Just off FoS with 15-month-old and 3.5-yr-old: my recommendations (with pics/links)

We just got back from the Freedom of the Seas, with a 3.5 year-old son and a 15 month-old daughter. Here is what worked for us, what didn’t, what I would bring again and what I would leave home. Of course, this is just my own experience. You might want to adjust depending on your kids’ likes, experience level, and your own comfort.

 

 

Here are the things that I would NOT bring again:

 

• Cooler- There is no point in having a cooler if you can’t keep it cold. Since you do not have a freezer to keep your ice packs, don’t bother with this.
  

 

• Sippy cups, kids sport/water bottles- If your kids can drink from a straw, skip these (p.s. if you think your baby doesn’t, try it at home first- you’d be surprised)
  

 

• Bottled water- We bought a 15-bottle pack, thinking we would drink it on the ship, and especially on the ports. It was left mostly unused in the stateroom. There are iced water stations pretty much anywhere on the ship, so we used those all the time. And in port, we ended up buying cold water/drinks, rather than drinking from the warm water bottles we were dragging along.
  

 

• Diaper bag- My oldest is potty-trained, so he pretty much didn’t need anything. For my 15-month old, we just took diapers and wipes in a small envelope-type bag (you usually get one with your diaper bag), and stuffed it into the basket of the stroller, along with her bottle. Her pacifier traveled on a little purse that hung from my crossbody purse. Additionally, when you sign up for Royal Tots they will give you a small tote bag where you’d bring any baby essentials when you drop your baby off. Just store the baby essentials in that tote bag, and you won’t have to be transferring stuff when you drop off the baby.
  

 

 

• Stroller Links (to attach both umbrellas together)- I tried it at home and did not like it. It made for a very wide ride, and the front wheels kept turning and hitting each other, so it did not make for a smooth ride. Since the times when we used both strollers we were both pushing, we didn’t find a need for this.
  

 

• Toys- You can borrow a bag of toys for free from the Royal Tots program. You can even exchange it during the trip if your kids get bored with the one you have. We borrowed one, and the kids were well entertained.
  

 

Things I WOULD bring again (and/or adjust):

 

• Strollers- I spent a lot of time debating whether to take my double stroller, two umbrella strollers, an umbrella stroller and a carrier, etc. We ended up bringing 2 umbrella strollers and a carrier. Even though the 2nd stroller spent most of the time in the stateroom, we did end up needing it the first night, when both our kids fell asleep for dinner. It also proved useful when we missed our flight and had to wait endless hours at the airport. A toddler can only walk so much, and when he did walk, the 2nd stroller held our very heavy shoulder bag, giving our back a break. So I would bring both again. If you are considering a double stroller, I would suggest against it. When in port, you might have to get onto buses and boats to tender and/or get to your destinations, and double strollers are too heavy and cumbersome for this.
  

 

• Baby carrier- OMG, this was a LIFESAVER! In the cruise, at the airport and in the ports. Most of the time we took one stroller (carrying my daughter), and the carrier, folded in the stroller basket. When my son got tired, I would use the carrier for daughter so he could ride. At the airport, the carrier allowed me to have two free hands to both hold my son’s hand and help my husband carry/push some luggage. In port, it kept my daughter securely restrained to me on the bus/boat, while I held a bag and my son, and my husband dealt with moving the stroller. There were too many instances to mention when the carrier was extremely useful. I made my own carrier, but you could even rent one online for around $30.
  

• Frogg Toggs Chilly Pad Cooling Towel- This goes hand-in hand with the carrier above. If you think using a carrier under the Caribbean Weather will be too hot for and uncomfortable for you and your baby, this is the answer. Just wrap this towel around your child (going between his/her legs), and then put on the carrier. It will keep both the baby and yourself cool for hours. You can find it at Walmart for under $13.
  

 

• Cross-body purse- I guess I could have done without this, but I like having easy access to my compact, lipstick, and my camera. Besides those, I also carried for the kiddos: 2 washcloths, kids utensils, and their plastic bibs.
  

• Insulated milk bottle/sippy- We did use these, especially for night time. Being insulated meant we didn’t need a cooler. We just brought one for each, and washed as needed. These have worked great for us Nuby No-Spill Insulated Sipper
  

 

• Bottle brush- to wash the milk bottles. I personally love this one, because it is strong (the stem doesn’t bend), and it has a suction cup to keep it in place when not in use. Munchkin Deluxe Bottle Brush
  
  

 

• Dishwashing liquid- I brought a 3oz bottle. In reality, I could have done with a 1oz (baby shampoo travel size) and still have plenty left.
  

 

• Bath sponges- Brought 4 (1 each), ended up only using 2 (one for hubby and I, one for both kids).
  

• Baby soap, baby shampoo- We brought a 3oz baby soap bottle, and a 2oz baby shampoo. We used about half of each, so I think those sizes are great for us.
  

Edited August 5, 2013 by sherezada

• Laundry detergent- Even though we didn’t actually use it, we came pretty close to (my son had just enough underwear), so I would bring again. Target sells these neat trial size bottles that I think are perfect for travel. And to top it off, they are pump bottles! How awesome is that?? Method Fresh Air Laundry Detergent 8 Loads
  

 

• Downy wrinkle releaser- we brought two travel-size bottles. We could have easily done with one.
  

Other tips:

That's all I can remember for now. Hope it helps. Feel free to ask any questions. If I remember anything else, I'll add it to this thread.

Edited August 5, 2013 by sherezada

So, down to the important stuff, did everyone have fun? :D

LOL! Yes, we did. My son LOVED the Adventure Ocean Aquanauts club. He woke up asking that we took him to "the club".

 

My daughter, on the other hand, would start crying even before we got to the Royal Tots door, because she knew what was coming (we would leave her there). She screamed bloody murder, but the staff was amazing! Both on Royal Tots and Adventure Ocean. They really treat you and the kids like family. We felt very comfortable.

 

Adventure Ocean is free until 10 pm, and then it is $6/hr, and open till 2 am. I wish Royal Tots was open till the same time, but they close at midnight (cost is $8/hr). We left the kids every night from 9 to midnight, so we could have some time alone to see the shows, dance, etc.

 

I think we had a good mix of spending time doing things with the kids during the day, and spending some time alone as adults during the evenings.

Thanks. Great posting.

awesome advice, thank you!! We will be going on freedom with our 17 m. old and 3.5 year old on September 1st and this is all so helpful.

 

A few questions...

- What did you do for sleeping arrangements, and what type of cabin did you have?

- Do the kids sleep in Adventure ocean when they're there late?

- What time did you do dining, and did you do MTD or regular set hours?

- Did your kids nap- so worried about how to get them to nap in the cabin at the same time!

- Did you do any of the shows with the kids- did they like them?

 

Thanks in advance!!

...and a few more...we are thinking of bringing our City Mini to use most of the time but also bringing our Peg Perego Aria (side by side double stroller which is lightweight and folds small to use for embarkation and also for the ports (DS @ 3.5 can be a bit wild and tends to run off so i'd want him contained). Did you see any side by side strollers in use?

I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed your vacation. We've never sailed on RCC, and I think it would be great for our family.

Did you (or anyone else) have any trouble reserving hours in the Royal Tot nursery? My big concern with the Royal Tot nursery is my understanding that you can't reserve hours before boarding, and I didn't know if there was always care available.

Edited August 6, 2013 by kitkat343

awesome advice, thank you!! We will be going on freedom with our 17 m. old and 3.5 year old on September 1st and this is all so helpful.

 

A few questions...

- What did you do for sleeping arrangements, and what type of cabin did you have?

We had a very small inside room. The two beds were placed together, making a Royal King, and our daughter slept between us. We asked that only one of the bunk beds was set (tip: ask that they put down the one OPPOSITE to the wall that has the desk/dresser, so your kid can watch TV from the bed, if necessary). It stayed down for the entire trip, but they put the ladder over the bed during the day, which helps in preventing your youngest from trying to climb them. The ladder is very light, so you can move/remove it yourself at any time.

 

My son loved his bunk bed. he said it was like his own private room. It has a rail that is a bit lower than usual, but it worked for him.

- Do the kids sleep in Adventure ocean when they're there late?

I guess they could, but I don't think they ever do (they're having too much fun :-)

I wish I could have taken pictures of the Aquanauts room, but they're not allowed. They have different areas. One of them has those connected mats, and it's where they sit in a circle to do the different activities with the staff. That is also where they sit to watch a movie. On the side of that there is a raised, padded bench all along the wall. So I could envision a child sleeping in any of those. I did not make it to the tour, so I'm not sure if they have a separate sleeping room.

 

The good news is that, once you pick up your child, he/she'll go to sleep immediately.

