Cruising with Toddler

[jkeinva]

Panic is starting to set in....We leave in a little over a week for our first cruise for my cousin's wedding. We'll be on the Destiny - stopping in Ochos Rios for the wedding and Grand Cayman Island. I'm excited to be able to share my cousin's special day, but getting nervous about the unexpected (1st time cruiser) and more importantly the unexpected with an active toddler who is somewhat used to routine.

 

A few of my questions fears....

Will there be enough room for the Bob Stroller? We're thinking of bringing this as it will be the best stroller for shore days (it's good on the beach b/c of the big tires) and it will be good for the pre-cruise stay in FLL area. Will it be hard to get on the tender at Grand Cayman?

 

Will they store our car seat somewhere for us? Or are we going to have to keep it in our room?

 

Our son is 22 months old - so he's not eligible for Camp Carnival. Any suggestions on how to entertain an active 22 month old during the day?

 

Any suggestions for best beach area at Grand Cayman and food? Anything walking distance? Don't want to have to worry about the car seat.

 

Do they have straw cups for kids? Should I bring sippy cups?

 

Any tips on traveling with young children is appreciated!!

Thanks in Advance!

[paul929207]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

Here is the link to the family cruise section.

 

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

 

My guess is that the car seat will be stored in your cabin.

[firefly333]

They will not store anything for you. They do have larger cabins than some other cruiselines. Do you know what type of cabin you are in and what ship?

 

You will need to get everything into your cabin. Store luggage under the bed. Does your toddler sleep in a bed or will you need to use more floor space for a pack n play?

[jkeinva]

We're in a balcony room on the Carnival Destiny - Verandah deck.

 

There's supposed to be a crib of some sort in the room, so this will eat up more floor space.

 

Is the bed on risers? I know that I couldn't fit a rollerboard suite case under my bed, so I'm hoping the ship bed is on risers so I can put the suit case under the bed.

 

Thanks!

[jkeinva]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

Here is the link to the family cruise section.

 

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

 

My guess is that the car seat will be stored in your cabin.

 

Thank you!! I had not stumbled upon that part of the site yet. I started to read some of it and I'm glad I did - I had NO idea that my son wouldn't be able to use the pool either. Now I'm really worried about how I'm going to entertain him on the ship. He's not fully potty trained, so I was planning to double swim diaper - that's how I do it at public pools and have never had an issue with that. He really enjoys the water - guess it's time to look for an inflatable pool to bring with us. :rolleyes:

[cb at sea]

All of GC beaches are public, and all access points have restrooms, food and drink and watersport rentals/chair/umbrella rentals. GC is a very easy place to have a beach day. There are buses that run all the time, so you can stay as long or short as you like.

Since it's a bus, you won't need the carseat there.

[Betsy's Mom]

Where will you be using the car seat? You may not have to bring it with you. Most taxis and buses in the Caribbean do not have anyway to afix the car seat to the seat of the vehicle. You must remember that these islands are small and the speed limits are low, usually they do not have seat belt laws for back seat passengers. Enjoy your trip:)

B.

[suezyq50]

Leave the car seat behind. Enjoy the time you have.