Cruising with very young children?

[agridealer]

Our family has been cruising together quite a bit for the last 10 or so years. Recently, my sister had her first child and we are expecting very soon. Because of this, we haven't been on a cruise in over a year and a half. That may not seem like much, but to us, it is nearly torture!

 

Which brings me to my point. Anyone have any experience cruising with very young children? We were thinking about next November, which would put us at around 1 year 6 months for nephew and 9-10 months for ours. Are we insane thinking that we can make this work? As experienced cruisers, we think we have a good handle on the pros/cons, just wondering about others experiences.

[alb38]

Agridealer,

 

WE are traveling in February (our first cruise) our kids are 14 and 12 so they will be ok - but we are also going with my brother and sister in law and their kids are 2 (almost 3) and 1 - so I will let you know how we make out. The downside is they will be limited to what excursions they can do!

 

ALB38

[savdoc2]

I will be cruising with my 16.5 month old next month. I think it will be a great family vacation.

[serene56]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=49

 

Here is the link for family cruising. Lots of wonderful ideas to go by here.

As long as you know that camps on these lines are not going to be open for you and take your own toys and stuff. Since you have other family members with young un s going-- maybe you can switch up one night where one couple can do the ship-- while the other babysits. and the next formal night maybe take turns.

 

Look for a cruiseline that dont charge full 3rd passenger price for that baby. I thin NCL doent charge except for port and taxes.

Carnival/Royal and princess will charge a full 3rd passenger rate for your baby.

[DEL67]

Our extended family on our NCL recent cruise included 4 children from 18 months to 13 years old. Yes, the 18 month old was more work, but we all enjoyed ourselves. We took turns caring for him so his parents could have some time to themselves in the afternoons. At night, his parents fed him at the buffet and then walked him in his stroller until he fell asleep so we could all eat dinner together.

[kitty9]

Only you and your family members can decide if this is for you. Depending on which cruise line you chose, there might not be anything in the way of "baby relief" for you unless you go via the group babysitting route which only starts at 10pm. Some cruise lines don't give a price break for an infant, so you pay the full third person fare for an infant who doesn't do much to recoup that fare (like eating or going to any ship activities).

 

But, there are a couple of things you need to know. If the babies are the fussy type and don't sleep well at night, or are colicky, cruises aren't the best idea in terms of your fellow cruisers. The walls between rooms are thin, and imagine being kept awake by a screaming infant every night for a week. Believe me, I know this situation all too well, when we had a room next to parents of 9 month old twins who screamed every, and I mean every, night, making for a not too great a cruising experience.

 

Also know that your choices for a lot of things can be limited depending on your child. Do you take an infant into the shows, which can be very loud? Unless you do shifts, no casino time. What do you do if the baby becomes tempermental during dinner---will you have your meals disrupted?

 

I know moms who have loved the experience of taking an infant on a cruise and I've known others who've said they needed a vacation after returning home because it was a lot of work---mostly for mom.

 

While none of these things may come to pass, they are things you have to consider.

[Andee]

It's obviously a very personal decision, but for me it would have been torture--sleeping in a very small room with young children would have meant none of us got a good night's sleep, and I would have been so worried that my child might disturb other people at meals, that I wouldn't have enjoyed a single meal. Eating every meal for a week in a restaurant with a little one is not my idea of a good time.

 

For us, when our children were small, the only fun vacations were visitng family or renting a cabin by a lake, where we had a kitchen to keep their favorite foods, could let them nap while we sat out on the porch, etc.

[FamilyGuy1010]

You will have the most enjoyment and get the most for your money if you wait until the kids are old enough to attend the kid's programs. The ages vary by line, but most start at 3 years. We waited until our kids were 7 & 5 because the thought of being constrained to a toddler's schedule and living in a small cabin for 7 days didn't seem like much of a vacation.

 

Also, the kids will be so young that they won't be able to enjoy or remember the trip like the older children would.

[dianelevene]

If you know what to expect on a cruise, and I would guess you do since you have cruised before, I don't see why you would not have a good time. One of my friends cruised when her daughter was about 1. She took along her teenage niece, who agreed to babysit for them but also got lots of free time to do her own thing. They booked so that they got a good rate on the extra person in the cabin.

[cruisin' 4 fun]

On our 2nd cruise, we took our 16 month old girl. She is very well-behaved, and mild-mannered. My parents came with, and helped watch her. We would not do it again.

 

There is very little childcare available for that young-only at "open" times, and in the evening after 8 or 9 (sleep supervision is basically it). There is no camp activities or really anything geared for under 3 years old.

 

There is a no diaper in the pool rule. can't go naked either. It is very hard to keep a child this young occupied during the typical 1 to 1 1/2 hour long main dining room dinner. We thought it is also not fair to the other vacationers dining to have to hear our "precious angel". There is no baby food on board that we knew of, but she was already on real food by then. The steps and rails are not designed to keep someone so small from falling. Other people are escaping their own kids as well as others and the noise/interruptions they bring. There are many times where a child under 14 or so would be exposed to "adult" situations and language. Not always for the young to hear and see.

 

now the good:

-cribs are available

-the windjammer is open for more casual dining

-usually the fare is only port taxes, not a passenger fee.

-there are enough places to go on board, that he/she will not be trampled on.

-there are high-chairs for dining rooms

-the staff will do as much as they can to keep him/her entertained, as well as help you out.

-more than I can remember, but these are still not enough for us personally to do it again with our other (now just shy of) 2 year old

 

It is your choice to make.

[agridealer]

Oficially on NCL Jewel in less than 30 days with our little DD. ANy one with last minute hints or tips?