How young is too young?

[farler05]

Would you cruise with a newborn? How old would your child have to be for you to be comfortable taking them on a cruise? We're hoping to have a baby in the near future. We're considering planning a cruise for the last week of maternity leave, which would make the baby 8-12 weeks. Probably get Grandma & Grandpa to come along & help. Just curious what others experiences & recommendations were.

[lvtotrvl1]

I may be wrong, but check with the cruiseline you are interested in. I think infants have to be 6 months in order to cruise.

[rebeccalouise]

I don't think there is an age limit on Royal Carribbean or Celebrity or NCL. But of course enquire.

 

As for planning this in the foreseen future... as long as you all buy cruise insurance- I think it will be fine to cruise with a newborn.

 

I cruised with my three month old newborn and it was no problem. I strongly recommend that you breast feed though- as the bottles do need to be throughly washed. The ship's bathroom isn't the greatest place to do this.

 

But yes, traveling with a newborn is easier than with an older baby. They sleep and eat, poop, sleep and eat.

[KerCar]

On NCL, infants must be at least 6 months.

[6rugrats]

I am guessing you have no children now?

 

Would I cruise with a newborn of 8-12 weeks? Absolutely not. Most cruise lines won't let you cruise with a baby this young and there is a reason for this. I honestly think this is a crazy idea.

 

You have a major adjustment period to just get used to your baby and what they need. Adding a cruise vacation to this would have put me over the top for stress. You have no idea how you will be feeling. You have no idea if your baby will be crying and up and down all night (this would not be really pleasant for you or the people in the cabin next to yours).

 

My advice is wait until you have a baby, see how it goes and then think about planning a cruise.

[crusinmama06]

RCCL and Celebrity have no age limit. Other cruiselines do and start at 6 months.

 

Just take some precautions, try to stay away from Winter sailings (cold/flu season) so that the baby's immature immune system isn't nailed with all of the viruses.

 

Yes, people have sailed with their infants during cold/flu season and had no problems. :) Unfortunately, I wasn't one of them and we came away with a very sick 8 month old who had to be medevaced from a ship. :(

 

As long as the baby is healthy, not a preemie (and susceptible to RSV), then I would say go ahead and cruise with an infant.

[kitty9]

My best advice: Talk to your child's pediatrician. I would guess that most of them would advise against taking such a young child, with not much of an immune system, on a ship. Most lines (RCCI and Celebrity are the only lines that have no miminum age) have a minimum age of 6 months, some have an age of one year and others have 18 months. Also realize that most cruise ships do not have medical facilities for such a young child if a problem arises.

[karatemom2]

I found the following info on age restrictions:

 

No minimum age - Celebrity, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean

 

12 weeks - Disney, Holland America

 

4 months - Carnival

 

6 months - Crystal

 

Princess Cruises - allows babies 6 months and older on its on Alaskan and Caribbean cruises, but requires children to be at least 18 months for exotic cruises and 12 months for their other cruises.

 

 

If you do cruise with an infant, be sure he/she has all the necessary immunizations up to that point and do your best to keep them from really crowded areas where germs can spread more freely. It would probably be beneficial if you are still breastfeeding as well since that will boost your baby's immunity. And I agree that though there are bugs out there year round, it would be best to try to avoid cruising with an infant during flu season.

[MrsPete]

Would you cruise with a newborn? How old would your child have to be for you to be comfortable taking them on a cruise? We're hoping to have a baby in the near future. We're considering planning a cruise for the last week of maternity leave, which would make the baby 8-12 weeks. Probably get Grandma & Grandpa to come along & help. Just curious what others experiences & recommendations were.

Since this baby's still hypothetical, I'd suggest that you wait just a little longer before you start trying. I wouldn't hesitate to cruise during pregnancy -- in the second trimester, you'll probably feel great and have plenty of energy; you won't be so big yet that you'll be uncomfortable with yourself. Your hair will be fantastic at that point -- seriously, I was cute as a bug during pregnancy! The only downside will be that you won't be able to have a drink, but that's a small price to pay.

