New cruiser with questions about bringing toddler on the Pride

[aj925]

I will be bringing my 2 year old on the Carnival Pride and this is our first cruise. Are the cabins large enough to set up a playard (pack-n-play) for her to sleep in? I was thinking about just letting her sleep in the convertible sofa but worried she will fall off onto floor. So if we do bring playard (pack-n-play), when we board will this go with the checked luggage? Would I need to put it in a bag (like a duffel bag that has a zipper)?

Also, for the Grand Turk stop, has anyone had any success on bringing their 2 year old with them to Gibbs Cay? All the ship's shore excursions have an age limit. But I would like to go there just to hang out on the beach because I heard it's really nice.

Thanks for your help!

[ryanpatricksmom]

You should have enough room for a pack-n-play....leave a light on though, because if you get up during the night, it will be a tight squeeze.

 

I would probably wrap it in a duffel, with the baby's blankets wrapped around it. Once you've seen how your luggage gets thrown about and stacked up, you'll get the idea. I would think that the aluminum bars could get bent under the weight, if not protected.

 

Our stop at Grand Turk was chaos, because a Princess ship unexpectedly dropped by an hour before we showed up...she was diverted due to weather. The beach area is not made to accommodate 2 ships worth...that's for sure. We didn't even bother to try to find anything to do. We took a long walk along the beach and headed back to the ship. Beware, the port beach is very difficult to navigate (rocks and shells). Very calm, but definitely not a place for baby's to splash about unless you're holding them.

[beckyjohns]

Yes, you can fit the pack-n-play, but here's a better solution that still allows you to have some floor space to walk around. Turn the entire sofa around so that the back is facing the center of the room. Push the sofa all the way into the corner of the room. Voila, insta-crib. If your child is a climber, this will not keep them in the sofa. But, if they just lay down and go to sleep, this will give you support/barriers on all sides and keep them from rolling out. This is what we did with our twins when they were 2.

[kr8z]

If you're in a cabin where they'll allow cribs, Carnival will provide one. My daughter is 2 and doesn't fall off the couch when she takes a little cat nap. Your child might surprise you. Maybe you can place their crib mattress on the floor for a nap and see if s/he falls off? I had no idea our youngest wouldn't fall off either until she dozed off one day and zzzz. Since then, I let her nap on the couch if she gets sleepy before nap time.

 

If you do bring your own PNP, I'd let them check it. Less to lug around.

[As You Wish]

I've sailed with my daughter when she was two and again at three. At two, we requested a crib from Carnival and they provided it in the cabin the evening of embarkation day. I would suggest brining your own bedding though as theirs isn't very soft. At 3, my daughter slept on the sofa. We put some cushions down on the floor next to it and pulled a table alongside to help keep her in. Turning the sofa around would have worked too, I guess. When traveling in hotels, I've brought along with me an inflatabel bed rail called a Bed Bugz (http://www.amazon.com/BedBugz-Portable-Bed-Bolster-Yellow/dp/B001DCM4U8). It can attached via an elastic strap to anysize bed and doesn't take up much room in the suitcase. It's worth the cost if you travel a lot, and we now use it on her big girl bed.

[aj925]

These are both good ideas.

As for checking the pack-n-play, if we didn't want to, would they let us carry that on along with our usual carry-on bags? I thought they had a size limit for carry-on bags.

[mom2isabella05cole08]

I love the idea of turning the couch around! I will have to keep that in mind when we cruise as long as my little guy isn't a climber (his sister was a climber and was actually climbing out of her crib by 15 months!)

[highbridge5]

Yes, you can fit the pack-n-play, but here's a better solution that still allows you to have some floor space to walk around. Turn the entire sofa around so that the back is facing the center of the room. Push the sofa all the way into the corner of the room. Voila, insta-crib. If your child is a climber, this will not keep them in the sofa. But, if they just lay down and go to sleep, this will give you support/barriers on all sides and keep them from rolling out. This is what we did with our twins when they were 2.

 

I am just off the Pride and I can tell you that the couches that are in the category 4K and 8C rooms are not really "couches". They are more like day beds with 2 big bolsters for the backrest. At night, the bolsters get shoved under the regular bed(s) and you are left with the day bed.

 

It would make no sense to turn it around.

 

In our rooms, the sofa was in a corner you had two walls for a barrier. The 8C rooms had a pull-down pullman bed and the "rail" for this bed was stored under the beds also. You might be able to use the rail with the sofa bed. We did not try so I don't know if the seat cushions are detachable enough to slide the rail support underneath or not.

 

In both the 4K and 8C rooms, there was room for a pack-n-play but a previous poster is right, it'll be a squeeze getting around it . Also, there is a small oval table that you'll have to find a spot for to make room for the PnP.

 

The sofabed is lower to the floor than the regular bed by 6 inches or so and the drawers in the sofa contain a bunch of extra bedding. Plus, they provide at least 2 pillows per person - we had 3 people and 6 pillows.

 

On the Pride, I would bring the PnP but try the sofabed - put the extra pillows or bedding on the floor next to the sofa bed so if the squirt falls out, there is a cushion. There is plenty of room to store the PnP under the regular beds if you don't use it.

 

My four year old had a tendency to have his legs hanging over the edge but did not fall entirely off the sofabed.

 

Enjoy, we had a wonderful time on the Pride last week.

 

hb5

[read52]

You can also ask them to remove the small table in the cabin to give you more room. We always have it removed because in most cases it is glass and my dh has seizures.

[Jake&Amanda]

We're just off the Freedom with a 20 month old. Carnival provided an actual travel crib - not a pack n play. It was white metal - really nice - and our daughter fit in it great (even though she's tall).

 

Also - the previous posters are right - turning the couch around will not work - because it's not really a couch. The back rests are just cushions, not connected to the sofa, so they will just fall off the sofa.

 

Have fun!!!!!!

[WineBoy]

I just got off the 1/10 sailing on the Pride with my 3 year old and the day bed worked great, even though she is a mover. We put the cushions on the floor, which she rolled onto one night, and she slept great. The bedding was very soft, though my daughter also brought her own personal blanket. They do have cribs if for some reason you need it but I doubt you will.

The PnP is one more thing to lug and really not necessary. If CCL can provide, let them, one less thing to worry about.

[nht5060]

hi parents baby playards