Am I crazy for wanting to cruise with a baby on one of the "luxury" lines???

DH and I have been contemplating booking a cruise on one of the "luxury" lines such as Regent. We just had a baby who is now 4+ months old, by the time we get our vacation times she would probably be 12 months or so old. We work hard and would like a vacation that is luxurious in terms of accomodations and food. We really like what we've read about the amenities of the smaller ships. Or are some of the other lines comparable in terms of food and services?

There is no way we would leave our LO and we do not mind if there's no babysitting or kids clubs.

One of my questions is, on regent, for example, will they purée food for the baby and have a High chair and pack n play or crib available for use? Please don't suggest posting on the regent board as they can be very negative about even the idea of a baby on board...I was basically told that a luxury line is no place for a baby.

Thanks for the help! Glad I found this board!

I can't help with the puree thing...I would imagine they will do it....and at 1 year, a fork will work just fine...you can mash food as you see fit!

Don't listen to the "no babies" thing....plenty of folks travel with their kids....and it's fine!

I don't think you can truly compare the luxury lines to the mass-market lines...totally different things!

You really should get the cruise brochure from Regent...lots of info in those brochures, and either call them, or talk to a travel agent...they can give you the scoop on what amenities can be had!

Good luck and have a great time!

I can't help with the puree thing...I would imagine they will do it....and at 1 year, a fork will work just fine...you can mash food as you see fit!

 

Don't listen to the "no babies" thing....plenty of folks travel with their kids....and it's fine!

 

I don't think you can truly compare the luxury lines to the mass-market lines...totally different things!

 

You really should get the cruise brochure from Regent...lots of info in those brochures, and either call them, or talk to a travel agent...they can give you the scoop on what amenities can be had!

 

Good luck and have a great time!

Thank you for the encouragement! Good point about the fork mashing of food-- as u can tell, I am a first time mom :-) . I think I will talk to a travel agent-- the brochure wasn't that helpful.

If the baby is 12 months you probably will not need pureed foods. My DD is almost 13 months and literally just got her first tooth a week or so ago. I fed her mostly smooth purees until about a year and the doctor told me that I should start giving her finger foods, so she eats green beans, small shredded bits of meat or ground beef, eggs, pancakes, cheese, noodles. I would imagine you can find something. Even if you are not at finger foods, if you can get a baked potato or sweet potato, noodles, carrots, or a banana you can fork mash it and pretty much have most of your meals covered.

DH and I have been contemplating booking a cruise on one of the "luxury" lines such as Regent. We just had a baby who is now 4+ months old, by the time we get our vacation times she would probably be 12 months or so old. We work hard and would like a vacation that is luxurious in terms of accomodations and food. We really like what we've read about the amenities of the smaller ships. Or are some of the other lines comparable in terms of food and services?

 

There is no way we would leave our LO and we do not mind if there's no babysitting or kids clubs.

 

One of my questions is, on regent, for example, will they purée food for the baby and have a High chair and pack n play or crib available for use? Please don't suggest posting on the regent board as they can be very negative about even the idea of a baby on board...I was basically told that a luxury line is no place for a baby.

 

Thanks for the help! Glad I found this board!

While I've never cruised a luxury line with an infant, we have spent time in luxury hotels with babies and toddlers and learned a few things ;). One is to ask ahead of time for things you may need, like a high chair, play pen etc. I prefer to bring my own play pen, but that's me. I also had a small high chair that strapped onto a regular chair, as I found the luxury hotels often didn't have high chairs. However, the staff were always very helpful in accommodating our needs. ITA that a 12 month old is likely not eating puréed foods, small soft chunks will likely be the texture you're working with, which is much easier to work with when ordering in a restaurant.

Go, enjoy the trip and as long as you're considerate of the other cruisers in public areas you should be fine.

We are the types that are constantly apologizing to others around us if we go to a public place and she starts crying!

