aryka Posted February 28, 2008 #1 Share Posted February 28, 2008 I think I am singularly the most unobservant person in the world. I've cruised twice with RCI, and for some reason cannot remember a single child, other that my now-10-year old and the few other kids she interacted with. I'm pretty sure there were other children, I think I simply tuned *everything* out that wasn't for my decadent pleasure. So, now I'll be cruising with an 11-year-old and an 8 month old. On RCI. I believe on the Mariner, which I haven't been on before. AND it does not appear that it has a splash area for kids :( And since it's a family thing, it's the Other Part of the Family that's picking the cruise. Because it has Coco Cay on the itinerary,and it's a 7-day cruise. So! Background - my sis/her hubby and my bro/his wife plus their 8yo boy, and me-n-hubby + our 11 yo girl plus THE BABY. Food - baby food available? puree? in-room fridge if i bring the breastpump? (i named it Hoover) chance of getting a crib? where does one put it with two kids? coco cay with an infant sounds awesome, but it's a 7-day cruise, 3 of which are *on the boat* - what to do with an 8month old on a boat for 3days? RCI website says NO BABYSITTING if child is under 1 year. Truth or fiction? Is it usually easy to find shore excursions to the beach that allow infants? ALSO, website indicates NO water-based child activities for babies. :( No splash zone, adventure ocean zone, etc. What's the deal with the "fisher price aqua babies"? Should I / shouldn't I? Argh! :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted February 28, 2008 #2 Share Posted February 28, 2008 I think I am singularly the most unobservant person in the world. I've cruised twice with RCI, and for some reason cannot remember a single child, other that my now-10-year old and the few other kids she interacted with. I'm pretty sure there were other children, I think I simply tuned *everything* out that wasn't for my decadent pleasure. So, now I'll be cruising with an 11-year-old and an 8 month old. On RCI. I believe on the Mariner, which I haven't been on before. AND it does not appear that it has a splash area for kids :( And since it's a family thing, it's the Other Part of the Family that's picking the cruise. Because it has Coco Cay on the itinerary,and it's a 7-day cruise. So! Background - my sis/her hubby and my bro/his wife plus their 8yo boy, and me-n-hubby + our 11 yo girl plus THE BABY. Food - baby food available? puree? in-room fridge if i bring the breastpump? (i named it Hoover) chance of getting a crib? where does one put it with two kids? coco cay with an infant sounds awesome, but it's a 7-day cruise, 3 of which are *on the boat* - what to do with an 8month old on a boat for 3days? RCI website says NO BABYSITTING if child is under 1 year. Truth or fiction? Is it usually easy to find shore excursions to the beach that allow infants? ALSO, website indicates NO water-based child activities for babies. :( No splash zone, adventure ocean zone, etc. What's the deal with the "fisher price aqua babies"? Should I / shouldn't I? Argh! :confused: Baby food available - no (in a jar like on some other lines), YES they will puree it for you. SAS (on this board) had it done The in cabin fridge makes things cool, NOT cold. SO if you pump, you can keep breastmilk in it only for so long. (Of course, I have seen articles that say you can keep breastmilk out for a VERY long time, but I dunno) Crib - yes you can get one. Where to put it? Depends on your cabin. A little tip, try to get a balcony with a baby that young. You will need it to escape to someplace while the baby is napping or going to bed early so you don't have to tiptoe around the cabin. You can attend aquababies - 45 minute sessions that you attend WITH the baby. But from the reviews that I have read, there aren't alot of toys. It's more of a way to get together with other parents with babies. No babysitting for children under 1. VERY true. NO infant water areas on Mariner. Bring an inflatable pool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlymom Posted February 28, 2008 #3 Share Posted February 28, 2008 I agree with all of what cruisinmama has said, and I just returned from an RCI cruise with my 4 mo old. You can get a pack and play from RCI, I just want you to know that the one that we got was FILTHY. Luckily, I brought lots of clorox wipes, and I wiped it down over and over. I also brought my own crib sheet (they didn't provide one) and I brought a giant mat that I put down over the sheet. Seriously, this thing was so germy and gross... Another good tip that I picked up here on the boards: if you are planning to spend any time on a beach, consider getting a UV tent. We got one (spent ~$40 on ebay) and it was great. We didn't have to worry about her getting sunburned because she had a place to retreat to when