Am I crazy for wanting to cruise with a baby on one of the "luxury" lines???

[NJfoodie]

DS just turned 3 and he's going on his 3rd cruise soon. He was 15 months on our first one. I'll be upfront about us being loyal NCL fans to begin with but I really felt that they gave us the most flexibility to cruise with our baby. This time, we're going to Bermuda and sailing in a suite, and cruising with friends of ours who will have a 7 month old.

 

I see traveling w/ my son as a compromise - I want all of us to have a relaxing vacation, I want lots of family time, i want me time, I want DS to have activities that he finds entertaining and stimulating, I want to be as spoiled as I can manage, but I know all of it needs to be worked around DS being a happy camper. We do our best to let him explore and play without being disruptive to other passengers. In general, if he is not behaving, or having a tantrum, we remove him from being out in public - whether that's in a public area of a ship, or in a restaurant on land.

 

We chose itineraries that were more laidback, and had more options for touring on our own on foot/stroller or with public transport. There are certain places I want to be able to do and experience everything, and for those trips, I will wait until he is older and can do more activities. We were prepared to not feel disappointed should our port plans have to change because something came up like DS getting sick as he was prone to ear infections. Thankfully, it hasn't happened yet, but we know that it's a very real possibility. Therefore, I'm saving Alaska and europe for later. We've mainly done Caribbean and Canadian itineraries.

 

We look for flexible dining options - at no point in his short life has DS been amenable to 2 hour multicourse meals with long gaps between courses, much less a late seating time. We love that NCL allows us to eat at whatever time is convenient to us (usually early) and sit by ourselves so we don't have to worry about what other diners at our table think of our child. We know that if we eat earlier, we can enjoy the meal more. If ultimately, DS is being fussy, we know that in a suite, we can still get meals from any dining venue on the ship delivered to our room. He's now old enough that we have the option of using the kids programs if we decide we'd like an evening to ourselves as well but we did fine before too.

 

We also have a food allergy issue as DS is allergic to milk and the cruise lines have been truly wonderful in accommodating us. While I do enjoy land vacations too, it is a royal pain having to ask at every restaurant you visit to review allergy issues. On the ship, it was taken care of as soon as we boarded, and his meals were planned out for the week.

 

The beauty of suite cruising is the perks that mean a lot less waiting in line. I don't expect DS to just sit still in line for hours at the embarkation port. Adults don't often do well in what feels like a cattle call, never mind a toddler (though in fairness, when we've been in the lines, many other passengers complimented DS for being as laid back as he was, sitting in his stroller being smiling and chatty but not a brat.) But we will be gladly bypassing the lines for the upcoming trip.

 

We also usually sail in a minimum of a balcony and are really looking forward to the extra space in the suite. We know we spend more time in the room when we sail w/ DS as at least one of us needs to stay in during his naps and after bedtime, but we tend to treat it as time to just unwind for ourselves. I'll take a nap myself, which is a treat that I don't get at home, or sit on my balcony with the baby monitor and a book and a frosty beverage and just enjoy being out on the open seas. At night, we'll either take turns going out, or stay out on the balcony together. We also take turns during the day to give each other time to do things on our own. DH will play with him so I can get out to a spa appointment, or while I'm in the room during his nap, DH will head to the casino, etc. We balance everyone getting some time to do the activities they want.

 

The last thing that has been truly convenient for us is choosing cruises out of our local home port of NY/NJ. The ships have been wonderful about providing a lot of amenities for DS that we'd otherwise have to lug along like high chairs and PacknPlays, but let's face it, babies don't travel light! We have stroller, diapers galore, and practically our own packaged food commissary for port days because of his allergy, his favorite toys, etc. On his first trip, we still brought jarred babyfood, and juice-box type soy milk because you typically can only bring sealed in original package food off the ship. I love that we were able to arrange a ride to the port, drop off our bags, and it would all show up in our room a few hours later, no lugging necessary.

