RC with a Baby

[Garyjames220]

Hey

We are planning in doing a cruise with a one year old. From Uk. Also going to perfect day. Which I have never done 

Just had a few questions that hopefully some of you can help with 

- We are changing back and for between Disney world or a RC cruise (dcl to much now ). Would you say the cruise would be better and less tiring and more relaxing. Would be making use of the Nursery to

- was planning the eastern cruise. Would you say there is plenty of excisions for a one year old to go on with us. 

- we no both the parks or a cruise with be tiring with a baby starting to think the cruise might be better. Rather than waiting in long queues 

I would also like to no what u would pick if you were in my situation

 

 

[Garyjames220]

Thanks for any help in advance 

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, Garyjames220 said:

I would also like to no what u would pick if you were in my situation

I wouldn't pick either of those options - save those options once the kid(s) are older. I would go to some resort which has some childcare support. 

[mcoler181]

We did Allure when our oldest little girl was about 18 months, was fantastic. Also did disney when she was 5 and our youngest was just 1 and she was too young, it was too hot for her and she spent alot of time asleep in the buggy. If it was a toss up between the two I would go cruise and wouldnt worry so much about doing excurssions.

Edited July 2, 2019 by mcoler181

[Garyjames220]

16 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

I wouldn't pick either of those options - save those options once the kid(s) are older. I would go to some resort which has some childcare support. 

 

Would  defo want to pick one or the other as that’s our two favourite types of holiday

 

we plan on going at a later age to anyway

 

[HAD]

We cruised when our kids were very young. First time my daughter was about 17 mos. Then when she was 3.5 yrs and my son was about 16 mos. At the young age, they were too young to participate in the youth activities. Both times we had a BLAST! Brought some small toys, played lots, napped as a family, went to zoos and beaches at ports of call. Awesome memories, and would definitely recommend it! 😃

[Biker19]

2 minutes ago, Garyjames220 said:

Would  defo want to pick one or the other as that’s our two favourite types of holiday

At Disney you are sort of forced to go on rides to "make it worth while", that's not so easy with a 1 yr old - no such pressure on a cruise, you can do as much or as little as you want.

[Garyjames220]

1 minute ago, Biker19 said:

At Disney you are sort of forced to go on rides to "make it worth while", that's not so easy with a 1 yr old - no such pressure on a cruise, you can do as much or as little as you want.

 

Yeah that’s a good point 

 

another thing that puts us off the parks is we can’t really can’t do any thrill rides together 

 

I no there is rider switch but your alone 

[Garyjames220]

6 minutes ago, HAD said:

We cruised when our kids were very young. First time my daughter was about 17 mos. Then when she was 3.5 yrs and my son was about 16 mos. At the young age, they were too young to participate in the youth activities. Both times we had a BLAST! Brought some small toys, played lots, napped as a family, went to zoos and beaches at ports of call. Awesome memories, and would definitely recommend it! 😃

 

Sounds a lot more relaxing compared to the parks am thinking at that age 

 

did you use the nursery much  

[Garyjames220]

18 minutes ago, mcoler181 said:

We did Allure when our oldest little girl was about 18 months, was fantastic. Also did disney when she was 5 and our youngest was just 1 and she was too young, it was too hot for her and she spent alot of time asleep in the buggy. If it was a toss up between the two I would go cruise and wouldnt worry so much about doing excurssions.

 

Yeah we would be quite happy doing beaches etc anyway and just relaxing 

 

the chances are if we done Disney it would be in 2021 the 50th anniversary and as much as we love it the queues then is putting as off a bit and we are thinking it might be a bit to tiring 

[nalatrixie74]

i would choose cruise as well. i would pick a ship that im really excited about and if you find some excursion, great, if not, you are on an awesome ship. also, wherever you are on the ship, you're just a walk away from your room so you can rest. have fun planning!

[spookwife]

 A one year old will not get anything out of Disney.  As for excursions.. basically a beach day would be the only/best option.  Choose a ship that has a nursery ( for a fee) so you can get some alone adult time.  And a splash pad since no swim diapers are permitted in the pools.

