Any and all tips for cruising with 10 month old

[jnncooke]

Hi everyone!

I am preparing for our first cruise with our soon to be 10 month old. I have been doing a lot of research for any tips and advice and it is getting a little overwhelming trying to get through all the different threads.

So, I thought I might start a new place for any tips, insider info, etc on cruising with an infant...

Thanks in advance for all of your advice and help...I have already learned so much!

By the way we will be on the Carnival Liberty sailing out on April 26th for 8 days to the eastern/southern Caribbean!

[crusinmama06]

There are TONS of threads here with all of the tips for cruising with an infant. Let me see if I can find you some of the longer ones.

[crusinmama06]

Packing list

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=700340

 

A nice review about cruising on Carnival with an infant

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=704290

 

Some tips I can offer

--Get a balcony cabin (if budget allows) then you can go outside while the baby is sleeping and you don't have to tiptoe through the cabin

 

--Bring an inflatable tub/pool - the baby can't use the pools on Carnival, bringing an tub or pool would give them baby a place to play in some water AND a place to bath the baby (since most cabins have showers only, no tubs)

 

--If you breastfeed, less packing ;) . But if you formula feed, bring the pre-measured powder packs on excursions. Then all you have to do is to bring water in a clean bottle...when the baby needs a bottle you just add the powder and shake.

 

--You will need some kind of car seat if you are planning to take taxis from the airport to port or if you want to go in a taxi in the carribean. You can get around this by hiring private car services and have them bring car seats. But that is only cost effective in places like Orlando (MCO).

 

--Carnival does have hours where you can bring the baby into play in the camp area. And they do babysit (in the camp) after 10pm for the Under 2's. Fees apply.

 

--On Carnival they don't add automatic tips to the account for the baby. But you may want to tip everyone anyway because if you have the same experience we have had, the crew will fall over themselves to do things for the baby. :)

 

--No this won't be the same relaxing vacation as it was pre-baby but it is still much better than being at home. At home, no one cooks your meals and makes your bed. ;)

 

I expand on some of these topics at my blog...

http://www.cruisingwithchildren.blogspot.com/

[jnncooke]

Thanks for all the help! I had a feeling you might be the first to reply, cruisinmama 06! Your posts on other threads have helped so much! BTW, I have read your story about your youngest girl and I am so glad everything turned out OK. As a first time Mom, I can't imagine what that must have been like.

[jnncooke]

I am breastfeeding, so that will help with some of the packing. Also, I am in a suite..so I will have a tub I think... Do you know for sure?? I am dreading packing all of the baby food but I am afraid to let him eat anything from the dining room b/c I don't want him to end up with some food borne illness if there is an outbreak..I know paranoid first-time Mom who is a health-care professional!

Also, do you know if I have a fridge in the suite?? I think I do but I know from some if your other posts that you often book suites...I am on the Carnival Liberty.

[crusinmama06]

I am breastfeeding, so that will help with some of the packing. Also, I am in a suite..so I will have a tub I think... Do you know for sure?? I am dreading packing all of the baby food but I am afraid to let him eat anything from the dining room b/c I don't want him to end up with some food borne illness if there is an outbreak..I know paranoid first-time Mom who is a health-care professional!

Also, do you know if I have a fridge in the suite?? I think I do but I know from some if your other posts that you often book suites...I am on the Carnival Liberty.

 

Which category? We were on Sensation/Elation not Liberty. But I know we had tubs and a fridge in a Cat 12.

 

I found a pic of the Cat 12 on Liberty. It looks like the door to the fridge is on the right hand side. But this doesn't help you if you aren't in this one...lol.

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2114489710100330973WseoWt

 

I took baby food too, but I did end up mashing lots of food (cooked veggies and soft fruits). What got my daughter wasn't the food, it was the other passengers. ;) :eek:

[jnncooke]

We are in a cat 11. We were going to book a cat 12 but our PVP said that the difference wasn't worth the money..apparantly it is just slightly larger. I will go and look on the carnival website and see what I can find.

Thanks for your help!

[crusinmama06]

We are in a cat 11. We were going to book a cat 12 but our PVP said that the difference wasn't worth the money..apparantly it is just slightly larger. I will go and look on the carnival website and see what I can find.

Thanks for your help!

