My cruise diary - RCI Navigator w/ 10 month old

[B_Mc]

I'm posting this in the family section because our cruise was very baby-oriented and I think it will be most useful for others traveling with LOs!

 

This was our first real vacation with DS, and it was just the 3 of us - no grandparents or anyone else to help out!

 

 

Day 1 - travel

We flew Air Canada direct Toronto to Fort Lauderdale. The flight was only 20 minutes late which is actually very good for Air Canada so we were thrilled about that. We had a very early morning so DS was exhausted and thankfully slept for almost 2 of the 3 hours on the plane. That made the trip a lot easier!

 

We arrived in Fort Lauderdale, met the RCI agent and claimed our bags quickly. Then we waited.....and waited....and waited for the bus. These transfers weren't cheap but we decided it was the best way to go to avoid bringing along a car seat for DS. I was surprised we had to wait almost 45 minutes to get on the bus. For that price, I expected quicker service!

 

Made it to the pier by 1pm and the terminal was busy but we were checked in, on the ship and eating lunch by 2. We tried to follow fellow cc-er's advice and eat in the promenade, but they don't have any highchairs so that made it tricky to feed DS. We ended up in the Windjammer (very busy) but the food was good, everyone ate and we felt much better!

 

Day 1 - on board

DS was overdue for a nap, so back to the cabin to get him to sleep before the muster drill. We discovered that the diapers we pre-ordered from the cruise line had arrived, except they were the wrong size. We ordered Huggies size 4 (for babies) and received pull-up training pants for 3-4 year olds! Calling guest services and talking to our room attendants got us a package of size 3 diapers for babies, but still no size 4. This was very frustrating and caused minor panic because I brought very few diapers in our luggage! Speaking of luggage, one bag arrived very quickly, one bag arrived much later in the afternoon, but before we had to get ready for dinner.

 

We were in a balcony cabin, very forward on Deck 9. We booked before joining CC so we didn't know about the benefits of different areas of the ship. While being forward was fine for this trip (no noise, etc.) I did feel like we were far away from the action - everything seemed to be at the aft! Our cabin was very nice, we had the coffee table removed and put the PNP between the couch and TV which took up most of our floor space but worked fine. We also had room to park our stroller against the couch beside the PNP and still had a pathway from the door, passed the bed to the balcony. We folded up the stroller in the closet at night, but didn't put it away during the day as we were using is frequently.

 

Muster drill was easy. No lifejackets, just sitting in a crowded, too warm lounge.

[B_Mc]

Day 1 - continued

 

For embarkation we went out to the heli-pad but it is not a well kept secret! Lots of people up there enjoying the view. Once we were moving we headed back to our room to get ready for our early dinner seating.

 

 

Our table in the main dining room was a fantastic location! Tucked away in a back corner and right beside a large window - perfect view and the baby is out of the way!

Our table mates were friendly, but slow to warm up. Thankfully we were seated with other parents and children. Our waiter immediatly brought out the fruit starter dish for DS and offered a children's menu. For dinner I had a ceasar salad (great) and pork medallions (only good) and DH had a vidala onion tart (okay) and roast beef done medium (very good, very tender). Dessert wasn't as good I had blueberry & peach cobbler and we forget the name of DH's dessert but it wasn't great. We dashed off immediatly after dinner because we were already late for DS' bath and bedtime.

 

My only (small) issue with dinner was that the bar waiter took forever to come over to get our drink orders. As soon as we sat down he introduced himself and explained the he takes bar orders while the wait staff handles wine. He said he would return but never did! As our entrees arrived we asked our waiter to send him over and finally got our drinks towards the end of the main course. Very disappointed that we nearly had to beg to buy a drink!

 

Bathing was a moderate success in the inflatable tub we brought. DS screamed the first time we think it was more the over tiredness and newness then a problem with the tub. DS went down for the night and I quickly joined him while DH donated some money at the casino!

We used an inflatable bath tub in the shower and although DS didn't love it, it fit perfectly. It also doubled as DS' pool both on the pool deck and on our balcony!

