Taking babies on a cruise?

[rdy2cruz07]

I guess I like cruising with my toddlers for the same reason I loved cruising just with my husband - someone is doing everything for you. I hated our condo vacation because when I'm on vacation' date=' I want to be served, not have to deal with meal preparation three times a day. Plus, I can't afford to feed my twins shrimp at every meal in a condo!

 

It's nice that we have all these options - condo, resort or cruise. When I was a kid, I was often one of just a few on the cruise ship.

 

Best,

Mia[/quote']

 

How old are your twins...mine are 15mo, will be 20mos at time of cruise. I agree with your post..if you are eating out 3 times a day on vacation that gets pricey too. I'd rather be waited on and not have to worry about food, what to do etc. Even if you are in a spacey condo there is only so much to do, at least on a cruise you have a change of atmosphere and different places to see.

[Kerry's Girls]

Mine were 13 months; 21 months and 2 years old on each of our cruises - and each one was better than the last - though we had an amazing time on all of them.

 

Good point about the ports - I'm taking them to London in September and it seems so boring that we're going to wake up in the same place every day! London will be nice, and we have a nice large apartment, but I'm really going to miss someone making my food, tidying up, and having all the entertainment and services of the ship right outside our door. I'm mostly looking forward to our next cruise in January.

 

Best,

Mia

[Julienatul]

We took our DD at 7 months, 12 months and again at 19 months. 7 months and 12 months were great, she was not yet mobile enough. ! 19 months was much tougher as she wanted to run all over the boat and didnt sit still much. We still had a great time all cruises. It's great to have someone else cooking, cleaning and waiting on your for a week! We made some great memories and have great photos to show her when she gets older. We are really looking forward to the next one when she will be old enough for Camp Carnival and mommy and daddy will get some free time.

 

We made everything low key, tried to follow similar routines. We had a balcony two of the cruises so that when she napped we enjoyed it. Once we took an inside and that was fine also, we just watched movies while she slept.

 

Julie

[rebeccalouise]

Mine were 13 months; 21 months and 2 years old on each of our cruises - and each one was better than the last - though we had an amazing time on all of them.

 

Good point about the ports - I'm taking them to London in September and it seems so boring that we're going to wake up in the same place every day! London will be nice' date=' and we have a nice large apartment, but I'm really going to miss someone making my food, tidying up, and having all the entertainment and services of the ship right outside our door. I'm mostly looking forward to our next cruise in January.

 

Best,

Mia[/quote']

 

London is a great city for walking. You'll have a wonderful time. Definitely do the double decker bus ride thru the city. We sat on the second, exposed deck and had a great time. There are many parks in the city. If you get bored with London- go to Stratford Upon Avon (Shakespeare country) by train. Its lovely there. We loved fish and chips, Indian food, the pubs, the pastries, Boots.

I have spent a lot of time in England. My mother is from Yorkshire and as a kid have great memories of the castles, the candy, the crisps! Both my kids had a ball in London. We stayed in Knightsbridge. Very nice area and walked to Hyde Park. It is flat for the most part. Then there is the London Eye. Kids will love that.

[stellarfish]

When my son was 9 mos he went on his first airplane and he was fantastic. We visited friends, stayed in a hotel, went sightseeing and he napped in his stroller. He loved it. When he was 14 months we left him with my mother while we went on a cruise. The ship was full of toddlers and e-mailing my mother was was horrible. Just getting one e-mail out a day took forever. The ship and cruise line had a bad reputation for that, however it was not our first choice as our first choice was dry docked. Every where we looked we saw a toddler and missed our son. When we got home he wouldn't let me touch him for 6 hours.

 

This year he will be 26 months and we are getting part of the trip paid for by the cruise line due to the cancellation and bringing him. To the person who said as long as the baby isn't next to me I never heard a baby crying across the hall or next door. We do not plan on doing excursion other then walking around shopping areas (because he loves to walk) and spending time on the beach). Yes, he will interfere with relaxation, but it will mean quality time with my son who does not like to stay home. He likes to go to parks and run around. So now he can spend time with mommy and daddy without mommy cooking or running errands or anybody going to work I think he'll get a lot out of that and so will we.

 

And yes he'll throw a tantrum and I'll do my best to keep it from interfering with other people's cruises as best as I can. And yes I'll be walking out of the dining room, but I have to say that last year with all those toddlers I never once saw one throw a tantrum. The cruiseline I'm using also has inroom babysitting which I'm considering using during naptime or evening on occasion.

