Getaway with infant and toddler questions

[maxpower7979]

Hi new to cruise critic. Can’t believe how much great information I’ve already been able to find on here! Most of these questions are Getaway-specific.

 

We are a group of 11 (including our 8 month old and a 20 month old) on board Getaway in October. My husband and I have been on one other cruise (Celebrity Reflection Feb 2013) and the rest are new to cruising. We are flying in and out of FLL.

 

I have a few questions about an infant on the Getaway:

 

1) Tap water at home is safe to drink and we give it to baby too. Can we give baby tap water from the ship (including the from the sink in the room)? Should we use bottled?

2) Wondering about availability of baby friendly foods at the buffet – eg plain yogurt, soft plain (or lightly seasoned) steamed veggies, fruit (like bananas, cantaloupe, watermelon). Interested to hear about other things that were available that you fed your baby.

3) Has anyone taken baby to any evening entertainment/evening shows. We have noise cancelling earmuffs and she will easily sleep in her stroller or our arms. Doable?

4) Any suggestions of what to do in ports are welcomed. (The 20 mo old likely wont be travelling with a car seat)

5) Do babies and toddlers ever suffer from seasickness? Any safe remedies?

6) I’ve read conflicting things about babies in the splash area. (I know the actual pool and hot tubs are no-nos). I read somewhere that the splash area has a separate water/filtration system to be able to accommodate babies and toddlers

7) Any suggestions of areas with a sun-shade mix for our group to lounge and enjoy

8) We have requested a pack n play. Should we bring our own sheet? Is it possible to keep it set up and still move around the cabin?

 

Other general questions:

 

1) will they be able to accommodate our large group in the dining rooms (Tropicana, Taste, Savor)? Is it possible (or required) to make reservations for this large group?

2) Can we get regular (tap) ice water at any of the bars or do we have to go to buffet to serve ourselves? (On Reflection we have the ultimate beverage pkg which included ALL beverages so we never had to worry about this, just picked up a bottle when needed. SO MUCH better than the packages on NCL IMO)

 

TIA and happy to hear any other suggestions or tips!

[OzCanuck]

Can help you out with a few answers. We will be on the Getaway in October as well (11-18th sailing). This will be the 6th NCL cruise for us, and for our son who just turned three. His first was the Pearl out of miami @ 15 months old, and the most recent was the Star out of Copenhagen (Baltic) in June. So basically six NCL cruises in 22 months.

 

1. I have had no issues giving him tap water on the ship. If you're the cautious, overprotective type - then by all means get bottled water. BUT - guaranteed the ship's water is tested more frequently and is more regulated than any bottled water.

 

2. We avoid the buffet now like the plague. But - we have always traveled in suites so have had better breakfast options and to some extent, lunch options. When he was younger we had quite a few dinners at the buffet. This was a function of us parents not wanting to deal with the main dining room when he was so young. There are always many kid-friendly options available. You might have to ask for something specific but you will be able to mash up broccoli, get yoghurt, etc. There is plenty of fruit. We are now in full carbivore mode with him so kids' menus easily accommodate his needs

 

3. The first three cruises we took him to all the shows. We just grabbed a row of seats with a terminal end so we could box him in if he got antsy. But, honestly that was quite rare. The last show we took him to was Band on The Run on the Dawn in January. About 10 minutes into it he leaned into me and said "Daddy, this is making my ears sad." It was kind of making my ears sad as well, so we left. He was talking about the volume, I wasn't. That is the only issue with loudness that we experienced. For our Baltic cruise we were simply too tired each day to do it - extremely intensive port days.

 

4. Good question! We haven't got that far yet We've done excursions, both private and NCL, just walked around, etc. etc. on each cruise. The only place where I demanded a car seat was in Russia, but apart from that we haven't traveled with one.

 

5. Don't know. As I mentioned, we've always had the two bedroom suite and his room has been the 2nd bedroom. Door shut, no windows, sloshing back and forth..nice and cool - he's slept better on board that elsewhere. Except on the Baltic cruise, where jet lag/time difference/sun going down very late conspired to have bedtimes thrown way, way off.

 

6. I honestly don't know about the Getaway. On Pearl/Dawn class ships there is always a 'kiddy pool' where diapers are officially not allowed. But - virtually every parent who plops their kid in there has them wearing diapers. I have read that the splash area is quite slippery and older kids use it for surfing. Will figure that out when we get on board.