we were on the beach, and it gave her a place to nap and relax a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted February 28, 2008 #4 Share Posted February 28, 2008 You can get a pack and play from RCI, I just want you to know that the one that we got was FILTHY. Luckily, I brought lots of clorox wipes, and I wiped it down over and over. I also brought my own crib sheet (they didn't provide one) and I brought a giant mat that I put down over the sheet. Seriously, this thing was so germy and gross... I agree with that! I always got the heeby jeebies looking at the pack n plays. Didn't matter if it was on a cruise or if it was in a hotel. Ick! It's not like they can really sanitize those things I did different things over the years when my kids were that age. From bringing our own pack n play to making a toddler bed by bringing bed rails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittycat_26 Posted February 28, 2008 #5 Share Posted February 28, 2008 We are going in the fall with my then 13 month old. I'm all for the inflatable pool but have a few logistical questions. 1. Where do I get the water to fill it, even a little bit and 2. what do you do with the water when it is time to deflate it? Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted February 28, 2008 #6 Share Posted February 28, 2008 We are going in the fall with my then 13 month old. I'm all for the inflatable pool but have a few logistical questions. 1. Where do I get the water to fill it, even a little bit and 2. what do you do with the water when it is time to deflate it? Thanks in advance. You can bring a small sand bucket with you and use the water from the main pool to fill up your inflatable. Others have been given buckets from the bar (the ones that the beer comes in...lol) There are a couple of ways to empty it...you can dump it down the pool drain (the are all around the deck). If the ship has a shower next to the pool, you can use the shower drain. And some have said that they used a janitors sink to dump the water down. All we are talking about is a few buckets of water to fill up a small inflatable. Just give em something to splash around in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leighuf Posted March 5, 2008 #7 Share Posted March 5, 2008 1. Food: Every night the waiters asked if I needed any veggies or fruits or whatever pureed for the next night. I brought my own but they kept asking me. So, yes, it is available. They just need 1 days notice. 2. In-room fridge: yes. It's somewhat full of sodas etc, but just empty it and put in the bottles of breastmilk. I imagine you won't need a lot of space for that. 3. chance of getting a crib: No problem. It's similar to a pack n play. Bring your own sheets. They don't have any- only twin sized sheets. And I agree with the other poster. YUCK! I will bring my own from now on. It was disgusting! We had disinfecting wipes so we were able to get the thing somewhat clean. It was blackened in some areas and there was dried spit up on other parts of it. Bleh! Also, it takes up a HUGE amount of space. They ONLY place it will fit in a balcony stateroom (we had a deluxe sized stateroom on the Radiance) is in front of the couch. That leaves a small narrow walkway from the bedroom area to the bathroom. Our stroller couldn't even pass through it. So yes, a balcony is a MUST. We used the balcony for bathing and feeding (used the stroller as a highchair). 4. what to do with an 8month old on a boat for 3days: Walks, playing in the stateroom. Try out the aqua tots. It's only 45 mins every day and usually around 9:45 am. We never did it. My son isn't in daycare so I feared he pick up a bug or something. He's never been sick before. I think sea days are the hardest. 5. RCI website says NO BABYSITTING if child is under 1 year. Truth or fiction: TRUTH! My parents came along so they babysat for us 2 times. 6. Is it usually easy to find shore excursions to the beach that allow infants: We took a beach excursion in Grand Caymans. It allowed infants for free. Our son sat in our laps on the shuttle bus and played in the sand and surf. It was a bit crowded for our taste, though. 7. ALSO, website indicates NO water-based child activities for babies: TRUE! But bring your own blowup tub/pool. You'll need it anyway for bathing. We used it on our balcony (which had a drain for emptying). We had a hump balcony so our balcony was extra large. We bought a blowup duckie pool from target for $15. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas80 Posted March 5, 2008 #8 Share Posted March 5, 2008 I think I am singularly the most unobservant person in the world. I've cruised twice with RCI, and for some reason cannot remember a single child, other that my now-10-year old and the few other kids she interacted with. I'm pretty sure there were other children, I think I simply tuned *everything* out that wasn't for my decadent pleasure. So, now I'll be cruising with an 11-year-old and an 8 month old. On RCI. I believe on the Mariner, which I haven't been on before. AND it does not appear that it has a splash area for kids :( And since it's a family thing, it's the Other Part of the Family that's picking the cruise. Because it has Coco Cay on the itinerary,and it's a 7-day cruise. So! Background - my sis/her hubby and my bro/his wife plus their 8yo boy, and me-n-hubby + our 11 yo girl plus THE BABY. Food - baby food available? puree? Yup! About 1 week prior to departure call RCCL CS and ask for the special services department. Let them know that you will need pureed food while on board. They will fill out your special needs request and fax it to your ship. Once you get on board, go see the guy that stands outside of the dining room and place your order. Mine was something along the lines of "1 protein, 1 veggie, 1 fruit, pureed, delivered at 7:30 am, 11:30 am and 5:30 pm every day, yes it is okay to knock first and then enter. in-room fridge if i bring the breastpump? (i named it Hoover) most likely. This is dependent on your cabin category. (i named it Hoover) Yikes! I now have a that strange tugging sensation at my nips!!! chance of getting a crib? where does one put it with two kids? You will definitely get a crib! make sure reservations knows that you need one. I would assume that 11 YO can sleep ON the couch (don't fold the couch out)while 8 Mo old sleeps in the pack n play. You can test if there is enough room to fold out both couch and pack n play at one time. Make sure to take the pack n play up when baby is not in it - that will give you more room. Store pack and play in any open corner of the room, it fits nicely! coco cay with an infant sounds awesome, but it's a 7-day cruise, 3 of which are *on the boat* - what to do with an 8month old on a boat for 3days? Plenty of people watching to occupy baby. Also, at sea days ensure that baby will get some good nap time in. RCI website says NO BABYSITTING if child is under 1 year. Truth or fiction? Is it usually easy to find shore excursions to the beach that allow infants? We were able to arrange babysitting for our 5.5 month old. Initially we were denied but I then explained that DS went to bed at 7:30 every night and all we wanted was a sitter from 8:30 to 10:30 so we could go to dinner. I assured them that DS would be asleep and would not require any interaction. She said okay, she would put the request in. He slept the whole time. ALSO, website indicates NO water-based child activities for babies. :( No splash zone, adventure ocean zone, etc. I think freedom has a kids area per cruisinmamma What's the deal with the "fisher price aqua babies"? They have a bunch of toys that are age appropriate for the kids to play with. We never made it to the infant one (too darn early!) but we would go to the next age group one "aqua tots" and DS would happily play with their toys. Should I / shouldn't I? Of course you should!!! You know you should! Argh! :confused: :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas80 Posted March 5, 2008 #9 Share Posted March 5, 2008 I agree with that! I always got the heeby jeebies looking at the pack n plays. Didn't matter if it was on a cruise or if it was in a hotel. Ick! It's not like they can really sanitize those things I did different things over the years when my kids were that age. From bringing our own pack n play to making a toddler bed by bringing bed rails. thanks loads ladies...:p I didn't used to have an problem with RCCL's pack n plays......:rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas80 Posted March 5, 2008 #10 Share Posted March 5, 2008 In all honesty, I have yet to meet an RCCL pack n play that I don't like! Mine have always been in really good shape. If i had one that was too dingy I would ask for another unit entirely! I never bring a sheet because they will use their silky soft sheets to cover the pack n play pad....and they have to wrap the sheet 3 or 4 times around to get it to stay put.... not only is the pad completely covered but the sheet is so silky soft...! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas80 Posted March 5, 2008 #11 Share Posted March 5, 2008 I think sea days are the easiest because you can ensure that baby naps appropriately so he/she isn't fussy. I find that, on part days, when we are out and about, lack of scheduled nap times means I am flirting with disaster in the form of an over tired and cranky baby..... On sea days as soon as I see the signs we can head back to the room for a nap. He goes down for a nap and DS and I head to the balcony for some relaxation time. Or we trade - one of us goes out and the other sticks in the room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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