 

BTW somewhere between 9 months and a year things change but before that change they are so easy to travel with.

 

I totally agree with your perspective. DH and I went on our first weekend trip without DS a couple weeks ago, and over the 2 days we saw sooooo many toddlers and missed him sooooo much. Of course it was nice, but I didn't "relax" much anyway...I missed my kid too much. I'd rather "not relax" and be with him!

[dnj1]

In my experience- it is sometimes easier to stay at home with kids. Flights with active toddlers aren't fun. The cabins are small and claustrophobic to start with and you have to bring so much stuff for baby. You can't take advantage of all the things afforded to you on a cruise.

So, for my money... I'd rather stay in a large, luxurious condo than a cramped cabin.

 

But cruising is my favorite way to travel- just not with a toddler.

 

I totally agree with you on all the packing. It is a lot. Much more than just packing for DH. And I also agree that you can relax a lot more on cruise without a toddler. (esp. under age of 2) I guess I feel so strong about cruising with a toddler becuase I also have a 7 yo. that's cruising. I really want to take her and I know that she will enjoy camp carnival. With that in mind....the toddler goes too. There is no way I could leave her with Grandma and take big sis.

 

I guess everyone's situations are differ. But again... I agree, it is not going to be easy, BUT well worth it :) I'm sure.

[leighuf]

We snagged an extra long (shaded) hump balcony on the radiance. Planning to get a small, blow up pool for baby to use. Any recommendations on which one? Son will be almost 11 months old. :)

[KerCar]

We snagged an extra long (shaded) hump balcony on the radiance. Planning to get a small, blow up pool for baby to use. Any recommendations on which one? Son will be almost 11 months old. :)

 

The one we used was from Toys R Us by Safety 1st. It only cost 7.99 and it worked really well for both bathing and splashing around in:)

[OnTheBrink]

We went when our son was 8 months old (a 7 day trip). It was fun, but kind of hard. The biggest thing was that he was WAY into crawling, but a cruise ship isn't a great place to crawl. So we had to carry him, which made him quite mad!

 

He nursed a lot on that trip, which was helpful. I think it really helped him settle, adjust, deal with any quesiness, etc. He also tried lots of new foods (much earlier than our daughter) and has been a food lover since! :)

 

This time he'll be 3 and a half and I'm sure he'll have a blast! Cruising without diapers will be marvelous!

[OnTheBrink]

Baby monitors don't work well, so we would put her down for a nap and return to the door to listen every 1/2 hour until it was nearing the time for her to wake up then we would step it up to every 15 minutes. This worked great for us, but she was also an incredible sleeper who would play in her crib for a long time once she awoke.

 

Do you mean that you left the baby while you went out on the ship? Did that work out well? And not to sound rude, but is that "allowed", or do you have to hire a ship babysitter?

[Workmom2]

Do you mean that you left the baby while you went out on the ship? Did that work out well? And not to sound rude, but is that "allowed", or do you have to hire a ship babysitter?

I have the same questions! Assuming you did not leave you child in the room unattended. Would not advise following that protocol.

 

on the topic- take you infants, you will have a wonderful time. My DH and do little "get aways" during the year- we have one coming up- 2 nights in Las Vegas does the trick for us- we have found any longer than 2 nights is too long for us to be aways from the kids. We loved our cruise so much that we booked another one in October.

The boards here are very helpful:)

[larronry]

I have the same questions! Assuming you did not leave you child in the room unattended. Would not advise following that protocol.

I got the impression that they left their child alone. Something I could never do. Granted that it's harder to have happen on a ship but still possible to have a kidnapping like what happened in Europe recently and then of course the child could get injured. Knowing my son the latter would most definetly occur. I plan on using the video monitor while I'm out in the hall until he falls asleep. I was hoping that our friends would end up next door, but that didn't end up happening. :( If we had booked sooner when the prices were lower we might have taken a balcony, but by the time we booked (not thinking that the prices would rise so much) my husband said no to a balcony.

[rebeccalouise]

when I hear a story that people left their child in the cabin but checked in every fifteen minutes- I wonder if that's true.

How can you have fun on a cruise and go back to the cabin every 15 minutes. What's the point? I would be a nervous wreck leaving my child unattended and ships are too big to be in the nightclub or bar and race back every 15 minutes.

