Bringing a 9 month old on the Legend

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

He/she has been posting for years, probably thousands of posts as useful as the post in this thread.

 

Everyone one of which ends up being deleted by the Mods.:rolleyes:

 

That just might set a new "world record"!

 

Tom

[halos]

but I will comment here that I notice adults who sit in the pool for hours drinking all day and NEVER get out to go potty - and they worry about the babies in the diaper!

 

.

 

 

*sigh*

 

Ok

I've read this comment several times on these boards over the years and I must be in a pissy mood right now because I am finally going to respond to it.

Bull

 

I have serious doubts that anyone spends hours of their vacation spying on people in the pool and timing how long they stay in there without getting out to use the rest room.

If you seriously sit for hours watching people to see if they get out of a pool to pee, you are seriously wasting your hard earned vacation money.

[kdinkus1]

Whether you are a parent on a cruise ship or a land vacation, as long as you are being 'responsible'... I don't care where you take your baby! With that being said, if your child is allowed to cry in the dining room or theater for more than just a few minutes, then I will have wished you would have left the child at home. Parents who continue to allow their children to either 'cry' or 'act out' during times like these will upset me and others. I do understand a baby will cry, etc.. please don't ruin my cruise experience and make me (and others) suffer because you choose to ignore the noise.

 

Senior CD John Heald wrote about a child on a cruise lately that was allowed to cry during his show at the theater and how it upset the whole audience. The parents sat there completely clueless on how it was affecting the crowd! So he brought the child on stage and sang him to sleep. The audience was so happy that they broke into spontaneous applause... and of course, it woke that baby up! :D

 

Moral of the story... kids will be kids BUT be aware of those around you that have also paid a lot of money to relax and have fun! Let's all enjoy our cruise together!

[Nunu]

*sigh*

 

Ok

I've read this comment several times on these boards over the years and I must be in a pissy mood right now because I am finally going to respond to it.

Bull

 

I have serious doubts that anyone spends hours of their vacation spying on people in the pool and timing how long they stay in there without getting out to use the rest room.

If you seriously sit for hours watching people to see if they get out of a pool to pee, you are seriously wasting your hard earned vacation money.

 

pee police? :eek:

[halos]

pee police? :eek:

 

LOL...maybe we should give them badges :rolleyes:

[dan40]

pee police? :eek:

 

Maybe he got laid off from the poop patrol!

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

LOL...maybe we should give them badges :rolleyes:

 

... and what would be the best design/graphic for said badge?? :eek:

 

Tom

[awhcruiser]

I feel sorry for your children....if you have any

 

My PERSONAL opinion is that the o.p. is pretty selfish bringing a 9 month old baby on a cruise. The O.P. should consider other passengers on board, and a screaming 9 month old in the dining room, not to mention the o.p. trying to get the kid in the pool so it can crap in it, and then the pool will have to be drained and cleaned, preventing the other passengers from using the pool.

Use some common sense people. A cruise is not the place for a 9 month old baby unless it's a private cruise, and you are the only one on the ship.

[Nunu]

... and what would be the best design/graphic for said badge?? :eek:

 

Tom

 

I've got a good smilie for that but I might get banned. :eek:

[Scott_F]

Our first cruise had the pool shut down for the entire afternoon as the guys in hazmat suits cleaned up after the "baby ruth". Seriously. Drained the pool, scrubbed it out with harsh chemical, waited several hours, filled it, drained it and refilled the next morning.

[halos]

... and what would be the best design/graphic for said badge?? :eek:

 

Tom

 

I'll try to make some time to work on that LOL!! :p

 

OP:

Bringing the baby on a cruise will be a lot of work. Some parents find joy in it, other do not. You'll only know if it works for you if you try yourself ;)

I'm sure you're already aware that babies are not permitted in pools...but that isn't too big a deal. I'm sure you can find a shady spot to keep the baby cool.

Excursions by automobile (cabs, vans, etc) may not have the seat belts you'd need to use a car seat, so you may want to take that into consideration. I do think a stroller would be a must.

 

Personally for me, bringing a young child on a cruise is somethign I wouldn't do, (for many reasons, the primary one being in a confined space with thousands of people and risk of virus contagion without proper medical facilities) but other parents really enjoy it. You should visit the 'Family Cruising Boards' to get feedback from people who do bring their babies. It probably will be more help.

[A&Jfamily]

Kids under 5 should not be on a cruise period.

