Tips for cruising with a baby!

[lesabrowning]

I guess I need to read this entire tread I didn't know non potty trained babies weren't allowed in the pool... WHatttt???

Oh, sorry! LOL But it is true, kiddos must be potty trained to go in the pools. Apparently this is a rule for all cruise ships. This includes the kids pool, even with swim diapers. You are not alone in your shock, I hear this all the time. Disney has Splash Zone areas for kids who are unable to use the pools and wear swim diapers.

 

[PlutosMom319]

We will be on the Dream with our 7 month old in a month and a half and I had started to panic and worry about all the little things. This thread has some great information and tips!! I just discovered this site a week ago and wish I had found it so much sooner!! I will definitely be checking back before we go to see if there is anything new posted.

Thank you!!

 

[tryin]

I was really worried about taking my newly turned 10 month old, but she had a blast! She loved the nursery and would try to jump out of my arms to get to the cast member she was most familiar with in the nursery. She loved the quiet, attention, pampering and feeding she received there. This is a baby that doesn't spend much time with strangers and was very stranger shy prior to cruise. We just returned yesterday, btw.

They provided a pack n play, but we didn't use it. She co-sleeps, so we just did that. The servers provided warm water and would fill her bottle for me with it. Although I didn't ask them to puree any food, they did offer, but I just let her eat some of the soft foods already on the menu.

We were on the Magic and the only issue we had were the tiny elevators if we were using our stroller. Many times I used my ergo, but for the times I needed the stroller, we would sometimes have to wait if the elevators were too full.

Our baby was actually the easiest one to cruise with. I took a 3yr old, 9yr old and 20yr old. The latter was the hardest

 

[k3chantal]

Thanks for all the tips. I have a question... We have a toddler girl (our 1st child) who will be 19 months old when we cruise...and I know a lot can change over the next 5 months, but if we were to cruise right now, she wouldn't make it through dinner. She only sits in her high chair so long b4 she gets frustrated. So, do parent have to leave dinner early? Or should we put her in the nursery every night for dinner?

We were really hoping to put her in the nursery at times when we could enjoy the adult only areas, etc....

Can anybody tell me their experiences?

We traveled with our 18 month old on our first cruise and quickly learned once Flounder's hours were opened pass the 18 hours, to scheduled nursery time during dinner. Made everyone happier including the 18 month old.

 

[DisMom1981]

I guess I need to read this entire tread I didn't know non potty trained babies weren't allowed in the pool... WHatttt???

Don't panic. Nemo's Reef is fun for swim diaper kids and shaded!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Meghatron]

I guess I need to read this entire tread I didn't know non potty trained babies weren't allowed in the pool... WHatttt???

It is a Coast Guard regulation for health reasons. Poop in the pool means it must be evacuated, drained, cleaned, and then refilled. NO EXCEPTIONS. Swim diapers hold poop, they do not contain it. The best analogy is a tea bag: the leaves don't get in the water, but they do steep in it; poop does the same thing and contaminates the water. Taking a non-potty trained child into the pools is going to ruin someone else's vacation. That's why there are splash areas for the little ones.

 

[nabi]

babies travel lite saved us on carrying all the diapers!!

 

[JustTJ]

We cruised last month with my 7 month (turned 8 months the last day of the cruise) Twin Grandbabies.
We took their Front to Back Double stroller (Graco Duo Glider) and it fit through the doors just fine. When folded up, it fit nicely inside the closet. Saw another family with a side by side double stroller and the father was commenting to me on how he wished they had brought their similiar one to ours.

The Biggest tip I can offer anyone travelling with baby's is regarding food. The twins were still on purreed food, and my daughter did not have to use any of the jarred food they brought. The dining staff and chef's were more than happy to puree up some of whatever we requested, and would take the requests the night before at dinner for the next day, and have it ready waiting on our table. Same at breakfast The girls had carrots and sweetpotatoe pureed with Chicken, peas and carrots, apple sauce, blue berries, peaches and more, all supplied by DCL
Do take some of their own jarred food from home for perhaps the first day on board and of course pre cruise days, but don't worry about food from there on, as the Servers are more than happy to get them whatever is required

 

[grubbsjj]

We are planning our first cruise on Wonder in October. We will probably have our 2 yr old sleep on the sofa bed. Does anyone know if bed rails can be used on them? If so, does the ship have them, or do I need to order that from Babies Travel Lite?

 

[k3chantal]

We are planning our first cruise on Wonder in October. We will probably have our 2 yr old sleep on the sofa bed. Does anyone know if bed rails can be used on them? If so, does the ship have them, or do I need to order that from Babies Travel Lite?

