Just back from my 13 month old's first cruise!

[cruizinnj]

Hi everyone,

 

I found this board to be very helpful when planning for my son's first cruise, so I thought I would return the favor and pass along some of my thoughts and tips from our wonderful cruise.

 

Cabin - myself, husband, and son (13 months old) stayed in a "french door" room on the Carnival Legend. These rooms are considered interior rooms, but the french doors allow for some daylight and fresh air. And even though we did not have much of a view, we could see a little bit of the water and port. While we were still getting ourselves situated the first two days, we were wondering if we should have gotten a balcony room. I know a lot of people think these are a necessity when traveling with children. Well, my son's schedule altered pretty quickly to where he stayed up late and slept in late (wahoo!), so we really had no need for the balcony and we were glad we saved the money. He rarely took naps in the room - most were in the stroller or in port - and when we did have an occasional nap in the room, we made it a family nap :)

 

Bathing – my son LOVES his baths at home. And he has so far been a very adaptable kid. So, we brought along the famous duck tub. Well, I should have followed the advice of others and gotten him used to the duck tub before going on the cruise. He HATED the duck and was very scared of the shower. So, bathing was the only point of the cruise that was not 100% enjoyable for any of us. By the end of the week it became manageable, but, he was very happy to be home in his tub last night.

 

Dining – my son is a very good eater and is on all table food. We have been very lucky that he has so far not refused any foods. The cruise was no exception! He ate like a true cruiser. He ate tons of fruit and enjoyed everything else we gave him. While we stayed away from anything too exotic, he did not eat off the children’s menu. We stuck to the main menu and he thoroughly enjoyed everything Carnival had to offer. He especially loved the chilled soups, grilled sandwiches, and the pastas. We had no problem finding milk for him – they offered 2%, not whole milk. We ate all lunches in the Lido, split our breakfasts between Lido and MDR, and ate all but the first night’s dinner in the MDR. My son loved the activity of the Lido and waved to EVERYONE who walked by. He did well in the MDR and liked the entertainment. We did Anytime Dining and this worked very well for us. My son would sometimes take a late nap while we were getting ready, so anytime dining allowed us to go at different times, depending on his schedule. We did not love all of our servers, but did find one team that we loved and were able to dine with them three nights. We did not ever have a wait to be seated for dinner and went each night between 6:30-7:15.

 

Ports – the cruise stopped in Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize, and Roatan.

· The tender in Grand Cayman was simple and quick. We took the Carnival “Explore Cayman by Land and Sea” excursion. Our tour operator was great and the little guy did very well. There were lots of stops and places for him to walk around, so he was not stuck in his car seat for long. Note about the car seat – I had asked ahead of time to be sure the tour vehicle could accommodate a car seat. I should have specifically asked about seat belts. The vehicle did not have seat belts. It worked out OK in that the space between the seats was tight enough that the infant car seat fit snugly in place, however, this is not ideal and obviously does not have the same level of safety as if the car seat was secured by a seat belt. (And I am not sure how it would have worked if we had a convertible car seat.) It made for a more comfortable place for my son to ride/sleep, and I would imagine there is still some added safety to him being in the seat versus on our lap, but I wanted to be sure others were aware for future excursions.

· We just walked around the port in Cozumel. We had originally planned to go to the beach, but we decided to keep it simple and just stay near the port and then enjoy the empty ship and pool area.

· We did not get off the boat in Belize. I did not see any tours that I thought would be good for the baby, given the 20 minute tender and then usually a far bus ride or boat ride to another destination. My husband and I had been here on our last cruise and had already seen the port area and I did not think it was worth the tender ride with the baby to just walk around the port area.

· We did a private tour in Roatan. We used Victor Bodden tours and requested Tex. The tour was fantastic. We really enjoyed it and the little guy did great. Again, there were enough stops that he was not stuck in his car seat for too long. And the van did have seat belts, so the car seat was properly secured for this tour.

 

Sea days and other on the boat activities – my son is walking and VERY active. He is not a “sit in your seat and watch something” kind of kid, so, while we tried to go to a few shows/activities, it did not work out for us. We spent much of our time on the ship going on walks in the stroller or chasing after the little guy. He loved running/walking around and exploring. And he loved anywhere that had music so he could dance.

 

Stroller – we brought a nice, sturdy umbrella stroller that had a sun shade, basket, and reclined for naps. This worked very well for us and easily fit in elevators, through doorways, etc. We saw a number of people with full size strollers who had to close them up to get in the cabin, had a tougher time maneuvering through the public spaces, etc. It just seemed like the larger stroller would be more difficult than they were worth – but I understand this is a personal preference. One quick item to note – you can rent a stroller through Camp Carnival.

 

Camp Carnival for Under 2’s – since my son was only 13 months old, I knew there would be limited activities he could participate in within Camp Carnival. However, I was pleasantly surprised at just how much was available to him/us. Camp Carnival was open during each of the two sea days from 8-10am. This was time that you could spend in Camp Carnival with your “Under 2” child, or you could drop your child off for a fee. (babysitting rate of $6.75/hr plus 15% gratuity). Each of the four port days also allowed you to drop your child off for a fee. The times ranged each day depending on the arrival time and the times for our cruise were as follows:

· Grand Cayman – 7am-noon

· Cozumel – 9am-noon

· Belize – 8am-noon

· Roatan – 8am-noon

 

You could also take advantage of the Night Owls program from 10pm-3am and drop your child off for a fee. The girls in Camp Carnival were great. We went on the first sea day and played for about an hour. My son had a great time with the toys they had in camp. Unfortunately for us, the little guy did not want to stay there on the babysitting mornings. We tried two different mornings and he did not want us to leave him (he does not go to daycare, so he has never experienced this type of situation). So, we were not able to take advantage of these services. However, I was really impressed with all they offered. And they do pro-rate the fee. For example, my son lasted a half hour the first time I dropped him off and I was only charged for a half hour. You do not automatically get charged for a full hour.

 

Miscellaneous – disposable bibs ended up being a must have. So very convenient and made for a “little” less laundry to do now that I am home. High chairs with trays were always available, although sometimes we had to ask for one on the Lido and a crew member would track one down – and there were not many high chair age kids on this cruise. The crib Carnival provides was great. I did not end up using the fitted sheets I brought. The folded up flat sheet provided worked fine, even for our squirmy sleeper. They did not provide a blanket, so if your child is used to sleeping with a blanket, you may want to bring a child size blanket with you.

 

Well, that is all I can think of for now! In summary, we had a fabulous time on our cruise and I would not change a thing. We had great family time, the staff completely doted on our son (everyone seemed to know his name), and we had another great cruise vacation full of wonderful memories! Please let me know if you have any specific questions and I will be happy to help. Like I said, I appreciated all of the advice I got from this board while I was preparing to go and would like to return the favor!

[crusinmama06]

Welcome back! Glad you had such a nice cruise! :D

[Keith1010]

Thank you for writing such a detailed post and I am glad you had a great time on the cruise.

 

Welcome home.

 

Keith

[Woodmnky]

I'm so glad to hear that you had a great time. Our cruise is in a couple of weeks and I anticipate doing many of the same things that you did. DS is also very active and I have no ambitions of trying the shows. Sorry DS wouldn't stay in the Kid's Club and give you a break, but there is always next time.

[Mom2B&Z]

Thanks for the review, we'll be in Cozumel and Roatan with the boys in January and it's nice to hear verification that Bodden tours has seatbelts :)

[luvhubandbabys]

Awesome. Its so good to hear how things went even tho he wouldnt stay for babysitting. Sounds like a great family vaca to me.:D

[MariahJ]

Thanks for the report! We just went on my 15 m/o's first cruise and she loved it as well. We ended up bringing Grandma to babysit because NCL doesn't allow kids in the daycare under age 2. I guess I just assumed they were all the same. We're considering taking the next cruise just before my DD turns 2 so that we can save on airfare, so maybe we can still get her in childcare depending on the line! I'm not sure how she'll handle it either. I do work from home but she's with a nanny or grandma and not a group childcare environment, but she's never had a hard time being left at the gym childcare.

 

I can't imagine no naps! My DD napped beautifully as the rocking of the ship seemed to help her sleep better than normal, as an extra perk!

[Goodybabs]

Good to hear I leave on Saturday for my trip with my 10 month old DD.

 

Was there anything that you packed that you didn't use or wish you had packed but didn't?

[soozenw]

Thanks for the information! Glad you enjoyed yourselves!

[cruizinnj]

Thanks for the comments! Yes, it was a great vacation. It definitely worked for our little one and our family.

 

In response to the last question - I packed all of the following that I did not use: crib/pack n play sheets, blankets, burp clothes, extra changing pads, double diapers and wipes, various medications/thermometer/etc. That being said, I would probably bring it all again, as you never know what they may or may not need and I like to be over prepared.

 

One thing I forgot to pack but meant to bring - stinky diaper bags. We used ziplocs instead, and they worked fine, but I would definitely try to remember to pack them if possible.

 

I can't think of anything I packed that I would not bring again. While I did pack a ton for him, these little ones need a lot of stuff :)

[kellylw]

Can I ask what types of foods your little one ate from the main dining room menu? My son will be 13 months on our next cruise and I am struggling to get him to eat meat and vegetables in solid form. While all babies are different, it helps me to know what other kids were willing to eat so I am not as afraid to try!

 

Your review was wonderful and is getting me so excited for my sons first cruise!

[lrowe70]

Thanks for the detailed information, especially the Camp under 2. Glad you had a good trip

[Vericurious18]

Thanks for the detailed post! We ar cruising with our 2 yo son for the first time on Xmas day. I wish he was a better eater bc I am rather concerned. I'm also really disappointed that they don't serve whole milk!!!! What to do?!:confused:

[cruizinnj]

Can I ask what types of foods your little one ate from the main dining room menu? My son will be 13 months on our next cruise and I am struggling to get him to eat meat and vegetables in solid form. While all babies are different, it helps me to know what other kids were willing to eat so I am not as afraid to try!

 

Your review was wonderful and is getting me so excited for my sons first cruise!

 

Thanks! My son was willing to try anything, luckily for us, but I stayed away from anything too exotic or seasoned. I did not want to go too far into the "new" arena when being on a ship at sea (re: allergies, etc.). So, I stayed away from giving him any seafood, since he has not yet tried that. But he ate many of the soups, he especially loved the chilled fruit soups (but who doesn't - haha!) and many of the pasta dishes which generally had both meat and vegetables in them. He LOVED the lasagna. He also ate some chicken (ex. chicken quesadillas) and turkey (there was both a turkey pasta and a turkey dinner). He doesn't yet eat a lot of red meat, as it is still tough for him to chew, so I did not offer him any of that, except for the meat in the lasagna that was all crumbled up (did I mention he LOVED this???). A lot of the meals were balanced, so he ate a little of it all (for example, turkey with stuffing and pumpkin puree) and it seemed to get him what he needed. And we always got a bowl of fruit and gave him a roll to munch on. We knew that if all else failed, those two items were going to keep him busy :)

 

I would suggest offering your child anything you are comfortable letting him try. I figured he had chicken nuggets waiting for him at home, but I wasn't making chilled strawberry bisque anytime soon. So, now was his chance to get some!

[cruizinnj]

Thanks for the detailed post! We ar cruising with our 2 yo son for the first time on Xmas day. I wish he was a better eater bc I am rather concerned. I'm also really disappointed that they don't serve whole milk!!!! What to do?!:confused:

 

There are SO many options for things to eat, I am sure you will find something. There is every type of fruit you can think of, yogurt, cheerios, grilled cheese, pizza, chicken nuggets, french fries - all the kid favorites! and maybe bring some of your son's favorite snacks with you, so you have a backup for when he is being stubborn?

 

As for the milk, I was not too concerned with my son having the 2% for a week. He did fine with it, and went straight back to whole when we got home. It was not even a blip on the radar.

 

Good luck!! and have a GREAT time!

[kellylw]

Thanks! My son was willing to try anything, luckily for us, but I stayed away from anything too exotic or seasoned. I did not want to go too far into the "new" arena when being on a ship at sea (re: allergies, etc.). So, I stayed away from giving him any seafood, since he has not yet tried that. But he ate many of the soups, he especially loved the chilled fruit soups (but who doesn't - haha!) and many of the pasta dishes which generally had both meat and vegetables in them. He LOVED the lasagna. He also ate some chicken (ex. chicken quesadillas) and turkey (there was both a turkey pasta and a turkey dinner). He doesn't yet eat a lot of red meat, as it is still tough for him to chew, so I did not offer him any of that, except for the meat in the lasagna that was all crumbled up (did I mention he LOVED this???). A lot of the meals were balanced, so he ate a little of it all (for example, turkey with stuffing and pumpkin puree) and it seemed to get him what he needed. And we always got a bowl of fruit and gave him a roll to munch on. We knew that if all else failed, those two items were going to keep him busy :)

 

I would suggest offering your child anything you are comfortable letting him try. I figured he had chicken nuggets waiting for him at home, but I wasn't making chilled strawberry bisque anytime soon. So, now was his chance to get some!

 

Thanks! The lasagna sounds like a great idea, and I know what you mean about the rolls and fruit! Even if he eats nothing else all week, my son won't starve! I can't even get him to eat chicken nuggets, but he did surprise me last night and finally ate pasta that wasn't pureed in baby food.