[B_Mc]

Day 2 - at sea

DS was keen to start the day, up at 5:30. Thankfully my very darling DH took him for a walk around while I slept for another hour. DH picked up muffins, croissants and coffee in the promenade (GREAT coffee) to help coax me out of bed.

 

We headed to the MDR for breakfast and were excited to hear it was chocolate breakfast! They had a nice breakfast menu and a small buffet of fruit, yogurt, granols, etc. We picked up fruit for DS at the buffet and ordered from the menu for ourselves. I had the chocolate & banana waffles, DH had the smoked salmon. My waffles were very nice, but DH didn't stop talking about his salmon all day. He said he wanted it for lunch and dinner, too! Coffee in the MDR was good, too, I had read on cc it wasn't, but we didn't have a problem with it.

Here is DS getting a taste of the 5 star service - napkin draped across his "lap"!

 

For all of our meals I brought a disposable place mat and disposable bib for DS. I pre-packed one of each in a small ziploc bag before we left home and they worked out great. It was easy to clean up his mess and we didn't have to worry about him tossing dishes. He usually wore the disposable bib over one of our "full body" bibs that really helped keep his clothes clean. The full body bib hardly got dirty so we re-used it for several meals. I brought sippy cups from home and a small bottle of dish detergent and washed them in our bathroom sink. The wait staff were always very quick to fill DS' cup with water or juice and often offered to top it up, just as they would for our glasses!

 

After breakfast we went back to the cabin for morning nap. DH went back to guest services to continue to sort out this diaper mess and to add the automatic tipping to our accounts. DS' nap was cut short by children shouting up and down the halls. We changed into pool-wear and packed up the inflatable tub to try out swimming. It was a HUGE success! DS loved splashing in the tub, climbing on our deck chairs and crawling on the deck. I saw another mom with a little one wading in the shallow part of the pool so I joined them with DS. He loved it but I felt guilty for breaking the rules, even though none of the staff batted an eye. We took turns enjoying more coffee from the promenade and supervising DS!

[NewSalt]

This is great - I'm enjoying every word. We'll be cruising with DGS (14 months then) for the first time this spring and I love reading about your experience.

 

I hope you continue to share.

 

Thanks!

[B_Mc]

Day 2 continued

After swimming we found the Ocean Adventure club to ask about the toy lending program. DS was thrilled with the 2 fisher price toys! We can exchange them for a different bag at any time or keep them until the last day - pretty awesome!

 

Back to the room to change and look for lunch. We wanted to take advantage of the MDR as much as possible but they didn't open for lunch until 12 and that would be too late for his PM nap, so off to the WJ! We had a nice lunch, we're happy with the selection and quality of food. The hot dogs were awful, but what did I expect, right? DS tried swiss cheese for the first time, but didn't like it - prefers orange cheese!

 

Also while we were changing after swimming our size 4 diapers finally arrived. We were very grateful that guest services finally got us what we needed, but I have to say overall I'm very disappointed with this service. Taking 24 hrs to get it right was too long, considering I placed the order for them over a week before we left.

 

I should add here that the staff were all fantastic with the baby. Very accomodating getting highchairs, smiling and talking to him and bringing anything we needed for him. By the last night at dinner, DS was greeted by half the dinning room staff. I think he felt very popular and we appreciated how welcoming they were, despite the fact he had more than one little cry in the dinning room! We knew they would be, from talking to other parents, but it was still nice to experience.

 

After lunch we played with our borrowed fisher price toys and then down for a very early afternoon nap. DH brought a bucket of beer up to the room ($27 for 5), then I went out to the promenade to do a little shopping and picked up some ice cream to bring back to the room (3.75 for regular size). We lounged on the balcony even though it was very overcast and looked like it might rain, we still enjoyed being in our shorts and t-shirts instead of at work or at home preparing dinner!

[B_Mc]

Still Day 2!