Thanks for all the great advice! now, we're comparing just going to Hawaii at the ritz Carlton with club level rooms vs. cruising on regent. Or renting a house on the beach where we can drive to the destination. So many logistics to think about when you have a baby to consider--but it's all worth it!!:)

I think you are brave.

I decided early on that we would not extensively travel with the kids until they were at least five years old. We went tons of places when they were young, but they were the sort that catered to families with babies and toddlers--where we would not feel stressed out or trapped if they had an incident, got sick, etc. We drove to Sesame Place, Dutch Wonderland, beaches, parks, all those "kid" oriented things that were within a day's driving range of our DC Metro home.

That being said, I've always admired the parents who seem to so easily circumvent the globe with baby (or babies) in tow. You sound like the sort who can handle it. I knew I was not. Hubby and I have vacationed without the kids, several times a year from the time our kids were tiny. We're lucky that my parents and my in-laws are within an hour's drive and have always been so willing to take the kids for days or a even a week at a time.

If you plan carefully and set your expectations accordingly, I'm sure you can have a wonderful experience with the baby on a luxury vacation like a Regent Cruise. Have you considered some possible alternatives, though?

1) Bring a nanny or caregiver along with you on the trip, so that you have someone to give dedicated attention to the baby, stay in the room during naptime, etc

2) Leave baby at home with Grandma or trusted family. Having a romantic vacation sans baby could be wonderful for your marriage.

Anyhow, I wish you luck. There's really no wrong way to handle this. It's up to you and what you can handle and what you want.

now, we're comparing just going to Hawaii at the ritz Carlton with club level rooms vs. cruising on regent. Or renting a house on the beach where we can drive to the destination. So many logistics to think about when you have a baby to consider--but it's all worth it!!:)

We always found it easier to just rent a house/condo where we wanted to go using VRBO.com or homeaway.com to find rental properties. You aren't constantly stressed out when the baby is crying, and you can easily take them back for a nap. You have your own kitchen, more room, etc. It just worked better for us. We have had some great condos on Hawaii, right on the water, and it was less expensive and less of a hassle than a cruise.

We always found it easier to just rent a house/condo where we wanted to go using VRBO.com or homeaway.com to find rental properties. You aren't constantly stressed out when the baby is crying, and you can easily take them back for a nap. You have your own kitchen, more room, etc. It just worked better for us. We have had some great condos on Hawaii, right on the water, and it was less expensive and less of a hassle than a cruise.

Thanks for those sites, I will look into them!

I, too, am a fan of renting a house/condo for a land-based vacation. I was always a hotel person before my DS. My question was simply, is it four stars or five? Now, I am a convert to renting a house/condo. It's not that we couldn't stay in a four or five star hotel with DS, 5. We have stayed in luxury hotels with him, and it was fun-- for a few days. But for a longer vacation, a house/condo makes it all so much easier. There's room for everyone to spread out, and you don't have to drag a child to a restaurant for every meal. You also get a bit of the local flavor and living experience. We did a vacation rental in the Florida Keys this year with much success. My next step is trying to convince DH that we should rent an apartment in Paris for a week!

My next step is trying to convince DH that we should rent an apartment in Paris for a week!

We are doing exactly that this summer. Way less expensive and more interesting than a hotel.

I love to cruise and always travel with the kiddo. I will say, though, that from the beginning of mobility until the beginning of reason (the ability to understand rules and/or accept a bribe!), I avoided big time travel and I was glad. They want and need to move all the time when they are learning to walk, which is right around that time. The cabin is small for activities like that (was even small when he was 6 months and wanted to scoot about!) and trying to find a good place to let him roll around was challenging even on Norwegian. I can't imagine trying to find a place to let him/her just be a kid with the disapproving Regent travelers eyeing you, and I am usually not one to care what others think!

He also didn't sleep well in unfamiliar surroundings and wasn't big enough to understand that this was a fun adventure, so he woke each night and took hours to fall asleep again - we roamed the halls with him in the Moby to keep him from waking our neighbors. At 12 months, I think much of that could be even worse.

