Carnival Infant Questions

Im sure I could search each question but hopefully I could get some help with 'one stop shopping'

Couple questions... my wife and I are booked on the Carnival Liberty in May of 2010, our son will be 10 mos old at the time of sailing.

Questions we have, as this is our first son, and first cruise with our new family.

HIgh chairs... are there any offered in the dining room? It would be cumbersome to bring our own. I think I know the answer is no, as room is limited in the DR as is, so the extra seat would be awkward.

which leads to

Is he given a seating arrangement in the DR? I would hope so, as I was told we pay the fare for him so he can be treated as a paying cruiser.

Which leads to

Babysitting? How does that work, Im hoping he will be in a routine of sleeping before 10 PM at night. IF we were to choose a night or 2 to stay up a little late and take advantage of the babysitting services offered, do we just drop him off for the time, and they watch him sleep?

Last thing we want to do is take him out of his routine.

I guess thats it, we are already planning to bring plenty of formula, clothes and all that fun stuff. BUt those were our questions... for now:)

We are taking the Liberty in two weeks with our 11 month old lil girl. So, after that hopefully I'll have alot of advice for ya!

When I bought her ticket, I requested a high chair for the dining room, and the agent said I would have one. I have a read on here that the Lido buffet room has high chairs too. So, I'm not taking one. He should have a seating assignment, they only offer so many spots at each table. They'll have room for him.

I have an ocean view room, no balcony which I think will work out just fine. I requested a pack-n-play too.

Carnival doesn't offer in room babysitting. You would have to take him to camp carnival for the babysitting and I'm assuming he could sleep there. Haven't decided if we will do that yet. Probably not. I know the babysitting times at night are from 10pm to 3am. And they put a video on. Not sure if they have cribs or packnplays there.

Any other questions??

yes they would give him a space to eat. there will be room for a high chair.

they have pack n play like places to sleep. you will be given a pager. i would try to take him there during open hours so he can see it and get a bit familiar with the sights in the room.

we took our 15m son there asleep, when he woke up he freaked out. after trying and giving him some time, they paged us to pick up.

every kid is different.

On our Carnival cruise, I took one of my girls to the babysitting each night as she slept in her stroller, and she just stayed in the stroller parked to the side. I used a beach towel to create a hood over the top so it would stay cozy for her.

Best,

Mia

Yes, they have high chairs in both the dining room and in the buffet. He will have a place to sit.

Camp Carnival is open for babysitting. I think they charge $6.00 per hour. Our son slept there without a problem. They give you a pager in case there is a problem.

thanks so much, thats awesome... and a load off.

We can't wait for our first family vacation, planning takes precedence now, lol.

I just read about the open time where parents can play with their infants so thats a big plus too.

Mindy, I cant wait to read your review and tips on the LIberty... which itinerary are you doing? (if you could write one, that would be great). WE've only been on the Valor but the layout is the same as the LIberty so we should be somewhat familiar with everything... I hope.

One question, anybody who drove down to the port, did you bring your car seat on board? IN case of any taxi's needed in ports? We havent planned that far ahead, but that just popped in my head. We'll probably do mostly walking stuff as they arent really the most roomy taxi's etc as is n most of the ports we've been to.

thanks so much, thats awesome... and a load off.

 

We can't wait for our first family vacation, planning takes precedence now, lol.

 

I just read about the open time where parents can play with their infants so thats a big plus too.

 

Mindy, I cant wait to read your review and tips on the LIberty... which itinerary are you doing? (if you could write one, that would be great). WE've only been on the Valor but the layout is the same as the LIberty so we should be somewhat familiar with everything... I hope.

 

One question, anybody who drove down to the port, did you bring your car seat on board? IN case of any taxi's needed in ports? We havent planned that far ahead, but that just popped in my head. We'll probably do mostly walking stuff as they arent really the most roomy taxi's etc as is n most of the ports we've been to.

We always bring our car seats and leave them under the beds or in the closet. I wouldnt trust a vehicle without car seats. I am making sure to do something in port where car seats arent an issue, such as walking or water taxis.

Have a wonderful cruise!

I have an ocean view room, no balcony which I think will work out just fine. I requested a pack-n-play too.

 

Carnival doesn't offer in room babysitting. You would have to take him to camp carnival for the babysitting and I'm assuming he could sleep there. Haven't decided if we will do that yet. Probably not. I know the babysitting times at night are from 10pm to 3am. And they put a video on. Not sure if they have cribs or packnplays there.

