For those who have Cruised with Babies (esp)under 1..

[parrotthead]

Hi!

We will be sailing out of Galveston on the Triumph in Jan/Feb with "the Traveling GingerBaby on the Go" - he will be 8/9mo old then.

My question today is:

**IF you have Cruised Carnival with a tinytot...

1)- How old was Baby when you Cruised?

2)- Do You:

*Bring a Pack-n-Play for them to sleep in

*or*

*Use what the ship provides

(if so...What Does the ship provide?)

3)- Did you use the Under2 services offered in CampCarnival?

(if so...how was that>?)

Any info?

[SoundDawg]

Hi!

We will be sailing out of Galveston on the Triumph in Jan/Feb with "the Traveling GingerBaby on the Go" - he will be 8/9mo old then.

My question today is:

**IF you have Cruised Carnival with a tinytot...

1)- How old was Baby when you Cruised?

2)- Do You:

*Bring a Pack-n-Play for them to sleep in

*or*

*Use what the ship provides

(if so...What Does the ship provide?)

3)- Did you use the Under2 services offered in CampCarnival?

(if so...how was that>?)

Any info?

 

My wife and I cruised with our 10 month old son on the Miracle on 9/11 this year. Carnival did provide a crib. This must be requested in advance. The only issue we had was that it wasn't set up when we arrived and the little guy wanted to nap sooo bad. Nothing a few laps around the deck in his stroller didn't fix! Speaking of stroller. We purchased a Maclaren on craigs list just for the cruise as it folds up pretty small yet still was very comfortable for him to nap in. There isn't a lot of hall space and room space for a full size stroller. We have found we use this stroller more then the full size he has. We had a balcony room and put the small coffee table out on the balcony to give us more room. We also brought the large beach blanket clips and clipped the beach towels to the sides of the crib so he couldn't see us when we wanted him to sleep. (if he sees us he just wants to play)

 

As far as the under 2 services... We did not use the nightly babysitting as it didn't start till 10 and the little guy was passed out well before that from the excitement of the day. We did however use the playroom and toys in the morning before the Kids Club would open.

 

Any other questions.....feel free to ask!

[parrotthead]

Thanks Chris.

what kind of a 'crib' was it that the ship provided? like a Pack-n-Play or more like a 'travel bed' (wooden)

and (hate to ask this...but) was it 'clean' and in good condition?

Did you take little one to dinner in dining room? Highchair? etc...any info.. at all is good! Thanks

 

Baby had a good time?

__________________

[SoundDawg]

It was a white plastic crib not a pack n play. I saw the steward get it out of a storage closet and set it up and it seemed sturdy. He wiped it down and covered the mattress with a normal flat sheet that he had to fold a million times to fit the mattress. I think next time I would bring my own fitted crib sheet as my son moves a lot at night and fixing the sheet everyday was a pain.

 

We did the dining room almost every night. After the first night they had his high chair waiting for him at the table and would bring him a bowl of fruit before we even ordered. The waiters were fabulous with keeping him entertained and trying to get us in and out quickly. We had early dining which worked great as we had the same servers every night. We were also told that we could order food pureed for him for the following night.

 

Eating in Lido buffet during the day was simple as well. High chairs all over and if a server saw you looking for one they would tell us to sit and they would get us one. All the staff was fabulous with our little one. They told us they missed their children as they are on the ship 6-9 months at a time!

 

We all had a great time. It was definitely different then our previous cruises without him but we still had fun. We also were not on a port intensive trip. We were at sea 2 1/2 days then Bermuda for 3 days and then 2 1/2 days at sea back to NYC. We took the bus to and from the port which was about 3 hours each way. So no flying involved either.

[Essiesmom]

There is a Family Cruises forum here at CC, under Special Interest Cruising. Folks there have experience with Carnival, as well as other lines. Also experience traveling with infants. EM

[pyroguy]

1. 10 months

2. Used Carnival's Crib (see pic)

3. Once, but it was expensive and the time if I remember right was late at night or at lunchtime, we were too bushed or doing other things to really take advantage.