 

On the other hand, a newborn baby is an unpredictable creature. At 8-12 weeks, he or she almost certainly won't be sleeping through the night, so you'll be very tired all the time -- unbelievably tired. I don't think you would enjoy the cruise nearly as much as you could at a different time. He or she won't be able to be out in the sun yet, and then there are all the germs to worry about! If you're breastfeeding, of course, feeding the baby is a breeze; but if you're doing bottles, you'll have stuff to tote and clean -- that doesn't sound like any fun. In addition, you'll be feeling frumpy; your body'll still be adjusting back to its normal state (and weight). In the months after delivery, your hair'll go through a phase when it'll look just as bad as it looked great during pregnancy.

 

You say you want to take a cruise during your last week of maternity leave. ALL my friends have said, "I was going to do this and that during my maternity leave -- I was going to paint the living room, plant some roses, read this book, have a garage sale, write out my Christmas cards, clean out the shed . . . and most days I didn't even get dressed!" Seriously, EVERYONE thinks they're going to have so much free time and enjoy maternity leave so much; in reality, you'll be recovering from the birth, and you'll be learning to take care of the baby, and getting to know the baby. It'll be wonderful time, but you won't do anything except take care of the baby.

 

Looking further down the road, a 6-10 month old baby would be pretty easy on a cruise. At that point, many babies are sleeping through the night and are on a good routine (though my first baby monster didn't sleep through the night for 18 months). A baby this age still gets in a couple good, long naps each day, but he or she will be very pleasant company when awake; they know you, they can play little games, and they can eat a few table foods. A baby this age isn't old enough to understand that he's missing out on the pool, and he's still light enough to carry without back strain, or he can ride in the stroller. Babies this age typically can't walk yet, so they don't scoot away from you.

 

12-24 months would be bad. Kids that are are learning to walk, but they can't do it well yet, and they have accidents non-stop! My kids were covered with band-aids at this age; they ran head-first into walls, tripped over their own two feet. It's always something at this age. At the top of this age bracket, they're fast enough to scoot away from you, and on a ship that could be disasterous! He could easily fall down stairs before you even realized the child was gone.

[jam82]

My son's peditrician recommended that we not take our son on a flight until he was at least eight weeks old due to the recirculated air on planes. We took him to Flordia at nine weeks to visit Grandma and Grandpa. Since that worked out well, we then took him to Cancun at twelve weeks. I thought that an all inclusive was a better option than a cruise at that time because we didn't have to be around crowds. Although he was sleeping through the night by then, I wasn't sure that would continue when he was away from home and I didn't want him to bother the people in the next cabin. In retropect, he probably would have been fine. I just felt more relaxed with an all inclusive. I would check with your doctor before you book anything.

 

Also be aware of the passport/birth certificate requirements when you go. It did take me all of the twelve weeks to receive his passport. First, we had to wait about six weeks for the birth certificate and then we had to wait another six for the passport, and that was expedited. We received the passport two days before we left. Without it, we couldn't have gone because we had to send the original (and only) copy of his birth certificate with the passport application.

 

Hope that helps.

[sharktums]

My daughters travels so far:

 

- 10 weeks - Cross Country long weekend on a plane to New Jersey

- 11 weeks - Quick trip to Minnesota

- 12 weeks - Cross Country long weekend on a plane to Florida

- 16 weeks - Spain and Germany for a two week trip

- 5 months - 2 week bus tour of the MidWest USA

- 6 months - 3 weeks in Japan and South Korea

- 7 months - Week long trip to Florida

- 9 months - First Cruise

 

and lots more...

 

She has been great on all trips and I agree with others that it's easier when they're younger! By 9 months on the cruise she constantly wanted to crawl and stand even in the dirtiest places! In the early months she was content to sit or lay in her stroller or car seat.

 

Also, I'm convinced that travelling young helps them be better travelers in the future. She's done great with Jet Lag and even started sleeping through the night on one of our trips!

