how much fun with babies??

[poshmom]

My husband and I have cruised three times previously pre-babies. We now have two..a two year old and a seven month old( would be a few months older if we went this summer). We would not be leaving them either with a sitter in the cabin or in the kids camp. It would just be the two of us with them...no other family members going. So, my questions are... how much would we be able to do with them, how much fun could we have, is any cruiseline more conducive with little ones, what about excursions, have any of you done this before??

 

FYI: my husband thinks it would be miserable for us, the babies and everyone else on board. They're good babies, of course!:) I just want to hear others experiences and advice. Or what you've observed with other couples and their little ones.

[Califonria cruiser]

We've been several times on cruises with kids from 3 months old to 4 year olds, my daughter is now just 5.

 

I think it depends on your expectations and interests. I have enjoyed all my cruises with my kids and felt like we didn't bother people, BUT I think it is much easier once they turn 3 and can go to the kids club from time to time. I think it is easier once they are potty trained so they can go in the pool. Babies don't mind missing out on the pool, but 2 and 3 year olds would be.

 

I would pick a cruise schedule that goes places you don't have to travel too far to get where you want and you feel safe with. ex. Grand Caymen, Cozumel, St Thomas, etc. If you are looking for just a beach holiday I think it works well.

 

When we went to Europe I felt there was less interest for my daughter there. The things we wanted to do and see were not really what she had in mind, museums, etc. so it was a careful balancing act with lots of gelato :)

 

Thinking about HOW your vacation would be and if you feel uncomfortable being in the minority with kids pick a schedule and cruise line that tends to focus on families more and you will find lots of people like you all. If you have family that would enjoy hanging out with you and the kids I'd bring them along, then you'll have some spare hands which would come in handy. We've taken 4 cruises with our family and it has been VERY helpful. My parents go to bed early and were happy to have a child sleeping in a stroller there and then we could just go pick her up : )

 

Price is frustrating since they charge, most of the time, the same for little kids as an adult 3rd or 4th passenger so look for the good specials or a while back NCL had better deals for under 2's.

 

Whatever you decide enjoy!

 

Jenn

[crusinmama06]

Cruises are packed full with families now. The face of cruising is changing. :) With that being said...it's what your expectations are that will matter.

 

We it be as relaxing pre-babies....heck no ;)

 

Can it still be a great family vacation, yes no doubt.

 

Since the baby is under a year, maybe Disney would be a good option? The in cabin sitting for RCCL doesn't start till age 1. So disney's nursery could allow you to have an hour or 2 alone. And the Disney Ships have water play areas for infants/toddlers in diapers. (As does the RCCL Freedom ships and one other RCCL ship)

 

I think any vacation where I don't have to cook or clean, and I get to wake up in a different country every day is a GREAT vacation in my book. :D

[juniorcop]

We just got back from a 7 day cruise with our 10mos daughter. I had a GREAT time and it was just us two and our daughter. We sailed on Carnival Conquest and didn't use Camp Carnival. She was entertained by all the people and her new environment. She actually was so absorbed that she didn't play with most of her toys.

 

My husband finally realized how time consuming it is to pack a diaper bag and prepare the baby everyday. Guess I've been spoiling him :D . That was his only complaint -- that the baby took a lot of our time. But for me it was no different than the time I spend everyday or the effort spent preparing for a trip to the mall.

 

We took her everywhere with us including shows and actually spent little time in the room. The stroller and front carrier were musts for us. The crew was great and we received only minor complaints from some of the women passengers on our cruise. We were told many positive things from most passengers. We did a beach excursion at Jamaica, a semi-sub in Grand Cayman and Chankanaab in Cozumel, and they all went well. They varied in length from 1-6 hrs.

 

We only missed out on the late night scene, the more physically demanding excursions and the getting intoxicated. We are past the point of all that anyway. I regret not snorkeling but it was still worth it. I would have been worried sick all week without my daughter. I met one mother on ship who left a 4 mos old behind and she said she was missing her baby awful.

 

Jennie

[friedoreo]

We have three, a DS 3, a DS 2, and a DD 3 months. We've cruised on the Disney Magic twice (2 yrs, 6 months and 3 yrs, 18 months) for a week to Cozumel and then 12 days in Europe. Everyone had an awesome time. And the first cruise, we could not even use Disney's kids club b/c they were too young. We did pay a little extra to put them in Disney's nursery (3x) so we could have a relaxing dinner. But during the day, we played at the pool, on the beach, ate, napped...and Mommy didn't have to worry about the rental car, the meals or the hotel. I think cruising is wonderful with small children b/c you can worry about their needs and still have a great, planned vacation. They never bothered other passengers b/c everyone had children around us and understood the occasional meltdown. We are sailing on NCL Pearl to Alaska this June and I think that trip should go just as well. I would say go for it...I think you will have fun. And if you don't like it...at least you found out before they get to be opinionated preteens ;)

[poshmom]

Thanks guys! I can't make up my mind on it. The three cruises we've been on were all Carnival, which we absolutely loved. So, I have no other cruiselines to compare it to. If ya'll have been on the others and Carnival, which is more kid-friendly?

[poshmom]

Thanks guys! I can't make up my mind on it. The three cruises we've been on were all Carnival, which we absolutely loved. So, I have no other cruiselines to compare it to. If ya'll have been on the others and Carnival, which is more kid-friendly?

[KerCar]

We had a GREAT time on the NCL Spirit with our two little ones! Here's a link to a review I did:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=572026

[Califonria cruiser]

Carnival is very child friendly in my opinion.

 

Jenn

[quagmire0]

DW and I went on a Carnival Cruise with our 6mo daughter last October. What I can tell you is that babies are a challenge! But it also depends on how routinized your baby is. Our daughter has a set sleeping schedule and that meant that around 7 or 8pm we were pretty much out on our balcony drinking some wine, and that was our night. :)

 

One big problem with our situation was that she also got sick the night before we left. So, she didn't really sleep well until about the 4th or 5th night in. Not to mention the fact that she was used to sleeping in a bigger crib with bumpers, but we only had the small metal crib that Carnival provided.

 

In terms of bothering other people, there's no way to make everybody happy. Some people walk right past you and don't even know you are there. Some people give you a disgusted face even if your child is being an angel. Some people go goo-goo over your child.

 

As far as excursions go, she did remarkably well. There were some moments, but she mostly either slept or had fun being fawned over by the Mexican women. :D

 

As for daycare, Carnival said they offered group babysitting, but unless you r baby is used to sleeping in a room full of older kids yelling, playing and watching movies, it's not much of an option. :)

 

My advice would be that you seriously consider other options. Are there any relatives or people that you could maybe rent a beach house with or some kind of vacation where the setting would be more like home? The biggest adjustment for you will be the fact that most likely your nights will not be the same. You *may* go to the shows, but most likely you and your hubby will not be hitting the nightlife like you once did. In the end, you may be like us and feel more exhausted after the vacation than you did before the vacation. :)

 

I'm not trying to totally scare you off. It's just that knowing what I know now, I probably would have chosen a different vacation choice. We'd probably have a lot more fun after she is 1y/o when we can have an RCCL employee sit around while she is sleeping and go out for a bit.

 

If you are going to go on a cruise with the baby, be sure to do the following:

 

1. Either bring a pack 'n play or a crib bumper (if you use one at home) for the silly metal cribs that Carnival provides.

 

2. Use a front carrier for excursions, and bring a light wrap or cover to protect your baby from the sun.

 

3. Get a balcony cabin!

 

4. If you're going to attempt a formal dinner, have the head waiter seat you close to the door on the first day you are there. If you do need to make an exit, you can do so quickly.

 

 

In the end, it's different with every kid and every cruise. These are just my notes from what we experienced.

[Kerry's Girls]

Unless you have someone at home who's serving all your meals, doing all the chores and cleaning your room twice a day, a cruise is a perfect way for mom, dad and baby to enjoy quality time with each other. And much better than a landbased vacation where they won't dote on your child the way they do on a cruise ship.

 

Many people let their baby sleep in the stroller while they roam in the evening - you can go to shows, for walks, out for a drink, etc with the stroller covered.

 

Whoops, I posted this at the same time as the previous poster - it was not meant to respond to that post. Some people may enjoy a land-based trip with a baby - I just don't since I still have to worry about meals, etc., whereas on a cruise I can enjoy wonderful food that's served to me, someone makes my bed, etc.

 

Best,

Mia

[crusinmama06]

Thanks guys! I can't make up my mind on it. The three cruises we've been on were all Carnival, which we absolutely loved. So, I have no other cruiselines to compare it to. If ya'll have been on the others and Carnival, which is more kid-friendly?

 

Yep Carnival is very family friendly, no doubt. If you like Carnival, then stick with them.

[rebeccalouise]

Ok- I am going to be the fly in the ointment.

