Best Itinerary with 18 mo old

[Dave08]

My wife and I are interested in taking a cruise in November of 2013 when our son will be 18 months old. I have read a lot of great advice on this forum about traveling with small children but I am curious to see which itineraries people feel are best with an 18 month old?

 

We did a Southern Caribbean cruise in April of 2011 and have thought about doing the other part of the Southern Caribbean and we are also kicking around the idea of a Mediterranean cruise. I know traveling with a small child is going to be more cumbersome than what we are used to but we want our baby to enjoy trips with us and we want to pick a cruise that we can all enjoy with minimal stress. All suggestions are welcomed. Thanks!!

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I'd hold off doing Europe until your son is older. That's a really expensive trip and I just think that it will be too long for an 18 month old both the trip and the plane rides coming and going.

 

If you are looking for a good alternative to Europe- you might want to do a cruise to Quebec Canada in September of 2013. You could do a really nice Fall Foliage cruise there out of NY or Boston.

 

I feel like there are ample places for your child to run around on land with many port days. I've done this one and really enjoyed it.

 

Royal Caribbean sails there and they offer in-cabin babysitting in the evenings.

[B_Mc]

A short one! We started with a 4 night to see how things went. Didn't want to have a nightmare week if cruising with a toddler didn't go so well.

[Gatrcruzer]

I agree with both of the above posters. Unless you are already in Europe or have to go there for another reason, a med cruise does not sound like a good idea. I also think the ports are not necessarily fun for a child of that age - visits to museums, long travel in to the city from the port, lots of touring around. The time change is also killer for a young child - they do not adjust well at that age. And then there is the whole changing a wily 18 month old in the airplane bathroom and trying to figure out what to do with the poopie diaper...

 

In addition to a northeastern cruise, you might want to consider Bermuda. Many people report that it has lovely beaches, and could be a very relaxing trip with a little one. If you are considering Caribbean I'd give a slight edge to Eastern over Western because there is more you can easily do on your own (many excursions are not friendly to 18 month olds) such as beach trips and shops. A private island is also nice. I'd also give preference to cruises with no tendering, which is a pain, particularly with a stroller and an antsy toddler.

[Keith1010]

I would hold off on the Mediterranean because it is very port intensive and often some of the ports involve great distances between the port and the city.

 

I think Bermuda would be a very nice trip between the sea days and the beauty of Bermuda or even another Caribbean cruise.

 

Keith

[cb at sea]

I'd have to agree....unless you have no interest in the Med. sights, then stick with a Caribbean itinerary. When most folks travel from the US to Europe, it's because they want to sightsee...and with a small child, that will be difficult, in the short amount of time you'll have in each port.

That said...kids do live in ALL of your choices, so there are things to do everywhere!

[Karysa]

I am of a different mind set on this one. I think that my children would have handled a med cruise better at 18 months than they would have at 8 years old. If this was on my short term places to see then I would do it now rather then waiting the (up to) 10 years or so that your child (children) might need to really get something out of such a trip. I would suggest that you plan one with more outdoor places, with short trips into a church or art gallery. There are some itineraries that would be better than others. I would save cities such as Rome and Florence for a couples vacation or for when your children are old enough to enjoy these places. I think that November would be a good time to travel to Europe with a toddler as the temperature will not be hot and the crowds and line ups will be much better than the summer months.

 

Of course a Caribbean cruise is always fun and easier (for me at least) to plan.

 

Whatever you choose I hope that you have a wonderful family vacation.

[Dave08]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I think the Med. Cruise may be a little ambitious to try with an 18 month old especially due to the long distances between the ports and cities. I think doing a trip like that would be more appropriate for when he is a little older and can more appreciate and understand the cities.

 

I think we like the idea of a Bermuda cruise since the ship will be in port for a few days and we can take the RCL ship out of Baltimore and just drive from NC and eliminate the flight.

[tikcho]

I think 18 months old is a difficult age to travel with because they can walk but not really talk and they want to be in constant motion and also too young for kids club. I agree that Europe will be tough - those itineraries are very port intense, there is lots of walking, being off the ship for the entire day and generally tiring. If you do decide on that then be prepared to see very little as far as sights and just take it easy. Not sure it will be worth spending the extra money on the air and the cruise.

I would also not do Canada - the average age of passengers on those cruises is 70 years old so not the best for young kids. And it may get quite chilly and the pools are out of the question.

I'd stick to Caribbean or Bermuda. If you want to do 7 days I recommend the Western Caribbean - all the ports are very safe and great beaches. Southern is also great if you can do 10-14 days. Bermuda is easy, clean and safe, just be ware that weather is not warn in the early spring and winter.

[travelhound]

No one has mentioned naps yet. Our dd is 18 months old right now, so if I thought of her on a Med trip I wouldn't think "minimal stress". We've taken 28 cruises before she was born, so we've been to the Med and the Caribbean and if I was taken her today, it would be Caribbean, no question. If you are going to endure the flight to Europe you want to be able to enjoy the ports. Having to be back for a nap in the afternoon would seem like you barely get going and now you have to head back. Right now our dd take a nap from about 1-4. You can think your son will just nap in the stroller, but if he's anything like our dd, it won't work all of the time. She doesn't want to feel like she's missing anything, so if we were out and about she wouldn't want to sleep. We'd all pay later.