They will be provided by the ship. We had our 18 month sleep in the bottom bed (sofa bed) and it worked really well. No worries; a cruise is almost consistently under the motto: "ask and you shall receive". Which is why it is such a great way to travel!

 

[DisneyWillow1975]

We just got back from our Fantasy cruise with our 8 month old twins. We had a fabulous time! We used the Small World Nursery for dinner time (we had 2nd seating), Palo Brunch, and to give us a little adult time occasionally, and our boys loved the time they spent there. When they saw their favorite cast members in the lobby area, they would reach out for them. Gina in particular was great with them, but I felt comfortable with all of the staff and left glowing comments about them on our comment card. We didn't use our Graco front to back stroller much on the ship, but it did fit through the doors easily. We used our Ergo carriers when we were spending time touring the ship or doing the MidShip Detective Agency game, and that worked really well. We didn't feel like we had enough room for 2 pack and plays in our stateroom, so we had our stateroom hostess set up the bedrail on the sofa bed and used the other pack and play to help block the additional opening. The boys slept great on the makeshift bed, and we felt secure with them there. Overall, it was a great experience and I am glad we did it.

 

[fairytalelover]

I have used Babies Travel Lite twice b4 for other vacations, 1 to DL & 1 to WDW. Have not used it w/DCL, but plan on it. It made such a difference in our other 2 trips to not have to pack diaps, wipes, food, bowls, spoons, etc. They are very efficient & the packages were there b4 we arrived. When we checked in at DL, the front desk said they didn't have our package, that it didn't arrive. I called Babies Travel Lite & he called the hotel & sure enough our package was there.

What's Babies Travel Lite?

 

[fairytalelover]

I guess I need to read this entire tread I didn't know non potty trained babies weren't allowed in the pool... WHatttt???

It shouldn't be so surprising. A non-potty trained baby creates a very unsanitary swimming environment for everyone else. The leakage from the diapers can introduce all kinds of bacteria and viruses into the pool like e-coli making other children and adults very sick, ruining their vacation and their health. I have sometimes seen a few parents who choose to ignore this rule, not caring for the health of others. Their selfishness really upsets me and I make sure that I let a CM know so they can get them out of the pool.

 

[sbourg]

When dinning with my 4yr old and 9mth old what is proper attire? I know they don't allow jeans and shorts but with 9mth old would dresses rompers be proper? Thanks. Sorry this is my first post so unsure how this all works!!!

 

[CastleLight]

When dinning with my 4yr old and 9mth old what is proper attire? I know they don't allow jeans and shorts but with 9mth old would dresses rompers be proper? Thanks. Sorry this is my first post so unsure how this all works!!!

We cruised last summer with our 2 children, who were around the same age as yours. Dress them however they are comfortable! And feel free to bring your baby into dinner in her stroller if she likes to sit in it - or if she is sleepy. Mine fell asleep during meals more than once.

 

[k3chantal]

When dinning with my 4yr old and 9mth old what is proper attire? I know they don't allow jeans and shorts but with 9mth old would dresses rompers be proper? Thanks. Sorry this is my first post so unsure how this all works!!!

We found that with our 18 month old, that she was happier in the nursery during dinner. "Skirted" around the whole clothes issue entirely.

 

[xoDevinxo]

Does anyone know if the nursery is cloth diaper accommodating?

 

[lorenni]

Does anyone know if the nursery is cloth diaper accommodating?

We CD at home but will be using disposables for the cruise. I do not think anyone will look kindly on using communal washers and dryers to wash your cloth diapers. Not to mention you wont be able to do pre-rinse, extra rinse, etc let alone at different water temps.

Or are you doing a short cruise and just planned to haul all the dirty diaps off with you at the end?

 

[Meghatron]

We CD at home but will be using disposables for the cruise. I do not think anyone will look kindly on using communal washers and dryers to wash your cloth diapers. Not to mention you wont be able to do pre-rinse, extra rinse, etc let alone at different water temps.

Or are you doing a short cruise and just planned to haul all the dirty diaps off with you at the end?

I agree with this. No way I would trust the onboard machines to handle cloth diapers, nor would I want to inflict that on other passengers. Also, I don't do laundry on vacation, period. If I were on a 3-day, I *might* consider staying on cloth and bringing a huge wet bag, but no longer than that. We switch to disposables for cruising.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

When dinning with my 4yr old and 9mth old what is proper attire? I know they don't allow jeans and shorts but with 9mth old would dresses rompers be proper? Thanks. Sorry this is my first post so unsure how this all works!!!

Jeans are allowed in the dining room.