Babies-Under 2- anyone used any of the services offered?

[parrotthead]

Hi,

Who can tell me about your experience using any of the services for "Under2"s ..

ie:

Evening "babysitting for a fee"

Playtime in Camp Carnival

 

What was your experience with cruising with Baby...

?:)

[Julienatul]

We used it with both our kids before they were age 2. The playtime if from 8-10am on sea days you can either stay and play with them for free or leave them for a fee. Also starting at 10pm its babysitting for a fee. You bring them asleep in their pj's and they have cribs already set up for them. Bring a small bag with diapers, wipes, bottles, sippy cup whatever they use and they will give it to them. You can also go to the family welcome aboard party the first evening with your under 2's. Lots of fun with music, balloons and dancing My kids always loved it before they were 2 and still do.

Cruising with a baby is not like cruising pre-kids. You still have all the responsibility of caring for them just like at home but in my opinion its the easiest way to travel with young kids. Everything you need is always handy...food 24/7, room service, someone cooking and cleaning for you. Also if you need to go back to the cabin with the baby, the rest of your family can still enjoy themselves. Bring lots of magazines, books, ipod or whatever you like to do quietly in the cabin while baby naps. Try to get a balcony if possible and that way if baby is sleeping you can still enjoy yourself out on the balcony. You will be spending alot more time in the cabin than you normally would. Done stress, just go with the flow and dont have unrealistic expectations or overplan. Be flexible in your plans. If baby is cranky, change your plans. You will see there is so much to entertain you baby even just people watching, listening to music, chasing lights in the disco, exploring the ship, watching the ice carving demonstration. Its all new for your little one and he or she will be enthralled. Yes it is limiting, you cant lay out on a lounge chair drinking a cocktail for hours on end or do what you want when you want but it can definitely be a great vacation. You will have so many great memories and pictures.

[bigdaddyvoges]

Thank you for this post. Traveling 10/17 with our then 17 mth old, and our 1st timer friends are bringing their then 7mth old. Hoping for a smoooooth vacation! ;)

[parrotthead]

:pCool! Do you recall what the fee for babysitting is> Probably would not use it, but its nice ot have an idea.

"Traveling GingerBaby On-the-Go" is our Grandbaby who (he and his mama) live with us, so he is (only 3 months now) but is already used to Travel, because "GiGi & DeDe" Dont stay home with a baby ( and Mumsa works, so he spends a LOT of time going around with us).... so has he learned already, you sleep when your tired, wherever you are, regardless of the noise around you, you may be given a bottle while walking around a museum or where ever we happen to be, you may get your diaper changed in the back seat of the car at a rest stop... you just go with the flow.

Not worried about my cruising style being cramped, we are very easygoing while traveling (dont lay out or drink to excess)....and he's an easy going baby, (nothing like his cranky Mumsa was as a little one--been there, done that)

;)

His whole world is Cruise and Travel themed...

Im only bummed out that we have to wait till hes (at least) 6 months before he can cruise...otherwise he'd be booked in next month, which I had to change to a land holiday, b/c of Carnivals 'rule' :rolleyes:

[parrotthead]

Anyone have any info on the hourly rates? Still prob would not use it, I was most interested in the "open play" times on SeaDays, but who know, it would be helpful info to have...

:)

[Tapi]

We cruised on Carnival when our son was 12 months old. Although we knew that the offerings for him would be limited, we underestimated how lacking Carnival is in this department.

 

Yes, they offer Free Play Time (on our cruise it was only offered twice for 45 minute sessions). They stressed that it's a fully supervised (by the parents) play time, so we weren't given the option to leave him there, even for a fee.

 

We didn't use the baby sitting after 10pm (it was $6/hr). Usually by that time, we were ready to go to sleep ourselves! :o

 

One thing is for sure, the crew will make your baby feel very welcome. On our cruise, everybody went way out of their way to ensure that our son was well taken care of! :)

 

As someone mentioned, cruising with a baby will make for a completely different experience (not bad, just different). We spent more time as a family, less time siting down for dinner at the main dining room, more time eating at the buffet, less time dancing at the night club , but more time dancing on deck with our baby in arms, etc, etc.

 

If you feel that Carnival might be a bit too restrictive with their under 2 offerings, check out Royal Caribbean. We sailed on them when our son was 17 months old and the experience was absolutely phenomenal! They have the Royal Babies program (starts at 6 months). They offer baby sitting ALL DAY (8am to midnight), activities, shows, a dedicated baby pool zone, carousel, the Dreamworks experience (with Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and Madagascar) as well as a dedicated Fisher Price TV channel. The great thing is that, because you can leave your kid at Royal Babies at any time, it gives the adults plenty of time to enjoy all the adult offerings throughout the ship. Once again, an awesome, wonderful cruise experience! One drawback is that, right now, the Royal Babies program is not offered fleetwide, so check before you book!

[imluvncruzn]

:pCool! Do you recall what the fee for babysitting is> Probably would not use it, but its nice ot have an idea.

"Traveling GingerBaby On-the-Go" is our Grandbaby who (he and his mama) live with us, so he is (only 3 months now) but is already used to Travel, because "GiGi & DeDe" Dont stay home with a baby ( and Mumsa works, so he spends a LOT of time going around with us).... so has he learned already, you sleep when your tired, wherever you are, regardless of the noise around you, you may be given a bottle while walking around a museum or where ever we happen to be, you may get your diaper changed in the back seat of the car at a rest stop... you just go with the flow.

Not worried about my cruising style being cramped, we are very easygoing while traveling (dont lay out or drink to excess)....and he's an easy going baby, (nothing like his cranky Mumsa was as a little one--been there, done that)

;)

His whole world is Cruise and Travel themed...

Im only bummed out that we have to wait till hes (at least) 6 months before he can cruise...otherwise he'd be booked in next month, which I had to change to a land holiday, b/c of Carnivals 'rule' :rolleyes:

 

Could you explain what Carnival's rule is regarding the age of the baby. We have a friend that is interested in cruising with us but her baby will only be 4 mo. at the time of sailing...Thanks!

[Tapi]

Could you explain what Carnival's rule is regarding the age of the baby. We have a friend that is interested in cruising with us but her baby will only be 4 mo. at the time of sailing...Thanks!

 

Babies must be 6 months old. If its a transatlantic cruise, then they must be 12 months old.

[parrotthead]

Could you explain what Carnival's rule is regarding the age of the baby. We have a friend that is interested in cruising with us but her baby will only be 4 mo. at the time of sailing...Thanks!

Babies MUST be 6 months of age the day of embark. (saildate)...

From my (extensive) research, even ONE Day short of 6 months and they will be denied boarding.

~If anyone has a different experience...PLEASE let me know~

(I wanted to take the "Traveling Gingerbaby" on our Magic Cruise in November, but he would be 10 days short of 6 months...and was told NO.

:eek::rolleyes: