What do you take when cruising with 1 & 5 year old?

[yesornocruising]

We're going on the Triumph for Thanksgiving and I have a 20 month old and a 5.5 year old. What should I take for them to keep them entertained and such. I need all the advice you can give. If there's already several threads please point me in the right direction! I would greatly appreciate it:).

[CanadianCruiser67]

I think the 5 year old would probably be okay with crayons and some books. The baby? It's been too long, sorry I can't help with that one. A stroller for lots of walking? Babies like looking at things.

Some Cruise lines have activities for kids around 5, but really nothing for babies.

 

Good luck, bring some patience with you!

[PINKY&THE BRAIN]

Yeah!!!! another family crazy enough to travel with child(ren)- our son Ivan (almost 3 yo will also be on the next RCCL Grandeur cruise.) This will be his first RCCL cruise, but he has traveled several other lines (last year he was the only child) and usually gets really great sevice. A lot of the crew have family at home, and have been really nice to him. We have actually been brave enough to use the baby sitting service in the past (with frequent oops I forgots to check in on him....) usually after he had gone to sleep already. And they have always had one of the housekeepers with good english skills and kids at home herself come watch him. Several of them have looked downright disappointed that he was already asleep.)

 

packing hints we've found helpful- if you are driving to the port and he is about to out grow something, or you have duplicate books/toys etc- bring them along and plan on leaving them onboard when you leave. We are also planning to mail some things (IE all our Halloween costumes and first night formals) from Charleston when we dock.

 

Charleston is also our "if we forget something we absolutely need... we can pick it up spot."

 

check out the children's area soon after you board- since your DS is over 3 he will be allowed to use their onboard program. Friends of mine say RCI has a realy good one.

 

when you meet your steward, be sure they know your preferred sleeping arrangements and that you need a child's life preserver.

 

lifeboat drill-Be sure to get a picture. Try to pace when you put the preserver on for the drill. Last time DS was so excited to get it on, it wore out its welcome before we were done with the drill. Getting to the drill early also is often good- if you can get a space on the wall it gives you one less direction to worry about people accidentally backing up/foreward on him. - the preservers seem to decrease people's ability to look down.

 

If you take any ship's excursions be sure to check the age limit on it. ( when we get to grand cayman we will probably get a cab- to see the turtle area and ? a beach- there were a lot of guides at the dock there last time.) We have also been to carteghena and would be happy to tell you about our tour there if you are interested in history stuff.- still not sure what we are doing this time.

 

If they accidentally put you in late seating go and ask the concierge the first day to change ,

 

If dinner becomes a trial- for us it depends on how close the tables in the dining room are- if far away- it's good, if not....> the buffet usually has pretty good food as well.

 

the above was copied from a post that I just made on our next cc cruise- I hope it helps. It was geared toweard a family traveling with a 4YO Iwill try to think of other restrospective things for your 20 mo old.

 

YEAH!!!!!

 

RUTH, JOHN AND IVAN

[cb at sea]

You'll need to bring everything you'll need for the baby--diapers, wipes, any special formulas or foods that the ship can't prepare....

The ship doesn't sell any of that stuff!

Oh--bring a babysitter!!!!

[alerocgs]

patience:rolleyes:

[crusinmama06]

This is easy. ;) :D lol

 

Of course, the norms...diapers, wipes, stroller, (car seat if you are using taxis in port)

 

Since you are on Carnival

--bring a sippy cup (they didn't use plastic cups for the kids, they use glass goblets...lol)

--small inflatable pool, the 20 month old won't be allowed in the pool

--Carnival does have group sitting for "Under 2's" after 10pm. And there are some times during the day too. So look for that

--the camp carnival activities for the 5 year old is in the link in my signature

--the kids menu on Carnival is also at the link

 

Someone around here has a packing list. You might wanna find that too. :)

[yesornocruising]

I'm bringing my patience (what little I have:)) AND a babysitter. My mother is joining us and will have a cabin for her and the girls. She's our nanny for the trip (we're paying her way and she knows that's her job, but we'll be doing stuff as a group as well):).

 

Thanks for all the advice so far. Keep it coming. Thanks.

[mcfam5]

. . . but my kids are 5 and 11, so I don't know if it will be super helpful to you. Would be willing to send it if you are interested though!

[cowetamom]

. . . but my kids are 5 and 11, so I don't know if it will be super helpful to you. Would be willing to send it if you are interested though!

My kids are also 5 and 11 can you send me your packing list??

Thanks

s3a3r3a3h3 at aol dot com

[queenL]

I have a 20 mos old also. We will be cruising around Thanksgiving on the Jewel. This will be my daughters 2nd cruise. I'm trying to decide now what we will pack. We have been going nine rounds about the car seat. Most ports there were not tethers or belts in the cabs to really fasten it correctly. Most of the time we just lugged it around in vain. What are you going to do?

 

The things we have decided on bringing, a stroller ( a neccesity) we bring the cheap fabric folding ones though. I do not want to travel with our Quattro tour. Since they are charging so much for extra bags these days we plan to buy diapers, juicy juice, snacks etc when we get to our debarkation port. We will bring a few of her favorite toys, crayons, paper, books, inflatable tub for bathing, a toddler life vest, backpack carrier (to carry her while hiking), a few sippy cups. This time we will use the ships high chair and crib. Last cruise we brought our pack n play. I usually don't travel with my purse or a diaper bag. I try to merge the two into one backpack.

