Sailing on Sapphire Princess with baby

Hi All,

We are travelling with extended family on the Sapphire Princess for my mothers 70th birthday in January. In our balcony cabin will be our 8year old son & 12 month old baby. I am concerned about the type of cot/crib they will provide for my 12 month old - the only notification I have is "portable crib" I am hoping for a more traditional crib as he is not the most flexible baby. Also we have been told that we will need to have twin beds rather than a queen. I have been on the Star before and am trying to work out where they would place the crib in the cabin & if there is any way of blocking it off from us - hanging a curtain of some sort etc Has anyone put the crib in the wardrobe part of the cabin? The only problem I see there if it fits is that anyone going to the bathroom will wake the baby. Was your crib set up & ready to go upon boarding? I'm starting to panic so if anyone has any tips or photos to share I would really appreciate it. I. Fact any baby related tips on the Sapphire would be appreciated. We tried to see if we could switch to a mini suite but unfortunately they are all booked out. TIA

My twins were 13 months on their first cruise, also on the Sapphire. They slept in the bed, so I can't help with the crib, but even in our regular window cabin, the crib would have fit in the closet area. I can't remember the placement of the shelving (maybe search for a picture of "crib in closet on Princess"), but I believe the crib could be pushed far enough over that when the bathroom door opens, the light would at least go the other way, rather than in your child's eyes. People have written about hanging a curtain with magnets or duct tape - maybe bring all of it so you have what you need.

We had early seating and we also had breakfast and lunch in the dining room - it was bliss and the staff spoiled and entertained my girls to no end. The twins also LOVED the kids club - lots for them to do (toys, playhouse, etc inside and little enclosed area outside with balls, toys, etc.). You can take your kids any hour they're open as long as one parent stays.

I'm assuming the twin beds are because otherwise your 8 year old won't have access to the ladder to his bed.

Princess will provide baby food/baby cereal if you order ahead of time, but we didn't end up using any of it - there was plenty for them to eat at each meal. My girls especially loved eating the meat/veggies out of the soups and the pastas. Bring more than enough diapers, wipes, etc and any meds you may need - the medical center is well-equipped, even for babies, but pricey, and the shops on board can't be counted on for anything.

Happy to answer any questions.

All the best,

Mia

Thanks so much Mia! Really appreciate your reply and some fabulous tips - definitely taking duct tape! The kids club sounds great - pity there is no baby sitting on board. Did they let you borrow a few toys for your cabin? Also, were your twins allowed in the pool at all? Just wondering if there is anywhere for Jax to splash around. I have no doubt he'll be fine with the food - a very good eater!

Cheers,

Miriam:o

We were just with our 6-month old on the Star. The crib was a pack-n-play, not a traditional crib. The crib wasn't set up, but it was already in the room when we arrived. We asked our steward for an extra large bed sheet and kinda made our own sheets around the floor piece of the crib. Seemed a little cleaner that way. :)

We were in a standard balcony room, and found the best place to put it was right in front of the balcony door (off to the side a bit so we could still get in and out). We didn't try to put it in the wardrobe area, but it might have worked. But I agree it would have been a challenge with all the noise from the bathroom door and such.

They have a strict "no babies in the pools until they're out of diapers" rule. Though my cousin is going to try bringing an inflatable kiddie pool and putting it out on the balcony on their next trip.

Thanks so much Mia! Really appreciate your reply and some fabulous tips - definitely taking duct tape! The kids club sounds great - pity there is no baby sitting on board. Did they let you borrow a few toys for your cabin? Also, were your twins allowed in the pool at all? Just wondering if there is anywhere for Jax to splash around. I have no doubt he'll be fine with the food - a very good eater!

 

Cheers,

Miriam:o

I never asked about borrowing toys - not sure if they do. Bring a blow up beach ball, which will work in the cabin too. And a small blow up bathtub to use on deck, as mentioned in another post, pools are for potty-trained only. The blow up tub is perfect size to splash around in and can double as a bath tub.

Have a great time!

You definitely want a blow-up TUB...not a blow up pool! A pool is too large..the tub will fit in the shower to bathe your 1 year old...and won't take much space if you take it to the pool deck... a couple ice buckets worth of water will be plenty for splashing!

We did the shower curtain and magnetic hooks on our last cruise. All the ceilings will magnetize so definitely do the hooks. Got mine off amazon.we have a dark brown shower curtain so it helped keep light and a fair amount of noise out.