magdanie Posted April 14, 2006 #1 Share Posted April 14, 2006 We are taking a cruise with a baby, does anybody has any recomendation or experience with taking an infant on a cruise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perkyblue Posted April 14, 2006 #2 Share Posted April 14, 2006 I haven't taken my son on a cruise yet, so I can't help you, but if you go to the main bb section, there's a forum on family cruising, and someone there could probably help you out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoinCruisin Posted April 14, 2006 #3 Share Posted April 14, 2006 You might want to try the family boards... you are likely to get ripped apart over here. YOu can also do a search and find plenty of opinions. They have to be 4 months old, and you will have to pay full price whether it is 2nd, 3rd or 4th person. No children non potty trained are allowed in the pools, so keep that in mind. And under 2 they are not allowed in the kids camp. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magdanie Posted April 14, 2006 Author #4 Share Posted April 14, 2006 You might want to try the family boards... you are likely to get ripped apart over here. YOu can also do a search and find plenty of opinions. They have to be 4 months old, and you will have to pay full price whether it is 2nd, 3rd or 4th person. No children non potty trained are allowed in the pools, so keep that in mind. And under 2 they are not allowed in the kids camp. Good luck! I searched the site for the family boards can you help with the link? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perkyblue Posted April 14, 2006 #5 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Click on "Cruise Critic Message Boards" (at the top of screen). Then scroll down and you'll see the family boards. I think it's under the Special Interest section. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwilymz Posted April 14, 2006 #6 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Advice: don't cruise with an infant. As you undoubtedly know, they are a lot of work, and require a whole bunch of specialty items. You'll be carting and lugging and wearing yourself out on your vacation just to have a baby with you, and who won't get a thing out of it. And that's not even begining to consider whether or not you're going to insist on strollering the tyke and barging into other passengers and banging their shins instead of carrying the baby in the tight confines of an ocean liner... yes, a ship is big, but there's a lot of people on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieastrosfan Posted April 14, 2006 #7 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Hmmm, where's that popcorn and deck chair? Time to get comfy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisenk Posted April 14, 2006 #8 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Advice: don't cruise with an infant. As you undoubtedly know, they are a lot of work, and require a whole bunch of specialty items. You'll be carting and lugging and wearing yourself out on your vacation just to have a baby with you, and who won't get a thing out of it. And that's not even begining to consider whether or not you're going to insist on strollering the tyke and barging into other passengers and banging their shins instead of carrying the baby in the tight confines of an ocean liner... yes, a ship is big, but there's a lot of people on it. Your comments are unneccesary and not completely correct. Let the OP decide what to do . . . she was looking for advice on how to do it, not your blessing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisenk Posted April 14, 2006 #9 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Hmmm, where's that popcorn and deck chair? Time to get comfy! LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms_Pammy Posted April 14, 2006 #10 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Are they allowed in the the pool with little swimmers on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrdood Posted April 14, 2006 #11 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Are they allowed in the the pool with little swimmers on? No, they are not, no better than a diaper and lead to little floaties... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisenk Posted April 14, 2006 #12 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Are they allowed in the the pool with little swimmers on? No, only potty trained kiddies are allowed in the pool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwilymz Posted April 14, 2006 #13 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Your comments are unneccesary and not completely correct. Unnecessary, maybe. Please point out what's incorrect. Babies don't need a lot of special stuff? Unequivocally correct. Parents will be toting and lugging that stuff? ...I'll put it this way: that had better be correct. The baby won't get anything out ot if? "Remember when you were six months old and we took you to Cancun...? "uhhh ... no..." Let the OP decide what to do . . . she was looking for advice on how to do it, not your blessing. Requested "recommendations". I gave one: don't. Also, suggestions on how to do it: don't use a stroller on the ship. Apology accepted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom1977 Posted April 14, 2006 #14 Share Posted April 14, 2006 My best suggestion is for parents to ask questions before they make the cruise reservations. It is going to depend on you, your dh, parenting styles