 

Info:

Honestly, it wasn't a relaxing vacation. As a parent, you already know that. Sure, it was a very nice trip, but traveling with a kiddo that can't walk is tough. You are in a public place most of the time so you can't just put them down. The baby can't swim in the pools, even with a swim diaper. Just be prepared for that reality. You can have a good time, just be prepared for work.

 

You can get a stroller from Camp Carnival for (I think) about $15 per day, but they only have a couple of them so get one quick.

 

We found it hard to get highchairs in the LIDO area. Kids were always up early, so lines for breakfast were never a problem, but getting a high chair was always tough. In the MDR, they knew we had a baby so it was always there for us.

 

Dinner in the MDR was tough - we were with a large group (10), so the length of time it took between courses was too much for a baby. I would recommend, if you are going to eat in the MDR to get a table in a corner somewhere near the windows. The baby can kind of sit/stand in the corner with toys while the rest of you are eating. We always grabbed some snacks/yogurt for him from the Lido restuarant before dinner to take with us so he wouldn't have to wait.

 

Honestly, a balcony is a great place for a toddler. They can't get hurt, and you can keep an eye on them while still getting some quiet time. (see pics)

 

Here's some pics:

 

...Carnival provided bed...

 

...Carnival Stroller...

 

...on the Balcony...

 

...in the MDR every night (kept him occupied while we ate)...

[pyroguy]

...one other note, we did bring our own "jogging" type stroller, but it wouldn't fit through the cabin door without having to take the wheels off (which we did).

 

we ended up leaving it on the balcony most of the time and just used Carnival's stroller. (still a good idea to take one though just in case).

[kroozers]

One thing I remember was that on a family cruise, my sister and her husband had their 10 month old along. She had a cabin right next to an elevator. Every time someone would use the elevator, voices and elevator noises were loud enough to wake the baby. Something to keep in mind when you choose a cabin.

[parrotthead]

Great! (thanks for the pics...that Really helped)

GingerBaby is our GrandBaby, but he lives with us, so we are well aware of the 'baby challenges" (lol) He has traveled with us wherever we go since hes been born (6 mos ago)... so hes an easygoing baby... sleeps wherever he is when he gets tired, is not shy or overwhelmed easily.

We are also considering taking our 11 yrold niece...she always wants to go with us when we travel. :)

So since the baby will be old enough (by Carnivals standards- 'over 6mo) then it will be a 'childs cruise' anyway... we Cruise about 4 times a year, so we wont feel like were 'missing anything' by having the children with us---been there, done that.

~did the steward 'make' the crb each day, or do I understand you did that?~

[wrp96]

GingerBaby is our GrandBaby,

 

And very adorable.:) Hi PH

[pyroguy]

Great! ~did the steward 'make' the crb each day, or do I understand you did that?~

 

If I remember right (Valor, June 2009 was our baby cruise) - the Crib stayed there all the time (because of naps, etc). So it never had to be made or taken down. Sure, it was a little tight (we had a fold down bed from the ceiling and another on the couch), but it was manageable.

 

IMO, having an 11yo is a great idea. Can watch the toddler at times for you to give you a break. Wish I had one of those when we cruised with him!

[parrotthead]

And very adorable.:) Hi PH

WRONA!!!!

Have you seen pics?

I miss you!

(are you on FaceBook yet?)

[parrotthead]

IMO, having an 11yo is a great idea. Can watch the toddler at times for you to give you a break. Wish I had one of those when we cruised with him!

lol.

We probably wont be able to pry the 11yo out of Camp Carnival...

;-)

(I wonder if GingerBaby will be toddleing by then... He will be 8/9mo so ...he may be 'cruising'... but who knows)

[OnTheBrink]

**IF you have Cruised Carnival with a tinytot...

1)- How old was Baby when you Cruised?