 

When DS woke up we went for a stroll around and then to the ice show. It wasn't bad! The story lines were pretty cheesy, but they do some pretty good tricks and it was very entertaining. The hoola hoop girl was my favourite. The studio was packed well before the show started. We managed to grab a table close to the exit on the very upper level just in case we needed to make a dash with DS. The view was sometimes obstructed by people walking in front of us, but I'm glad we weren't the ones obstructing the view with DS when he got wiggly. He surprised us both and stayed in good spirits enjoying the show for the whole 50 minutes!

 

After the show the overcast skies had turned into a full blown storm so all of the outer decks were closed off and the rest of the ship seemed a lot busier. We wandered back to the room and decided to order a snack (had to try the spinach and artichoke dip). The dip was fantastic, the hot chocolate was crap. It was just a packet of powered mix and a large carafe of hot water. Yuck.

 

Tonight was formal night so we got dressed up early and headed to the promenade to have our photos taken. Dinner was once again lovely, everyone at the table was excited about the escargots and had more than one helping. I stuck with a ceasar salad and linguine with marinara sauce, while DH had the shrimp cocktail and escargot followed by the roast beef. Dessert was much much better tonight - almost everyone at the table had the chocolate soufflé!

 

DS was much easier to put to bed tonight, I think he was getting more acclimatized to the room and all. After he went down I changed into casual clothes (yes, I was THAT person walking around in jeans while everyone else was dressed up!) and hit the casino. I made a donation then wandered up to the promenade to catch the captain's address. It was interesting and I especially liked when he introduced the senior staff and more than half of them were Canadian! I noticed everyone seemed to have a glass of champagne and I was getting annoyed I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Finally I found the table (near guest services) and when I expressed my long-search to the waiter he suggested I deserved 2 for my effort! Of course I couldn't say no, so I brought both glasses back up to our room to enjoy on the balcony. The night had cleared and we enjoyed the peaceful waves and stars.

[B_Mc]

Day 3 - Cozumel

 

DS slept better last night, but was still eager to start the day far too early. 6am was not when I planned to be up and it was my turn to take him for a walk while DH got a little sleep in. We wandered the promenade and picked up a coffee and donut and chatted with some of the other early risers. Many people have stopped us to tell us about their children or grandchildren at home. Seems like you can't win - bring the baby or leave the baby, neither is easy to do!

 

We woke DH up and headed to the main dinning room for breakfast again. I enjoyed an omelet and DH had the salmon again. As we ate we arrived at the pier. Very exciting to feel and watch the ship turning to dock at the pier! A Carnival ship was already in port when we arrived and later we noticed a second Carnival ship arriving. After breakfast it was time for morning nap so DH went to the sauna in the fitness club and I put the baby down. This nap was also very short (not a lot of sleep happening this trip!) so once he was up we headed out to Cozumel!

 

Getting off the ship was a breeze! Our balcony overlooks the pier so we saw the crowds leaving when DS was sleeping. Waiting an hour was a great plan because we walked straight off without any wait.

 

We wandered around the port in Cozumel, picked up some souvenirs and took some funny photos of DS wearing a sombrero. They were selling Corona 3 for $3 which was too good of a deal to pass up, even if it wasn't a decent hour for drinking. It was another overcast day plus there was a lot of wind which didn't agree with DS so we headed back to the ship for lunch.

 

Windjammer again for lunch and at this point I'm getting tired of the buffet. It has been very similar every time we're there, although this time we found some stir frys and thai-style dishes we hadn't tried before. I accidentally picked up a sandwich with salmon in it (don't like sea food at all) and still can't find the honey stung chicken everyone on cc mentioned so we're going to try the MDR for lunch tomorrow.

 

After lunch we tried to exchange our borrowed fisher price toys for a new bag, but the kids' club was closed. I found out at dinner that they were open, but I probably just missed them during lunchtime.

 

 

DS just woke up so that's all for now! I'll be back soon with the rest!

[cb at sea]

I think you missed the chicken...it's only served on boarding day. You didn't miss much!

