How bad is a cruise w/ an infant/toddler???

[sarahc78]

We have an issue, DH has lost his job. He is currently looking for something...however if within the next few weeks he doesnt find something w/ will have no choice but to pull our kids from daycare (I cant afford to continue paying $1300 a month in daycare w/ out him working) If that happens we would lose our childcare for my 18 month old DD the week of our upcoming cruise. I am currently trying to secure a family memeber to watch her... however if I cant we will have no choice but to bring her with us. (we have already made final payment and of course didnt get the insurance)

 

My question is this... how bad is a cruise with an 18 month old? I know she wont be able to go into the pools or any of the kid clubs.

[Carolin]

You will need to inquire about booking your toddler. There may not be available "space" . You also need to check if your cabin is rated for a third person. Most cruiselines charge for a third being booked into your cabin. My fingers crossed for your husband finding a new job soon. Good luck on your cruise.

[sarahc78]

You will need to inquire about booking your toddler. There may not be available "space" . You also need to check if your cabin is rated for a third person. Most cruiselines charge for a third being booked into your cabin. My fingers crossed for your husband finding a new job soon. Good luck on your cruise.

We actually have 2 rooms booked as we are taking our older children They are both rooms that hold 4 people so booking her isnt that big a deal. Just really wondering how enjoyable a cruise can be w/ a toddler.

[jhdoublin]

I have cruised with my son since he was 12 months (now 3 yrs) and honestly couldn't bear leaving him home for the week! He loves it-

 

Bring an inflatable pool - they will love that on the lido deck. Most young toddlers are entertained just by the party type atmosphere going on. Also- all the crew have always taken a huge interest in my child and tried to go out of their way to make my week easier-

 

You will have unforgettable memories of the time your child has if you bring them- I promise-

 

Now, it is not like cruising alone.....but it's still enjoyable. And since your other kids are coming along....maybe they can help you by watching them in the room while you have dinner a couple times- if they are old enough.

 

I hope one of your rooms are balcony? That helps tremendously- so you can sit out there while baby is asleep- although mine never seems to sleep.

 

What ship/route you going on?

 

 

At this point- it doesn't look like you have much choice- if it were either go with the child or stay home- I would definitely go-

 

I hope it all works out for your family.

 

Julie

[sarahc78]

I have cruised with my son since he was 12 months (now 3 yrs) and honestly couldn't bear leaving him home for the week! He loves it-

 

Bring an inflatable pool - they will love that on the lido deck. Most young toddlers are entertained just by the party type atmosphere going on. Also- all the crew have always taken a huge interest in my child and tried to go out of their way to make my week easier-

 

You will have unforgettable memories of the time your child has if you bring them- I promise-

 

Now, it is not like cruising alone.....but it's still enjoyable. And since your other kids are coming along....maybe they can help you by watching them in the room while you have dinner a couple times- if they are old enough.

 

I hope one of your rooms are balcony? That helps tremendously- so you can sit out there while baby is asleep- although mine never seems to sleep.

 

What ship/route you going on?

 

 

At this point- it doesn't look like you have much choice- if it were either go with the child or stay home- I would definitely go-

 

I hope it all works out for your family.

 

Julie

Thanks for all the info Julie!

 

Yes we have a balcony, one of the Aft balconies w/ the super huge balconies so that is a plus. My older boys are old enough to watch her in the evening for us to enjoy dinner so that could work also. This was supposed to be a special suprise trip to Bermuda so at this point they have no clue about the cruise.

 

Hopefully he can find another job quick, or at the very least my SIL or Cousin can watch her while we go. If we have to take her we will but I'd prefer not too.

[6rugrats]

We actually have 2 rooms booked as we are taking our older children They are both rooms that hold 4 people so booking her isnt that big a deal. Just really wondering how enjoyable a cruise can be w/ a toddler.

Just be aware that even though your cabin "holds" four people, if the ship is at full capacity, you won't be able to add your daughter to your booking. Check with the cruiseline.

 

My kids at that age would have been difficult on a cruise as they just didn't adapt well to change, and every trip with them, I worried constantly that they would disturb other people. This may not be the case with your child.

 

Good luck to your husband finding a job soon.

[bus man]

I would recommend asking your day care if they would be willing to watch DD for the week you're gone (for a fee, of course). If they're not fully booked, I would think they would be willing to do that -- especially since your kids are currently enrolled there, and would be again when DH finds a new job.

