WinterEscape

We took my son when he was nursing and 9 months. I didn't bring any milk aboard, but I did pump and store some in the cabin. The refrigerator is not cold enough as others mentioned, but my room Stewart was great about keeping me stocked in ice and a large bucket. He emptied out the fridge for me and I was able to keep my milk on ice in the fridge. The milk stayed plenty cold. This worked well for us.

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I would book the Quantum. I usually pick by itinerary, but neither are great, so I would pick based on the ship.

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We have done numerous family and friend cruises. One even included over 50 people going ;) I agree with precious posters and strongly recommend you find a good TA very familiar with cruising and let them handle all the bookings, pricing info, etc. We have always done this and it works great! It is so much easier then we have booked land based vacations as a group. We simply book our room(s) and tell our friends and family we are going on this cruise on this date and booked with this TA. That way, they can book with your TA or another, they will end up on the same ship, and you never have to stress about other people's money or accommodations.

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My DH was just naturally good at that kind of activity. With that said, he skis (water and snow) and wake boards a lot at home. I am sure these activities helped him. I on the other hand fell almost immediately every time I tried to use the thing!

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We recently booked through choice sit because it was $75 a ticket less than booking through Delta for the same flight.

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We are in the same boat. We booked two cruises thinking there wouldn't be another good sale in a while. There is a large price difference. My DH is going to call our TA today.

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I have also never taken snacks. We even managed fine without bringing any with our toddler in tow. We were always able to find fruit and Cheerios for him ;)

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We have always picked a cruise based on price and itinerary. We recently switched our Oasis booking to a much better itinerary on Jewel. I have been on many if RCCL's ships and I have yet to be disappointed. I do want to try the Oasis at some point though.

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We sailed with my son when he was 9 months and again at 13 months. He did great on both cruises. We overpacked diapers and medicine as previous posters mentioned. On the first cruise, we packed baby food as he was mainly eating baby food at the time. I was glad we packed it, but I was not glad when we got called to the naughty room for trying to "smuggle" candles on board. Apparently they thought my baby food jars were candles. If I were to bring baby food on a cruise again, I think I would carry it on. That way, if there is any question, they can open the bag right there. When my son was 13 months, he occasionally would have some baby food, but did fine the entire week without any and got to try lots of new foods.

I work in the school system and follow a teacher calendar. We typically cruise over spring break as you can usually find good rates for this week if you book early. We have also been able to snag a cruise here or there that works with my winter holiday break. If your break happens to fall with a week that does not include a Christmas or New Years, you can often find low rates.

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We took an 11:30am flight once and it was plenty of time.

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We always ask for an extra large ice bucket on the first day and ask for ice twice a day. We usually get a large plastic bucket (like you see at the pool). A few times we have gotten large buckets that I am assuming go in suites. When we ask, we always provide a $20 tip.

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I am still waiting for the upgrade fairy to visit ;) I am even more surprised the my in laws who are D+ approaching pinnacle and cruise 5-6 times a yet to be visited either.

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We have found them very accommodating for kids and our servers have often gone and gotten other items not on the list for our kids.

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We always send out items on the first day that need pressing. We generally only send things we will wear to dinner to keep the cost down.

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I did not realize this happened! We visited in 2008 and they evacuated the island. At the time we were leaving the island, we had water up to our knees walking to get on the tender and the seas were very rough. They had to shut off all electricity to the island. It was chaotic to say the least. The first and only time I have ever gone through a metal detector submerged in water!

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We are very excited ;) For those of you who have visited the southern ports, please share your recommendations for favorite tours/beaches/excursions.

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Made it officially today and changed our booking to Jewel, although I am a bit bummed we didn't change our minds before the last sale ended. We will make it on Oasis at some point and probably when our kids are coming. Since this will be out first just us cruise until who knows when, we decided to focus on the ports instead of the ship.

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Thank you for all the responses! I should have added that our children will be with their grandparents and this will be our first vacation without kids since having them. At this moment I am leaning more towards the jewel. The corner aft balcony it swaying me too. I thought about the Allure sailing the next day, but my husband has to be back by a certain date for a work engagement and the allure sailing conflicts.

We have really enjoyed the radiance class ships in the past. We are also thinking about a large family cruise (with both sets of grandparents) in 2016 on the Oasis or the Allure.

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We have it narrowed down to two choices and we are having a hard time deciding. Help us pick!

Option 1: Oasis of the Seas

Western Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Labadee, Haiti; Falmouth, Jamaica; Cozumel, Mexico)

Balcony

Pros: We have never sailed on the Oasis and would love to try it out.

Cons: We have already been to all the ports.

Option 2: Jewel of the Seas

Southern Caribbean (San Juan, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Basseterre, St. Kitts; Roseau, Dominica; Bridgetown, Barbados; Philipsburg, St. Maarten)

Aft Balcony with wrap around balcony

Pros: We love having an aft balcony (we have had then three other times) and we would get to visit three new ports). This also doesn't seem like a cruise we would bring the kids on as I think we would be exhausted from chasing after them at all the ports.

Cons: Extra travel going to San Juan and not getting to check out the Oasis.

Both cruises will cost approximately the same. Airfare will likely be a bit higher to San Juan. Which would you pick and why?

Thanks!

I make a point of walking extra and taking the stairs. I eat what I want and I have never gained more than two pounds on a cruise. I usually have no gain or lose a pound or two.

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Two things I didn't see mentioned that I was glad we had with our son at 11months are an inflatable bath tub and baby powder. The tub is perfect for bathing if your cabin doesn't have a tub and can be used as a kiddy pool on a balcony if you have one. The baby powder is for any time spent with sand. Sand can be a nuisance, especially with diaper changes. Sprinkle a little baby powder on, rub it in, and the sand will fall right off.