Cruisin' with an infant... Call me crazy!

[pygmypuff]

Call me crazy but we booked our first cruise and have really set ourselves up for a challenge.....

 

Travel party consists of mom, dad, 2 teen girls and 1 six month old grandchild...

 

I know we will spend lots of time in the shade and probably more time in the room taking naps than most cruisers.

 

I have learned that she will not be allowed in the pool due to health regulations so I took the advice of bringing along a small inflatable pool for her. I found one at Walmart that is not much bigger than a round float.

 

I plan to bring bottled water to mix her formula and baby food.

 

Question: Will there be restrictions in taking the powdered formula, bottled water and prepackaged baby food off the ship when we port?

 

I have a collapsible rolling cooler to keep her stuff cool as well.

 

Question: How far is it from the pier to the ruins at Tulum? How long of a drive?

 

Question: Taxi's... should we lug the carseat? Do the taxi's have carseats and seatbelts? or "when in Rome...." Should we hold her in our lap and pray alot?

 

Question: Best beach for families in Cozumel?

 

The cruise line is providing a crib. Are there high chairs in the dining room? or can we stroll her to the table in her stroller. Yes, we plan to eat in the dining room for dinner. We eat out with her alot so I think we've got this resturant thing down and we know when to graciously exit if need be.

 

 

Any other helpful hints on doing this cruise thing with teens and an infant will be most appreciated.

[sas80]

Call me crazy but we booked our first cruise and have really set ourselves up for a challenge.....

 

Travel party consists of mom, dad, 2 teen girls and 1 six month old grandchild...

 

I know we will spend lots of time in the shade and probably more time in the room taking naps than most cruisers.

 

I have learned that she will not be allowed in the pool due to health regulations so I took the advice of bringing along a small inflatable pool for her. I found one at Walmart that is not much bigger than a round float.

 

I plan to bring bottled water to mix her formula and baby food.

 

Question: Will there be restrictions in taking the powdered formula, bottled water and prepackaged baby food off the ship when we port?

 

I have a collapsible rolling cooler to keep her stuff cool as well.

 

Question: How far is it from the pier to the ruins at Tulum? How long of a drive?

 

Question: Taxi's... should we lug the carseat? Do the taxi's have carseats and seatbelts? or "when in Rome...." Should we hold her in our lap and pray alot?

 

Question: Best beach for families in Cozumel?

 

The cruise line is providing a crib. Are there high chairs in the dining room? or can we stroll her to the table in her stroller. Yes, we plan to eat in the dining room for dinner. We eat out with her alot so I think we've got this resturant thing down and we know when to graciously exit if need be.

 

 

Any other helpful hints on doing this cruise thing with teens and an infant will be most appreciated.

 

NO restrictions on bringing bottled water or formula with you off the ship. Besides packing a can of formula, you may want to pack a few ziploc sandwich sized bags so you can scoop 'servings' of formula into them for easy transport. No use lugging a formula can everywhere you go.

 

You may want to invest in a spray bottle mister that you can fill with water in order to mist your kids to keep them/everyone cool.

 

IIRC it is a 45 boat ride to Tulum. (?) We did this in 1999 from Carnival. I dont know if things have changed.

 

No taxi's have car seats that I know of and I dont recall seat belts in Cozumel. If you are booking a private tour, always ASK if they can provide you with a car seat and ask if they have seat belts. Bringing a car seat is a personal choice. Some people do, some people dont. We typically do not.

 

There are high chairs in the dining room, bring your stroller if that works for you.

 

Note: If you are stopping in Cozumel, and you have time, remember that there is a Cheddrari supermarket a short taxi ride from the pier. You can purchase things like diapers, formula, etc, there. This can be a lifesaver if you didnt bring enough formula, and makes packing easier since you can opt to bring just enough diapers to get you "to" Cozumel.

[crusinmama06]

Isn't the Tulum tour a pretty long one? That's the one concern I would have with it. Of course, at 6 months, they pretty much go where you take them, at 16 months...not so much. ;)

 

Car Seats - the laws of physics are the same in Mexico. Yes, I always take one. No, the taxis do not have them.