 

We've been lucky that our son is good about being flexible, he will go to sleep anywhere as long as he knows we're with him, he loves to see new things and is overall a happy child and a good traveler. We have been traveling with him since he was 3 months old. Is he a pint-sized saint? Not by a long shot! We learned that we need to be flexible ourselves to avoid overtired and hungry toddler or adults. With that in mind, we've been all over with him, on ships, in the car, on planes, etc.

 

Good luck with whatever vacation you choose! Your trip is what you and your family make of it. You know your baby best, don't let others' assumptions about your kid get you down. But also know how to make a trip enjoyable for your family by knowing what keeps your baby happy.

[goose&mav]

NJfoodie-- all really great points! Thank you for taking the time to post!!! So lucky you can get to great destinations from your home port. Being originally from NYC, I can tell you I really miss the tri-state area, but love has brought me to the left coast to stay. That brings up a good point, maybe we could combine visiting my parents with a new England cruise, to enjoy the northeast seafood, maybe even in the fall. I need to research that some more and maybe convince my parents to take their first vacation in 40+ years. You've really to me thinking...:)

[scarlett81]

NJFoodie-You are my travel hero! Good job and a great post.

;)

[nothriver]

Just wanted to thank those that have posted about Regent. Your posts have actually make me feel more confident exploring the possiblilty of cruising Regent with my youngest child. My mother has her heart set on another cruise on Regent, her favorite line. I've resisted Regent so far, sailing X when my dd was 4, and HAL for our upcoming cruise over my daughters 7th birthday. We're looking at Regent for a port intensive cruise next summer when she'll be 8. We are early to rise, early to dine, and early to bed after a full day exploring ports type cruisers so the child activities are not important to our family. So I'm hopeful that Regent will be ok for my daughter, as we won't be spending leisure time on the ship, rather mostly dining and sleeping, both of which my daughter does quite well!

[txladycruiser]

Just wanted to thank those that have posted about Regent. Your posts have actually make me feel more confident exploring the possiblilty of cruising Regent with my youngest child. My mother has her heart set on another cruise on Regent, her favorite line. I've resisted Regent so far, sailing X when my dd was 4, and HAL for our upcoming cruise over my daughters 7th birthday. We're looking at Regent for a port intensive cruise next summer when she'll be 8. We are early to rise, early to dine, and early to bed after a full day exploring ports type cruisers so the child activities are not important to our family. So I'm hopeful that Regent will be ok for my daughter, as we won't be spending leisure time on the ship, rather mostly dining and sleeping, both of which my daughter does quite well!

 

 

 

I think you'll be fine. We were on Regent for three segments of their World Cruise last year. There was one little girl about 7, on for the whole World Cruise (145 days). She did fine and I'm sure no one had any complaints about her. During the 7 segments of the WC, there would sometimes be other families on board. Since we did have quite a few sea days, she loved it when she had a playmate or two.

 

 

 

Karen

[kitty9]

Crystal is THE most formal cruise line out there. Jeans are not allowed in the MDR except on the first night when you may not have your luggage. Plus, the dress code is for the whole ship, except for the pool area, for the entire evening---no going back and changing into casual clothes after dinner. There is no alternate dining area on formal/informal nights where casual dress is allowed. It's either room service or nothing. But you can order from the MDR menu for room service.

[ckpp]

I sailed the PG in 2008 when it was still a part of Regent -- our honeymoon. 300-or-so passengers, the vast majority being couples celebrating honeymoons and anniversaries. No kids on this cruise (youngest passengers just graduated college -- cruise was gift from grandma) and very laid-back passengers -- both of which I think are because of the size of the ship as well as the itinerary. Who wouldn't be in a good mood sailing French Polynesia?

 

I sailed Crystal this February on their Panama Canal cruise -- a babymoon. A little less than 900 passengers. There was one pre-teen girl and one baby. We saw the families all around the ship -- the pool, the restaurants, the cafe, the lectures, and no one gave them the stink-eye, from what I observed. The young lady was very well behaved and was accompanied by her parents every time I saw her. Every time I saw the parents and the baby in the public spaces, the baby was asleep. Since I was starting to show, I struck up conversations with the baby's parents -- they reported being treated wonderfully by the staff and none of the passengers gave them any grief. The only hiccup on the parents' part was that the baby was less than one year old and therefore couldn't engage the ship's babysitting service. The parents fully acknowledged not doing their research beforehand and took it in stride.

