Travelling with a baby on the Allure of the Seas

[Chicky2181]

thanks

we had considered that, but our flight arrives at 11 pm the ngiht before the cruise and we're planning to just either shuttle or taxi to the Port the next morning. unless there's a target or walmart within walking distance from the hotel, otherwise we gotta pack them. sigh. yeah at least i can "use" the luggage space on our way back!

 

Jen - i went to Zellers (our version of Target, not as good of course) and all i could find at this time of the year that's similar to what you got for your cutsie daughter was simple swim rings that might be too large for DD. i wish they carry rings with sleeves like yours. Tried specialty swim shop in the mall as well, no dice. It's still winter here in Canada LOL

 

Call your hotel and see I'd there are any stores within walking distance. Our flight lands at 10pm. We are staying at the Sleep Inn & Suites and there is a 24hr walgreens located right next door. We plan to buy a case before the shuttle takes us to the port.

[teecee89]

Allure and Oasis is 6months and up. This is because of the Royal Babies program. Other ships will get this soon.

 

Not true, the minimum age of 1 year only applies to transatlantic, transpacific and Hawaii cruises. All other cruises the minimum age is 6 months

[keropikero]

thanks

we had considered that, but our flight arrives at 11 pm the ngiht before the cruise and we're planning to just either shuttle or taxi to the Port the next morning. unless there's a target or walmart within walking distance from the hotel, otherwise we gotta pack them. sigh. yeah at least i can "use" the luggage space on our way back!

 

Jen - i went to Zellers (our version of Target, not as good of course) and all i could find at this time of the year that's similar to what you got for your cutsie daughter was simple swim rings that might be too large for DD. i wish they carry rings with sleeves like yours. Tried specialty swim shop in the mall as well, no dice. It's still winter here in Canada LOL

 

try ordering online. Shop around and have it (maybe a couple other things you need) shipped to the hotel.

[Lloyd555]

In the Cabin

We chose an interior cabin. I sleep better in the dark and we don't go on a cruise to spend time in the cabin.

 

 

Thanks for the review!

I have booked two small interior cabins on the Oasis for February 2012. Your picture looks like the same type - Category Q [149 sq ft]?

Do you have any more pictures/views of the cabin, including the bathroom. We all think like you do - we realise that we're only in the cabin to sleep, shower and change our clothes, so it doesn't matter what it looks like (and we also like a dark cabin at night). Yet, my fellow-travellers are still curious about the space.

[moohaha]

Call your hotel and see I'd there are any stores within walking distance. Our flight lands at 10pm. We are staying at the Sleep Inn & Suites and there is a 24hr walgreens located right next door. We plan to buy a case before the shuttle takes us to the port.

 

I can tell you that I stayed at the Embassy Suites and there was both a Walgreens within walking distance and a huge Publix grocery store right next to the hotel. Although I wish I had known, I'm kinda glad I used that space for diapers initially so I had more room for the return home.

 

Do you have any more pictures/views of the cabin, including the bathroom.

 

I can share some more photos --- we recently came from the Allure on May 8th and booked an oceanview balcony. Our bed was configured a bit differently so that it's parallel to the door. We would've had to put the PnP between the sofa and TV like JasonMS did but I remember reading a tip about moving the bed over a little bit. We did that and it gave us much more room walking space in the "living room" area

 

I only have one image of the bathroom but you can see what we did to give her baths in the evening -- I got that Munchkin duck inflatable tub and it fits perfectly in the shower

[Lloyd555]

I can tell you that I stayed at the Embassy Suites and there was both a Walgreens within walking distance and a huge Publix grocery store right next to the hotel. Although I wish I had known, I'm kinda glad I used that space for diapers initially so I had more room for the return home.

 

 

 

I can share some more photos --- we recently came from the Allure on May 8th and booked an oceanview balcony. Our bed was configured a bit differently so that it's parallel to the door. We would've had to put the PnP between the sofa and TV like JasonMS did but I remember reading a tip about moving the bed over a little bit. We did that and it gave us much more room walking space in the "living room" area

 

I only have one image of the bathroom but you can see what we did to give her baths in the evening -- I got that Munchkin duck inflatable tub and it fits perfectly in the shower

 

Thanks for the pictures of your balcony cabin! However, I was interested in pics of the cabin if it was a category Q = small interior cabin with no window or balcony. That is what I booked on Oasis. When I see guests' pics on the web, it is hard to distinguish between interior category Q and interiors categories L,M and M (172 sq ft)!!!:(

[moohaha]

I don't know if it helps but my parents cruised with us, had an interior cabin, it was 172 sq ft and the configuration was exactly like ours (minur a balcony of course) -- their bed was parallel next to the closet. We did see other interior cabins like how JasonMS's was too -- I've learned that there are usually 2-3 different configurations,regardless of your cabin class...and if you research it a bit, you can usually find out if your bed will next to the closet, next to the wall, or sticking out.

[Lloyd555]

I don't know if it helps but my parents cruised with us, had an interior cabin, it was 172 sq ft and the configuration was exactly like ours (minur a balcony of course) -- their bed was parallel next to the closet. We did see other interior cabins like how JasonMS's was too -- I've learned that there are usually 2-3 different configurations,regardless of your cabin class...and if you research it a bit, you can usually find out if your bed will next to the closet, next to the wall, or sticking out.

 

Yes, I'm beginning to realise that there's likely different configurations, especially for the Cat. L, M, & N. With 23 less sq ft to play with, I'm wondering if that applies to Cat. Q. I'm thinking that Cat Q may just have the configuration of JasonMS's, with the beds against the samll wall.

 

Oh, well. Just being curious, that's all. I'm sure that my concerned fellow-travellers will survive, no matter what the layout. I'm thinking that they just want to know how far they'll have to stumble to their beds from the cabin door...!

