Sleeping Accommodation (Crib?) For Toddlers

[JennAngel9]

We will be traveling with an 18mo old this summer in Alaska and are wondering what the crib/bed option is for infants and toddlers.

 

Thanks!

Edited March 24, 2016 by JennAngel9

[RachelG]

Regent doesn't allow infants under the age of one. But they do allow toddlers, so I suppose they do have some rollaway cribs onboard.

 

However, you do need to realize that regent is really not set up for babies and toddlers. While there will be more children onboard due to it being summer and Alaska, I hope that you will use good sense. If the baby is fussy or tired, it should be taken to your cabin. And recognize that most of your fellow passengers are not going to be thrilled with the baby on board unless it is exceptionally quiet and docile.

 

I have never actually seen a high chair or booster seat on a Regent ship (in 16 cruises), but again I suppose they must have one.

 

You need to call regent and verify the crib and high chair situation so you will know what to bring. I have seen these items on Silversea, but not regent.

[Sunprince]

Please, for both your own enjoyment and that of your fellow passengers, leave your child at home! Regent is no place for an 18 month old. This may sound harsh and I don't mean it to but Regent is a luxury cruise line that does not cater to young children, especially those still in diapers.

[Suite Travels]

Whew, I was waiting for someone else to comment about this. We were on a Crystal cruise with a two year old in the Med. let me tell you it was not fun for the parents or the guests. Finally the hotel manager had to tell them as a suggestion to have a babysitter in their cabin when they dined. I don't blame the child I blame the parents for such poor judgement. A two year old will not remember anything about the trip anyway. Leave the child with the grandparents or another loving relative or go to Disney which is great for parents and adults.

 

Don't get me wrong I love kids but I would never dream of taking a toddler on a primarily adult cruise. As a parent that would not be a vacation for me either.

[gnomie1]

DO NOT let the previous posters discourage you. I always find it a bit disturbing that the people protesting the loudest against children are the same individuals sitting at a table for six in Compass Rose talking with outside voices and laughing so loud and obnoxious that they are ruining everyone else's dinner.

 

First of all, I know the have a roll away crib because I have seen it being rolled down a hallway.

 

With regard to children on board, for the most part, we have found that the majority of children are far better behaved than some of the adults. I know this will stir up a few people, but during the summer it seems that the children causing the most problems are the children of the officers on board, they seem to be able to run around without any guidance and/or curfew.

 

On our cruise last summer, we had a little boy on board that learned to walk on ship - his parents were delightful and the ship fell in love with the boy. As usual, it all depends on the parents, but enjoy every minute of your vacation and don't let the others spoil it for you.

 

Gnomie

[JennAngel9]

Thanks gnomie1. :) I'm glad I didn't see any of these until you posted. We've sailed a few luxury lines and participated on their boards through the years, so I was prepared for some hostility but haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, as Ms. Swift would say. I honestly feel badly that so many people have had terrible experiences with children (and their parents!) that they can't imagine it being a joy to see a happy toddler stagger drunkenly around the ship as they learn to walk (sadly, ours is almost out of that phase, but here's hoping it comes back in high seas!).

 

I can't imagine our daughter sleeping in a pack 'n play and we are awaiting confirmation from Regent that they will have a crib or mini crib for us, but if they don't we will have to try to secure one in Anchorage before heading to Seward. It sounds like Gnomie has seen an actual crib that we can attach bumpers to, which is exactly what I was hoping for....or at least, I've never seen a wheeled pack 'n play.

 

RachelG, I'm aware the facilities for toddlers are non-existent and I appreciate your concern. We would never dream of letting our daughter whine and cry in a common area, we are paying for her grandparents to join us so we can trade off eating if she doesn't handle the dining room with exemplary manners. We are not sailing Carnival/HAL/NCL because we have no interest in visiting Alaska on an Applebees at sea and we have the class to preserve the relaxing environment for everyone else.