Sorry but that doesn't seem realistic.

 

It reminds me of the parents who left their infant and toddlers in the Portugese condo- while they dined at a nearby restaurant. They claimed they checked in every half hour. I doubt this but even if they did- what kind of dinner can you enjoy when you are worried about your kids?

The little girl is gone now- guess they should have checked in more regularly!

 

I keep telling people to wait until the kids are older to cruise. I was pretty bored sitting in the cabin at night while my husband was in the cigar bar and the hot tub. In fairness, he let me go out while he watched our son but it isn't fun to go to bars and the hot tub without your spouse. I thought that cruise was a waste. My parents were there but I felt bad making them babysit- they are party animals!

 

I have said this once, and I'll say it again. With both my kids, the best vacations were to visit with family or renting a large condo- where we had a pretty place to sit and relax at night, while the kids slept peacefully. I loved staying with family because they got to bond with each other and it was nice having doting aunts around and fun at night because we could all socialize within earshot of the babies. Any, just my two cents.

 

Cruising has been way more fun since my youngest could go to the youth programs.

[hince57]

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I keep telling people to wait until the kids are older to cruise. I was pretty bored sitting in the cabin at night while my husband was in the cigar bar and the hot tub. In fairness, he let me go out while he watched our son but it isn't fun to go to bars and the hot tub without your spouse. I thought that cruise was a waste.

 

they have in-room babysitting for a cheaper price than i can get at home, so that's addressed.

 

.

My parents were there but I felt bad making them babysit- they are party animals!

 

it depends on the situation, but my folks are going with us knowing that we want them to babysit some, and they're fine with it. but i guess it depends on the parents and the situation.

 

 

.

I have said this once, and I'll say it again. With both my kids, the best vacations were to visit with family or renting a large condo- where we had a pretty place to sit and relax at night, while the kids slept peacefully. I loved staying with family because they got to bond with each other and it was nice having doting aunts around and fun at night because we could all socialize within earshot of the babies.

 

i think you can socialize with other people even if your kids are on the cruise. with babies, i'd think it'd be easier to socialize given that they aren't as active as 3 year olds, 5 year olds, etc.

 

 

 

 

i understand your reasoning, but every kid (like every parent) is capable of handling different social enviornments, and while there's so many parents that would never dream of taking their little ones on a cruise, it seems there are just as many that wouldn't think to leave them behind.

[larronry]

That's great that you have family to Visit, but I don't have any brothers or sisters and my husband has a brother who lives 20 minutes away so that's not a vacation and he is not married and doesn't have any kids. I do have a lot of cousins but that would mean strapping my son in a car seat for 18 or more hours depending on which cousin I went to visit or going on a plane. Hmmm who wants to be the one sitting in front of the kicking baby having the temper tantrum?

 

Or driving a 1/2 hour to the port getting on a ship and having a whole playground to run around in, with parental supervision and control of course. I think I'll take the easier vacation for me.

 

BTW I second the fact that the cruise line charges a lot less for in room babysitting then the going local rate. And since, no matter what my husband says, I'll be the one in the cabin when he naps and goes to bed I do plan on using it on occasion.

 

What I want to know is I know you have to get on the ship and book right away because the slots get filled, but then can you cancel if you find you don't need some of the slots?

[leighuf]

i understand your reasoning, but every kid (like every parent) is capable of handling different social enviornments, and while there's so many parents that would never dream of taking their little ones on a cruise, it seems there are just as many that wouldn't think to leave them behind.

 

Well said!:D

[rebeccalouise]

I don't understand why people here only see to scenerios.

 

Cruise with kids or cruise without kids. Like there is no other possible way to travel with toddlers.

 

I am not suggesting cruising without kids. I have only done that once (in January) and I hated it! I don't like being away from my kids either. Believe me, they are my travel buddies.

 

I was saying wait until the youngest is old enough to go to the youth program.

 

I really enjoyed more having a condo with toddlers. I traveled with friends who had little ones and it was great. We didn't have to worry about noise or crying. They could run around while we ate. They slept while we stayed up and had drinks on the balcony. We never had to dress for dinner and the kids had acres of land to run around- feed the ducks, swim in the pools- because they allowed swim diapers, etc. or took a blowup pool when they weren't allowed in the big pool. Just more fun. Don't regret it at all.

