Harmony with an infant

[Gators86]

So being a new parent, no clue how to cruise with a one year old. We are planning a trip on western harmony. We have the option to leave her home for the week with family. But just curious what everyone else’s experiences have been. Plus traveling off the boat did you take car seat,  was it a pain making dinner plans, etc. thanks so much! 

[OCSC Mike]

Leave her home.

 

I don't mean to sound cold, and for full disclosure, I have no kids. I just don't see a child that young being able to appreciate a cruise. Not saying she won't enjoy herself, but she's too young to enjoy herself BECAUSE it's a cruise, IMO. (I'll leave out selfish reasons like alone time, being free to do what you want, etc.)

 

I cruised with my niece when she was 2 or 3. My memories are that all she wanted to do was ride the carousel on whichever Oasis class ship it was 24/7. Oh, and when Shrek came around the MDR for breakfast (this was when RC partnered with Dreamworks) she cried and hid under the table b/c she was scared of him. 🙈

 

I have since sailed with both my nieces as they got older and they were actually able to enjoy cruising once they got a bit older... kids splash area, water slides, getting virgin drinks at the bar, some of the shows, the food, etc.

[GKMCruising]

14 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

Leave her home.

 

I don't mean to sound cold, and for full disclosure, I have no kids. I just don't see a child that young being able to appreciate a cruise. Not saying she won't enjoy herself, but she's too young to enjoy herself BECAUSE it's a cruise, IMO. (I'll leave out selfish reasons like alone time, being free to do what you want, etc.)

 

I cruised with my niece when she was 2 or 3. My memories are that all she wanted to do was ride the carousel on whichever Oasis class ship it was 24/7. Oh, and when Shrek came around the MDR for breakfast (this was when RC partnered with Dreamworks) she cried and hid under the table b/c she was scared of him. 🙈

 

I have since sailed with both my nieces as they got older and they were actually able to enjoy cruising once they got a bit older... kids splash area, water slides, getting virgin drinks at the bar, some of the shows, the food, etc.

Definitely depends on the kid. We took our daughter on an Alaskan cruise for her 2nd birthday and we've now done two Caribbean sailings as well - one on Wonder, the other one Harmony. She's 3 and had a blast - like you said, she enjoyed the splash area, shows, frozen drinks, etc. That said, I also know plenty of kids who would be miserable and make their parents miserable as well by throwing tantrums and generally being a Royal pain.

[Ashland]

Harmony (as well as many other RCI ships) has an amazing Royal Babies & Tots Nursery...they make it easy for those that sail with infants/toddlers. We did it with extended family when our grandkids were around two and it worked great. This decision is totally up to you...but give it some thought.

 

Even though ours are in the AO Aquanauts and Explorer groups we did peek in at the Nursery this past April on Harmony and they had a nice size group of little ones in there all seeming to be enjoying the activities and the amazing professional staff RCI provides.

[askfrog]

We cruised a few years back with my niece and nephew who were 2 1/2 and almost 1. They had a great time! They didn't do any excursions that involved driving. But if you did I would say take the car seat. We have 4 kids and 5 grand kids and have done trips with all of them and by ourselves. I personally love the trips with everyone. The little ones are actually easier than the 9 & 7 year olds. ;)

[poocher]

2 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

Leave her home.

 

I don't mean to sound cold, and for full disclosure, I have no kids.  

Clearly!

[Merion_Mom]

2 hours ago, Gators86 said:

Harmony with an infant

 

Highly unlikely.  

 

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[taglovestocruise]

8 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

Highly unlikely.  

 

🤣🤣🤣🤣

quite perspicacious ..

[CruiseBride926]

I think whether or not you take her has more to do with what kind of vacation you’re looking for. Like another poster mentioned they have a great nursery so you’ll still be able to enjoy some alone time on the ship however if you’re looking to do something adventurous as an excursion that complicates things. From my experience cruising with my kids that age was wonderful to travel with. They’d grown out of their sleepless nights but haven’t entered the chasing around phase. They were just happy to be there. 

[cecelia0613]

One thing I don't think folks think about when bringing children is medical care.  We took our two year old granddaughter and she got sick.  Thank goodness nothing serious, but it sure changed our minds about taking children younger than five on a cruise (and children in general).  Think about what the medical care would be on the ship and if they had to transfer the child to a hospital at a port, would medical care be the same level you would get back home.  And, would your health insurance cover the costs.  And would you be able to afford the price to airlift the child off and back to safety should something happen.  

 

I'm all for family vacations, but there is more to cruising than just being on a ship.  Use your own judgment and do what's best for you and your family.  

[ARandomTraveler]

My first time cruising 18 years ago was with my then 2 year old. My advice to everyone since then was "don't do it." It's not fun. It's not relaxing. You pay a bunch of money to take a vacation where you can't do most of the activities because they're either not kid friendly, or because kids need naps or have bedtime or just have short attention spans in general. You can't get in the adult pools with them, you have to constantly keep an eye on them so they don't run too close to the railing and fall off the ship. They aren't welcome in the kids club at that age, and any babysitting has to be done in your own stateroom. Etc etc etc.

 

If you can leave the baby at home, and are comfortable doing that, do it. If not, my suggestion would be to save your money, and take this cruise 3-4 years from now (assuming you don't have more kids by then). 

[PhillyFan33579]

9 hours ago, Gators86 said:

So being a new parent, no clue how to cruise with a one year old. We are planning a trip on western harmony. We have the option to leave her home for the week with family. But just curious what everyone else’s experiences have been. Plus traveling off the boat did you take car seat,  was it a pain making dinner plans, etc. thanks so much! 

The answer to your question is simple, leave her at home. 

[PolicromaSol]

When my kid was only a few months old, we rushed to Florida for a friend's wedding. When not doing things involving that we stayed in our room with the kid and really just chilled (fed him when necessary). He was quiet and relaxed, we were quiet and relaxed. He was all smiles and happy bouncing during the reception. As weird as it sounds, babies tend to pick up relaxation as much as they pick up stress. You can definitely enjoy relaxing calm as a family.

 

This wasn't a cruise, but it was probably more relaxation than any of us had in months. And yes, babies pick up on this.

 

There's a few videos online involving parent experiences witha one-year-old. All those storage areas that the travel angents brag your room is going to have? Stuffed with baby supplies. Made me strangely nostalgic.

 

Anyway, supposedly the cruise has little pack and plays available for your room if you have very young children. Not making any guarantees...Your mileage may vary, as they say. There is a nursery if you need some time alone. My suggestion would be to get a panoramic oceanview with no balcony, and hope the boat rocks just a tad....

 

[Ashland]

1 hour ago, ARandomTraveler said:

My first time cruising 18 years ago was with my then 2 year old. My advice to everyone since then was "don't do it." It's not fun. It's not relaxing. You pay a bunch of money to take a vacation where you can't do most of the activities because they're either not kid friendly, or because kids need naps or have bedtime or just have short attention spans in general. You can't get in the adult pools with them, you have to constantly keep an eye on them so they don't run too close to the railing and fall off the ship. They aren't welcome in the kids club at that age, and any babysitting has to be done in your own stateroom. Etc etc etc.

 

If you can leave the baby at home, and are comfortable doing that, do it. If not, my suggestion would be to save your money, and take this cruise 3-4 years from now (assuming you don't have more kids by then). 

"Run too close to the railing and fall off the ship" ??

There's been no in cabin babysitting on RCI ships for several years.

[ARandomTraveler]

18 minutes ago, Ashland said:

"Run too close to the railing and fall off the ship" ??

There's been no in cabin babysitting on RCI ships for several years.

Well, as I said, my experience was 18 years ago 😂 I just remember being on the pool deck of the Explorer and the railings were definitely wide enough for my 2 year old to fit though and it was a terrifying thought. It's not such an outlandish fear either - remember the baby that fell off the ship in Puerto Rico and died a few years ago? I know that was different since he/she fell through a window while being held by an adult, but the possibility is there, and therefore I wouldn't want a small child wandering anywhere close to the side of the ship. 
 

It's just not a fun experience, and your ability to go to shows and participate in all the ship has to offer is significantly diminished unless you can put your kid in daycare, in which case, why bring them?

