Infants & Cruising

[altarrose]

Hello!

 

We are expecting our first child next month and are clueless as to tips to cruise with an infant.

 

From what I've read, it seems generally, babies must be 6 months old, or 12 months for transatlantic crossings?

 

I know Disney offers discounted rates for children but we are not particularly interested in them. Do any other lines offer discounts?

 

Also, has anyone brought an infant and used their onboard childcare ? I am wondering if there is a minimum age.

 

We did a transatlantic in April and LOVED it. I'd really like to plan one for November 2011, but obviously with the cruise length will need to bring the baby. if anyone has cruised with a baby and knows any pointers, that would be great =)

[paul929207]

On most lines, the minimum age for the kids programs is 2 or 3. Many require that they be toilet trained.

[altarrose]

On most lines, the minimum age for the kids programs is 2 or 3. Many require that they be toilet trained.

 

 

That is what I figured! I guess I'll have to check out each line individually. =)

[uppitycats]

Hello!

 

We are expecting our first child next month and are clueless as to tips to cruise with an infant.

 

From what I've read, it seems generally, babies must be 6 months old, or 12 months for transatlantic crossings?

 

I know Disney offers discounted rates for children but we are not particularly interested in them. Do any other lines offer discounts?

 

Also, has anyone brought an infant and used their onboard childcare ? I am wondering if there is a minimum age.

 

We did a transatlantic in April and LOVED it. I'd really like to plan one for November 2011, but obviously with the cruise length will need to bring the baby. if anyone has cruised with a baby and knows any pointers, that would be great =)

 

 

If you go here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=49

 

the family cruising board, you'll find all kinds of families who cruise regularly, who have researched all the ships, and can answer your specific childcare questions.

 

There are some lines that provide babysitting for infants..but that is at extra cost. Most of the standard child programs start with children at age 2 and up. And only a very few allow infants or un-potty-trained children in pools. But the folks on that board will know!

[bmccarthy]

You might to post this in the Family Board to where you might get more posts.

 

We took our daughter on her first cruise when she was about 15 months

old. We went on a 3 nt. cruise to the Bahamas. Luckily for us, my in-laws came along and that really helped to have an extra set of hands. They had a larger room, so they kept her in their room overnight. They don't stay up late or party, so it worked perfectly because it allowed us to stay up a little later and enjoy the evening entertainment onboard.

 

Our daughter loved walking around and exploring the ship. She really enjoyed going up and down the stairs. If we went into a lounge that was playing live music, she would go out on the dance floor and boogie down. Even though she was mobile, she did pretty good with early seating for dinner in the MDR. However, if she needed to get up and move around there were 4 of us so that helped. The waiters were very helpful in bringing fruit, plenty of milk, and anything else we needed for our daughter. We took our daughter into the theatre for the shows and one night she fell asleep in her stroller. However, sometimes she didn't want to sit still for very long, so someone would have to leave and walk around with her.

 

If you go by yourself, keep an open mind and realize that your cruise experience won't be identical to your first cruise. If you really like to swim, your baby won't be able to go into the pools onboard unless they are potty trained. Some toddlers have a difficult time sitting still long enough for the whole dinner experience in the MDR. If you want to eat in the MDR, I would recommend you get a table by yourselves and do early seating. Keep a flexible schedule, so your child can eat or nap as needed. You will be limited to excursions, because of your child's age.

 

Good luck with your decision!

Beth :)

[6rugrats]

Hello!

 

We are expecting our first child next month and are clueless as to tips to cruise with an infant.

 

From what I've read, it seems generally, babies must be 6 months old, or 12 months for transatlantic crossings?

 

I know Disney offers discounted rates for children but we are not particularly interested in them. Do any other lines offer discounts?

 

Also, has anyone brought an infant and used their onboard childcare ? I am wondering if there is a minimum age.

 

We did a transatlantic in April and LOVED it. I'd really like to plan one for November 2011, but obviously with the cruise length will need to bring the baby. if anyone has cruised with a baby and knows any pointers, that would be great =)

 

No kid's club on Carnival unless your child is at least two and they must be at least 12 months old for a TATL. They do offer group babysitting from 10:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.