John was 8 months on our first cruise (Carnival Glory). Our daughter was 4 years.

 

 

2)- Do You:

*Bring a Pack-n-Play for them to sleep in

*or*

*Use what the ship provides

(if so...What Does the ship provide?)

He slept with me. He was breastfeeding and nursed at night.

 

3)- Did you use the Under2 services offered in CampCarnival?

(if so...how was that>?)

Any info?

We never left him with anyone, but we did go to the play area to let him crawl around and play.

 

As a previous poster stated, it's tricky having a crawling active baby is such public places. But it worked out. He wasn't allowed in the pool, so we just splashed on the side. We had a balcony and we put a little tiny inflatable pool there with just a bit of water. Having the balcony was GREAT with him! Well, for all of us, really!

 

I always credit the cruise with John's curious appetite. Unlike my daughter, he'll try anything. I think that's, at least in part, because he had a surge in eating on that cruise and tried all kinds of things! He ate nonstop!! And, with 4 cruises under his belt (and one coming this summer), he continues to eat nonstop on cruises. Good thing he has skinny genes!

[inlinesick]

There is a Family Cruises forum here at CC, under Special Interest Cruising. Folks there have experience with Carnival, as well as other lines. Also experience traveling with infants. EM

 

 

thanks for the tip, really good thread

[kr8z]

Hi!

We will be sailing out of Galveston on the Triumph in Jan/Feb with "the Traveling GingerBaby on the Go" - he will be 8/9mo old then.

My question today is:

 

**IF you have Cruised Carnival with a tinytot...

1)- How old was Baby when you Cruised?

 

2)- Do You:

*Bring a Pack-n-Play for them to sleep in

*or*

*Use what the ship provides

(if so...What Does the ship provide?)

 

3)- Did you use the Under2 services offered in CampCarnival?

(if so...how was that>?)

Any info?

 

 

You already got your info, but we cruised with a 6 month old and then with a 12 month old.

 

Cribs were as you saw in the other photos.

 

We only used baby sitting after 10 sometimes to get a break. We never took advantage of the daily sit and play times.

 

The food and beverage manager took it upon herself to order pureed foods nightly for our 6 month old son. He always got big bowls of fruits and vegies. She approached us the first night and inquired about allergies, likes, dislikes, etc. There was always a high chair in the MDR for us, but he often slept in his stroller. They seated us at the window, so it was great.

 

Our daughter had her first birthday on a cruise. Everyone paid so much attention to her LOL It was quite the show when she received her birthday cake in and all the singing in the MDR.

 

Taking a baby on a cruise isn't at all a relaxing vacation, but you take enough cruises alone that you will likely really enjoy spending the time with your grandson. When our daughter took her next cruise at age 2, she "seemed" to remember some things from her first cruise. Our kids look forward to their cruises.

[parrotthead]

Sabrina,

thanks for your reports. Sounds like its going to be fun.

Someone mentioned earlier that the crew enjoyed seeing the babies, I bet so. That hadnt occured to me before, but yes, with them being away from their families and children, siblings etc, I bet so. I do know they enjoy when guests ask about them..., if we find a crew member that we 'click' with we do ask about thier homeland, if they have kids, wife/husband 'back home' they always seem very happy to talk about their families, kids, cultures, if we ask and we usually do find several crew members to chat with on this level on each cruise, as we enjoy hearing about other cultures, and they are always so happy to tell their stories. We have even had crewmembers pull out pics of kids. I LOVE that!!! :)

[tkportersat]

Agree with your statements; we did NCL Spirit with our 10 month old and it is a different kind of vacation. Very thankful we had the balcony otherwise I would have had a breakdown :) Will not cruise again until the little one turns 2 so we can have a more balanced vacation. (NCL doesn't offer any under 2 services). Employees on NCL were also great with the baby, many of them would talk to him and make faces. All in all we still had fun, but just be prepared that you may not get to do all you are used to.

