large stroller. When we cruise, we are on vacation, no need to hurry anywhere!! We have traveled with our 3 girls, at very young ages, and have found cruising is the most relaxing way to go. We know, as we've been told a million times, they won't remember any of it. Well guess what? We do and have memories we'll cherish forever. I agree with the above poster. Take a lot of diapers, formula, sunscreen and a nice floppy hat. We made the mistake of packing too many cute outfits and not enough comfy t-shirts. Have a great trip. Janice

[Surfgirl]

I'm just curious.. how does it work with tickets? Do you pay half price for an infant?

[KeystoneCruiser]

My sister in law took her then 6 month old to Alaska in 2005. The child only had to pay port charges. (about $200 I seem to recall) Of course, since no babysitting by the ship was available for that young a child, they simply altered some of their activities or relied on us other family members to take her sometimes. (Grandma was along......)

 

The biggest problem was the long dinners. The baby got restless many times at dinner time and one of them left the dining room on several occasions so as not to be a distraction to other diners.

 

They simply requested a crib from the cruise line. But do so early as only a limited number of cribs are available on each ship.

 

They did have to carry the baby's birth certificate with them for the ports. The baby even had its own ship card. (I wouldn't worry about the baby running up a big bar tab though...lol)

 

Hope this helps.

[swoosh2005]

I didn't see this mentioned in this thread-but I have heard others say that it's a good idea to bring a small inflatable pool for the babe to splash around in-no worries about the ship pool-easily cleaned out when done.....also good for baby bath if your cabin doesn't have a tub.

[Surfgirl]

Thanks, Keystone. That's very interesting that all they had to pay were port charges. (very reasonable!) At what age does NCL start charging?

 

Your sister-in-law really planned ahead and was very courteous of the other passengers.

 

Here's a site which has tips which might be helpful, cwspy

 

http://www.sealetter.com/Feb-02/lisacol.html

[watchdiva]

I think you will find that the crew absolutely loves having children (especially small children) onboard. I can't begin to count the number of times I have seen members of the crew bending down to smile and laugh with the little ones.

 

I agree with all other posters suggestions - if the baby gets restless and begins feeling "scootchy" best to adjust your plans accordingly so that other cruisers are not impacted.

 

All of you will have a great time - and the baby particularly will be a huge hit.

[jackchris]

We took our then 2 1/2 year old and our 7 month old on the 11 day western caribbean last january. When the kids take a nap it's nice to be able to sit out on your balcony while they sleep and enjoy the weather otherwise you'll be stuck in a dark room until they wake up. This was the best idea. Also, we took our big bulky stroller and it was comfortable enough for the baby to sleep in while we sat out on the deck or walked around. An umbrella stroller is just not gonna cut it! Not comfy enough for long naps!

Remember all your essentials. We even brought our son's exersaucer so he could stand and play. We packed his jolly jumper too in case there were doorways with trim but I couldn't find any. We also bought the baby Backpack so my husband could tote him around. We had a ball and are going on the Dawn again in March.:) Good Luck!

[Eskwire]

I'm just curious.. how does it work with tickets? Do you pay half price for an infant?

 

We are leaving tomorrow on Princess and had to pay full 3 and 4th occupancy fares for our 1 and 5 year old.

[K8T]

Our daughter is 2 years 3 months and has already done two cruises, the last one a week ago.

 

My tips would be:

 

Take your own bedsheet - it smells familiar and the ones you may get could be a bit hard!

 

Take a blow up bath, it will fit nicely in the shower and can be used up on the deck. A paddling pool is too much of a squash.

 

A DVD player is a must, use it in the cabin, when you are getting ready in the morning, or evening, to keep your little one occupied.

 

A smaller stroller that reclines - don't worry about getting it on and off, wheelchairs and disabled motor scooters are everywhere and you will be smaller than they are!

 

I found on the Celebrity ship, the rails were quite far apart and we had a harness to use up on deck - not particularly great, but from a safety point of view priceless as she does like to walk everywhere, but is very fast!

 

You can take a small box of Cherrios from the buffet at breakfast, so don't pack too many! Also take bananas and apples to put in your bag, if you haven't got them in the room.

 

If there is a childrens play area, ask if you can borrow a few toys & Books and return them at the end of the trip, Celebrity actually give you a box of toys, although they weren't complete, they did the job!

 

The waiters and staff love the little ones, our problem was they all wanted to touch hold and stroke her!

 

At dinner, take a selection of sticker books and small box of crayons - we bought a little magic writing pad, which proved a great hit and was small enough to fit in the bag.

 

I have no doubt you will have a lovely time. Enjoy!

 

Kate

[K8T]

What you pay depends on the cruise line. Celebrity and RCCl are usually 3rd person rate.

 

Others can be 75% of the adult fare, depending on age.

 

Kate

[CaribbeanBound]

Have fun.

 

Keep it out of the hot tub.