Stroller Question

We are going on the Breeze in December... Our DD will be 14 months... I was just wondering if anyone has any suggestions about taking a stroller (first time cruising with a little one!); whether a cheap umbrella, more expensive umbrella, or one of the bigger strollers work the best. We will be visiting St. Thomas, St Maarten, San Juan, and Grad Turk. Thanks guys!

We recommend using a baby carrier. A stroller is extremely difficult to push in the sand, and the cobble stone streets of old San Juan makes for a bumpy ride. If you must have a stroller, make sure you find a sturdy umbrella stroller.

Which ever stroller you decide it has to be stored in your cabin. There isn't anywhere else to store. It also has to fit the doors and hallways as well.

Definitely something portable. My daughter had to leave her larger stroller in the hall on the glory as it took up too much space in the cabin

We recommend using a baby carrier. A stroller is extremely difficult to push in the sand, and the cobble stone streets of old San Juan makes for a bumpy ride. If you must have a stroller, make sure you find a sturdy umbrella stroller.

Agree!

We traveled with an 20 month old and so wished we had the baby carrier. If I had to choose between your offered option I would pick the baby carrier. Ideally, I would have the baby carrier for off ship and an umbrella for on ship.

We are going on the Breeze in December... Our DD will be 14 months... I was just wondering if anyone has any suggestions about taking a stroller (first time cruising with a little one!); whether a cheap umbrella, more expensive umbrella, or one of the bigger strollers work the best. We will be visiting St. Thomas, St Maarten, San Juan, and Grad Turk. Thanks guys!

We cruised with a 10 month old. We bought a 3D Lite Summer umbrella stroller especially for the cruise. It folds great, fits thru cabin door, great in the hallways on the ship, easy to handle, we pulled it backwards at the beach in the sand with no problem. There is a wealth of information on the Family Cruises board. You can also rent one at Camp Carnival, just not sure how many they have. We are buying a second one for our cruise in March, two babies, 25 month and 7 months.

Bigger strollers will have problems going thru hallways.

We've used the Maclaren Quest and it works very well on the ship and port. Provides good sun shade and reclines for naps. Very compact and great quality.

We just checked out the umbrella stroller from camp carnival as soon as we got onboard. Very sturdy, no charge, easily maneuverable around the ship.

We have taken our lo at 6 mo and 9 mo on 2 cruises and used a sturdy umbrella, Jeep brand and a baby carrier. I would recommend both.

We tried various strollers and methods with our first kid, and we quickly learned that the cheap umbrella stroller is the absolute best way to go! We now have a second child whose first cruise was to Alaska last summer. We hiked, rode trams, watched glaciers, and participated on land/sea tours. The umbrella stroller is what allowed us to do all of that without going insane.

The less you pack, the better off you are. I read about people bringing inflatable tubs, full sized strollers, car seats, and even crib mobiles. Believe me. Leave all of that at home.

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Maclaren Triumph. Small, easily collapsible umbrella, has shade, reclines, and has a shoulder carrying strap. A cheap umbrella would work, but I liked having the shoulder carry so I could carry the kiddo when I needed to.

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Definitely Maclaren. I bought ours specifically for a cruise and it has been one of the best pieces of baby gear. Features that you don't get from cheap umbrella strollers (have one of those too).

Sunshade, reclines for napping, taller and easier for my husband to push, large storage basket underneath. And the best part, collapses with a foot push, goes to the ground and has a latch that automatically locks, and has an arm strap to throw it over your shoulder. makes is so much easier for getting in and out of buses, cabs, going up and down stairs when you can't find an elevator.

And stores very easily under the bed or in the closet. My daughter is 5 and we still take it everywhere.

I logged just under 150 miles over 3 weeks this summer hiking in various mountainous national parks, and the vast majority of that distance was carrying our 2 year old on my back. So, I have no problem using a baby carrier, but my recommendation is still to use a good (higher-end) umbrella stroller.

The ability to let a sleeping baby sleep is the biggest benefit (no trying to swap the baby without waking him/her so you can use the head, take a dip, or grab beverages)

Fitting through doors is no problem (easier than a backpack, though harder than a chest carrier), and when folded the stroller takes almost no space in the cabin. The higher end ones make toting things around easier with bins under the seat or on the back, and beach bags looped over the handles add more space if needed. They also tend to have larger wheels which helps in sand or rough surfaces, and sun shades to keep the skin cancer risk down.