 

My youngest has been cruising since he was late 2's. You would have never known he was there. He ate like a little gentleman in the dining room and never once cried on the whole trip. It was a great family vacation...so much so, that we are taking our 4th next week.

[A&Jfamily]

Kids under 5 should not be on a cruise period.

 

 

Oh - you are the troll that posted earlier...member since 2000 with only 1 post.

[mosel]

I think one of the problems is that parents of small babies are desensitized to the sound of the baby. When you are around it alot you can kinda relegate to the back of your mind and go on with life as you know it. For those of us not around a baby very often it can be the most aggravating, agonizing noise that rips through our heads and won't let us focus on anything else. I have raised three kids to their 20's and I agreed to baby sit for a neighbor the other day .I do not remember crying being so irritating when it was my kid. That might be why it takes some people so long before they remove a crying kid. They are just used to the sound and don't realize the effect on others. I do wish in these instances there was a crew member that might suggest that the baby might like to go for a walk. Cindy

[halos]

I think one of the problems is that parents of small babies are desensitized to the sound of the baby. When you are around it alot you can kinda relegate to the back of your mind and go on with life as you know it. For those of us not around a baby very often it can be the most aggravating, agonizing noise that rips through our heads and won't let us focus on anything else. I have raised three kids to their 20's and I agreed to baby sit for a neighbor the other day .I do not remember crying being so irritating when it was my kid. That might be why it takes some people so long before they remove a crying kid. They are just used to the sound and don't realize the effect on others. I do wish in these instances there was a crew member that might suggest that the baby might like to go for a walk. Cindy

 

I never thought of it that way but that makes a lot of sense.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

I think one of the problems is that parents of small babies are desensitized to the sound of the baby. When you are around it alot you can kinda relegate to the back of your mind and go on with life as you know it. For those of us not around a baby very often it can be the most aggravating, agonizing noise that rips through our heads and won't let us focus on anything else. I have raised three kids to their 20's and I agreed to baby sit for a neighbor the other day .I do not remember crying being so irritating when it was my kid. That might be why it takes some people so long before they remove a crying kid. They are just used to the sound and don't realize the effect on others. I do wish in these instances there was a crew member that might suggest that the baby might like to go for a walk. Cindy

 

We've noticed that as well. When we hear crying now (our kids are 17 and 22) it goes "right to the bone", and can't be easily tolerated... at least for any period of time!

 

We were "unlucky" enough on our trip out to Vegas last week to have a whining 2 year old about 3 seats back. That flight was close to 5 hours, though it seemed longer! The most "entertaining" part was when another guy across from us, after about his 4th or 5th drink, decided to go back and speak a few choice words to the parents who NEVER SAID OR DID ANYTHING that any of us could detect to try to pacify or deter the behavior of their child. That little confrontation did result in "no more drinks" for the only fellow who had the "gusto" (read: lack of inhibition!) to alert the parents to the possibility that their little one might be impacting the trip for others! Granted, that fellow himself had been rather loud and annoying as well!! :rolleyes:

 

Tom

[CarnivalCruiseLover]

I feel sorry for your children....if you have any

 

 

I was not dumb enough to have children. I can't stand kids, but the 99% of the problems with children are not the children themselves, but the parents that raise them.

 

As I stated, these are my opinions, and pertaining to this post, my past experiences with over indulging parents bringing infants and or poorly behaved children on a cruise. Several of the cruises I have been on, I have had the extreme displeasure to be seated next to a table that have brought infants on board, and I was forced to hear the crying, whining, and constant tossing of food on the floor by these kids, and I also watched the clueless parents overlook these problems, as the dining staff was forced to pick up the food constantly that their kids tossed on the floor, and all around the tables (as if the dining room staff don't have enough to do)!!! These weren't occasional events either,they were observed on each cruise, not to mention the parents bringing infants to the shows, and other events on the cruise completely clueless that not every guest on board like children, and YES crying children and misbehaved children annoy people. I am so glad they changed the policy of charging kids full price, and it might be labeled a "family" cruise, but that doesn't mean a romper room for 7 days.

[CarnivalCruiseLover]

Wow - this post was totally non-responsive to the OP. She's taking the kid...didn't ask opinions as to whether she should or not.

 

 

The OP didn't ask for opinions, but I gave her mine! That's why this is called a message board!

[CarnivalCruiseLover]

Thanks everyone for your tips! In response to CarnivalCruiseLover - I hate screaming 9 mo olds too but unfortunately babies are unpredictable just like some adults. For instance, I was not expecting a comment like yours. WOW.

