Cruising on Sunshine with infant

[kenholt]

We are booked on the Carnival Sunshine with an infarnt(9mons). I would like to here from all of you out there that have done this and what you felt about cruising with a infant.Do you feel you missed out on antything,what type of restrictions did you have or run into,If any. How much time did you leave the baby at Camp Carnival if you did at all. Please all feed back is welcome good or bad.

 

Thanks.

[swalton85]

We sailed when our son was 10 months old. We were definitely on his schedule. Naps came above all else lol. We never went to any shows or really did much onboard. Camp carnival is only for 2+, but they do have a for fee babysitting service that we didn't use. We had a balcony so that was when dh and I had alone time and peace and quiet (when ds went to bed) it's definitely different cruising with a baby, but if you just go with the flow you'll have fun and make family memories! :)

[trixiegal]

I want my sister to bring her (will be) 7 mos old baby with us on the Sunshine in June. I was wondering how different it would be to cruise with him at that age. We don't usually do too much on the ship, so the only concern would be for port days. She may have to skip any excursions we decide to go on or we could all lay low and just do a beach day, making sure we are close to the ship.

 

Do you nurse? I'd make sure to let Carnival know that you are bringing on a baby so they will assign you an experienced steward who would keep your room stocked with ice, etcetera.

 

 

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Edited February 6, 2015 by trixiegal

[katiedidthat]

We took our 13 month old on the Pride. I recommend visiting the family cruising board for a lot of tips, but this is what I can suggest-

 

- Get a balcony cabin. You will be glad for it during nap time. Otherwise you will be spending a lot of time sitting in the dark while your baby sleeps.

- Take a small, but not umbrella, stroller. This will also save you for naps and just all around getting around on the ship. You want something that reclines and has a bit of storage, but isn't huge since the hallways can be tight.

-Make sure you take some kind of diaper disposal bags since trash will only be emptied twice a day. There aren't any changing facilities on the ship, so you'll be going back to your cabin for all the diaper changes you need to do.

- By 9 months, baby should be sitting up pretty well, so request a high chair with a tray at dinner. The wait staff is usually great with interacting with your baby and will be able to bring you mashed potatoes or soft food if you want to feed them table food.

- The biggest thing we ran into was the lack of things to do with kids under 2. For 2 hours in the morning (8a-10a) we were able to take him to camp carnival and play with him, or pay $6.75 (plus 15% gratuity) per hour for them to watch him. We took him to the night owls (10p-2a) program a few times, but usually only an hour or so to catch a comedy act, also $6.75 per hour plus gratuity. Those were the only times we could have him in camp carnival. We took him to a dance party one day so he could listen to the music but everything else was for older kids only.

-Take a few small, but new, toys. Introduce one new toy a day.

- We were lucky and our son slept a good schedule (10p-9a), so we still caught the evening shows and he would often fall asleep in his stroller while we watched from the balcony.

-If you don't already own and use one, get a good soft carrier (ring sling, wrap, pouch). It will be handy to wear the baby during muster, boarding, getting on and off the ship during port times, etc. Having a stroller means you will be taking up space in the handicap lines, so if you are wearing your baby, you will have 2 free hands but be able to use the regular lines. Also- my son would often fall asleep in the carrier, allowing us to walk around the ship and shop, look around, etc, while he napped.

 

Only "restrictions" I can think of are no diapered kids in the pools or water works, no kids at the late night comedy, no kids in the steakhouse and no kids in the casino. Other than that, your baby will be welcome to tag along pretty much everywhere on the ship.

[ccartman2]

We have done 2 cruises with under 2 kids. While not infants, any under too will change your cruise. As others have said, no diapers in the pool and you will have to stay closer to their schedule. Our oldest daughter was very strict on her schedule. We tried to eat late on a formal night.....Complete disaster, and I wound up walking her around the ship while everyone else ate.