Just got off the Splendor... keep in mind that they also offer babysitting for 2 hours during the day on the sea days (usually 12n-2p) and for about 4 hours (like 7:45am-12n) on port days. That is for 6 month to 2 yr olds. It is $6/hr. Very worth it IMO!

As for sleeping... they put a full crib in our balcony stateroom. It took up practically the whole room. DS hated it and we felt claustrophobic so we had it removed and he slept in the bed with us.

p.s. If it weren't for the balcony, I think I would have lost my mind! It gave us so much more room. But we have a 15 month old so he was running around like a mad man.

And oh "yes"... high chairs are every where on board.

ENJOY!!

I guess I just responded to your wife on the Carnival board. High chairs are no problem. They are everywhere. They also rent bouncer seats and strollers. You do have to bring your own carseat. If your son is still in an infant carrier, that would be the easiest. If he is in a regular car seat, get a light weight one. Babies-R-Us sells roller bags for car seats. It is much easier than hauling it all the way down the pier. DH did that on our first cruise with our son. I ordered the bag as soon as we got back. Live and learn.

For a carseat, we will be taking one because we are flying in and I need it for the taxi from airport to pier. I haven't decided if I'll take it off ship with us. And since she is under 1 year, I'll take the infant carrier/carseat. Much lighter and easier.

I'm sure a balcony would be awesome, but I'm good with a regular room. I guess I don't know what I'm missing out on :rolleyes:

My lil one is mobile but easily entertained by herself with some books and toys so the time we spend in our room, she'll either be sleeping for just playing. I hope we don't go crazy!

As for the itinerary, we are going to cozmel, grand cayman, and jamaica. I'll provide a detailed review when we return!

Our last cruise was on the Fantasy and they had upgraded from pagers to cell phones. The nice thing was our friends got one too and we could call them as well as be contacted by camp carnival.

A tip....bring zip lock bags to put dirty diapers in...the cabins are small! LOL

We always bring our car seats and leave them under the beds or in the closet. I wouldnt trust a vehicle without car seats. I am making sure to do something in port where car seats arent an issue, such as walking or water taxis

exactly our thinking too. Makes sense. Another reason we are driving down to MIA. Plus we want to make a few pit stops down.

As for sleeping... they put a full crib in our balcony stateroom. It took up practically the whole room. DS hated it and we felt claustrophobic so we had it removed and he slept in the bed with us.

 

p.s. If it weren't for the balcony, I think I would have lost my mind! It gave us so much more room. But we have a 15 month old so he was running around like a mad man.

OUr plan right now is to bring the pack and play he knows, its not too big, so wont take up too much room. We're in a balcony so thats a little space for us if he's sleeping and what not.

As for the itinerary, we are going to cozmel, grand cayman, and jamaica. I'll provide a detailed review when we return!

thats the same one we're doing... cant wait to read your thoughts.

Our last cruise was on the Fantasy and they had upgraded from pagers to cell phones. The nice thing was our friends got one too and we could call them as well as be contacted by camp carnival.

 

A tip....bring zip lock bags to put dirty diapers in...the cabins are small! LOL

that would be cool... interesting on the upgrade.

Great tip, kind of like a travel diaper genie:)

Im guessing we're going to take his travel system stroller so the car seat potion will just pop right on and we aren't hauling it around just for car / taxi rides.

Umbrella stroller would be ideal, but such is life. Who knows, he might even be too big for it (car seat) by then. :eek:

my thoughts - we are taking a travel system stroller too - if we find it's too big to lug around, we'll just rent an umbrella stroller from carnival

I guess I just responded to your wife on the Carnival board. High chairs are no problem. They are everywhere. They also rent bouncer seats and strollers. You do have to bring your own carseat. If your son is still in an infant carrier, that would be the easiest. If he is in a regular car seat, get a light weight one. Babies-R-Us sells roller bags for car seats. It is much easier than hauling it all the way down the pier. DH did that on our first cruise with our son. I ordered the bag as soon as we got back. Live and learn.

what is a roller bag???

We sailed with my DD at 7mo,12mo,19mo and my DS at 8mo. There are plenty of highchairs on the lido and dining room. There will be a highchair waiting for him at dinner each night. Carnival provides a nice metal port a crib in cabin (smaller than a pack n play) so you may want to just forgo bringing yours. We have never had a problem using theirs on any cruise. We ust take some antibacterial wipes and wipe the metal down just as a precaution. There is also something called a Pakback by cheeky monkey which straps your car seat on your back like a backpack. At 10mo your baby will be eating some solids so you can do cheerios, oatmeal, rice, mashed potatoes, yogurt, soft foods etc from the buffet for him/her. Just bring formula and some jarred foods.

carnival offers babysitting for under 2's from 10p-3am nightly, they have cribs set up so bring the baby sleeping and they will continue to sleep there. They will also watch the baby awake but by 10pm most babies are asleep. They also offer babysitting on sea days from noon-2pm and port days from time of arrival until noon or later if arrival is after noon. You can also take part in any of the family activities offered.

