Allure of the Seas with 13 month old twins

[Fallka]

Looking for some advice on cruising with twins. They will be 13 months old when we board the Allure of the Seas in December.

 

Strollers:

We have a tandem (front / back seating) stroller that folds up relatively small... it's only about 26" wide, but it is longer than your average stroller. Will this be ok for getting around the ship, or should we consider 2 small umbrella strollers? I'm specifically thinking about the dining room here... maybe it would be better to carry the twins to dinner? I could see navigating the dining room with a stroller being a bit of a challenge...

 

Car Seats:

Can we get by without them? Planning to leave these at home and only take family friendly excursions if we decide to do any. Is that a mistake?

 

Any advice or words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks in advance!

[Kerry's Girls]

A tandem stroller is a great solution. I was always able to bring mine into the dining room on Princess and park it against a wall while they were in high chairs, or parked outside the dining room on RCCL. It's nice to have it with you so you can take a stroll after dinner without having to go all the way back to the room. After dinner we always went for a stroll and would go to the back of one of the lounges playing music to do a little dancing (in the back or off to the side).

 

I did not bring car seats that first cruise, but did on every cruise after that. There was always plenty of room at the bottom of the closet for the seats and I would just check them with the luggage (in their own travel bags) the first day, and put them out with the luggage on the last, so it wasn't any trouble. But if you're able to arrange things to do in port that won't require them, that's a great way to go (part of the joy of that first cruise was not getting two babies into and out of car seats multiple times a day!).

 

Glad to see you're planning on the dining room. I thought the buffet would be best on that first cruise, but it turned out the dining room was a dream. SO nice to have dinner without getting up and down 5 times.

 

Let me know if you have any questions. I had such a great time cruising with my twins at 13 months that we pretty much only did cruise vacations until the last few years (they're 10 now).

 

Best,

Mia

[Bellyflopchamp]

We are going to be on the Allure in a few weeks with my daughter. She will be 20 months old and is walking already so it is a little bit of a different situation. I would say you should bring your tandom stroller. We are bringing our regular stroller instead of an umbrella one mainly because I really can't use our umbrella one as it is too short for me. I am sure that you could use it to bring the kids to the dining room and then just "check" it with the hostess when you get there. I am sure that they have some place they can store it for you.

 

We also plan on bringing a car seat, but mostly for the trip to the hotel and then the port prior to embarkation. We probably wont really use it much on the cruise itself as we have also planned family friendly excursions.

 

Also if you have any questions let me know. I am sailing in November so I'll be on shortly before you. I will gladly look into anything you want me to. I'll also let you know about the stroller storage if you want.

Edited September 30, 2015 by Bellyflopchamp

[SadieN]

The stroller is too wide to fit thru the cabin door unfolded. It cannot be stored in the hallway.

[Karysa]

I agree a tandem stroller would be my suggestion as well.

 

I could not believe that so many people on the Ask a Question Board suggested that two umbrella strollers would be best for 13 month twins. Its mind boggling to me.

[DkswartzFamily]

Tandem stroller is great, we usually carry our kiddo and a bag of toys to dinner but thats just personal preference. We use our stroller getting everywhere else onboard : ) plenty of room in the closet to store it folded down- i feel like 2 umbrella strollers wud be waaay more of a hassle

[SesameStreetCruisers]

I read your other thread that got locked in the other forum and you can tell not many had experience with small children. Our girls are 4,3 and the newest 1. Cruising with the older girls when they were 1 and 2, we've done the back to back graco, the double city mini side by side, 2 single umbrellas then umbrellas attached to each other. I have to tell you that look out for the best interest of yourself, not other cruisers. The umbrellas were the worst of the options because the children can't get comfortable in them and wouldn't fall asleep in them as they do not lay back. Plus the impact of hitting someone's foot is makes your child bounce more than a larger stroller. The double umbrella is even worse. The tandem wasn't bad. Yes it is large, yes it takes up a lot of space and no it didn' fit through the door so you have to unload the kids and put them in the cabin, then fold it up in the hallway and bring it into your room. This also goes for the double city mini which I think is your best option. lays back, full cover to make it darker and provide a barrier from lighting and loud music, also easy to navigate. yes takes up room, but people see it coming and also provides storage space for things you need to take with you. We've been on 5 cruises with our big girls and next week will be the first with all 3.