 

Oh yeah and of course we are packing the grandparents. :) They are an absolute must.

 

I'm contemplating buying one of those strollers that also is a car seat. I'm just wondering if that will be as useful or comfortable when we are in port. I'm sure I'll think of some other stuff......

[jam82]

The best advice I ever read on these boards was to pack each outfit in zipocks, and label each ziplock with the day of the week. It takes a little more time when packing, but it is so worth it. We do this on all our trips now. I also bring extra ziplocks because they are good from everything from disposing of dirty diapers to bringing a snack back to the room. Also, don't forget a baby medicine kit with all the essentials.

 

If either of your kids are boys, buy a small tux. The people on the cruise love the novelty of it and the pictures you take are so cute.

 

My son is 22 months and has been on three cruises and is booked on his fourth. It's the best family vacation there is. Have fun.

[RVD]

we also bring a portable DVD player. my son is almost 3 and likes watching Thomas the Tank Engine DVDs.

 

He also likes having a few of his favorite stuffed animals and toys.

[crusinmama06]

He also likes having a few of his favorite stuffed animals and toys.

 

Another tip - don't forget, when you leave the cabin every day, pack the favorite blankie/stuffed animal away in the closet.

 

Nothing ruins a trip faster than when a favorite lovie gets mixed up in the sheets and tossed. :eek:

 

That's the last thing we do when we walk out of the cabin every day, make sure everything is stowed away.

[BrainChemicals]

Michele, hate to hijack this thread, but I noticed the Dr Pepper thread went through some heavy cleanup and edits. My post that it "looked like there was a cleanup on Aisle Dr Pepper" was immediately deleted. What is going on, is this a common occurrence?

[mcfam5]

 

 

My kids are also 5 and 11 can you send me your packing list??

 

Thanks

 

s3a3r3a3h3 at aol dot com

 

I emailed the packing list to you.....hope it is helpful for you!

[Kerry's Girls]

We're going on the Triumph for Thanksgiving and I have a 20 month old and a 5.5 year old. What should I take for them to keep them entertained and such. I need all the advice you can give. If there's already several threads please point me in the right direction! I would greatly appreciate it:).

 

This was probably mentioned already, but bring an assortment of medications your children might use. One of my girls came down with a high fever suddenly on our last cruise, and I was glad to have her Tylenol packed (thanks to those on this board). They had any medication we'd need in the Doctor's office on board, but that would have required a late night visit to their office lugging a sick child or an expensive "house call". It was nice to have it and be able to see the doctor in the morning.

 

Best,

Mia

[nothriver]

Here is what I can remember of my "backpack/purse" contents. I carry this everywhere! DD is now 3.5 but I still carry most of these items when I travel, except diapers. Having a change of clothes, wipes, a disposable changing pad and those disposable bibs saved the day when my dd suddenly came down with a stomach virus one day. I love wipes, I use them for cleaning dirty kids and most often for cleaning dirty high chairs and tables. Heck I used one today in the preschool parking lot when I realized I forgot to wash DD's face before we left the house - glad I had those wipes in my purse!

 

Baby wipes travel pk of 80

Antibacterial wipes, travel pk of 20

Papertowls, napkins, sometimes a hand towel

Disposable bibs, bibsters are the best

Sun hat for the baby

Disposable tippy cup (dishsoap in luggage to wash these daily)

Extra water bottle to refill or for mom

Antibacterial lotion

Sunscreen

Adult tylenol

Infant tylenol

Prescription meds

Mini first aid kit: bandaids, mole skin for blisters, blister bandaids, antibiotic ointment, etc, I pack this in a snack sz ziploc with saftey pin, hair tie, odds and ends

1 qt ziploc containing 3 diapers + 1 disposable changing pad - refill often

1 qt ziploc with extra change of clothes and socks

Healthy snacks, pretzels, dried fruit/rasins, granola bars, etc.

Disposable silverware esp a knife for cutting food into smaller pieces

Possibly a few small, lightweight toys

Camera! extra memory & battery

 

I pack and repack this collection of "everything but the kitchen sink" many times before each trip to get a good balance of what I really need without carrying too much weight.

[m-oni]

I emailed the packing list to you.....hope it is helpful for you!

 

 

Hi McFam5 can you please email me the list as well? thanks! monirobinson@hotmail.com

[CeleBrat]

We're big fans of the Crayola Color-Wonder sets. The special markers that come with the coloring books will ONLY color in those books. So, no need to worry about the kids accidentally coloring on themselves, or the tablecloth, or the bedspread....

 

 

And--your 20 month will actually be able to "color" a beautiful picture as well as the color is magically always "inside the lines" of the picture.

 

CeleBrat

[Agocruisin]

for the 20-month old...

 

A year and a half ago we sailed on the Victory and there was a specific time (noon-2pm) on sea days where parents could take their under-2's to play in Camp Carnival. You cannot leave the baby there, but I found it a nice distraction and a good time to be out of the sun. I don't know if they still offer it, but you may want to find out! Good Luck, and have fun!

[JordanLovesCruisin]

 

 

My kids are also 5 and 11 can you send me your packing list??

 

Thanks

 

s3a3r3a3h3 at aol dot com

 

GREETINGS FROM EDMOND, OKLAHOMA! Nice to see another Oklahoman!