Babies on board

In my parts, we call that school. I know when my 180 days of it was up, I was done. My kid too.

 

 

 

As I said, they are out and about with dozens of other kids that are also out of school. Never have we treated them as veal.

So kids that attend kids activities on the ship are treated like veal? [emoji23]

I don't want to turn this thread into a "who has the best parenting skills" conversation, but in my opinion, kids have a lot to learn outside of school, and a learning and social environment like the one provided on kids clubs aboard cruise ships is an excellent opportunity for them to do exactly that.

When we sailed a few weeks ago, my kids shared activities with kids that didn't even speak the same language. They met kids mostly from Europe, Asia, and South America, (as well as a few from the US). And even with the language barrier, they got to know each other by name, what games they liked to play, what they had in common and not, and about their cultural differences. This is the kind of thing that can't be learned in a regular classroom.

There was a couple with an infant daughter in her little ruffle bottomed swimsuit in the pool on our cruise last week and she was the center of attention. Lots of people stopping and babbling baby talk to her.

Wish my chubby thigh rolls were that cute! :)

I can just imagine all the babbling about the cute infant if some poo would have floated up in the pool and the pool was shut down for cleaning.

If baby is not potty trained and still in diapers, please keep them out of the pool.

So kids that attend kids activities on the ship are treated like veal? [emoji23]

 

I don't want to turn this thread into a "who has the best parenting skills" conversation, but in my opinion, kids have a lot to learn outside of school, and a learning and social environment like the one provided on kids clubs aboard cruise ships is an excellent opportunity for them to do exactly that.

 

When we sailed a few weeks ago, my kids shared activities with kids that didn't even speak the same language. They met kids mostly from Europe, Asia, and South America, (as well as a few from the US). And even with the language barrier, they got to know each other by name, what games they liked to play, what they had in common and not, and about their cultural differences. This is the kind of thing that can't be learned in a regular classroom.

There's no reason to justify why you prefer to have your kid locked up. That's between you and them.

I just prefer my kid to meet others whose parents allow them the freedom to be out and about. Apparently our kids will never meet.

But she has been going to Europe since she was 7 months old with no need of a ship to meet "them".

But she has been going to Europe since she was 7 months old with no need of a ship to meet "them".

That's just wonderful; so have mine. But as I said, I don't want to turn this thread into a debate about who has the best parenting skills. I just found your choice of monikers a bit amusing.

My kids loved being "locked up" in the kids club. They played games, made friends, made crafts, laughed at their silly "jail keepers" aka Camp Ocean counselors. In fact, they asked to be "locked up" even when they were set free. Who am I to deny them?

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

I don't know if OP uses one, but if you have an Ergo baby carrier(or one of the similar ones) it would be awesome for on a cruise. I carried my 7mo old in one through a day of flying, on my own, on multiple airplanes, and she much preferred it to her car seat/stroller option...as too many people would be in her face talking to her, and she was a shy baby. I probably wouldn't cruise without one! ;)

Good Luck, have fun, and for goodness sake, stay out of the pool! ;) :o:rolleyes::D

Okay, I'm going to upset a lot of people with my opinion:

I would never bring a child on a ship who is not ambulatory and who does not have basic speaking / language comprehension ability. Crying in public or diapers in a pool do not concern me, but evacuation does.

Why?

The unthinkable, think of Costa Concordia, or a similar calamity that could strike the ship, and the need to evacuate quickly, sometimes not as you might imagine it during the muster drill.

How might you carry your baby if forced to climb down a "Jacobs" rope ladder down the side of the ship? You had best have a back harness to put your baby in. Never assume that you will always get into an assigned life boat. What if you have to enter the water before climbing on to a boat?

Yes the chances of this are very slim, but it is worthy of serious thought.

Otherwise, look up the names Titanic (obvious), Empress of Ireland, Morrow Castle, Andrea Doria, Prinsendam, Oceanos, Estonia, Sun Vista, Achille Lauro, and the list goes on and on. On some of these babies, not to mention entire families were lost. On some, all were saved, but to put a baby through that?

Never assume that in a calamitous situation that other passengers, many in a panic, or the crew will give you priority over others. Sad, but true.

Sorry to take a different tack on this, but I feel it should be mentioned.

Okay, I'm going to upset a lot of people with my opinion:

 

I would never bring a child on a ship who is not ambulatory and who does not have basic speaking / language comprehension ability. Crying in public or diapers in a pool do not concern me, but evacuation does.

 

Why?

 

The unthinkable, think of Costa Concordia, or a similar calamity that could strike the ship, and the need to evacuate quickly, sometimes not as you might imagine it during the muster drill.

 

How might you carry your baby if forced to climb down a "Jacobs" rope ladder down the side of the ship? You had best have a back harness to put your baby in. Never assume that you will always get into an assigned life boat. What if you have to enter the water before climbing on to a boat?

 

Yes the chances of this are very slim, but it is worthy of serious thought.

 

Otherwise, look up the names Titanic (obvious), Empress of Ireland, Morrow Castle, Andrea Doria, Prinsendam, Oceanos, Estonia, Sun Vista, Achille Lauro, and the list goes on and on. On some of these babies, not to mention entire families were lost. On some, all were saved, but to put a baby through that?

 

Never assume that in a calamitous situation that other passengers, many in a panic, or the crew will give you priority over others. Sad, but true.

 

Sorry to take a different tack on this, but I feel it should be mentioned.

I guess we should rule out people with scooters, rollators, walkers, anyone who can't swim, and those whose primary language is not spoken onboard?

Do you have children? Have you vacationed with them in a foreign land, high rise hotel, etc?

Speaking of kids on board...does anyone have a picture of the highchairs that Carnival has available??

