Toddler naps during cruise excursions?

[Florida_cruisers]

My one year old takes two naps a day (9am and 2:30pm), now I am wondering how am I going to schedule his naps during our next cruise??? we have a limited time at port.

Also he goes to bed at 7pm, not sure if that is enough time to eat dinner in the main dining room at the early seating.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

[PattyW]

I don't think that you will be able to maintain your child's nap schedule plus see the ports unless one of the naps was taken on the go in a stroller. I don't know when you arrive in port, but it's usually pretty early in the morning. You could get off the ship at 7:30, allow your child to have his nap in the stroller in the morning, then get back on the ship at 1:30 or so to have lunch and let him sleep in bed in the afternoon. Then he'll be refreshed for dinner. Based upon my own experiences, I'd rather have the afternoon nap be the "solid" nap in a bed, than the morning one.

 

There is no way you will finish a dining room dinner by 7:00, if dinner starts at 6:00/6:30. The dining room dinners are about an hour and a half. Looks like you'll have three choices:

 

1. He'll either have to stay up late to eat in the dining room;

2. You reserve a sitter, feed him early and then allow him to go to sleep on time with the sitter while you eat in the dining room; or

3. You all eat together in the Windjammer and he goes to bed on time.

 

I don't cruise for the "dining room" dining experience, so if necessary, I'd go with option 3.

 

In general, I always find that my children are surprisingly and unexpectedly adaptable on vacation. I do my best to keep their schedule intact, but when I have to vary it, they've always come through for me.

[ata1976]

We went on a 4 night cruise in February and my son was 7 months. We took him to the dining room 2 nights and ate at the buffet the other 2 nights. We had the 6:15 sitting and I think both nights we were in the dining room we were there till almost 8. I think the buffet works out better for us because you can eat as fast as you can if you need to or leisurely if he is in a good mood. :D

[Taymike]

I took Taylor on his 1st cruise when he was 2.5 (he doesn't remember :rolleyes: ) He may not have gotten his regular naps, but he did nap and we had the late seating for dinner and each night and I brought his stroller with us and by the time we were eating our main course he was asleep in the stroller even with all the noise and music. Kids are flexable if you let them and the will sleep if they're tired.