 

We will probably start leaving her at home in a year or two but we actually enjoy being around her and are excited to show her real whales and bears (which she loves) and glaciers. Maybe she will remember it (my husband has several memories from the 2nd year of his life, I do not) or maybe she won't, but it's wonderful enrichment for her brain and will create family memories that we'll treasure.

Edited March 25, 2016 by JennAngel9

[vrhiatt]

I completely agree with Gnomie1. My kids were older, 8 and 10 maybe, when I first took them on Regent, but they had a wonderful time and became loyal Regent customers. Both have refused to even try another cruise line. If I had listened to the grumpy people on these boards, I would have thought my children would have had an awful time. Some of our happiest family memories involve Regent cruises. I am sure you have the discretion to know when your child should be in the cabin to rest without anyone advising you. I have frequently had my meal disturbed on Regent by large groups of adults that yell across large tables and have been seriously over served, but never by a child. Have fun.

[RachelG]

there is a huge difference between taking a well behaved 8 or 10 year old who is accustomed to being around a lot of adults on regent and taking an 18 month old who is too young to even be expected to know anything about being quiet in the dining room.

 

I would definitely have taken my boys at ages 6 and above and been confident that they would be able to sit at dinner and behave, because we taught them that. But at 18 months, we only went to "noisy" restaurants where if a meltdown occurred, it wasn't a major ordeal.

 

18 month old toddlers simply are not going to sit at a dining table for 1 1/2 hours or more without making some sort of fuss. So if the OP has family coming where someone will be happy to leave dinner and go to their cabin when the baby gets tired, fine. I just think there are way better vacation options with babies that age.

 

I don't hate kids at all. I eagerly await having grandchildren, but I won't be taking them on regent until they are at least grade school age.

[Pam]

We went on Voyager for a British Isles cruise several years ago; there was a family onboard with a 2-year-old boy who was adorable! On one of the "dressier" nights, he had a little kilt and blazer, and everybody wanted a picture of him. As we all got off the ship, I glanced up and saw crew members removing an acrylic shield from a balcony; I assume it was that family's suite and they had put it up to protect the little one. He was perfectly behaved.

[Sunprince]

DO NOT let the previous posters discourage you. I always find it a bit disturbing that the people protesting the loudest against children are the same individuals sitting at a table for six in Compass Rose talking with outside voices and laughing so loud and obnoxious that they are ruining everyone else's dinner.

 

First of all, I know the have a roll away crib because I have seen it being rolled down a hallway.

 

With regard to children on board, for the most part, we have found that the majority of children are far better behaved than some of the adults. I know this will stir up a few people, but during the summer it seems that the children causing the most problems are the children of the officers on board, they seem to be able to run around without any guidance and/or curfew.

 

On our cruise last summer, we had a little boy on board that learned to walk on ship - his parents were delightful and the ship fell in love with the boy. As usual, it all depends on the parents, but enjoy every minute of your vacation and don't let the others spoil it for you.

 

Gnomie

 

First of all the OP is asking about an 18 month old. How can an 18 month old be considered a "well behaved child"....they ate far too young.

 

Secondly, I don't think Rachel or I would ever be sitting at a table for 6 using our outside voices.

[Konagolfer]

I agree with Rachel. On our recent SA cruise on the Mariner we had an older (we all thought the father was the grandfather at first!) couple with an 18 month old on board and most passengers were relieved when they got off after one segment. The parents were not attentive to the child or considerate of other guests. They let the toddler run around without close supervision even in the restaurants. They were seated near us in Signatures one evening and the child ran to the rear of the restaurant and one of the waiters had to pick him up and return him to the parents. The mother left the restaurant for some reason and the child started screaming, the father mostly ignored him and the child did not quiet down until the mother returned after about 15 minutes. It made for an unpleasant meal in what is normally a special one. We were also on a tour with this family on high speed open boats in rough water, again the child cried the whole time. One afternoon during tea time trivia the child was again running around and he fell cutting his head on a doorway which caused quite a disruption. It was not the child's fault, it was the parents. There are many cruise lines that would be a much better fit for a toddler. By the way, there was a high chair on board.

