Cruising with Baby

[misslissa]

We decided to take our (will be) 17 month old on his first Disney trip and once realizing that a vacation just isn't the same without the beach, we are hoping to tack on a 3 day cruise at the end on the Dream. We have been to Disney many times and on a 7 night cruise without our little guy and we really want to do this but I need a little convincing!
Are there activities for him to participate in without leaving him in the nursery? He enjoys everything but doesn't like to be left with anyone he doesn't know.

[chateau]

My kids didn't either, but sanity is a necessity, and they overcame their fears quickly in the nursery! Kids need their parents to be "recharged" from time to time, and being there 24/7 is very draining (for me!)

[neg58]

Well sure he can participate in all kinds of things with you. He can go to the shows, meet the characters, eat the food, go in the sprinkler pools.

He can't go into the adult restaurants or lounges or pools, so that means YOU can't either if you don't put him in the nursery. I recently cruised with my 16 year old and she couldn't go in those areas, so I didn't. She really didn't like the teen club and just wanted to hang out with me. We found plenty to do in the family areas.

Nancy

[misslissa]

I have no problem at all not going in the adult areas. It is only a 3 night cruise and we have done all of it before. I'm kind of looking for other programs like maybe a playtime or craft time or something... Either way, we know we'll have a blast, but without the pool for him to be entertained in, I'm looking for other options too.

[neg58]

The kids clubs have several open house times and he can go in there and play with all their cool stuff. There is mini-golf and he could chase the ball around - no rules.

Most of the organized things outside the club are for older kids or adults, like towel folding or character drawing, or trivia contests. They did have a baby crawling contest one morning in the lobby, and it was really funny, but walking kids were inegligible.

[Melissa S]

DD was 16 months on our first cruise which was also a three night. We didn't use the nursey that time either (I was on the 8 night we broke down and had to use it during dinner- it was her first time in a daycare ever and she did awesome). The 3 nights are so short that you will have plenty to do. The splash zone is a lot of fun and the nusery staff brings out toys each day for an hour. He can also attend the open houses in the nursery and club each morning (he can play with the toys while you are there with him). We spent most of our time meeting characters (still do). And we loved the family dance parties each night. There are also toddler times (mostly geared towards babies) and baby specific events in the morning (check the Navigator)

On our first cruise we learned that we needed to pace ourselves. DD would pass out before the shows each night because she would skip her naps because there was so much to do. Now we make sure we have down time in the afternoon when there really aren't many activities so she can stay up for the show. If you have early dinner you may want to put your little guy in pjs for the show in case he falls asleep.

[RedxPanda]

Originally Posted by chateau

My kids didn't either, but sanity is a necessity, and they overcame their fears quickly in the nursery! Kids need their parents to be "recharged" from time to time, and being there 24/7 is very draining (for me!)

Yes! DD was so happy to see toys, she didn't even know we were gone. We will be using the nursery more in the future. Although, for 3 days I don't know they'll find time to use it.



Dinners were interesting, but doable. If you have a tablet, smartphone, etc that can play a movie or games, it helps to occupy them during the long wait for food. We managed without it, but I do wish we would have grabbed her a snack before heading in for dinner, kids food was slower than I expected.

We did a 4 night Bahamas at 15 months. On Nassau day we went to Atlantis and did just the aquarium and explored a little. She took a nap in her stroller after the main aquarium, she wore herself out exploring the fish.

It's only 3 days, and no days at sea, you won't have trouble finding things to do. At that age they are happy to just explore and look at things. DD loved the shows at night and fell asleep halfway through each one out of exhaustion from the day. I honestly don't think she ever slept so good as she did on the cruise, at that age.

She LOVED the characters. Especially Chip and Dale!

[Meghatron]

-- Splash Zone
-- Open House times in Kids' Clubs
-- Disney Junior events, usually first thing in the morning in one of the lounges. Check the navigator.
-- Do not underestimate the nursery staff. DD is more than a little ornery about naps, always has been. We booked her in the nursery on our first cruise for naptime because I didn't want to be stuck in our inside room. I thought for sure she wouldn't sleep. They had her down, despite it being an unfamiliar place full of people she didn't know and new toys, within five minutes of us checking her in and she slept for over two hours. Waking up they coddled her and she jumped right in to activities. I still have the precious handprints painting they made with her and delivered to our stateroom after it dried. I have no hesitations about putting DS in the nursery should we get the chance to sail again before he's three.

[TinksMomma]

Just wanted to wish you luck! My 17 month old DD loved our cruise and did amazing in the nursery (unfortunately she is fearless lol). They are amazing!!

[DVCMomofThree]

My "baby: is now 15 months old. We took him when he was 5 months, he is our youngest kiddo. I hate to say it but I honestly wouldn't take him at this toddler age. I'll probably wait it out another year and change til he's potty trained and can use the pools. The port days would be great for taking him to the beach, but I really can't imagine any of us enjoying ourselves out at sea with him being unable to use the pools and only allowed in the spray ground....plus with the "pace" of dinner...no way would it be fun or enjoyable to try to manage him sitting down in his high chair for that amount of time. That's my personal opinion, obviously...but unless you plan on doing a cruise every year or two...I'd wait til baby is a little older and had access to more amenities on the ship.

[misslissa]

Originally Posted by DVCMomofThree

My "baby: is now 15 months old. We took him when he was 5 months, he is our youngest kiddo. I hate to say it but I honestly wouldn't take him at this toddler age. I'll probably wait it out another year and change til he's potty trained and can use the pools. The port days would be great for taking him to the beach, but I really can't imagine any of us enjoying ourselves out at sea with him being unable to use the pools and only allowed in the spray ground....plus with the "pace" of dinner...no way would it be fun or enjoyable to try to manage him sitting down in his high chair for that amount of time. That's my personal opinion, obviously...but unless you plan on doing a cruise every year or two...I'd wait til baby is a little older and had access to more amenities on the ship.

We were thinking the same thing but he's under 2 and still essentially free so we thought we'd go for it. It is only a 3 night cruise, and we only have two full days which will be beach days providing lots of fun. This is mostly for us. We were going to Disney anyway and I felt like seeing the Caribbean while we are at it. We travel quite frequently so I'm sure he'll have a chance to enjoy it himself more when he gets older. I am concerned a little bit about dinner at this age though. Anyone have any pointers? He can usually enjoy his high chair for about 45 minutes if he is hungry and has toys, this is something we have worked at :P When he first started to walk, we couldn't go anywhere to eat 'cause he just wanted out of the chair to run around!

[misslissa]

Originally Posted by RedxPanda

Yes! DD was so happy to see toys, she didn't even know we were gone. We will be using the nursery more in the future. Although, for 3 days I don't know they'll find time to use it.



Dinners were interesting, but doable. If you have a tablet, smartphone, etc that can play a movie or games, it helps to occupy them during the long wait for food. We managed without it, but I do wish we would have grabbed her a snack before heading in for dinner, kids food was slower than I expected.

We did a 4 night Bahamas at 15 months. On Nassau day we went to Atlantis and did just the aquarium and explored a little. She took a nap in her stroller after the main aquarium, she wore herself out exploring the fish.

It's only 3 days, and no days at sea, you won't have trouble finding things to do. At that age they are happy to just explore and look at things. DD loved the shows at night and fell asleep halfway through each one out of exhaustion from the day. I honestly don't think she ever slept so good as she did on the cruise, at that age.

She LOVED the characters. Especially Chip and Dale!

Thanks for the tips!