Cruising with a toddler!

[Skyemhill310]

In February we will be cruising with our 15 Month old! I just need advice on some stuff. 
Are there times when we can go into camp ocean and play that isn’t Night owls? 
Do I bring toys?

Do I bring a pack n play or are the ship ones clean? 
Should I bring a small kiddie pool for the shower and for her to play in on deck?  
ANY ADVICE NEEDED!

[cruisingguy007]

So I think you may be a bit confused on a few things that I may be able clear up. Camp Ocean is the "kids club" for young kids aged 2-11. Night Owls is essentially a fee-based babysitting service so you can go to dinner and/or see a show etc as a couple. Adults are never allowed into any of the kids clubs (for any age group). Access is strictly controlled (beyond the front desk/door area) to staff/kids but there are cameras all over to help parents feel better. Young kids must be checked in/out while older kids can come/go from the activities as they please. You will probably be given a courtesy phone to carry as well since your child is so young. 

 

That said, they have toys onsite and the facilities to handle children of each age group. You will not need to bring any additional items for night owl sitting services (your child is too young for the kids clubs) unless you want specific diapers/wipes used. I also seriously doubt you can bring a kiddie pool on board (space limitations). They have a splash zone for kids BUT all kids must be potty trained (no diapers or swim diapers) to use the water/pool amenities. Unfortunately, you're options are limited until your child is 2 years of age and potty trained.

 

Hope that helps.

 

    

Edited December 30, 2019 by cruisingguy007

[JaxsMama]

Based on my old schedule there was one day they had family bingo hour when parents had to stay and a family scavenger hunt other than that all you will be able to use is night owls starting at 10pm.  There is also a build a bear event you could do, and Dr Seuss events (brunch, storytime and parade).  I would bring an umbrella stroller and also any prepackaged snacks your kid may want. We also bring cheap beach toys we can pitch when we're done. Also bring any child meds you may need just incase. 

[Tnlynch81]

While it is true that your child is too young to be left alone at Camp Ocean they do have a time where you can go with them and let them play and have fun. I believe the time was 8:30 or 9am, and it lasts for about an hour. Camp Ocean opens at 10am so definitely before then.

[CAnative1]

When my son was that age we took some toys so he would be entertained when we were in the cabin as well as a tablet with preloaded shows that he liked to watch. We also would cruise with some basic medicines (tylenol, zarbees for possible cough, thermometer). 

 

As is mentioned no swimming for children if they are not potty trained, so something such as this might be helpful if traveling in a balcony room 

 

Also helpful for bathtime. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Cruiser_1977]

On the pool/tub thing...Please empty into a drain. Please don't just pour onto the pool deck or onto your balcony.

[Sauer-kraut]

Pack more diapers than you think you will need.  The ship might not have any and you'll have to spend time in the ports searching if you don't have enough.  Also, if your child gets diarrhea you might want to bring some electrolyte powder to mix with water just to keep them hydrated.

[MistyRo76]

On 12/29/2019 at 9:46 PM, Skyemhill310 said:

In February we will be cruising with our 15 Month old! I just need advice on some stuff. 
Are there times when we can go into camp ocean and play that isn’t Night owls? 
Do I bring toys?

Do I bring a pack n play or are the ship ones clean? 
Should I bring a small kiddie pool for the shower and for her to play in on deck?  
ANY ADVICE NEEDED!

We cruised on Carnival when our daughter was 14 months and again at 3 years old. When she was 14 months here's what we did: 

 

Definitely get a sturdy umbrella stroller! We got the Summer Lite 3D and it was perfect. We took her everywhere with it including to dinner. Our wait team would store it out of the way nearby while we ate and she would sit in a highchair. After she ate, they would take the highchair and we'd lay her down in the stoller at the table and she would be fast asleep in no time (btw - we did late dining so it was perfect for getting her to sleep after). 

 

Carnival provided us a crib for the room. It was just fine! Don't worry about bringing a pack n play - just request the crib with your travel agent or PVP. If you have the opportunity to get a balcony - do it! We would hang out on the balcony while the little one was sleeping so we didn't disturb her. It worked out great! We also brought our video monitor so we could see/hear her while on the balcony as the doors/windows to the balcony are pretty thick and you can't hear noise from the room while on the balcony. 

 

Don't waste luggage space packing a whole bunch of diapers. Pack enough for a day or two. Then buy a large box at a store in your port city. We just affixed a Carnival luggage tag right to the box of diapers (which had a pack of swim diapers taped to it) and it was delivered right to our room. Made it so much easier! 

 

We didn't bring a car seat - we booked sedan service who could provide a car seat to get us from the airport to the hotel/port and back. 

