Baby on board

[Pepilachat]

Hi all

 

My husband and I have our first seabourn cruise booked for next year and can't wait. The slight complicating thing is we actually had one booked for our honeymoon which was then delayed and so this cruise is 18 months later. Since then we have had a baby who will be 9 months old when we cruise (sorry don't hate us!)

 

I'm aware seabourn isn't exactly child focussed, but is there anywhere we should be definitely avoiding on board? We will obviously be sensible in looking after her and leaving places if she is very unsettled, but just looking for any other advice any seasoned seabourners might have!

[jjs217]

1 minute ago, Pepilachat said:

No idea, I imagine the most casual venues we can find! Probably also do a dinner or two in a nicer place too but definitely not the majority. 

There is only one "nicer place" on board a Seabourn ship, and it is not suitable for an infant.  Sorry, but you did ask for opinions.  Also, have you looked at the age requirements?  Is a 9 month old even allowed?

[Pepilachat]

Just now, jjs217 said:

There is only one "nicer place" on board a Seabourn ship, and it is not suitable for an infant.  Sorry, but you did ask for opinions.  Also, have you looked at the age requirements?  Is a 9 month old even allowed?

Yes, babies over 6 months are allowed. 

[jjs217]

Okay - have fun.

[Dunnedg]

Just got off a cruise and there were two babies on the ship. From what I could see they had a whale of a time and were absolutely no trouble to the other passengers as both had parents who were attentive and caring. 
Eating in the Colonnade or Patio was not an issue with the and there were high chairs available. I saw one set of parents in the MDR at night a couple of times and they appeared to have an app on their phone that allowed them to leave the baby in the suite and monitor from the bar or restaurant. Have to say with the attention they paid to the child they must have been tired out so an early night may have been just what they wanted. 
Room service, in room bar, TV with loads of films, what more could you want. If your cruise is in a warm climate, an evening on the verandah listening to the waves, watching the moon with a chilled bottle of wine. What more could you want. Remember room service delivers the MDR menu when Dining Room open.

 

[Pepilachat]

7 minutes ago, Dunnedg said:

Just got off a cruise and there were two babies on the ship. From what I could see they had a whale of a time and were absolutely no trouble to the other passengers as both had parents who were attentive and caring. 
Eating in the Colonnade or Patio was not an issue with the and there were high chairs available. I saw one set of parents in the MDR at night a couple of times and they appeared to have an app on their phone that allowed them to leave the baby in the suite and monitor from the bar or restaurant. Have to say with the attention they paid to the child they must have been tired out so an early night may have been just what they wanted. 
Room service, in room bar, TV with loads of films, what more could you want. If your cruise is in a warm climate, an evening on the verandah listening to the waves, watching the moon with a chilled bottle of wine. What more could you want. Remember room service delivers the MDR menu when Dining Room open.

 

Oh lovely, that sounds great. This is what we intend to be like as parents on a luxury cruise so glad to know others are doing it too. 

 

Thank you for the suggestions, much appreciated!

[Dunnedg]

11 minutes ago, Pepilachat said:

Oh lovely, that sounds great. This is what we intend to be like as parents on a luxury cruise so glad to know others are doing it too. 

Have to admit, I am not usually child friendly but these were responsible parents, not only looking after the welfare of the child but being mindful of the 400+ other guests on board. 

[CalmSea]

First, congratualtion on your new baby. Second, while Seabourn is not exactly child focus, I would not shy from bringing a baby to most places on board, including the main dining room! I think many fellow passengers will not like to be disturbed by crying babies, so please be more senstive in this respect. But, I think most 9 month olds are usually quite easy going. I would expect most staff will be excited to have a baby on board, which I suspect is a rare event. I would suggest you bring a stroller on board to help carry the baby from one location to another. You should contact Seabourn about getting a crib in your suite. Now, there is also the issue of diapers. You may want to ask Seabourn how they handle disposable diapers. Or, if you want to use reusable diapers, I don't know whether their laundry service will accept them.  But, there is always the self-service laundry. Yes, it is more complicated to travel with a baby. But, enjoy yourself, take lots of pictures, and treasure the memory.