 

She didn't get her first cold until last month at 11 months (that stupid killer flu is tearing through our SoCal area, I got the flu, she got a cold)

[KerCar]

I found the following info on age restrictions:

 

No minimum age - Celebrity, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean

 

12 weeks - Disney, Holland America

 

4 months - Carnival

 

6 months - Crystal

 

 

From the NCL website:

 

Infants under six months of age are not eligible for travel on NCL ships.

[karatemom2]

From the NCL website:

 

Infants under six months of age are not eligible for travel on NCL ships.

 

Thanks for correcting that. The travel site I pulled it from must have had outdated information.

[sunrise&set]

The only other suggestion I can add to other posts is to wait until after the baby is born to determine his/her temperament. So if it's possible, book the trip last minute. You never know how your baby will be - s/he could be wonderful, content, sleeping through the night... or... s/he could be collicy, have terrible sleep patterns.. you name it! Never mind other passengers, this would not be a fun trip for you!

 

That being said, I think it's wonderful to travel with children no matter what age. DH and I have travelled with and without our 3 oldest kids, and are taking our DS on a cruise in 11 days! He'll be 13 months and is walking everywhere (uh-oh :eek: ).

 

Have fun trying and good luck with your plans!

[6rugrats]

MrsPete - wonderful post and exactly right!

[Desertbelle]

We had a family cruise last year and our granddaughter was 3 months old. We had no problems with her what so ever.....a great time was had by all!

[CeleBrat]

DS--16 weeks old, first cruise on the Disney Wonder.

 

Believe it or not, that was the one and only time during his infancy that he actually slept through the night. Must've been the rocking of the boat. We got some much-needed rest too.

 

(NOTE--we live an hour from the port, so there was no air travel involved.)

 

CeleBrat

[CanadianTwosome]

Cruise Critic is a great place to find proof that all individuals are different - adults and children alike. I first flew with my daughter when she was three and a half months old and she didn't make a peep, didn't get sick, and could easily have handled a cruise. I'd had three months to get to know her by then, of course, so I knew she'd be fine. The biggest issue I can see with booking the trip before you 'meet' your baby is that there are just so many unpredictable possibilities that could occur.

 

So far, I think most people have been focusing on how the baby will be, but you can't be sure how you'll be either. While I was able to have natural childbirth, I later had a tubal pregnancy and because they were worried about saving my one working tube, they gave me a laparotomy, which I can only imagine is similar to a C-section. I tried to go back to work about 12 weeks later and after two hours was on the phone begging my husband to come and get me. You could also suffer from post partum depression, or just sheer exhaustion if your baby is colicky or otherwise difficult. What if you have multiples?

 

Basically, I think the answer is that if everything goes perfectly, there's no problem at all travelling with an infant. If even one thing happens that alters your parenting plans, it can mean that travelling would be out of the question.

 

Have you thought about planning a cruise and trying to MAKE the baby while you're on board? Instead of planning around a baby's possible age (also unpredictable), try to plan around your ovulation!! Just think of all the time you'd have to 'sneak off' to your cabin any time you want and 'work' on that 'project'! :p

[rebeccalouise]

i traveled with my son on NCL when he was 3 months (2000) and it was no problem at all. He did great. NCL has indeed changed their minimum now to 6 months.

 

Try Celebrity- they have incabin sitting and it is my favorite line.

[Dr_DNA]

I wouldn't hesitate to sail with a newborn as long as you have the expectation that you're not going to be able to take full advantage of the ship and ports of call. It's still a vacation and a get away from everyday life. You don't have to worry about much and is pretty much stress free once you get on the ship. I could see us traveling with a newborn and really enjoying our balcony and a lot of downtime on the cruise; basically just spending time away as a family. We took a vacation with our newborn son to a Bed and Breakfast in the mountains when he was young (he was 3 1/2 months, BUT was born 9 weeks early so in comparable age, was more like a 6 week old). It was great for all of us and he's been traveling ever since.