 

I don't know how full your day care is, but when we enrolled our first child at our neighborhood center, there was a waiting list. Now, they're holding open houses and giving signing bonuses to attract new clients. This is not at all indicative of the quality of the center itself, but rather a sign of the times: when people lose their jobs, they often take their kids out of day care.

[jhdoublin]

I would think that Bermuda would be one of the easier routes to take an infant on? It's on my bucket list-

 

Because they tend to be in port for a few days at a time instead of leaving every day? But yea- you better be making a phone call to see if capacity is there- like the other poster pointed out.

 

Julie

 

 

 

Thanks for all the info Julie!

 

Yes we have a balcony, one of the Aft balconies w/ the super huge balconies so that is a plus. My older boys are old enough to watch her in the evening for us to enjoy dinner so that could work also. This was supposed to be a special suprise trip to Bermuda so at this point they have no clue about the cruise.

 

Hopefully he can find another job quick, or at the very least my SIL or Cousin can watch her while we go. If we have to take her we will but I'd prefer not too.

[Iggipolka]

We cruised with our daughter when she was 15 months old and are taking her on a cruise this Saturday(!!) when she is 22 months old.

 

I was _very_ nervous about cruising with her the first time, but honestly, it was wonderful. She's a very easy going kid and adapts well to strange situations. I also decided that I just wasn't going to stress if she didn't follow her exact nap/wake/sleep schedule that she does at home, so that relieved me of my own compulsive (and totally unnecessary) stress.

 

The only difficult times were dinner times and I'm predicting that we'll have the same issue this cruise. Like most active toddlers, she has no interest in long fancy dinners. Last time, it was just my spouse, baby and I, but we lucked out and had two pediatricians and their 3 kids at our table. They loved our daughter and offered to hold her and entertain her while we ate. I also walked her outside of the dining room in between courses.

 

This time, we're traveling with family and I have hope that they'll also take turns entertaining her. If eating in the MDR doesn't work at all, we'll just eat at the buffet or room service for dinner. We are certainly not going to starve! ;)

 

The biggest thing I've had to realize when traveling with an infant/toddler, is to greatly lower my expectations and just go with the flow. I may not get to the spa or have as many adult beverages by the pool as I would when traveling w/o a child, but I will have wonderful memories of our trip and a much lower bill at the end of the cruise.

 

I encourage you to take your little one with you and have a wonderful time.

[tkportersat]

I just got off the NCL Spirit with my 10 month old and while there were good times I would not do it again. Just being honest.

 

I love my little man and at home I am perfectly fine staying home with him. I turn down many invites because I would rather spend as much time with him as possible.

 

For me I felt guilty dragging him everywhere. It was also constant packing and unpacking items to make sure any time I left the room/ship that I had everything. He wasn't free to crawl or walk around things any time he wanted. This trip while I enjoyed spending time with him was not relaxing at all for me. We had my two older children (16/18) and two sets off parents as well. This was supposed to be a belated honeymoon as we thought everyone would take shifts and that just did not happen. Overall he was a pretty good baby but definitely much more fussy than normal. I felt bad at times for our neighbors.

 

Since we have been home the last 3 days he is so much happier and laughing like never before. I have my baby back!!

 

So, sorry to be a downer but I came on this board before I left and saw all the "it's so great" posts and mine was not that way. I will say that we had spent March 1-4 in the hospital with him (cruise was March 13th, cleared by docs to travel) so I might have had some stress carried over from that.

[jhdoublin]

Good post- that pretty much sums it up for those wondering.

 

Julie

 

 

We cruised with our daughter when she was 15 months old and are taking her on a cruise this Saturday(!!) when she is 22 months old.

 

I was _very_ nervous about cruising with her the first time, but honestly, it was wonderful. She's a very easy going kid and adapts well to strange situations. I also decided that I just wasn't going to stress if she didn't follow her exact nap/wake/sleep schedule that she does at home, so that relieved me of my own compulsive (and totally unnecessary) stress.

 

The only difficult times were dinner times and I'm predicting that we'll have the same issue this cruise. Like most active toddlers, she has no interest in long fancy dinners. Last time, it was just my spouse, baby and I, but we lucked out and had two pediatricians and their 3 kids at our table. They loved our daughter and offered to hold her and entertain her while we ate. I also walked her outside of the dining room in between courses.

 

This time, we're traveling with family and I have hope that they'll also take turns entertaining her. If eating in the MDR doesn't work at all, we'll just eat at the buffet or room service for dinner. We are certainly not going to starve! ;)

 

The biggest thing I've had to realize when traveling with an infant/toddler, is to greatly lower my expectations and just go with the flow. I may not get to the spa or have as many adult beverages by the pool as I would when traveling w/o a child, but I will have wonderful memories of our trip and a much lower bill at the end of the cruise.

