Tips/review from Independence with a one year old

[LuvWilliam]

Just got off of Independence of the Seas sailing November 15th-23rd. DH (32) and I (25) brought our 12.5 month old son for his first cruise. My parents came along and helped us out at night so we could go out. We traveled from Philadelphia to Ft Lauderdale the morning of the 15th and now that we have done that once, we will always fly in the day before if bringing DS. We always fly in morning of, but his schedule was so screwed up because of having to wake up about 4 hours before his normal wake up time. Here are my tips for LOs:

1. I brought everything disposable (bibs, changing table pads and table toppers) It was great to be able to just throw it away instead of worrying about washing anything.

2. I brought our Honest Co swim diaper that was reusable and also a few disposables. I didn't like the reusable ones only because we couldn't machine wash it after solids. (Super messy and gross) I did bring some laundry detergent and attempted to wash it in the sink but we ended up sticking with the disposables.

3. The baby splash pool was great. The pool attendant put water toys in it in the mornings. If they don't have them out, ask. They are right by the attendant desk and we grabbed then ourselves. The pool was open 8:00AM-6:00PM. It is about 2" of water and has a little fountain that sprays down into the pool. DS loved it.

4. The Fischer price program was AMAZING. I went to the nursery immediately after boarding and signed out a bag of toys. They had 6 bags of baby toys and 6 bags of toddler toys to choose from. You can exchange as often as you'd like. I didn't bring a single toy onboard because of flying in and baggage restrictions so this was great. In the back of the arcade, in the Fuel room, there is a room full of mats with fun Fischer Price toys in it. They had every toy you could imagine. It was truly a lifesaver. I met many moms who said they wouldn't know what to do without it. DS played with other little babies who were around his age and the parents just sat by and watched. It was great to be able to truly relax without watching DS like a hawk like in the rest of the ship.

5. DS has never been in daycare or had a babysitter. I was so nervous all week about taking him to the Royal Tots and Babies nursery because of this. (Plus, he's going thru separation anxiety from me and getting his molars in!) One of the girls who worked there (Hailee) was so sweet and DS took a liking to her while in the play room. I decided to try it one day and DS literally walked in and didn't even look back to see me! Unfortunately it was the 6th day. I wish I would have tried it on the first night! He stayed in for an hour the sixth day and an hour and a half the seventh night. It was great to just go to dinner. From 7:00AM-6:00PM it was $6/hour and from 6:00PM-12:00midnight it was $8/hour and they round up to the nearest hour. They give you a phone to use and they will call you if LO is upset. DS was getting cranky and they called and I picked him up. They also give you a bag to bring their diapers, wipes, food, snacks, sippy cups, etc in. If around lunch/dinner time, they go down to the windjammer to get them food. They ask what LO can eat and you also initial was they are allowed to give them. We are vegan so I explained DS diet and they just gave him fruit. The questionnaire you fill out for registration asks about any special needs, medicines, health issues, potty training etc.

6. We found every time we tried to get DS to take a nap in his stroller he would be miserable when waking up, but if we all went back and took a nap he would sleep for 1.5 hours vs 45 minutes in the stroller. He was much happier those days. I brought my Baby Jogger City Mini and was happy to have it. It was hard to get thru the doorway of our stateroom. I would fold it and put it in the closet (we had a superior balcony stateroom if that matters- don't know if the others have smaller closets) and we'd almost use it like a cart bringing our towels and bags to the pool, off the ship, etc. I used my Ergo carrier in the airport and onto the ship as DS is happier in there than in the stroller and I always don't know how people go without one. I just like having both my hands free to roll the luggage, etc.

7. Everyone on the ship was super super super sweet to DS. He was a rock star! They gave him balloons and constantly tried to make him smile/laugh. It broke my heart was workers would tell me about their one and two year olds at home. One stateroom attendant told me about her 18 month old she had at home that she hasn't seen for four months. They really take a liking to babies/kids because they miss their own at home. It's very sad.

8. The babies/kids water area on Labadee was amazing... Lots of fountains and sprinklers for the LOs to run thru.

9. The water in the stateroom bathroom gets super super hot and I washed my breast pump/ bottle/ sippy cups out in there. I brought along a small bottle of soap and a bottle brush.

10. I didn't bring an inflatable bath tub as I thought I could just shower with DS. Big mistake. The water pressure is so strong (even for me) and DS screamed every single time I tried to bathe him.

 

Please let me know if you have any specific questions! I'd be happy to answer them!

[Lerin]

Thanks for the review. This was very helpful information. :)

 

Glad you had a good time.

[charliegirlac]

Thanks for the information! Great review! Can you let me know any info about food and what things your bub ate - particularly in the dining room.

Thanks :)

[Keith1010]

It's always nice when someone writes a review.

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

Keith

[Gardeneroflove]

" In the back of the arcade, in the Fuel room, there is a room full of mats with fun Fischer Price toys in it."

 

Is this an open play area/room? We need a new cruise ship for next year with our 3 year old. Where the toddler toys baby or good for a 3 year old?

[Gunner22aa]

Your trip would have been mine with our children. Now we have grandbabies. Just wanted to thank you for such a detailed review. No doubt this will all be very valuable information to many parents out there.

[Akitkat118]

this was perfect... and right on time.. as we are sailing on Sunday the 1st with our 20 month old!!

the area in the fuel room - is this open play or was it a program? We also have a balcony and are planning to leave my son in day care but he goes to day care now so he should be ok. thanks so much!

[LuvWilliam]

" In the back of the arcade, in the Fuel room, there is a room full of mats with fun Fischer Price toys in it."