- What time did you do dining, and did you do MTD or regular set hours?

We booked really late (like two months before sail date), so the only option was My Time Dining. It's probably the best option when going with kids, as you can adjust in case their nap goes a little longer, etc. Another perk we found was that we could skip the crowds at the photo stations (tip: try to hit the photo stations between 6:30-7pm)

 

That said, we made it to the Dining room maybe 3 of the 7 nights. We just didn't care for the menu on most nights, plus my kids got bored with the few kids selections they liked (they're not fans of the the usual favorites like pizza, chicken fingers, etc). We liked the selection at the Windjammer (my husband particularly appreciated the sushi).

- Did your kids nap- so worried about how to get them to nap in the cabin at the same time!

We had our daughter with us during the day, and she took naps on her stroller. If we made it out of breakfast before 11 am, we dropped our son off at Adventure ocean for a bit-because he BEGGED us to (they close from noon to 2pm). We dropped him off again when they opened for their afternoon session (2 pm), and picked him up between 4-5 pm. He never napped in Adventure Ocean, but as soon as we picked him up he napped pretty much all the way till we left the room (6:30-7 pm). Sometimes he fell asleep in the stroller on our way TO the room!

My daughter was a bit more challenging, but we were fortunate that most times we were able to put her to sleep at the same time as well.

- Did you do any of the shows with the kids- did they like them?

Yes, we did pretty much every kids activity we could do with them. We watched Turbo in 3D, we watched the blacklight puppet show, we played minigolf with our son, I took him ice skating, we played with them in the kids/babies pool areas...they loved it all, and so did we. We missed the parades, but only because they were napping at the time, so we rather use that time to get ready (we had seen the parade on a previous cruise).

 

Only one day did we drop both of them off during the day for 3 hours, and it was so we could make it to the flowrider.

 

...and a few more...we are thinking of bringing our City Mini to use most of the time but also bringing our Peg Perego Aria (side by side double stroller which is lightweight and folds small to use for embarkation and also for the ports (DS @ 3.5 can be a bit wild and tends to run off so i'd want him contained). Did you see any side by side strollers in use?

 

I only saw one, and it was a Maclaren Twin Techno, so it had more of an umbrella/compact fold. Just keep in mind that, in some buses, you will have to hold your stroller in front of you as you are sitting down, so you basically have the space where you put your feet to put the stroller in.

Edited August 6, 2013 by sherezada

Did you (or anyone else) have any trouble reserving hours in the Royal Tot nursery? My big concern with the Royal Tot nursery is my understanding that you can't reserve hours before boarding, and I didn't know if there was always care available.

We didn't have any problems booking time. We went the first day and booked every night from 9 to 12.

However, I think it depends on the ship. When we went on the Allure, there were very few slots open (of course because of the massiveness of the ship and the many families that were on board).

Other tips:

 

• Milk: you can get milk cartons on any establishment that has food on the ship. Make sure you grab 3 or so before midnight to keep in your stateroom, or you might find yourself paying extra for overnight room service to bring you some (plus you’ll have to wait 45 mins for it). P.S. The fridge in the stateroom is TOTALLY USELESS. It is not cold at all. We asked our stateroom attendant to always keep our ice bucket filled, and were able to fit two cartons in there (very tight).
  

 

That's all I can remember for now. Hope it helps. Feel free to ask any questions. If I remember anything else, I'll add it to this thread.

 

we're on sister ship Indy in December. Which establishments can you go to for cartons of milk?

we're on sister ship Indy in December. Which establishments can you go to for cartons of milk?

MDR, Windjammer, Sorrentos, Cafe Promenade...those were the ones we used. Also, the nursery would give us any they had left at midnight when we picked up our child (since they would have to throw them out otherwise).

Great tips thanks for sharing, we sail in a fortnight on AOS with a 1yr old (his birthday the day we sail) and an almost 6 year old. Do u know is it only certain ships that you can leave lo's in Royal Tots? I thought I'd read that a parent has to stay with them?

Great tips thanks for sharing, we sail in a fortnight on AOS with a 1yr old (his birthday the day we sail) and an almost 6 year old. Do u know is it only certain ships that you can leave lo's in Royal Tots? I thought I'd read that a parent has to stay with them?

 

I'm not sure if by AOS you mean Allure or Adventure. We've been to Allure, and they have a Royal Tots nursery, but you cannot stay with your baby. You're paying per hour for someone to watch your child. There is, however, a non-supervised play area where you can go with your child and play at leisure, but this is separate from the nursery.