 

We are taking her on her first cruise over New Years this year. She'll turn 22 months on Jan 1. I don't think it will be minimal stress, but I still think it will be fun. We can go to the beach in the morning and if she doesn't fall asleep on the beach chair for a nap, we'll go back to the ship. We won't miss that much in port.

 

Whatever you decide, have a great time. Your preparations and attitude are a huge part of it.

[mikesteg]

Go with the easy option. Your child isn't going to care that you're on a cruise.

 

Our kids remember the swimming with the dolphins, the turtle farm in Grand Cayman, playing (entertaining?) in the atrium, sleeping on a 'bed' for the first time, taking showers, having daddy around 24x7, reading books with daddy all through the day... pretty much all stuff you can do anywhere. And frankly, this is what you'll remember too.

 

We cruise with young children because its easy and (relatively) inexpensive.

 

I just noticed that you're talking about 14 months away, so the lil' guy is 4 months old. Congrats! Now... I'd suggest cruising sooner rather than later. Our experience, as well as many people on this board, is that cruise with an (non-walking) infant is MUCH easier than with a toddler. You don't necessarily realize it until you live it, but there are very few contained/safe areas on a cruise ship, so the "hazards to navigation" for a toddler are plentiful.

[bliss_fully_happy]

After getting off my recent cruise with my 20 mo. It was a tough cruise with him. He screamed a lot. So I really felt like I could not leave our room. He wanted to run and was really sick of being stuck in a stroller.

 

Do Bermuda as you mentioned and be prepared to lower you expectations of activites. I may have chosen Disney land vacation had I known going in he would hate being in the stroller so much.

 

I will write a review soon, but I really need to decompress before I do.

 

Looking forward to my next cruise as this one was tough.

[pitz0005]

Just prepare yourself that this will be a different cruise than before. Not bad, just different. I would also say Bermuda/Carribean would be the best. Look for 8:00 ports with easily accessible beaches to relax at and play in the sand. Taking them younger is not always better, but sometimes it is. It all depends on the kid. We took our 8 mo last year and he was a little tough. The biggest problem was that he needed two naps a day. At 4-6 months they will nap anywhere, but by 8 months they don't want nap when stuff is going on around them(at least for us). That leads to a lot of room time. We also had our 2.5 year old and he was great. He was potty trained at the time (big plus) and had lots of fun.

 

We ate almost exclusively in the buffet because of the kids. We have always eaten in the MDR but had no choice. It was not nearly as good, but it is one of the things you need to accept. The other big things you will miss is most of the entertainment.

 

I would highly recommend sailing the RCCL LOS or RCCL FOS. Although our 8 mo would have nothing of the nursery, it was a nice option. We chose the 5 day LOS stopping in Labadee and Falmouth. This would be far from my choice if sailing as a couple but it worked out good with the kids for a first cruise. RCCL has so much to do for all ages. The 2.5 yo liked the dreamworks stuff and H2O zone. I think things get a lot easier when they hit 2 and even easier when they are potty trained.

 

We are booked on the RCCL FOS out of Port Canaveral for a 7 day in January. They will be 1.5 and 3.5 at the time. I think it will be easier than last time and we had fun last time. The 1.5 is down to 1 nap which is huge in my opinion and the 3.5 can go to the kids club.

 

Another suggestion is if going with parents/inlaws is an option. We booked two inside connecting rooms for the 6 of us. It worked great. When the kids were napping one person could stay in the other room.

 

It can be a fun time, but go in with low expectations. We were just happy with warm weather and someone else cooking and cleaning up after us.

[travelhound]

Do any ships go to Bermuda in Nov? I think OP was talking November and to me, Nov in Bermuda is not beach weather.

 

As for being stuck in a stroller and running around...before you leave try out a backpack/leash if you want to. Ever since our dd could walk she doesn't like sitting in the stroller for too long. Her arms are really too short to hold my hand very comfortably for a long time and she wants to explore. Before I had a child I thought the leashes were horrible. Now that I see how much she loves running around with it on and I can still be right next to her, I'm ok with it. Just a thought. We're bringing it on our trip in Dec.

[Dave08]

Thanks again for all of suggestions. I don't know what we are going to end up doing as it is still a ways out before we do decide what we want to do.

 

Instead of Bermuda we had also looked at doing Grand Cayman, Key West, and Ocho Rios. Hopefully we will have in-laws going as well so that may make it easier.

[goofy810]

We have taken our DD on 2 cruise both when she was under 2 one at 12 months and one at 16 months. If the child is good at stroller rides and on the go (ours loves the stroller) then you can do the touring kind of cruise if they are the type that wont sleep in the stroller then I would stick to the beach cruises

[YOWmom]

I'd pick a Caribbean itinerary, and one that includes a private island as one of the ports - easy beach day, no car seats or excursions to worry about, and if they get tired you can take them back to the kids club on the ship and head back to the beach without ever being that far away from them. When our youngest was 10 months old we had a great itinerary on Carnival - Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk where we just stayed at the beach/Margaritaville pool at the cruise port, San Juan which was easily walkable with a stroller, and St. Thomas where we took a taxi to Magen's Bay (with our own carseat - not as difficult as some make it sound). And when she was 2, we did Disney with stops at Castaway Cay, St. Thomas and St. Martin (where we rented a car and went to Marigot & Le Gallion beach). And yes, bringing the grandparents along is also a wonderful idea! :-)

[Keith1010]

I would go with a Caribbean Itinerary and hold off on one of the Mediterranean.

 

If you could go in October I would consider Bermuda.

 

Keith