Equinox with baby?

[mresera]

I am traveling on the Equinox in the near future with my extended family. This means that I will be bringing my baby who will be around 9 months old at the time of the cruise. How baby friendly is the Equinox? Specifically, what is the condition of the crib or pack and play for sleep? Do I need to bring my own? Is the condition of their accomodations acceptable? Any other baby advice?

[Algebralovr]

Depending on how far out your cruise is, they will order baby food for you. I don't remember how far out you need to place the order, however. I believe it was 45 days or so. You may wish to contact the special needs department to ask about this. If they are not able to assist you, and your child cannot eat what is on the table, please be prepared to supply your own food. Also, please make sure your baby is already listed as a passenger for the cruise. There have been a couple of recent threads about couples on other lines who thought they didn't need to make a reservation to include their infant or toddler and thought they could either just show up and not pay anything (like in a hotel) or could bring the baby for a free ticket like a lap baby on an airplane. Another thing to be aware of is that young children are not welcome in the pools/spas. You may wish to bring a "blow up" children's pool and dip some water in it for your small child to splash.

[kitty9]

Be aware there is no sitting for infants under 12 months, not in the club or in cabin sitting.

 

Do not count on them supplying anything, even food. My cousin thought they would have baby food on board, even after calling, and there was nothing. Bring absolutely everything you need. They don't sell baby products on board.

 

The pack 'n plays are good, but you might want to bring your own bedding.

 

Forget using baby monitors. They don't work because of all the metal. For some reason, some parents think they can leave baby alone in the cabin thinking a monitor will work in a bar or casino. It doesn't.

[Redtravel]

Celebrity provides pack n play type cribs. You may prefer bringing your own crib sheets. I sailed with my 8month old grand son. It was nice. Celebrity will sell you formula,baby food, and diapers. We brought powdered Enfamil and diapers. Diapers are expensive at one dollar each. We are sailing again in a few weeks with another baby who is a year. We will be bringing diapers. it is an easy way to travel. Enjoy!

[mresera]

What do you mean by no club or cabin sitting?

 

I actually never even thought of bringing the baby monitor! Interesting.

 

So there is no kid friendly swimming pool anywhere?

 

I was already assuming I would need to bring diapers, food, etc.

 

I also have paid for his spot- not cheap considering he isn't going to be enjoying it!

 

Thanks for the advice. Any more is appreciated!

[dmwnc1959]

What do you mean by no club or cabin sitting?

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/beforeyourcruise/faq/home.do?faqId=376&faqSubjectName=Age+Requirements&pagename=faq_answers

[mresera]

OK. Thanks.

[squidward]

There is one baby-friendly swimming pool. Actually, it's not a pool, but a fountain built into the floor in front of the stage on the pool deck. Babies can sit and splash around. There's a picture of it on this thread:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1330510

 

 

 

[BlancaNoir]

If there was ever a time to book a balconey cabin, this it it. At 9 months your baby will be able to hang out in the room exploring safely and playing with toys you bring and you can still enjoy the cruise on the baconey. Plus, there are nap times to consider and the balconey will act like another "room" for you to be in while the room is dark for the sleeping baby.

Consider bringing an umbrella stroller to move around the ship. Hanging out on the deck for a long time is a problem if you can't find a place with shade that is comfortable for the baby.

9 month olds love to put everything in their mouths so this could be a big hazard on a cruise ship. If your baby uses a binky/pacifier this is a great time to pop one in their mouth whenever out and about on the ship. Constant hand sanitizing and baby wipes of course.

Buy full body swim suits (swim shirt, etc) and several sun hats.

You will have a great time! The pictures will be priceless!:)

[mresera]

Thank you all for the great advice. The small fountain area looks great for him. We have lots of swim trunks and hats. Why full outfits?

[Clydesmom7865]

So there is no kid friendly swimming pool anywhere?

 

Just to clarify: NO cruise line has a "kid friendly" pool for children who are not potty trained. The issue is the diaper in the pool and contamination. It violates health regulations. Not even the "swimmie" diapers are allowed due to e-coli from poo. Not even the Disney line allows non-potty trained kids in the pool. Of course some lines are stricter than others about enforcing this but that is a different soap box.

[Julie Jean]

Hi

When we took our 9 month old on Eclipse, they prepared his meals everyday to my specification (at no extra charge).

 

I met with a chef on the first day and asked for combinations of pureed meat/fish and vegetables to be prepared for him and delivered to our room at set times everyday. They also prepared fresh fruit for him. They also provided a highchair in our room so we could feed him there if we wanted.

 

I took my own baby cereal for breakfast and my own formula. I packed these and the nappies all in boxes and had them loaded on to the ship with our suitcases

 

The crew were absolutely fantastic and it was a wonderful holiday.

The cot provided was fine but I agree that it's better to bring your own sheets. Our son loved the Kids Club and we were able to borrow toys to take back to our cabin.

 

Whilst the baby monitor did not work to detect movement, we used it to listen out for our son when he slept and we were sat on the balcony.

 

I listed all of the questions I had and got my TA to get answers from Celebrity well in advance of the cruise

[Fixit2010]

I am traveling on the Equinox in the near future with my extended family. This means that I will be bringing my baby who will be around 9 months old at the time of the cruise. How baby friendly is the Equinox? Specifically, what is the condition of the crib or pack and play for sleep? Do I need to bring my own? Is the condition of their accomodations acceptable? Any other baby advice?

 

There are some restrictions but most S class ships are child friendly

[Cruiser Susie]

We sailed with our friends and their 9 month old several years ago on the Constellation (and just sailed with them again and their little one is now 3, almost 4). One item they brought was an inflatable pool for their little one to splash around on their balcony... just a little water was needed, and the baby enjoyed it so much. It had a canopy to help keep the sun off. I thought it was a great idea and wanted to share it. They filled it with water from the tap in their bathroom, and though it took a little time to do so, it was grand for the baby. Have a great trip! We were just on the Equinox last month, and although your baby is too young for the kids' club, you can take him/her to the kids club, stay there and allow baby to have some play time in the club. Our friends also did that on their baby's first cruise.

[taracruiser]

I'm considering a Sept. cruise with my daughter who will be 13 months. I assume she'd be eating table foods by then, but it's good to know they will puree foods if requested. I also assumed she'd be off formula by then but you never know. I plan on bringing "to go" bottles with me.

[mresera]

Thanks again for the wonderful advice. Who did you speak with to get a high chair in the room and pureed foods? The special needs department?

 

I will definitely bring a little inflatable pool. He loves the water. Thanks for the ideas.

[Julie Jean]

Hi

 

My TA had spoken to Celebrity in advance about the puree food and highchair. Not sure who she spoke to but the staff were fully aware of my requests when we got onboard.

 

Guest relations were also excellent about dealing with other requests and nothing was too much trouble.

 

We also took an inflatable baby bath and used an ice bucket to fill it up on our balcony.

 

I also took two 'pop up' laundry baskets - one for storing toys and general baby clutter in the room and one for laundry.

 

Have a wonderful cruise.

Julie Jean