 

1. 10 months

2. Used Carnival's Crib (see pic)

3. Once, but it was expensive and the time if I remember right was late at night or at lunchtime, we were too bushed or doing other things to really take advantage.

 

Info:

Honestly, it wasn't a relaxing vacation. As a parent, you already know that. Sure, it was a very nice trip, but traveling with a kiddo that can't walk is tough. You are in a public place most of the time so you can't just put them down. The baby can't swim in the pools, even with a swim diaper. Just be prepared for that reality. You can have a good time, just be prepared for work.

 

You can get a stroller from Camp Carnival for (I think) about $15 per day, but they only have a couple of them so get one quick.

 

We found it hard to get highchairs in the LIDO area. Kids were always up early, so lines for breakfast were never a problem, but getting a high chair was always tough. In the MDR, they knew we had a baby so it was always there for us.

 

Dinner in the MDR was tough - we were with a large group (10), so the length of time it took between courses was too much for a baby. I would recommend, if you are going to eat in the MDR to get a table in a corner somewhere near the windows. The baby can kind of sit/stand in the corner with toys while the rest of you are eating. We always grabbed some snacks/yogurt for him from the Lido restuarant before dinner to take with us so he wouldn't have to wait.

 

Honestly, a balcony is a great place for a toddler. They can't get hurt, and you can keep an eye on them while still getting some quiet time. (see pics)

 

Here's some pics:

 

...Carnival provided bed...

 

...Carnival Stroller...

 

...on the Balcony...

 

...in the MDR every night (kept him occupied while we ate)...

[Lessum]

Hi!

We will be sailing out of Galveston on the Triumph in Jan/Feb with "the Traveling GingerBaby on the Go" - he will be 8/9mo old then.

My question today is:

 

**IF you have Cruised Carnival with a tinytot...

1)- How old was Baby when you Cruised?

15months but not walking yet

 

2)- Do You:

*Bring a Pack-n-Play for them to sleep in

*or*

*Use what the ship provides

(if so...What Does the ship provide?)

We had the ship provide the crib, however we did not use it. We kept it in the room and pushed it against the sofa and used it to block her in on the sofa which was made into a bed and she ended up sleeping on that.

 

3)- Did you use the Under2 services offered in CampCarnival?

(if so...how was that>?)

YES!!! We used the under 2 babysitting services which although limited were WONDERFUL! Our other daughter was 4 at the time so they were essentially in the same "area" of Camp Carnival. The staff were great and followed any instructions we left. They gave us a phone for the ship. I can't remember the exact price, but we knew what it was per hour ahead of time so it was expected. Also, they charge in 15 minute increments. We knew before we went we would use it. She was in daycare at home so we were not worried about leaving her with someone. SHE LOVED IT! We even left them both there and went ashore a few times. I think on port days the "babysitting" was til noon. So we just got back in time to get them and go to lunch. We did not use the after 10pm sitting.

Any info?

 

 

Now, this was our first cruise ever so we had no expectations but we knew we wouldn't be able to do everything we would do if we didn't have kids. We did splurge and got a balcony since we knew the kids would be in bed early - 8-9pm and we didn't want to sit in a dark room the rest of the evening. Also we ate every dinner in the MDR. Our waiter was incredible. After the first night he had milk waiting for the girls. He got our food very fast. Tried not to drag out dinner. They had high chairs readily available. We brought a small baby trend trendsport stroller that reclines and she napped in that a bunch on strolls around the ship. Others have said it was not a relaxing vacation, but I would disagree!!! We travel quite a bit - Disney World, other amusement parks, camping, road trips, visitng family, etc...and this was the MOST STRESS FREE VACATION I EVER TOOK WITH KIDS! There was no decision to make, no "where are we going to eat, what are we going to do" ...it was all SO EASY! Can't wait to go again! Of course our next one - in April is with no kids!!! Go, enjoy and relax!