 

I encourage you to take your little one with you and have a wonderful time.

[jhdoublin]

I'm so sorry your cruise wasn't good for you guys. I can imagine the frustration of having all that help available and no one stepping up to give you guys a break even for short periods. I would rather cruise by myself than have that happen.

 

10 months is probably a bit young in my cruising experiece anyway, although you will hear many others do it and have a great time. Only because he's not old enough to walk and you have to drag all that junk with you.

 

I started cruising my little man (I cruised way before him) but he was 16 months and it was pretty good- he had a blast. Then at 21 months, and 34 months, and now he will be cruising again on April 3rd on the Pearl at 3 yrs and 3 months.

 

The worse one for me was the 21 months- only because he had just really learned how to take off and run away and really wanted to explore with very little downtime- which is the way he is at home! But it's worse on a ship because you can't just let him go all he wants and that ticks them off. But we still had fun.

 

No matter how you slice it- it won't be the same with little kids....but they're only little once - so enjoy it!

 

My daughter pretty much grew up in Camp Carnival when we started cruising- since she was 7 I guess. I think that has fueled a desire to be a world traveler for her- she really likes to see different cultures and I think it's good for them to see that not all kids have IPODS, IPADS, IPHONES, MACBOOKS, ect........although mine does have some of those now.

 

But kids don't have any idea what it's like in other countries until they see it.

 

Sorry- got off topic there.....

 

Julie

 

I just got off the NCL Spirit with my 10 month old and while there were good times I would not do it again. Just being honest.

 

I love my little man and at home I am perfectly fine staying home with him. I turn down many invites because I would rather spend as much time with him as possible.

 

For me I felt guilty dragging him everywhere. It was also constant packing and unpacking items to make sure any time I left the room/ship that I had everything. He wasn't free to crawl or walk around things any time he wanted. This trip while I enjoyed spending time with him was not relaxing at all for me. We had my two older children (16/18) and two sets off parents as well. This was supposed to be a belated honeymoon as we thought everyone would take shifts and that just did not happen. Overall he was a pretty good baby but definitely much more fussy than normal. I felt bad at times for our neighbors.

 

Since we have been home the last 3 days he is so much happier and laughing like never before. I have my baby back!!

 

So, sorry to be a downer but I came on this board before I left and saw all the "it's so great" posts and mine was not that way. I will say that we had spent March 1-4 in the hospital with him (cruise was March 13th, cleared by docs to travel) so I might have had some stress carried over from that.

[tkportersat]

It was good overall to be with family, it just wasn't relaxing. Didn't mean to make it sound like we didn't have fun at all. I would rather take care of him at home with out all the extra things to stress about.

 

We did have a little help as my mom and older son are very good reading me when I have had enough and would jump in. I just thought it would be more. If my husband and I took him alone then I would have been in a different mindset possibly.

 

All I am saying for anyone that asks is to think long and hard before you make the decision. It will not be the same. If you want to pop in the casino or simply grab a deck chair it will not be that simple. For me I will wait until he can be part of a kids club or something so that I can go lay in a deck chair for 2 hours, or pop in the casino for a bit. I don't want to be away from my baby all day, I just needed an hour or two here and there to have a little time for myself.

 

I will say seeing my little guy splashing in the ocean and putting his fat little toes in the sand for the first time will always put a smile on my face. So there definitely were some great, priceless moments.

 

I'm so sorry your cruise wasn't good for you guys. I can imagine the frustration of having all that help available and no one stepping up to give you guys a break even for short periods. I would rather cruise by myself than have that happen.

 

10 months is probably a bit young in my cruising experiece anyway, although you will hear many others do it and have a great time. Only because he's not old enough to walk and you have to drag all that junk with you.

 

I started cruising my little man (I cruised way before him) but he was 16 months and it was pretty good- he had a blast. Then at 21 months, and 34 months, and now he will be cruising again on April 3rd on the Pearl at 3 yrs and 3 months.

 

The worse one for me was the 21 months- only because he had just really learned how to take off and run away and really wanted to explore with very little downtime- which is the way he is at home! But it's worse on a ship because you can't just let him go all he wants and that ticks them off. But we still had fun.

 

No matter how you slice it- it won't be the same with little kids....but they're only little once - so enjoy it!

 

My daughter pretty much grew up in Camp Carnival when we started cruising- since she was 7 I guess. I think that has fueled a desire to be a world traveler for her- she really likes to see different cultures and I think it's good for them to see that not all kids have IPODS, IPADS, IPHONES, MACBOOKS, ect........although mine does have some of those now.

