infant and cruising

[Tin]

I've been land bound for a while now. My DD is now 5 months old, I think is time to start looking into a cruise. I've been looking at the Harmony, I sailed the Allure before so I know it will mostly be the same. My questions are

 

1)how old should I wait until my kid is ready to cruise?

2)How hard is it to cruise with an infant?

3) will there be daycare? how about night time daycare so that I can go enough dinner/show?

[Clarea]

You may also want to take a look at the family cruising forum:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=49

[champagne123]

I am sure you will get tons of opinions on this. Mine is: I don't think I would want to pay for a cruise for an infant. (the ticket is not cheaper, just because it is a baby) You even have to pay for gratuities for the baby. Plus, the baby will never remember it anyway. I would wait a couple of years where he/she is aware. JMO. :) Diapers/formula/milk/baby food/strollers...on and on. I don't know. Seems like a lot of work :) Good luck in what ever you decide.

[ColoradoGurl]

I am sure you will get tons of opinions on this. Mine is: I don't think I would want to pay for a cruise for an infant. (the ticket is not cheaper, just because it is a baby) You even have to pay for gratuities for the baby. Plus, the baby will never remember it anyway. I would wait a couple of years where he/she is aware. JMO. :) Diapers/formula/milk/baby food/strollers...on and on. I don't know. Seems like a lot of work :) Good luck in what ever you decide.

 

 

I second this and add: what a gigantic waste of money! Not only will you pay full fare for the baby, but you will have to pay extra for the babysitting in the room in order to go out and do anything. I'd wait a few years until the baby can actually enjoy some of the vacation or is old enough to leave home with family. I paid $1800 for a 2 year old to cruise with me and vowed never to do it again (one of the dumbest uses of money I've ever spent); it was 8 years before I took another cruise and it was well worth the wait.

 

 

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Edited November 30, 2016 by ColoradoGurl

[BeachChik]

I'm sure some will post saying go as soon as you can which I believe is six months for most cruises and one year for transatlantic.

 

For me personally I would wait till she was walking. The stage where they have to be carried everywhere or put in something to be carried is a pia IMO. Plus when they are a little older they don't take as many naps so more time to do stuff during the day. And as an infant you have to bring more stuff because they are still either taking bottles or breastfeeding, not potty trained and most likely still waking up multiple times a night.

 

I have a three year old and two month old. We've done small vacations at this point with the three year old. Now that we have an infant again we will be waiting a bit before we plan anything. Though we are going to Disney in January but only for the day and only because I live in Orlando.

Edited November 30, 2016 by BeachChik

[moonltnite]

I am sure you will get tons of opinions on this. Mine is: I don't think I would want to pay for a cruise for an infant. (the ticket is not cheaper, just because it is a baby) You even have to pay for gratuities for the baby. Plus, the baby will never remember it anyway. I would wait a couple of years where he/she is aware. JMO. :) Diapers/formula/milk/baby food/strollers...on and on. I don't know. Seems like a lot of work :) Good luck in what ever you decide.

 

I agree with the other posters. We didn't take our DD with us on a cruise until she was 5 years old. She had a great time - but even at 5 years old, she no longer remembers this cruise (she's 27 years old now!). If we had taken a cruise when she was younger than that, we'd likely have gone without her - and would have asked one of her sets of grandparents to take care of her while we were gone.

[reallyitsmema]

I've been land bound for a while now. My DD is now 5 months old, I think is time to start looking into a cruise. I've been looking at the Harmony, I sailed the Allure before so I know it will mostly be the same. My questions are

 

1)how old should I wait until my kid is ready to cruise?

2)How hard is it to cruise with an infant?

3) will there be daycare? how about night time daycare so that I can go enough dinner/show?

 

Babies have to be at least 6 months to cruise, but some itineraries require them to be 12 months old. Harmony has the Royal and Tots Nursery where you can sign up a certain amount of hours for the week. There is a fee per hour, it was $8 per hour, I would check for the current rate. There is in cabin babysitting that is available on a first come, first served basis which runs around $20 per hour.

 

As far as how hard it is to cruise with an infant, that really depends on the baby and the parents. Some say it is too much work, others say very easy. I traveled a lot with my son when he was little but he was a great traveler. Do what is best for your family, we are all different.

[mollyeilis]

I wish we could have cruised when ds was bitty. What a relatively easy time that was. All he wanted was to be with us. He had no opinions other than "why aren't you getting those out faster because I'm hungry" and "change my diaper oh wait i hate diaper changes". He was totally portable.

 

And life with a baby is kinda boring. Might as well be somewhere fun!

 

We didn't because of money. We did, however, start visiting Disney as soon as I remembered that my brother lives in SoCal. And seriously, life with a toddler is boring. Might as well be somewhere that's fun. :)

 

 

As for remembering, the memory part isn't for the kid, it's for you. YOU will remember it. And the kid will have it in their system somewhere. If we don't do anything until they remember, might as well stick the crib in a crib and provide them with nothing interesting to do or see or experience. Except that tends to turn kids into problematic kids.

 

And hey, our first cruise was our honeymoon a week after our wedding. By the time we got onboard the fact that I had a teensy stowaway was making itself obvious. I already needed a new bra size, couldn't stand waistbands, was broiling (normally I'm cold to the touch and feel cold on the inside as well but DH nearly separated the beds because I was a furnace), and I was passing out by 8. I barely remember that cruise. Should I not have gone? Nah. The fact that I was there plus DH's memories (plus the pretty bracelet he bought me with his winnings from gambling one night because he was bored watching me sleep lol) make the trip worth it.

 

If you want to travel and see other things besides your living room with the baby, then travel. If you like your house and your town that much and can't imagine doing what you do at home while at sea, then don't.

 

 

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[cb at sea]

Cruising with you baby is the same as ANY other vacation you'd take...except the ship doesn't sell pediatric meds...so you need to bring all that you MIGHT need! No runs to the pharmacy on a ship!!!

 

You will also need all the diapers, wipes, etc..that you will need for a week...

 

When you have children, you're a FAMILY...and families travel together! You will do as you do at home...but you'll be in a prettier place, and won't have to cook or clean!

[sjb317]

I wish we could have cruised when ds was bitty. What a relatively easy time that was. All he wanted was to be with us. He had no opinions other than "why aren't you getting those out faster because I'm hungry" and "change my diaper oh wait i hate diaper changes". He was totally portable.

 

And life with a baby is kinda boring. Might as well be somewhere fun!

 

We didn't because of money. We did, however, start visiting Disney as soon as I remembered that my brother lives in SoCal. And seriously, life with a toddler is boring. Might as well be somewhere that's fun. :)

 

 

As for remembering, the memory part isn't for the kid, it's for you. YOU will remember it. And the kid will have it in their system somewhere. If we don't do anything until they remember, might as well stick the crib in a crib and provide them with nothing interesting to do or see or experience. Except that tends to turn kids into problematic kids.

 

And hey, our first cruise was our honeymoon a week after our wedding. By the time we got onboard the fact that I had a teensy stowaway was making itself obvious. I already needed a new bra size, couldn't stand waistbands, was broiling (normally I'm cold to the touch and feel cold on the inside as well but DH nearly separated the beds because I was a furnace), and I was passing out by 8. I barely remember that cruise. Should I not have gone? Nah. The fact that I was there plus DH's memories (plus the pretty bracelet he bought me with his winnings from gambling one night because he was bored watching me sleep lol) make the trip worth it.

 

If you want to travel and see other things besides your living room with the baby, then travel. If you like your house and your town that much and can't imagine doing what you do at home while at sea, then don't.

 

 

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I so agree with you!:D I wish we had been able to cruise when our sons were young but unfortunately, we did not have the money! A vacation for us was camping in a tent which really was not much of a vacation for me as I still had to cook, clean up, etc. :eek:

 

The youngest we've ever taken a child was a grandson at 16 months. It was super easy, but we had enough adults to take turns helping out. He is almost 7 now and says he remembers it:rolleyes:. I really don't think he does, but it has certainly given Pop Pop and I some great family memories.

 

Sherri:)

[1992cruiser]

My wife and I took our 11 month old on Oasis and had a great time. I will have those great memories forever, especially when she really started walking through Central Park. We did get a really good rate for the third passenger. We also had gma and gpa to help out and we made use of the day/night care almost everyday. We would send her there when it was her bedtime and we would enjoy our dinner and a show.

 

Packing is packing and you come home with less because of all the baby stuff you throw away. The crew was awesome and always made my daughter smile and laugh. We have another one on the way and just booked a 7 nighter for Sep when we will have a 3 year old and a 9 monther. Looking forward to it.

Edited November 30, 2016 by 1992cruiser

[Mommy oooo]

Both my girls were between 13-15 months old on there first cruise. My oldest is 12 and will be going on her 13th cruise in February and my youngest is 8 and will be going on her 8th.

 

Me personally I waited until they were no longer using formula and walking.

[gqboy1]

We are going on our first cruise with a 4 y.o. and 2 y.o. in the new year. We've brought the kids on multiple vacations ever since they were young but this will be the first cruise. One of the reason why we booked was we saw a promo where kids sailed free. If you are looking to reduce cost, perhaps target one of these deals? The cruise will ultimately cost us more than the past All Inclusive's we've been to but this promotion allowed us to try cruising to see if it's something we like.

[spookwife]

I've been land bound for a while now. My DD is now 5 months old, I think is time to start looking into a cruise. I've been looking at the Harmony, I sailed the Allure before so I know it will mostly be the same. My questions are

 

 

 

1)how old should I wait until my kid is ready to cruise?

 

2)How hard is it to cruise with an infant?

 

3) will there be daycare? how about night time daycare so that I can go enough dinner/show?

 

 

Junior must be 6 months old unless there are more than 2 consecutive sea days, in which case it is 12 months.

 

You are required to bring everything you need and then some since the ship will not have anything to speak of, although they will prepare meals that are infant friendly.

 

 

 

 

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[BeachChik]

How difficult it will be depends on the age when you cruise. Taking a six month old is very different than taking a 12 month old. They learn so much in the first year that a few months makes a big difference.

[Tin]

I really appreciate the feedback. It won't be tomorrow or this year, I am starting the research right now on when to go. I think she will be closer to a year old before we take a trip. I'll look into the promotion of kid sail free. I think I saw a flier somewhere mentioning it.

[horsegal]

We are taking our 1 year old in January (15 months in Jan) I wanted to wait until he was fully on solids so I wouldn't have to bring baby food with us. Also hoping he will be walking by then but I'm not sure that one will happen. It actually only cost $260 extra to bring him with us, since he can fly for free and excursions are also free for him.

 

Even if leaving him with grandparents was an option (for us it is not, he is too much work for them right now) we would still want to take him, my husband works a lot even when he has a "day off" and I stay at home so this will be our family time.

 

We choose a balcony room so we can sit outside during his nap (just switched to one nap which will be so nice on vacation). Also might take turns in the evenings to go to a show. I am so excited to go and I know he won't remember it but I can't imagine being away from him for a week, never been away for more then a few hours.

 

Something you might want to consider is some of the royal ships and Disney I think have a splash area for kids in diapers, all others they are not allowed unless potty trained. However we went with carnival, they are our favorite line and the others were too expensive for us.

 

 

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[kasandra1679]

We just returned from a trip with a one year old and for our 7yo it was his fourth cruise (starting at 16mo). Yeah the little ones won't remember but I remember taking them and seeing their faces light up at everything. Those memories are some of our most cherished. Plus I love the dedicated family time a cruise offers us - a nice break from our busy lives. It is admittedly harder when they are small but the key is just to know your child's limits and plan for breaks. Oh and resign yours that packing light is much harder - it is so easy to overpack when trying to think of everything a child might need in comparison to yourself.

 

 

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[xxHadleyxx]

My youngest was 10 months old the first time we cruised (and the older one was just shy of 3). We loved it. Things ti do and enjoy while still always steps from food/change of clothes/quiet room to nap in, etc It was very freeing to not have to tote thigns everywhere and to feel we could try a show (sitting in the back, on the aisle) or nice dinner etc knowing we were not out extra money if we needed to duck out and the baby could quickly be taken back to the room or somewhere else interesting to him if needed.

 

This was on the Disney Wonder many moons ago (that baby will be 18 this month) and at that time kids under free sailed for only port chrages, so there was not much in the way of fees as some are discussing here.

Edited December 1, 2016 by NHDisneylover

[ravenjls]

Hubby and I went on cruise with daughter, SIL and our 9 mo old grandson. Everyone had a great time. So much so that we are going with them again in January, this time with their now 3 yr old and and 1 year old.

 

The Oasis class ships have a large toy room that you can take your child into so they can run around and play. It was wonderful.

 

They also have a baby pool for babies in diapers.

 

We got side by side balcony rooms and had the divider opened. We left balcony doors unlocked and we could go back and forth between rooms.

 

Nap time we would put him in one room and use baby monitor in the other. Order room service and sit on balcony enjoying the view while having lunch.

 

We left out of ft lauderdale and flew in the day before. We cabbed to a grocery store close by and picked up diapers and packets of food etc. Very easy.

 

It was really a fantastic vacation where everything you wanted was in close proximity (food, entertainment, etc) and it was well suited for taking care of a baby.

[gqboy1]

I really appreciate the feedback. It won't be tomorrow or this year, I am starting the research right now on when to go. I think she will be closer to a year old before we take a trip. I'll look into the promotion of kid sail free. I think I saw a flier somewhere mentioning it.

 

There's actually a promotion happening right now for Kids Sail Free. :) Good timing!

[Tin]

There's actually a promotion happening right now for Kids Sail Free. :) Good timing!

 

just called my agent and balcony is only 200 more than interior room on the Allure. However, my wife just brought up about zika. I've done a search and found not much new information. We'll be heading to Nassau, St. Thomas, and St. Kitts. They are listed as level 2 on cdc website. Cruise won't happen for another 9 months.

[BuffetPantsPls]

I've cruised every year with my two boys since they were 9 months, 2.5 yrs.

 

@ 9 months, where the older one was 2.5. This was acutally really good. We brought two small strollers and they were good @ doing alot of napping that we timed our specialty dining when they napped. The were big into boiled peas and carrots too for meals and the staff was incredibly friendly about it.

The downside was that we literally lugged a larger luggage for the kids than the one we carried for ourselves. This was the norwegian star.

The small ship was awesome. It was well staffed and everyone was super helpful, and the ship was not that crowded that we didnt have to worry about disturbing anyone. It also felt lke we were the only family with young kids on board.

 

@ the following year, the youngest one was 2 yrs old. This was a nightmare. Kids were cranky, they didnt nap as long, they were discoverying their own individual freedom, like staying in the kiddie pool for hours on end. Even though we had my parents and grand parents with me, we still had to handle a majority of the baby sitting since the grand parents and parents wanted to enjoy their time too. Though, if you ask my folks, they talked about how great my kids were.

They weren't. and i ended up getting the norovirus. But there were certainly some great moments though. My oldest one still remembers the small boat we took on the island and talks about it still.

Some tips though, we ate really early, like 5:30. We were also in bed by 8:30 because we were so tired after being up at 6-6:30am because the kids were up. I'd occasionally sneak out at 9pm to just grab a drink at the bar, but after one, i'd be so tired i'd just get back to the room and straight into bed.

 

 

We're going on the Anthem next week with our little one just turning 3. He can communicate better and we hope he sailed as well as his older brother @ the same age.

[flyingandcruising]

just called my agent and balcony is only 200 more than interior room on the Allure. However, my wife just brought up about zika. I've done a search and found not much new information. We'll be heading to Nassau, St. Thomas, and St. Kitts. They are listed as level 2 on cdc website. Cruise won't happen for another 9 months.

 

Dont know much about Zika, but I dont think you need to worry for babies, its mostly for pregnant and soon to be pregnant families. Were taking our 21 month old to Jamaica and cozumel and they are also at level 2

 

Our experience. We took our 8 month old on a carnival cruise a year ago, and we will be taking him on the Harmony in March, for which he will be 21 months. At the time when he was 8 months we had major sleeping issues with him so that did make things a struggle, but we still enjoyed ourselves and so did he. He was still mostly on formula and that didnt make any difference, just had to take on a few cans of powder. The crib was provided by the cruiseline and fit well in the cabin. We weren't allowed into the comedy lounge, and going to shows were difficult, but we knew the challenges when booking.

 

I would do it again though in a heart beat and as mentioned we are taking him this march on Harmony.

[bean24]

My son will be going on his seventh cruise for his eighth birthday. I've found this to be one of the easiest vacations to take with him. Yes you have to bring everything but there is nothing wrong with just hanging on the balcony so depending on his mood there's something to do.

 

 

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