[Pepilachat]

18 minutes ago, CalmSea said:

First, congratualtion on your new baby. Second, while Seabourn is not exactly child focus, I would not shy from bringing a baby to most places on board, including the main dining room! I think many fellow passengers will not like to be disturbed by crying babies, so please be more senstive in this respect. But, I think most 9 month olds are usually quite easy going. I would expect most staff will be excited to have a baby on board, which I suspect is a rare event. I would suggest you bring a stroller on board to help carry the baby from one location to another. You should contact Seabourn about getting a crib in your suite. Now, there is also the issue of diapers. You may want to ask Seabourn how they handle disposable diapers. Or, if you want to use reusable diapers, I don't know whether their laundry service will accept them.  But, there is always the self-service laundry. Yes, it is more complicated to travel with a baby. But, enjoy yourself, take lots of pictures, and treasure the memory.

Thank you, hadn't even considered nappies so will get on that!

 

We will definitely be taking baby directly to the suite if she is crying. Not fun for anyone having a crying baby nearby. 

[Cantara24]

Pepilachat, The fact you are asking and from your responses to some rather blunt comments tells me you are a responsible parent who considers others. With your attitude I have no doubt you will enjoy your cruise and do well..

 

Some of us on Seabourn, including ourselves, have experienced the entitled parents who are of the belief “our baby walks on water” so you to should bow in reverence.

 

We who have babies and children in our lives know how a simple bug in a child can turn into major cold or flu for an adult who is not exposed to that demographic regularly, hopefully, if your baby exhibits such issue you will isolate.

[Catlover54]

8 hours ago, Pepilachat said:

Hi all

 

My husband and I have our first seabourn cruise booked for next year and can't wait. The slight complicating thing is we actually had one booked for our honeymoon which was then delayed and so this cruise is 18 months later. Since then we have had a baby who will be 9 months old when we cruise (sorry don't hate us!)

 

I'm aware seabourn isn't exactly child focussed, but is there anywhere we should be definitely avoiding on board? We will obviously be sensible in looking after her and leaving places if she is very unsettled, but just looking for any other advice any seasoned seabourners might have!

 

It sounds like you are trying to be considerate by planning ahead of time, instead of canceling and making alternative plans, and your concern is appreciated.  But as many of us know, babies that young cannot always be controlled, so there is only so much you can do. They will sometimes cry and fuss and there often isn't much you can do about it, and many (most?) senior Americans and Brits on luxury cruises like SB pay a lot of money in part to avoid the noises of young children that are so common on mainstream lines (though there are never guarantees other than on Viking, where pax have to be over 18).  Others simply won't cruise during summers and holidays like Christmas because children are likely to be on board, even if they were once parents themselves, and are now grandparents -- the attitude is 'been there, done that, don't want to hear it anymore'.

So some people won't "hate" you but they will be surprised and unhappy there is an infant on board because there is a realistic risk of noise. They may question your judgment (e.g., they may wonder why you didn't leave the baby with the grandparents or other family for a week or two while you enjoy your luxury cruise, especially since the baby is not likely to get much out of the cruise at that age.  Such people will be resentful, and will avoid letting themselves get seated near you, even if you are doing your best. There will be others who will smile at you even if the baby screams.

 

In addition to what others have already suggested, I will add:

 

1.  Be sure your suite is not one that directly adjoins another one (the deck map and/or TA can help you find out, if you don't know).  Sounds (and not just sound from babies) transmit quite easily under an adjoining door, and could make your neighbors' cruise very annoying  -- or ruin it -- if your baby cries a good part of the day or -- worse-- at night.

 

2.  If you're planning on excursions, make them private.  Very few want to be stuck on a tour bus for hours with a baby having a bad day.

The same goes for ship organized group "hikes".  My husband and I, each working 60+ hours per week at the time, were not pleased when we had signed up for a non-refundable "peaceful walk in the mountains" on a luxury ship's excursion, only to discover that the smiling young and very fit couple in the group was piggy-backing an infant with them.  The baby, quiet at first, after 20 minutes started expressing  his displeasure for well over three  hours (either due to the cold, the bumps, the altitude change, or its inability to do what it really wanted to do, which was definitely not to stiffly ride on mom's or dad's back or belly for that period of time). 