I honestly didn't even want to take him on any long flights between 9-30 months! He just couldn't sit still!

We started big flights again at 3 (2.5 would probably be fine, too) and did his first cruise at nearly 4. We had a blast! Another one booked for next month and he's feeling like a pro now.

Besides trips where we can drive to (sesame place, beach etc.) our almost 3 year old son has been on a cruise, to bermuda on a land based trip and to disney. He's had a blast every single time and I have no regrets taking him with us. We are planning our first family of four trip for November when my second son will be 17 months. When we planned our Bermuda trip we didn't know if our DS would be walking (we booked at 9 months and he was 13 months when we went). He had just started to walk and it was fabulous. I think it would have been a lot harder if he wasn't walking but it was just so great to see him explore. We were staying at an upscale hotel but they catered to kids. I am not familiar with the Regent cruise line but I do know that the Ritz totally caters to kids. What ever you do, you'll be creating great memories! Enjoy!!!

Hmmm, Paris sounds great :p.

What we want is to create great memories with our baby girl while going to places we enjoy. Time enough for Disney when she's older...

I don't know if you are 100% sold on Regent. I will say that I LOVE NCL. We get a suite with a butler. I love not having a set time to do anything. My DD is 3 she would swim while we ate breakfast or dinner by the courtyard pool. My room was a nice size, so plenty of room for my 11 mo to crawl. It was an amazing trip, both times we have been on NCL.

I looked at the regent site, and what I like about NCL, if you stay in suite class, is you have all the benefits of a LARGE cruise line, and all the benefits of suite service. Its like a luxury ship inside a mass line ship.

I love NCL and the suite life is the BEST!!! I would probably stay in a courtyard villa, enjoy the private pool and hottubs, and save the more upscale line for a later date.

Hmmm, I guess I didn't consider NCL after our last cruise with them-- so many lines, rude cranky people pushing on excursions. Maybe it would be better in a suite with butler or courtyard villa (we stayed in a mini-suite before). Thanks for the advice.

We have a two-year-old son and he's been on one short cruise with us - and we are taking him on a longer one soon.

The good thing about cruises is that everything is in one place: food, entertainment - you might be able to avoid airports and long-haul flights which are never fun with young children.

However, you will miss out on a lot of the good things on offer because of the baby. You will be sharing a small cabin with them and will need to be quiet when they are asleep. It will be difficult to go to shows and enjoy music in the evening because you cannot leave the baby alone in the cabin. Even mealtimes are stressful, because most small children find it very difficult to be on their best behaviour for one and a half hours while three courses are served. We often missed desert on our last cruise.

If you are happy to sacrifice quite a few things, go for the cruise. You just have to be quite realistic about how much you can do. I would look for a ship which focusses on families so you feel more at home - I would not like to deal with a rowdy baby in a dining room full of judgemental older people who want a quiet dinner!

Renting a vacation house with a few friends might be a lot more fun and value for money at the moment!

As a parent, I define luxury a little differently than I would if I didn't have kids. "Luxury" would be having someone else take the little one off my hands for a while. That way, I could have a nap, go to the spa, have lunch or dinner with my dh. On a cruise, this would be a ship with a nursery. Royal Caribbean and DCL both have nurseries for the 1 year old to 3 year old set.

When traveling with kids, the lines to get off the ship at a port were nuts. This was the reason we opted for our first suite. They take you down a locked elevator, and you are one the first off the ship. Its a great perk when traveling with kids and strollers.

When traveling with kids, the lines to get off the ship at a port were nuts. This was the reason we opted for our first suite. They take you down a locked elevator, and you are one the first off the ship. Its a great perk when traveling with kids and strollers.

That's a great tip! Thanks, I think that will sway DH toward suite perks.

Cruising is great with babies and toddlers. Our 2 1/2 year old is about to take his 5th cruise (4th with RCI). These ships have lots of space, so if baby is fussy, there are lots of places to go to have some private space. My experience is the less friendly the itinerary/cruise line may seem, you will find your child getting all the more attention from the grandparents and parents who've left their kiddies at home.