[B_Mc]

Day 3 - continued

 

We enjoyed another bucket of Corona out on the balcony while DS napped again. The sun is out and there are only a few fluffy clouds in the sky. Hope this holds up for the rest of the trip - we need some more pool time! I'm enjoying the balcony so much, it is our sanctuary. It feels like our own private island, our neighbours are non-existant so when we sit out here we feel like the only people on the ocean. The water is so blue, I can't stop admiring it. Such a beautiful shade, to me it is the ultimate symbol of vacation. This afternoon is the first time I heard noise from the pool, music and announcements and such. Otherwise, it has been very quiet.

 

After naptime we loaded up our inflatable pool, sunscreen and all the pool equipment and headed up to the pool deck to catch some rays (sun finally appeared!). DS loved sitting in the tub and splashing around. He played with a maraca from the port and a plastic bucket and you'd think it was Christmas morning for him. DH and I took turns in the hot tub and finally got a little sun.

After swimming I was off to the spa for a "Happy Hour" special. For $99, I had a back and shoulders massage, head/scalp massage, foot massage and mini-facial. It was pure bliss and to make it even better they topped it off with a glass of champagne! According to other ladies in the waiting room this is a common special on port days but it books up quickly. It was only an hour, but it was probably the best hour on board so far. Relaxing and pampering and resting...

 

I headed back to our room for a quick shower and everyone changed for dinner. We looked for our photos from the night before - only mediocre. One we might consider purchasing, but first we want to see today's photos from getting off the ship. Before the dinning room opened the captain made an announcement warning us about high winds tonight and choppy seas. We could see the enormous waves from the dining room but we all marveled at how smooth the ship sailed.

 

Dinner tonight was a little more lively at our table. Everyone seems to be warming up! Our bar waiter is far more attentive tonight so I ordered the bellini that I spotted on the menu at the promenade cafe but didn't get a chance to order all day. It was delicious, peach and champagne, what a perfect combination. I'll admit, I like just about anything served in a champagne glass.

 

As for dinner, this was my least favourite meal in the dinning room so far. I didn't love the rigatoni pasta but DS gobbled up each piece I put on his tray! I started with a roasted garlic soup which was fantastic! DH had antipasti to start and 2 entrees - tiger shrimp (good) and lamb (fantastic). We had a good chuckle about the wait staff helping everyone cut the tiger shrimp. Funny sight, grown men having their food cut up for them! Dessert tonight sounded amazing, warm chocolate cake, but was only so so. Last night's was better. Tonight the wait staff and dinning room dancers put on a little show which was a fun way to end the meal.

 

Up in our room getting DS ready for bed, and the ship no longer feels so smooth on the rough water! We can feel the movement much more here, 6 decks higher but no ill effects. DH and I spent the evening in our little alcove balcony enjoying some wine, the loud sea and the stars.

[B_Mc]

I think you missed the chicken...it's only served on boarding day. You didn't miss much!

 

Darn! Should have ordered it from room service....

[Tazsamp]

I think you missed the chicken...it's only served on boarding day. You didn't miss much!

 

You know, this was the impression I kept getting while reading the boards. We ended up missing the lunch buffet in the WJ upon embarkation and my DH even said "Sorry, I guess you missed this honey stung chicken thing" (or something to that affect).

 

What I discovered later was that it was actually served at the WJ during one of the dinners. Dang, I can't remember which night it was, DH will have to job my memory tonight, but I DID get to try it, and not on embarkation day (don't get me wrong, it was good, I enjoyed it, I'm just not sure what all the fuss is about:()!

 

I should probably specify that I was on Navigator the first week of January.

[Diva0881]

Hello fellow Ontarian!

Thank you so much for posting this. I am thoroughly enjoying it as we will be cruising with our 10 month old in March. Although it will be a different ship it is still nice to hear about others' experiences with a baby.

[tbag124]

Continue on, your review is interesting. Yeah, you shouldn't have had the little one in the pool, but I don't think you should've been kicked off the ship.