 

leave the car seats behind! not needed at all

Edited October 16, 2015 by SesameStreetCruisers

[Bellyflopchamp]

I read your other thread that got locked in the other forum and you can tell not many had experience with small children. Our girls are 4,3 and the newest 1. Cruising with the older girls when they were 1 and 2, we've done the back to back graco, the double city mini side by side, 2 single umbrellas then umbrellas attached to each other. I have to tell you that look out for the best interest of yourself, not other cruisers. The umbrellas were the worst of the options because the children can't get comfortable in them and wouldn't fall asleep in them as they do not lay back. Plus the impact of hitting someone's foot is makes your child bounce more than a larger stroller. The double umbrella is even worse. The tandem wasn't bad. Yes it is large, yes it takes up a lot of space and no it didn' fit through the door so you have to unload the kids and put them in the cabin, then fold it up in the hallway and bring it into your room. This also goes for the double city mini which I think is your best option. lays back, full cover to make it darker and provide a barrier from lighting and loud music, also easy to navigate. yes takes up room, but people see it coming and also provides storage space for things you need to take with you. We've been on 5 cruises with our big girls and next week will be the first with all 3.

 

leave the car seats behind! not needed at all

 

Yeah, that other thread escalated quickly. I love the opinions of some people, especially those who have obviously never traveled with kids. I love the ones that just say you should always leave the kids at home.

 

Anyway since you do obviously have experience, how did you get your kiddos from the airport to the hotel/port, or did you drive to port in your own car? We are planning on getting a cheaper one or borrowing from a family member. We were figuring we would need one to get from the airport to the hotel then from the hotel to the port and port to airport. I know thats a lot of ports in there. Unfortunately our hotel doesnt have a shuttle.

[SesameStreetCruisers]

we drive to the port, so I never thought of that. also the side by side doesn't fit down the gangway to debark the ship but just remember you are cruising for you, not everyone else on the ship. You have to have something that lays back for the children. They just aren't going to sleep in an umbrella stroller. Just get use to getting dirty looks and saying excuse me when going down the hallways!

[JH31115]

Realize this is an old thread...I'm traveling with my husband, our soon to be 16 month old twins and my in laws on allure of the dead. Any advice on must haves?

 

 

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[mjkacmom]

Realize this is an old thread...I'm traveling with my husband, our soon to be 16 month old twins and my in laws on allure of the dead. Any advice on must haves?

 

 

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That doesn't sound like a family friendly cruise ship!

[JH31115]

LOL!!! Too funny, we are traveling on allure of the seas, cancelled allure of the dead.

Would love to bring a double stroller for nighttime strolls and plan on using baby carriers during the day. Any must have for twins?

 

 

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[cb at sea]

If you use a stroller at home, you WILL need it on the ship! Bring what you have, bearing in mind the hallways are narrow...so side-by-side won't work.....but you WILL need a stroller!

[Bellyflopchamp]

When we sailed on her back in November we saw at least one double wide. Bring whatever stroller you have that works the best for you. Storing it might be a little difficult as the cabins can be small, but if you have a balcony you can just leave it out there. That is what we did.

[reallyitsmema]

When we sailed on her back in November we saw at least one double wide. Bring whatever stroller you have that works the best for you. Storing it might be a little difficult as the cabins can be small, but if you have a balcony you can just leave it out there. That is what we did.

 

Getting a double wide down the passageway to the cabins would be impossible when the housekeeping carts are out so they need to be prepared to load kids once in the elevator lobby.