[Nectarologist]

Hi Gary,

My vote is for a cruise. I cruised several times when my kids were very young (on DCL not RC, but still both great).  6 months and 18 months! That's a lot of diapers! Anyway, it will be a great time spent together and I think the cruise is great because you are always close to what you want to do. If you're at a park and think you need a break it's not so quick to get back to the hotel room.  For all the reasons HAD mentions it would be great.  For my wife and I, it was just adjusting our expectations as far as what we could do and the trip exceeded them.  

-Chris

[Garyjames220]

We were thinking of doing harmony of the seas as that looks really good and I think it’s got a nursery 

Edited July 2, 2019 by Garyjames220

[Garyjames220]

3 hours ago, Nectarologist said:

Hi Gary,

My vote is for a cruise. I cruised several times when my kids were very young (on DCL not RC, but still both great).  6 months and 18 months! That's a lot of diapers! Anyway, it will be a great time spent together and I think the cruise is great because you are always close to what you want to do. If you're at a park and think you need a break it's not so quick to get back to the hotel room.  For all the reasons HAD mentions it would be great.  For my wife and I, it was just adjusting our expectations as far as what we could do and the trip exceeded them.  

-Chris

 

Well that’s good to hear 

[cruisingalong2018]

My family and I just returned from a cruise on Anthem in June.  My daughter, son-in-law, and 2 and 1/2 year old granddaughter.  We registered our granddaughter in Royal Tots on the first day. The time was listed on Cruise Compass on the first day.  We only used this babysitting service 3 times during our 5 day cruise.  Twice so we could go to shows, and once during our dinner at Chops, a specialty restaurant.  It was about 2 hours each time.  They only take 8 children, so book early.  I forget what the price was, but it wasn't that much.  We had the same girl each time so we did give her a tip the last time.  

Edited July 3, 2019 by cruisingalong2018
typo

[lovescats5]

I would do the cruise also.  We were on Holland when my granddaughter was 7 months old and we had a ball.  Took a small stroller and booked the excursions we wanted to go on.  She does not remember but we took lots of pictures and now that she is 12 we still go back and look at all the pictures of our first 5 cruises.  You will have a wonderful time.

[Garyjames220]

4 hours ago, lovescats5 said:

I would do the cruise also.  We were on Holland when my granddaughter was 7 months old and we had a ball.  Took a small stroller and booked the excursions we wanted to go on.  She does not remember but we took lots of pictures and now that she is 12 we still go back and look at all the pictures of our first 5 cruises.  You will have a wonderful time.

Sounds good think we are going to just go with the cruise on harmony 

[Iamcruzin]

I would rule out Disney. The child is too young to enjoy it and would most likely be sleeping in the stroller most of the time. We took our kids when they were 5 and 8. We did a few days in Disney and a short Royal Caribbean cruise. My kids enjoyed the cruise much better and never asked to go back to Disney. We did several cruises when they were young and now they book and pay for their own cruises.  

Edited July 3, 2019 by Iamcruzin

[Garyjames220]

2 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

I would rule out Disney. The child is too young to enjoy it and would most likely be sleeping in the stroller most of the time. We took our kids when they were 5 and 8. We did a few days in Disney and a short Royal Caribbean cruise. My kids enjoyed the cruise much better and never asked to go back to Disney. We did several cruises when they were young and now they book and pay for their own cruises.  

 

Thats good

 

see part of me thought, a one year old if just to young but when you look at you tube videos you actually see loads of baby’s and strollers etc. Quite surprised how many do it 

 

but can’t be as relaxing as a cruise and the option of the nursery on it and chilling on the beach etc 

 

we did think of doing the two weeks in the parks and just going at a lot slower pace. Like half days in parks and half days at the resort etc but my partner seems to think the cruise would be better now

[CruiseWendy]

We have been cruising with our daughter since she was 18 months. At the age of your kid it comes down to what kind of vacation it will be for the adults. Disney is much more geared towards have all in the party enjoy the entertainment and you are at their schedule which doesn't necessarily match up with an infant.  With a cruise you can fit your free time around the little and get a real vacation out of it. Enjoy!

