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Experience with infants on HAL


bjarrett7
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We are taking my daughter and her two children on the Oosterdam in just 5 short days! I am a little concerned about the 18 mos old since he is too young for any of the children’s programs. Does anyone have any experience, suggestions or helpful advice? Maybe it would help me sleep better tonight! 🙃

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You might want to check with the "family cruising board" there might be some helpful info there.  The one thing I keep hearing is that someone taking "little ones" needs to bring EVERYTHING.  Since we sail on HAL little ones are in our distant past.  Good luck and I hope you have a wonderful cruise....

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Most cruise lines (Disney is a notable exception) do not permit children in programs until they are at least potty trained :).  As to bringing an infant on HAL, one parent once told us that it was like having over a thousand grandparents.  Most folks do like babies until they start to scream :).   As to caring for your toddler, you must remember to bring along everything that you will need to care for your toddler including a decent car seat to use at ports.  Just like at home, caring for a toddler on a cruise is a 24/7 job and you will have to do it all!  Having an extended family on the cruise can make it fun since parents and grandparents can take shifts, giving the others some relaxing time on their own.  Also keep in mind that HAL does not permit toddlers to go into any of the pools....even if wearing swim diapers (which do not work).

 

Hank

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Our granddaughter was that age when we did a family cruise with a total of 8 grandchildren ( from just under two to 12).  Her family of five was in two inside cabins.  Her parents alternated having 'afternoon naps'.  We babysat so the parents could have a 'night out.'  The older cousins amused her.

 

We actually dined each night in the dining room as a family of 16 so she was well entertained.  A roll of masking tape torn off and rolled into tiny pieces stuck on her and the high chair provided endless fun for her. (Now the same stuff is patterned ) And there were some tiny toys for the highchair.  Often someone skipped dessert and coffee to take her out.  

 

It was an Alaskan cruise and we were seated near a couple of other large family groups.

 

Our table steward was a gem and somehow managed from time to time to fold animal napkins.  He'd just returned to HAL from leave and left behind a daughter that age.  It must have been hard for him, but he showered the kids with attention.

 

Ruth

Edited by Been There, Planning That
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Having cruised with small kids on HAL,  you will be fine!

 

couple of quick tips:

 

1)  If you can, bring an umbrella stroller.   They fold up nice for storage in the cabin and its nice to have the smaller kids ride.

 

2) If they drink milk...scout your milk options on the first day.  Our kids always liked to have milk before bed, and it can be a challenge to get your hands on it at 8PM.  You might have to snag some milks during the afternoon and store in the fridge or on ice.

 

3) Don't be afraid of the main dining room.  You may have to scoop up a kid and leave for a walk if they get fussy,  but its much easier to have them bring food to you than try to navigate the buffet.  

 

4) Hard plastic toys are great because they can be multi purpose...in the cabin,  in the bath tub, on the beach, etc.

 

5)  We would pack outfits in zip lock bags.  its makes finding matching  outfits easier (for dad),  and then the bags can be reused to seal up used diapers.

 

Have Fun!   

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16 minutes ago, mdjohn5 said:

Having cruised with small kids on HAL,  you will be fine!

 

couple of quick tips:

 

1)  If you can, bring an umbrella stroller.   

 

2) You might have to snag some milks during the afternoon and store in the fridge or on ice.

 

5)  We would pack outfits in zip lock bags.  its makes finding matching  outfits easier (for dad),  and then the bags can be reused to seal up used diapers.

 

Have Fun!   

 

The fold up stroller proved invaluable.  It meant a great deal of luggage along with car seats, but families managed.  

 

Along with Milk, our daughter always had on hand a box of cheerios and a couple of packages of dry crackers from the buffet.

 

And each family paid for the daily laundry service.  Each family had two inside cabins -- one joined for kids and one for adults and much to their delight the one laundry package covered their two cabins; though I think they only sent out kids' stuff.  This reduced their luggage somewhat.

 

Ruth

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Thanks Everyone! This information has been helpful... except... I am really sad about the pool. I didn't know that HAL didn't allow toddlers into the pool. This could be especially challenging since my daughter has a pool at home and I am sure my grandson won't understand why he can't get into the pool. Ugh! At least I know before I go.

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Honestly,  the HAL pools are not all that kid friendly anyways.  They are not going to miss much.  They are deep and there are no bells and whistles.  Its much harder for the small kids on Royal or Norwegian where the pools are designed for kids.

 

I have never done it myself,  but some people will bring a small inflatable pool for babies to use.  It can also double as a bathtub though if your cabin only has a shower. 

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The pool issue is actually on nearly all cruise lines except Disney and some RCI ships.  It is because of a US Public Health Service rule pertaining to the quality of the pool water.  Even adults who need diapers are not supposed to use a ship pool.  We once met some cruisers that brought along a tiny blow-up toddler pool (not sure if they were successful in using it) planning to use it somewhere on the ship.  If you are cruising in the Caribbean you can certainly take the toddler to a beach which is always an interesting experience 🙂  Our Grandson has his first "beach day" at 15 months....and it was fun.

