Stroller for Canada/New England?

[jlsmith24]

My husband and I love to cruise, and will be taking our daughter for the first time in October (she'll be 2). I've read through a lot of stroller posts on here, but all seemed to be about beach destinations and not ones with mostly tours like Canada/New England will be. We have our big Chicco stroller and a lightweight umbrella stroller that does not recline. We're having a slight disagreement about which one we should take (or do we take both?).

 

Any suggestions on which one would be better to take?

[Cheryl H]

We took our 3 year old on this itinerary and we didn't take a stroller and we were fine. Here's what I can remember. If I were you, I would probably just bring the umbrella one. We were on the Jewel of the Seas (RCCL).

 

Halifax - we took a double decker hop on hop off bus. We got off at the Citadel....lots of gravel there, and some steps, it would be difficult to push a stroller here. He did enjoy exploring with us here. Then we got off downtown near the Maritime museum. I think it was 2 floors. A stroller would have been nice here. There were 2 main exhibits there (Titantic, and an exhibit about a harbour explosion years ago). Our son was not interested in letting us browse very long...so we had to look fast. Then we walked the boardwalk and had a great seafood lunch at Salty's. We browsed in a few of the shops and headed back to the ship. Also on the boardwalk was a shack where you can get beaver tails (elephant ears), but it was starting to rain and we were full of fish & chips!

 

Saint John - we took a bus tour here. He loved riding the motorcoach. Stops were at Carlton Martello tower. We climbed the hill and went inside. We saw the living quarters, etc. It was not stroller friendly. Then we went to a market that had mostly fruit and some hand made items. The 3rd stop was at the reversing falls. We got off the bus for a few minutes and took a picture of the river. Basically you have to wait there to see the water change directions as the tide changes, but it takes a full 20 minutes I think for the water to change. Our tour didn't wait, we just took a photo and got back on the bus.

 

Portland - we did the Portland/Kennebunkport tour. It was great! It was a motorcoach ride. First the town of Portland has beautiful buildings. We stopped at the Lighthouse, but it was fogged in and pouring down rain. So next stop was Kennebunkport. This was a cute little fishing town. We had fish at a local restaurant, and we shopped in some of the stores. It was raining this day. Our son did find some little toys. I think he picked out a toy school bus.

 

Bar Harbor - we were supposed to do a boat ride on the Margaret Todd Schooner, but they lost their pier or gangway in a storm the previous day. So the other part of our tour was to ride up to the observation point in Acadia National Park. We got off and walked around a bit for pictures, but it is rocky there (near where you can look over to see your ship down in the harbour). Then we had a seafood lunch right on the pier. After we left that restaurant, we saw a sign posted that had a discount for cruise ship passengers. Too late for us, we had already left. :-(

 

Boston - our favorite port!! We stayed an extra night here before coming home. I got a cheap rate on Priceline for the Hilton at the Airport. Then we bought round trip water taxi tickets. I think our son was free. The driver even let him drive. If you stay at the airport Hilton or Hyatt, there's a water taxi stand at the Hyatt (Hilton will shuttle you to it). Anyway, we rode over to Long Wharf.

 

There's an aquarium there right on Long Wharf, but we skipped it. We ate lunch at Legal Seafood (best fish & chips we had all week!). Then we walked around the block to board the trolley (bought tickets online in advance because they are slightly cheaper). It's a hop on hop off. We got off first in Charlestown and followed the brick stripe to the SS Constitution (Old Ironsides). It and the ship across from it are both free. We got in the line for the navy escort tour guide. It was great. We got to go down below and the navy guy explained how the soldiers lived, what they ate, etc. We saw two or three levels. You could not probably take a stroller on that. We carried our son up and down the tiny stairs on the different levels. Across the way, we toured the other ship too, but it was just the top deck.

Then we got back on the trolley, and got off at the Old Statehouse. (there are restrooms here, and if you go in the wrong entrance, you'll be going on the subway) We visited the different levels there too. Then we had mexican for supper at the Quincy Market area. There's lots to do in Boston, but we just had time for the trolley ride. We went back to the water taxi stand and called for a water taxi. And we called Hilton shuttle to pick us up on the other side.

 

On the ship: He loved the Fisher Price playtime. I think it was 2 times per day. Each day was a different theme and different toys. It was usually in one of the lounges up on deck 12. There was usually an adult or two in there quietly reading a book, but other than that it was empty. The staff member each day was great! Our son could not go to the child activities because he was still in pullups, but he loved the Fisher Price play time.

 

Oh the children's museum is really close to the pier. We toured it at the start of our trip before getting onboard at the beginning of the week.

 

I'm not sure if I answered your stroller question or not.

