Oasis with 16 month old twins

[Willow3006]

Hi there

 

I have been on the Oasis a few years ago but am not going on it again in March with my twins who will be 16 months old at the time. Having never been on a holiday with the twins before there is so much I need to know and I wondered whether parents of other babies could let me know any tips, etc. Here are some random questions from the top of my head:

 

1. We're travelling from the UK so there will be a major time difference - how did you cope with the babies routines in this case? Will they be all over the place?

 

2. We are staying in a D4 room. I'm assuming they will put 2 cots in the room too? Are the cots going to be big enough for babies of this age to sleep in? Are we going to be really tight in there? I think the next option is a suite which is too pricey!

 

3. How much is the nursery and night time in room babysitting and is it easy to get availability? It's mainly the in room we're looking at as I don't think the twins would sleep in a nursery setting - they are very into their usual routine so would sleep in the room better I think!

 

4. What did you do regarding food for them at this sort of age? do you just eat really early with them or feed them something in their room?

 

5. what about nappies? I'm not sure it's sensible to bring loads of them on the plane! Can you buy them on the Oasis?

 

6. Can I take a double buggy?

 

Any help/advice appreciated!

 

Thanks

 

willow x

[mikesteg]

I'm a father of B/G twins, currently coming up on 3 years old. We've been on cruises at 7mo, 13mo, 24mo, and ~30mo... however, none on RCCL.

 

(1) They will probably be all over the place, but in our experience it is not too much of an issue. Assuming you are from the US, it is actually pretty beneficial to 'lose' a few hours because it makes dinner time and night time activities much more workable. We've never done more than 2 hours, but that worked out well for us.

 

(2) You will have to ask for cribs. Well, at least that is our experience. Because a cabin steward doesn't know if you'll co-sleep or what, they probably won't assume you need cribs even if they are paying attention to the manifest.

 

These are usually PnP (though again, haven't been on RCCL). We had no problems at 13mo, but had abandoned them for the 24MO cruise. It also saves alot of space in the cabin.

 

That said, we travel quite a bit,to the point that our kids now take showers (with help) rather than baths. Our kids spent a decent amount of time sleeping in a beds before we made the change at home, so putting them on the sleeper sofa wasn't a big deal.

 

(3) Sorry, no help here.

 

(4) We've always had dinner with them, with "your time" dining. It's a bit quicker and and far more flexible. And we do the buffet some nights also. It help to have the same wait staff each night, since they'll bring fruit or whatever right away, but that varies by the ship (at least on CCL.)

 

Given the time change, I don't know that eating early (ship time) will be such an issue. An 8pm dining time in Europe may feel like mid-afternoon to the kids. You'll have more of a challenge later, and I presume that means hitting the buffet.

 

(5) Bring diapers. Bring what you need, plus a couple days worth in case they get upset tummies and go through 10 in one day. Schedule change and new foods can be tough on little tummies. You may be able to buy some, but they'll be expensive and not necessarily the right size.

 

(6) Side-by-side: not really. If you're cabin is very close to a stairwell, and you're willing to go the long way to avoid narrow hallway, it might work, but generally it's not recommended.

 

A tandem would work, but still tough to get around in the crowds.

 

We have always taken 2 cheap umbrella strollers. In retrospect I wish I had spent a bit more than $20, but they have served us very well. The nice thing about having 2 is the maneuverability, but also that you split up and both have a stroller.

 

Though, I'm not sure you'll use them too much at 16 months. Depends on the kids: at 13mo ours where getting ansy. At 24 months, we hardly used the strollers at all. They do come in handy for carrying small bags when the kdis are free though. :D

[mikesteg]

Oh, I see that you're travelling from the UK. I should have caught on with the terminology. In that case, the kids are going to want to go to bed early. Better start keeping them up late NOW! :D

 

Coming to the US, you can probably find a Walmart and get diapers there to avoid bringing them across the pond. There are other places also, but WM is just about everywhere, and tends to be cheap.

[6rugrats]

All children are different in regard to time zone changes. When we travel, upon arrival, we just reset our watches and begin "living" in the new time zone.