 

There is plenty of food on board for toddlers. We didn't pack a ton of extra snacks for her. In the mornings, we'd grab some extra fruit (bananas mostly) and small boxes of cherrios to keep in our cabin or beach bags in case she got hungry (I think they've now switched to dispensers for cereal - so maybe bring some baggies to fill up to keep in your room). We'd also order a sandwich or something for her to eat while we got ready for dinner since we had late dinner. At dinner, we'd ask for a fruit plate to come out right away (after the first night it was always waiting for her). This would give her something to munch on while we waited for our food. 

 

We brought an inflatable tub, but honestly we never even took it out of the box. We didn't want to hassle with it on deck. And for baths, I would just take our daughter into the shower with me. I'd hold her with one arm and shampoo/wash her with the other. Once she was all done, I'd hand her out to daddy to get her dried off and dressed while I finished my shower. It was SOOO much easier than trying to do a blow up tub. 

 

[Tapi]

On 12/29/2019 at 10:46 PM, Skyemhill310 said:

In February we will be cruising with our 15 Month old! I just need advice on some stuff. 
Are there times when we can go into camp ocean and play that isn’t Night owls? 
Do I bring toys?

Do I bring a pack n play or are the ship ones clean? 
Should I bring a small kiddie pool for the shower and for her to play in on deck?  
ANY ADVICE NEEDED!

Our son’s first cruise was on Carnival at 13 months of age. He then sailed on Royal Caribbean at 17 months of age. Here are some answers to your questions:

 

- Camp Ocean will be open for “free play” for children under the age of two for an hour or two on some mornings. A parent and guardian must be present. You can’t drop your child off.

- On Carnival, yes bring some toys. Nothing crazy though. We just brought a small backpack with some small favorite toys.

- Don’t bring a pack and play unless you’re very particular about where your child sleeps. The cruise line provided crib is more than adequate.

- We followed the advice to bring a kiddie pool and found it to be a big, fat waste of space. Our son didn’t care for it. And we never took it on deck. The logistics of dumping water potentially contaminated with baby feces made us desist from that idea.

 

Our overall all impression after two back to back cruises with our toddler son is that Carnival does a very poor job catering to children under two, but Royal Caribbean does an absolutely fantastic job, specially on their larger ships. They offer the Royal Babies and Tots program all day long with organized activities, and where you can drop your child off. They also have a toy lending program, a dedicated Adventure Ocean TV channel, and most importantly,  temperature controlled and separately filtered pools for babies and toddlers in diapers (on Carnival, children in diapers are banned from pools and splash areas). You can also pre order diapers and baby food to be delivered to your cabin.

 

Have a great time on Carnival, but keep in mind that information about Royal if you decide to cruise again before your little one turns 2.

[Purvis1231]

you can have a blow-up pool in your shower but they are not allowed on the decks. Enjoy! 

[DebJ14]

Inflatable kiddie pools are on the list of prohibited items now right between helium filled balloons and hookahs!  Check the list on the FAQ under What Items am I not allowed to bring?  The list keeps getting longer and longer.

[kyboymom]

When we cruised with our toddler I brought sand buckets and dipped water out of the pool and sat in front of him on the pool deck so he could at least splash his toys around in it (since kiddie pools are restricted).  

I would suggest over packing the toddler clothes, I felt like I did over pack for him but by the end of the cruise I was running low on clothes.  

Definitely take your stroller if you are taking an umbrella one I would make sure that it does have a cover over the top.  Otherwise when you are out on port days or on the Lido deck the little one can get burnt and it's hard for them to rest of course with the sun beaming down on them.  

I agree that Carnival doesn't do a good job with having really anything for the kids under 2.  My little one did enjoy the play time that's available to the kids under 2 in the kids camp before it opens for the bigger kids.  

There's plenty of food options and you can always grab extra bananas at breakfast for snack later that day or small boxes of cereal that are always handy throughout the day for them to snack on.  

To be honest it was a little rough cruising with the toddler but I'm glad we did b/c now he's 5 and we have his 4th cruise booked and he is just as excited as the rest of the family.  

Enjoy!

 

[Sagittarius traveler]

When my daughter was 9 months or either 6 months whatever age she was allowed it was simple for us because kids like water 

We got :

swim suits

diapers and wipes 

 

 

brought stuffed animal for her souvenir , she liked the ice cream and snacks and music on board trying to jam with the older people. It was fairly simple. Played in the water with assistance. Night time a breeze but waking her up because the boats motion had her calm was a night mare she wanted to sleep hahaha .

 

she is 5 now and is a cruise pro compared to her sted dad who only done two cruises so far.

Edited January 19, 2020 by Sagittarius traveler

[Tiffany18]

Has anyone stayed on the ship in port with a toddler? Any ideas to keep the little one busy besides the obvious activities?

[mpdog42]

On 1/1/2020 at 7:19 PM, DebJ14 said:

Inflatable kiddie pools are on the list of prohibited items now right between helium filled balloons and hookahs!  Check the list on the FAQ under What Items am I not allowed to bring?  The list keeps getting longer and longer.

No Hookahs??? So much for that plan😁