Hi! New here. ? about cruising with 15 month old

[emk1129]

Hi! My family and I are cruising with Carinal Imagination in November of this year. It will be me, my husband and our 15th month old daughter. Also along will be my mother, sister and fiance. Any important tips/advice on what I definately neeeeeed to pack or dont' need to pack. The ports are in Key West/ Cozumel-any good excursions to do with a 15 month old? Thanks for the help!!!!

[jam82]

Pack more diapers, wipes and clothes than you think you will need. Also bring zip locks as they are good for so many things from taking a snack from the lido for baby to eat later and also for those dirty diapers which can ruin you cabin in a matter of seconds. When my son was that age, I also packed each outfit in a ziplock so I didn't have to remember where I put it in the cabin. Also, bring stroller.

 

I would chose simple excursions. A little strolling around in Key West. In Cozumel you could try Chankanaab. It's a nice place for kids. Carnival will babysit kids under 2 on port days until noon, sea days from 12-2 and everyday from 10pm - 3am.

 

Have a great cruise.

[emk1129]

Thanks! Those suggestions will help alot.

 

I've seen some people say that they have strollers available, but I'd need one anyways because we are flying and it'll be easier to have one with for that. I have my full size stroller that is a part of the travel system. Should I bring that one, or purchase a smaller version?

[cb at sea]

Bring the one you have...no need to spend money on something for just a week, especially if your little one is comfortable in the one you have!

[emk1129]

Great, thanks:)

 

Any other great tips out there?

[jam82]

Thanks! Those suggestions will help alot.

 

I've seen some people say that they have strollers available, but I'd need one anyways because we are flying and it'll be easier to have one with for that. I have my full size stroller that is a part of the travel system. Should I bring that one, or purchase a smaller version?

 

Are you still using the infant carrier part? If you are, I would bring that because it doubles as a car seat. If you're not, then I might think about buying a smaller umbrellas stroller for the cruise, especially if you plan on also hauling the car seat.

 

A full sized stroller is sometimes hard to get around the ship in and storing it in the cabin might be tight, especially with a crib in there. However, it has a tray and it fully reclines so she can sleep in peace which is important. If it's in your budget to buy an umbrella stroller that reclines and has a tray, I might do that. If not, stick with what you have. Plus, only you know if your daughter is ready for an umbrella stroller or if she is attached to the big one.

[emk1129]

By the time we go, she'll be out of the infant travel system seat and in a regular forward facing car seat. You hit the nail on the head tho-I like that it has a tray, reclines fully and also alot of storage space underneath vs. smaller umbrella strollers that do not have those options. I'm going to look around and see if there's any affordable umbrella strollers with the tray/recliner, otherwise I'll just deal with what I have.

 

Thank you!

[RoadTripFanatic]

Pack more diapers, wipes and clothes than you think you will need. Also bring zip locks as they are good for so many things from taking a snack from the lido for baby to eat later and also for those dirty diapers which can ruin you cabin in a matter of seconds. When my son was that age, I also packed each outfit in a ziplock so I didn't have to remember where I put it in the cabin. Also, bring stroller.

 

quote]

 

I also suggest bringing any children's tylenol, cold meds or whatever "toddler" meds you could possibly need. You will not find them in the gift shop. If you need something you will have to buy it from the infirmary which is only open for certain hrs of the day. An earache at 3am really stinks when you don't have motrin. :(

 

SUNSCREEN!!!! SPF 50!! :)

 

Umbrella stroller is the way to go!! Find a small cute one but make sure it will hold up! I had a combi that I loved. It was similar to this:

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=combi+umbrella+stroller&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=4443393010034001391&ei=0Sn_S5aNN6HKM9fDiTw&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDIQ8wIwAA# The hassle with the big stroller on the ship is storing it at night. You can't (nor do you want) to leave it in the hall overnight. You can fold them flat and hope you have space under your bed with your luggage. :) Plus you don't want to have to manuever a big one through the hallways. It would be a nightmare! (I only cruised with an umbrella stroller)

[emk1129]

Great stuff, thanks!

 

One more question....Does the crusie ship have whole/vitamin d milk available all the time?? What should I do for days that we're off the boat-bring a big thermos and keep it in our cooler under the stroller? I understand that not alot of rooms on the Carnival Imagination have refridgerators, how do i keep the ice packs frozen?

[Carolin]

the fridges do not have freezers. Take a cooler and have the cabin steward fill it with ice to keep your stuff cold.

 

And just to let you know, your little one will not be able to go into the pools with swim diapers. Its a health rule on the ships.

[emk1129]

I read that about the pool. But it seems like alot of people will bring a small inflatable pool to blow up and sit next to their lounge chair, right? Might not be too inconvenient-at least i'll be able to lay back in my lounge chair then:p

[BethV114]

Great stuff, thanks!

 

One more question....Does the crusie ship have whole/vitamin d milk available all the time?? What should I do for days that we're off the boat-bring a big thermos and keep it in our cooler under the stroller? I understand that not alot of rooms on the Carnival Imagination have refridgerators, how do i keep the ice packs frozen?

 

I've never been on Carnival, but I have seen plenty of whole milk available at all times of day on all of the cruises I've been on. You shouldn't have any trouble getting it at the buffet or main dining room. You can also most likely order it through room service in the morning. I'm not sure how well the milk would keep when you're off the ship, so you may want to consider giving it to your little one before and after your excursions. You can also try purchasing some ashore. In Key West, you should have no trouble getting some at the CVS that's near the port.