To me, a cruise is like a limo-driven, fully catered road trip, and you only have to unpack once. Here's why cruising, particularly on Royal Caribbean, can make for a great (even adventurous if you want) family holiday:

1. You get to see a variety of places in a short span of time. Sure you don't get to really immerse yourself in a place, but it's like doing a day trip every day and you don't have to spend hours driving or fight with your spouse about directions (of course this has never happened to us)
   
2. There are lots of food choices. There are enough choices to feed even the pickiest child, and here's my favourite part - someone else is cooking it for you. On RCI, the breakfast and lunch buffets are ok, but the a la carte meals in the dining room are excellent. And if your child lacks the patience to sit through a three-course sit-down meal, you have the option of eating at one of the buffet restaurants or order room service.
   
3. For warm destinations, a balcony cabin is worth every penny. After baby is asleep, you can enjoy the rest of the evening on the balcony of your cabin. On the Oasis, our cabin overlooked the central 'boardwalk' area, so I was able to take in big screen movies and the impressive water/dive show from the comfort of my balcony while B slept. Unless you have bionic hearing, you won't be able to hear a crying child when the balcony door is closed so a baby monitor is a must-have. Baby monitors generally DO NOT work between cabins, so it isn't a good idea to leave a child alone to spend time in a neighbouring cabin.
   
4. RCI offers a wide variety of kids programs. Their largest ships, including the Oasis, have full nurseries and all have activities and/or child care for older children if you are looking for a little adults-only time. RCI loans out big bags of age-appropriate books and Fisher Price toys, which can be exchanged throughout the cruise for a different selection. This is brilliant because it saves having to pack and bring a lot of toys and books along. The toys are sanitized after each user and they were always in excellent condition.
   
5. Those interested in shopping, working out, sitting in a hot tub, going to the spa or competing in belly-flop contests at the pool are well-covered. Most RCI ships have mini golf, kids pools (for those out of diapers) and rock climbing walls. The Oasis and Allure of the Seas add zip-lines and surfing to the mix.
   
6. At ports, there are lots of cruise excursion options for those so-inclined. We always venture out on our own, hire a taxi or book a private tour ahead of time - this has allowed us to get away from the tourist crowds and enjoy sights well off the beaten path. Even horribly over-touristed islands like St. Thomas have some really wonderful sights, great food, and can be a lot of fun if you make a point of exploring away from the hoards.
   

Keep in mind:

• Babies/toddlers in swim diapers are generally not permitted in any pools, other than little wading pools.
  
• Most cruise lines have a minimum age requirement to travel, usually 6 or 12 months
  
• Bigger doesn't mean better. On RCI, the smaller ships actually have more spacious cabins and more breathing room in the restaurants, dining rooms and around the ship. The larger ships make up for the tight spaces with a wider variety of activity and entertainment options. Smaller ships are able to stop at smaller ports right in the heart of town, whereas large ships like the Oasis have to stop at the larger ports located well out of town. Because the size of the Oasis makes it more of a terrorist target, we had to go through full security screening (i.e. no liquids or gels permitted, and full x-ray screening of strollers and all belongings) every time we got on board - it was like going through airport security every day.
  
• The huge Oasis is far more geared towards families than the smaller Serenade - for this reason, we actually enjoyed the Serenade better; it was easier to get a high chair at the restaurants, the children's areas were less busy and because Bodhi was one of only a few kids on the cruise, we never had to jockey against other strollers for space in the elevators, or anywhere else for that matter. Plus since there were so few other kids, he got loads of attention from the crew and other guests.
  
• Book your dining room seating time as soon as possible to make sure you get the seating time that works best for your child's schedule. RCI also offers My Time Dining meaning you can head to the dining room whenever you want, but this has to be booked well ahead of your cruise.
  