Speaking of kids on board...does anyone have a picture of the highchairs that Carnival has available??

This is not my photo, found it on Google, but you can see the highchair. It is your standard grey plastic restaurant type chair with a seatbelt. The tray part clips on and off depending if you want to use it or not

Okay, I'm going to upset a lot of people with my opinion:

 

I would never bring a child on a ship who is not ambulatory and who does not have basic speaking / language comprehension ability.

 

Why?

 

The unthinkable, think of Costa Concordia, or a similar calamity that could strike the ship, and the need to evacuate quickly, sometimes not as you might imagine it during the muster drill.

Lou:

I'm guilty of worrying about the "unthinkable" when we took our then 12 month old on his first cruise. My main concern though was not due to a ship emergency, but with a medical emergency. What if we were bobbing out in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico and our son needed immediate pediatric medical attention with the closest port a day away? What if we were at a private island with no medical care and no airports with flights back to "civilization"? At that age, we'd seen our son go from perfectly healthy to rush to the emergency room within a matter of hours, so we were concerned.

Yes, we were first time parents who worried a little too much about everything, but we agreed to take the cruise. We were selective though with the itinerary in order to minimize the impact of any unforeseen circumstances. We sailed from Jacksonville (an easy drive for us, which eliminated having to fly). We chose an itinerary that stopped in Key West and Nassau, both non-tender ports, with airports and nonstop air service back to our home city. This itinerary also meant that we would be within very close proximity of the US coast for the majority of the cruise, and with ports within a few hours of our position at all times in case we needed to divert.

As we learned, everything went well and none of our "first time parent fears" materialized. From that point on, we got more and more "adventurous" with every cruise we took. When our daughter was born and we took her on her first cruise, we went straight for an Alaska cruise. All the fears went out the door with that one.

I agree that it's smart to consider unforeseen circumstances, but I think that it's also important to consider the chances or probabilities of those circumstances happening. If we worried about all the things that could possibly go wrong on a daily basis, baby or not, we would never leave our homes.

There's no reason to justify why you prefer to have your kid locked up. That's between you and them.

 

 

 

I just prefer my kid to meet others whose parents allow them the freedom to be out and about. Apparently our kids will never meet.

 

 

 

But she has been going to Europe since she was 7 months old with no need of a ship to meet "them".

"The freedom to be out and about"

This makes me picture a bunch of toddlers alone sitting around playing poker and schmoozing with the other toddlers. Not a judgement either way just a sign that I need more coffee.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I can just imagine all the babbling about the cute infant if some poo would have floated up in the pool and the pool was shut down for cleaning.

 

 

 

If baby is not potty trained and still in diapers, please keep them out of the pool.

If you see a baby in the pool on our September cruise I can assure you that it won't be mine. I really don't understand why it's such a hard rule for people to follow. To be honest at this age my daughter has just as much fun in the bathtub so we will limit all of our onboard water activities to tub time. Not to mention the pools aren't that large so if there are other kids playing in the pool I'm not sure if want her in there even if it was allowed.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

And remember there is no insulation in the walls of your cabin , When your baby cries in your cabin ,The people on both sides of you ,above and below you ,All are disturbed by it . Your neighbors are on vacation to ,and the crying , kids getting loud in the cabin is not enjoyed by your neighbors ... I know we had a crying / teething baby next to us for 7 days . Carnival spoke with the people about the day and night crying , They gave us a 30 % off our next cruise for having to hear the noise for 7 days ..

A bit off topic but be sure you have proper ID for the baby or you won't be going anywhere.

I've reached out to both carnival and airlines all that is needed is his/her birth certificate.

And remember there is no insulation in the walls of your cabin , When your baby cries in your cabin ,The people on both sides of you ,above and below you ,All are disturbed by it . Your neighbors are on vacation to ,and the crying , kids getting loud in the cabin is not enjoyed by your neighbors ..

While we are in the topic of thin walls and annoying neighbors, let's not forget the screaming and fighting couples as well as the people next door or in hallways who think that drunk yelling and cackling at 3am is enjoyed by the people next door as much as they are enjoying it.

And remember there is no insulation in the walls of your cabin , When your baby cries in your cabin ,The people on both sides of you ,above and below you ,All are disturbed by it . Your neighbors are on vacation to ,and the crying , kids getting loud in the cabin is not enjoyed by your neighbors ... I know we had a crying / teething baby next to us for 7 days . Carnival spoke with the people about the day and night crying , They gave us a 30 % off our next cruise for having to hear the noise for 7 days ..

Your fare goes toward sharing a ship. If you want to control all the things around you, consider a yacht.

BTW, not all kids cry non stop. Being a parent 20 years I've yet to encounter that in any of my circles. I'd be more concerned about loud adults. Now that I've encountered all my life.

I've reached out to both carnival and airlines all that is needed is his/her birth certificate.

That's actually all any cruiser on a US closed loop cruise needs.

But an adult needs a photo ID along with that infant doesn't.

And remember there is no insulation in the walls of your cabin , When your baby cries in your cabin ,The people on both sides of you ,above and below you ,All are disturbed by it . Your neighbors are on vacation to ,and the crying , kids getting loud in the cabin is not enjoyed by your neighbors ... I know we had a crying / teething baby next to us for 7 days . Carnival spoke with the people about the day and night crying , They gave us a 30 % off our next cruise for having to hear the noise for 7 days ..

This is one of the primary reasons we booked a Family Harbor room on the Vista. While I am not worried about my 17 month old crying all the time (she really is pretty calm) I figure if you book a room labeled "FAMILY" you must also accept that families are potentially NOISY and it's part of having the cabin. I have a white noise app on our tablets and they get loud enough to block most noise (under the galley too...so might be useful there as well).