Cruising with 6 month old

We're off on the ovation next Friday. Eeeeek and booked this last November. We were so desperate for a holiday that didn't do a lot of research or check our invoice properly.

Is paying 85% for her cruise fare right?

Is it true that we can't pay for in room babysitters?

What are we actually getting for her?

I have to say, this is our first RCI cruise and will probably be our last.... Definitely until our daughter is old enough to get anything out of it.

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We're off on the ovation next Friday. Eeeeek and booked this last November. We were so desperate for a holiday that didn't do a lot of research or check our invoice properly.

 

Is paying 85% for her cruise fare right?

 

Is it true that we can't pay for in room babysitters?

 

What are we actually getting for her?

 

I have to say, this is our first RCI cruise and will probably be our last.... Definitely until our daughter is old enough to get anything out of it.

 

Sent from my SM-G903F using Tapatalk

There are no children/adult prices, it's all just per person because the ship can legally only carry a certain number regardless of their age or size. This is due to lifeboat loading.

So you paid 85% for a third person. That is on the higher side but not outrageous. Prices are demand driven so I am guessing your sailing was reasonably full at the time you booked. They do sometimes offer third and fourth person for free promotions, so that might be something to look out for. As you mentioned you didn't really pay much attention to the price so lesson learned for next time!

You will also owe gratuities for baby.

So now make the best of it.

Don't wait for answers. Go to the family cruising board to find out what you need to bring. I understand you will need to bring diapers and baby foods.

You will need a stroller since you will be spending a majority of time walking around the ship. That's what I do as a senior. One of my favorite things to do on a ship.

You and your spouse should decide to split up to take advantage of shows and activities. Or for some things wait on line together and take turns. Vacationing with baby is never a honeymoon, even on land.

Have a great cruise.

Yes you can pay for in room babysitters. I believe they are kind of expensive, but you need some alone time with the hubby! Do check out the family cruise boards for good ideas. One that I saw was to take a SMALL blow up pool with you. Since she cannot go into the regular pools, (no kids in diapers) you can sit poolside with her in her own, also it works great as a bathtub in the shower. Enjoy your vacation. If you continue to cruise with her through the years, she will love getting a high "status" on the ship as she ages.

Over here, it is $19 per hour for in-cabin babysitting.

I believe that you can preorder diapers and baby food on gifts and gear so it will be waiting for you when you board! Enjoy!

Call a sitter on land and enjoy the time just the two if you.

Baby must be 12 months old to leave with the two baby sitters.No babysitting for a 6 month old....

Yes you can pay for in room babysitters. I believe they are kind of expensive, but you need some alone time with the hubby! Do chec<script id="gpt-impl-0.585300431546373" src="http://partner.googleadservices.com/gpt/pubads_impl_84.js"></script>k out the

The baby must be at least 12 months old to utilize in-room sitting.

If I was taking my baby on a cruise I would buy the diapers and jarred foods in embarkation port city, not fly with them (added weight) or order them from RCI (expensive). Just my opinion and suggestion. It just takes a few minutes to stop at a store along the way en route, or the day before. :)

Royal has least favorable price structure of the mass market family lines but it is what it is at this point.

Having cruised twice now with infant I strongly suggest a reclining umbrella stroller. If your baby is on formula bring twice what you think you need! If having difficulty with naps or sleeping go outside with the stroller. Some wind and ocean noise does wonders. Have a great time. The staff love babies

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We took our son on his first cruise in January when he was 7 months and are going on a 7 nighter on the Allure next week with him (now 11 months). First off, they do charge for a third person regardless of age but 85% sounds high. I must say though that we plan our cruises far in advance and check pricing often to get the best bargain. I think making gratuities mandatory for babies is kind of crazy... My wife disagrees with me in this... But besides emptying the trash that has diapers in it (which they would empty regardless) there is nothing that an infant does to need to pay gratuities. That is my humble opinion though.

As far as food and diapers. We packed everything. It is a little easier this time because he is now eating all big people food... And a lot of it. Haha so we will be getting more bang for our buck with him this time. You can preorder diapers and food but the price is outrageous. Just pack it all or buy it the day before you cruise.

Babysitting.... We utilized the nursery just as a play area on the Brilliance in January and had it completely to ourselves 95% of the time. We did not do any of the babysitting options. We are utilizing the nursery as a babysitter coming up for this cruise on two nights so we can have a couple relaxing hours together. The in room babysitters aren't available until the child is 12 months but even then it kind of weirds me out having someone sitting in our room watching our baby. At least in the nursery there's a bit more people/action/movement.

Have fun and bring a nice umbrella stroller. Don't bring a huge one... Half because you don't want to haul that beast around and half because people will not be happy with you. Haha. If you want/need any more advice by all means just ask. It is very doable and we love cruising with the babe.

We second the RECLINING umbrella stroller suggestion. We always do the late dining which came in handy because we would give him his nighttime bottle, put him to sleep, and lay him flat in the stroller and covered the stroller with a thin swaddle blanket and clips to shade him. Went and had dinner with him right next to us with ZERO issues.

Thanks everyone. We chose a cruise that leaves the UK on purpose so we can take as much luggage as we can fit in our car. My parents are also coming so loading theirs too!

I've since seen that there is a night nursery. It's offered free on one of the UK lines (who also only charge 10% of the adult fare for under 2s. Unfortunately they were full on the cruises that suited our dates) but she will go in the nursery once or twice so we can have some adult time.

Great idea about covering the stroller and just taking her to dinner like that.

It's not going to be particularly warm so we won't be by the pool but will still try and find an umbrella.

Amazing advice :)

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