 

I hope you continue with your review as well, I'm enjoying it. We are doing NCL this year and Oasis next year w/ our toddler. Yeah, the baby shouldn't have been in the pool, but to suggest you should be kicked off?? Please. You also brought the blow up pool, which we intend on doing too...I wouldn't sweat the rude comments. Not that it's right, but I'm sure it happens every single week in every single pool on every single cruise ship, resort, hotel, etc. I wish that was all I had to worry about.

[B_Mc]

Day 4 – At Sea

DH’s turn to be up early with DS again! This time they checked out the sports bar on Deck 14 where the football game will be aired later today. We’ve met lots of football fans onboard and it sounds like you have to stake out a good seat early in the day if you hope to catch the game! DS was down for another very early nap while DH and I enjoyed quiet time on the balcony.

We enjoyed another lovely breakfast in the MDR, DS can’t get enough of the sweet, syrupy fruit from the buffet – very different than the fruit he’s used to getting at home! We had bumped into another couple with a young DS on the ship several times and this morning we offered them the extra package of size 3 diapers from the diaper debacle. They were very grateful as they had under-packed on diapers and were running out! We’re glad they weren’t wasted!

We enjoyed quiche and banana pancakes for breakfast along with muffins and croissants from the bread basket.

After breakfast we went back to the kid’s club to exchange our toys for a new bag! We received one new toy and one repeat. So while the lending program is a great idea, having the same toy in multiple bags defeats the purpose of exchanging! We explored the ship and found some quiet open corners to let DS crawl and climb and just burn off some energy.

We hit the MDR for our first lunch there! They had a nice salad bar set up where the fruit and granola was in the morning. We didn't get anything except a few veggies for DS from it but it looked like a nice selection. From the menu I had a salad to start and then a delicious Singapore noodle dish with chicken and shrimp (picked around the shrimp!) while DH had a steak sandwich that arrived with fried eggs on top, much to his surprise. We're not sure if the eggs were in the meal's description or not but if they were, he glanced right over it. Either way, DH recommends passing on the steak sandwich! DS was getting overtired and didn't do to well with this meal so we had to scoot back to the cabin without dessert. I think this was the only meal (other than breakfast) that I didn't have dessert with....oh the indulgence....

This afternoon was by far the best on the ship weather-wise. The sun was shining, it was gorgeous and warm but there was still a fresh breeze. I should also add that the large swells that started the night before continued all through the day. The ship was very rocky all day and by lunch time I was starting to feel less than stellar. DS also seemed a little off, crankier and clingier than usual so I wouldn't be surprised if the motion of the ship was getting to him too. Despite this, he had a great nap and DH and I fianlly got some sun and came home with slightly pink noses to prove it. When DS woke up we set up his inflatable tub on our balcony and had a great time splashing and "swimming" out there. He played with the maraca in the tub again and I really expected it to get water-logged or fall apart, but to my surprise it held up very well! We had a great afternoon together in the beautiful weather - this is what all vacations should be made of!

We ventured out to see if we could catch any of the football game. The sports bar was packed, but we heard a rumour you could also watch it in the promenade so we headed down there. The game was on one tiny TV with no sound in the wine bar and there were a few fans gathered around but it wasn't the right setting for DS so we didn't stay long. We wandered down to look at all the photos and found a few that we actually liked! We ended up purchasing one from the formal night and one from Cozumel. $30 seems outrageous for 2 photos, but 20 years from now we'll have forgotten about the $30 and only remember the smiles.

 

I had sent a few items out for laundry yesterday and they were returned just as we were leaving for dinner. We packed very lightly so having the laundry option was fantastic for a few items to wear home the next day! They also cleaned one of DS' blankets that had juice spilled all over it.

[B_Mc]

Day 4 - continued

 

Dinner tonight - back to the MDR! Tonight's dinner didn't go as smoothly for DS. He was still cranky and didn't want to stay in his highchair as long as other nights. Thankfully our wonderful table mates entertained him with silly faces, games of peek-a-boo and by picking up his toys everytime he tossed them off his chair. It was a blessing to be seated with a 7 and 10-year-old! For dinner i had roasted turkey which was okay, but the sides (stuffing, vegetables, etc) were excellent. DH had shrimp and mahi mahi tempura and it wasn't great. Dessert was fabulous - brownie sandwiches with mousse filling! Yum! If DS had been in a better mood I would have had 2 to make up for missing lunch.

