May 8th sailing with a 12 month old

[moohaha]

Just got off the Allure (May 8-15 sailing) from a family trip with my husband, our 12-month old daughter and my parents (who stayed in a separate stateroom). Overall, it was a FANTASTIC cruise. We stayed in an oceanview balcony stateroom (10144) and got a Pack n Play set up in the room with us---some comments:

 

Family Cruising related

• The Royal Babies & Tots program was great -- I think it was open like 8am - midnight. We used it twice. They gave us a cell phone to use for contact which was convenient. They provide a little bag to drop off things like diapers, wipes, snacks, change of clothes, etc.
  
• They play area next to the nursery is really great--lots of new toys and equipment to play with
  
• We used the Baby Splash Zone -- I thought it would feel crowded since it's so small but it never really felt that way
  
• Pretty much there were changing tables in every restroom on board and oftentimes, there were Huggies Wipes at the changing station too. That was great in the case you run out of wipes.
  
• The PnP provided is a Graco one. They don't have actual PnP sheets and only just give you a regular flat sheet (which we had to fold over). If this matters to you, bring your own PnP sheet.
  
• Whole milk was readily available and the waitstaff was great at accommodating us with providing food for my daughter
  

Dining Experience

• We mostly ate in the MDR (early sitting) with the exception of dinner at 150 Central Park and lunch at Giovanni's once.
  
• 2 formal nights (Mon and Thurs) -- lobster night is the 2nd formal night
  
• Ate breakfast everywhere -- favorite was the Park Cafe (they have breakfast sandwiches and burritos, plus a bagel station). Solarium also had good breakfast. Windjammer -- while it had the variety, the food felt like it'd been sitting there for awhile and the place was soooo crowded. It was impossible finding a table. We only ate breakfast there once because it was such an annoying experience.
  
• 150 Central Park food was great -- warning: they charge something like $20 for the cucumber/basil martinin they offer. Also, if they pour Evian water for you, that's not cheap either.
  
• Johnny Rockets breakfast is free and made-to-order although the menu is limited to basics (eggs, waffles, pancakes)
  

Entertainment

• We saw Chicago, Blue Planet, OceanAria--all really great entertainment
  
• The Headliner was an Abba cover group
  

Ports-of-Call

• Labadee -- just spent the day on the beach. The water on one side is definitely way calmer (and more swimmable) than the other side (this is the side where the zip line is). They provide a BBQ on the beach of basic hamburger, hot dogs, ribs.
  
• Falmouth -- all the vendors are just outside. Just a little bit of shopping to be done here. If you walk into Falmouth, there's just a small area to walk around. My husband and I did get a lunch at one of the cafes and it was great (jerk chicken!). We took the free shuttle to Rose Hall shoppes and it was only maybe worth it just to get a ride to see more of Jamaica. If I were to do this all over again, we would've gotten a taxi into Montego Bay
  
• Cozumel -- dropped off our daughter with my parents and we spent the day at Mr Sancho's which was fabulous. Unlimited food and drink and the facilities were wonderful. Highly recommend
  

Let me know if you have any other questions!