 

But kids don't have any idea what it's like in other countries until they see it.

 

Sorry- got off topic there.....

 

Julie

[sarahc78]

I just got off the NCL Spirit with my 10 month old and while there were good times I would not do it again. Just being honest.

 

I love my little man and at home I am perfectly fine staying home with him. I turn down many invites because I would rather spend as much time with him as possible.

 

For me I felt guilty dragging him everywhere. It was also constant packing and unpacking items to make sure any time I left the room/ship that I had everything. He wasn't free to crawl or walk around things any time he wanted. This trip while I enjoyed spending time with him was not relaxing at all for me. We had my two older children (16/18) and two sets off parents as well. This was supposed to be a belated honeymoon as we thought everyone would take shifts and that just did not happen. Overall he was a pretty good baby but definitely much more fussy than normal. I felt bad at times for our neighbors.

 

Since we have been home the last 3 days he is so much happier and laughing like never before. I have my baby back!!

 

So, sorry to be a downer but I came on this board before I left and saw all the "it's so great" posts and mine was not that way. I will say that we had spent March 1-4 in the hospital with him (cruise was March 13th, cleared by docs to travel) so I might have had some stress carried over from that.

 

The worse one for me was the 21 months- only because he had just really learned how to take off and run away and really wanted to explore with very little downtime- which is the way he is at home! But it's worse on a ship because you can't just let him go all he wants and that ticks them off. But we still had fun.

 

 

Julie

 

 

These two post are exactly what I envision happening so I am not looking forward to taking her if we have too lol. I know I will still have a good time, but when you have an infant/toddler they are in charge ya know ;)

[tkportersat]

I just wanted to offer my perspective so that all sides are represented :)

Good luck with your trip!

 

These two post are exactly what I envision happening so I am not looking forward to taking her if we have too lol. I know I will still have a good time, but when you have an infant/toddler they are in charge ya know ;)

[sarahc78]

I just wanted to offer my perspective so that all sides are represented :)

Good luck with your trip!

My parents are going and so are my older kids so kinda like your situation. I would like to think they will all help out...but reality is they are on vacation as well. Glad you did enjoy your cruise and I will keep you all posted to what happens.

[alj1208]

We recently cruised with our 4-year-old, and I am glad we waited until this age to take him. Not saying you can't enjoy a cruise with a toddler, but it will just be much more high maintenance, and you might not really be able to relax. It sounds as if you might need a break with everything that's going on in your life. I wish you luck in your decision and with your DH's employment situation.

[Trollair]

These two post are exactly what I envision happening so I am not looking forward to taking her if we have too lol. I know I will still have a good time, but when you have an infant/toddler they are in charge ya know ;)

 

At least these posts help to set your expectations. As with any trip with little ones, you have to make the best of it. No vacation is ever a walk in the park when diaper changes are required.

 

My wife and I brought strollers on our cruise for an 18 month and 3 year old. The kids would fall asleep and we could bring them to meals, shows, lounges. In port days, we spent time on the beach. They burn lots of energy and sleep well those nights. We would also chase them on the jogging tracks to burn energy. Our cabin was in the ships aft, we would let them run the length of the ship to get to the room...again, just to burn some energy.

 

Sitting through Dinners are definitely tough. They get restless quick. Consider eating in the buffet, especially if they serve the same food as the dining room.

[raylene5]

We just returned from a 9 day Mexican Riviera cruise with our 4 kids ages 7, 5, 2 and 10 months. Our last cruise was a couple of years ago and was just me and DH. Boy, what a difference! Ha ha! It was definitely not what I would call relaxing with all of the children but it really was a lot of fun. We were also traveling with good friends who brought their two daughters, ages 3 and 8. We also had Nana along to help and she was a lifesaver.

 

I think the most stressful thing for me was the night time waking up. I'm still nursing so the baby would wake up a couple of times at night and unlike at home, where I can let him cry it out a bit in his crib, I had to nurse him back to sleep every time he woke up.

 

We don't drink or gamble, so those were not losses for us. But we weren't really able to just hang out in the lounge chairs on the deck and spend time with our friends, which would have been nice. Nana did watch the baby on the first port day so we could take the 3 older kids to the beach. And she stayed with all 4 kids one day in Cabo so our friends and we could go on an excursion. That was really nice too. And Nana kept at least 2 of the older kids and sometimes all 3 of them in her room at night, so that was very helpful too.