[RustyRollock]

If OP is lucky enough to have an "easy" toddler and is prepared to put the child's and fellow passengers' needs and comfort first if the child does get cranky - and she will - then go but accept that it probably won't be a particularly relaxing vacation. Many people choose the luxury cruise lines specifically because they don't offer many, if any, facilities for young children which is designed to deter all but the bravest and most patient (stubborn?) parents.

 

As you can see, there will be people who are less than thrilled to have a young child on board and you can expect a certain amount of hostility, deserved or not. I suspect we have all had previous cruises ruined, or at least impaired by disruptive kids with passive parents. Our last trip (Seabourn but the same applies) had only one child on board, probably around 18 months, whose stoic mother spent most of HER cruise wheeling him endlessly around the ship in his stroller desperately trying to provide some distraction with minimum disturbance to everyone else. A relaxing cruise it was not: the poor woman was exhausted. She admitted later that she wished she'd taken up grandma's offer to let her look after Junior at home.

 

Alaska is indeed spectacular but I highly doubt an 18mth child will remember a thing about it. Just make sure she doesn't make it "unforgettable" for your fellow passengers! :D. Good luck.

[JennAngel9]

While our daughter would never be described as "easy" she is quite mellow when surrounded by lots of people and noise and generally content to flirt with strangers. She routinely makes it through 95% of church without much more than an occasional coo or clap of hands..and the other 5% we take her out of the room and let her stretch her legs. Nevertheless, we are bringing her grandparents (and plan to eat in shifts) as it really isn't relaxing to try to eat dinner and feed her and tend to the occasional restless spurts all at once.... and for insurance in case she undergoes a dramatic personality shift in the next two months.

 

I recall being a childless 20-something and how annoyed I would be by wailing children and free range children and would never inflict that sort of experience on other cruises, whether or Regent or Celebrity or even Carnival. :o I suspect that our daughter will have most other passengers gravitating toward her instead of away-- but mostly because we raise her so she doesn't need to act out and because we will swiftly return her to the cabin if she is cranky. In any event, we are both corporate litigators so we wouldn't bat an eyelash at hostility (deserved or not). ;)

[RachelG]

If she is ok in church, she will be ok on board and I am greatly relieved. I made my boys behave in church, (or when they were little, took them out), and we never had issues at the nicest restaurants. Unfortunately, you are probably in the minority of parents these days, which is why everyone, me included, was so worried.

[Mjflowers]

We get it. Some of you, which seem to list most often, do not like children on Regent cruises. Of course, unless then your own. Were you not a child once?

Perfect, I assume. Why the derogatory remarks about children on cruises?

Forbid upsetting your time at sea. Some spend to much time, it would seem trying to find negative about anything. As we know, this boards regular posters express their opinions. People they are a very small, small, small, group.

Not the majority of Regent cruisers. Do not be discouraged by their trivial comments. Bring your children and have a wonderful time.

[JennAngel9]

Thanks for the vote of confidence RachelG. :) We are doing our best to raise a daughter who can sit through a ballet or opera by elementary school (she loves Beethoven + Mozart, but she likes to dance around to it more than sit!)... but we will settle for able to sit calmly through a 1h dinner. ;)

 

Mjflowers, thanks for the encouragement that most Regent cruisers won't look at us like lepers. Ultimately, life is too short to get hung up on the lamentations of the perpetually aggrieved.

[Mjflowers]

Thanks for the vote of confidence RachelG. :) We are doing our best to raise a daughter who can sit through a ballet or opera by elementary school (she loves Beethoven + Mozart, but she likes to dance around to it more than sit!)... but we will settle for able to sit calmly through a 1h dinner. ;)

 

Mjflowers, thanks for the encouragement that most Regent cruisers won't look at us like lepers. Ultimately, life is too short to get hung up on the lamentations of the perpetually aggrieved.

 

Just a few and they seem to be Regent regulars who believe it is their own private ship. To them, why not charter?