The everlasting stroller discussion

[Norwegians]

I'm a father from Norway (sorry, my written English is not perfect) looking for advise. I have read trough the threads consirning what kind of stroller to bring on a cruise, and found som good advice. Never the less i can't seem to find any advice that apply to my situation.

 

We are a couple travelling from Norway with our 4 months old baby boy to the Norwegian Dawn cruise from NY on oct.31. We are staying a couple of days in NY before the cruise.

 

Our boy sleeps a lot and is really easy-going. Bringing him on a cruise does not bother me at all. When he sleeps during daytime today he often sleeps inn his baby carriage. (I'm not quite familiar with the American/English baby stroller terminology, but think that is what it's called) It's basically a quite big 4-wheel stroller, with a detachable basket the baby sleeps in.

 

The fact that the baby sleeps so well in this stroller is the primary reason we want to bring it. We won't need a crib on the stateroom, and the baby can sleep in it's familiar invironment everywere. In dining rooms, by the pool or at the shows.

 

But my consern is; are there so many disadvantages with the big stroller we would be better off with a smaller travel-friendly umbrella-type? I'm worried the baby would not sleep so well in these, and that we would spend more time at the stateroom with the baby in bed/crib.

 

40 days to our Cruise, so there's plenty of time to buy a new stroller if needed.:cool:

[CabinForFour]

I usually discourage people from bringing full-size strollers, as they're difficult to maneuver around the ship and island stores. However, given your baby's young age, allowing the baby to lie down while sleeping would probably outweight the inconvenience of taking the larger stroller. Unless the stroller you described is extraordinarily large, I would take the one you have so that the baby may lie down to sleep. Have a great cruise!

 

Jamine

[serene56]

The hallways are very narrow. To move the carriage through the hallways will be very hard. Especailly when you have carts in the hallways- I think it may be an idea to take it with you to use in the cabin but use a smaller one to menuveur around the cruise ships.

 

What kind of cabin do you have? I am trying to imagine a cabin with a stroller in there.

Will it even fit through the doorway when opened, I hate to see you get frustrated while trying to accomadate the cruise with a baby.

[PattyW]

I think you should take the large stroller and then try to get a cabin as close to the elevator as you can. That will greatly decrease the number of times you may be inconvenienced by the cleaning cart in the hall.

 

4 month old babies are usually pretty light, so perhaps you could pack some kind of a lightweight baby carrier (like a Baby Bjorn) and if the carriage becomes a hassle, then put the baby in the Baby Bjorn instead.

 

Having the baby sleep through the night is so important, that I wouldn't hestitate to bring something the baby is comfortable sleeping in - even if it never leaves the cabin.

[Nliedel]

A child under 6 months should not be placed in an umbrella stroller. Take a larger stroller and use it for a crib. An alternative idea would be to use a baby carrier or sling (which solves the transportation issue but not the sleeping issue). We use a Maya Wrap and love it. It worked for our second youngest till he was 10 months old and "breaking my back". We will use ours for our youngest when he comes home in a week or so.

 

I wanted to remark that I have had the pleasure of getting to know many wonderful people from Norway in my lifetime. They all apologise for their English but I have found that overall their grasp of English is better than many Americans and you seem to be no exception. : )

 

Have a wonderful cruise and congratulations on your new addition.

 

Baby Carrier Web Sites

 

Baby Bjorn:http://www.babybjorn.com/

Maya Wrap: http://www.mayawrap.com/

[flagger]

Hi there. We just got off a cruise with our 15.5 month old daughter. We used a friends Sit n Stroll for this cruise. It is not the best stoller, or car seat, BUT the ease at which it folds up was priceless for the limited space in the cabin as well as being able to park it and fold up the handle in the dining room. Both the wheels fold into the bottom and the handle goes down into the back of this seat. The added bonus is that it served us as car seat in Vancouver as well as being FAA airline approved.

 

There are several outlets online that sell it with delivery to American addresses including http://www.onesteapahead.com

 

Just something else to think about as it would provide more than adequate support for a 4 month old. The only downer on this is it does not include a shade nor does it recline and can be unwieldy to maneuver in town. However on the ship and its narrow hallways it was a godsend.

 

Hope this helps.

[Norwegians]

I think you should take the large stroller and then try to get a cabin as close to the elevator as you can.

 

you could pack some kind of a lightweight baby carrier (like a Baby Bjorn) and if the carriage becomes a hassle, then put the baby in the Baby Bjorn instead.

We have got a BB Balcony Cabin on deck 9, it could have been closer to the elevators, but it is not that bad.

 

We have got a Baby Bjorn (the Sport Active type, with great back&neck-support), and will definetly bring it. My son really enjoys sitting in it, an can sleep for 30-60 minutes in it as well. (at least if we keep moving, if we sit down or stand still for a moment he always wakes up...)