and the temperment of the infant. After having 6, there is a wide variety of personalities, some DO NOT belong on a cruise ship. One of mine was one who I would never have taken. He could not sleep anywhere but a crib. If he missed a nap, or was late on a nap, everyone was as miserable as he was. He wanted to eat at certain times, and those times are NOW. I guess the word today to call him is "high needs". I called him fussy. He would have been a terror on a cruise, and made our cruise a wreck. (Now, as a 19 year old young man, he's a little better!) But I had another that could have gone on a cruise and no one would have ever noticed. We were co-sleeping with him, so he never (and I mean never) was in a crib. He could sleep anywhere, as long as mom was close. He was breastfed, so the concern of formula, water, etc was never an issue. (he would have gone crazy on the funnel deck!) We had a stroller for him, but only used it a handful of times...otherwise, I had 2 kinds of slings that I used for him. I'd just put him in his sling and go about whatever I was doing, housework, shopping, etc and he was happy. This was a wonderful, laid back child. (who has become a much more high needs 11 year old!) Anyhow, if you have already made the reservations, do the best you can. If you haven't, take some time and really think this through. Can your baby adapt to the changes. Are you willing to put your needs and wants on hold for this vacation? Why do you want to take this cruise at this time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisenk Posted April 14, 2006 #15 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Unnecessary, maybe. Please point out what's incorrect. Babies don't need a lot of special stuff? Unequivocally correct. Parents will be toting and lugging that stuff? ...I'll put it this way: that had better be correct. The baby won't get anything out ot if? "Remember when you were six months old and we took you to Cancun...? "uhhh ... no..." Requested "recommendations". I gave one: don't. Also, suggestions on how to do it: don't use a stroller on the ship. Apology accepted. I didn't say you were 100% wrong, just not 100% correct. To tell someone they will be "wearing yourself out on your vacation just to have a baby with you" is not neccesarily true. It's true that having a baby is exhausting, but that's the same whether on land or on a ship. I personally find being on a cruise, reading on my balcony, with my baby napping in the cabin to be very relaxing. I can honestly say that in my many years of pushing strollers, I have never, ever barged "into other passengers" or banged "their shins". Your comments, although sometimes correct, came across strong and possibly offensive to some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arf2005 Posted April 14, 2006 #16 Share Posted April 14, 2006 We took my infant granddaughter (7 months) with us last month on the Valor. It won't be ideal if you are looking to party a lot, however, if you are like my daughter and believe a family vacation is for the entire family then you will be happier with the child than without. A stroller is a must for a younger infant, but go with an umbrella one - much easier to manuever. Be prepared for some rude adults who will try to walk over you and the stroller to get into the elevators and down the halls. I would also recommend buying what you need in the town you leave from rather than flying with all the baby supplies. The steward will set up a crib for you in your room. Take advantage of all the picture opportunities - we got some great pictures of the baby in various settings! If the baby gets fussy take them back to your room so as not to impose on others. Have fun! There were more infants onboard than I thought there would be, and most of the parents seemed to be doing fine with them. By taking your children with you, you are teaching them from the start how to behave in various situations. Then, when they are teenagers, they hopefully won't be the ones you read about on these boards that are giving everyone fits! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldadar Posted April 14, 2006 #17 Share Posted April 14, 2006 She hasn't arrived yet, but we're taking our infant (and our toddler) with us. We plan to have a wonderful time. We know they won't remember, but we will.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopefulwith2 Posted April 14, 2006 #18 Share Posted April 14, 2006 I agree with Mom1977. My first DD could have never cruised as an infant. We all would have been miserable (I call her my high needs baby turned high spirited toddler ;)) Now my 2nd; her temperament is much more laid back and go with the flow. We easily could have cruised with her and had it been a fun relaxing time. I'm not sure if you plan to nurse (or already are) but if you are that is a HUGE plus going for you there as far as how to simplify your vacation. No formula, bottles or water to tote around so you could throw a few diapers and wipes, a pacifier if used, into a small bag so you wouldn't have too much to carry around. My babes loved the slings, that might be a good idea if your baby likes being carried...then you wouldn't need to try to manuever a stroller about. If you don't know much about slings just ask and I can give a few reccomendations ;) I'm not sure what you mean as "infant" but if your baby is at the baby food stage when you cruise I might try skipping the jars and just mashing up what steamed/cooked veggies and fruits they have