Cruising with 18 month old

[iceberg1116]

Yep. Just go and enjoy. At worst, you will enjoy not having to worry about food for a week. At best everyone will have together.

[iceberg1116]

We are bringing our almost 3yr old and 9 month old with us this December.

Edited August 10, 2014 by iceberg1116

[scpios]

My wife and I will be cruising in December on the breeze and we are going to bring our 18 month old. We haven't had a vacation since she got pregnant and are super excited. We are however slightly nervous about cruising with an 18 month old who isn't old enough to utilize camp carnival. My question is this: is there anyone that has done this with a child under two that has any tips or advice that would make it easier i guess lol.

A lot of great advice was given. I will add that we've cruised with DD four times since she was 11 months old and her age has never made us spend more time in the room.

-A lighter stroller for traveling is a relief

-If a balcony is in your budget then the inflatable tub can double as a "pool" out there

-Stock up daily on fruit, cereal, etc for late night or early morning munchies

-If you love laying out at the pool as we do those small pop tents were one of the best things invented lol. She would nap and be protected from the sun and we had our "adult time".

-Do not skip the next show if the baby fusses a little at the previous one

-For our piece of mind we always request an infant/child life jacket

-Remember that you're on vacation in a happy place when people that are capable of taking the stairs push past you to get on the elevator first.

[ellasmomanddad]

Im a dad of a 8 month old and decided not to bring my princess because lets face it i need a break...but I have to say almost everyone gives great advice and I was debating a dcl cruise next year when she will be roughly this age and all of you convinced me i dont need a theme park a cruise will make all of us much more relaxed even with a infant...the only post I had to question was the poster who put there kid in the pool with a diaper thats how 4000 people on a ship get sick be smart

[Snowbuddy]

all really good advice (agreed about the not putting diapered kid in the pool though!)...here are a few more ideas/food for thought.

 

*bring benadryl, that is the only thing that will help w/ sea sickness that you can give a child.

 

*as much as i despise those leash/backpack things, we did borrow one for our DD when we took her at 18-months. there were times she just did NOT want to be stuck in the stroller while on the ship, and this helped.

 

*if you are so inclined, decorate your door--DD LOVED knowing which room was hers because of the decor on the door. Once we got close to our room, we would let her out of the stroller and she would run to our cabin door (we were in the middle of a long hallway, so she wasn't running past elevator lobbies or anything like that), and be like "MINE!!", lol!

 

*the carriers (baby bjorn, etc.) are good, but only if a) you & your child are used to it, and b) you are prepared for the added heat of another body snug against yours...in the caribbean. sticking an 18-month-old that is not used to being worn in a carrier is not a good idea. and, it is hot! very hot! and when you strap another person to your back...sweat city!

 

*Like others said, just as adults can order to their heart's desire in the MDR, so can your child. DD loved the mixed fruit every night, and after the first night, our waiter figured out she LOVED the cherries in it...so, each night after that, her mixed fruit came LOADED with the cherries, lol! if your child has good manners, and you treat your waitstaff with respect, they will take wonderful care of your family!

 

*make sure you & your spouse/SO agree on who gets cabin duty for naps/early nights. i love to read on vacation, so i didn't mind being the one to go back, usually (and DD is a night owl, so wasn't like i had to head back at 7:00 p.m.!), but there was one night that i really wanted to participate in a p.m. activity, so DH had bedtime duty that night!

 

Plan, prepare and realize it won't all work out that way, and then go with the flow! it isn't the same as an adults-only vacation, but those don't always go according to plan either! have fun!!

[Sunkissed Mommy]

We sailed on the Breeze in July/August with our then 17-month old.

 

Here is my review: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=43814051&posted=1#post43814051

[Tagong]

Here is my review from a 2013 cruise with our 8 month old on Celebrity. Took her again a year later on RCI Indy of Seas. She was 20 months this time around. Booked on DCL for this January she will be 2.5 yrs. Vacations with our little one have given my wife and I some of the greatest moments with our daughter and I would not ever think of going away without her.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1794896