 

Oasis has a nursery. Info below:

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/experiencetypes/category.do?pagename=onboard_cat_kids_teens_and_families&tab=3

 

They also offer babysitting in your room @ $19 an hour. You must reserve 24 hours in advance, you can't reserve until you get onboard, and there is no guarantee a babysitter will be available. Offered between 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 a.m. if available.

 

Agree, forget the double stroller. It won't fit through the halls, etc. Two umbrella strollers are much better. I also recommend you purchase what you need (diapers, wipes, etc.) before boarding, so you know you will have what you need.

 

If they will be 16 months old at the time of your cruise, they should pretty much be eating regular food I would think. You can always cut it into small pieces.

[twinmommy08]

Hi there

 

I have been on the Oasis a few years ago but am not going on it again in March with my twins who will be 16 months old at the time. Having never been on a holiday with the twins before there is so much I need to know and I wondered whether parents of other babies could let me know any tips, etc. Here are some random questions from the top of my head:

 

I'm a mother of b/g twins (4)

 

1. We're travelling from the UK so there will be a major time difference - how did you cope with the babies routines in this case? Will they be all over the place? My cousin lives in Worthing and travels back to the US quite a bit with her little ones. Her kids take a day to sleep and then back to normal on the new schedule. I think if you try to push them to stay awake you will have trouble. We just went with their schedule when traveling.

 

2. We are staying in a D4 room. I'm assuming they will put 2 cots in the room too? Are the cots going to be big enough for babies of this age to sleep in? Are we going to be really tight in there? I think the next option is a suite which is too pricey! We always booked a suite when the kids still slept in cribs. This room is too small to house two pack n plays. You would fair better with an ocean view with a pull out sofa. You can sleep with one and the other parent can sleep with the other. I would forget the pack n plays unless your twins are used to sleeping in them. They are hard and take up a lot of room.

 

3. How much is the nursery and night time in room babysitting and is it easy to get availability? It's mainly the in room we're looking at as I don't think the twins would sleep in a nursery setting - they are very into their usual routine so would sleep in the room better I think! In room babysitting is not always available. You need to check at least 24 hours in advance. I think it's $20 (US) an hour, from what I remember.

 

4. What did you do regarding food for them at this sort of age? do you just eat really early with them or feed them something in their room? We tried the dining room once when they were this little. It wasn't happening. The table has too many breakable items and it was too slow for the twins. We ate the buffet every meal- not a problem, just what we had to do.

 

5. what about nappies? I'm not sure it's sensible to bring loads of them on the plane! Can you buy them on the Oasis? I would personally bring enough to get you through the flight and the first day you land in FL. If you are flying in a day early (I hope!) you can goto the supermarket in FL and buy a big box and check it as luggage at the pier. That's what we did- just make sure you have enough for the first cruise day in your carry on!

 

6. Can I take a double buggy? I wouldn't. The ship is too narrow and it will be a huge pain. Get two cheap umbrella strollers and bring those instead. They are light and will fit through all the doors on the ship. They will come in handy when you get off the ship for tours, etc.

 

Any help/advice appreciated!

 

Thanks

 

willow x

 

 

I hope that help!

[Willow3006]

Thanks for the advice guys. Am still a bit wary of the timezone change as my twins seem so structured and when I try to change one little thing in their routine all hell breaks loose!

 

I'll definitely get some strollers.

 

I'm hoping to be able to eat in the buffet (just them eat) early on and then get babysitting of some kind and eat out later ourselves.

 

Any other advice, let me know! I'm taking it all in!

[mikesteg]

Well, there isn't really all that much you can do about the timezone change (other than cancel, which I assume isn't really an option). With your twins being ~9 months now, you may or may not have figured out: most of the time that you try to prepare them for something usually backfires. You're either double-dipping on the change and/or increasing the level of anxiety.

 

The best thing you can possibly do is not be anxious yourself. You (and daddy) are their rock: they will pick up on your uncertainty and they will not hide it. :D

 

As for other advice: just keep reading the boards. These kinds of threads come up all the time. Over the next few months you'll probably see just about every question, answer and opinion about traveling with kids that is out there. The family board doesn't have a huge amount of traffic, so if you just drop in once a week and devote 15 or 20 minutes you will gets lots of good info.

 

We seem to have a surprisingly large population of twins here also, so I guess that goes to show you that parents of twins think alike. :confused: :)