Edited October 23, 2022 by ARandomTraveler

[Ashland]

56 minutes ago, ARandomTraveler said:

Well, as I said, my experience was 18 years ago 😂 I just remember being on the pool deck of the Explorer and the railings were definitely wide enough for my 2 year old to fit though and it was a terrifying thought. It's not such an outlandish fear either - remember the baby that fell off the ship in Puerto Rico and died a few years ago? I know that was different since he/she fell through a window while being held by an adult, but the possibility is there, and therefore I wouldn't want a small child wandering anywhere close to the side of the ship. 
 

It's just not a fun experience, and your ability to go to shows and participate in all the ship has to offer is significantly diminished unless you can put your kid in daycare, in which case, why bring them?

Our many cruises with our extended family over the years has never been "diminished" even though the little ones can't remember them we all can and have great memories and photos to prove it. And why I cautioned the OP to make this decision based on their personal choice...True it's not for everyone....but based on the seven cruises we've been on since the start of this year more and more families with little ones are definitely choosing to cruise.

[ARandomTraveler]

7 hours ago, Ashland said:

...True it's not for everyone....but based on the seven cruises we've been on since the start of this year more and more families with little ones are definitely choosing to cruise.

And probably regretting it 😂

 

I'm kidding, but in all seriousness, everyone is different. I'm sure having extended family on the trip is a bonus because there's lots of help. The dynamics are different. It also depends on a person's expectations of how they'll spend their vacation, and what is relaxing and/or fun to them personally. 
 

I personally wouldn't do it again if put back in that situation, but I'm also someone who thought they wanted 4 kids and only had 1 because I realized 4 kids didn't fit into the lifestyle that I wanted to provide for my kid, or the lifestyle I wanted to live myself. And part of that was realizing that on vacation, I like to sleep in, I don't want to be constantly telling a kid to be quiet and sit still in a show so they don't disturb the adult passengers (which means I didn't get to see any shows).

 

I want to sit down and enjoy dinner (which is hard to do when dinner takes 2 hours and you either have to entertain a kid for 2 hours so other people aren't disrupted, or you have to eat in the buffet with your kid while everyone else goes to a different dinner without you).
 

And I like to do a lot of things that aren't conducive to having small children in tow, and it was definitely "not for me." And while toddlers can have fun anywhere, I can assure you that it was very upsetting to my child to not be allowed in the pool, and to not be allowed in the adventure ocean area where the toys were, and to not be able to run around in the big open areas of the ship because I wasn't willing to allow her to disrupt other passengers, and also didn't want her falling off the ship outside. 
 

Don't take that the wrong way to read that I didn't like being a parent. I loved it and still love it. I raised an awesome, extremely successful kid whose in the top 1% of everything she does, partly because I spent an exorbitant amount of time and money on her and her activities and her education. I made a lot of time sacrifices and personal sacrifices to raise her the way I did.  I spent a TON of time with her (and still do). She attends a top 5 "Ivy League" school, and we're headed on another cruise together in a couple weeks, and we have a ton of fun together on cruises now that she's not 2 years old. We've done lots of cruises (and lots of other vacations) together over the last 18 years, and I've enjoyed every (ok not every) minute of it. 
 

But would I take another 2 year old on a cruise? Nope. I'd save my money (and save everyone the headache) and stay home. But that's the kind of parent I am. Everyone is different, and this particular poster might feel more like you do and think it's perfectly fine and they'll have fun. I'm just giving my opinion based on my experience and my parenting style (which I realize isn't for everyone). 

[OCSC Mike]

2 minutes ago, ARandomTraveler said:

She attends a top 5 "Ivy League" school

 

Hey, don't crap on the other 3! 🤣

[mjkacmom]

We left our five kids home on our first cruise (ages 9, 7, 4, 2 and 2) and it was amazing! All kids are different, #1 would’ve been fun on a cruise, #2 a nightmare. My kids were all eating table food at 1. I’d definitely get a balcony for nights and naps. I think you’d have a better time without a toddler, all of our kids were left behind at some point (diapered kids especially).

[Gators86]

Thanks everyone. We are going to leave her with family. See you all on the next cruise! 

[BoatersOnABoat]

I’ve done several cruises with my boys when they were young and my advice would be if you wanted to bring them, and it’s at all financially possible, bring a caregiver with you! We brought our mother in law and it worked out great! 

[FlGoodShips]

6 hours ago, Gators86 said:

Thanks everyone. We are going to leave her with family. See you all on the next cruise! 

Good choice. This way the two of you can really enjoy the cruise and each other💏