 

7. Can't help.

 

8. We have always brought our own (just make sure it's the standard travel size. All they do is fold up a sheet several times and put it over the "matress" so their may be a slight safety issue. Much more comfortable having a fitted sheet lock down the folded sheet (bring two in case one gets dirty). Can't speak to the size- not sure what cabin you're in. But apparently they do fit in every cabin...

 

As for your other questions I'm really not sure. For reservations we would just use the concierge when we traveled with a large group on the Dawn. You may have to split tables....

[Tggrtoes]

Some good answers already, but to chime in:

 

I haven't yet travelled on Getaway, but will in 2 more weeks! However, this cruise will be DS (7 yrs old) 6th cruise, so we cruised often with him as an infant/toddler. It is certainly different than cruising no children, but can be a blast if you are prepared.

 

1. Tap Water totally fine on ship (in ports might be a different story)

2. You'll find plenty of baby friendly foods at buffet. MDR waiters will help you as well if you are there.

3. haven't tried the entertainment piece - hopefully someone else can comment. I wonder about if there is even room for a stroller (certainly could be on your lap though.)

4. I would go to the ports boards and find a beach close to port that you can walk to - most have them close by. Pick up some sand toys and let him play. Could certainly do a beach day excursion through ship if you prefer that route. There are tons of posts on teh port boards about what to do with kids. Coral world, etc. but really - a 20 month old isn't going to care. Do what YOU want to do. :)

5. We never had issues with seasickness, but no idea if it's a possibility.

6. No diapered kids in splash area. Bring a blow up pool (if you don't have a tub in room, this can work great for bath). You want the small ones - target sells a duck shaped one that fits in shower and is small enough not to bother others. I'll be honest (sure I'll get flamed)... we did let DD walk through a splash area on Princess when he was a baby... did not let him "sit" in the water and only let him be in there for short duration. This allowed for a little splash time, but minimized any contamination since his butt wasn't in the water. I am one for being adamanet about this rule - way too much danger in the contamination issue. Dont' want to ruin the cruise for others.

7. No idea yet, although I hear waterfront area is great. We've always had good luck with hanging out at various clubs during the day - not in use for adults and provides good running around time.

8. Bring your own fitted sheet. They'll just likely have a large folded sheet. You can certainly keep up and move around, although realize that there won't be that much "move around" space unless you are in a larger room. (even then, minimal space).

[maxpower7979]

Thank you Tggrtoes and OzCanuck! Great to hear from some experienced cruisers with terrific tips!

[chengkp75]

The tap water in your cabin is perfectly safe for the baby. However, it may taste funny, due to the chlorine. The water available at bars, dining venues, buffet, and ice makers has the chlorine filtered out. If you are worried about the chlorine, or he/she doesn't like the taste, just let a pitcher of water sit open for an hour or two and the chlorine will dissipate.

 

Kids who are in diapers are not allowed in any pool, even the kiddy pool. The sprinkler area is designated as an "infant only recreational water facility", and kids in swim diapers are allowed here. Yes, the water system is separate, and has an additional UV sterilizer for the water.

 

Babies can be prone to sea sickness, but not so often. Motion sickness is caused by mixed messages to the brain from the eyes and the inner ear. If the inner ear says "we're moving" and the eyes say "no, we're not", the brain gets confused. Very young kids don't fixate on the visual surroundings, so they are less prone to it. The only answer about safe remedies for motion sickness in babies would come from your pediatrician, not us.

 

Yes, water and ice is available at any bar. If you bring a sippy cup for the kids, please remember to not use the cup at the water dispensers. Use a clean glass, then fill your cup from the glass, and leave the glass for the crew to wash. This is a USPH requirement.

Edited September 18, 2014 by chengkp75

[brikee]

For sea sickness. I think that gingerale would help.

[NMLady]

Thank you Tggrtoes and OzCanuck! Great to hear from some experienced cruisers with terrific tips!

 

Have you discovered the Family Forum on Cruise Critic? Lots of good help there.

[Homosassa]

My daughter was prone to motion sickness (still is at 31). Before you go, ask your pediatrician what you should bring just in case. The doctor will tell you what to use and the dosage (mine would give me sample bottles).

 

As far as shore excursions, the beach is always a hit with the kids (lather on that sunscreen and give them sun hats) or just walk around the port. Nothing is worse than a cranky baby or toddler confined on a bus or van during a long shore excursion.