 

The luxury lines will provide a level of service that the mainstream lines just cannot match. You pay, but you definitely get what you pay for. I agree with the sentiments on this thread that state that if the parents are prepared, set proper boundaries and have realistic expectations, it's definitely not "crazy" to want to cruise on a luxury line with kids. I've sailed most mainstream lines multiple times as well as the two luxury lines mentioned above and I definitely plan on sailing both the mainstream and the luxury lines with my family.

 

Wishing everyone happy and safe travels.

 

Ckpp

[goose&mav]

 

I sailed Crystal this February on their Panama Canal cruise -- a babymoon. A little less than 900 passengers. There was one pre-teen girl and one baby. We saw the families all around the ship -- the pool, the restaurants, the cafe, the lectures, and no one gave them the stink-eye, from what I observed. The young lady was very well behaved and was accompanied by her parents every time I saw her. Every time I saw the parents and the baby in the public spaces, the baby was asleep. Since I was starting to show, I struck up conversations with the baby's parents -- they reported being treated wonderfully by the staff and none of the passengers gave them any grief. The only hiccup on the parents' part was that the baby was less than one year old and therefore couldn't engage the ship's babysitting service. The parents fully acknowledged not doing their research beforehand and took it in stride.

 

The luxury lines will provide a level of service that the mainstream lines just cannot match. You pay, but you definitely get what you pay for. I agree with the sentiments on this thread that state that if the parents are prepared, set proper boundaries and have realistic expectations, it's definitely not "crazy" to want to cruise on a luxury line with kids. I've sailed most mainstream lines multiple times as well as the two luxury lines mentioned above and I definitely plan on sailing both the mainstream and the luxury lines with my family.

 

Wishing everyone happy and safe travels.

 

Ckpp

 

Ckpp-- congratulations! And thanks for your first hand info about crystal.

 

Btw, just found out from our TA that to cruise on regent, baby has to be 1 yr old and on crystal, baby has to be at least 6 months old.

[B_Mc]

I haven't read all the previous posts so forgive my if I'm repeating...

 

We've had great success sailing on RCI with DS and my cousin's kids. A close friend just returned from a trip on a luxury line with a DS the same age as mine at the time of our sailing and described it as a nightmare....personality may be a factor but I think a more mainstream line might have improved her experience, too!

[txladycruiser]

We are Regent cruisers so we frequent the Regent threads on CC. Just saw that someone posted that there are about 40 children on the Barcelona to Istanbul segment. Not sure why there are so many kids this time of year - maybe they are European families. No complaints that I've seen.

 

 

Karen

[jac1976]

We took DS on the Queen Mary 2 on a transatlantic crossing when he was 23 months old. I did use the nannies some (mainly during dinner) but we had a blast. Yes, one of us had to stay in the room for nap time, but it was fun just wandering the ship and watching DS discover all there was to see. There were very few children on board. I found the staff LOVED having DS there. Many of them were away from their families and they enjoyed having a little one to dote on. I would do it again. Cruising is one of the few vacations where I (as the mom, cook, maid etc. that I am in my own house) get to have vacation too as I don't have to do anything all week. While I love to rent a house (as it is much easier with children) that means I am cooking and cleaning or deciding where to go to eat. A cruise takes all of that off my plate and allows me to truly relax.

[schooly2]

We have sailed on the Crystal multiple times over the last 10 years with our growing family, first one baby boy, then our toddler and baby girl, later a kindergartner, toddler and second baby girl. This summer we are taking the kids, now 11, 8 and 6 on another Crystal cruise in the Med. We almost always encounter folks eager to spend a few moments playing grandma or grandpa while on board. Occasionally we exasperated one or two folks just by being there, but you just can't please everyone!

You are giving this so much consideration and advanced planning, I bet you will find plenty of allies on your cruise. If you show fellow passengers that you are aware and attentive to your children, they will stick up for you when someone starts grumbling behind your back.