In December, my DH and I will be traveling with our DS who will be 10 months on the Carnival Liberty. This will be our first cruise with him. We are wondering a few things....

1. Does carnival have a pool play area for babies?

2. Are parents allowed to bring their baby to camp carnival during certain times. What is available for the babies to do at camp carnival?

3. Also, can parents drop babies off at camp carnival for babysitting between 12-2? If so, will the counsellors feed/change/play with the babies?

Thank-you for your help!

In December, my DH and I will be traveling with our DS who will be 10 months on the Carnival Liberty. This will be our first cruise with him. We are wondering a few things....

 

1. Does carnival have a pool play area for babies?

 

2. Are parents allowed to bring their baby to camp carnival during certain times. What is available for the babies to do at camp carnival?

 

3. Also, can parents drop babies off at camp carnival for babysitting between 12-2? If so, will the counsellors feed/change/play with the babies?

 

Thank-you for your help!

1. No. Consider bringing a blow-up pool and put it on the balcony.

2. No. Just babysitting. See answer 3.

3. Babysitting for infants is generally from 12-2p on sea days. They also have some times available on port days and late evenings. There are a ton of toys, books and games for them to play. They will change diapers and give food/drinks as instructed.

Carnival does have a playtime for children under 2, but parents have to stay with the babies in the play area. Its around lunch time but I don't remember the exact time. You can also check out toys to take to your cabin, although the choices are somewhat limited, it can help.

Great thread! We will be sailing with our will be 13 month old DD on the Splendor. For those who have sailed with LO's on the Splendor, what did you do at port and how did you handle the tendering and carseat situation? Thanks!

Great thread! We will be sailing with our will be 13 month old DD on the Splendor. For those who have sailed with LO's on the Splendor, what did you do at port and how did you handle the tendering and carseat situation? Thanks!

Good question about the tendering. I was wondering the same thing. We already are not sure about taking her off the ship in Jamaica and I know Grand Cayman is a tender port, so I hate to miss 2 ports, but I don't want to chance it either.

Good question about the tendering. I was wondering the same thing. We already are not sure about taking her off the ship in Jamaica and I know Grand Cayman is a tender port, so I hate to miss 2 ports, but I don't want to chance it either.

We changed our Splendor cruise to the Magic for the same week you'll be on the Conquest. We will also be in Grand Caymen and Jamaica (Montego Bay). I think we're going to Sunset Beach at Montego Bay and Sting Rays and Turtles in GC. Have you decided what you're going to do with LO? Are you also flying in to your port? I wonder if we're going to be at our ports on the same days.

2. Are parents allowed to bring their baby to camp carnival during certain times. What is available for the babies to do at camp carnival?

2. No. Just babysitting. .

This answer is not correct.

Camp Carnival offers 'Stay and Play' for the Under 2s at different times ... usually in the morinings...

You Can either:

Bring baby and Stay with them and Play with the Toys, etc... this is Free.

or

Drop them off for a Fee.

Visit Camp Carnival Orintation on Embark Day to get the Scheudle...

They will offer Family Activites that you can take part in with your Under 2.

:)

Wow another ressurected thread, this one from 2009! The OP 10 month-old son would now be 3 years old :). Some of the info has changed. Under 2 time is not noon-2pm on sea days anymore, now it's 8-10am. Port times are still the same for babysitting.

Yup...thats the good (and bad) thing about CC...

ressurected threads...

Now if UnderWater Balcony thread on Carnival Boards come back the day will be complete...

:p

This answer is not correct.

Camp Carnival offers 'Stay and Play' for the Under 2s at different times ... usually in the morinings...

You Can either:

Bring baby and Stay with them and Play with the Toys, etc... this is Free.

or

Drop them off for a Fee.

Visit Camp Carnival Orintation on Embark Day to get the Scheudle...

They will offer Family Activites that you can take part in with your Under 2.

:)

Is this answer correct? :D

My read of your post is that CCL does babysitting during "under 2" time.

I haven't heard of babysitting for a fee at any time before 10pm-ish.