 

Ok Cat 11, that's easy, found these....yes to a bath

http://family.webshots.com/photo/2880234320099749952FiJMur

 

Here's the cabin itself

http://family.webshots.com/photo/2613787750099749952OEiWSM

 

And the bed

http://family.webshots.com/photo/2696660780099749952ZSljQF

 

It looks like the fridge would be here...but this could just be more drawer space

http://family.webshots.com/photo/2930157690099749952hOHnrR

 

 

Your balcony

http://family.webshots.com/photo/2021376670099749952hiHmGe

[tikcho]

I don't know about the food on Carnival but we just came back from a Princess cruise with my 12 month old and while I brough I lot of baby food from home we used up very little of it, mostly on the shore. My son is used to eating a lot of regular food anyway (fruit, veggies, pasta, etc) so findign stuff for him in the buffet or the restaurant was easy. There were always soups, fruit, yogurt, breads, cheeses, etc. I really wouldn't worry about food poisoning there more than anywhere else. Don;t give him anything exotic that he's never tried before but if you stick to the familiar you should be OK. We only took baby food if we were going ashore because I didn;t know what foods would be available at the beach.

If you have other questions, I'd be happy to help. We had a good time on the cruise and are looking forward to taking him on many more.

[jnncooke]

Thanks for everyone's help and advice. I appreciate the pics, cruisinmama.

Do you need to bring a bucket to fill up a blow up pool or can you find something there pretty easily? Also, isn't the water in the pools salt water, and if so does that not burn the little one's eyes:confused:

[Karita]

Cruisinmama06!

 

My DS will be 11 months at sailing on Caribbean Princess but does not like the powder formula, how do i store and carry her formula on shore.

[tikcho]

Karita-

You can buy the 6 oz bottles of formula and just take one or more with you when you go on the shore. Those can last for up to two hours after they are open and for months if they have not been opened. They are heavier to carry if you have to fly and take lots of them and they are a bit more expensive than the powder but if powder is not an option... My son only ate those pre-mixed bottles until he was 6 months and when we went to Europe for a week we had to carry several boxes of them in our luggage. But at least we did not have to worry about the water, etc.

[Karita]

Thanks tikcho!

I better get started on stocking them up:)

[Mich1121]

I just got back on Saturday and I cruised with an 11 month old. Going into it I was expecting the worst but it was actually a great week. For starters-she is on formula and takes powder so I brought my own water and one large container of powder. I brought a bottle cleaner and put dish detergent in an empty jar of baby food. I brought my own pool (thanks to the tips from this site) and it worked like a charm. My daughter loved it while my older son was swimming in the big kids pool. They watched like hawks to make sure diaper aged children were not in the pools. For bathing time-for some reason my daughter was terrified of the shower and would shake even if the tub was put into it-she is a little peanut so I gave her a bath in the sink which she loved. (hey we're on vacation I can get away with this for a couple of days) I over packed a bit too much and actually forgot her bag of toys but she didn't end up needing them. She was so entertained by all the excitment of the ship she didn't seem to need them. I did bring some of her favorite dvd's which helped in the cabin at night. I made sure I brought her to lounges to crawl around when they were not filled with people so she could burn some energy. I also made sure I stuck to her nap schedule so I didn't have a cranky baby on my hands. She passed out at night from all the open air and excitement-she slept better on the boat then she does at home. I read some bad reviews on how much work it is to travel with a baby and I was almost thinking of backing out-but and I'm keeping in mind this could just be my baby-it was a great week. Don't get me wrong-it was a lot of work-but I'm used to lugging my kids around a lot-we go a lot of places like Great Adventure and stuff. She liked looking at the open windows at the ocean. They had a pack and play put in my cabin which worked great-I could keep her somewhere out of harms way while I had to get dressed and shower. I recommend that! Overall it was a great week and I am so glad that I went.

[loti]

Hi,

All this info is great! Crusinmama06 is the best.

 

We are planning a last minute Alaska cruise in Aug or Sept. The 3 cruise lines we are choosing from is RCCL,NCL and Carnival. We are doing a R/T out of Vancouver. The only reason I won't do a R/T out of Seattle is the route they take around Vancouver Island. I have heard they are pretty rough. My in-laws will not do too well in open seas so I want to do more inside passage to minimize that.

 

My son will be about 13 months when we go. So can anyone reccommend or give advise on which line to take? I see all of them have their +/-and not just on the services they offer for the kids.

 

Do anyone reccomend a specific date? Aug or Sept?

 

Any help or advise is greatly appreciated.

 

Brian

[annimal]

Hi Brian,

 

I don't have any recommendations as far as RCCL, NCL and Carnival go. I've only been on Celebrity and Princess, but I wanted to mention that my family will be taking RCCL's Serenade (Sept. 6 sailing date) RT from Vancouver. From what I understand, it's a slight notch above NCL and I think more so above Carnival from what I can tell on the boards. My son will be 9 months old and we'll be traveling with my husband, my sister and my parents. My dad preferred to go when school is back in session so that there aren't too many kids around (guess he wants time on the rock wall :D ) and we didn't want to go too late when it would be really cold. So we picked the early September sailing. However, if you want warmer weather and don't mind more kids on the ship, then I would suggest going in August.

