I need help from the experts!!!

[summercruisin']

I am so excited, because I just booked a cruise (today) that leaves in just a few weeks!!! I didn't think I was going to get to cruise this year, but it worked out! DH and I will have to take our two children, 7 y.o. and 18 m.o. (then) with us, but we are excited about sharing the fun. Our children travel very well and fairly frequently (usually just with me, as DH and I are separated but trying to work things out). Okay, so I have a ton of questions. Here are a few that I'm hoping to get answers to right away...

1. We really want to go to PB in Cozumel. How do we get DD (the little one) there safely? We are willing to tote the carseat. Do any taxis have seatbelts in the back? What do we do with the carseat on the beach?

2. We are travelling on Carnival. We know they have late night group babysitting. What do the kids do? Is there a "quiet space" for little ones who are ready to just sleep?

3. Does Carnival provide cribs or pack n plays? If so, do we need to request one? If so, how do we go about doing that?

4. Is there any kind of barrier on the "uppers" to keep DS (7) from rolling out of bed too easily?

5. Is there anything really important that I may be overlooking??

 

Thanks in advance for all your help! I'm beside myself with happiness!

[CeleBrat]

CONGRATS on your cruise! Isn't it exciting to have a cruise to look forward to?

 

Some answers for you:

 

1--We have been to PB several times and have had sporadic luck w/taxis. Once, we got one that had no seatbelts, and then broke down before it got out of town. We switched to a nice NEW taxi WITH A/C and seatbelts. Tkae your car seats, and just hold-out for a taxi that can accommodate it.

 

Keep your carseat with you on the beach. Some people on this board recommend a collapsible carseat, but I can't remember the brand. Perhaps they'll chime in...? We have just lugged our car seat many, many places. I actually have a funny picture of us in Alaska, and I am holding the carseat.

 

2--Late night babysitting is usually freeplay with few structured activities. If kids fall asleep, they usually do so on a mat that is in a quiet corner of the room.

 

3--You can arrange for a PNP in your cabin. You can call in advance, or request it when you get on the ship via your room steward. If it helps, you might want to bring your own sheet so that your DD will feel "comfortable."

 

4--There are small bedrails on the upper bunks. My DS (now 8) has been using them for the past 2 years with no worries. DD (now 5) is quite a roller, so we bring a collapsible bedrail for her. I'll see if I can find a pic to post.

 

5--If you search this board, you can find a thread outlining a detailed packing list for kids and infants. You may find that helpful. And, don't forget---although traveling with kids on a cruise might be stressful at times, remember to relax and HAVE FUN!

 

Which ship are you on...?

 

CeleBrat

[mcfam5]

We were in Cozumel last week with our 11 and 4 year olds. We took a taxi to Mr. Sancho's. It was a BEAUTIFUL beach! They don't have all the climbing walls, trampolines, etc. but that was not what we were looking for. We just wanted a relaxing place to hang out and swim with the kids and snorkel a bit. That is absolutely what we got! When we got there we were the only ones on the beach and for the 2 1/2 hours we stayed it never got even close to crowded. They do not charge an entrance fee, just would like for you to purchase some food. (Very reasonably priced....large waters $3, sodas $2, ice creams $2, etc.) They have free lounge chairs, tables, chairs and umbrellas. They also have horses, a bar, a pool, changing areas with outdoor shower facility, small row of vendors selling their wares and more.

 

We really enjoyed it and will be taking our extended family back in November.

 

Good luck with your husband, I truly hope it works out.

 

God Bless!

[CeleBrat]

AHA! Found it! Here is a pic of the regular bedrail on the upper bunk on the Carnival Legend. Most/all Carnival ships will have the same type/size of rail.

 

 

And for kicks and giggles, here's me LUGGING one of the car seats to the car rental place in Skagway while on our Alaskan cruise. We rented a car for the day, and thus had to LUG those darn car seats with us. This was before I knew about the collapsible, packable ones...

 

 

CeleBrat

[Julienatul]

We Just got off a Carnival Cruise yesterday.

 

1) Paradise beach was great. Our taxi, a van had seat belts both ways to and from the dock. Keep the carseat with you and put it on a lounge chair or chair in the restaurant part if thats where you will be sitting. It wasnt very crowded when we were there so there was plenty of room.

 

2) There is a quiet place with cribs set up for little ones on one side of the room and the older ones on the other have movies, games and mats to sleep on if they get tired.

 

3) Carnival provides metal cribs and they are smaller than pack n plays. You request one through your travel agent and then ask the room steward for it once onboard as it wont be in your room yet.

 

4) There is a rail on on the upper like the picture above, it is not full length though.

 

5) Just go with the flow and keep to your little ones routine as much as possible. You will have a great cruise.

 

Julie

[summercruisin']

Thanks everybody! I knew y'all would be able to help me out. Thanks a bunch for the pics, Celebrat. That helps - and you sure have a cutie! Your second pic brought up the question...is it worth getting one of the collapsible car seats? Are they as safe? Julie, I appreciate the info on cribs. DD sleeps better in her own space, so I'll call my TA right away!

Thanks for the well-wishes, Jen. DH and I have been together 23 years, married 15, so when we separated in May, it was very difficult. He still lives elsewhere, but we are glad to be on the right track for working it out, and we think this cruise will be a good chance to get away, enjoy the kids, remember what is important, and maybe talk a bit...or maybe not! We may put talking about it off 'til our "escape" is over!

