9 Reasons not to take a baby on a cruise...breathe as you read....

My husband sent this to me at work today. All I can say is to each his own. My DD is 4 and she has already cruised 4 times, with her 5th coming up in January. Oh well!

http://www.cruisecritic.com/blog/index.php/2012/05/29/9-reasons-not-to-take-a-baby-on-a-cruise/

My husband sent this to me at work today. All I can say is to each his own. My DD is 4 and she has already cruised 4 times, with her 5th coming up in January. Oh well!

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/blog/index.php/2012/05/29/9-reasons-not-to-take-a-baby-on-a-cruise/

I don't see why anyone would panic... The person who wrote that was stating facts...And then everyone make their choices

I thought it was a well written, well thought out article giving intelligent insight into travelling with a young baby or child. I don't see how anyone could take offence.

Not offended. We are waiting till 1 year old is 3 to cruise so she can enjoy Adventure Ocean. Only 692 more days to go!!!:eek:

Not offended either, though I don't agree. A lot of what he wrote has to do with his own parenting style/decisions. For example: baby not being able to sleep until 4 due to crib delivery. He could've had the baby sleep elsewhere but chose not to.

My baby is 10 months and leaves on his second cruise soon. I can't think of a better family vacation.

My husband sent this to me at work today. All I can say is to each his own. My DD is 4 and she has already cruised 4 times, with her 5th coming up in January. Oh well!

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/blog/index.php/2012/05/29/9-reasons-not-to-take-a-baby-on-a-cruise/

I don't have any quibbles with that article. As a matter of fact we waited until our son was 2 so that he would have some age appropriate activities to do.

The only fact about the article that I agree with that's actually a big downer is that baby can't swim. That did stink when we sailed with our 1 yo. (though I totally understand why)

Other than that all the other things in the article, though true, did not bother me, and most are actually no different from vacationing anywhere with a baby.

I also think there are different mindsets of parents...some just don't like to travel with a baby, or are too intimidated by each and every thing thats different. If you expect all the comforts and ease of home, you're going to be disappointed of course. But I never had my kids on a rigid schedule anyhow, so maybe thats why we're happy to go with the flow.

The only fact about the article that I agree with that's actually a big downer is that baby can't swim. That did stink when we sailed with our 1 yo. (though I totally understand why)

 

Other than that all the other things in the article, though true, did not bother me, and most are actually no different from vacationing anywhere with a baby.

 

I also think there are different mindsets of parents...some just don't like to travel with a baby, or are too intimidated by each and every thing thats different. If you expect all the comforts and ease of home, you're going to be disappointed of course. But I never had my kids on a rigid schedule anyhow, so maybe thats why we're happy to go with the flow.

Agree - it sounded like their biggest problem was not being able to stick to baby's schedule and the fact that the child wouldn't (couldn't) sleep anywhere but a crib. Mine would sleep anywhere - we started taking them on trips to see grandparents in other cities when they were just a few months old.

Here's my comment to that article

"I also disagree with this. My daughter who’s 6 has been on 15 cruises starting at 7 months of age) (she has been platinum with Carnival since age 5) and my son who is 3 has been on 9! It is by far the easiest way to travel with young kids in my opinion. We have done trips to Disney, flown to Hawaii and other parts of the US and let me tell you it is sooo much easier on a cruise with everything in walking distance andf not having to lug all the gear wherever you go. Im sorry you felt your vacation was not a vacation but most of the points you brought up would be true anywhere. No hotel is baby proofed either. Most infants cannot sit up until age 7-8 months so tubs are useless anyhow. You cannot pack light on any vacation with kids, cruise or not. You cannot have nightlife even at a hotel with kids. So pretty much you are saying dont vacation at all with kids. Yes, its completely different once you have kids but so is your entire life!! I agree adult time is great and vacationing without your children is just as important to recharge your batteries but some of us rather enjoy our children and do not feel burdoned by the added responsibility of them on a vacation."

I always breathe as I read. Why should this be any different? Am I supposed to be horrified or shocked or something? :confused:

I don't have a problem with this article either. Cruising with a baby compared to an older child IS tough. A lot of it probably does depend upon the child.

We've done it all - no kids old enough for kids club, some but not all all kids old enough for kids club, and all kids old enough for kids club. The most carefree cruises are absolutely the ones where the kids are older.

