Baby on Spirit, what do we need to bring along?

[HelloMoo]

Hubby and I are considering taking our (then) 8 month old on the Canary Island itinerary with Norwegian Spirit this spring. I realise I might get more answers on the Family board, but I'm looking for answers from people who've brought little munchkins along on NCL.

We'll bring along a pram, the neccessary meds, some toys and probably a blow up kiddie pool (our munchkin isn't too happy about showers).

But what else do we need to bring along, besides the obvious, like diapers and clothes? Do they have baby food onboard? A high chair for meals in restaurants?

I appreciate hearing about your experience.

[rvsullivan]

Make sure your pram (stroller?) is the folding kind, what we know as an umbrella stroller. The hallways and spaces are very small and a full size will be near impossible and certainly make it difficult for everyone. You must keep it in your room.
Food should be ok, but I would let NCL know in advance if you have special requests for food for a child.
There are high chairs in all dining rooms.
There will be no diapers or other baby products on board so make sure you have everything such as lotions etc with you.
Have fun.

[HelloMoo]

Originally Posted by rvsullivan

Make sure your pram (stroller?) is the folding kind, what we know as an umbrella stroller. The hallways and spaces are very small and a full size will be near impossible and certainly make it difficult for everyone. You must keep it in your room.
Food should be ok, but I would let NCL know in advance if you have special requests for food for a child.
There are high chairs in all dining rooms.
There will be no diapers or other baby products on board so make sure you have everything such as lotions etc with you.
Have fun.

Thank you!

The pram/stroller shouldn't be a problem, it's fairly small (and foldable).

[Twelvevman]

Make sure to bring:

Any medications you may need, including teething, fever, allergy, etc.
extra diapers and wipes
toys for in the cabin and small toys to use at the meal tables
a favorite blaket and crib toy
if baby has sensative skin, you may want to bring sheets for the pack and play
any snacks that you give,teething biscuits, etc


We cruised when our son was 13 months and had an amazing time.

[HelloMoo]

Originally Posted by Twelvevman

Make sure to bring:

Any medications you may need, including teething, fever, allergy, etc.
extra diapers and wipes
toys for in the cabin and small toys to use at the meal tables
a favorite blaket and crib toy
if baby has sensative skin, you may want to bring sheets for the pack and play
any snacks that you give,teething biscuits, etc


We cruised when our son was 13 months and had an amazing time.

Nice to hear you had a great time! That's what we're aiming for as well.

Thanks for the advice on the pack and play, I didn't think of that.

[OzCanuck]

We took our (then) 15 month old on the Pearl in December. I swear, from the moment we got on, to the moment we left, he had a smile on his face as big as they come.

Obviously the needs of a 15 month old to an 8 month old are vastly different - but I will say the staff made the cruise for us. Each and every one of them would stop and say hello to him, learning his name and recognizing us all over the ship. At each meal they would stop by our table continuously, flirting and talking with him to keep him distracted while we ate. It was such an awesome time, we've booked 11 days on the Jade.. Mmmm... next week! (And this is from a pair of hardcore travelers who swore they would never cruise - at least, pre-baby!) We had the two bedroom family suite on the Pearl (and got the same on Jade) as having that second bedroom to put him down, and then have the butler bring in dinner - priceless!

I would definitely advise bringing a couple of pack'n'play mattress covers with you, all your diapers and wipes (of course), and of course everything you need for feeding.

Assuming your little one is eating pureed solids/cereals? You may want to call NCL and ask if they have the ability to puree stuff for you - though at 8 months it's not too much food to bring for a week. We brought cleaning stuff for washing bottles/baby utensils. And - our room steward was very good about making sure diapers were taken away after use. We brought individual sanitary bags for the diapers as a courtesy to the staff..

The Pearl had an "under 2 zoo" which was just a place where the toddlers could roam around with some toys, and they had a couple of activities for them (finger painting) - but it was fairly disorganized.

We did have our umbrella stroller with us (mostly for the ports) but carried him or let him walk pretty much everywhere on the ship. Also took him to the shows and stuff - don't let the baby hold you back from taking advantage of everything!

If you can, get a balcony so you can relax outside after the baby goes to sleep (if you don't have a cabin with a separate bedroom).

Good luck!

[GORDONCHICK]

Always bring more diapers than you think you'd need. Same for meds. You just never know. Look at the poor people on the Carnival Triumph. They were supposed to dock in Galveston yesterday but will not dock until Thursday in Mobile.

[bamagrad92]

Agree with all. We have traveled on the Spirit 3 times. The first time our daughter was 11 months old. We packed tons of snacks and food as she was a picky eater. The crew was awesome to take the food and heat it up for us and put it in plastic bowls. The only thing I may disagree with is not taking a full size stroller. We have every time and haven't had any issues. It works great if you are going into port and the little one wants to take a nap. Lean the chair back and let them snooze. Also, it was very handy to have the large compartment below the seat to carry your diaper bag. Last thing you want is to have to carry a diaper bag all day. Also, consider a small cooler and take one or two of the small ice things you freeze and put in a cooler to keep things cold during the day. Give them to your steward and they will put it in the freezer for you. Just let them know when you need it. Great for day trips and keeping bottles or drinks cool. We also had a portable dvd player that we took to dinners. Worked like a dream. Good luck and have fun!

[Twelvevman]

Originally Posted by bamagrad92

The only thing I may disagree with is not taking a full size stroller. We have every time and haven't had any issues. It works great if you are going into port and the little one wants to take a nap. Lean the chair back and let them snooze. Also, it was very handy to have the large compartment below the seat to carry your diaper bag. Last thing you want is to have to carry a diaper bag all day.

You can get all that with a quality umbrella stroller. We used a Britax Blink and loved it. It has an underseat basket, reclining seat and fold up leg support. It has a carry bag for use when on the plane. It also has a shoulder strap when folded up for easy carrying. We added a cup holder and it worked out perfectly.

[HelloMoo]

Thanks for sharing your experiences OzCanuck and bamagrad92!

Little one eats just about anything, as long as it's fairly soft, so no need for purees. I'll make sure to bring along some glasses of baby food, just in case, but give him a few potatos and salmon, and he's all good to go.

We're bringing our Quinny Zapp xtra, it reclines as well AND the seat can be turned both ways. Since we bought it, we hardly use the regular pram any more when going somewhere by car.

bamagrad92: were there toys for hire/loan on Spirit when you sailed? Little one tends to tire of his toys pretty quickly unless we rotate them each day, but packing an entire suitcase full of toys is not an option.

I used to be a systematic suitcase stuffer. Now, with baby onboard (teehee) I fear I'm ending up in overpackers anonymous. How someone THAT small can require SO much luggage is beyond me! At least his clothes are tiny.