Thanks again! I'm sure more questions will come up over the next few weeks! I'm almost too excited to think straight so far! :D

[boulders]

The collapsible car seat is made by Eddie Bauer. If you search on amazon for portable Eddie Bauer car seat, you will find pics and availability. The back is about 12 inches high, so it's a good size for an 18 month old. It can fit in a small backpack. I had one of my other children carry it on excursions in their backpack. It weighs almost nothing.

 

A lot of the reviewers on amazon seemed to have thought that it should be a car seat for everyday use- NOT. But, it's good to have on trips, instead of lugging that heavy car seat everywhere or going without.

[WineDown17]

Celebrat-

 

Where can I find a portable bed rail? Gavin will be 2 on our Med cuise in May- and is already too big for his pack and play- Assuming X cribs are the same size as Carnival- he will need to be in a bed.... Ergo, I will need a rail...

 

Alternatively, I guess we can put the couch pillows on floor and bring a light sleeping bag..

 

What would you advise?

 

-Leeanne

[WineDown17]

Just realized I hijacked your thread with a question. SORRY!!

 

But to answer a question for you- A friend of mine has had one of the collapsible carseats for years now- They visit family in Europe every summer and swear by it. But they are a little pricey for a 1 time purchase...

 

If you think you will use it again- then it may be well worth it.

 

Given all that is going on- I hope the trip is relaxing as possible and rekindles that flame for you and your husband!!!! BEst wishes!!

[lucigo]

We have been cruising with our 5yo for about 3-1/2 years now (8 cruises) and although he has always ended up just sleeping with us, our PVP has told us that we can request a rollaway if we aren't comfortable with the upper bunk.

 

I'm sure you will find packing lists somewhere on these boards, but with an 18mo I want to stress to you the importance of barring your door at night, I usually use a stroller or large suitcase. Carnival's doors cannot be locked from the inside (all you have to do is pull down on the handle and you are free). Our then 2yo climbed over his sleeping dad and was coming down the hall looking for me one morning as I was going to get us coffee. You might also consider the magnetic stick on alarms, although that doesn't help if you are in the shower and they decide to go for a swim unless you want to run after them in your birthday suit!

[cruiseman40]

Doesn't some vans like voyager have built in car seats? One would have to do their research and find a local company that had american cars that have built in seats. Easier to just lugg the car seat around. Thank god those days are over for me! Have a great time!

[NoelsCat]

...is it worth getting one of the collapsible car seats? Are they as safe? :D

 

Just chiming in to answer this particular question. I personally do NOT think they are worth it -- and they are definately NOT as safe. However, as many people have pointed out, they are definately better than nothing and are extremely convenient.

 

We had an 11 mo old and a 24 mo old last January in Cozumel. We were able to find a van taxi with seat belts. Also, in Playa Del Carmen we actually rented a car (VERY CHEAPLY) which made the car seat storage very easy for our beach outings. In Cozumel, we just put our car seat on a beach chair (which we paid for) -- pretty good for 5 bucks. :) We have a huge britax -- and I am sure people thought I was crazy for lugging it but hey, I am a car seat ****.

 

I would really love to get a Sunshine Radian seat -- which is smaller and sort of folds for travel -- but I haven't been able to justify the expense (since we have two britax's already!) But, if you are in the market for any new seats you might want to look into one of those.

 

Congrats on your holiday!! I wish with all my heart you and your husband the very best.

[All4fun1]

I wouldn't recommend the EB portable car seat either. Here's a thread about it: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=14969

 

The problem with it is that it's nearly impossible to get a good install with it, and it offers no side impact protection. It also doesn't top tether. Like someone said, it would be better than nothing, probably. But no, not "as safe as" a regular car seat.

 

I would recommend a car seat bag which will make carting your regular seat around a lot easier. I got one for $30 @ BRU and have seen them for as low as $20 at Target (EB brand as well, but it was too small for the car seat we were traveling with).

 

hth

[WineDown17]

Great tips all!! Didnt think about barring the door-and since he will be in the living room with big brother- I will definitely do that!! That would be horrible!(And just like him! At 18 months he already hikes out of his crib..)

 

I can personally say that I did not go for the EB- and rather, have asked all tour operators with whom we will be traveling next spring to supply an approved car seat. They were all happy to do so.

[CeleBrat]

Celebrat-

 

Where can I find a portable bed rail? Gavin will be 2 on our Med cuise in May- and is already too big for his pack and play- Assuming X cribs are the same size as Carnival- he will need to be in a bed.... Ergo, I will need a rail...

 

Alternatively, I guess we can put the couch pillows on floor and bring a light sleeping bag..

 

What would you advise?

 

-Leeanne

 

OK--I can't remember exactly where we bought ours, other than it was from a "big box" store--either WalMart or Target. It is a Safety First brand. It is packed away right now, but I will see if I can peek and see the exact model # for you. We love it b/c it disassembles into several pieces that easily pack into a suitcase. The only thing that is a drawback is that we also have to bring an oversized garbage bag so that we can carry it off the ship on that last morning since we didn't pack it in our luggage which was whisked away in the middle of the night.

 

Oh...the things we do for our kids....

 

CeleBrat

[summercruisin']

Y'all are so awesome! I will tote the regular carseat, hopefully in a bag, thanks to your advice! I'll also bar the door. My LO is a busy girl, so she might figure out how to escape! Great idea to at least make it a little more difficult and buy some time! :D I also may put the baby in a crib and the 7 yo on the couch instead of on the bunk. Thanks again for all your help!