Strollers

I plan on bringing a stroller on board with us but wondering if I should go with my BOB (or will it be too big) or my Britax Ready-B?

Britax - unfolded 26.5" W x 45" H x 40.75"

Folded - 26.5" W x 16" H x 30" D

Folded with seat off 26.5" W x 12.5" H x 34" D

The smallest one.

I'm not familiar with either brand sorry, but the smaller the better on a ship.

We used the $20 umbrella stroller from Babies R Us - It was much easier with travel and everything and I didn't worry if anything happened to it

The rule of thumb I always used was to bring the most comfortable stroller that wasn't wider than a wheelchair - so a full size single is fine, but not a jogger or anything with the wider wheels. I always brought a sturdy stroller with a sun cover, recline, good basket that folded easily (since you'll most likely need to fold it to get in and out of the cabin).

I do agree about not bringing a stroller that's too precious - they get banged up.

Best,

Mia

We have a City Select and an Inglesina Zippy. The City Select had to be folded to fit thru the cabin doors, and that was super inconvenient . The Zippy was just the right size. Sorry I'm not sure of the measurements for comparison.

It was a pain to try and unload our twins from the City Select during naps, so we got stuck hanging out in the hallway a few times!

Jennifer

Thanks guys. As much as an umbrella would be great I'm hesitant to bring one cause most likely he will pass out early with all the busy activities during the day (I doubt he will nap) so I wanna be able to put him in his Jammie's and have him sleep in the stroller whole we walk around the ship and do things. I don't wanna have to be stuck in our cabin come 8pm. I plan on baby wearing to some of the shows as I'm assuming we won't be able to bring the stroller?

So jogger is out of the question? I know it won't fit in the cabin without being folded up, but will it be too large for the halls or other parts of the ship?

The jogger will be more trouble than it's worth - you could constantly be knocking into chairs, asking people to scoot in, etc. Single width is usually not a problem because they keep the aisles clear for wheelchairs, but the wider wheels of a jogger can be prohibitive in the tight spaces/among the crowds, down the narrow gangway. I've taken all kinds of strollers on cruises, but a jogger just isn't worth the hassle. I would bring your best single width. I was able to put a beach towel over my tandem stroller and wander around the ship after my twins went to sleep.

I was always able to bring a stroller into the shows - it means sitting/standing in back, but so much easier with a comfortable baby/toddler.

Have a great time!

Best,

Mia

Awesome, thank you guys so much for all the in put, looks like we will be keeping our BOB at home.

I was curious if anyone left the stroller at home completely and just used a baby carrier? I have a breathable mesh carrier I wanted to bring and wondered if I could get by with just that? He can sleep in it and I don't have to worry about trying to maneuver a stroller around other people.

Any baby wearers out there with insight!?

Depends on cruise ship. Our britax b agile fit through the door on the grandeur but not the pride. Was easy to use in port/around ship as needed but if she fell asleep there was no wheeling her back into the cabin. As a plus for a full stroller over an umbrella- it makes it easier to bring stuff around the ship/back to your cabin (like late night snacks since you won't want to order room service and wake kids)

Hi, Chicco makes an umbrella stroller with a full reclining seat back. My almost 2 year old loves it and will nap in it for 2-3 hours at a time if we are out during his nap time. I think we have the Lightway Plus but there is a regular Lightway that is about $40.00 cheaper. It is still a bit pricey at 139.99 for the regular one but it has been worth every penny not to have to lug around our Bugga Boo everywhere we go.

You might also want to consider the "Mountain Buggy Nano" amazing travel stroller...folds up into it's own case and is small enough to fit in the overhead bin on the airlines we have used..has all the features we need for our toddler grandson.

I was curious if anyone left the stroller at home completely and just used a baby carrier? I have a breathable mesh carrier I wanted to bring and wondered if I could get by with just that? He can sleep in it and I don't have to worry about trying to maneuver a stroller around other people.

 

Any baby wearers out there with insight!?

I'm curious too! I will be taking my 15 month on her first cruise next month and am debating on if I even need to drag a stroller along. I plan on taking our Tula and would rather just wear her when need be then deal with a stroller I think.

I wouldn't bring either honestly. I bring my chicco lightweight and it reclines. But of the 2 I'd go with the britax.

I agree with the previous posters to not bring either full size stroller and instead use an umbrella type stroller (reclining if necessary). I'm fairly certain that the britax will not fit through cabin doorways or past a housekeeping cart parked in the hallway. So you'd need to be prepared to fold and carry it quite a bit.

I was curious if anyone left the stroller at home completely and just used a baby carrier? I have a breathable mesh carrier I wanted to bring and wondered if I could get by with just that? He can sleep in it and I don't have to worry about trying to maneuver a stroller around other people.

 

Any baby wearers out there with insight!?

We did bring a compact stroller (a MacLaren globetrotter), however I absolutely think you could get by with not taking one, depending on where you're cruising. Our daughter was 15 months at the time we sailed, and we did not use the stroller at all on board the ship. One of her favorite activities on board was probably walking down the hall from the elevator to our cabin, saying "hi" to everyone along the way. Young toddlers are easily entertained :). We did use it extensively in port, but we were in Northern Europe and did a lot of walking/city tours, etc. If you are on a Caribbean cruise and mostly planning to go to the beach, etc. I don't see any reason why you'd need the stroller. We also brought a baby carrier but didn't end up using that much either, but if our daughter was younger and not walking yet, then I think we would have used it a lot more.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Is the Britax B Safe 35 too big?

We borrowed a BOB from a friend and took that on our first cruise (Panama canal roundtrip on the Coral Princess when our son was 2), and used a maclaren volo for the second and third (son was then 3 and 3.5, went to the Baltics on the third cruise). It might be because we didn't take our son to shows but I didn't really notice much of a difference between the BOB vs the Volo in terms of our being in the way on the ship. You can clear the main areas fairly easily, and will have difficulty with both strollers when it is crowded. If there is a laundry cart in the hallway (which happens a lot) neither stroller is going to be able to pass it. The BOB's storage system was a lot better than the Volo, and that was helpful on the first cruise. The Volo also has a tendency to tip if you hang things off the back, which we needed to do since it has a poor storage system underneath so that was a little frustrating. Our son didn't really sleep in his stroller that wasn't an issue. I would check with the cruiseline to ensure whatever stroller you are taking can fit in the hallways. We chose the Volo for later cruises since we were a lot less dependent upon a stroller when my son was older and it is lighter. The BOB was easier to push, which was nice, and I think more comfortable for my son so if your child has a strong preference for it I wouldn't necessarily rule it out, but I'd take the lightest, smallest stroller you can get away with using and keep your child happy in.

We used the $20 umbrella stroller from Babies R Us - It was much easier with travel and everything and I didn't worry if anything happened to it

Agree...that's what I'm planning on bringing for our cruise in October. Can't imagine bringing our everyday one since it would be much too big to use in the buffet, etc.

We brought Maclarens when we used them years ago. I watched those with city mini's and larger strollers struggling to get down hallways especially if a cart or people were walking the halls. Public spaces would be no problem, but if you want to park at the buffet or sit in the back at a show the smallest stroller you have would be best.

I have a double umbrella stroller will this fit ?? It's a Zoe model. Am planning on napping them in it if possible. What's your thoughts.

We took our daughter's standard size stroller on the Valor last year and it worked out very well. Yes, it was too wide to fit through the cabin door and maneuvering it between the tables in the buffet area was next to impossible. However, it could be folded to get it into our cabin, it worked great in even high density areas with a little planning, and it was SO nice to have somewhere to put baby bag, souvenirs, etc.while in port.