Another vote for the Maclaren Quest-been on several cruises using it with my child. I've had it since he was 6 months old and he still fits in it at almost 4!

Taking our will be 15 month DD on her 3 cruise next month. First 2 we took our Britax and we never had a problem navigating hallways on Carnival however we did find it cramped on NCL. Had no problem on either line storing under the bed.

This time around we're brining an Uppababy umbrella. It's more compact, will fit through doors and has a built in carry strap. We're switching because in the past we ONLY used the stroller in port (and of course walking to and from gangway) and simply carried her around the ship. This time I fear we may have to use the stroller on board so I wanted something less intrusive to others.

I agree with others that if you can wear your baby that would be best. I wore ours when she was younger but but she and I got too hot (and that at home, never mind the Caribbean!) to attempt it anymore. But if you're comfortable doing it that would be my first choice.

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Check out my review. We just went on the Breeze with my son, now 17-months old. I have lots of tips :)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2088500

The bigger strollers have an issue with fitting in the doors and hallways. We brought the stroller from our travel system when DD was 15 months and it did not fit through the door. The bad part about that is of course DD would fall asleep in her stroller and instead of just wheeling her in and letting her sleep, we would have to get her out of the stroller to bring her in the room, which of course woke her up. For us that was an issue because my DD has a problem with sleeping (always has, we call her the energizer bunny). And sometimes if you have a fussy toddler, taking a stroll in the stroller is a good way of getting them to sleep.

The hallways are also pretty narrow. If we were walking with any stroller, it was hard for anyone to pass. WIth the umbrella stroller it was possible, but still tight. But the thing about the interior hallways is that there is kind of no place to go. Sometimes it means backing against a door or even turning around just to get past.

Thanks for the help guys!! Probably looking more towards the umbrella stroller from what I'm hearing... She literally HATES to be in a carrier plus can't imagine how hot we would both get with how much we tend to walk and roam while in port... Thank you for all the help!!

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We use a BOB Revolution SE and it works just fine getting around the ship. The wheels come off for easy storage. Took the rear wheels off and tossed them in the stroller before folding it up to get in and out of the cabin door and it fit easily into the closet when we didn't need it. We do a lot of walking around the ship and ports so we bought a stroller that would be comfy for little man to be in and easy for us to push. It can be pushed one handed with ease and folds easier than those cheap umbrella strollers. The sun shade is very long so it covers most of him when he's in it and it lays almost flat for naps.

Of course most people wouldn't spend that kind of money on a stroller unless it's used a lot, but I wanted to point out that larger strollers aren't near as complicated as people make them sound when you're on the ship or in an airport. It was a definitely lifesaver in the airports to get to the gates quickly!

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We cruised with an 18 month old and I cant for the life of me imagine carrying her through out the cruise== and in port no less.

Its hot in those places.

We rented a jeep stroller from the camp. (mom thought she didnt need a stroller and what a nightmare that was in the airport through security and waiting for the flight-- then waiting to get onboard--

once onboard I headed and rented the stroller for a week- 25.00

We have an inexpensive Jeep brand umbrella that did the job perfectly

A rugged umbrella stroller that is small but sturdy. Off-road wheels, onboard storage (saddle bags or bottom tray, etc.), removable (or just moveable) sunshade, and ergonomic handles. A reclining seat is a nice bonus, too.

We have had our Jeep Wrangler stroller for about 9 years (used for two different kids) and it has been on many cruises as well as land-based and fly-to vacations with us. We've put hundreds of miles on that thing (heck, we just put a bunch more on it at Busch Gardens this weekend with my (tiny) 8 year-old). It is narrow and very maneuverable and has handled all kinds of terrain from cobblestone to pea gravel to packed dirt, etc.

Plus, the stroller makes a great beach bag and shopping bag carrier, as well.;)

Ours is the old (blue and yellow) model. The newer models are even better.:)

We brought a city mini and an ergo baby carrier for our 6month old. Both were perfect! City mini has a large canopy, reclines to almost flat for naps on the go, and folds so small it almost completely fit under the bed. Ergo was perfect for around the ship walking and attending events. Planning to bring both again in Dec when our DS will be 13 months

Ditto on Maclaren stroller! WE bought ours especially for cruising and I've never regretted it. Reclining was a must for us as well as having good shade and small storage under seat. Worked great on all terrains as well, but was still lightweight and narrow.