 

flagger menitoned the "Sit n Stroll" option. We have got Graco Autobaby infant car seat. We can buy a Graco stroller you can attach the car seat to. We have considered it, but I don't think this is the solution for us.

 

This is the stroller we are considering to bring (long url alert!)

http://www.simogroup.com/ostfold/fredrikstad/engbabyno.nsf/d5449b38104c1b8cc1256b3d003b402e/7894401b1bd4321e41256b6500555a1a!OpenDocument

[flagger]

Another option to consider would be a Kolcraft universal car seat stroller. It is just the part where the carrier snaps into. It is much less SUV like than the Graco or similar systems.

 

The one you linked to would work but may be a bit much for the narrow hallways and elevators. However, there were people on my just off cruise in wheelchairs and scooters that took up more room than a stroller.

[PattyW]

I checked out the link, and although I can't read Norwegian, I think it said that the width of the stroller is 610mm or around 24 inches. It's wide, but not even as wide as some full size strollers I've seen. The Graco travel system strollers are just as wide and the Kolcraft universal carseat carrier is around 20 inches wide. Since doctors don't recommend children under six months riding in an umbrella stroller, you don't have many options.

 

Don't worry about the size - it will only be a minor inconvenience for one week and you know your baby will be comfortable and happy. In my opinion, why spend money on a new stroller now just to save a couple of inches in the hallway?

[crystalloubear]

We were on the NCL Dawn this past July with our daughter who was 4 months at the time. We had no problems with the stroller. We had the Universal Car Seat Carrier from Kolcraft with our Graco Snug Ride attached to it. It measures around 20 inches wide. I could get past the attendants cart in the hallway with no problems as long as they were parked all the way up along the wall. My sister had her double stroller for her boys. It is a side by side model and measures 29 inches and did not fit down the hall but she didn't plan to use it on board - just for excursions so it didn't really matter.

I'd say bring it - you won't be sorry. There is room to park it in your stateroom. The only place it may be tight is in some of the dining rooms.

[brillohead]

My recommendation would be to bring the carriage and the baby carrier. The carriage isn't as big as a wheelchair, and wheelchairs certainly can manage!

 

On the rare occasion that there's a cleaning cart directly in your path, I'm sure that both parents can lift the carriage up and over easily enough. I'm sure that the cleaning staff would be happy to move the cleaning cart out of the way momentarily if need be, as well -- they seem to ADORE small children (really, who can't help but smile when looking at an infant?)

As a mom, I think that the best place for your baby is somewhere comfortable and familiar. If you have your beds made up into one big bed, you can park the carriage between the bed and the wall at night (always lock the wheels!) and the baby is close by for middle-of-the-night nursing as well. If you want to go out for a walk around deck, you can use the baby carrier and not have to be concerned about the carriage in narrow hallways. But for meals or strolling around on port days, you will want the stroller so the baby can sleep and you can have some hands-free time.

My main consideration would be if YOU are comfortable with the carriage, which you evidently are. If you can handle it easily enough and it meets your needs (and your baby's needs), then I say take the carriage and the baby carrier pack and have a GREAT time!

[merela]

Can you measure the width of your stroller--the widest part of your stroller (from outside of the left wheel to the outside of the right wheel) and let me know how wide it is?

 

I'll let you know what your options are once you've measured it. Your cousin has a point about umbrella stroller, but that's not the stroller your baby sleeps in. So it's not convenient for you or the baby, no matter how compact it is.

 

If you can also include a link of the photo of the stroller you have, then we can get a sense of how big your stroller is. American strollers that I'm familiar with probably have different names than the ones sold in Europe.

 

Wide stroller is a problem on the ship, not big strollers.

 

Most mornings when the attendants clean the rooms, they park their service carts right outside the rooms they are cleaning. If your stroller is wide, it's next to impossible to push your stroller down the corridor without stopping to move the carts aside. So that's quite troublesome, but not un-doable.

 

We have Combi Convenience stroller

 

http://www.epinions.com/pr-Combi_Combi_Convenience_6100/display_~reviews

 

and had no trouble manuver down the corridor with service carts park along the corridor. We can park the stroller right inside our room's closet area without taking too much space.

 

But my sister has the Graco Cirrus Literider

 

http://www.epinions.com/kifm-review-637E-316EB162-39A97C64-prod5

 

and it was difficult to manuver down the corridor. The wheels would tangle up with the wheels of the service carts when we try to pass. Unless the carts are parked in front of the doors, there is no room to move unless you move the carts a few feet forward or a few feet back. There are usually 4-6 service carts we had to pass to get from our room to the elevator. Not only this, the stroller (the wheels are too wide) is too wide to fit through the cabin door, so the stroller need to be folded up before it can enter the room. Often times, my sister just left the stroller outside the cabin door. But this would be a problem if your baby is still sleeping in th stroller.