[Bellyflopchamp]

Getting a double wide down the passageway to the cabins would be impossible when the housekeeping carts are out so they need to be prepared to load kids once in the elevator lobby.

 

A double wide would be tight in that case. If they have the tandem it shouldn't be too bad. We had a cabin that was only like 1 or 2 away from the elevator/stairs so we never ran into an issue.

 

As for any must haves, if you absolutely need it at home, it is a must have. This would include blankies, pacifiers, bottles, stuffed animals, books, etc. they do have a toy exchange that you can use so you might not need to bring a ton of those.

 

We also brought a couple of sippy cups. We did not bother with bringing utensils or plates tho. Also one thing we wish we had was a little bit of dish soap. We were able to have our room steward get us a small container of it, but that is needed to clean out bottles and cups.

 

Also make sure you bring lots of sunblock if you plan on having the little one at the pool. Just a warning the kiddie splash pool for non potty trained kids is small and right near all the really fun stuff that they cannot use. There is no signage saying where they are limited to, but they will tell you that they cannot be in the other splash area if they are wearing a diaper.

[Kerry's Girls]

Getting a double wide down the passageway to the cabins would be impossible when the housekeeping carts are out so they need to be prepared to load kids once in the elevator lobby.

 

As a mom of twins who has cruised with MANY strollers, I completely agree - a side-by-side is not convenient on a ship. In addition to getting to/from your cabin, elevators, pool decks, public decks, dining rooms, buffet etc will often be unpassable. A good rule of thumb is you don't want a stroller wider than a wheelchair (so even single jogging strollers with the wide wheels are also inconvenient). I did take a MacLaren side-by-side on our cruise to Europe because it was very light for carrying up and down stairs in ports, but on the ship only a single-width will work.

 

All the best,

Mia

[Gardeneroflove]

As a mom of twins who has cruised with MANY strollers' date=' I completely agree - a side-by-side is not convenient on a ship. In addition to getting to/from your cabin, elevators, pool decks, public decks, dining rooms, buffet etc will often be unpassable. A good rule of thumb is you don't want a stroller wider than a wheelchair (so even single jogging strollers with the wide wheels are also inconvenient). I did take a MacLaren side-by-side on our cruise to Europe because it was very light for carrying up and down stairs in ports, but on the ship only a single-width will work.

 

All the best,

Mia[/quote']

 

Hi, what stroller would you recommend, in general, not just for cruising? We have the click and go now (mine are three months). I was planning on two umbrellas, but now I'm rethinking that. They'll just shy of a year. In the past, we just used the umbrella to board and disembark, then at ports.

[Kerry's Girls]

Hi, what stroller would you recommend, in general, not just for cruising? We have the click and go now (mine are three months). I was planning on two umbrellas, but now I'm rethinking that. They'll just shy of a year. In the past, we just used the umbrella to board and disembark, then at ports.

 

Umbrella strollers generally don't have good enough sun covers or lie-back options, plus you're stuck if you want to take them anywhere with just one parent. I loved the Graco Duoglider - really comfortable for the kids and very easy to handle. It's heavy, so not good for carrying around in port, but otherwise my all-time favorite. It's nice to have a stroller where they can eat, nap, etc. so you can keep going.

 

Best,

Mia

[Gardeneroflove]

Umbrella strollers generally don't have good enough sun covers or lie-back options' date=' plus you're stuck if you want to take them anywhere with just one parent. I loved the Graco Duoglider - really comfortable for the kids and very easy to handle. It's heavy, so not good for carrying around in port, but otherwise my all-time favorite. It's nice to have a stroller where they can eat, nap, etc. so you can keep going.

 

Best,

Mia[/quote']

Thanks! Kid never napped in her stroller, but maybe once or twice. Daddy mostly carried her, but twins...since they are only 3months, I don't know if/how well they will be walking. Dd was running everywhere by 10months.

 

He will need a way to take them both. Daddy will have all three a good part of the time. (I'm sahm. I'll be on the balcony with desserts and quiet).