[OzCanuck]

For sea sickness. I think that gingerale would help.

 

Ginger Ale for an 8 month old?

[Barb Nahoumi]

Ginger Ale for an 8 month old?

 

Defizzed.

 

It might also be a good idea to bring more than the usual amount of diapers that baby uses during the week. Any changes to baby's diet or schedule, bight bring changes to his digestion.

[OzCanuck]

Defizzed.

 

Maybe as a placebo - but ginger ale doesn't contain ginger anymore - unless you buy a 'boutique' brand. Unlikely to be available on a ship. I think the only time I would have given my baby 'soda pop' would have been when .. no, sorry, that would have been never. If they are ill from emesis and dehydrated, then use pedialyte or somesuch.

[mjkacmom]

Maybe as a placebo - but ginger ale doesn't contain ginger anymore - unless you buy a 'boutique' brand. Unlikely to be available on a ship. I think the only time I would have given my baby 'soda pop' would have been when .. no, sorry, that would have been never. If they are ill from emesis and dehydrated, then use pedialyte or somesuch.

 

Although I've never given a baby soda, I would if I couldn't get them to drink anything else during a stomach virus, to save a trip to the ER for an IV. My kids all hated pedialite, and two of my kids had an 11 day bug, and didn't eat during that time. They were one, and the nurse suggested flat soda as an option.

 

And I rarely gave my babies/toddlers watered down juice, since, to me, juice is just as bad as soda (which I don't drink because I don't like it).

[rvsullivan]

Found this from several sources:

 

"Depends on the brand, but most 'popular' ginger ale beverages don't have any real ginger only artificial flavors.

 

REAL ginger ale drinks best settle upset stomachs and are a real taste treat but they can usually only be found in health food and natural food stores

 

 

Canada Dry ginger ale has ginger in it. Just read the ingredients list."

 

Also mentions that some specialty ginger ales still have real ginger in them.

[maxpower7979]

Thank you all for your suggestions and information! We are getting very excited!

[ajaasved]

Ginger is great for nausea. You can bring some ginger root or buy crystallized ginger. Ginger root is typically near the herbs in the grocery store and crystallized ginger will be in the spice racks.

 

You can make them a tea with ginger (about 4 small pieces,) honey, lemon and hot water. Let it cool off an have them drink. Another thing you can try, if you children are adventurous...soak/dip some ginger root in honey and let them try sucking on it. I do all of this for myself when I get nausea and it really settles my stomach.

[ajaasved]

Can help you out with a few answers. We will be on the Getaway in October as well (11-18th sailing). This will be the 6th NCL cruise for us, and for our son who just turned three. His first was the Pearl out of miami @ 15 months old, and the most recent was the Star out of Copenhagen (Baltic) in June. So basically six NCL cruises in 22 months.

 

1. I have had no issues giving him tap water on the ship. If you're the cautious, overprotective type - then by all means get bottled water. BUT - guaranteed the ship's water is tested more frequently and is more regulated than any bottled water.

 

2. We avoid the buffet now like the plague. But - we have always traveled in suites so have had better breakfast options and to some extent, lunch options. When he was younger we had quite a few dinners at the buffet. This was a function of us parents not wanting to deal with the main dining room when he was so young. There are always many kid-friendly options available. You might have to ask for something specific but you will be able to mash up broccoli, get yoghurt, etc. There is plenty of fruit. We are now in full carbivore mode with him so kids' menus easily accommodate his needs

 

3. The first three cruises we took him to all the shows. We just grabbed a row of seats with a terminal end so we could box him in if he got antsy. But, honestly that was quite rare. The last show we took him to was Band on The Run on the Dawn in January. About 10 minutes into it he leaned into me and said "Daddy, this is making my ears sad." It was kind of making my ears sad as well, so we left. He was talking about the volume, I wasn't. That is the only issue with loudness that we experienced. For our Baltic cruise we were simply too tired each day to do it - extremely intensive port days.

 

4. Good question! We haven't got that far yet We've done excursions, both private and NCL, just walked around, etc. etc. on each cruise. The only place where I demanded a car seat was in Russia, but apart from that we haven't traveled with one.

 

5. Don't know. As I mentioned, we've always had the two bedroom suite and his room has been the 2nd bedroom. Door shut, no windows, sloshing back and forth..nice and cool - he's slept better on board that elsewhere. Except on the Baltic cruise, where jet lag/time difference/sun going down very late conspired to have bedtimes thrown way, way off.