 

Crusinmama- I agree about trying to stay away from sailing during the cold/flu season. You're just increasing your odds that your child will get sick. Just an FYI about RSV, preemies are vaccinated today to combat it. It is probably more likely that a non-vaccinated child will come down with it than a preemie.

[crusinmama06]

Crusinmama- I agree about trying to stay away from sailing during the cold/flu season. You're just increasing your odds that your child will get sick. Just an FYI about RSV, preemies are vaccinated today to combat it. It is probably more likely that a non-vaccinated child will come down with it than a preemie.

 

Yeah that's what I thought too but on my Mom's board there has been an epidemic of preemies getting RSV. You would think they would have all been vacinated against it. :(

 

It's sad :(

[Dr_DNA]

Yeah that's what I thought too but on my Mom's board there has been an epidemic of preemies getting RSV. You would think they would have all been vacinated against it. :(

 

It's sad :(

 

Maybe its an insurance problem because the cost of the vaccine is quite expensive. I don't recall exactly, but it was in the 1000's of dollar range. Our insurance didn't want to cover it initially but the NICU and our Pediatrician insisted that they were following standard guidelines. Or maybe it isn't really RSV but something similar. In any case, you are correct; it is sad. It is amazing how much preemies have to fight in the beginning only to come down with RSV later on. Many outgrow symptoms of being a preemie, but it is difficult to overcome the effects to your lungs due to RSV.

[lucyddr]

As a physician (surgeon) and someone who has asked the opinion of my best friend who happens to be a pediatrician, we both feel that any trip requiring leaving the continental US should probably be delayed at least until 4 months. By this age, infants have undergone two sets of immunizations and are frankly "more robust." You also know the temperament and sleep schedule of the baby around this time as well. Ideally, breast feeding is good if travelling as it allows the infant to get useful antibodies that help minimize illness. (Plus, you don't have to worry about formula, bottles, water, etc.)

 

So, our conculsion...cruise or fly abroad after 4 months... that's what these two physicians will tell you. (Obviously other may say other things...just our two cents.)

 

BTW On RSV...there is a vaccine (indicated primarily for preemies) that is not covered by many insurance carriers which costs around $1400 per child. Because if the cost, many families simply cannot afford it. (It was really costly for my collegue who had triplets last year!)

[crusinmama06]

As a physician (surgeon) and someone who has asked the opinion of my best friend who happens to be a pediatrician, we both feel that any trip requiring leaving the continental US should probably be delayed at least until 4 months. By this age, infants have undergone two sets of immunizations and are frankly "more robust." You also know the temperament and sleep schedule of the baby around this time as well. Ideally, breast feeding is good if travelling as it allows the infant to get useful antibodies that help minimize illness. (Plus, you don't have to worry about formula, bottles, water, etc.)

 

So, our conculsion...cruise or fly abroad after 4 months... that's what these two physicians will tell you. (Obviously other may say other things...just our two cents.)

 

BTW On RSV...there is a vaccine (indicated primarily for preemies) that is not covered by many insurance carriers which costs around $1400 per child. Because if the cost, many families simply cannot afford it. (It was really costly for my collegue who had triplets last year!)

 

That makes perfect sense. Thanks for the great advice. :)

[jgs2003]

As a mom of an 8 month old who was fussy beyond belief for the first 5 months of his life, I just wanted to second what others have said: wait and see what your baby is like before you start making any travel plans. Our son is now a total sweetheart and we're contemplating a cruise this Aug. when he'll be 13 months. But I would never have attempted such a thing when he was only 3 months old. It would have been a disaster (and not much of a vacation, either---you have never felt so exhausted as you feel when you are a new parent).

 

I also wanted to second the suggestion to go on a cruise as a "babymoon"---that's what DH and I did and we had a great time. I was in my 5th month and went snorkeling for the first time! Plus the cruise was really affordable for us in part because we weren't drinking (me bec. of the pregnancy and DH bec. I wasn't drinking).