Back home after twins first cruise on Legend

[allycatt]

Well I just got back home after my first cruise with my 11 month old twins on Carnival Legend. If any one has question feel to ask. I will post a review as soon as I put my thoughts together. Still tired after a 14 hr car ride.

Easy review:

Embartation - a breeze got there about 11:30 am on board by 12:30 and room was ready

 

Room - We had a balcony and were able to put two cribs in the room with enough room to walk around and the girls to play.

 

Dinner - We were given the open dining and I ended up loving it. We could come whenever and it was just our small group sitting together. I brought baby food for the girls and ended up not using it. I was able to get cheerios every night to tide the girls over until their/mine meal arrived. My girls love mash potatoes and I asked and received them every night even though they are not on the menu. We even were ble to get them in the dinning room at lunch.

 

I loved the cruise and now hoping to get dh to go on another one real soon.

[crusinmama06]

Welcome home. :D I look forward to reading your review. I'll be interested to see what ports and what you did in each port.

[MOMtoTwins]

I am very interested in all advice and tips. we are going to cruise with our 11 month old twins in feb.

[akur23]

We are waiting till ours are 3 before cruising. :rolleyes:

[mrspjotter]

My twin girls were 5 last week and we are going on our first cruise on EOS in Feb 09 - their first transatlantic flight and proper holiday and the first one my DS 8 will be able to remember - they are sooo excited.

[allycatt]

I am very interested in all advice and tips. we are going to cruise with our 11 month old twins in feb.

 

Which cruise are you going on?

 

I followed the advice on what everybody gave. I did not take a pool with us cause I didn't feel that we would use it. But I still ended up packing too much that I didn't even use.

 

We took two umbrella strollers with us and that worked out ok. I missed my combi stroller though.

 

I brought enough baby food for the whole week and never used it. I was always able to find something that my girls would eat. I was actualy suprised at what they would eat. While in the dinning room I was able to get cheerios at dinner and lunch and after the 2nd night when our waiter Sabby saw us sitting down he would bring them cheerios and mash potatoes.

 

I did bring water with us since I wasn't sure how one of the twins would take with changing the water on her, and juice for the whole week. And I brought enough snacks for them, minus cheerios since I knew I could get them on board.

 

I was always offered help with the crew and used it when I needed it. Expecially when using the tender boats. If I needed the extra hands I would pass the girls off to one of the crew so I could tear down the stroller. The girls loved it.

 

We are thinking about going again before May and I want to get down to 3 bags and the diaper box. Hopefully I can do it since I know what I need to bring and what I don't need next time.

[MOMtoTwins]

we are cruising on NCL Pearl. I am hoping to have them on enough solid foods by then we wont have to pack any food.; except formula I guess but I am even hoping to be off that by then(but I hear its recomended to wait until the year mark)

 

I would b very curious to know what stuff you took you never used or what you wish you had. I have read a lot of the hints on this board for packing. but twins are a little different

 

I see your girls are emma and leah. how funny that are my daughters names too.

 

we are hoping to get away with 2 suitcases, just not sure how to pack the diapers. I don't want to drag anything more through the airport then we have to.

[allycatt]

I brought more outfits then I needed. I think I could have gotten away with half of the outfits. I know you will need 7 outfits for the days and then at least 2 dress for the formal nights. If your girls are like mine(since they have the same names) they really don't get that dirty so I was able to use the same outfits for the day and dinner so I shouldn't have packed as much.

 

Baby food was the main thing I brought that wasn't needed since I could find everything I needed on the ship. I would bring snacks though since you can only get cheerios. I brought 2 large cans of formula with me and that lasted me the whole time. And I brought my own juice for them cause I didn't know what they had and was glad I did. As for the diapers I bought a box when I was in FL before I got on the ship an taped my luggage tag to it. It was one less thing to pack.

 

I did bring dissposible bibs and ended up not using them. So I came home with them.

 

I used the washcloths with the soap already in them which helped alot when washing them. I did not bring a pool cause it took up too much space.

 

I did remember spoons and sippy cups but bring extra we lost a couple of the take and toss spoons. I wasn't to worried about them since they are so cheap and we brought extra.

 

I also brought small toys with us so they had things to play with in the room and ones that hooked to the stroller for when we were out and about. I brought there womb bear from home since we use it every night here and kept pretty much the same routine.

 

If I think of anything else I will add to it.