If you decide to cruise with a baby or toddler, don't forget to bring along a(n):

• Baby monitor - if you want to take advantage of your balcony (parent unit must be battery operated as there are no power outlets on balconies)
  
• Pack 'n Play sheet(s) - if you book one for your cabin, it is a good idea to bring your own sheets since the cruise lines use standard twin or queen sheets which are easy for an active baby to get tangled up in
  
• White noise - always a winner for helping a baby sleep, there are a number of phone apps (we like Sleep Fan, which can help to drone out the occasional noisy passersby in the hallway
  
• Car seat - if you don't plan to spend your port visits on tour buses, bring along your own car seat to use in taxis or mini buses
  
• An inflatable bathtub or small baby pool (24" diameter or less) - Unless you are cruising with Disney Cruise Lines or in a larger suite on another line, you'll likely have a shower in your cabin, so bring your own tub if baby is accustomed to having a nighttime bath. For more information, see Bath Time!.
  

We are about to take our 26th flight with our little guy and have learned plenty in our travels. Check out www.packyourpassport.ca for some more ideas.

Have a great time!

Something to think about: instead of cruising in a luxury line, go with a mass market one and take a nanny with you. She can even share an inside with something else; she'll only go to her bed to sleep anyway.You'll forgo the stupendous meals you could get at a nicer ship, but you'll have lots of peace of mind if someone is there to look after your baby. That, to me, is pure luxury!

DH and I have been contemplating booking a cruise on one of the "luxury" lines such as Regent. We just had a baby who is now 4+ months old, by the time we get our vacation times she would probably be 12 months or so old. We work hard and would like a vacation that is luxurious in terms of accomodations and food. We really like what we've read about the amenities of the smaller ships. Or are some of the other lines comparable in terms of food and services?

 

There is no way we would leave our LO and we do not mind if there's no babysitting or kids clubs.

 

One of my questions is, on regent, for example, will they purée food for the baby and have a High chair and pack n play or crib available for use? Please don't suggest posting on the regent board as they can be very negative about even the idea of a baby on board...I was basically told that a luxury line is no place for a baby.

 

Thanks for the help! Glad I found this board!

==============

We had great advice that between 6 months and 9 months of age was a "sweet spot" for child travel. We took our first on a 16 day Holland America cruise and she was one of only 3 kids on board a 1200 guest trip. The crew adored her and it was like she had 500 pairs of grandparents on board! Cruising was amazing with her as we unpacked once and got to see so many places in New Zealand/Auz with her in a front-facing baby carrier. She saw more wineries than most adults in their lifetime!

The key things to remember:

1) Respect other passengers, when your child is tired/hungry/needs a diaper/bored then you need to be responsive.

2) A smile, please and thank you's go a long way for other guests and the staff. Take the time to be polite and gracious and it will pay off. Encourage your child to smile to others. Ours had people laughing/smiling every time they saw her.

3) Planning goes a long way, but if something goes wrong, don't panic & ask for help. One of our mini--bags with diapers went missing... so we lost 2 hours of port time finding a fresh bag of diapers... internet helped! We spoke to the chef on the first day and gave a list of puree's and snacks for our daughter's dinners. The chef loved the variety from the regular menu and had a few additions to surprise us. It was always ready when we got there

4) A vacation is what you expect of it, so if going in you know that you are going to skip the nightly show and go to bed, then it is no big deal.

Best of luck and don't listen to the curmudgeons, your money is as good as theirs... They can go on adults only cruises.

I don't know if this is helpful information, but I've never seen a baby on the three Regent cruises I've been on. One of them had a three year-old, and another one had about a dozen pre-teens/teens. I was one of the youngest adults aboard (in my 50s), so I don't know if there would be other young families for you to socialize with.

In general I think that cruises are great vacations with kids, but I would reconsider going with Regent -- you are paying almost twice as much as mainstream cruise lines for few if any kids' activitities. Plus I am guessing that you couldn't take advantage of many of the all-inclusive features like unlimited alcoholic beverages and shore excursions.