Last cruise we traveled on a ship that had a royal babies and tots nursery in hopes that we could spend some time as a couple one evening or even spend an hour or so hanging out at the pool with the big kids without having an eagle eye on a 2 year old at the same time. No such luck - he screamed bloody murder in the nursery . . . best laid plans and all that.

It is nice when there are no naps, no bibs, no stroller, no potential temper tantrums. There's a certain level of "proper behavior" that must be kept up at all times, and barring room service, every meal must be eaten in a restaurant like setting, and you can't even really go to the cabin to allow some craziness for fear of aggravating the neighbors. If you rented a house for a week, that wouldn't be the case.

All around, it's just easier with older kids. I still do/did it because the pros outweigh the cons, but to deny that the cons abound to me is turning a bit of a blind eye to things. Next cruise - probably 2014 - our youngest will be 5. It will be the sweet life for us!

Not offended by the article but I don't agree with it. DS was 5 months old on his first cruise.

I always breathe as I read. Why should this be any different? Am I supposed to be horrified or shocked or something? :confused:

I don't get it either. The author of the article was fair and reported her experiences. She didn't say children shouldn't cruise; she just told her story. Other people will have different experiences. It doesn't make either one right or wrong; they just are what they are.

Interesting article. I didnt experience some of her problems though and dont plan to with this cruise either. My kids will sleep on me if they are that tired and are also "late" kids (go to bed around 10). Totally depends on the family but you do have to be a bit flexible on any vacation really.

I think I can relate to most of those issue at some point and time at home. :eek: :D

My 4 children's ages range from 25 years old to 4 years old. I took the 3 oldest on cruises before (youngest being 7 at the time with 2 other that were teenagers) but I don't think I could have done it with a baby. But this is just me.

We waited until my youngest was 3 to take her and we were unsure of what to expect. Prior to that we left her at my sons or daughters (who have children of their own) when we cruised. She did great on her first cruise, with only a few minor break downs, and now has 2 cruises under her belt at 3 years old and will be on her next in 6 months. I can't imagine cruising without her. Cruising and the beach/snorkeling/animals is all she talks about and gets so excited waiting for the next. We tried a land vacation with her before she was 1 and it didn't go over so well. We were a little stressed. So I can completely relate to the person that wrote the article. It's not for everyone but I completely praise those that can do it and make it work. They have the highest respect from me.

I don't get it either. The author of the article was fair and reported her experiences. She didn't say children shouldn't cruise; she just told her story. Other people will have different experiences. It doesn't make either one right or wrong; they just are what they are.

I agree. She raised a lot of good points that a first time cruiser with a baby should consider. We waited until our youngest was 4 to take them on a cruise for many of the reasons she listed. But if others want to take their babies on cruises, that's fine with me. I might've been more willing to consider it if we had extended family along to help out, but we didn't.

When our kids were little we did a lot of timeshare vacations where we packed all of our baby gear into the minivan and drove to our destination. It was such a relief when we no longer needed all that stuff! Now we are addicted to family cruise vacations.:)

Here is the issue I have with it. It says "parents you don't have to take your babies on a cruise because I did" and it didn't work out for Erika. But that's her.

She came to this board and we gave her TONS of advice to make her cruise easier. Much of which she forgot to follow. ;)

I can't imagine what my life would have been like if I hadn't started cruising with my kids as babies. My memories of those times are priceless.

So the article should have been written as "What lessons did I learn as I cruised with my baby?"

1. Pick a ship with a baby splash zone

2. Pick a cabin with a bath tub or bring an inflatable tub

3. Sail in a BALCONY so you aren't sitting in a darkened cabin. (if this is going to be an issue for you)

4. Pick a warm weather cruise for the first one if you don't adapt well. More outside pool time means more things to occupy baby.

5. Be flexible! Remember you are on a vacation and any day on a ship is better than a day at home!

She didn't say children shouldn't cruise; she just told her story. Other people will have different experiences. It doesn't make either one right or wrong; they just are what they are.

No, she did say to not cruise with babies. I don't take any offense to it, like others said too. But It bothers me bc I thought some of the memories with my 2 littles ones cruising were so priceless! I'd feel really bad if people read that and were totally scared off from cruising with their kids. Travel with kids is harder, period-cruising with them is actually an easier way to travel though.

I agree she should have just titled the column differently.

I don't get it either. The author of the article was fair and reported her experiences. She didn't say children shouldn't cruise; she just told her story. Other people will have different experiences. It doesn't make either one right or wrong; they just are what they are.

You know I almost always agree with ya, right? ;) I guess this time we have to disagree. She does say that parents don't have to take their baby on a cruise.

She said that she was looking to prove her theory.

"Parents, you can thank me. I have taken my baby on a cruise so you don’t have to. I have always said that family cruising is best when the kids are elementary school age and older, but I never had a chance to put that theory to the test."

Again - I am amazed that an editor of CRUISE critic can advise an entire demographic NOT TO CRUISE.

To better serve the audience of CRUISE Critic would have been an article on HOW TO CRUISE with baby. But hey, that's just me.

Exactly what the last couple ladies said. It came off as "know it all" like and "it didnt work for me so it wont work for you". I'm so glad that we took our daughter on her first cruise at 10 months. The memories i have- especially her being in the ocean for the first time and laughing her little head off becuase she loved it so much- is one of the best times i've ever had. I cant wait to bring DS on his first cruise in a few months!

I don't get it either. The author of the article was fair and reported her experiences. She didn't say children shouldn't cruise; she just told her story. Other people will have different experiences. It doesn't make either one right or wrong; they just are what they are.

You know I almost always agree with ya, right? ;) I guess this time we have to disagree. She does say that parents don't have to take their baby on a cruise.

 

She said that she was looking to prove her theory.

 

"Parents, you can thank me. I have taken my baby on a cruise so you don’t have to. I have always said that family cruising is best when the kids are elementary school age and older, but I never had a chance to put that theory to the test."

But she also says:

I started thinking about reasons why you may not want to take your baby on a cruise.

Don’t get me wrong — cruising with a baby is definitely doable, especially on the right ship with an accommodating kid.

Here, then, are nine reasons to think twice before taking the little one on a cruise. (Caveat: Your baby may be better suited to cruising than mine, but still consider my advice.)

I read this article again, and still don't see where she says that you should never bring your baby on a cruise. She just points out possible drawbacks and says it didn't work for her. For those who have never cruised with children, she actually provides some useful information.

I remain puzzled why anyone would be upset by this article.

 

I read this article again, and still don't see where she says that you should never bring your baby on a cruise.

I agree with you. The headline is misleading as to the content of the article, but usually the author doesn't write the headline.

Saying you don't HAVE TO take your baby on a cruise is NOT the same thing as saying DON'T take your baby on a cruise.

 

I read this article again, and still don't see where she says that you should never bring your baby on a cruise. For those who have never cruised with children, she actually provides some useful information.

 

I remain puzzled why anyone would be upset by this article.

9 reasons not to take a baby on a cruise

That pretty much says it all ;)

Also - new cruisers are going to look to her as a professional. That she did it - it didn't work - then they won't be able to.

It's a shame. I hope RCI didn't give her a free cruise to review their new nursery. They didn't get their money's worth.

I am amazed that an editor of CRUISE critic can advise an entire demographic NOT TO CRUISE.

 

To better serve the audience of CRUISE Critic would have been an article on HOW TO CRUISE with baby. But hey, that's just me.

I don't agree. I don't think that CruiseCritic should be (or is) a site which does nothing but try to sell cruises. I think it should be a general information site, not a sell-as-many-as-you-can site, and that does include negative reviews.

The article does not surprise me. A lot of misinformed people cruise.The person who wrote the article clearly to this point has not figured out how to cruise with a little one. My little one just turned 4 and is boarding her 19th cruise in 3 weeks. She started when she was 5 months old on Disney.

I actually laughed at some of the remarks. For instance cleaning bottles the whole cruise...give me a break. I took disposable nipples and bottles on our cruises. No washing for us. Pack in play was always available but several times the little on slept in the pullout or the couch turned backward. Schedule? yeah guess what, that schedule is the same at home or on a ship. Plan for the times in between and enjoy life long memories. We have a video of every adventure and play them from time to time. Absolutely love watching them and thinking back to the great times. But hey, if you are a stressed out individual or a homing pigeon that would prefer sitting at home watching the corn grow...to each his own. As and avid cruiser, the article was a joke in my opinion.