 

I can't recommend any excursions for Cozumel from personal experience, but DH and I are planning on taking DD, who will be 15 months old at the time of our cruise in December, to Chakanaab to do the dolphin interaction. If we book it directly with them, she meets their minimum age requirements and will be free of charge. If she doesn't like it, we can always take turns going into the water to pet the dolphin while the other one stands on the dock with her. I believe the fee to participate also includes admission for the day to the grounds and beach area, so it seems like a decent deal.

For Key West, DH and I went there last year when I was six months pregnant in June and it was HOT!! Make sure you bring some shade for your LO wherever you are and lots of fluids to stay hydrated. I would highly recommend the butterly conservatory which is out near the southernmost point. It is quite a long walk, but I know that there are trolley tours that stop at the conservatory and other places of interest that you could look into. Near the dock, there is also a type of market place with some shops, restaurants and a small aquarium.

[jam82]

Whole milk will be available on the lido at every meal and at any time through room service. It should also be available in the MDR. On the first cruise we took with our DS, I was worried that it would be hard to find. It was everywhere, but he didn't want to drink the milk. He has been on 10 Carnival cruises and still will only drink the chocolate milk. He drinks white milk every place else we go except for on Carnival. Go figure. I usually bring the individual servings of organic boxed milk with us for excursions. It doesn't have to be kept cold.

[Marksmom]

I brought our schwinn jogging stroller (which is huge) when we went on the Carnival Imagination in March with our almost 12month old. I was so glad that I did. Sometimes we took the stairs and DH and I just carried it (other passengers and staff also frequently offered to lend a hand), it really wasn't bad at all. I used the tray and recline a lot. He slept in his stroller more than I could have imagined. During the day we usually left it in the hall and at night we put it in my parents room (ours was pretty full with the crib). If my parents had not been able to store it, I could have taken the wheels off stored under the bed. I believe our graco could have rolled under the bed while folded. The stroller does not fit through the door unless folded but I was still glad I had our big one. Another family down the hall had a full sized graco and seemed to leave theirs in the hall all the time. Linen carts and other passengers seemed to have no trouble getting past their stroller, we were aft in the corner so it wasn't an issue for us.

 

I had no trouble with food for him, our dinner waiter was very accomodating and I usually picked different sides and main dishes depending on what he would eat. Lunch and breakfast we did buffet and had endless options.

 

No trouble getting milk, it was always available on the buffet. I brought along Gerber graduates drink carton (similar to a pediasure, comes in 3 pack) for shore days, they have plain, chocolate, strawberry and vanilla and don't need to be cold. It was also nice for traveling/airport. I brought a few bottles of water and 20oz juice bottles.

 

In cozumel we went to the Nachi Cocum beach club. It was $49 for adults, under 3 were free. We made reservations online and paid the balance when we arrived. The whole thing was so easy, walked right out of the pier, got a taxi prices are set to all major destinations so there was no need to try to bargain, prices were reasonable. The beach day includes a 3 course lunch, food was great and more than we could eat. All you can drink, bottled water, soda, alcohol. When we walked in they asked how many in our party took us to our personal thatch beach umbrella and got us a chair for each person. It was VERY clean, water was calm. We had a sun tent and infant spring float for DS, we used both. We also took our stroller but could have done without it. We got in the ocean, pool and hot tub. We had our own personal waiter that kept our drinks coming. It was a great experience, and they limit the number of guests to well under what the area could accomodate so it wasn't too crowded for DS. I can't wait to go back. For return you just tell them a few minutes before you are ready to leave and they call a cab for you.

[emk1129]

In cozumel we went to the Nachi Cocum beach club. It was $49 for adults, under 3 were free. We made reservations online and paid the balance when we arrived. The whole thing was so easy, walked right out of the pier, got a taxi prices are set to all major destinations so there was no need to try to bargain, prices were reasonable.

 

In reference to that leads me to another question...Do you need to bring a carseat for your infant to ride in in the taxi???

[shellito1012]

We have a really nice Britax stroller, but we have decided to travel with something smaller. We purchased a Kolcraft umbrella stroller (as it reclines and has a sunshade, although small). It has been to California, Disney and many places in between. My 16 month old gets a lot of use out of it. When we went on a Carnival cruise when she was six months old, we rented one of theirs (for $75) and we paid half that price for the Kolcraft. Very good investment. Two things I liked about using an umbrella stroller on the cruise 1) It was small enough to fit through the cabin doors (and didn't take up much space in the room; and 2) I could sit her at the main table in the stroller and if she fell asleep it was no problem......

 

We are going again in October and she'll be 21 months and we are definitely taking the umbrella stroller.

 

For other things, I am taking a DVD player for my daughter. She doesn't really watch much TV but I figure this may keep her occupied during long dinners. Also, I'm taking one new activity for her each day (a book, a coloring book, etc.). I'm definitely taking and/all meds I could think of for her (asthma meds/machine, tylenol, suncsreen, motrin, benedryl). Sunglasses and a hat. Swim diapers for excursions. i will also bring some of her favorite snacks. The last carnival cruise we went on allowed that since she was a baby. Also, they allowed me to bring water for her.