 

Hank

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3 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

The pool issue is actually on nearly all cruise lines except Disney and some RCI ships.  It is because of a US Public Health Service rule pertaining to the quality of the pool water.  Even adults who need diapers are not supposed to use a ship pool.  We once met some cruisers that brought along a tiny blow-up toddler pool (not sure if they were successful in using it) planning to use it somewhere on the ship.  If you are cruising in the Caribbean you can certainly take the toddler to a beach which is always an interesting experience 🙂  Our Grandson has his first "beach day" at 15 months....and it was fun.

 

Hank

Yes... I just looked on amazon for inflatable pools. I am just not sure how to fill them with water... and was a little worried about water spilling on the ship. what are your thoughts. is pretty tiny so I don't think it would be obtrusive.

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If you happen to be stopping at Turks,  they have a good pool right at the cruise port.  Margaritaville,  its fairly shallow, large and free to use the chairs.   You also don't have to leave the port area which is nice with small kids.

 

You can fill the inflatable with the actual pool water,  takes a few trips with a  bucket.  Just don't put the water back in the pool when you are done, put it down a drain on the deck.

 

 

Edited by mdjohn5
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2 hours ago, mdjohn5 said:

Having cruised with small kids on HAL,  you will be fine!

 

couple of quick tips:

 

1)  If you can, bring an umbrella stroller.   They fold up nice for storage in the cabin and its nice to have the smaller kids ride.

 

2) If they drink milk...scout your milk options on the first day.  Our kids always liked to have milk before bed, and it can be a challenge to get your hands on it at 8PM.  You might have to snag some milks during the afternoon and store in the fridge or on ice.

 

3) Don't be afraid of the main dining room.  You may have to scoop up a kid and leave for a walk if they get fussy,  but its much easier to have them bring food to you than try to navigate the buffet.  

 

4) Hard plastic toys are great because they can be multi purpose...in the cabin,  in the bath tub, on the beach, etc.

 

5)  We would pack outfits in zip lock bags.  its makes finding matching  outfits easier (for dad),  and then the bags can be reused to seal up used diapers.

 

Have Fun!   

What great suggestions. We will be cruising with our then 16 mo old next.

Milk, great tip!

I am definitely doing the zip top bag thing for clothes so Daddy never has to think about mixing and matching little girl clothes. We do travel with "puppy poo bags" like people take on walkies with the pooches specifically to seal up nasty nappies. 

We are booked early dinner MDR and will have two grandmas with us. 

Something else someone suggested was bring a box of diapers with just the amount you need in there and use the rest of the box for packing other disposables ( wipes, snacks,etc). Slap a luggage tag on it so it gets delivered to the cabin. Then just leave the empty box onboard once you have used up all the contents. One less bag to worry with. 

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2 hours ago, Been There, Planning That said:

Along with Milk, our daughter always had on hand a box of cheerios and a couple of packages of dry crackers from the buffet.

 

I too like a glass of milk in the evening or before bed, so we often snag a few boxes in the morning each day and stash them in the fridge for later. We always have plenty of room, as we have the mini-fridge emptied, so that we can use all the space.

 

And if all else fails, I found that you can get milk in the late evening. You can either call room service or if you don't want to wait, there is always a carafe of milk with the coffee service in the lido. Actually there are generally 2, one is milk the other HalfNHalf, so be aware. 

Edited by drowelf
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7 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Most cruise lines (Disney is a notable exception) do not permit children in programs until they are at least potty trained :).  As to bringing an infant on HAL, one parent once told us that it was like having over a thousand grandparents.  Most folks do like babies until they start to scream :).   As to caring for your toddler, you must remember to bring along everything that you will need to care for your toddler including a decent car seat to use at ports.  Just like at home, caring for a toddler on a cruise is a 24/7 job and you will have to do it all!  Having an extended family on the cruise can make it fun since parents and grandparents can take shifts, giving the others some relaxing time on their own.  Also keep in mind that HAL does not permit toddlers to go into any of the pools....even if wearing swim diapers (which do not work).

 

Hank

 

Royal Caribbean and Norwegian have nurseries for ages 6 months and up. Carnival has children's programming for ages 2 and up (no potty training required). I couldn't find any info on any cruise line, including HAL that said children had to be potty trained. 

 

I do agree that you will need to bring anything you might possibly need, including diapers, medication and any special foods. 

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If the child doesn't SEE the pool, he won't know it's there!  18 months is a toddler..not an "infant"....you will have to "make do" with what is offered.  The tot will be able to go ashore and splash in the ocean...no worries.  It's simply that ship's don't usually have filtered pools for the "un-potty trained" set...that goes for adults in diapers, too!

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