 

After we ate the staff put on another little presentation, parading around the dinning room, thanking us for coming and such. That held the baby's attention. I especially liked that our waiter waved to us in the back corner while they paraded past - so sweet.

 

After dinner we did a final pack up to get our luggage ready to put out for disembarkation. What a chore! I don't know how, but we seem to go home with twice as much as we arrived with, even though we bought very few souvenirs. After DS went to bed DH returned the borrowed toys and had a little wander around the ship while I relaxed with my book. We both turned in early, once again, because it is awfully hard to enjoy the nightlife when your day starts before 6am!

[B_Mc]

Going home - Disembarkation

 

Another early morning, but no one got a sleep in today! We were up and showering early because we wanted to take advantage of the last morning in the MDR before we left. We had a mid-afternoon flight so we had a later disembarkation time which suited us just fine. For breakfast I enjoyed the french toast and DH had oatmeal. The fruit and granola buffet wasn't set up this morning so we ordered a melon plate for DS. There were lots of people with thier luggage in the dinning room, which surprised me as I thought most people opted for the assistance. After breakfast we headed back to the room to try to get DS to nap before we left (no luck) and do the last minute pack up. I didn't realize how much we had left in our room - DS' PNP sheet, everyone's pyjama, toilettries, etc. We ended up needing a small plastic bag on top of our carry ons to drag everything along until we got our luggage back.

 

We wandered up to the peek-a-boo bridge which I really regret not going to see earlier in the trip! It was a beautiful view and it would have been interesting to see the captain and crew at work. As we were killing time waiting for our turn to depart, we heard an announcement that they were running early and calling our luggage tag colour almost 30 mins earlier than we expected! We were ready to roll so we headed to the elevator and.....waited.....forever. Finally we got in one going up and made it down to deck 1. It seemed like the elevators were all full of luggage, which again surprised me - putting it out the night before was so convenient (other than the extra bag we had at the moment) and it probably would have made more room in the elevators!

 

Heading off the ship, scanning our cards and DS' card beeps in a strange way. The gentleman asks for our room number, types it in, clicks here and there and gestures for us to leave but he kept DS' card. I asked why, as mine and DH's was returned. He said the card was reported lost. I was shocked, and asked for more details but he just kept gesturing for us to leave. Finally a woman working with him, asked him to just give me the card and mark down our room number. The whole exchange made me a little nervous - who would have reported his card lost? Why did they want to keep it? It could have simply been a small mistake, but it seemed fishy to me and I'm glad they eventually let me keep his card.

 

Through the terminal to collect our luggage, through customs and onto the transfer bus without a hitch. We were very very early for our flight and with luck were able to book on an earlier flight saving ourselves 2 hours in the airport! The flight home was rough, DS didn't sleep but thankfully we had an empty seat near us and were seated next to a lovely couple who were just off a 10-night trip on the Jewel! Made it home, safe and sound and we're already online looking to book our next cruise - but this time we're bringing Grandma and Grandpa along!!!!

[The Canuks]

Great Review, fellow Torontonian!

 

How many ports were on your cruise, as there was only mention of Cozumel? Did you not bother exploring the other ports, and if you did venture them, how did you cope?

 

I am still contemplating a cruise with the kids, 2DD's age 3, and 1.5. We have cruised before kids, but believe that it will be totally different with kids. It sounds that you both really made the most of it, which is encouraging.

 

P.S. Don't let the comments by the negative poster bother you. You certainly don't need to explain yourself to others, especially if RCI staff had no issue!!

 

The Canuks

[Derby]

I was on the same cruise as you! We left our almost 3 year old DD at home but I am 6 months pregnant so we sort of had one with us. ;) We also had a ton of issues getting drinks at dinner. The inflatable tub for a pool is genius!