 

Is this an open play area/room? We need a new cruise ship for next year with our 3 year old. Where the toddler toys baby or good for a 3 year old?

 

Yes, this is a room you can go and play whenever you'd like between 8-8 I believe. There is not supervision so you have to be with them. It's for babies and toddlers. There are both baby toys and toddlers... Kitchen set, stove set, different car and track sets... Also musical instruments. I will see if I can find a picture.

[LuvWilliam]

this was perfect... and right on time.. as we are sailing on Sunday the 1st with our 20 month old!!

the area in the fuel room - is this open play or was it a program? We also have a balcony and are planning to leave my son in day care but he goes to day care now so he should be ok. thanks so much!

 

No problem! I used so much info on here, I needed to give back! Lol The fuel room during the day was the area for babies and toddlers that was open play. They also had a few "classes" such as gymnastics and maritime music that were fun. They were led by an Adventure Ocean worker.

[LuvWilliam]

Also, forgot to mention. They have Power Wheels sessions on a few days. Look for it in the AO compass. They bring Mustang and Escalade power wheel cars and put them on the basketball court. DS was too young for it and couldn't reach the pedal but DH and I pressed it for him and he had a blast and was laughing. So many great pictures from that!

[Akitkat118]

Also, forgot to mention. They have Power Wheels sessions on a few days. Look for it in the AO compass. They bring Mustang and Escalade power wheel cars and put them on the basketball court. DS was too young for it and couldn't reach the pedal but DH and I pressed it for him and he had a blast and was laughing. So many great pictures from that!

 

!!!!! OMG i hope they do that on my sailing. my son will LOVE that. how do you get the AO compass??

[LuvWilliam]

!!!!! OMG i hope they do that on my sailing. my son will LOVE that. how do you get the AO compass??

 

Go to register him in the Royal Tots and Babies nursery... They will give you the compass, information packet and a cute bag with a CD of cruise songs from FP little people.

[Gardeneroflove]

Also, forgot to mention. They have Power Wheels sessions on a few days. Look for it in the AO compass. They bring Mustang and Escalade power wheel cars and put them on the basketball court. DS was too young for it and couldn't reach the pedal but DH and I pressed it for him and he had a blast and was laughing. So many great pictures from that!

 

that sounds fun!!!

[Gardeneroflove]

Yes, this is a room you can go and play whenever you'd like between 8-8 I believe. There is not supervision so you have to be with them. It's for babies and toddlers. There are both baby toys and toddlers... Kitchen set, stove set, different car and track sets... Also musical instruments. I will see if I can find a picture.

 

See?! That's what we wish they had on Disney. But nope.

 

Yeah, we'd be with her, I'm a sahm, we don't do daycare or leaving her just yet. The classes sound fun too.

 

Of course, we need to find a ship that's in one of our 'home' ports...

Edited November 27, 2013 by Gardeneroflove

[LissyTx]

Thanks for all of the DETAILED helpful info! Saving this as a favorite for my planning.

[Faeton]

How was your sleeping arrangement in the cabin? Did you get the pack'n'play or do something else? Thanks for all the info! It'll help sell this to my wife!

[LuvWilliam]

How was your sleeping arrangement in the cabin? Did you get the pack'n'play or do something else? Thanks for all the info! It'll help sell this to my wife!

 

Our stateroom attendant had a pack and play in plastic waiting for us in our room... I wiped it down with antibacterial wipes (because I'm crazy like that) and also brought a mattress pad and sheet that were made specifically for pack n plays. I noticed that it was smaller than the typical pack n plays (I have the Graco Elephanta one and it was a few inches smaller and shorter if that makes sense) It has a hard bottom so some kind of padding needs to be laid down. The attendant just brings you a King sized fitted sheet for it so I'm glad that I brought my own organic pad and sheets as it was much much softer.

 

Good luck convincing your wife! It was definitely a trip that I'll look back on and smile about, no matter how "hard" or different than our typical pre-baby cruises were!

[nmuhockey12]

Thanks so much for the info on Independence with a one year old - I'll be in the exact same boat (huh,huh) here on Jan 12th with my then 14 mo old! I can't wait. This will be my 8th, my husbands 4th and my son's 1st cruise. I know it will be different than our previous cruises, but I'm super excited to see his reaction to everything! We also bought a balcony for this cruise anticipating needing to spend more time in the room than normal. I'm totally fine sitting on the balcony reading during naptime!! (At home, that's when I'm doing dishes, folding laundry, etc.!) We are working on transitioning to whole milk from breast milk right now (I don't want to have to figure out a way to carry two weeks of milk from MI to FL and keep it cold!!) but are still in bottle stage. Were you able to warm up bottles anywhere? Was there a fridge in your room to keep cold milk? I'm hoping that I can keep his supply right in our room and thinking that I can always just fill a cup with the hottest water out of the tap and warm it (at least slightly) that way. We are trying to transition to cooler milk + a sippy cup as well, but it just isn't going to happen in that time frame. We are on his time frame, lol. Thanks for the tips - I'm just now looking for the what to pack list and came across this review, music to my ears!!!

[Gardeneroflove]

10. I didn't bring an inflatable bath tub as I thought I could just shower with DS. Big mistake. The water pressure is so strong (even for me) and DS screamed every single time I tried to bathe him.

 

Please let me know if you have any specific questions! I'd be happy to answer them!

 

I missed this the first time. You can lay a towel down and use a cup or watering can (pool toy). Just a tip for others or next time if you don't want to bring the tub (though DCL has bathtubs).

[neoncandle]

Thank you for informative review!