 

I do regret taking a 13 month old on a cruise. We did Bermuda, disembarked for three nights and stayed at the Reefs. That was the best part of the trip. It was relaxing and I loved having the huge hotel room instead of the small cabin.

 

It isn't that I hate cruising (I've done 22!). Just better to wait IMO.

[dnj1]

i understand your reasoning, but every kid (like every parent) is capable of handling different social enviornments, and while there's so many parents that would never dream of taking their little ones on a cruise, it seems there are just as many that wouldn't think to leave them behind.

 

 

Well said.....

[larronry]

You also have to take into account what every parent enjoys. The idea of going to a condo and sitting around relaxing would be horrible to my husband he would have to be on the go. So that would mean that I would have to pack up for the day and be on the go all day long with a toddler. Something that sounds absolutely miserable to both me and my son (who would now be missing his nap). Besides, what kind of vacation is it if we're in a condo and I'm cooking 2-3 meals a day (assuming lunch would be out), that's what I do at home?

 

You need to do what works for you, your child, and your family. A cruise allows me to have my time off, keep my son somewhat on a schedule, allows my husband to keep busy, and gives us time as a family without the hustle and bustle of daily life.

[Kerry's Girls]

How old are your twins...mine are 15mo, will be 20mos at time of cruise. I agree with your post..if you are eating out 3 times a day on vacation that gets pricey too. I'd rather be waited on and not have to worry about food, what to do etc. Even if you are in a spacey condo there is only so much to do, at least on a cruise you have a change of atmosphere and different places to see.

 

My girls are now 2-1/2, they'll be 3 on our next cruise (we've gone on a cruise for each of their birthdays). There are usually a few sets of twins on board - I think other parents are figuring out what a nice vacation a cruise is with little ones. You'll have a great time.

 

The food is a great point. My girls try all kinds of new food on a ship, and it's a huge relief to not have to worry about the cost of each dish the way you do on a land-based vacation. On a ship the waiters will bring a mix of whatever the girls want. Also, I can't afford room service at a hotel, and it's glorious to have someone bring me coffee and milk for the girls while we get dressed for breakfast each morning, or to have a good-night snack in bed together. And when we rented a place with family, I end up preparing meals, which is not a vacation to me.

 

Can't wait to hear about your cruise!

 

Best,

Mia

[bmgaritty]

And when we rented a place with family' date=' I end up preparing meals, which is not a vacation to me.

 

Can't wait to hear about your cruise!

 

Best,

Mia[/quote']

 

 

You need to put your foot down! No cooking on vacation! Unless its guys grilling :)

[pms4104]

Do you mean that you left the baby while you went out on the ship? Did that work out well? And not to sound rude, but is that "allowed", or do you have to hire a ship babysitter?

Agree ... isn't that kinda like leaving a child/infant home alone or unattended in a hotel? In most American communities, that type of behavior is likely regarded by the local gendarmes as child endangerment.

 

OnTheBrink: I do not find your post rude ... I think it is an appropriate caution so that other young parents reading this post don't assume the child-alone scenario is a typical and accepted practice.

[OnTheBrink]

OnTheBrink: I do not find your post rude ... I think it is an appropriate caution so that other young parents reading this post don't assume the child-alone scenario is a typical and accepted practice.

 

Thank you! What I really wanted to say was: "Holy crap! Are you out of your mind?" But I'm new, so I thought I'm exercise a bit of restraint! :)

[pms4104]

Thank you! What I really wanted to say was: "Holy crap! Are you out of your mind?" But I'm new, so I thought I'm exercise a bit of restraint! :)

Don't hold back!

[larronry]

You need to put your foot down! No cooking on vacation! Unless its guys grilling :)

Oh how I wish my husband could grill, but since he has spent his entire life in apartments until he got married to me it's something he never learned how to do. Me on the other hand always lived in a house except when I was in college learned how to grill. :mad: Nope cruise is the only vacation I get any kind of pampering. I'm even dreading Disney World in two months because I know that my son will almost be my entire responsibility. My husband almost lost him in the mall a couple of weeks ago because he couldn't figure out how many tokens for the merry-go-round so I asked him to keep an eye on him while I got the tokens, the next thing I hear is "ma'am, your son" as he went running down the hall.:eek: My husband didn't understand that keeping an eye on him meant keeping an eye on him.