Considering B2B with 13 mo old--too long?

[cat loving cruiser]

We are considering B2B on the Liberty of the Seas on 12/15 (5 days) then 12/20 (4 days). Our son will be 13 months old at that time. I'm wondering if folks have done a B2B with a small kid--if so, is 9 days too long? I'm wondering if we should just consider one cruise or the other. We plan on using the nursery and in-cabin babysitting if it's available, and we may have family with us on the 4 day portion. Any thoughts or tips or experiences would be great to hear. Thanks!

[092306]

I would do it! We took an 8 day when our son was 14 months and it was a really good trip. Plus with having some help for half of it, you can get some relaxation and adult time. This will probably be a very easy cruise for you in comparison to next year. We took our son on the same ship a year later when he was 26 months and huge difference. DH and I were exhausted by the end of it!

[rebeccalouiseagain]

It depends on the 13 month old. Your child will enjoy a cruise. The baby will get lots of attention and be in a new and exciting place. Having said that, I did travel with a 13 month old and it was a lot of work. He was used to sleeping in a crib at home and upon returning home, it was hard to get him back into his routine. This is just something to consider.

 

As for my cruise experience... being in a confined room for most of the evening wasn't exactly stimulating. I really didn't have a good time on the cruise. I took a breather from cruising until my son turned 3.

 

As long as you are prepared to do a lot of walking and not have much time to swim, go to shows or enjoy fine dining... then do it. Personally at that age- it is a lot of work to travel with diapers, bottles etc. and it isn't my favorite age to travel with. I have two sons who have traveled extensively and are great little travelers- as for me... I was worn out traveling with that age and it wasn't a vacation for me.

[OCruisers]

The baby will be fine ... not sure about the two of you. :rolleyes:

I could be very wrong ... but I don't think there's a nursery for that age or that Carnival offers in cabin babysitting.

LuLu

[Kerry's Girls]

My twins were 13 months on their first cruise and none of us were ready to be done after 7 days. 9 probably would have been perfect. We were on Princess which offered zero child care services for them, but we just had our routine every day and it was great. Carnival does not have in-cabin sitting and I think the only time under-3s have childcare is after 10 when you could just have your child asleep in the stroller anyway.

 

Best,

Mia

[gerif]

The baby will be fine ... not sure about the two of you. :rolleyes:

I could be very wrong ... but I don't think there's a nursery for that age or that Carnival offers in cabin babysitting.

LuLu

 

Then it's probably fortunate that the OP is considering RCI which does.

[Kerry's Girls]

Then it's probably fortunate that the OP is considering RCI which does.

 

oh whoops - Thanks for catching that. I read that comment and then also assumed it was Carnival. On a ship with childcare, I'd really have no hesitation.

[cat loving cruiser]

Thank you everybody for your experiences and thoughts!

 

We just came off a 1 night re-positioning cruise on Grand Princess with the little guy (Grandma came along to help). The worst part was the long wait to get on the ship--once we were on board we had fun. I was really surprised with how sweet all the cruise employees were to him--people had told me that folks are friendly with little ones, but people actually sought us out to say hi to him. It was a good time; definitely more stuff to bring and think about, but it worked out well. DH and I primarily cruise to catch up on sleep and spend time with each other, so evenings in (with room service and a balcony!) sound lovely. The 1 nighter was a good test cruise, but we are already looking forward to more.

 

Thanks again CCers! Much appreciated. :)