12 month old on Ruby Princess - tips?

[dealic]

My sister is planning on getting married on a Princess cruise next April. The current thought is it will be on the Ruby Princess but she hasn't booked yet. My daughter is 6 weeks old now, and will be just 1 by then. I have only been on 1 cruise (Carnival Valor years ago) and my husband has never been.

 

I am looking for advice, both about cruising with a 1 year old and about anything specific I should consider with Princess. What should I know? Anything we should do to make it a great experience?

[cb at sea]

I don't think Princess has facilities for under 3 years old...and no pool for diapered ones....so bring a small blowup pool for use on deck...a couple of ice buckets of water are sufficient for splashing.

 

The ship will have plenty of kid-friendly foods....that won't be and issue.

[notentirelynormal]

Even though you can't leave your child in the kids area, you can stay there with her while she plays when not in session. The crew loves little kids. Little ones are fascinated about everything. My DGS loved the stairs because they were the first ones he had ever seen that you could see through. Riding in the glass elevator was also exciting looking out at the atrium. Bring a diaper disposal bag that you can buy at BabiesRUs that smells nice so you aren't stuck with that all day. Book a balcony so you have somewhere to sit while she is sleeping and get her used to a shower instead of a tub if you aren't in a mini suite. Princess allows you to order baby food in advance if she is still eating that otherwise they have a kids menu that will work. My 1 YO DGD ate everything on the adult menu. Sailing with a 1 YO is challenging but rewarding.

[JinxyB]

I went on Ruby Princess with my son when he was 12 months old. Like the other poster said, there will be no kids club activities except a few hours of open play where a parent must be present. You can order baby food and rice cereal for no extra cost on Princess. We brought our own PNP so I don't know what kind of crib Princess provides. I will say that the room set-up on Princess is nice for putting the crib or PNP in the closet area, so they have their own little 'room' to sleep in. The staff was accomodating with high chairs, milk, etc. I would recommend early sitting vs Anytime Dining-we did not have a good experience and always had to wait even if we got there when the dining room opened. I am talking about waiting 45 min to an hour-not convenient with a baby. If you have any questions let me know!