Cruising with a one-year-old

[calikak]

I am pregnant with our first child, and DH and I are starting to think about what our first vacation will be with the little guy. Since we love to cruise, that's the direction we're leaning right now, but we're having trouble deciding which cruise line to go with now that we'll need to meet the needs of not just two 30-somethings, but also a one-year-old (that's when we plan to go--any sooner, we won't have enough vacation time saved up, any later, and we'll go crazy from lack of vacation :D). I have lots of questions, and have been trying to find the answers, but it requires a lot of wading through old posts, and information does change over time (like Cunard no longer has discount cruise fares for infants, at least, not on the sailing we were looking at). So, hopefully some of you can help answer our questions, so we end up on just the right cruise. OK, here goes:

 

1. Which cruise lines will supply baby food? Which ones charge extra for this and which don't?

 

2. Which cruise lines sell diapers? I've read that HAL has a (pretty expensive) package available with diapers and wipes, so you don't have to bring your own, and wondered if any other lines allow this.

 

3. Which lines offer any type of play room or other activity for kids under 2?

 

4. Which cruise lines offer discounts (other than typical 3rd passenger fares) for kids under 2? Which cruise lines tend to have "kids sail free" specials?

 

5. Which cruise lines are just not welcoming to kids under 2? Which cruise lines are the best for kids under 2?

 

Thank you to everyone in advance for all your helpful information!

[Kerry's Girls]

I took my twin one-year olds on Princess. They supply babyfood. I'm not aware of any cruiseline that supplies diapers (and I wouldn't worry about this - just pack a ton of them in the outer pockets of your luggage, or do what I did and just paste a luggage tag on a box of diapers and check them with your luggage).

 

Princess lets you bring your baby into their playroom, and my girls (they were 13 months at the time) loved it. Soft floor with lots of toys and other babies. My girls also loved to crawl/run around the dance floor before it opened and chase the lights.

 

At that age, I wouldn't worry as much about who offers deals for kids or if they offer baby food or diapers - choose any family friendly ship that offers the itinerary and overall price (lots of times the lines where kids sail free are more expensive overall than those where you'll pay a full 3rd person fare). You can take your sleeping baby to dinner and to shows at night - or look for a cruise ship that offers babysitting for that age (check out RCCL and Carnival).

 

My 2 year olds have been on three cruises - 2 Princess and 1 Carnival. I enjoyed Princess the most overall cruise-wise, but Carnival had babysitting, which was nice.

 

If you can drive to the port - even better. I loved having the bouncie chairs when I took them at 13 months.

 

It's great to get this planned - you'll be ready for some chore-free time together.

 

Best,

Mia

[calikak]

Thanks, Mia, that's helpful info!

[2Cruise4Ever]

First of all, congratulations!!!!

 

NCL doesn't charge a cruise fare for infants under 2, only the taxes and port charges. We took our 2 little ones (2 and 5 at the time) on NCL Dawn and had an absolute blast. They LOVED the cruise. We're going again next month! They're 4 and 9 now.

 

I think you'll find that the 4 mainstream lines (NCL, Royal Caribbean, Princess, and Carnival) are very family friendly. And, of course, there's always Disney, but they're much higher in price generally speaking, but they offer babysitting for all ages.

 

On a personal note, you might want to wait until the little one is born before you make this decision since this is your first child. I traveled with my DS when he was 18 months old and hated every second of it. He was a complete bear the entire trip. So, we decided that we would not travel as a family until our DD turned 2.

[rebeccalouise]

I am probably going to get blasted for saying this but I don't think traveling with a one year old on a cruise is a great idea. That's just my two cents.

 

I have two kids and have had wonderful cruises with them (about 16 total cruises with kids). I have been on NCL, Princess, Costa, Disney, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean with them. All have been great fun. I sailed with a three month old (great), a six month old (no problem) and then with 13 month old. He was an angel- just full of energy. Loved running, loved climbing the exterior stairs- I didn't have a moment's peace. We made the most of it and even had an incabin babysitter at night- on Celebrity. You miss out on alot of the fine dining when you travel with a tot.

 

So I am not saying you can't take a toddler on a cruise but the best vacations I had with my two boys (at the 1-2 age span) was to a condo or to my visit family- where they can run around and not disturb anyone. And an extra pair of helping hands is great. Cruising is better when they are three and can join the kids and allow you some free time during the day. Everyone is happy.

[DCPIV]

I agree with the poster that said you ought to wait and see. We cruised with a one year old (18 months) and had a great time, but that's because our son was well suited for a cruise. I've seen other children that don't like crowds, don't like water, or have some other facet to their personality that would make cruising difficult. They've grown out of all that by now, but I think about what bitter taste they would have if brought on a cruise before that.

 

Also, you would do well to wait until your child is through with baby food before cruising. That's a hassle that just isn't worth it. Also, on the RCCL cruises we've been on, our boys have enjoyed their kid's menu. Of course, by the time your child is 1, baby food probably isn't an issue. We were just on a cruise with our nine month old niece, and she did fine at dinner. I think she just about ate the ship out of strawberries. :)

 

 

D

[PattyW]

1. Which cruise lines will supply baby food? Which ones charge extra for this and which don't?

 

I know Princess does and I know RCCL does not. But depending upon when you travel with your one year old, you may not need it. We cruised Princess with an 11 month old and had baby food delivered to our state room, but she enjoyed the soups, scrambled eggs, breadsticks and other baby friendly regular food more than the baby food. If you’re sure your baby will be at least age 1 at the time of sail, I wouldn’t book on Princess just because of the baby food. I have heard from others that the dining room will puree veggies, etc for you on any line.