 

So like I said, big stroller is not a problem, but wide stroller is a problem. Wheelchair access cabins have wider doors.

 

All public areas on ships that sail US territories must have wheelchair access passage ways, so unless your stroller is wider than a wheel chair, then it's quite easy for you to manuver your stroller on public areas of the ship.

 

HTH.

[bmgaritty]

[ Often times, my sister just left the stroller outside the cabin door. But this would be a problem if your baby is still sleeping in th stroller.

 

 

Please do not leave the stroller outside your door!!

Fold it up and store it in the closet or under the bed.

It's not fair to other passangers that have to walk down the hallway because your too lazy to close it up.

I have cruised with both a combi travel lite stoller and my bigger graco travel system. Have not had a problem with either going down the hallway to the rooms. Maybe different hallway widths?

Enjoy you cruise!

[merela]

[ Often times, my sister just left the stroller outside the cabin door. But this would be a problem if your baby is still sleeping in th stroller.

 

 

Please do not leave the stroller outside your door!!

Fold it up and store it in the closet or under the bed.

 

I think you mis-understood me. The stroller outside the cabin door do not block the passage way/corridor and thus inconvenient other passengers. We are not in the business of inconveniencing other passengers!!! Princess cabins doors concave inward, so there is a space outside the door for stroller to park outside the door. The only people it'll block is the people inside that cabin from coming out. We did have trouble manuvering down our corridors with all those service carts parked in the corridors when the cabin attendants are servicing the rooms. So the narrower the stroller, the better you'll have an easier time manuvering down the corridor.

 

Having said that, we don't leave the stroller outside the door all the time.....only when we know we are going out again in the next 20 minutes. Even though these strollers are not worth that much, leaving it outside your door risk it from disappearing. Like all personal items, you should keep it inside your cabin.

 

But try folding a big stroller in front of your door with a crying 6M old and an active 2YO. I think most considerate people would try to get the kids inside the cabin first before worrying about folding that stroller...providing the stroller is not blocking other passengers like the service carts! What's a mom to do if the stroller is too wide to go through the cabin door?! So I still would recommend a narrower stroller so you can just drive the stroller all the way into your cabin. This is very useful if your baby is sleeping in the stroller.

 

Please don't jump to conclusion and accuse others of doing un-thinkable and ignorant things. We are all in these forums to help each other. Being the busybody I am, the last thing we would do is to inconvenient other passengers.

[bmgaritty]

[ Often times, my sister just left the stroller outside the cabin door. But this would be a problem if your baby is still sleeping in th stroller.

 

 

Please do not leave the stroller outside your door!!

Fold it up and store it in the closet or under the bed.

 

I think you mis-understood me. The stroller outside the cabin door do not block the passage way/corridor and thus inconvenient other passengers. We are not in the business of inconveniencing other passengers!!! Princess cabins doors concave inward, so there is a space outside the door for stroller to park outside the door. The only people it'll block is the people inside that cabin from coming out. We did have trouble manuvering down our corridors with all those service carts parked in the corridors when the cabin attendants are servicing the rooms. So the narrower the stroller, the better you'll have an easier time manuvering down the corridor.

 

Actually, the concave area is dependent on the ship - not all Princess ships nor other cruise lines ships have that area. The poster is going on the Norwegian Dawn - which I don't believe has that "parking" area

 

Having said that, we don't leave the stroller outside the door all the time.....only when we know we are going out again in the next 20 minutes.

 

So you can inconvenience all the other people that have to go down the hallway whether they are pushing a stroller, wheelchair, walker, or service cart.

 

 

But try folding a big stroller in front of your door with a crying 6M old and an active 2YO. I think most considerate people would try to get the kids inside the cabin first before worrying about folding that stroller...providing the stroller is not blocking other passengers like the service carts! What's a mom to do if the stroller is too wide to go through the cabin door?!

 

Np problem getting the kid's inside, just don't leave the stroller out in the hallway - a minute or two is fine - 20 mintues is not OK when your blocking the hallway. What's a mom to do? Deal with it and don't inconvenience others.

BTW- on both cruises the stroller (combi or graco travelite) fit thru the door.

WE would make sure the closet and the bathroom door were closed, wheel her in and scootch around the bed.

 

So I still would recommend a narrower stroller so you can just drive the stroller all the way into your cabin. This is very useful if your baby is sleeping in the stroller.

 

Please don't jump to conclusion and accuse others of doing un-thinkable and ignorant things. We are all in these forums to help each other. Being the busybody I am, the last thing we would do is to inconvenient other passengers.

Since you are trying to be helpful you should try not to give others the idea that leaving the stroller outside is not a problem. On most cruise ships, they block traffic just as wheelchairs and walkers do.

When cruising with my family, we've had a stroller, a walker for my Dad neither of which had to be left out in the hallway. We've been on two cruises with strollers and 4 or 5 with the walker.

Blocking the hallway is a safety hazard.