Just Back...Cruising with a Baby!

[jefffrompawpaw]

A baby screaming on top of his lungs all night (literally - all night) because he can't deal with the motion of the ship I do not.

 

 

Yeah, babies hate being rocked:rolleyes:

 

* Babies are no worse or louder than adults or more appropriately drunk adults. They are the worst! I never travel without ear plugs.

 

* I don't get in hot tubs ever. Adults are just as disgusting as kids. Who wants to take a "bath" with 20 people stewing in their own filth anyways?

 

* I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise OP. People who don't like kids should go on adults only or all inclusive adults only.

 

* I love the rolly eyes emoticon. If I think you are posting something ridiculous you get one of these:rolleyes:. If they were inappropriate Cruise Critic the most politically correct message board ever would get rid of them.

[jefffrompawpaw]

what a bunch of whiners. Let me know when your all cruising again so i can bring my three grandchildren. You think a baby will ruin your day?

 

Sent from my xt1254 using tapatalk

 

 

 

Love this post!

Edited March 25, 2016 by jefffrompawpaw

[teltrainer]

Well at least we don't have to worry about adults trying to climb under our balcony divider. On the Reflection 3 years ago we had an 18 month old wander out of the cabin next door and try to join us on our balcony by crawling under the divider. Apparently the doting parents left their door wide open. Only noticed when we yelled "no...stop"

 

Then there was the baby on our recent 10 day Equinox cruise whose parents thought it cute to put the baby on the floor of the Martini Bar at 6:30pm in the midst of passengers standing and walking through to get to bar and elevators. This was 3 ft from the bar itself.

 

Sticky floor with drink spills, people not looking down almost stepping on baby is a great video moment since the clueless laughing parents also filmed the baby crawling all over the bar area.

 

Both babies just victims of stupid parents.

[Marelaine]

Norwegianwood57 - I'm sympathetic to people who are subjected to bad behavior from other people's children. If parents want a break from parenting, they should leave the children at home. If they choose to bring the kids, they aren't excused from parenting responsibilities.

 

But I have to ask this question. Did you try earplugs? Leaving the cruise early seems to be an extreme solution. We always pack earplugs just in case of noisy neighbors, although we've never had to use them.

 

Wonders10 - I'm glad you had a good experience travelling with your baby. Some babies travel well, other's don't. It's the same with adults.

Edited March 25, 2016 by Marelaine

[Tommy3putts]

 

I'm glad you had a good experience travelling with your baby. Some babies travel well, other's don't. It's the same with adults.

 

 

 

That's so funny....and true.

[Ma Bell]

The truth is there are not usually many children on Celebrity cruises unless it's vacation time and even then there aren't many. They have great programs for the kids too so even when they are on board you'd hardly know it. Cruising is a great family vacation. Most of the kids are well behaved and just having a little fun. Of course there's always the exception and then it's no fun for anyone.

 

Infants and toddlers are another thing and problems associated with them are usually because the parents aren't doing what they should. It's also true that sometimes there's just not much they can do.

 

We had a Transatlantic cruise where the people in the cabin next to us had two little ones, one about 8 months and the other almost two. At that age they really can't tell you when something is bothering them except by crying and unfortunately for the parents they cried every night for hours on end. We did manage to get some earplugs and could still hear them but at least if we got to sleep it was OK. We had about a week around Europe before heading across and the parents decided to abandon ship before the crossing. I really felt sorry for them but have to admit I was relieved to see them go.

[Marelaine]

Well at least we don't have to worry about adults trying to climb under our balcony divider. On the Reflection 3 years ago we had an 18 month old wander out of the cabin next door and try to join us on our balcony by crawling under the divider. Apparently the doting parents left their door wide open. Only noticed when we yelled "no...stop"

 

Then there was the baby on our recent 10 day Equinox cruise whose parents thought it cute to put the baby on the floor of the Martini Bar at 6:30pm in the midst of passengers standing and walking through to get to bar and elevators. This was 3 ft from the bar itself.

 

Sticky floor with drink spills, people not looking down almost stepping on baby is a great video moment since the clueless laughing parents also filmed the baby crawling all over the bar area.

 

Both babies just victims of stupid parents.

 

YIKES! If the parents are that lax with their babies on a ship full of strangers, imagine what they must be like at home. Poor babies.

Edited March 25, 2016 by Marelaine

[norwegianwood57]

I dont even understand why the OP would post that they had a wonderful cruise with their baby. That everyone loved their baby. That someone gave their baby flowers. That everyone should bring their babies on cruises. Well the last sentence wasnt really there, but is that the point of the post?

 

If that is the point, that everyone should bring babies on cruises, how wonderfully they are received by staff and passengers, then maybe I should post my cruise experience without babies and kids as well.

 

In February we had an amazing cruise to Southern Caribbean. There were very few children aboard. Those that were there, were not seen and not heard from.

 

The pool area had no kids. No kids in hot tubs, no kids in the Adult only area. No kids in bars or casino. No kids yelling and screaming in the dining room. No strollers parked in the dining room and NO highchairs. No babies crying and so on.

 

And my point,

 

No one posts how wonderful it is to cruise without babies, kids on board, nor should anyone post how wonderful it is to cruise with them. To do so is to invite those of us who do not feel as you do, to tell you why and when we do, you dont like it.

[Marelaine]

I dont even understand why the OP would post that they had a wonderful cruise with their baby. That everyone loved their baby. That someone gave their baby flowers. That everyone should bring their babies on cruises. Well the last sentence wasn't really there, but is that the point of the post?

 

I believe she was offering to answer questions and offer tips to others who might want to travel with their babies. Or maybe, like the rest of us, she enjoys chatting about cruising.

Edited March 25, 2016 by Marelaine

[Tricia724]

I didn't really get that the OP was encouraging everyone to bring their baby on a cruise. My take is that she was a bit apprehensive, not knowing what to expect, and was so pleased that the crew and fellow passengers were kind that she wanted to share her experience. She didn't say so but possibly this is her first child and she is just getting used to new experiences with a little one.

 

Personally, I appreciate when people post positive cruising experiences because there are sure lots of the other kind on these boards.

 

Whether I love or don't love cruising with children is my individual preference, and it's up to me to do my research and choose times, destinations, and cruiselines most likely to offer me the type of vacation I enjoy.

[Wonders10]

I dont even understand why the OP would post that they had a wonderful cruise with their baby. That everyone loved their baby. That someone gave their baby flowers. That everyone should bring their babies on cruises. Well the last sentence wasn't really there, but is that the point of the post?

 

 

I believe she was offering to answer questions and offer tips to others who might want to travel with their babies. Or maybe, like the rest of us, she enjoys chatting about cruising.

 

YES! All of this!

 

I didn't really get that the OP was encouraging everyone to bring their baby on a cruise. My take is that she was a bit apprehensive, not knowing what to expect, and was so pleased that the crew and fellow passengers were kind that she wanted to share her experience. She didn't say so but possibly this is her first child and she is just getting used to new experiences with a little one.

 

Personally, I appreciate when people post positive cruising experiences because there are sure lots of the other kind on these boards.

 

Whether I love or don't love cruising with children is my individual preference, and it's up to me to do my research and choose times, destinations, and cruiselines most likely to offer me the type of vacation I enjoy.

 

Geez Louise...I knew I should have kept my mouth shut. I barely come on CC anymore because all I read is negative posts but because I read very little about baby cruising, and I did have a great experience, I wanted to share that and offer any help to other new parents who may be thinking of the same thing. I just got married a week ago, we have an 8 month old daughter who I did not feel comfortable leaving at home so my mom joined us and we had a great family trip. Is that too positive for all of you? Ok, here's a negative...a dead bird was on our balcony and the rocking ship caused the bathroom door to close on finger. My cruise was ruined....oh wait, no it wasn't.

 

Happy cruising everyone!

Edited March 25, 2016 by Wonders10

[llarosa]

 

YES! All of this!

 

 

 

Geez Louise...I knew I should have kept my mouth shut. I barely come on CC anymore because all I read is negative posts but because I read very little about baby cruising, and I did have a great experience, I wanted to share that and offer any help to other new parents who may be thinking of the same thing. I just got married a week ago, we have an 8 month old daughter who I did not feel comfortable leaving at home so my mom joined us and we had a great family trip. Is that too positive for all of you? Ok, here's a negative...a dead bird was on our balcony and the rocking ship caused the bathroom door to close on finger. My cruise was ruined....oh wait, no it wasn't.

 

Happy cruising everyone!

 

All power to you. I agree - there's just too much negative vibe on Cruise Critic these days. Thank you for sharing your cruise experience and glad you had a good time. Can't wait for our cruise that starts in 8 days!

[DebbieMacG]

 

YES! All of this!

 

 

 

Geez Louise...I knew I should have kept my mouth shut. I barely come on CC anymore because all I read is negative posts but because I read very little about baby cruising, and I did have a great experience, I wanted to share that and offer any help to other new parents who may be thinking of the same thing. I just got married a week ago, we have an 8 month old daughter who I did not feel comfortable leaving at home so my mom joined us and we had a great family trip. Is that too positive for all of you? Ok, here's a negative...a dead bird was on our balcony and the rocking ship caused the bathroom door to close on finger. My cruise was ruined....oh wait, no it wasn't.

 

Happy cruising everyone!

 

Congratulations on your marriage, I'm delighted you had a wonderful honeymoon with your family, I'm so sorry some people just couldn't wish you well. Thanks for the feedback, maybe you could post on the children/babies part of the forum as I'm sure you would have some tips for other people looking to take a cruise with young ones :)

[Wonders10]

 

Congratulations on your marriage, I'm delighted you had a wonderful honeymoon with your family, I'm so sorry some people just couldn't wish you well. Thanks for the feedback, maybe you could post on the children/babies part of the forum as I'm sure you would have some tips for other people looking to take a cruise with young ones :)

 

Wait...what?! There's a kid cruising section?! Now you tell me lol.

[drarill]

 

YES! All of this!

 

 

 

Geez Louise...I knew I should have kept my mouth shut. I barely come on CC anymore because all I read is negative posts but because I read very little about baby cruising, and I did have a great experience, I wanted to share that and offer any help to other new parents who may be thinking of the same thing. I just got married a week ago, we have an 8 month old daughter who I did not feel comfortable leaving at home so my mom joined us and we had a great family trip. Is that too positive for all of you? Ok, here's a negative...a dead bird was on our balconny and the rocking ship caused the bathroom door to close on finger. My cruise was ruined....oh wait, no it wasn't.

 

Happy cruising everyone!

I'm glad you had a great time!! We started cruising with our children when they were two and three years old. Can you believe they are going to be 17 and 18 on our next Reflection cruise this summer? They are both D+ on RCCL C&A and I called two weeks ago to get my son's CC number and he is Elite already.

I remember our first cruise with them, even though my mom and many family members were traveling with us, we didn't go to any shows or specialty restaurants. We spent a lot of time on our suite. Now we are happy if we can have breakfast and dinner with them when we are on the ship.

Time flies, enjoy every moment and every cruise.... happy cruising!

[DebbieMacG]

 

Wait...what?! There's a kid cruising section?! Now you tell me lol.

 

There is :) http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=49

Edited March 25, 2016 by DebbieMacG

[varoo]

.......I read very little about baby cruising, and I did have a great experience, I wanted to share that and offer any help to other new parents who may be thinking of the same thing.......

Glad you were so lucky and that all went well for you.

 

 

Thanks for the feedback, maybe you could post on the children/babies part of the forum as I'm sure you would have some tips for other people looking to take a cruise with young ones :)

Good suggestion.

Here is a link to it: Family Cruises

 

 

Whether booking a cruise ship cabin or a hotel room, people usually do not know in advance whether or not they will be disturbed by a crying baby or an adult drunk or noisy teenagers in the room next door,

 

But the big difference is that with disruptive teenagers or drunks, you can call security and they can take care of the problem.

 

There is nothing they can do about a crying baby.

 

 

[norwegianwood57]

"there is nothing they can do about a crying baby"

 

That is not correct. As long as Celebrity allows babies on board, they have to be willing to accommodate passengers who may be inconvenienced as a result. Not sleeping is a big inconvenience.

 

Ask, after the first night of NO sleep to be moved, but not just moved, moved to an upgrade for your inconvenience. If not moved, get compensation OBC's.

 

You still wont sleep, but you can buy yourself something to make yourself feel better. lol....and yes get earplugs.

[Wonders10]

I'm bragging here because our DD is freakishly good. Like, we will be getting paid back for it dearly when she is a teenager I'm sure. But...she did have a rough afternoon when attempting to go down for a nap. She was in the cabin next door with my mom, and I had NO idea she was crying and fighting her nap until she told me an hour or so later. Other than door slams and noises in the hallway, I heard nothing.

[Marelaine]

I think somebody in this thread needs a nap and it's not the baby.

Edited March 26, 2016 by Marelaine

[Tommy3putts]

This is a very interesting discussion. While as a 50 something grumpy old man with no kids , I more than sympathize and agree with Norweigian, I applaud the OP "Wonders woman". I for one don't care to seek out family oriented cruises. But as long as the paste eaters are not allowed to run amuck all over the ship and there is in a different adults only area of the ship that I can escape to, it doesn't phase me.

 

While it is a parents responsibility to manage their Cheerios tossers, a lot of blame lies with the cruise staff in not enforcing the stated policies. Case in point, is our recent February cruise on Allure of the Seas. A couple brought their screaming toddler into the restricted Solarium (16 and older). When I asked the bar tender to have someone ask them to leave, he said there was nothing they could do. That was unacceptable.

[momperson2]

Hi there! While I am glad you had a great time on the cruise with the baby---I guess my only "issue" is that a baby (or any small child) is allowed to dine in the Blu. I have nothing against kids, raise two of my own. However, the last two cruises we book on Celebrity was Aqua class. We enjoyed eating in the Blu, because of no small children. In fact the first time we were told they didn't allow small children in Aqua class. I LOVE children, and I work with high school special ed kids. So the only time we can travel is when the ships are going to have more children on board. Also, we have met several other "school employees" thats when they they can travel---Spring break. We enjoy getting away from kid---eating in the Blu and relaxing in the adult pool area. I know when we are in other areas, yes there may be kids. That doesn't brother us. But when we pay the extra $$$ to be in Aqua Class I want to be kid free. Sorry!!!! And the adult pool area---NO KIDS should be allowed!!! We have booked a cruise for April 2017, this time it will be a regular balcony (Aqua class was $1,200 more) and plan on using our ship board credit to eat in some of the fine dining. When we have grand kids (expecting our first in Oct :-) When we want to take them on a cruise we will look into some of the more family/kid cruises. IE--Disney or even Royal Caribbean, Norwegian

Even on Celebrity I would make sure we would stay in family pool area, ate in MDR etc.

[Wonders10]

This is a very interesting discussion. While as a 50 something grumpy old man with no kids , I more than sympathize and agree with Norweigian, I applaud the OP "Wonders woman". I for one don't care to seek out family oriented cruises. But as long as the paste eaters are not allowed to run amuck all over the ship and there is in a different adults only area of the ship that I can escape to, it doesn't phase me.

 

While it is a parents responsibility to manage their Cheerios tossers, a lot of blame lies with the cruise staff in not enforcing the stated policies. Case in point, is our recent February cruise on Allure of the Seas. A couple brought their screaming toddler into the restricted Solarium (16 and older). When I asked the bar tender to have someone ask them to leave, he said there was nothing they could do. That was unacceptable.

 

Thank you and I couldn't agree more. We didn't bring her to clubs at night, or the adult pool area, or the casino, or anywhere that broke the rules. And I was uber conscious of what she was doing and how those around me were responding to it. I tried my best to be considerate. I'll sadly admit that I've encountered more rude adult son vacation than children.

Edited March 26, 2016 by Wonders10

[Wonders10]

Hi there! While I am glad you had a great time on the cruise with the baby---I guess my only "issue" is that a baby (or any small child) is allowed to dine in the Blu. I have nothing against kids, raise two of my own. However, the last two cruises we book on Celebrity was Aqua class. We enjoyed eating in the Blu, because of no small children. In fact the first time we were told they didn't allow small children in Aqua class. I LOVE children, and I work with high school special ed kids. So the only time we can travel is when the ships are going to have more children on board. Also, we have met several other "school employees" thats when they they can travel---Spring break. We enjoy getting away from kid---eating in the Blu and relaxing in the adult pool area. I know when we are in other areas, yes there may be kids. That doesn't brother us. But when we pay the extra $$$ to be in Aqua Class I want to be kid free. Sorry!!!! And the adult pool area---NO KIDS should be allowed!!! We have booked a cruise for April 2017, this time it will be a regular balcony (Aqua class was $1,200 more) and plan on using our ship board credit to eat in some of the fine dining. When we have grand kids (expecting our first in Oct :-) When we want to take them on a cruise we will look into some of the more family/kid cruises. IE--Disney or even Royal Caribbean, Norwegian

Even on Celebrity I would make sure we would stay in family pool area, ate in MDR etc.

 

I had my concerns and voiced them repeatedly to multiple employees when booking the cruise and was ever told no so....I know it's rare. Very rare. But still not against the rules. We did a family Mediterranean cruise in AQ (pre-baby) and my 10 and 12 year old niece and nephew ate there without issue.

[Wonders10]

PS, babies can't go in any of the pools.