 

I have two kids and have traveled with them many times on cruises. My oldest was eight the first time I cruised. The youngest I cruised with at age 3 months, 6 months, and 13 months- on all these cruises I had extended family to help out and it was somewhat relaxing. Except for with the 13 month old- who was good but full of energy and I spent the trip running after him in the empty lounges, etc.

 

However, if it is just going to be you and hubby- I think you will be really limited on a cruise. First of all- yes, you can take them to the diningroom and spend the time entertaining them and hoping they don't fuss. Shows are out because the baby won't like the noise and clapping. Bars- not much of an option there with a crawling baby and a two year old. Pools are out because of the diaper issue.

 

So if you aren't going to have help (incabin sitting) etc., I don't know what you are going to do. By day you can go to the beach- but you'll have to take a play pen or something because a crawling baby isn't going to be able to sit in a chair or on a blanket.

 

A cabin isn't really big enough for the kids to play in.

 

I' m with your hubby- I think not too relaxing.

[crusinmama06]

Ok- I am going to be the fly in the ointment.

 

I' m with your hubby- I think not too relaxing.

 

The voice of disent...gotta love you Rebecca :D :D :D

 

When my kids were too young for the kids club, we didn't use any babysitters and we didn't use the nursery.

 

Did I get to go out to the bars...nope.

 

Did I get to dance the night away with my hubby...nope.

 

Did I have someone to cook and clean for me all week...YEP :D

 

If I was going to spend the week chasing the kids around anyway, I might as well do it in a place where someone is waiting on me too.

 

This is what we did do....we put the kids to bed early and headed out to the balcony for a nice quiet evening. A few times we took a little bubbly out with us. If we were at home, we would have been planted in front of the TV, not paying much attention to one another. ;)

[Dr_DNA]

Yep Carnival is very family friendly, no doubt. If you like Carnival, then stick with them.

 

Crusinmama: You're not going to make any commissions from RC for comments like these, you know. ;) :D

[Dr_DNA]

If your expectations are that you will be able to do all of the things that you could do before the cruise, you'll be disappointed. If you're looking to get away, enjoy some relaxing days, not have to cook, clean, etc., see some nice places, and just getting out of Dodge, you probably will enjoy it. I was at one time like your husband, but if you adjust and reset your expectations, you can be pleasantly surprised. We went to a B&B with our 4 month old. I was expecting it to be a nightmare but we had a lovely time. Since we didn't do much, it was extremely relaxing without the other day to day duties that we usually have to attend to. I think that a cruise would be even better! I wouldn't hesitate for a minute unless you want to do all of the things that you did on your previous cruises and will be disappointed that you can't.

[Dr_DNA]

Sorry, double posts. Something is wrong with the Boards this morning.

[crusinmama06]

Crusinmama: You're not going to make any commissions from RC for comments like these, you know. ;) :D

 

I know I know, there goes my free cruise ;)

[sas80]

My DS is a diamond member and will embark on his FOURTH cruise in April!

 

If you have a "routine" child then maybe you should fine a cruise line that offers in room sitting and book late dinner seating for yourself and DH. That will give you some free time.

 

It's not going to be like it was before baby - but please tell me if anything in your life is like it was pre baby....? If it is then I am definitely doing something wrong!

 

Personally I love cruising for the aspect of having someone else clean up after me and not having to make sure I have meals ready for today/planned for tomorrow. Not to mention that my DS is always happily engrossed in his surroundings.

 

Maybe you could go on a shorter cruise to test out the vacation.

[sunrise&set]

My DH is just like yours. We've cruised several times just the 2 of us and with our older kids. I convinced him to go with our 13 month old this March. Read these boards and they will definitely convince you that a cruise would be perfect for your little one. No worrying about driving around, what to do for dinner, plenty of places for them to run around, plus the calm motion of the boat and smell of the ocean air.

 

Think ahead about what will be important to you on this cruise. I have cruised CCL, RCCL, Celebrity and Costa. I chose NCL for this cruise for the following reasons:

1. Freestyle dining - we can eat when it suits our schedule

2. Itinerary - more ports, less sea days (DS can't use the pool)

3. Price - got a suite for less than a balcony on some RCCL ships

 

I'm one of those cruisers who has little to complain about. I'm away from home being waited on = I'm happy!!

 

Can't give you my experiences yet. I know it won't be the same as past cruises - but I don't want it to be! I want to have fun with my DS! DH is worried about no time for the 2 of us so we decided to bring my DD (14) and a friend who will help us out and babysit a couple of nights.