[maryred]

2 hours ago, Garyjames220 said:

 

Thats good

 

see part of me thought, a one year old if just to young but when you look at you tube videos you actually see loads of baby’s and strollers etc. Quite surprised how many do it 

 

but can’t be as relaxing as a cruise and the option of the nursery on it and chilling on the beach etc 

 

we did think of doing the two weeks in the parks and just going at a lot slower pace. Like half days in parks and half days at the resort etc but my partner seems to think the cruise would be better now

What many online videos don't show is that the family with an infant in a stroller may also have older sibling(s) or larger extended family group doing the vacation along with them. So if those are your only 2 wants for a immediate family holiday with no nanny or family member to help with baby care during your stay I would go with the cruise. Just because it does allow for more parent alone time if you are able to get the Nursery care offered by the ship.

 

 

[cb at sea]

A 1 year old will not appreciate the magic that is Disney....you should wait until age 5+ to do a trip to the Disney (or Universal) parks.  Small children get tired...it's crowded and just above their abilities.  Let them get a bit of age, and everyone will enjoy it better.  Yes...plenty of people take their small kids, but I bet dollars to donuts, the child remembers nothing.

 

A cruise is a great family vacation.  You can do as much or little as you choose, and your room (for naps or downtime) is steps away.  As far as what to do in ports, google them, or get a guidebook.  You'll get lots of ideas on what is available and how to do it!  In the Caribbean, few things require excursions...most things are quite easy to do on your own!  The more you know about your ports, the more fun you can have and the more money you will likely save by DIY options!

[BeachChik]

11 minutes ago, cb at sea said:

A 1 year old will not appreciate the magic that is Disney....you should wait until age 5+ to do a trip to the Disney (or Universal) parks.  Small children get tired...it's crowded and just above their abilities.  Let them get a bit of age, and everyone will enjoy it better.  Yes...plenty of people take their small kids, but I bet dollars to donuts, the child remembers nothing.

 

A cruise is a great family vacation.  You can do as much or little as you choose, and your room (for naps or downtime) is steps away.  As far as what to do in ports, google them, or get a guidebook.  You'll get lots of ideas on what is available and how to do it!  In the Caribbean, few things require excursions...most things are quite easy to do on your own!  The more you know about your ports, the more fun you can have and the more money you will likely save by DIY options!

 

Its not about the child remembering, the adults will remember the fun they had. And it’s about the fun in the moment, that family time. 

 

I’ve been taking mine since the youngest was 5 months old and my daughter was about 13 months the first time. They are now almost 6 and 3. I remember the experiences even if they don’t. The pictures of them meeting characters for the first time and seeing the castle are priceless. 

[Djsmrs]

We've done both Disney and Cruised with our boys,(on Royal, Princess and DCL).  Our first cruise was with our eldest when he was 9 months old.  I was terrified that it was going to be awful, but it was a fantastic week.  The ships do a great job with offering activities for the littler ones.  The splash pad is good for them at this age.  I would suggest booking a room with a balcony if you can swing it.  We made GREAT use of it when he went to sleep and one of us had to be in the room with him, both at night and for afternoon naps.  We would sit outside and watch a movie together on the tablet in the evening, or during the day the balcony was great to chill our and read a book.  The staff are amazing with the little ones and he had "girlfriends" in every dining venue we went to, and they fussed over him and he loved it.  We've since cruised with him (and now his younger brother) almost every year.  They're now 9 and 11 and cruising is part of their lives and they love it.  As far as excursions go - we just take our kids to the beach.  We always get an umbrella or clamshell so we have shade for them (made napping easier if they were tired as they could chill right there with us and we could have a bit of a rest too!).  

 

Be sure to make use of the complimentary breakfast in your room - a great way to start the day with a little coffee for parents and cereal, milk, and fruit to get the day started.

 

Kids clubs are great when they're young, and if your little one will go - try and have a dinner with just the two of you one night.

 

As the kids have grown we've actually found our cruises less relaxing as we are constantly trying to keep up with the boys - when they're little some things are more work, but there's also more "forced" relaxation time as they nap more and aren't wanting to run all over the ship.  It's a different experience each time we go and our family loves it.

 

We first went to DisneyWorld when they were 5 and 7 and I cannot imagine spending that amount of money if they can't do the rides.  Even at 5 my son finally caved and rode in a stroller - it's a big venture for little ones.  They loved it, but when we took them back at 7 and 9 they loved it even more and in hindsight I might have waited until they were a bit older.  

 

Either way, however, family time is family time and you'll have fun!