available. Otherwise I thought I heard that you can orderjars onboard (I'm unsure of this though so don't take my word for it). You can take up the babysitting in Camp Carnival between the hours of 10pm and 3am which would cost $6/hour. If you co-sleep well that would solve the sleeping situation really easily ;) Otherwise they can arrange a crib in your cabin. I would suggest bringing a small blanket or lovey from home to sleep with if you think baby might need that extra something familiar :) That's all the suggestions I can think of right now. Have a WONDERFUL vacation :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zqvol Posted April 14, 2006 #19 Share Posted April 14, 2006 The thing that strikes me is that as much work as babies are on land it is magnified many times over on board the ship. You have to take everything that you need, and have to anticipate things that might be needed but aren't used on a regular basis. If it is really impoirtant to you by all means take your child but it really won't be a vacation for you unless you have a lot of family along for help. (of course for the next few years vacations are tough where ever you take them.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopefulwith2 Posted April 14, 2006 #20 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Don't let others get you down. I have noticed the prospect of family cruising is not welcomed very well on these boards, sadly. This is your vacation and you deserve to be excited! Just SIMPLIFY. You can do it, LOL. Scale down on as much stuff as you possibly can make do without or can get while onboard. I have done mini vacations a few times last year when my DD was under 12 months. Sure we needed a lot more stuff than we as adults or even my then 2 year old needed but you know, we are used to being a family and knew what to expect. Going on vacation is no different except that you need to initially bring the stuff (if you have a baby who can adapt well). We had a great time each time we went but we DID go with the expectation that this was a "family vacation" :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daycare Provider Posted April 14, 2006 #21 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Leave the poor thing at home with granny. It isn't fair to the little tyke to interupt his/her schedule because you want to play. Do you really think that you will enjoy yourself with an infant on board? You and your significant other will have to play tag team throughout most of the cruise. One gets the baby while the othe is in the casino. One gets the baby while the other goes out dancing....etc etc etc....how fair is this to you and the other adult in your life. After a new baby arrives one of the parent feels jealous because the baby is getting all of the affection. Try taking this trip alone. This way the two of you can have a wild and crazy time. Re-kindle that flame that may have dimmed just a bit when the baby arrived. It's not a bad thing to want to take a trip without your infant. Take you child with you the next time you cruise. Like when they are 4 or 5 and a lttle more self-sufficient. You asked for a suggestions and I gave it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loves_Dogs Posted April 14, 2006 #22 Share Posted April 14, 2006 The thing that strikes me is that as much work as babies are on land it is magnified many times over on board the ship. You have to take everything that you need, and have to anticipate things that might be needed but aren't used on a regular basis. If it is really impoirtant to you by all means take your child but it really won't be a vacation for you unless you have a lot of family along for help. (of course for the next few years vacations are tough where ever you take them.) It also won't be a vacation for the pour souls who have the cabins on either side of you when the baby cries. I am not a child hater, I have 2 kids of my own, but I truly can't imagine taking a baby on a cruise. OK...go ahead and flame me....:-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beka003 Posted April 14, 2006 #23 Share Posted April 14, 2006 I'm not trying to be nasty but I don't think she ask wheter she should take the infant I think she ask if anyone had any advise since she was going to take her child. I don't think the comments that tell her not to take the baby are needed. Yes babies are a lot of work but they are a lot of work at home or on vacation. They are taking a family vacation and the baby is a part of the family! I just think we should keep our comments based on what she ask for which was advice for taking the baby. Magdanie I hope you and your family have a great time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoinCruisin Posted April 14, 2006 #24 Share Posted April 14, 2006 LMAO, what I find hilarious is that people assume the OP is a woman, although they signed their name "Danny", and have not posted if they are a mom or dad... I guess men aren't parents huh?? :p Hilarious!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beka003 Posted April 14, 2006 #25 Share Posted April 14, 2006 LMAO, what I find hilarious is that people assume the OP is a woman, although they signed their name "Danny", and have not posted if they are a mom or dad... I guess men aren't parents huh?? :p Hilarious!! Your right GoinCruisin....I'm sorry I should have said he/she...please excuse my mistake...:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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