 

Dinners were tough, especially since service was terrible and slow on our ship. The kids mostly did well but the 10 month old would definitely get tired towards the end and I had to leave early with him a couple of times. And I think he was having a hard time not crawling around and getting into things. As soon as we got home he went to town! He was so happy to move around and play.

 

We had a great time as a family and I'm a big proponent of traveling with kids. It's a great opportunity to teach kids about other cultures and to appreciate traveling. That being said, I'm very much looking forward to another adults-only cruise...hopefully to Alaska soon. The kids weren't interested in going there anyway :)

 

Good luck to your husband on finding a job soon!

[imsulin]

We actually have 2 rooms booked as we are taking our older children They are both rooms that hold 4 people so booking her isnt that big a deal. Just really wondering how enjoyable a cruise can be w/ a toddler.

 

 

Are you prepared to pay for her? Cruise rate, taxes and tips? It's not like you can just bring her onboard without paying anything. Is her name on your booking? It doesn't matter what kinds of cabins you've booked. If her name isn't listed, she cannot board.

[crusinmama06]

Well judging from your signature countdown, I can say that my vacation expectations are a little different from yours. Yours say "My toes in the water and my a** in the pink Bermuda sand" and I can honestly say that if that's your intention for THIS vacation with a toddler -- yeah not gonna happen. ;)

 

I don't think I had my "butt in the sand" until the kids hit 6 years old and even THEN it was short lived until I had to jump up and chase them somewhere.

 

So yes, I cruised with my kids as infants/toddlers. And I did it over and over again. But we may have different expectations of a vacation.

 

My idea of a vacation is getting away from cooking, cleaning, my job, this house and this county. My idea of a vacation has never been to get away from a member of my own family (excluding the inlaws of course).

 

So good luck on your cruise! And really, you need to call the cruise line about adding the baby like everyone has said. If they are at full capacity, then this may be a moot point. And the cost of the baby will be the same full price as every one else in the cabin - ouch!

[sarahc78]

DH has had a few interviews but no offers yet :cool:

 

Spoke w/ my SIL and she said she would be willing to take DD for the week if he hadnt found something by then. She lives in PA so it is on the way to and from our port.

[tkportersat]

Good luck with everything :)

 

DH has had a few interviews but no offers yet :cool:

 

Spoke w/ my SIL and she said she would be willing to take DD for the week if he hadnt found something by then. She lives in PA so it is on the way to and from our port.

[sandy18]

Oh boy! I hate to be a downer, but my experience was not good.:(

 

My situation is not normal because I had 14 month old twins at the time, so it was a little bit more of work than usual. I think that if we just had the one baby, DH and I would have been able to take turns with the meal preparation and feeding, diaper changes, bathing, carrying, etc. and that would have made the whole experience easier.

 

As it was, it was a nightmare.:eek: They would wake up around 2 or 3 am every night and we would have to get them right away so that they wouldn't be a nuisance to the neighbors. That meant that every night we would wake up really tired. I will admit that one night we even brought out the benadryl before they went to bed to see if they would sleep more. Guess what? Nope! Didn't work plus I felt horribly guilty afterwards.

 

Dining room- Let's not even go there. I brought a portable DVD player with Little Einstein videos and they would watch it for 20 minutes. After that...pain.

 

We also traveled with mother and sister in law (whom we paid for BTW and never paid us back, hmmmm) and we thought that they might offer to take the kids for a couple of hours a day so that DH and I could take a break, but that only happened one day. They were with us all the time, but I just don't have it in me to ask people for help. I want them to offer.

 

Anyway, hate to be such a downer as I really love cruising but just make sure that you think about it carefully.

 

I am taking another cruise in September and that is only because they will turn 2 in August and can use Camp Carnival. Yayyyyyy!! I want to use the camp for a couple of hours during the day for pool time and a couple of hours per night so that we can enjoy dinner.

 

I am definitely looking forward to that.:D

[SunniLicious]

We took our daughter just before she turned 3, and I distinctly remember the flight home, thinking 'we could not have done this any younger!!!'

 

And of course we *could* if we had to. And of course people *do*, all the time, and some of them enjoy it. I wouldn't choose to, but it sounds like you're not choosing to, it's just the default option now.

 

There is, in my opinion, very little to hold a kid's interest on a cruise ship except inside the kid's club. No toys, games, books, etc. So sea days are hardest, port days are better. And absolutely, the adults' experience is vastly different. Which doesn't mean it's BAD, it's still a cruise. :) It's just different.

 

However it works out for you, I hope you have a nice time, and good luck to your husband!