 

Best family beach in Cozumel - Paradise Beach or if you want a private island for just cruise ship guests - Passion Island, booked through the cruise line.

 

Yes - highchairs are in the dining room.

 

Enjoy your cruise. :D

[pygmypuff]

I think we have pretty much ruled out the Tulum tour. Just too long of a drive. My friend recently did this same cruise but with teenagers and they hired a taxi for the day and they just asked the driver to take them to the beach for a couple of hours, drive them to the ruins and she said they spent about 30 min here- just enough to get a picture, and they he dropped them off so they could do some shopping.

 

Now I know with an infant that is not a schedule that we can duplicate. The 2 things that the family wanted to do is "see" the ruins not necessarily tour but nobody wants to drive 3 hours to and from. The second is shopping for my teen girls in Playa del Carmen. So we may just get off and do some shopping then head in early for a nap.

 

In Cozumel, we would like to go to the beach- early- find some shade- splash in the water- dad and teens want to snorkle from the beach (nobody is interested in being dropped off in the middle of the ocean and me.... the mom.... i'm scared of the fish, birds and lizards.... what was i thinking booking a trip to the tropics....LOL!) We would probably call it a half day here as well. Bitty Boo just cant hang for all day.

 

I never could get a straight answer about the carseat. When I called carnival they didnt know if the taxis had seatbelts or what the law was. I did read that the seatbelt law in Mexico is that only the driver has to wear a seatbelt. I would feel much better if we traveled by taxi so we could be on our own time and if the taxis have seatbelts I would feel better if we took the infant seat as well. She hasnt passed the weight limit yet. If we are able to hire a taxi for the day, do you think they would let us store our carseat in the trunk until they come back to get us? We have 2 carseats so if it disappears its no big deal.

I have purchased a stroller umbrella to clip on to the front of the stroller, and a clip on fan and I have my Disney mister fans as well. We are loaded up on sunscreen.....

What do you think the probability of Carnival throwing in some "free" water for the baby since I had to pay full price for her and she cant partake in the dining experience..... she can drink water or mix it with her formula though. We have this really neat three section divided thing that holds premeasured powder formula- enough for 3 bottles. We have drop in type liners so no washing bottles just nipples.

We usually vacation at Disney and I plan for MONTHS in advance......We booked this cruise 40 days out, have never cruised, am taking an infant and my obsessive compulsive planning self is starting to panic ;)

[topspot]

When we went to Cozumel and wanted to see ruins, but not an all day trip,we went to the San Gervasio (sp?) ruins. The drive was only about 45 minutes. This might be an option for you if your family really wants to see ruins, but not spend all day doing it.

[sbhdmh]

One option is to use a sit 'n' stroll. You can use it as a carseat on the plane and while in taxis or busses on shore. It can also double as a stroller. It makes it easier getting through the airport and should even fit down the aisle of the airplane.

 

It sounds from your posts like you would be more comfortable using a carseat in taxis. If so this may be functional rather than an extra thing to drag along.

 

Just a thought...

[pygmypuff]

We wont be flying. Luckily I am only 4 hours drive from Mobile and I have family in the area also.

 

I have seen the sit and stroll that you are talking about. I havent thought of that as an option. So I'm going to check it out again.

 

Thanks for all of your helpful responses.

 

And yes, I am concerned for her safety..... I'm a pediatric nurse.

[amistad]

We took a sit and stroll for our grandson when he was 5 months and 1 year on Carnival and Princess. The nice thing about it was getting around on the ship it worked really nicely because it didn't take up as much room and turned easily.

[DiveSquire]

The best place in Cozumel is Chankanaab (sp?). It has great snorkeling, great place to lay in the shade and also a great place to store things in lockers. It is a $10 cab ride. Buy the entry tickets online and save some $$$.

 

As for the infant coming along I would also ask the cruise lines for free bottled water...you paid for her to get food and that is part of her food. I don't know if it would work but talk to the pursers desk, maybe they will.

 

I would also not trust my carseat to anyone but you in Cozumel. The taxi system has become laborized and they have standard rates now that you cannot negotiate.

[sprite]

I wouldn't be concerned with getting bottled water, the water out of the tap should be fine, it's just distilled water. And it's free all day long!