A few questions for anyone who has sailed on Princess with a small child (i.e. 1 yr)

[drumline13]

My wife and I have a few questions for anyone who has sailed on Princess (large ship, i.e. Emerald) with a child (around 1-yr-old). We are first-time parents, so any answers/advice are greatly appreciated!...

 

1. Did you bring a small blow-up pool? Were you able to fill/empty it out near the pools? Was this more trouble that it was worth? Does Princess encourage/discourage this?

 

2. Excursions: Did you take any Princess excursions? If you did, did you need a car seat for any rides? I assume that it's legal to hold a child while on one of the excursion busses, but we are trying to figure out exactly what we need...and what the laws are at the different ports....and, of course, we want our baby to be safe! If you have any child-friendly types of excursions that you recommend, please let us know!

 

3. Taxi in Florida: This is related to #2, but do we need to use a car seat when we take a regular taxi from the airport to the hotel in Florida?

 

4. Recommendations: Things we SHOULD definitely do with our child during the cruise? Things we SHOULDN'T do?

 

5. Crib: Was the Princess crib sufficient?

 

6. Packing: We don't want to under/overpack, so if you have any advice you can offer, we will appreciate it!

 

Thanks in advance! Our cruise expectations are much different than when just the 2 of us sailed; we know things will be much different. BUT, we still have a bunch of questions! :)

[notentirelynormal]

My wife and I have a few questions for anyone who has sailed on Princess (large ship, i.e. Emerald) with a child (around 1-yr-old). We are first-time parents, so any answers/advice are greatly appreciated!...

 

1. Did you bring a small blow-up pool? Were you able to fill/empty it out near the pools? Was this more trouble that it was worth? Does Princess encourage/discourage this?

 

We have never brought a blow up pool and honestly I think it would be more work then its worth. However, we have always had mini suites that had the bath tub where the kids could sit and play so that might make a difference. I know we brought water toys for the kids on the last cruise and it was really a waste of time, energy and space.

 

2. Excursions: Did you take any Princess excursions? If you did, did you need a car seat for any rides? I assume that it's legal to hold a child while on one of the excursion busses, but we are trying to figure out exactly what we need...and what the laws are at the different ports....and, of course, we want our baby to be safe! If you have any child-friendly types of excursions that you recommend, please let us know!

 

Last cruise were all private tours and we held the kids on the different modes of transportation. Probably not the safest (and the car seats were in our cabins) but the hassle just wasn't worth it. We had so much other stuff to carry it would have been very difficult.

 

3. Taxi in Florida: This is related to #2, but do we need to use a car seat when we take a regular taxi from the airport to the hotel in Florida?

 

Yes, for Florida you need a car seat. You can either bring your own or hire private transport that will provide one but taxis are very strict on this issue.

 

4. Recommendations: Things we SHOULD definitely do with our child during the cruise? Things we SHOULDN'T do?

 

The kids loved just exploring. See through stairs were fascinating for the 2 YO. So was the glass elevators and indoor fountains. Find an empty lounge to let them run off some steam.

 

5. Crib: Was the Princess crib sufficient?

 

The crib size was just fine. However, bring your own sheets as the ones they use are the same as for adults and can be a little rough. Same for the blanket. That said, our room steward left a chocolate on the baby's pillow every night when he turned down the crib. Give some thought to the size of your cabin. Will you be able to move with it in there. First cruise with the baby my daughter had a balcony room and while everything fit, crib, car seat etc, it was tight. Mini suites were in order after that.

 

6. Packing: We don't want to under/overpack, so if you have any advice you can offer, we will appreciate it!

 

Think about what you will need and use in daily life. How many diapers do you go through a day and pack a few more. It might be difficult to buy more on the trip. Pack them in different suitcases in case one gets lost you still have some. Bring any/all medicines you might need. Two in the morning is not the time you want to try and find it (the stores are closed and the doctor is expensive). You don't have to pack a lot of toys, the ship is new and fun for them but bring their "familiar" toy.

 

Thanks in advance! Our cruise expectations are much different than when just the 2 of us sailed; we know things will be much different. BUT, we still have a bunch of questions! :)

 

We've traveled with my DGD was 6 months, 1 year and 2-1/2 and my other DGD was not quite 1-1/2 last month as well as GS is 5 and just finished his 5th cruise so we have varying ages. Also, let Princess know your baby's food requirements. They do provide jar baby food.

[ceilidh1]

If you haven't done so already, I would suggest also posting on the family boards - you will get lots of advice from there. We have taken our 3 year old on 5 cruises, the first when she was 13 months. WE never took a blow up pool, though many others have done. I just didn't want the hassle of dealing with it, and there were plenty of things to do that did not involve pools, especially if you will be going somewhere hot/with beaches! We have taken many excursions and always used a car seat where we could. Most of the trips with coaches do not require them, and many do not have seat belts so you cannot use them anyway. We always asked onboard before the trip and if we were able to use the seat, we did. We ALWAYS use the seat in cabs...most US states require it and I'm sure the Florida folks on the family board can let you know if Florida does. Even if it doesn't, I would say to be better safe than sorry. The thing we love about Princess is that the kids club allows kids under 3 to all of the activities as long as you stay with them. We went there every day for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening and that really worked out well as we had adult time (we switched off with one another) to do the things we wanted, while our little one had kid time - she LOVED it. We also made use of the lounge/dancefloor areas during the day when they were empty. Great places for little ones to crawl/walk around and not bother anyone. I would also suggest, if you are planning on fixed seating dining, you go find your waiter prior to the first meal, tell him you have a child, what your child needs/likes (assuming you won't be bringing all the food with you) and ask that they have a plate of something ready beforehand. We always requested watermelon and it was always waiting for us when we arrived for dinner - sure helps little ones to wait when they have something to snack on! Bring lots of little activities/toys that your child would enjoy. The lifesavers for us were crayons, playdough, and books! As for packing, I ALWAYS overpack, so not much help there. One thing I have learned is to take a roll of quarters so that you can wash any clothes onboard that you need to - this cuts down on the amount of clothing you will need for the little one. It's easier to pack for a beach vacation than Alaska, since you won't need as many warm clothes! Remember all the essentials - diapers, wipes, tylenol, etc as those things are REALLY expensive if you have to get them onboard. If you have any other specific questions, feel free to ask....but definitely pop over to the family board!

[ceilidh1]

Oh...and we have never used a crib on our cruises. WE got one for the first cruise but it took up so much space and our daughter wouldn't sleep in it anyway. Now we just put her in bed with us - it's a special vacation treat that she loves!