Need help with a three year old

[Mamanance]

My son and his wife are going on their first cruise with their three year old daughter. I just made them aware that they can't take that car seat on the islands and the trams and then carry it all over the islands. I have been on lots of cruises and I have NEVER seen anyone do this. Of course they are concerned parents and have never taken her any where without a car seat. Does anyone out there have any tips for me to pass on to them? They do have programs where the child can stay on the ship while they do excursions, but they want her to go with them and enjoy the islands. I need brain storming out there, can anyone help? :confused:

[springtxbill]

Yes the kid's program does has stuff for the kids on port days.:)

[Michuck]

How 'bout one of those strollers where the car seat is the stroller seat? That makes it a lot easier to move around....

Michele

[nreilly]

I promise you, they and the child will have more fun staying on the ship!!

[cruisy]

We bring our carseat. We use it for the airplane, taxi and rental cars pre/post cruise. We check it with our luggage on boarding, and put it in the closet in the cabin. Twice we have rented cars on islands, and we carry it off the ship, over to the rental agency, and strap it in. We did not bring the carseat on shore excursions. If they are a family that brings their child along everywhere, they are already used to this type of thing.

[Cruisechik]

We brought our (then) 3 year along in ports and had a great time. We didn't bring a carseat or stroller. If they need a stroller, I'd suggest an umbrella stroller for port days. Umbrella strollers are small and can be collapsed and carried when not in use. They are relatively lightweight and easy to manuever. It can be carried on the tram.

As far as the carseat issue, you can use a safety belt adjuster. We bought ours a long time ago at a baby superstore. It's not a perfect solution, but it helps fit the seatbelt to smaller bodies.

[sherryberry71]

My daughter had just turned 3 on her first cruise...We basically didnt sign up for any structured shore excursions and brought an umbrella stroller for $20 (with a cover on top to help keep out the sun) to explore the island just walking around or hopefully getting to a beach within walking distance...

We just pre-planned in our mind that if we were bringing her, we would keep it low-key in terms of excursions, etc..

Good luck!

[Mamanance]

Thanks for all the get tips, I keep passing them along via email to my daughter in law. Hopefully this will make things easier for her. It's so great to cruise with your family.