I think that it is important to respect there are places it wouldn't be suitable to bring children, like maybe a wine-tasting/history of soap-making excursion, or the late dinner seating. It also helps us to be politely vocal about traveling with kids, making announcements loudly and with a sense of humor so that the grumpy ones know you are paying attention. There will be times when you might need a break from feeling like you are on guard, and then it's ok to take a meal in your room and have game night on the bed! you have not been defeated if you stay in or avoid a certain activity/event, you are just managing your time wisely.

We took our kids on a land-based trip in rural Mexico with a small group last month, and our guides convinced the owners of one of the inns to allow us to stay there even though they had a strict no-children policy. We were SO nervous, I'm sure they heard shushing in their sleep for days after we left! They enjoyed our kids so much, they thanked us for bringing them. We found the owners taking turns sitting with our kids at meals, asking what they liked most about the country, introducing them to friends children. And they were regular kids, inquisitive, happy, eager to learn about the culture.

[goose&mav]

We have sailed on the Crystal multiple times over the last 10 years with our growing family, first one baby boy, then our toddler and baby girl, later a kindergartner, toddler and second baby girl. This summer we are taking the kids, now 11, 8 and 6 on another Crystal cruise in the Med. We almost always encounter folks eager to spend a few moments playing grandma or grandpa while on board. Occasionally we exasperated one or two folks just by being there, but you just can't please everyone!

You are giving this so much consideration and advanced planning, I bet you will find plenty of allies on your cruise. If you show fellow passengers that you are aware and attentive to your children, they will stick up for you when someone starts grumbling behind your back.

I think that it is important to respect there are places it wouldn't be suitable to bring children, like maybe a wine-tasting/history of soap-making excursion, or the late dinner seating. It also helps us to be politely vocal about traveling with kids, making announcements loudly and with a sense of humor so that the grumpy ones know you are paying attention. There will be times when you might need a break from feeling like you are on guard, and then it's ok to take a meal in your room and have game night on the bed! you have not been defeated if you stay in or avoid a certain activity/event, you are just managing your time wisely.

We took our kids on a land-based trip in rural Mexico with a small group last month, and our guides convinced the owners of one of the inns to allow us to stay there even though they had a strict no-children policy. We were SO nervous, I'm sure they heard shushing in their sleep for days after we left! They enjoyed our kids so much, they thanked us for bringing them. We found the owners taking turns sitting with our kids at meals, asking what they liked most about the country, introducing them to friends children. And they were regular kids, inquisitive, happy, eager to learn about the culture.

 

Schooly2--thanks for the great info about crystal. I'm so glad to hear you've had many successful and fun vacations with your kids.

 

My DH and I don't mind staying away from not age appropriate settings with LO, the goal is to enjoy our time together with her in a gorgeous luxurious setting. Still thinking about penthouse suite on crystal so we can order in from whatever specialty restaurant we want if necessary. DH joked last nite that it could just be the most expensive delivery in we'll ever have!

[travelwell]

When we cruise the luxury lines we have been amazed at the well behaved children and have seen good parenting. We had a very well behaved 7 year old on our last Seabourn cruise. He started traveling the luxury cruise lines as an infant. His parents were very proactive and he was having a ball in-spite of the fact that this is perhaps the least child friendly luxury cruise line and he was the only person under 25. We have booked a Crystal cruise next summer that is actually a "family memory" cruise. The only warning I have to you is that it is hard to go back once you dabble in the luxury arena. We took our to kids on Regent when they were in their early twenty's and they are not really excited about going back to mainstream cruises;)

[goose&mav]

The only warning I have to you is that it is hard to go back once you dabble in the luxury arena. We took our to kids on Regent when they were in their early twenty's and they are not really excited about going back to mainstream cruises;)

 

I'm concerned about that too!:p

[goose&mav]

thanks for everyone's helpful advice! we decided to book a land trip to hawaii in the fall--staying luxury of course at the ritz club level. I think we'll save the european cruising for next year or the year after (and will probably do crystal or regent, as we like their all inclusives).