 

Congratulations on your new baby (sadly, so few are bothering to have any babies at all these days), in any event, and I hope things go well for you, and for the pax on your ship. 

 

Edited November 28, 2023 by Catlover54
Typo

[Vineyard View]

8 hours ago, Pepilachat said:

 

We will definitely be taking baby directly to the suite if she is crying. Not fun for anyone having a crying baby nearby. 

While I respect and appreciate that you will take her to your suite if she is crying, your cabin neighbors, if they are enjoying some time in their suites, may not appreciate that. Walls on most any ship are not highly insulated from noise. Many 9 month old babies also wake during the night, which you would clearly attend to….but in turn, again, your cabin neighbors will likely also be woken. From your current status until then, predicting that is pretty impossible with respect to sleep patterns. 
The fact that you are asking and responding to these questions is a sign of very respectful and conscientious parents, so that is impressive. But the truth is that babies can be very fussy and noisy no matter how hard you try. 

[marazul]

Your baby will bring the average age on board by 15 minutes.

 

Good points on post #19 above.

Enjoy your cruise and welcome to your little girl.

[MJN1]

Pepilachat,

congratulations and enjoy your cruise! Yes, there will be people rolling their eyes and/or making "smart" (ass) remarks, but you will find those also at any hotel and on every airplane...

At the risk of making an obvious comment: a key driver of your enjoyment (or stress) will be the daily rythm your baby has developed by that age, which then allows you to plan around it. So think of it as a luxury hotel vacation and do bring a baby monitor: You then can put the princess to sleep for her daytime naps/in the evening, set up one mobile in front of the baby monitor, connect to the ships internet, make a WhatsApp video call to the 2nd mobile, put the don't disturb sign out, and voila you can go with the 2nd phone and enjoy a break, trivia or dinner on board and can rush back to the cabin once she wakes up. (Just wait, someone here will object on safety grounds...). And/or check if some of the staff can (and is permitted) to babysit.

[lincslady]

Since you sound like a considerate couple, dare I suggest that there are only two really satisfactory ways for you to enjoy your cruise - bring an efficient baby minder/nanny with you, or leave your little one at home with someone trustworthy and enjoy your honeymoon.  A short time away from parents is actually easier for an under one year old (unless breast fed of course) than a slightly older toddler, who would miss her parents more.

[markandjie]

On 11/28/2023 at 8:52 AM, Pepilachat said:

just looking for any other advice any seasoned seabourners might have!

 

One thing I'd suggest in the MDR is to ask to be seated immediately behind the hostess station when you are dining with the baby. These seem to be regarded as less desirable tables in general and are often the last to be utilized, so you have a higher chance of having a buffer of empty tables around you. They are also close to the exit should your daughter become fussy.

 

We've taken our son on Seabourn since he was 7 years old and without fail have had other cruisers complement us on his behavior. In fact, in Greenland the hotel director informed us that it was the first time he'd had someone come to him to complement a child's behavior! So it can be done, and if you are consistently focused on the experience of those around you and ensuring your daughter isn't negatively impacting others then you will be more than fine.

[texanaust]

Well my view is contrarian.  We took our daughter when she was 18 months old on Seabourn and often went to dinner without her.  Originally we paid staff to babysit, but they said all she did was sleep, so instead we checked routinely and so did the stateroom attendants.  We did this for many years with no issue, no crying, no monitor.  

 

She grew up fine (better than her parents at trivia), still occasionally sails with us and is about to graduate with her Phd...

[Laylam]

13 hours ago, Mauzac said:

As far as I'm concerned, I would not have dreampt taking a baby (or even children!) on a SB cruise. ......................

In defence of the OP, they didn't plan their SB cruise with a baby either.  Their honeymoon cruise was cancelled.  We cruised on the Sojourn last January with a couple in the same situation, their honeymoon cruise was cancelled and now they had a baby.  The baby was a delight and learned to walk during the cruise, much to the delight of approximately 350 surrogate grandparents!!!