[cruisermob]

Did you have to request a crib in advance? If so, who did you call? Also, was it a regular crib or a pack & play type crib? Thanks for any info.

[QTMichele]

Did you have to request a crib in advance? If so, who did you call? Also, was it a regular crib or a pack & play type crib? Thanks for any info.

 

Request a crib - it's a pack-n-play - in advance through royal Caribbean. They'll note it on your reservation, but you may have to ask your room steward for one upon arrival. I requested one, but our steward said he doesn't set them up initially so there is more room to unpack.

 

Good luck!

[moohaha]

Yup, I requested it when I made my reservation and asked about it the minute I saw the room steward. As you can see, it's a Graco PnP and was really easy to put together. They provide some loose blanket thing to "soften" the mattress but otherwise, just a regular size flat sheet to put on there. That worked fine for us as we just tucked it under...but if you're worried about the bedding moving around too much, I'd recommend bringing a PnP fitted sheet.

[Vonbear]

I was on the Oasis of the Seas with my 2 kids in a small crib. WE too were in an interior cabin for the darkness AND location. we chose a cabin by the library, assuming it would be quiet :o, and it was. Not a lot of room to move around in the cabin, but when we booked, we didn't realise that the interior (windowless) cabins came in two sizes, and we took the smaller size. Looks like you did the same! Will pay more attention when booking next time.

[cjantz]

My wife, one year old son and I just returned from a week on the Allure of the Seas. We had a wonderful time and recommend it to all families. Here's why:

 

Royal Caribbean International has perfected the cruise ship with the Oasis Class. There is plenty of room to fit everything in without compromise.

 

Let's start with the child care.

 

We had professional child care until midnight everyday. We enjoy our son so we didn't use it as much as we thought we might. About 14 hours in all. Just enough to enjoy some shows and dinners as adults instead of parents.

 

The cost is $8 per hour. I wish I could get this level of care at home for this price!

 

The daycare room is well designed with padded mats, Fisher Price toys and a nursery where the babies can sleep. I found my son sleeping in the arms of one of the care workers there on one occasion.

 

There is a toy lending program but they were still waiting for more toys.

 

The daycare was under used. There were only a few children there at a time. My son had a ball playing with all the toys and getting lot's of attention.

 

Across the hall from the daycare is an area called "Play". It is designed for supervised play and is well padded and stocked. A climbing gym with slides, balls, mats and books adorn this round room.

 

Around PLAY are rooms designed for kids of different ages. I can't comment on those programs but the rooms were well designed.

 

Dreamworks is all over the ship. My wife and I enjoyed the movies in our cabin as well as the 3D movies in the theater. My son couldn't wear the 3D glasses and usually fell asleep.

 

The poor soles who had to wear the Dreamworks character costumes on the ship amazed my son. He couldn't take his eyes off them! At the aqua-theater we saw the characters for the first time. Afterwards my son looked out over the ocean and said his first word: Wow. (Real story.)

 

Plan to see the parade. Everyone does. They close down the Royal Promenade for this show.

 

The H2Ozone is more for bigger kids. My son was only allowed in the splashing pool (for good reason - diapers). He enjoyed splashing around.

 

There was always plenty for him to eat in the dinning room or the buffet. I recommend the dinning room for most meals. It is less crowded and I tend to eat better.

 

My son was treated very well. Our wait team went out of their way to take care of him.

 

Try the cold fruit soups. Apple, Raspberry and Strawberry. Very good. My son liked them too!

 

Use room service. It is a great way to get milk, fruit and other items that you would otherwise have to travel across the ship for.

 

Getting Around

 

The ship is divided into neighbourhoods. Rightly so, they are big. To get to where you want to go you often need to go from the front of the ship to the aft or vice versa. The best way is through Central Park on Deck 8.

 

The second best way is to take the Royal Promenade on Deck 5.

 

My least favorite way was to take the narrow hallway on other decks where the cabins are.

 

In any case expect to take the elevators often. And there will be some waiting for those elevators. There are 12 elevators in the front of the ship and 12 elevators in the aft. We spent lots of time waiting with the stroller to go up or down just one deck. Bring a carrier!

 

In the Cabin

We chose an interior cabin. I sleep better in the dark and we don't go on a cruise to spend time in the cabin. We ordered a crib (playpen) for my son and it just kind of fit between the sofa and the TV. My son was fine but he could reach items placed on the table under the TV.

 

There was almost one foot between the playpen and the table for me and my wife to squeeze through to get to the bathroom. Otherwise it was a nice cabin.

 

My son was able to open the drawers and mini-bar fridge. Keep this in mind if you have a small child.

 

He loved the bed! Crisp white sheets and big pillows to him was a place to roll around and jump on.

 

We took advantage of a new program RCI is offering. Diapers (you can order other things as well) delivered to your stateroom when you board. We thought this was a great idea! We saved packing and transporting almost 30 diapers this way! However they did not understand the difference between size 3 and size 3T diapers. "T" stands for toddler. It was a tense few days and about an hour of lineups at guest services before they corrected the mistake.

 

It is not easy to find diapers on this ship or in the ports. We did find some dusty swimming diapers and hand wipes in Cozumel.

 

Allure is a big ship. We did not have time to do everything. We will be going back!

 

Over all it was a very good experience and I recommend this ship to everyone!

 

There are two types of people in the world: Those who love cruises and those who have not tried cruising yet!

 

I just wanted to say we just got back from our cruise on allure of the seas and the nursery staff was wonderful from the time we dropped the baby off they were very professional. -- fyi they are not open the first day they have an open house you will recieve a certain number of hours then on day 3 the rest open up we tipped them $10 each night amd used them 7-11 pm pretty much every night while our 8 month old daughter slept.