Fantasy Eastern Caribbean with a 9-month-old

[erogers]

Two of the sea days, the big evening show was performed an extra time during the afternoon at 3:00. This was fantastic for us! We never made it to an evening show, but we got to see those two afternoon shows (“Aladdin” and “Believe”). Disney sure has the best ship entertainment out there!

We took DD in because she loves music and dancing, and she did pretty well. We sat right near the front, but over to one of the sides where not many others were sitting. If she got too squirmy, I let her crawl around in the empty side aisle or one of us would walk up and down the side aisle or up to the back of the theater with her. I read that some people would take their infants and let them fall asleep during the shows, or take a nursing cover to nurse them if it was time for that. Unfortunately, our DD is too squirmy to stay under a nursing cover anymore and has an extremely hard time falling asleep if anything more exciting is going on. If you get to the theater five or ten minutes late, that is actually right about when the show will start and it seems like they’ll let you in the theater at any time.

 

[erogers]

I read some helpful tips on these boards and others before we left. Someone mentioned bringing little Ziploc bags of candy to give to the people who work in the kids clubs and guest services. We had a ton of leftover Halloween candy, so I brought a bunch of that and gave a bagful of it to the nursery workers every time we picked DD up from the nursery. They loved it! I imagine being stuck on the ship for so many months, with not much away time, they don’t get much “outside” food…definitely not regular candy.

I brought one of those hanging shoe racks with about ten different compartments to hang in one of the closets. It was great for some of our clothes, DD’s things, sunscreen, sunhats, etc. It really made use of the space well. I also brought along some clothespins , which came in handy a few times. We used them on the clotheslines in the bathroom, to pin things to the chairs on the verandah to dry quicker, and to keep the curtains closed completely since we all like it pitch dark when we sleep.

We brought all of our own diapers with us. There is a service you can order diapers and wipes from to have delivered directly to your stateroom: http://www.babiestravellite.com/ct01-diapers.html
I just brought a few large size flannel lap pads to use for a changing pad.

We did not bring a stroller. I think most strollers would actually fold up and fit under the bed in the staterooms, but then you also will want to put your luggage under there so whether everything would fit depends on how many bags you travel with! With just our DD, we did not ever have a need for a stroller. I read that you can borrow a stroller from Guest Services on port days. On the ship, with all the steps and other people moving around, I think it might be hard to maneuver a stroller. Most of the time, we just carried DD around the ship, and I don’t really remember noticing many strollers. I saw a few umbrella strollers.

 

[erogers]

I didn't expect there to really be any shipboard activities suitable for infants, but leave it to Disney to think of something for everyone.

OK. Well, maybe the Diaper Dash they held on a couple of the sea days was more for the entertainment of mom and dad and other adults, but it was an activity only infants would be eligible for! The Diaper Dash is a crawling "race" held in the main lobby. DD was definitely the underdog the day we took part since the other babies who entered were like three to five months older than she was! She lost, but it was fun and all the babies who took part got a free Disney Cruise Line bib (free souvenir!). Plus, for the rest of the cruise we had random people coming up to talk to us because they had seen DD in the Diaper Dash!

Also, you can look in your navigator for the little Disney Kids dance party in the D Lounge that takes place some mornings. (I forget what the real name of it is.) DD was always already in the nursery when that went on, but if your child likes music and is available at that time I think it looks like a fun thing to go do.

 

[Dan29racing]

OK. Well, maybe the Diaper Dash they held on a couple of the sea days was more for the entertainment of mom and dad and other adults, but it was an activity only infants would be eligible for! The Diaper Dash is a crawling "race" held in the main lobby. DD was definitely the underdog the day we took part since the other babies who entered were like three to five months older than she was! She lost, but it was fun and all the babies who took part got a free Disney Cruise Line bib (free souvenir!). Plus, for the rest of the cruise we had random people coming up to talk to us because they had seen DD in the Diaper Dash!

I was wondering if they were still doing the Diaper Dash, I have really been looking forward to it since we were on the Dream last year... I even call the boys tummy time "Jack Jack training sessions"!

 

[pikaboo27]

Love your trip report! DH and I have been trying to figure out how a cruise would work with a little one. Thank you for sharing your experiences!

 

[erogers]

I was wondering if they were still doing the Diaper Dash, I have really been looking forward to it since we were on the Dream last year... I even call the boys tummy time "Jack Jack training sessions"!

Awesome!

 

[erogers]

Love your trip report! DH and I have been trying to figure out how a cruise would work with a little one. Thank you for sharing your experiences!

You're welcome! I heard several comments from people around us about how they never would have taken their kids on a cruise when they were as young as our DD, but I really do think a cruise is one of the best vacations you can do with a little one!

The day after we got home, I was up in the morning trying to feed everyone and asked DH, "Where's the buffet breakfast?....and the It's a Small World nursery?"

 

[Dan29racing]

Quick question... I didnt see a date anywhere for this trip, when did you sail? We are wondering about infants and cruising during flu season... Starting to wonder if we should bring sterilized hampster balls for the boys!

 

[erogers]

Yeah, we cruised before flu season peaked - Dec. 1-8. However, I made sure to get a flu shot for DD before we sailed. I would ask your pediatrician if he/she has any recommendations.