 

On NCL, no kid's club until your child is two, and no private babysitting is offered, only group, and your child must be at least two years old for this. Infants must be six months old to sail.

 

Children that are not potty trained are not allowed in any of the pools.

[imsulin]

If I were you, I'd sure wait until your child is actually born and deemed healthy before planning anything! There are so many things to consider when planning a cruise with an infant! IMO, your first priority is taking care of your child. Check out the Family Cruising board for some good answers! Sorry, but I think you need to wait a few months before planning anything. Congratulations, though.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Everyone will have a different story or different advice, but for us, we waited until our girl was 23 months of age. Of course, that was one month too young for Camp Carnival, but we had selected the date we did as we combined the three day cruise with a side trip afterwards to stay in San Diego and see the tall ships.

 

So we were with her the whole time, but she turned out to behave (no late night crying) the whole time. And we even took her to the show, but sat in the back, just in case we had to make a quick exit (which we didn't). That wasn't her first show, as we had taken her to Blue's Clues Live the month before, but you just never know.

 

Fortunately for us, we could drive to that port, and had our sedan filled with the pack n' play (which we ended up using as we didn't care for the crib we had reserved), diapers/pullups, sippy cups, etc. It does take quite a bit of planning your packing list as you can't count on the ship's store having what you may need. I would certainly suggest taking whatever diapers you need, special foods (even though you request baby/toddler foods, I would still bring my own if you have a brand preference), eating supplies/detergent, medicines. I would suggest to anyone flying with a young one, to arrive at least a day early and shop for whatever you couldn't pack. And to overestimate items such as diapers and pullups.

 

I'm glad we didn't take her at one year, though. She had the worst time teething. Something we wouldn't have been able to ascertain before her birth.

[Hlitner]

Keep in mind that infant care is quite different from child care. On most cruise lines you can sign-up to get a baby sitter and they are simply crew members who volunteer for the work in order to make some extra money. The quality of these child-care volunteers does vary and if you would be comfortable calling a stranger to watch your baby at home you should be fine on a ship.

 

Hank

[cb at sea]

1 year old for trans atlantic crossings.....and you'll need to bring EVERYTHING you need for the entire time...ship's rarely sell "baby" items...diapers, wipes, lotions....and if they do, they will be VERY expensive and may not be the brand or size you need.

[kitty9]

Only Disney, Cunard and the Oasis of the Seas have nursery provisions for those under the age of 12 months. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity have in cabin babysitting, but the child must be 12 months. Also, on the lines other than the ones I mentioned above, the child must be 12 months for the group sitting, and on some lines the child must be age 2 for group sitting at night only. Sitting, if your child is old enough, is $8 an hour, even the after hours group sitting. On some lines, the child must be at least 2 for the group sitting and on some, the minimum age is 12 months. But again, they all charge by the hour.

 

Yes, the minimum age for an infant is 6 months, and for trans Atlantics and more exotic itineraries, the age is 12 months. One thing to remember, while there is a medical facility on ships, they are not equipped for infants and cannot handle many infant problems.

 

Another issue, and you won't know this until after your child is born, cabin walls are very thin, and if you wind up with a colicky infant, you really cannot take a cruise or risk having major problems with your neighbors. More than a few cruises have been ruined by screaming infants in cabins next door. Not only that, but you could be very limited in your activities on the ship, especially if you have a cranky child. You could find yourself dining in your cabin a lot, and missing shows if you have a crying child.

 

I like the advice a poster gave you about waiting until your child is born before deciding on a cruise. You never know what's going to happen and what kind of personality your baby will have. You might be blessed with a little angel but then again you might have a child who does nothing but cry.

[room010]

If the idea of going on a cruise with a newborn infant is to relax then forget about it! :) Wait until your child is a little older when you can use the ship's childcare/babysitting facilities for those precious few moments of peace and quiet.

[mizLORInj]

We took a family cruise the day my nephew turned one and we all had a wonderful time. So he didn't sit through dinner in the MDR so we took turns wandering around with him. Yes you need to bring a lot of stuff. So what. It's a family vacation and it was fun. And we're doing it again in two months and I'm sure he'll have as great a time as we do this time too!

 

Best wishes!