Just back...cruised with 3 yo and 11 month old

[InAShoeBox]

We just got back from a 7 night cruise with our 2 daughters, 3 1/2 year old and 11 months old.

 

Here are some things I could not have lived without....

 

umbrella stroller(s): we brought our larger Chicco and then a cheap one from walmart

inflatable tub: we brought the Munchkin duck (Target) great for use as a tub in the shower, we never used it up on deck as a 'pool', I opted to not let her 'swim', the 3 yo is fully potty trained and can swim on her own so she used the big pool.

over-the-door shoe holder: I am not sure which post I saw this suggested in but I think this was the greatest thing ever, it kept the clutter down and things in their place for the week.

portable dvd player (and movies): this was nice to have for times when our oldest need chill time for naps or in the evenings.

coloring books/crayons:another life saver for down times.

portable highchair: we brought our chicco chair, didn't use it too often, but there were times when all the highchairs provided were being used.

snacks/juice:great to have on hand for excursions and in the room. I brought cherrios, raisins, fruit chews, goldfish and a 6 pack of apple juice.

 

Things I wish we had brought:

 

travel pack-n-play: the cruise line (Costa) provided one, which was very nice, but it was large, and took up a large amount of space, ours at home is a travel size which would have given us much more room

rca cables for the dvd:to allow us to hook the portable dvd up to the in-room tv (husband's suggestion)

 

 

Feel free to ask any questions......

[Ashelleigh]

Thank you for the post! We're cruising with our son in April. He'll be 11 months.

 

Is your 11 month old breast fed/bottle fed? If bottle fed, how much formula did you take? Also, did you take any baby food, or did she eat entirely on cruise food?

 

Also, what kinds of toys did you take for your 11 month old?

 

TIA!!!

[InAShoeBox]

Thank you for the post! We're cruising with our son in April. He'll be 11 months.

 

Is your 11 month old breast fed/bottle fed? If bottle fed, how much formula did you take? Also, did you take any baby food, or did she eat entirely on cruise food?

 

Also, what kinds of toys did you take for your 11 month old?

 

TIA!!!

 

Our little one is formula/milk fed, in light of this cruise and her overall eating patterns as of late, for a month or so now we have been doing half formula and half milk in her bottles (she takes 8 oz, twice a day). I brought the smaller can (I believe it's 12.5 oz powder) with us and had plenty left over (7 nights). They had both skim and whole milk available on our cruise. She no longer eats jarred food and strictly ate from what was available on the cruise menu/buffet (she is not a picky eater). I did bring a sippy cup for her and loaded it with water at meals. *note - I forgot to add this in the above post but I brought a few ounces of liquid dish soap (I used a breastmilk storage bottle from my pumping days, it has a good seal) and a handi-cloth wash rag and washed nipples/bottles/cups in the sink nightly*

As for toys, I brought a very small assortment, board books, blocks, stuffed monkey, an Elmo 'cell' phone. I typically only kept these in the room, during the day she was typically content riding in the stroller or being entertained by the crew and fellow passengers. She's not walking yet so a few times we went into an empty lounge and just let her crawl around and cruise the furniture, which she loved!

HTH, Have a great time!

[Peace2U]

Sounds good. I didn't even think about all the toys/books I will need to bring for my 4 year old.

[strike71]

Waht did you do on port days...any excursions? Also I have a 3 year old and wasn't sure whether to bring a car seat?

[rebeccalouise]

for the life of me and can never find anyway to hook up the portable dvds on my cruises. The tvs don't seem to have the capability.

[crusinmama06]

What did you think of Costa compared to Carnival & RCCL? That always seems to be a question around here. And what about their kid's programs? How were they?

[mgkdk]

Can you tell me if you needed to taxi to the pier? Did you have your own car seats with you? If not, did you have any problems getting a cab with car seats or did you ride without.

We're heading on the AOS in April so we'll need to taxi from SJU to Pan Am pier.

We've got a 3 and 1 year old with us and really would rather not haul around 2 car seats if we didn't have too. Also, very worried about driving in a taxi without them belted!

 

Thanks!

[mchin]

We just got back from a 7 night cruise with our 2 daughters, 3 1/2 year old and 11 months old.

 

Here are some things I could not have lived without....

 

umbrella stroller(s): we brought our larger Chicco and then a cheap one from walmart

inflatable tub: we brought the Munchkin duck (Target) great for use as a tub in the shower, we never used it up on deck as a 'pool', I opted to not let her 'swim', the 3 yo is fully potty trained and can swim on her own so she used the big pool.

over-the-door shoe holder: I am not sure which post I saw this suggested in but I think this was the greatest thing ever, it kept the clutter down and things in their place for the week.

portable dvd player (and movies): this was nice to have for times when our oldest need chill time for naps or in the evenings.

coloring books/crayons:another life saver for down times.

portable highchair: we brought our chicco chair, didn't use it too often, but there were times when all the highchairs provided were being used.

snacks/juice:great to have on hand for excursions and in the room. I brought cherrios, raisins, fruit chews, goldfish and a 6 pack of apple juice.

 

Things I wish we had brought:

 

travel pack-n-play: the cruise line (Costa) provided one, which was very nice, but it was large, and took up a large amount of space, ours at home is a travel size which would have given us much more room

rca cables for the dvd:to allow us to hook the portable dvd up to the in-room tv (husband's suggestion)

 

 

Feel free to ask any questions......

 

I appreciate you taking the time to post this list.

 

I have a question regarding the dining room. We are sailing in six weeks on AOS out of San Juan with our three year old. We plan to eat in the dining room each night. Our DD eats everything we eat, but she really doesn't eat a lot at any seating. I don't want to order her a regular size meal knowing she will only eat a quarter of the food. Do you know if they can portion size the entrees for a little tummy?

 

I appreciate any input.

[ezjack1825]

Do you know if they can portion size the entrees for a little tummy?

 

My DW can't eat a lot at a single sitting so we asked this on prior cruises. Many of the entrees are available in a smaller size if you just ask for it as an appetizer. Lots of people waste food, we just felt it was right to order the smaller portions.