 

6. I honestly don't know about the Getaway. On Pearl/Dawn class ships there is always a 'kiddy pool' where diapers are officially not allowed. But - virtually every parent who plops their kid in there has them wearing diapers. I have read that the splash area is quite slippery and older kids use it for surfing. Will figure that out when we get on board.

 

7. Can't help.

 

8. We have always brought our own (just make sure it's the standard travel size. All they do is fold up a sheet several times and put it over the "matress" so their may be a slight safety issue. Much more comfortable having a fitted sheet lock down the folded sheet (bring two in case one gets dirty). Can't speak to the size- not sure what cabin you're in. But apparently they do fit in every cabin...

 

As for your other questions I'm really not sure. For reservations we would just use the concierge when we traveled with a large group on the Dawn. You may have to split tables....

 

OzCanuck,

Will you be staying in a 2 bedroom suite with your child? Looks like we are on the same cruise as you and we have a son that is 3 as well. If you are in a 2 bedroom suite, will you be having your son sleep in the extra room? Do they have railings so the kids don't roll off the bed?

[OzCanuck]

OzCanuck,

Will you be staying in a 2 bedroom suite with your child? Looks like we are on the same cruise as you and we have a son that is 3 as well. If you are in a 2 bedroom suite, will you be having your son sleep in the extra room? Do they have railings so the kids don't roll off the bed?

 

Yes - he will get the spare room. This is our 6th 2-bdrm suite, and it worked like a dream for the first four cruises. On our Baltic in June - it did not work so well as he was making the transition from the crib at home to a full bed. We travel with two of these awesome things:

 

http://www.theshrunks.com/shop/indoor-products/travel-beds-and-security/Inflatable-Bed-Rail/

 

So will just set them up and give it a try. They're big enough that the child can't really roll or climb over in their sleep - but when they are awake of course that's a different story. We'll bring a monitor (as we always do) and a motion sensor for outside his room in case he gets any ideas about opening the door and going for a roam in the middle of the night. On our last cruise though he just crawled out of bed and made a bee-line for our room and our bed. (Which is not allowed at home). I have not inquired about bed rails on board but these things are very compact and handy and work very well for hotel rooms.

 

Only three weeks away! What cabin are you in? Two bedroom?

[ajaasved]

Yes - he will get the spare room. This is our 6th 2-bdrm suite, and it worked like a dream for the first four cruises. On our Baltic in June - it did not work so well as he was making the transition from the crib at home to a full bed. We travel with two of these awesome things:

 

http://www.theshrunks.com/shop/indoor-products/travel-beds-and-security/Inflatable-Bed-Rail/

 

So will just set them up and give it a try. They're big enough that the child can't really roll or climb over in their sleep - but when they are awake of course that's a different story. We'll bring a monitor (as we always do) and a motion sensor for outside his room in case he gets any ideas about opening the door and going for a roam in the middle of the night. On our last cruise though he just crawled out of bed and made a bee-line for our room and our bed. (Which is not allowed at home). I have not inquired about bed rails on board but these things are very compact and handy and work very well for hotel rooms.

 

Only three weeks away! What cabin are you in? Two bedroom?

 

We are in a 2 bedroom suite. This is our first cruise and I am just trying to make sure that I am prepared for the sleeping situation. It looks like these blow up things will work really well, thank you for sharing. We also bought a door alarm for the front door. Didn't think about the monitor, since we don't use one at home anymore. Will have to pull that out of storage!

[Erica@cruisecritic]

I've traveled with kids at 6 months, 12 months and 2.5 years, though not on Celebrity. Here are some thoughts:

 

1) Tap water should be fine, as other posters have noted.

 

2) Fruit is always available. I have taken cartons of cereal and milk (for older kid) from buffets at breakfast to have on hand later in the day. Yogurt is more reliably the sweet/fruity kind. I would recommend speaking to the dining staff early to see what special items you can request or order in advance if you're concerned.

 

3) My kids would never sleep through shows -- so jealous of parents whose kids would. I recommend sitting in the back so you can make a quick exit if need be. My 6-month-old happily played on my lap through an entire show, so bring a few toys just in case.

 

4) Haven't looked up your ports but little kids tend to like the beach, aquariums, glass-bottom boat rides. You might look into day passes for beach resorts if you want some amenities.