 

THen the last night, bed time was a disaster. We were trying to get her down and she wanted to leave the room and ride around in the stooler. Being dump parents, we didn't take her on the walk and fought with her ever. What made it worse was she was getting off the boat the next morning, while we did leg two of a back to back. Tough on us, since it was the first time we left her for more than a night. In reality, other than the two mishaps, of our own doing, she was great. She was my balcony buddy too, and loved to sit out there with me.

 

ON the other hand, we took our son on a 7 night cruise and he was great. Can't think of one bad thing with him. Do be prepared for the heat, especially if you are northerner. Make sure you have good sunscreen, and a hat for the baby. A strooler should have something to create shade. Bring everything you need for the baby (diapers, wipes, food, etc.). Don't count on any thing but a bed from carnival (not a knock on them, just the truth). Also do check out the family board.

 

For us, it was fun enough to take our now 19 month old with this time and will be our 6 year olds 3rd cruise (8 more days after this one; she will be gold). the 5 year old will be on cruise two. Sure you have to make sacrifices, but it is worth it for us to have them enjoy it too.

[serene56]

The hours for camp for your baby is very limited as posted above. Early morning or late at night. And there is no compromising on the age group. If looking to make a cruise a couple get away it will not happen and you will be getting frustrated

 

The entire day will revolve around the babies schedule, you have to pack everything a baby will need. Cruiselines will supply the pack and okay bring your own sheets and blankets in case of any allergies.

 

At 9 months your baby will probably be teething. Yikes

[RuthlessBoss]

The hours for camp for your baby is very limited as posted above. Early morning or late at night. And there is no compromising on the age group. If looking to make a cruise a couple get away it will not happen and you will be getting frustrated

 

The entire day will revolve around the babies schedule, you have to pack everything a baby will need. Cruiselines will supply the pack and okay bring your own sheets and blankets in case of any allergies.

 

At 9 months your baby will probably be teething. Yikes

 

Just remember that an infant does not give a hoot about what YOU want to do, you'll revolve around the child's naps, tantrums, . Don't make concrete plans without knowing you might not be able to do them.

[judycruiser]

I want my sister to bring her (will be) 7 mos old baby with us on the Sunshine in June. I was wondering how different it would be to cruise with him at that age. We don't usually do too much on the ship, so the only concern would be for port days. She may have to skip any excursions we decide to go on or we could all lay low and just do a beach day, making sure we are close to the ship.

 

Do you nurse? I'd make sure to let Carnival know that you are bringing on a baby so they will assign you an experienced steward who would keep your room stocked with ice, etcetera.

 

 

Where did the bit about the steward come from? Hope OP is not in for a shock with an inexperienced steward.

 

Judy

[ProfCruise]

I sailed with my almost 2 year old in December. He wasn't old enough for camp yet, so someone had to be with him all the time. It made for a different cruising experience for sure, but it was so fun experiencing it through his eyes. I posted a review with lots of tips for traveling with a young child (and some photos that might be of interest to you). It's here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2140134&highlight=freedom

 

At the very end of the review I also linked to another mom's review. She had a ton of excellent tips too. You'll have a blast!

[CorrieCJ]

We took our 13 month old on the Pride. There aren't any changing facilities on the ship, so you'll be going back to your cabin for all the diaper changes you need to do.

 

I recently discovered that there IS a changing table on the Pride! It is in the handicapped bathroom, right next to the regular bathrooms on the way to the Normandie dining room (deck 2). The bathroom door is sort of hidden and you have to press a button on the wall to open it. Now that they've renovated the ship, not sure if it's still there or accessed in the same way, but it's worth asking.

 

 

Other tips, people have mentioned bringing an inflatable bathtub for bathing the baby (since the cabin only has a shower) and also for keeping them cool on deck. The tubs are small and can be put next to a deck chair.

 

Also I agree with the baby-carrier suggestion.

 

Yes, you do have to adapt to baby's schedule but in other ways, a baby that young is pretty adaptable to what YOU do. :)