Crib in verandah cabin and other baby questions

[Stimpy]

We're thinking of taking another Disney cruise in Feb 2005 and we're taking our son who will be 5 and our new daughter who will be about 10 months old. Since we loved the verandah the last 2 times, we'd like to get another one. I was wondering about the crib though. Is it full size or pack and play? Where do they put it in the cabin? Would it be in front of the verandah door and blocking it? Do we need to bring our own bedding?

What do you do about diapers and formula? When we go to WDW, we rent a car and pick up everything at a supermarket or Eckerds. I assume we would probably have to do the same thing for DCL. We wouldn't have any problems bringing containers of the Ready-To-Eat formula or baby food jars on board, would we?

Do they sell diapers on the ship in case we run out?

Wow, looking back at our last cruises, it seems like it was so simple then! No diapers, no formula, etc.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[tbuot]

We stayed in a cat. 6 and the crib was the pack and play type. I think I have seen small packages of diapers in Treasure Ketch and a small amount of some formula.

I would bring your own. Our first cruise was when our youngest was in diapers and we packed our own. Another option would be to buy some formula and/or diapers at a port destination.

Have a great cruise!!

 

[piglet33]

My DD was 11 months old when we cruised. We had a Pack 'N Play in the room. We stopped at Walmart and bought baby food, diapers and formula. I bought the formula in single serving powder tubes so I just added water. They were great and took up almost no room in the suitcase and also weren''t heavy like the bottles that she normally drank.

Reneé

 

[cjsmom97]

So where is a good location for the pack n play especially if you are in a smaller room like a cat 11?

 

[HooKooDooKu]

BRING YOUR OWN DIAPERS!!! AND PLENTY OF WIPES!!!

They have some for sale on the ship, but they are expensive (as you can imagine) and you don't know what brand (I'm not even sure they are Huggies OR Pampers).

Now the greatest part of cruising with a baby in diapers??? Disney also provides a diaper genie (and the cabin steward empties it for you)!

You won't have any problems bringing baby food/formula on board. We just packed it in our luggage (in fact, one large suit case was nothing but diapers, formula, food, bottles, toys, etc for the baby). I would suggest the Gerber plastic tubs of food (so you don't risk glasss getting broken).

 

[SueEllen]

In the Cat 6 (or 5 or 7) the Pack n Play was next to our sofa bed. My daughter slept in the upper bunk and the table was moved out of the way so the crib was there.

I would recommend (if you want to swing the additional charge) to go up to a cat 4. The room is EXACLY the size of that pack n play larger than the cat 7-5 and the pack-n-play fits nicely on the other side of the sofa bed leaving plenty of room to walk around. We did this when my son was 13 months, and then went to the cat 6 when he was 25 months and still in the crib. I wished that we had the extra room of the cat 4 for the crib on that next cruise.

As for diapers, BRING THEM! They are definitely more expensive on board. We packed a suitcase of only diapers and a few other baby items. Then when we left the ship we had extra room for souvies!!!

My son didn't need bottles, etc at that time so I can't help you there.

Sue Ellen

 

[Mickeyhugger]

No advice here, I just want to commend all of you who travel w/babies and very young children.

And I hope no one flames this, but it's good to see there families who travel together regardless of ages. It makes me sad when I sometimes read about families who've proudly taken numerous DCL cruises 'w/out the kids' and seem proud of it.

 

[jweiss]

I'll be cruising in August with a 6 month old. I have no idea how the Pack and Play is going to fit in the Cat 9 room..... it's not gonna be a lot of fun, but we're only in the cabin to sleep anyways. I plan to bring everything with me, but will check the brands and prices on board and let you know. I'd move to a larger cabin, but the cruise is full, and it was all I could do to even get the baby on. (We didn't know about the baby when we booked the cruise!!!)

We went to WDW last month. We're in California and don't rent a car when we're there, so I couldn't stop at a store. I found an AWESOME service called JetSetBabies.Com. You can order diapers, wipes, formula, baby food, etc. and they have it delivered to your hotel before you arrive. I'm gonna see if I can do it for the cruise, but I sort of doubt it. Actually, now that I think about it.......we're stying at Hyatt the nite before the cruise, so maybe I can have the box sent there, keep it unopened, and have it sent to the ship with our suitcases!!!! The service cost was VERY reasonable.....

Where will I put the stroller/car seat when we're in the cabin???

 

[CarolJean]

FYI-
You won't have to be scaling the p&p all day as the steward takes it away in the a.m.(when you leave for the day) and sets it up at night. If you need it for naps, let the steward know what time and it will MAGICally appear! I'm sure that if you could plan nap time for a certain time of day, everyday, it would be better. That way you won't have to ask every time and it will be there when you get there.

 

[HookedonMagic]

We were in a Cat 11 with an infant last year. The space was tight...we kept our stroller folded in the closet. Also, request a diaper genie...they will provide one. Another tip...bring your own sheets and blankets for the pack and play. DCL provides an ill-fitting Mickey sheet and a full size blanket (that both looked a little grungy ) Definately bring more diapers, wipes and formula than you think you'll need...the on board prices will frighten most parents! Also, book your Flounders space early...we were first in line and got all of the times we wanted. They are really good about cancellations if you find you don't want to use them as much as you originally anticipated. Finally, pack a little extra patience. Cruising will definately be different with a baby in tow...but, of course, well worth the extra effort! (Our daughter is almost 15 and our son is 18 months...we had definately forgotton how much preplanning everything takes with a baby!)

Happy Sailing!

 

[neverlandclub]

I have always packed my diapers on top of everyone's clothes in the suitcases. I just wait until everyone is packed and then put a layer of diapers on top. Also, the front pockets of suitcases are great for diapers, too. I bring my own linens/blanket for the pack and play. I brought those scented bags for the diapers so I could just throw them away, didn't get a Genie because I forgot I could. I bring food for her in plastic, not glass. We seem to always have an infant or toddler while traveling and we've never had any problems. Great trip always. I put her carseat and stroller in the closet. I would suggest umbrella strollers unless you have a larger cabin.

One good thing to bring is a toy that glows or some kind of nightlight, this is very necessary when you need to get up in the middle of the night and the boat is rocking. Don't want to fall down, especially while holding the baby. Those rooms are dark.
I also think one of those pop up hampers are nice for throwing toys, dirty clothes, etc.. I usually put the diapers in a drawer or stack them on a shelf in the closet, or just keep them all together in an empty bag or duffle. Disney really caters to kids so they have a great time and so do Mom and Dad.

Melissa
NeverlandClub

 

[shmoogrrrl]

My daughter was 10 months old when we sailed in April of 2003. They do sell simple baby supplies on the ship (diapers. wipes, etc) but they were MUCH more expensive than you'd pay on shore. I recommend bringing extra of what you will need, just in case.

We had no problems bringing fomula on board. Katie used the powdered stuff, but water was always avaliable, and the staff was VERY helpful! The waiters offered to warm up bottles if needed, and to mush up any food that needed it.

The one thing that we found was that we brought a ton of baby food jars thinking that she'd tear through them, and Katie picked that time to get way more interested in table food than the jars. She tried a lot of different table foods though! They always had a banana cut for her when we got to dinner, and were happy to bring her small portions of things that we thought she might like to try. It was a great way to experiment with different types of food!