[Cheryl H]

You mentioned it is your child's first cruise.....so was our New England one. I thought I might add that the best thing we packed was a portable DVD player. We used it at the airport when our flight was delayed. Then we used it a lot in our room. We took some new ones (Max & Ruby, Wonder Pets, etc).

 

Then at dinner time, we took a leapster & headphones with us to the dining room. We really didn't need it though. The waitress was so good with Dustin. She kept him full of rolls. And she had fresh fruit waiting for him each night. Also he ate a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches and fries. Plus ice cream. He was a good boy during dinner. We had main seating.

 

Oh, plus we took a bunch of toys along. He didn't play with them. He wanted to play "making soup" with the ice bucket and tongs! Plus we let him buy a small toy at a couple of the ports.

[cantw8togo]

How big is your cabin? You may not have a lot of room to store a larger stroller and they can also be bulkier to manuever through ships hallways, especially on the night before dembarkation when everyone puts out their luggage.

 

If you are concerned about how comfortable the umbrella stroller will be for longer periods of time, it might make sense to get an upgraded umbrella stroller that reclines and has a sun shade. Check out second hand sources if cost is an issue. You are more likely to spend more time in port if she is more comfortable. Travelling with a happier companion will make up for the added cost. :D

[jlsmith24]

Cheryl - THANK YOU so much!!!! You definitely answered my stroller question, and so many more! I appreciate you taking the time to post all of that!! My daughter will also be too young for the Adventure Ocean activities so I've been checking out the Fisher Price time and I think that will be great! We are planning on taking a couple of her small toys and books along so she has some familiar items, but I think there will be plenty of other things for her to explore and play with. The portable DVD is also a must - Phineaus and Ferb cures all in our house! We have main seating too and she does really well in restaurants so I'm not too concerned about that (yet!). Again, thank you!!

 

cantw8togo - we have a balcony cabin adjoining with my parents. We figured it would be easier to have the adjoining cabins so she can roam between both when the door is open and we'll also be able to hang out in their room when she is sleeping. Thanks for the suggestion on the upgraded umbrella - I'll check it out!

[Cheryl H]

On our Disney trip, we took our Maclaren Triumph umbrella stroller. It was pretty nice. Had a basket underneath. Plus it had a recline. Also it had a shoulder strap for us to carry it by.

 

I think we found our Maclaren at Target.

 

Have fun on your trip!!!

[RoadTripFanatic]

Definately upgrade and take a good umbrella stroller. I had a combi and I loved it. It was lightweight and easy to transport. It also folded flat so at the end of the day you could slide it under your bed. I will say even the BIG strollers can fold up and fit under the bed. :) You just have to lift up the bed and it will slide right under! (So will the big suitcases!)

[Laulipop]

I've lived in Boston, now I livce 10 miles south of Boston. My sister lives in Portland. I would say def bring an upgraded stroller...Boston and Old Port (a part of Portland), at the very least, have lots of uneven pavement/old cobblestones so if you are going to be walking outside (please do - fall is so beautiful here!!) you'll need good wheels that can roll without getting stuck. Otherwise it's so frustrating! There are so many things to do in Boston with a 2 year old! The new Greenway is a beautiful long stretch of park that makes it so easy to walk around. The Children's museum is newly renovated and wonderful. Of course Quincy Market/Fanueil Hall. The North End (across teh Greenway from Q Market/F Hall is our Little Italy and you can eat your way up and down the streets! I don't think the Aquarium is that great - there are too many other things.

 

Oops - rambling now. Bring a good umbrella stroller :)

[cruisealot]

I've lived in Boston, now I livce 10 miles south of Boston. My sister lives in Portland. I would say def bring an upgraded stroller...Boston and Old Port (a part of Portland), at the very least, have lots of uneven pavement/old cobblestones so if you are going to be walking outside (please do - fall is so beautiful here!!) you'll need good wheels that can roll without getting stuck. Otherwise it's so frustrating! There are so many things to do in Boston with a 2 year old! The new Greenway is a beautiful long stretch of park that makes it so easy to walk around. The Children's museum is newly renovated and wonderful. Of course Quincy Market/Fanueil Hall. The North End (across teh Greenway from Q Market/F Hall is our Little Italy and you can eat your way up and down the streets! I don't think the Aquarium is that great - there are too many other things.

 

Oops - rambling now. Bring a good umbrella stroller :)

 

Laulipop,

You took the words our of my mouth. I was going to mention the uneven pavement and cobblestones!

 

I will say that I actually tripped and almost fell walking on the cobblestone streets one day. I stepped on the edge of the brick and turned my ankle. Nothing serious; thanks to the person I fell into who broke my fall!