 

If you meant the Adventure, I don't have any info on that one.

Edited August 7, 2013 by sherezada

Doh! Yes I meant Adventure, and there was me thinking I was being clever using abbreviations!! That'll teach me :-)

 

Thanks for replying though!

I did a search on RCCL, and I can see why you might get confused, since they call both the nursery and the with-parents infant activities by the same name (Royal Tots).

 

It does look like your ship does NOT have a dedicated nursery, so you're probably correct in that you will have to stay with the child for any Royal Tots activities.

 

What you could do is check with guest relations if there's any availability for in-stateroom baby sitting. As I understand, it is more expensive (I think around $15/hr?), but it's probably worth it just so you can get some adult time.

Ah yes I just found that myself, never mind! The in-room sitting service is worth considering, I just wonder how the 1 year old would be if he woke up to a stranger in the room....mmm it's something to think about and certainly enquire about once we get onboard. Thanks again for replying!

thanks for the tips on the milk though i wonder why they throw the milk away daily from the nursery if not used unless it is already open and why they can't save the cartons for the next day?

you made it sound so easy, i have much less anxiety about sailing with my son who will be 20 months when we go in december.

thanks for the tips on the milk though i wonder why they throw the milk away daily from the nursery if not used unless it is already open and why they can't save the cartons for the next day?

you made it sound so easy, i have much less anxiety about sailing with my son who will be 20 months when we go in december.

 

I think it's because they leave a few of them out at a time, so they'll be at room temperature for the little ones, I guess. Those are the ones they give us. It's not many- just 3 or 4 cartons.

I just remembered another thing we brought and would definitely bring again: Goldfish crackers! The kids ate it as a snack before dinner (while we got ready), at ports, and in the airport. The bag was just enough to last us till the last day.

Which ports were you in, and what did you do in the ports? We are cruising with our 2 1/2 year old in January and I'm not sure what types of things she might enjoy. Looking for suggestions. Thanks!

Which ports were you in, and what did you do in the ports? We are cruising with our 2 1/2 year old in January and I'm not sure what types of things she might enjoy. Looking for suggestions. Thanks!

 

We went to St Thomas and St Maarten. Both times we just spent time at the beach. It's what we craved for, since we have such ugly beaches up here in the northeast. It's also the only way we could have our daughter with us in more than an inch of water (since she can only be in the tiny baby splash zone on the ship). The kids loved being in the water and playing in the sand (we bought some sand toys for them before boarding the ship). Both times my daughter took a nap in one of the lounge chairs we rented, and my son would either play in the sand or use his floater, which allowed my husband and I some time to enjoy the water without having to hold a child (of course, with them on plain view).

Edited August 8, 2013 by sherezada

We didn't have any problems booking time. We went the first day and booked every night from 9 to 12.

However, I think it depends on the ship. When we went on the Allure, there were very few slots open (of course because of the massiveness of the ship and the many families that were on board).

 

Is the Royal tot Nursery only for the babies? My girls are going to be 6 and 4.5 when we go on the Allure. Do i have to book times for them to go to programs? I know they will be there during the day sometimes but we are wanting them there at night like you guys from like 9-12 or later so we can have adult time and enjoy the adult shows. So do i have to book these the first day and hope we get there in time to sign them up?

Is the Royal tot Nursery only for the babies? My girls are going to be 6 and 4.5 when we go on the Allure. Do i have to book times for them to go to programs? I know they will be there during the day sometimes but we are wanting them there at night like you guys from like 9-12 or later so we can have adult time and enjoy the adult shows. So do i have to book these the first day and hope we get there in time to sign them up?

 

You're in an even better position than we were, because both your kids can be in the Adventure Ocean until 2 am (vs midnight on the nursery), the cost is less than the nursery ($6 per hour per child, vs $8 in nursery), and you only pay for the hours between 10 pm and 2 am (the rest of the day it's free). We did not have to reserve hours for Adventure Ocean ahead of time, but like I've mentioned before, it might depend of the ship. I can see the Adventure Ocean in the Allure or the Oasis being so packed that they might need reservations or not be able to accommodate everyone.

Thank you for posting. Taking our (soon to be) 5 year old and two 15 month olds on Indy of the Seas next year. A lot of people think we are crazy to attempt this- including fellow cc members.