 

I think I'm just going to have to do more research on what there is to do at the ports. I've seen many posts that say don't bother getting off at Roatan unless you do have a planned excursion. My parents and grandparents are coming with us as well so we not only have to consider the 9 month old but the couple in their 80s.

 

Anyway - thanks everyone for your helpful advice.

 

Well I have heard for numerous parents that their children act like adults, which is not true. Most parents to realize how annyoing their children are to other people. I am not saying your 9 month old is annoying, but like I said, a cruise ship is no place for a 9 month old baby.

[salty dingo]

I think success in taking a 9 month old on a cruise depends on the type of parents. If they are going to be with the child all the time and tend to the kid's needs, just like at home, then all is well. If the parents are planning to relax, drink, dance, gamble, see shows, etc. then they need to do it in shifts, while one parent focuses on the little one, while the other plays. Or, purchase babysitting services to go and do things together.

 

Also, nothing is more irritating than being at a nice dinner and hearing a crying baby. A responsible parent should take the child out of the dining room at the first sign of trouble and not return until the kid is behaving. It's like that in restaurants on land. Some parents are more interested in eating their meal than they are about annoying other diners. Other parents are considerate and will remove the offending child. So far, all the cruises I have been on have been free from these issues. Maybe having the late seating helps in that regard.

[halos]

You all already know how I feel about infants on cruises, but to the defense of all 9 month old babies, I feel I must say this:

From my limited experiences around young children (as I try to avoid them LOL!!) the ages 6 mos through 11-12 mos are SO nice!! I have found babies that age to be the most pleasant of all. They are perfect! For the most part, all they do is giggle (because they are SO easily amused :D) and poop. :p

Usually by then, they are on a great sleep schedule which makes them very pleasant and they aren't (well, MOST aren't...) mobile, so you aren't tripping over them and parents don't have to chase them. They are usually all filled out and chubby and so cute that you just want to do nothing but kiss their precious faces.

:)

 

Then once they become mobile.... :eek:

[CarnivalCruiseLover]

Richard Cranium.

 

Why thank you! Love being called that!

[Baxter]

We found a cruise to be the perfect place for our 9-month old baby! Lots of friendly people for her to interact with, she was treated likely royalty in the dining room by staff and patrons alike. She slept like a log thanks to the sea air.

 

To the OP: Have a fabulous time. Any period where you don't have to cook and clean is a welcome place! Our LO, now almost 3, has been on 3 cruises and numerous land vacations. She travels well...we're lucky. But it definitely is a different vacation than BK -- before kids! My husband and I would trade off nap times and bed times so that we would each get some time to go out and some down time. We switched to early dining (we used to do late) because it fit better with her schedule. We made sure she had a snack before dinner in case it took a while for her dinner to arrive. And, while most passangers were wonderful, there were definitely a few who must have believed that every child was the spawn of satan. We had many an elevator door closed on us, with people saying "quick, don't let the baby in here". Lots of unsolicited parenting advice -- "why would you bother taking her....she won't remember anything" (to which I learned to retort with "I'm not sure why you bother travelling with your husband....once Alzheimer's hits, he won't remember anything).

 

We planned nothing at the ports, planning to either take public transportation to a beach, or just planning to stroll around the cruiseport area. I don't know if you use a Baby Bjorn or Snuggly (or similar contraption) but we found them to be lifesavers when we went into town. Never bothered taking a stroller because we always find the sidewalks too crowded to properly navigate down them.

[shipty2]

My son is 18 months old and is getting ready for his 3rd cruise. We never do the pool on the ship since we live in Florida and have one in the backyard' date=' but I will comment here that I notice adults who sit in the pool for hours drinking all day and NEVER get out to go potty - and they worry about the babies in the diaper!

[/quote']

 

Although I do agree that is is disgusting that adult use the pool as their toilet urine is not nearly as deadly as feces which contains e.coli and can kill people.

[golfgang4]

To the person who said no kids should be allowed to take kids under 5 on a cruise must not have kids!!! We took our daughter on a cruise when she was 8 months old...she was great!!! If she ever got fussy we got up and left. We never expected anyone else to have to listen to her. When we went on the cruise they didn't have camp carnival so that wasn't even and option. We are taking both of our kids...8 and 10 on a cruise in November and could't be more excited!!! I really hope there are other kids on the cruise and just hope that if any child...no matter what the age...is not acting right is taken out of the situation so others can enjoy the cruise!!!

 

Have a great time!!!