mdjohn5

OP,

You can check out bags of toys from the kids club that are good for a 1 yo. They have different ones so we would rotate them every other day or so and that tended to keep our kids busy in the cabin.

We also tried to bring some small toys from home that would double as bath toys (hard plastic, stacking cups, etc)

Not sure if your kids are able to draw yet, but we bring some dry erase makers and let the kids color on the plexi glass of our balacony. Cleans up with just a damp towel, but lets you sit outside and relax/read as the kids play.

Both of ours were just learning to walk on their first cruise...honestly the most fun they had was exploring. Just put them down and let them go. Funny to see what they think is interesting.

However, probably the easiest solution to the pool issue is to try and get the older kids to go to the pool at nap time for the 1 yo.

If you have it booked and have paid for the 5th person already..... realistacally, what are they going to do if you show up at the pier with only four people?

Most/all of the cabins on the ship are reserved. I can't see them shuffling cabins at check in....but nothing would surprise me anymore :)

When our son was that age, we found a children's tuxedo online for about $25. He was pretty cute in the outfit and we got some great pictures. He would not wear the shoes, but we were able to get him to wear the shirt, coat and pants.

They won't turn you away from dinner if he has a t-shirt on, but in my opinion, half the fun of formal nights is making the kids wear uncomfortable cloths!

The price on a room for 3 will always be the same whether it's 2 adults and one child or three adults.

This is not always true. Occasionaly they run a "Kids Sail Free" promotion were children under 18 as extras in the cabin (3rd or 4th) are free.

Outside of that though, the extra person charge is the same on RCCL for an adult ot a child.

That said, those promotions run infrequently so if the OP needs/wants to book as soom as the itinerary comes out, it probably won't help them, but I wanted to mention it in case somone else reads the thread.

Rosemount, MN here.

Kids are 4 and 6 and the will both be going on their 4th cruise in November. They have been on Holland America once and this will be their 3rd time on RCI.

Summers are too nice and winters too cold in MN to not try and get away on a nice cruise every winter!

Another thing that was kinda fun was letting her walk around all over - the night club during the day, on stage when there were no shows, etc. She really liked being able to toddle every where!

I did this with both of my kids at that age and had a blast. I would just put them down in the hallway and follow behind them and see where we would end up. If they looked like they wanted to go up or down stairs I would carry them, otherwise I just let them lead the way. We would find all kinds of places I had never seen on the ship.

Yes...all the mainstream cruiselines have a kid's menu! Thinks like mac and cheese, chicken fingers (who knew chickens had fingers???), pasta, peanutbutter sandwiches, grilled cheese, fruit, veggies....etc....kid-friendly to the max! You can also order off the adult menu, if there are items your child would like....and YOU can order off the kids, too!

When we cruise, grandpa always sits next to the kids at dinner so he can order the Mac-n-Cheese...."for the kids..."

The brownie from the kids menu is always a popular desert for the "adult children" at our table

Don't be afraid to try eating in the main dining room. We actually found it much easier with young children than the windjammer. At the buffet, you are always running to get food, drinks, etc. In the MDR the waiters are bringing things to you, so you can concentrate on entertaining the kids.

Traveling with young children is a different vacation than pre-kids, but it is still a lot of fun!

We use the Concierge as our "first line of defense" when something does not go as planned.

I could walk down and stand in line at guest services or pick up the phone and wait on hold and do it myself...but many times it is easier to mention it to the concierge and see if he can fix it for me, without my investment in time.

For instance, on our last cruise, my son pulled off is muster station wrist band..I could have taken the 15-30 mins to go get a new one myself, but I just mentioned it to the concierge and he gave me a new one the next time he saw me...he even grabbed a few extra in case it happened again.

9 times out of 10, it is just samll things like that, that they can take care of to make your vacation a little nicer.

We have done this as well..no big deal.

However, depending on how close your rooms are, you may be assigned to different muster stations. Not a huge deal, but just note that if there is an emergency and you are not with the child, the crew will take them to their muster station, not yours.

Don't be afraid to try the main dinning room!

All kids are different, but we actually find the main dinning room easier with the kids than trying to feed everone at the buffet.

The buffet requires non stop running, one person sitting with the kids while the other goes and gets food. In the MDR, at least someone is bringing the food to you. In our experience, once the waiters get to know your kids, they have things ready to go. For example, on our last cruise our son was eating a lot of fruit the first night, so every night after that he had a fruit bowl waiting for him when we sat down.

If you have a cabin with a balcony, I would also recommend a few dry erase markers.

We bring a few and the kids love to draw pictures on the plex-glass while we sit on the balcony. It is easy to clean up with a towel when they are done and they are a small item for packing purposes.

We were able to check out bags of toys on the Indy in January.

My understanding is that the link in with Fisher Price was ending...not the actual toy lending program, but I may be wrong.

If you don't already baby wear than I wouldn't wait until the cruise to try it out.

The Ergo is pretty warm, so while it does give great support (I can walk for hours while wearing my 8 month old), it might not be the best option for tropical climates. A Mai Tai might be a better option for you to check out.

LO will be 19 months when we go on our cruise next year and I plan on bringing an umbrella stroller and a wrap carrier.

