Review: Voyager - 3/1/09 - twin 10.5 month olds

[AgVball]

Here is some info about things that we took on the trip and things that we did or happened. If you need more info, let me know.

 

We were in a D1 Balcony on Voyager of the Seas (Room 6644). I have some pics, I'll try to upload them later (one shows the two pack-n-plays)

Bath tub similar to: http://www.kelgar.com/snug_tub.htm fit nicely in shower

Stroller Connectors taken but not used: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2396433

Stroller(s): http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3155457 I can’t imagine taking a double stroller – but I’ve read where others have done it. We didn't use (or take) front/back carriers. My girls are large for their age 20 and 23 pounds...they hurt my back if I use a carrier...but I saw a dad carrying his small 13 month old...so it might work for you depending on your situation.

Stroller Shade(s) only used on the top deck or off the ship: http://www.amazon.com/RayShade%C2%AE-Protective-Stroller-Protection-Strollers/dp/B0007XTN6C/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1236747574&sr=1-3

Formula bags: http://www.amazon.com/First-Years-Formula-Shot-Bags/dp/B000UFPB0Y Some formula brands sell travel packets, but this is cheap alternative and you can make 6oz bags/bottles instead of the 4 oz pre-made packets.

SippiGrip(s): http://www.amazon.com/SippiGrip-Toddler-Cup%252fBottle%252fToy-2%252dpk%252e-Pink%252f/dp/B001EB4XKW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1236747165&sr=1-3 we attached the sippy cups to the stroller and high chairs

Reusable Placemat(s): http://www.amazon.com/Kiddopotamus-10319-Tinydiner-Placemat-Green/dp/B000TVWIPU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1236747640&sr=1-1 we took these and used them once. I found it more convenient to use the disposable placemats so I would haven’t to worry about taking back a dirty placemat.

Disposable Placemats: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3029063

Bibsters disposable bibs - my kids don't like these - constantly trying to pull them off.

Pack-n-Play sheets – BRU brand that has the elastic and easily fits various size PnP’s. Our room attendant did not bring us sheets for the PnPs…I guess he would have if we asked.

Pack-n-Plays: one was already in the room, and we asked for a second once on the ship.

Toys – a few small toys – easily fit in the RCCL bucket that you get with a bucket of “beverages” from the bar

Bungee cord used as clothes line on balcony to dry clothes (small clothes line in shower)

Lingerie Net Bag – this was a great idea from a previous poster – although we didn’t use. We had enough room on our sink counter to lay out a wash cloth and then we laid our clean bottles/parts on their to dry (or kinda dry).

Formula: we took 3 big cans of formula and one ready-made can to last through two weekends and the weekdays. I think someone recommended the ready-made cans so you wouldn’t have to worry about mixing, but we would have had to take a boat load of cans…and mixing the formula wasn’t that bad…so the powder worked for us.

Food: we took jars of food in addition to a bunch of snacks. We just fed them food from the Windjammer – so I ended up bringing all of my food back. We are at a stage where they don’t like taking food off of the spoon. It was pretty easy to request 2 high chairs. Be sure to bring a wet-wipe to wipe down the high chair…the ones we got were dirty. We packed two high chair covers (but someone else in my party had them)…they would have been inconvenient to carry anyway (and we didn’t have storage on our strollers). I sat with the girls and started feeding them (with snacks I brought or anything I snagged from the buffet as we walked in) and my DH got his plate and ate. Then, once the girls were settled, I got my plate and ate while DH entertained them or gave them some more food.

Refrigerator!!! If you need a refrigerator for your forumula, food or juice, I recommend you call and request a medical refrigerator. The frig’s they provide are barely cool. I didn’t trust it to keep our formula and juice at a cool enough temp. They got one for us later that afternoon per my request.

They have prune juice on the ship – for those whose babies might need it for regularity. We asked for a glass in the Windjammer and then poured it in our own take-n-toss cups to store in our room.

Activities: We played Ping Pong and the girls loved watching us and the balls going wild, Putt Putt Golf – we strolled them on the course, Basketball as the girls watched, Shuffleboard – we pushed their strollers instead of the pucks ;)

Fisher Price play time: was 9-9.45am each day. We only made it one time. There were two other babies there at that time. They setup the interlocking foam squares and have various toys for different levels. I don’t know if the toys change out and if they have more if they have a big group. Another mom said that they will stay longer than the 9.45 if kids are there.

We went to a 3.30 ice show. The girls enjoyed it until they passed out for a nap. The girls were sleeping soooo good…we just sat there after it was done to let them sleep…but we couldn’t. A crew member said we had to go so they could clean. I was pretty miffed as my girls woke up when we had to get up and leave. As we left, they weren’t doing anything.

Excursion: We were able to push the strollers on the tender in Cayman. We didn’t do anything in Cayman, we just walked around a few minutes. We hired a driver in Cozumel and toured the town. We stopped at a beach (Mr. Sancho’s I believe) – it had the grassy umbrellas and it was definitely not crowded when we were there (near 2pm). We took our strollers to the beach with us but didn’t use them – the umbrella provided plenty of shade. The water was too chilly, the girls didn’t like it. I’m guessing it was in the 70’s. We scuba dive (usually in December) and its usually 80 degrees and we can dive in our bathing suits, but this time it felt cooler. We didn’t get off the boat in Jamaica. We thought about catching a cab to a beach, but didn’t get ready in time.

Swimming: even the pool water seemed a bit cool – so we did not turn our inflatable tub into a pool since you can’t control the temp of the water coming out of the pool showers. I didn’t hunt down a janitor’s closet in case they had anything.

Babysitting: $10/hr for up to 2 kids, minimum 2 hours. Reserved on first night for whole week. It is not guaranteed you will get someone on the first night since you are reserving last minute and the crew is pretty wore out from getting you on board. We had someone come the first night, but the rest of the week was the same person. We had Jovelyn from the Phillipines on the Voyager and she seemed to work out fine. They ask at the desk if the kid is 1 year old...I said we were about 1 year...I think he put 18 months on the paperwork.

Life Jackets and muster: There was a toddler jacket in the closet and the attendant brought an infant one, but then he brought a second one by the end of the night. We didn’t need them for muster. We carried our adult life jackets and did not have to put them on. They did not offer to allow children to leave first to avoid the crowd (just an FYI).

Family on board with us: it was really helpful to have others on the boat with us. They took the girls the first day and we were able to unpack and get organized. Likewise, they strolled them on the last day and we could pack. They strolled them during the week as well. I highly suggest taking walkie talkies…that way you can find out where your kids are being strolled…or the caretaker can figure out where you are (if you don’t want to be captive in your room). We didn’t have walkie talkies – but I want to get some for the next trip.

Separating curtain: in the room, there is a very small curtain between the bed and the couch/pack-n-plays. We hooked a bungee cord from the end of that curtain to the air conditioner (or whatever that metal thing was in the ceiling)….then we hung up a huge blanket we had with us with some clothes pins. Oh, the sitting area has a small glass table - we stuck it out in the hallway and it disappeared.

 

[drunk on natualr]

Did you take your infant car seats for cabs to the port and while in port?

[AgVball]

We drove to our departure port and we left our carseats in our vehicle. The only port we used a vehicle was Cozumel. We elected to hold our girls in our lap.