Am I doomed to not cruise for the next few years?

[kaiiak]

Hi all,

I am a big fan of cruising because of the low costs, variety of ports, and overall atmosphere of being on a ship and out at sea. We have been cruising for the past 4 years with our 12 year old son, and LOVE IT! I just found out I am pregnant and having another child in January - which I am VERY excited about. :D

But, my only worry is we will have to be cruise free for the next two years. DH is not into Disney because he likes the casino and they don't have one. What other lines seem to be the most child friendly when you have a little one? Any advice, or do we just stick to land vacations until the baby is old enough for the formal kids club programs?

Thanks in advance:)

[notentirelynormal]

We like Princess and the staff loved the littles ones. Our GD was just 6 months old - and our GS has just finished his 3rd - on his 3rd birthday. They love kids and they are treated special.

[wrp96]

RCCL offers in cabin babysitting at age 1 years in addition to a family playtime. Plus, their Freedom class ships and Enchantment of the Seas have a Baby Zone where diapered children can play in the water.

[rebeccalouise]

Unfortuneately, Royal Carribean and Celebrity seem to be the only lines that offer in-cabin babysitting. Both require infants to be 12 months or older however.

 

I have cruised with a three month old and a six month old and it was really fun. Only problem at this age is diapers in a confined space and washing out bottles in the bathroom sink.

 

A 12 year old is going to have more fun on a cruise ship than a land vacation IMO. Parent's are more apt to let a child have freedom on a ship but not necessarily in a resort. Secondly, there are more things for the kids to on a ship than stuck in a hotel room at night.

 

One other option might be to do an all-inclusive that offers kids programs and activities. Oberastar is one of the popular ones.

[kaiiak]

Thanks for the advice. I guess we can wait a year and then do a RCL Freedom class ship. I have always wanted to try RCL, and the babysitting soudns enticing for an evening alone. Plus, the Baby Zone sounds good. We have also wanted to try Celebrity, so both of those sound like good options

 

I agree about the "freedom" on a ship. This past year we let our son go off on his own a bit more on the ship with the agreements that he would stay where he was supposed to be and meet us later. It worked out wonderfully, and he LOVED the freedom.

[aaklang]

Keep on cruising!

 

We were very happy on our recent Celebrity cruise with our 11 month old (friends came with a 23 month old, too). They were too young for kids club but we both used in-room babysitting ($8/hour) and loved it. The kids club also let us check out big boxes of toddler toys to keep in our rooms through the duration of the cruise. From 10 - 11 a.m., they even set up a room in the fun factory every day for moms to bring babies with lots of age-appropriate toys set out.

 

Wait staff loved our kids and we ate in the main dining room every night. They prepared food especially for the babies and entertained them.

 

Celebrity allowed us to pre-order baby food (formula was also available) and they provided about 40 jars of food for our one week cruise.

 

Only complaint was that many of the high chairs had broken straps. We ended up using a long luggage strap to tie our son into his seat every night.

[helenb]

They're more expensive than a mainstream line. but Cunard offers a lot of facilities for kids under 3, including a nursery with 'British Nannies'.

[timmy1958]

Unfortuneately, Royal Carribean and Celebrity seem to be the only lines that offer in-cabin babysitting. Both require infants to be 12 months or older however.

 

I have cruised with a three month old and a six month old and it was really fun. Only problem at this age is diapers in a confined space and washing out bottles in the bathroom sink.

 

A 12 year old is going to have more fun on a cruise ship than a land vacation IMO. Parent's are more apt to let a child have freedom on a ship but not necessarily in a resort. Secondly, there are more things for the kids to on a ship than stuck in a hotel room at night.

 

One other option might be to do an all-inclusive that offers kids programs and activities. Oberastar is one of the popular ones.

 

Carnival offers in cabin babysitting for $6/hr, according to their web site last week. :)

[rebeccalouise]

I know it is really important to people with babies that we get this right. I have never heard of anyone using incabin sitting on Carnival. I know that there is group babysitting in Camp Carnival but not in the rooms.

 

Here is what I just found on their website today (6/22/08)

 

We do not offer in cabin babysitting. … Babysitting services for Under 2's are available each evening from 10pm-3am as well as our Family … All babysitting services for Under 2's are charged at babysitting price ($6.00 an hour)

[timmy1958]

I know it is really important to people with babies that we get this right. I have never heard of anyone using incabin sitting on Carnival. I know that there is group babysitting in Camp Carnival but not in the rooms.

 

Here is what I just found on their website today (6/22/08)

 

We do not offer in cabin babysitting. … Babysitting services for Under 2's are available each evening from 10pm-3am as well as our Family … All babysitting services for Under 2's are charged at babysitting price ($6.00 an hour)

 

My bad, I meant to say baby sitting in the Camp Carnival area. Sorry, tired daddy today.:rolleyes: