Cruising with 18 month old

[Funinthesun48]

Hello! So we are wanting to cruise with our then 18 month of next December. Does anyone have any tips and tricks? I know about the blow up bath, and the umbrella stroller but does any one else have any advice? Also if you are going to save leave her at home please don't. We want to take her and it would mean more for us to go as a family! We went two years ago just the two of us, and we stayed in the room quite a bit and relaxed and just went out a couple nights, so that doesn't really bother us!

[lcpagejr]

What ship are you cruising on? Some of the Family Harbor cabins on the Vista offer 2 bathrooms. One has a sink and a jr size bath which would be ideal for bathing your child

[Funinthesun48]

What ship are you cruising on? Some of the Family Harbor cabins on the Vista offer 2 bathrooms. One has a sink and a jr size bath which would be ideal for bathing your child

 

We haven't decided on which exact cruise yet! But I'm pushing for the vista because it's so nice!

[Schoifmom]

There is a ton of information on the Family Cruising board. Check that out for great information on cruising with a toddler.

 

I can only say, make sure to pack more than enough diapers :)

[fsufancc]

My daughter and SIL took their daughter when she was under 12 months. She said the only real issue was everyone stopping them to get a look at the baby as they had her in a stroller to get around. First world problems I guess.

[BNBR]

The GB Pockit stroller is fantastic. Fits in a backpack and much nicer than umbrella stroller. If you are flying, you can just take it right on the plane and put it under the seat or overhead, unlike umbrella strollers.

 

Every family is different, and I hope you enjoy your cruise. I wouldn't enjoy a cruise with an 18 month old as the constant supervision is not a "vacation" for me. We tried that and probably wouldn't do it again. When my youngest was 2 years old, that's when it got more interesting. Carnival is the only line that I know of that offers included camp for 2 year olds, they change diapers, etc. My youngest LOVED it, and we enjoyed having a few hours here and there to do adult stuff. It was a good balance.

 

So my recommendation would be to wait until your child is 2 so you have more options on the cruise. But that's just my opinion :)

[Baxter]

We travelled with our kids as soon as we could...leaving them home wasn't an option, and we were thrilled to travel as a family. We followed the rules (no swim diapers in the pools, for example) and strolled around the ship a lot. The kids loved being out and about, and really are great travellers. But I was surprised at some of the reactions of others. Lots of cringing and eye rolling when we entered the dining room (and some negative comments about having to eat near kids). Rarely did they fuss and, if they did, we removed them from the dining room immediately. So it got better through the cruise as people realized that we weren't about to spoil their pressure dinner time. I can't tell you how many elevators were closed prematurely so that we couldn't get on with our stroller...and it was quite obvious as you could hear them repeatedly pushing the "close" button inside. But we were on vacation, so in no hurry. Lots of lovely folks stopping to talk to us and the kids too...so it wasn't all doom and gloom. And it didn't impact us in any way...we were just surprised.

[amyh13]

I would personally wait 6 months and take advantage of Camp Carnival. I took my son when he was 2 and I still remember it as one of my favorite vacations. I was so nice to have family time AND use the camp for some adult time. As far as I know, Carnival is the only cruise line that accepts 2 year olds into camp (without paying extra for babysitting) which is why we chose Carnival for that cruise. Other lines require that you be 3 and potty trained.

[BNBR]

I would personally wait 6 months and take advantage of Camp Carnival. I took my son when he was 2 and I still remember it as one of my favorite vacations. I was so nice to have family time AND use the camp for some adult time. As far as I know, Carnival is the only cruise line that accepts 2 year olds into camp (without paying extra for babysitting) which is why we chose Carnival for that cruise. Other lines require that you be 3 and potty trained.

 

I booked Royal last month, when my youngest turned 3 a week before the cruise. Thinking, he's 3, we are good now! It's my own fault, but I learned about the potty training requirement the hard way. If I had of known, I would have booked Carnival for last months cruise. They absolutely have the best camp for 2 - 3 year olds that aren't fully potty trained.

 

Though granted, Harmony of the Seas is the only ship I know of that has a large splash pad, including slides, for children in swim diapers. So if a parent does have a young one and doesn't wish to use camp, I think Harmony is a really great option due to several things like the splash pad, family play room, etc.

[myacuna]

Many Royal Ships have nurseries for that age group. We preferred RCCL up until now because of it and will be going on Carnival now that he is 3 and can use the kids club. I would expand your search to include RCCL for your family. We LOVE cruising with our son and would prefer that to leaving him at home.

[BNBR]

Many Royal Ships have nurseries for that age group. We preferred RCCL up until now because of it and will be going on Carnival now that he is 3 and can use the kids club. I would expand your search to include RCCL for your family. We LOVE cruising with our son and would prefer that to leaving him at home.

 

For clarity, kids club is 3 on Royal as well. But Carnivals actually starts at 2.

[springs741]

Granddaughter was 22 months old when we did a family cruise to Alaska.

 

Book a balcony. It is a great place work on your tan during nap time or to enjoy a late night glass of wine with your partner while baby is asleep.

 

Take a couple of crib sheets from home. The scent is comforting and no chance of allergic reaction from different soap chemicals.

 

Forget the bathtub. Get baby accustom to showers. One less thing to pack.

 

Pack a small amount of laundry detergent. I know doing laundry on the cruise doesn't sound like fun but if you have a need for additional clothing it sure helps.

 

Take a good assortment of baby friendly meds/ lotions. Most ships don't have baby Tylenol.

 

Your cruise experience will be different with baby in tow than your pervious couples cruise. And your little one will not remember anything, but you will. As our children mature and build their own lives it becomes increasing difficult to cruise as a family. Start making those memories now and forget the nay sayers.

[horsegal]

Grab the boxed cereal from breakfast to bring into Port for snacks!!! I also brought packages of peanut butter crackers with us (milk allergy). My son was 15 months and I will do it again! In the evenings and nap time we will take turns going out to catch a show or something. The kids club might have the pay for child care but it was only on the evenings starting at 10pm so we didn't bother with it. They also had open play a few hours a day that you stay with your child and they had toys and a little slid.

 

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[MistyRo76]

We cruised with our 14 month old two years ago (on the Breeze) and again with her as a 3 year old (on the Vista) just two weeks ago. Here's what our experience has been:

 

Definitely book a balcony if you can - great to have a little place to escape to when the little one is napping or sleeping at night. And if you book a balcony, I would recommend bringing your baby monitor. We didn't the first time and I regretted it. The balconies are very sound proof, so you can't hear the little one if they are crying or awake. And it's hard to see into the cabin through the windows or the shades were closed to keep the cabin dark. We took ours this year and it worked out great!

 

Don't waste your time or suitcase space with the blow up tub for baths in the cabin. We took one last time and I didn't even get it out of the box. It was quicker and easier for me to just take our daughter into the shower with me. I would shampoo her hair and get her all clean, then hand her off to the hubby for drying/dressing while I finished my shower.

 

Fly into your port city the day before. Traveling with a toddler is tiring for all. Don't make it worse, by making it a really long and stressful travel day if you can avoid it.

 

Don't pack a lot of diapers! Sounds weird to say, right? I only packed enough for a day or two. Then we got into MIA, I walked to a CVS by our hotel and bought a large box of diapers and a pack of swim diapers. I taped them together with packing tape and taped a Carnival luggage tag to the package. Then we just left them with the rest of our checked bags with the porter. They were delivered to our cabin with no issue and we had that much extra luggage space!

 

An umbrella stroller is a must. We got a Summer Infant 3D Lite stroller for a great price on Wal-Mart's website before our first cruise and we took it again on this last one. It is easy to collapse and expand, has a shoulder strap for easy carry, a basket underneath for storage, cup holder, and canopy for shade. It is also narrow enough to get in and out of the cabin fairly easier and takes up little room when stored. Getting around the ship with a stroller was okay, but as someone else said, waiting for elevators during peak times (getting on/off at ports or after dinner, etc.) could be frustrating. Sometimes we would just fold up the stroller and carry her and it up or down the stairs. This stroller was also great for napping as it reclined to an almost flat position. She often slept in the stroller.

 

Personally, I would book a more port intensive itinerary with a little one under two. We found that there was not a lot to do on the ship with a baby under 2. Since she wasn't potty trained, we couldn't take her in the pools or splash park. And she wasn't old enough to do Camp Carnival yet. They do have a few Seuss themed activities for the little ones which is great! She loved the parade, story time and the Seuss at Sea breakfast. There's also the arcade, which my little one loved this year. But there aren't alot of games/activities in there for the under 4 crowd. If you book a newer ship there are movie theater options (Thrill Theater on the Breeze IMAX/Thrill Theater on the Vista). They usually have a few showings for younger ones. But that was about it for on ship activities. We did enjoy walking around the Lanai that goes all around the outside of deck 5. We would stroll down there alot during the day. In port, we did a couple beach days, one guided island tour and just wandered around one port.

 

Getting to/from the airport and ship took a little more planning. I didn't want to travel with a car seat, so I had to research and find transportation companies that could provide a car seat. It worked out great! The couple of times we needed transportation in port, the little one would usually just sit on my lap. Not ideal, but it worked for us.

 

I think the biggest thing we learned in cruising with a toddler twice now is be flexible! We were lucky in that ours adjusted pretty well and napped when/where she could. But we couldn't do everything we were accustomed to doing. We also took turns with her - one evening after dinner, the hubby stayed in the cabin with our daughter so I could spend a little time in the casino with my sis. We also took our little one just about everywhere on the ship. After dinner if she was sleeping in her stroller, we just drug her along with us to listen to the singer in the Red Frog Pub while we had a few drinks with friends. She slept blissfully through it all!

 

Cruising with her this year was different in that we had the option to take her to Camp Carnival. We didn't actually use that option until the next to last day. But we tried it out and after a bit of hesitation at first, she adjusted and seemed to enjoy herself. We took her back that night for the Night Owl late night babysitting. She stayed there until 1AM, some of that time spent sleeping in her stroller! She also spent a few hours there on our last sea day so daddy could enjoy a cigar on deck and mommy could get a massage. It was nice to have a little break and adult time!

 

Sorry, this is so long....but having just done this recently it's mostly fresh in my mind! Whatever you decide, I hope you have a great time!

[maryred]

Make sure you book with a person be it a PVP or a CLIA travel agent that can easily answer (or get the answers) on such issues as what model of port-a-crib or high chair is used on that particular ship (weight and length issues). What the dimensions are of the closets in case you need to store a car seat could also be important. Also some cruise lines will gladly grind adult or children's menu foods for toddlers still needing it, while others will have it hidden you that you will need to bring or buy at an additional charge from them any "baby" food required by your child.

Secondly make sure you get a good travel insurance plan with cancel for any reason, and pre-existing condition medical coverage that covers the toddler as well. Before booking discuss cruising with the pediatrician, he or she may have certain reservations about it especially if the baby has already had a bad reaction to any of the scheduled immunizations and needed to skip the boosters to it. Noro is always a possibility when part of a closed environment of strangers, but other illness like chicken pox or whopping cough can be easily communicated. If you can have your pediatrician also do food allergen testing that can be a plus, especial if for the sake of convenience you decide to use the buffet more then the sit down dining, which can have major cross contamination issues.

About a month before the cruise start monitoring supplies the toddler goes through, then average it out and plan on taking or buying 20% more than what was being used for the cruise. Children can have great empathy, picking up on the excitement of those around them even if it's not family, to the point of becoming over stimulated.which could present itself as simple irritability, backsliding on training, or stomach distress. So remember to pack a good first aid kit including pedialyte, baby pepto, baby tylenol, and something suggested by the child's Dr. for seasickness. If flying in for the cruise consider arriving a day or 2 early and renting a car that you can run stores to purchase the toddler any supplies (diapers, formula, or foods) needed instead of packing them from home. This can save you from having a hefty checked bag fee.

[Drazil65]

The balcony or OS cabin is a must with a little one and although you did not use the blow up bath tub previously it makes a nice little "pool" for the balcony (a water play space). When used our son was very content to play in it on the balcony (a water space) while I read a book out there before nap time. It came in handy as there are NO SWIM DIAPERS ALLOWED in pool area or waterworks (as you know the swim diapers are not made to hold things in).

 

Keep snacks like the little boxes of cereal from buffet with you in the stroller for those times you need to keep the little one busy/occupied on walks around the ship. The cabin balcony and the stroller were our friend when our son was that little.

[BNBR]

The balcony or OS cabin is a must with a little one and although you did not use the blow up bath tub previously it makes a nice little "pool" for the balcony (a water play space). When used our son was very content to play in it on the balcony (a water space) while I read a book out there before nap time. It came in handy as there are NO SWIM DIAPERS ALLOWED in pool area or waterworks (as you know the swim diapers are not made to hold things in).

 

Keep snacks like the little boxes of cereal from buffet with you in the stroller for those times you need to keep the little one busy/occupied on walks around the ship. The cabin balcony and the stroller were our friend when our son was that little.

 

Some ships do have splash areas for children still in swim diapers. Harmony of the Seas has a large one, for example.

[riclop]

We haven't decided on which exact cruise yet! But I'm pushing for the vista because it's so nice!

Vista is about the worst Carnival ship.

[Traveler1010]

Our daughter is 4 now and headed on her 4th cruise (on Carnival Vista) next month. Her first was on NCL for her first birthday! It was a great trip. Would do it again in a heartbeat! We don't use the kids club/sitting services but heard good things.

 

My main advice is more mental- go into it knowing that life has changed and just roll with it. You may go to bed earlier, move slower and enjoy different things but just relax and enjoy. It is so fun to see the world through your baby's eyes. We started bringing our little one on trips about 6 months old and she has been all over this world. I carried her (safely) hiking in Iceland at 2 years old.

 

Cruise recommendations/tips:

- bring Dawn soap, aka God's gift to moms. We used this for bottles, sanitizing things, cleaning icky laundry in the sink, etc.

- we booked a suite large enough to put her pack and play in the bathroom. Then we put a monitor in there and could watch tv/lounge in the room while she slept. We brought her own sheets for comfort.

- umbrella strollers are great for getting around... And naps on the beach. We would tilt it back onto a lawn chair and cover with a muslin sheet to rest on the beach.

- we did mostly beach excursions and brought our own small bucket of toys for her

- those swim t shirts/hats are great because us Minnesotans can put sunscreen on fast enough!

- we sat in the back at some singing and dancing shows and she got a kick out of it. When she got bored we left.

- we don't bring a car seat. We booked a limo with one to get to/from ship and on land just buckled her in cabs and prayed :-)

- we ordered her dinner as soon as we sat to get her started and then she was happier through dinner.

- no swim diaps in pools of course but the splash pad allowed them.

 

Have a great trip!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[cb at sea]

Of course you will bring your child! You're a FAMILY...and that's how families vacation!

[Kova15]

Have fun, go with the flow. Traveling with kids is different but so much fun! We took our son on his first cruise when he was 2 and he loved it so much. Such amazing memories.

Bring plenty of diapers.

Plan easy shore excursions where you dont have to take a cab or drive far. We took our son in a cab (with the car seat) to a beach. It was a total PITA and I prayed we made it there safely because I still worried about the seat belts holding my sons car seat in the car. That was the most stressful part. If you are flying I would pay a little extra for a shuttle so you dont need to bring a car seat with you.

[horsegal]

I fear the boxed cereal is going the way of the dinosaur...

Yeah I've seen a couple posts that said they had the dispensers... I hope not, it's nice to have some packaged good to grab and go!

 

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[mdsgu]

We took our oldest (who is now 8) on his first cruise when he was 8 months old. We had an interior cabin and still had room to set up his pack and play. He was, and still is, a good sleeper, so it wasn't a problem. We had some monstrosity of a stroller that allowed us to attach the carrier to, and we still made do. We never did the inflatable pool thing.

 

Then we had our second (who is now 7). We even did an interior cabin with both of them. I had the pleasure of sleeping in one of the upper bunks when we did that. ;p

 

We just returned from a Thanksgiving cruise. No strollers. No pack and plays. No formula. No diapers. Both kids thought it was great to have an upper bunk. You'll get through it just fine and make some great memories!

[Schoifmom]

I fear the boxed cereal is going the way of the dinosaur...

 

They still had boxed cereal on the Dream in October. Regardless, if you order cereal from room service, it will come in the boxes.

[MistyRo76]

Yeah I've seen a couple posts that said they had the dispensers... I hope not, it's nice to have some packaged good to grab and go!

 

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Bring some ziplock baggies along. Then fill your bowl with the dry cereal from the dispenser and when you get back to your table, pour it in your zip lock for easy transport! This might actually be easier than those little boxes. With the zip locks, you can keep them sealed and fresher longer than the boxed ones once they are opened.