 

2. Which cruise lines sell diapers? I've read that HAL has a (pretty expensive) package available with diapers and wipes, so you don't have to bring your own, and wondered if any other lines allow this.

 

I know Princess and RCCL do not sell diapers. We always fly to the port with enough for the day and then stop at a store in our departure port and buy enough for the cruise. I think they are very expensive on board and it really might be slim pickings.

 

3. Which lines offer any type of play room or other activity for kids under 2?

 

RCCL has it’s Aquanauts programs - there’s a 45 minute class every day for two age groups 6-18 months and 18 - 36 months (w/ parent). We’ll be trying it out for the first time next week with our almost 2 year old. I think Princess allows older (maybe 2+ into the kids program rooms with a parent present, but I don’t recall being allowed in there with my 11 month old). Disney, of course, has the nursery for little ones.

 

4. Which cruise lines offer discounts (other than typical 3rd passenger fares) for kids under 2? Which cruise lines tend to have "kids sail free" specials?

 

The only one I know of for certain is NCL - under 2's pay taxes and port charges only.

 

5. Which cruise lines are just not welcoming to kids under 2? Which cruise lines are the best for kids under 2?

 

I don’t know of any that are “unwelcoming” of under 2's, but I believe that HAL and Celebrity are the least children oriented major lines, so that probably extends to under 2's as well. Princess and RCCL are fine for under twos and RCCL has gone out of its way to form those classes, so maybe they are a bit more welcoming? I’m sure Disney is very welcoming and Carnival, too but I’ve never sailed on either line.

[mom2sz]

Congratulations and hopefully I can answer some of your questions. We've taken my daughter on 5 cruises (she's 4) and my son (21 months) on 2 cruises so far. My daughter has since gone to the kids' club which has helped out a lot.

 

1. Which cruise lines will supply baby food? Which ones charge extra for this and which don't?

 

I've always brought my own baby food (just to be safe) but I believe Princess will supply baby food. When my children turned 1, they drank whole milk which were readily available on the ships. Small cereal boxes (Cheerios, etc.) were also available which were great for snacks. A couple of the Princess ships had offered to heat baby food, mash veggies and fruits for us also. You may also want to go on ships that have mini-fridges in the room. They're very useful for storing milk and baby food.

 

2. Which cruise lines sell diapers? I've read that HAL has a (pretty expensive) package available with diapers and wipes, so you don't have to bring your own, and wondered if any other lines allow this.

 

I've always also brought enough diapers and wipes for the length of the trip. We look at it as extra storage for all the things we'll buy at the different ports. :) Those diapers take up space in the luggage so we always had some room on the way home. When we cruised with HAL almost 4 years ago, I believe the price for a diaper our TA told us was about $1/diaper.

 

3. Which lines offer any type of play room or other activity for kids under 2?

 

We have played in the playroom on Princess, NCL and Costa. They allowed us to stay and play as long as we stayed with our child at all times. There were really no activities designed specifically for under 2 on those lines. Overall, Princess had better and bigger play rooms. Depending on the ship, some have kiddie pools next to their playrooms which they allow you to use. We've used them on Princess and Costa.

 

4. Which cruise lines offer discounts (other than typical 3rd passenger fares) for kids under 2? Which cruise lines tend to have "kids sail free" specials?

 

We paid port charges & taxes for our son since he was under 2 sailing on NCL. We just came back from a Costa cruise on a "kids sail free" special. We paid about $50/child for taxes/fees. Our kids also were not automatically charged for tips the entire week. There is also a reduced rate for automatic tipping charges for kids under 12 on NCL. Costa seems to have a "kids sail free" for select Caribbean cruises during winter/spring.

 

5. Which cruise lines are just not welcoming to kids under 2? Which cruise lines are the best for kids under 2?

 

We sailed on HAL when my daughter was 6 mths. There were not that many kids on that cruise in the middle of summer. I wouldn't recommend HAL for kids under 2 only because this seems to be more favored by senior travelers. There were always a lot of kids and babies on the Princess ships we've been on. From our experience, Princess and NCL were great because of anytime dining. We weren't restricted to eating dinner at a specific time. This came in handy because babies and toddlers are just unpredictable sometimes. I've heard RCCL, Carnival and definitely Disney are very family-friendly lines as well. These are next on our list.

[Julienatul]

We cruised with our now 19 month-old when she was 7 months and again at 12 months. We did RCCL for the first one and Carnival the second time. We had a great time both times. Next week will be her 3rd cruise

 

For the first one I just packed a large diaper box with diapers, wipes, bottles, disposable bibs, baby food, taped it up and labeled it. They brought it right to the room with the rest of the luggage. At a year, your child will be eating alot of table food so it wont be as much of an issue.

 

I wouldnt trust buying diapers on the ship. Most dont sell them and you will see that you will tend to prefer specific brands that stop leaks the best. Also some babies are allergic to certain brands so that may be an issue. Its always better to have your own.

 

RCCL's Aquababies program was good for the baby to participate in. It's a playgroup for 45 min each morning. Basically, you sing songs and play with different fisher price toys. It was nice to meet others on the ship with babies around the same age. Carnival has their playroom open for play or babysitting from 12-2 on sea days. We didnt go since this was generally when we were eating lunch.

 

Carnival had better deals on 3rd passenger rate and was cheaper overall. They also have larger staterooms which is great for the baby.

 

The baby did fabulous both times and she is generally a "challenging" baby. She just loved looking at everything and all the new experiences. I brought a small blow-up pool for her both times to splash in and she loved that.

 

Julie