I agree, as the family Sherpa, a Mai Tai is deffinetly a good option......oh wait... I am thinking of something else.... never mind...

Not sure if this will help, but we have had two opposite experiences with Pack n Plays.

1) We did a Holland America cruise and had a pack n play reserved. It was waiting for us in the cabin, seemed clean, and was basically a non issue. I would note that they don't have fitted sheets for them...they just give you a twin size sheet to use.

2) We did a Royal Carribbean cruise and they could never produce one for us. We had it reserved and confirmed by our TA, but when we got on the ship they were befuddled by the request. The steward, the suite concieger, even the Hotel Manager had no idea what we wanted. We did talk to other parents on the ship who did get pack n plays, so I am not sure why they could never get one to us. Our son eneded up sleeping on the couch...and never wanted to back to his crib once we got home :)

If you are driving to the port and you have room in the car anyway, based on my experience, I would recommend you bring your own. If there are space issues and/or a giant pain to lug it around, I would roll the dice on the ship providing one.

I know this is not exatcly what you were asking, but we stayed at the Hyatt House in Dania Beach last January.

They have a two bedroom suite that has a little living room, kitchen / table area. We ordered pizza from a local place that delivered and had a nice evening in the hotel before we went to the port the next day.

The Hotel is set back off the main road, I would say its about a 5 min walk out to the main road if you go slow and I think there are a few fast food places (wendy's or Bk maybe?). There is also a large strip mall with a K-mart and BJ's and lots of other stores that would be about a 10 minute walk.

Not sure how far away you consider "close by" to be, but the Mouse has a little place about an hour away that I hear is geared toward the kids...

:)

We stayed at the Hyatt House...which I think shares a parking lot with the Hyatt Place on our last cruise in January.

I was noting fancy, but was clean, good price and had free breakfast, laundry facilities, shuttle service etc. Would deff stay there again for a pre cruise.

Just pay attention at the airport when you catch the shuttle. There are a couple of Hyatt locations in Fort Lauderdale and you have to know which one you are going to.

We rented a car from Dollar and dropped it off at the port pre cruise last Jan.

We dropped the car off at about 11:00 AM, an honestly the location was a zoo. Lots of people just getting off the ships were waiting to rent a car and that made the fairly small location very crowded with lots of people just standing around and tons of bags piled up everywhere.

Depending on how many people you have in your party, number of luggage items you have, and when you plan to get to the port, I would plan accordingly.

We had six people (two adults, two kids, and two seniors). Luckly, I had made a trip to the ship by myself at about 10:00AM and dropped all of the bags. That way, when we returned the car, we didnt have all of the luggage to try and get onto the shuttle etc. As it was, we were able to get right on the shuttle since we didn't have any bags other than our carry on items. If we had all the luggage, I suspect we would have had to wait a few cycles of the shuttle bus.

I would guess that if you plan to arrive at the port later in the afternoon, it will be less chaotic since most people getting off the ships have had a chance to rent cars.

The 10:00 AM run to the ship actually worked pretty well for me. Most of the people are off the ship by then, and the new waive has not yet arrived. I drove right up and dropped the bags, just had to wait for a few traffic lights.

I hope that helps.

I would also not suggest you try and walk to the ship. As stated above it is a very industrial area, there may have been sidewalks in a few places, but deffinitley not all the way to the piers. You also have to go through a security checkpoint..not sure how they would react to a few people walking up on them... :)

I think it is only staffed in the evenings, but the door never seemed to be locked.

I walked in there a few times in the afternoon a few weeks ago.

Anyone that moves your bags before you get on or after you get off the ship will also expect a tip...bus drivers, porters, etc.

You said your fiance has been on a lot of cruises, and this is your first. This makes me wonder if you have ever traveled / vacationed together?

My wife and I did a cruise as our first traveling together...and it was touch and go for a few days. We had very different ideas about what we wanted to do on vacation and we both were pretty frustrated by the mid point of the 7 day cruise. We eventually found our grove and worked out ways that we could both enjoy the vacation. She doesnt expect me to sit by the pool in the sun with her, I don't expect her to go to the casino..etc....but it took some work to get into that happy medium of together vs alone time.

For anyone traveling for the first time with their companion, my advice would be to communicate what you want / expect so that you can both have a good time. It is no fun traveling with mr/mrs cranky pants!

I think they ran into some legal issues buying unathorized coral and basically got shut down.

I would just add my 2 cents that we find the MDR much easier than the buffet with young kids....but then again we have never tied it with a blow up kiddie pool....:)

At that age, the hard dinner rolls about the size of a tennis ball were awsome for our son. He grabbed it like a ball and would spend the first 10-15 minutes of the meal knawing on it.

I would also recommend more bottles and sippy cups. Doing the dishes in the bathroom sink gets old quickly...it is good to have some extras.

We always bring some toys that can also be used in the bathtub and at the pool, etc.

You didnt specify what type of clothing you had, I would highly recomend looking on line and find an infant/toddler tuxedo...you can find them fairly cheep, and it makes the formal nights awsome.

....and don't forget your 2 bottles of wine you can bring per stateroom!