[jnncooke]

I just got back on Saturday and I cruised with an 11 month old. Going into it I was expecting the worst but it was actually a great week. For starters-she is on formula and takes powder so I brought my own water and one large container of powder. I brought a bottle cleaner and put dish detergent in an empty jar of baby food. I brought my own pool (thanks to the tips from this site) and it worked like a charm. My daughter loved it while my older son was swimming in the big kids pool. They watched like hawks to make sure diaper aged children were not in the pools. For bathing time-for some reason my daughter was terrified of the shower and would shake even if the tub was put into it-she is a little peanut so I gave her a bath in the sink which she loved. (hey we're on vacation I can get away with this for a couple of days) I over packed a bit too much and actually forgot her bag of toys but she didn't end up needing them. She was so entertained by all the excitment of the ship she didn't seem to need them. I did bring some of her favorite dvd's which helped in the cabin at night. I made sure I brought her to lounges to crawl around when they were not filled with people so she could burn some energy. I also made sure I stuck to her nap schedule so I didn't have a cranky baby on my hands. She passed out at night from all the open air and excitement-she slept better on the boat then she does at home. I read some bad reviews on how much work it is to travel with a baby and I was almost thinking of backing out-but and I'm keeping in mind this could just be my baby-it was a great week. Don't get me wrong-it was a lot of work-but I'm used to lugging my kids around a lot-we go a lot of places like Great Adventure and stuff. She liked looking at the open windows at the ocean. They had a pack and play put in my cabin which worked great-I could keep her somewhere out of harms way while I had to get dressed and shower. I recommend that! Overall it was a great week and I am so glad that I went.

What ship were you on where they brought you a pack and play. From reading the boards here it seems that some ships have pack and plays and some have hospital like metal cribs. I am actually planning on taking our pack and play but it sure would be nice to not have to carry it. I am on the Carnival Liberty.

[crusinmama06]

Thanks for everyone's help and advice. I appreciate the pics, cruisinmama.

Do you need to bring a bucket to fill up a blow up pool or can you find something there pretty easily? Also, isn't the water in the pools salt water, and if so does that not burn the little one's eyes:confused:

 

You can go to the bar and request a plastic bucket (like the ones they use for a bucket of beer...lol)

 

Yes, the pool water is salt water on Carnival. My youngest honestly didn't seem to notice the salt. It's like they're swimming in the ocean. If you can find a shower on deck, use THAT water. :D

 

 

Karita - Yep Tikcho is right! :) Already premixed bottles. Start stockpiling them.

 

Brian - I try to stay away from recommending Alaskan cruises because we have never been on one. I can only help you as far as the programs on the ships for kids that age. Carnival does accept Under 2's during certain hours during the day (and night after 10pm). Fees do apply. And you can (as a family) take your infant into the playroom to play with the toys (certain hours).

 

On RCCL, he would be eligible for in cabin sitting at night. So you could get a few hours out alone and he could be sleeping soundly in the cabin. That price is up to $12/hour. Also there is Aqua Babies for that age where you could go (as a family) to 45 minute play sessions created by Fisher Price.

[aaklang]

We are taking our baby to Alaska on Celebrity in May. He will be one week shy of his first birthday. From what I've read on the Alaska boards, Alaska is very unpredictable from year to year, so regardless of when you go, you can't quite know what to expect in terms of weather. Brian, if you read the Alaska boards you can find a lot of threads regarding weather during the different months.

 

I'm definitely nervous to travel with him so young, but I'm really looking forward to it, too. I'm not sure if all cruise lines do this, but Celebrity will provide baby food and/or formula for the trip. They have a form that you submit in advance to request the types of food you want and it's all waiting in your room when you board. There is no extra charge for it. I just sent my form in this morning so I'm all set.

 

Celebrity seems to have regular cribs, not pack n plays. Not all rooms are configured for a crib, so we are actually bringing our own pnp for him to sleep in.

 

Happy cruising!

[Mich1121]

What ship were you on where they brought you a pack and play. From reading the boards here it seems that some ships have pack and plays and some have hospital like metal cribs. I am actually planning on taking our pack and play but it sure would be nice to not have to carry it. I am on the Carnival Liberty.

 

I was on the NCL Gem. I didn't preorder one-they had it waiting in the room for me all set up. I was really surprised and greatful.