[Julienatul]

Im glad you had a great time!! We always end up taking too much too. That has lessened now that our DD is older but we are starting again witha new baby due in 2 weeks. Please share what you did in ports. Any excursions? We will be cruising with our 3 yr old and 8 month old next summer on the Legend.

 

Julie

[allycatt]

We didn't do that much since we had the two little ones with us and my grandmother.

 

In Grand Cayman the girls stayed on the boat with my Mom and Grandmother and I went off with a group from my Grandmothers church. I wanted to do the stingrays but that was canceled since the waves were to high.

 

In Cozumel we had a privite tour of the Island with tour guide Russell and that was great for us. We saw one of the Mayan Ruins, went to a cheap liquer store to get tequila, saw baby turtles being let out to sea(just happened by at the right time) and then ended up at one of the little beach place(I think Nacho Somethin) for a bite to eat. I'm glad I didn't do a beach day since when I took the twins by the water they freaked out on me, so no beaches for us the rest of the trip. We actually got to see the whole Island.

 

Belize we had another private tour booked with Allen and went to see the Mayan Ruins Altun Ha. We had a nice time and Leah took to Allen. I have pictures of him talking while Leah is playing with his hat. He was alot of help with the girls. I did private tours since my Mom does not do well in crowds.

 

In Roatan we just did a little shopping nothing special. We had rough seas everyday so I was happy just to get off the boat and walk around.

 

We are thinking of doing this cruise again before May and I will end up booking both Russell and Allen again since they both took such great care with us and the girls. They made it so easy on us.

[MOMtoTwins]

we were considering doing ruins on the trip but I thought it would be too hard with the babies. did you find the trip to be ok with the twins?

[allycatt]

The girls did well with the ruins and our tour guide Allen in Belize was great he even held Leah and pushed a stroller so I could take some pictures. Since it was just my Mom and I in Belize it was great for the help he gave us.

[MOMtoTwins]

did you take a big double stroller or 2 unbrellas?

[allycatt]

We took two umbrella strollers since I did not want to buy a tandam stroller. I have a side by side stroller but it would not have fit through the halls or the door to the cabin so I left it at home. My girls were fine in the umbrella stroller for the week.

[MOMtoTwins]

sorry for the zillion questions but as you know twins are just a little different then a singleton and wanted to pump you for info.

 

one last question, you said you were glad you took your own juice. I had not planned on that and wondered why you did and were happy? what was wrong with what the cruise line offered?

[allycatt]

one last question, you said you were glad you took your own juice. I had not planned on that and wondered why you did and were happy? what was wrong with what the cruise line offered?

 

When I went on my first cruise while pregnant with the girls I did not like the selection of juice they had to offer so I thought bringing my own this time would be best. The juice was fine for me I guess but even the lemonade tasted to sweet for me. I brought along some "Mots for Tots" juice since it already watered down for them and I knew that they would drink it.

 

I don't mind the questions at all. With twins it is so much more difficult deciding what is really needed and what is not. It was just me, my mother, grandmother and the twins on the this trip and my mother drove me crazy cause she couldn't understand why I do somethings to make my life easier with them. I know I'm lucky cause my girls are happy babies most of the times and they have been sleeping through the night since they were about 2 months. They had no problems sleeping on the boat unlike the rest of us. The boat rocking was rough on us.

[MOMtoTwins]

ok I have to be nosey, my girls have very different personalities and wondered if your emma and leah were the same

 

leah is our chill baby. very content to lay there and play with one toy for a long time. very cuddly

 

Emma is very curious, she sees everything and has to be involoved in everything. very active and adventurous.

 

just wanted to see if the names fit the babies

[allycatt]

ok I have to be nosey, my girls have very different personalities and wondered if your emma and leah were the same

 

leah is our chill baby. very content to lay there and play with one toy for a long time. very cuddly

 

Emma is very curious, she sees everything and has to be involoved in everything. very active and adventurous.

 

just wanted to see if the names fit the babies

 

Mine are the opposite, Leah is the curious one and gets into alot of trouble and Emma is our chill baby. Though Emma is now turning into the bully.

[stbmom]

Glad you had a great time! We are off with our 15 month old twins (b/g) and our three year old (b) in three days and can't wait!!

 

I so wish we had a balcony, but we are in an outside cabin - so at least I can see out. I feel good about us with just seven bags (for all five of us) and that includes a bag with diapers and Pull Ups.

 

I will post our review when we get back.

[allycatt]

We had seven bags for four plus the diaper box. That didn't include what we carried on. A bookbag each plus two diaper bags