Just back from cruising with 13 month old

[stbmom]

Had a GREAT time on the Jewel. We definitely tried to prepare for anything! I shipped a box of items to the hotel we were staying at for pre-cruise. It had diapers, wipes, toys, medicine (just in case stuff), dispoable bibs, sippy cups, high chair covers, changing pads, towels and face clothes, pack n play sheets, baby food, and anything else I even thought I would need.

We got a larger balcony cabin and had tons of room, even with the Pack n Play out. DS had a great time:)

My one big complaint (that I am getting seriously bashed for:mad: ) was the lack of healthy food options. I couldn't get steamed veggies to save my life! We ended up having to feed ds chicken fingers and fries almost every day and getting something remotely healthy for breakfast was out of the question (they cooked their turkey sausage in grease!).

I kept ds on his regular schedule and we did have time changes to contend with. We didn't mind being in the cabin early, but we couldn't even begin to get breakfast items until almost 2 hours after he woke up in the morning - and that was only a banana as the only healthy option in the morning. If we waited an addtional hour for hot food to be available it was still hard to find something healthy.

We went through all the baby food we brought (which was only pears and applesauce) even though I thought we would be throwing some away.

As far as cruising with a little one - we will definitely be doing it again:) We are just going to move up a line from RCCL - probably trying Cunard or an equivalent. He had a blast and we had a blast with him, just the food was of very poor quality.

Let me know if you have questions on our experience.

[Eskwire]

We just came back from Crown Princess. Sorry to hear about the food issue. On Princess they would have made us anything we wanted for the kids. We were very happy with our cruise. My daughter (age 5) was a bit bored in the kids club when they showed movies and the activitiy died down. Other than that it was fine.

[lexxity]

Cunard was amazing, if you would like a copy of the review I wrote then please do let me know.

 

The food situation was great too. Our little one had cereal for breakfast, brought to our cabin. Earliest delievery was 0645 IIRC. The Britannia did an enormous breakfast selection including pastries, fruit, yoghurt, cereal, cooked food like omlettes and so on. Alternatively there was the buffet up in the Kings Court. Everything you could need for breakfast, lunch and dinner. As to steamed veg, I don't know because my little one decide he would only eat mash potato, beans and fish fingers or grilled chicken. The fish fingers were lovely, it was proper white fish, not processed. Childrens tea featured a good selection of choices, it was the same every night. The wait staff would always pop off and find food items for you. We asked for a few yoghursts and took them back to the cabin fridge to use as snacks.

 

We also had tea and toast most afternoons on room service.

 

The nursery served healthy snacks during the day too, such as fruit or cereal.

[gerif]

Gosh, I'm kind of surprised that you couldn't get healthy food offerings on RCCL. I'm ALWAYS on a diet, so I know that you can get poached eggs and grilled ham in the dining room for breakfast as well as whole grain toast. All kinds of fresh fruit, cereal (with skim milk if you want), yogurt, grits, etc., in the Windjammer. You can even get an Eggbeaters omelet with fresh veggies cooked to order there - and they would spray the pan with "Pam" instead of using oil if you asked.

 

Last year, we had our 7 year old grandson - the first night, we asked for steamed broccoli and got a large platter of it brought to the table every night after that. There are always plain grilled chicken breasts available and great chicken noodle soup on the kids' menu (kids can order from either menu or even something from each if they want). Baked potatoes (that could be mashed) are always available - also cold fruit soups that I'm sure your child would have loved.

 

Rather than room service, you could have tried dinner in the Windjammer - always a nice selection - you could even have fed your child there early, gotten in-cabin sitters and then enjoyed late dining yourself. Lots of options available to you.

 

What exactly do you feed your child that was not available to you (other than baby food, that is)? This is certainly not meant as a flame.

[crusinmama06]

I think the key to a healthier meal (after reading your other post) was to go to the dining room. Which is funny considering usually the posters here recomend keeping kids out of the dining room, but I am not one of them. ;)

 

My 2 year old ate the best food when we were on Carnival a few weeks ago. The server would start HER out with a huge plate of fresh fruits including blueberries, kiwi, papya, cantelope and strawberries. No one at our table received these items, just the toddler.

 

Then the server would bring the toddler a plate of veggies (tomatoes being her favorite) And this is all before her actual meal arrived. And my toddler kept requesting something off the adult menu...which was no problem at all.

 

I hope you have a better cruise experience with your child then next time, no matter what cruiseline you choose. :D

[laughoutloud]

My one big complaint (that I am getting seriously bashed for:mad: ) was the lack of healthy food options. I couldn't get steamed veggies to save my life! We ended up having to feed ds chicken fingers and fries almost every day and getting something remotely healthy for breakfast was out of the question (they cooked their turkey sausage in grease!).

 

Chicken fingers & fries every day for a 13 month old baby? That's really disgusting. Perhaps it would have made sense if you had tweaked his "schedule" a little so you could all eat in the dining room...the staff usually bends over backwards for children. And the food is much healthier, fresh fruit, veggies, etc. Too bad.

 

A box of Cheerios would have gone a long way to satisfying a hungry tyke until the dining room opened...well, lesson learned, I guess.

[mrdood]

My one big complaint (that I am getting seriously bashed for:mad: ) was the lack of healthy food options. I couldn't get steamed veggies to save my life! We ended up having to feed ds chicken fingers and fries almost every day and getting something remotely healthy for breakfast was out of the question (they cooked their turkey sausage in grease!).

 

...you have to be joking right:eek: ? C'mon, we took DS when he was 17 months old and the options for healthy food for him were unlimited, hot, cold, fruits, cereals, veggies...

 

Either you are joking, or you are seriously lacking in hunting and foraging skills and planning a day in advance...

[hstrybuf]

You've been on RCI before, right? And you've been on this ship before in 2004, right? Why is it then that you were clueless about what would be available? You were given lots of good advice on the RCI thread about the options available to you if you were flexible. Maybe next time they'll come in handy.

[Beffy1167]

Perhaps it would have made sense if you had tweaked his "schedule" a little so you could all eat in the dining room...the staff usually bends over backwards for children. And the food is much healthier, fresh fruit, veggies, etc. Too bad.

 

A box of Cheerios would have gone a long way to satisfying a hungry tyke until the dining room opened...well, lesson learned, I guess.

 

Changing the schedule of a toddler is easier said than done, in some cases.

I actually had the same concern about the food that the OP raised when we cruised on the Mariner last month. We did the dining room most nights but, since our little guy is accustomed to a 7pm bedtime, there were a couple of nights when we knew he was just too tired to try.

It's not just about "satisfying the little tyke until the dining room opened," there is a great deal to be said for keeping a child on schedule and happy! Our son gets overtired when we try to adapt his schedule so sometimes we adapt ours! Why should we (and everyone around us) be as miserable as a tired child is?

We found the Room Service offerings to be less healthy than we'd have preferred, too. And we also found that the buffet wasn't open for an early (5-5:30 or so) dinner time. (Don't know why...and I'm sure some folks will argue that it MUST have been open but I can assure you it most certainly was NOT!) Nor were dining room selections available through Room Service until AFTER dinner started in the DR (which makes sense). Early (and healthy) dinner choices were pretty much non-existent.

We managed to have a great time, though. And we took enough baby food that we did return with some of it...especially since our son eats mostly table food. We used the baby food for snacks, mostly.

But we've decided that we won't do Royal Caribbean again until he's a bit older. Carnival, in our experience, has more options for early dinners--including healthy ones. Given that our experience with service, etc. was identical on both lines, the dinner buffet schedule tips the scales toward Carnival.

Vacation was not ruined, by any means--and neither was the OP implying that their vacation was ruined by this issue. I don't understand the negative (and borderline rude) responses here!

[lexxity]

May I ask why some posters feel the need to post their exact same thoughts on three separate threads? The OP had valid problems and was just telling us about them.

 

Remember what your Mother used to say? "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

[stbmom]

I really can't believe the aparent "stalking" because I didn't like the food options. But, my experience was very similiar to Beth, even to same bedtime for ds. The situation got more complicated because instead of just two nights on CST as they captain had done the western route before ours, there were 3 nights.

We did make due with bananas, babyfood (fruit), organic crackers, and Cheerios to fill in the gaps. And we did have a great time as a family. I really can't understand why folks are so hostile over someone not liking food options. I guess everyone has different priorities in what they will fight for. I want to fight for my family and others want to fight for a cruise line. But, that is what is great about this world, everyone is different.

 

I can say without a doubt now that RCCL is no longer for us at this time though - mainly due to the experience on the boards this week. But, it was a GREAT family vacation!!!!!!!

[PH8]

May I ask why some posters feel the need to post their exact same thoughts on three separate threads? The OP had valid problems and was just telling us about them.

 

."

 

YEA,in 3 separate threads......:rolleyes:

[Beffy1167]

I can say without a doubt now that RCCL is no longer for us at this time though - mainly due to the experience on the boards this week. But, it was a GREAT family vacation!!!!!!!

 

You may be right about RCCL not being for you at this time....but don't assume you have to pay more money for a line to meet your (and your child's) needs. We've cruised Carnival in the past and, contrary to what their reputation on these boards seems to be, have found the passengers and service to be comparable to Royal Caribbean. Unlike the Windjammer, though, Carnival's casual dining area was open for early dinners--with healthier choices than room service offered.

I've been pricing, too. You can get a full suite on Carnival for less than a Junior Suite on Royal Caribbean on some itineraries. Less money, more convenient for my son....we probably won't do Royal Caribbean again until he's older!

[vickihd]

For those who have children......why not try Disney Cruise Line? They will go out of their way to help you with your children.

[shellie100]

For those who have children......why not try Disney Cruise Line?

 

1) cost

2) limited itineraries

3) don't want to be retricted to one cruise line, especially Disney.

 

Besides, if someone is unwilling to alter their child's schedule while traveling, they are likely to have this problem on every cruiseline, including Disney.