first time cruiser questions

[ej'smom]

I know these have been asked before but I can't find the thread and search is still down :(.

 

I have not been on a cruise since I was 10 (many years ago) and after a winter of constant rain I have gotten the fever to go somewhere tropical next winter. My DH (who has never cruised) has finally agreed, mainly after seeing the itinerary I want goes to Roatan.

 

Ok, so I am thinking of a 7 day Western Caribbean from Tampa on the Carnival Legend in January 2009. We will be traveling with our DDs (3 1/2 and 7 months) at the time of the cruise. I see that most quad rooms have a sofa and upper berth. With kids these ages I am afraid to put the 3 yo on an upper berth, and the 7 month old on the sofa. I was thinking the 3 yo would be on the sofa and we would bring our pack n play for the baby. Would there be enough space in a balcony or oceanview quad stateroom for this set up or should I spend the extra money on the cat 11 suite. I would prefer to not pay for a suite if I don't have to and save the money for fun excursions.

 

Also in addition to the late night babysitting, is there any babysitting for the under 2s during the day at sea?

 

Any other advice suggestions on this cruise or a better/different cruise line is appreciated. I hope to book arrangements next week. I am also hoping to convince my parents to come so my DH and I could have some time without the kids.

[ncmomof2]

You can get a crib from the ship to solve the bed problem, although I think you still need to book a quad (you could just leave the upper folded up). The only time we had a crib on a ship we had a "superior oceanview" on RCI (Royal Carib) and it fit fine, someone else may be able to address the staterooms on Carnival Legend specifically.

 

Alternatively, when we cruised last summer (on Carnival), my DS was not quite 3 and slept in the upper berth -- I brought one of those kid bed rails and put pillows on the floor under him just in case, but there was never a problem and he probably would have been fine with just the built in rail.

 

Another thought, if you look at all the cabins, the legend indicates that some have a double convertible sofa rather the sofa and upper. In a quick glance through, I couldn't find such a cabin, but maybe if you look harder...

 

I hope this helps!

[rebeccalouise]

Carnival does not offer babysitting for the infant.As for the sleeping arrangements. You will probably end up with the infant in bed with you and the three year old on the sleep sofa. Face it- it isn't going to be a "romantic" cruise. But you can have fun on a cruise. While it isn't my favorite line, Royal Caribbean probably would be better for all of you. There are many nice things for the kids- the newer ships offer baby pools. And Royal Caribbean offers incabin sitting, which NCl and Carnival don't.My favorite line is Celebrity. They do offer incabin sitting but there isn't a baby pool on Celebrity. The "Fun Factory" is excellent on Celebrity for the 3 year old.As for cabins- just make sure to have a balcony. It is great for drying out underwear in the hot caribbean sun while you are in port!

[Lewski709]

I bought these (www.gobedbug.com on ebay) for my DD age 2 and they are great. They would solve the problem of the upper berth, because you KNOW that 3yr old is going to want to sleep up there. :o

 

I say take your children cruising! Start talking to some friends about cruising and maybe people will want to go too...happened to us with 2 other couples. They offered to help with the kids, if necessary. There is camp carnival for us, so we'll need limited help. However, keep in mind the shows are ok for kids, unless rated R. So what if they fall asleep on you? Your issues could be on excursions. :(