 

5) Babies are less susceptible to seasickness than adults but can get it. I wouldn't worry overly much about it.

 

6) Have you checked NCL's website about splash area rules?

 

8) Pack n plays tend to take up most of the living space in a standard cabin. I recommend getting creative with where you stow other furniture. You don't need your own sheet but baby might like it better -- some cruise lines just tuck in twin sheets -- my one year old pulled up all his bedding once when refusing to sleep.

 

Have fun!

[OzCanuck]

We are in a 2 bedroom suite. This is our first cruise and I am just trying to make sure that I am prepared for the sleeping situation. It looks like these blow up things will work really well, thank you for sharing. We also bought a door alarm for the front door. Didn't think about the monitor, since we don't use one at home anymore. Will have to pull that out of storage!

 

 

We will definitely see you around the Haven! I'm Dave - don't hesitate to come up and say hi.

[maxpower7979]

Thank you all for taking the time to reply!

[ling01]

Hello,

 

I just returned from the Getaway with my 11 month old so some comments based on my experiences...

 

1) Water - we bought bottled water from the airport and from the Kmart in St Thomas for my son for his water and formula. At home, I still boil filtered tap water for him, so didn't want to stray too far from that. I did hear (and not sure if accurate) that tap water in the cabin may have a funny taste after the cleaning process, so I may stick with the water available in the restaurants.

 

2) Food - food was more or less the same each day in the buffet. My son had omelettes, bread, cereal and fruit (watermelon). He had chicken/fish/stir fried veggies for lunch/dinner. We ordered steamed veggies for the guy once but it still came out quite hard, but maybe if you ask for it to be boiled really soft, they will do it. For dinner, we always asked for the fish with less seasoning/no sauce and that came out really yummy still.

 

3) I only took him to the last show and he got bored after a little bit so I left. Yes, it does get loud so the ear phones will come in handy!

 

4) I did not take my car seat with me so did not go in any taxis or external excursions at the ports. In St. Maarten, we took the water taxi (pretty big boat) and spent an hour or so at the beach. For the other ports, we just walked around the pier area.

 

5) Sea sickness - no problem with that. I had a bit, but he was totally fine!

 

6) Pool - although the rules say no swim diapers, I saw many kids with diapers inside the splash pad. I brought my son in too with a swim diaper and he had lots of fun splashing around. The NCL staff didn't seem to care/mind? However, I did bring an inflatable tub (which I used for baths) which I had planned to bring on deck (and fill with some water) should there be any problems with taking him in the pool.

 

7) Plenty of areas around the pools for sun and shade. You can get two rows of chairs. One row should be all shade and the other gets shade/sun depending on the time of day. There is also a row right next to the pool area that is usually all sun.

 

8) Pack n Play - we had requested one and our cabin attendant brought it in to show us. We turned it down because it will take up too much cabin space (we had a balcony stateroom). We ended up pushing the bed against the wall/closet and I slept with my son while my husband slept in the pull out sofa. I did bring my own pack n play sheets though which I didn't end up using!

 

Hope this helps, let me know if you have other questions.

 

7)

[maxpower7979]

Thanks so much ling01!!

 

So great to hear about your experiences on Getaway. To be honest, I've been getting a bit worried about some of the logistics of it all but reading your post has really helped.

[chengkp75]

Regardless of whether others have put their kids in diapers in the pool, please don't do this. Those ships that have "infant only recreational water facilities" (none on NCL), they are completely separate from the other pool facilities, and the water system has a UV sterilizer for the water in addition to the normal filtration and chlorination. Swim diapers are not watertight, and any urine in the diaper will mingle with the pool water, hence the USPH requirement for a sterilizer for these pools' water.

[mjkacmom]

Regardless of whether others have put their kids in diapers in the pool, please don't do this. Those ships that have "infant only recreational water facilities" (none on NCL), they are completely separate from the other pool facilities, and the water system has a UV sterilizer for the water in addition to the normal filtration and chlorination. Swim diapers are not watertight, and any urine in the diaper will mingle with the pool water, hence the USPH requirement for a sterilizer for these pools' water.

 

I find it ironic that someone who cares for the health if her 11 month old so much to overkill it and boil filtered water (my kids got tap water right off the bat with my pediatrician's blessing), would put her child's, and other children's, health in danger by letting him swim with the other fecal tea bags.

 

These pools are not set up for swim diapers. The staff doesn't seem to care, because their kids aren't in the splash pool.