[chipperberg]

Thank you SO much for posting this. We are debating bringing our 10 month old son at the time of the cruise (we had booked and I was too pregnant to go and we re-booked alone thinking we could leave him at Grandma and Grandpa's. Looks like Grandma may be coming with us instead. LOL, I don't think we can leave him, I never thought i would be THAT parent). We are on a 7 day cruise, but because I have my mother going and another girlfriend with HER mother, I think it should all work out. My mom (a very experienced cruiser) offered to stay with DS during the port days so DH and I could go and do what we wanted, so I think, although we have to pay full price for DS, it will be worth it and plus to hang with my mom for a week is an added bonus! Lucky for us, we have cruised enough to earn free laundry, bonus, and also we are not flying, so we can pack as much as we can carry, LORD HELP ME in my overpacking disease. Anyway, thank you for your post. I found it most helpful. Especially the inflatable tub, which we already have and learned to get DS use to it a couple of weeks before, as well as the over the door shoe organizer to organize things. I may have missed this, but where did your DS sleep? We are thinking of bringing a MINI pack n play (half the size of the traditional). He sleeps in it now with the bassinet on top, but thought it might be perfect. Of course, we are not sure if he will sleep in our room or Grandma's, grandma keeps saying her room of course. But who knows, I guess we will let DS determine that.

 

Any other suggestions you have for packing, etc would be greatly appreciated. THANK YOU again for your wonderful review and tips.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

What a great review- thanks for sharing! You son is adorable.

[B_Mc]

Thank you SO much for posting this. We are debating bringing our 10 month old son at the time of the cruise (we had booked and I was too pregnant to go and we re-booked alone thinking we could leave him at Grandma and Grandpa's. Looks like Grandma may be coming with us instead. LOL, I don't think we can leave him, I never thought i would be THAT parent). We are on a 7 day cruise, but because I have my mother going and another girlfriend with HER mother, I think it should all work out. My mom (a very experienced cruiser) offered to stay with DS during the port days so DH and I could go and do what we wanted, so I think, although we have to pay full price for DS, it will be worth it and plus to hang with my mom for a week is an added bonus! Lucky for us, we have cruised enough to earn free laundry, bonus, and also we are not flying, so we can pack as much as we can carry, LORD HELP ME in my overpacking disease. Anyway, thank you for your post. I found it most helpful. Especially the inflatable tub, which we already have and learned to get DS use to it a couple of weeks before, as well as the over the door shoe organizer to organize things. I may have missed this, but where did your DS sleep? We are thinking of bringing a MINI pack n play (half the size of the traditional). He sleeps in it now with the bassinet on top, but thought it might be perfect. Of course, we are not sure if he will sleep in our room or Grandma's, grandma keeps saying her room of course. But who knows, I guess we will let DS determine that.

 

Any other suggestions you have for packing, etc would be greatly appreciated. THANK YOU again for your wonderful review and tips.

 

 

DS was in a pack 'n play provided by the cruise line. We brought our own bedding but the PNP they had was perfect!

 

Can't think of what else to suggest in the way of packing...the disposable bibs and place mats were fantastic! Also, scented bags for stinky diapers. HTH!

[Julie Jean]

Great review - thanks. My son will be 8 months when we take him on his first cruise on Eclipse in September

[CruisinWithMySweetie]

We used an inflatable bath tub in the shower and although DS didn't love it, it fit perfectly. It also doubled as DS' pool both on the pool deck and on our balcony!

 

What brand of inflatable bath tub did you bring? It sounds like a great idea that will work out for DD when we cruise with her for the first time.

[kms118]

Thank you for the review! We will be traveling in a few months (with our 14 month old) and appreciate your story!

[tkportersat]

I found it and didn't like it...I only like white meat chicken and it was only dark meat from what I saw. I still tasted it but wasn't impressed. I am sure it is better on some ships than others. Either way I don't think you missed much.

 

Darn! Should have ordered it from room service....