[parrotthead]

Agree with your statements; we did NCL Spirit with our 10 month old and it is a different kind of vacation. Very thankful we had the balcony otherwise I would have had a breakdown :) Will not cruise again until the little one turns 2 so we can have a more balanced vacation. (NCL doesn't offer any under 2 services). Employees on NCL were also great with the baby, many of them would talk to him and make faces. All in all we still had fun, but just be prepared that you may not get to do all you are used to.

Why? :confused:

What would have made it better, why was it ...(difficult?)

[parrotthead]

Now, this was our first cruise ever so we had no expectations but we knew we wouldn't be able to do everything we would do if we didn't have kids. We did splurge and got a balcony since we knew the kids would be in bed early - 8-9pm and we didn't want to sit in a dark room the rest of the evening. Also we ate every dinner in the MDR. Our waiter was incredible. After the first night he had milk waiting for the girls. He got our food very fast. Tried not to drag out dinner. They had high chairs readily available. We brought a small baby trend trendsport stroller that reclines and she napped in that a bunch on strolls around the ship. Others have said it was not a relaxing vacation, but I would disagree!!! We travel quite a bit - Disney World, other amusement parks, camping, road trips, visitng family, etc...and this was the MOST STRESS FREE VACATION I EVER TOOK WITH KIDS! There was no decision to make, no "where are we going to eat, what are we going to do" ...it was all SO EASY! Can't wait to go again! Of course our next one - in April is with no kids!!! Go, enjoy and relax!

Cool! GingerBaby (Kinley) is used to traveling as well, so I know he will do well on the ship, not worried about that a bit.

His "first" cruise he was a StowAWay...his Mumsa was 23wks prg. :) So hes been cruising since before he was born.. :)

[parrotthead]

PS to tkportersat

I see you are wanting to do the Magic... my advice... DO IT!

The ship is Beautiful, the crew is Great, Alt Dining is TopNotch...

We did the Ignaugral out of Galveston...Cant wait to be back on that ship.....!!!!

Love Love Love it!

[wrp96]

WRONA!!!!

Have you seen pics?

I miss you!

(are you on FaceBook yet?)

 

 

Not on FaceBook yet but saw the picks of the "funny hat" when RPC visited me in November.

[parrotthead]

Not on FaceBook yet but saw the picks of the "funny hat" when RPC visited me in November.

"Aunt Wrona"-- get with the times and Get on FaceBook...

you can restrict your page to only the people you want to see it...

come on, that way we can keep intouch...

[nydney1]

Hi!

We will be sailing out of Galveston on the Triumph in Jan/Feb with "the Traveling GingerBaby on the Go" - he will be 8/9mo old then.

My question today is:

 

**IF you have Cruised Carnival with a tinytot...

1)- How old was Baby when you Cruised? Our son was 10 months on his first cruise. Getting ready for his 4th next month. Daughter was still in the belly on her first then 15 months on her second. her third will be next month.

 

2)- Do You:

*Bring a Pack-n-Play for them to sleep in

*or*

*Use what the ship provides

(if so...What Does the ship provide?) We used the crib that CCL provides. It was the same one in the picture. It was clean but the sheet was a pain.

 

3)- Did you use the Under2 services offered in CampCarnival?

(if so...how was that>?) Nope.

Any info?

We at in the dining room. When he was younger it was easier, now they get a little board. Our son;s first cruise is one of my favorites. He had just learned to high five and high fived everyone. By the end of the week everyone knew him.

When we ate on the lido there were plenty of high chairs. Be sure to bring some sippy cups and kids silverware (Can't remember when they started using them).

We bought a small stroller, bigger than an umbrella but smaller than one that holds carseats. We used it for eveything, make sure it has storage underneath.

Last tip, go to your license branch and get a state id for your child. It's about $7 bucks but makes a great piece of id to have if anything happened.

 

 

Have a great cruise enjoy your trip.