Was the Babies Travel Lite service worth it? Debating on whether or not we want to use them or just bring our own stuff.
I'd say it depends on if you're flying before or not. My DW and I looked at the pricing and the savings in bringing one additional large suitcase with us as we were driving a short distance from our house to the Galveston port mad the Travel Lite unattractive. There was a large storage cabinet that all of the diapers, wipes, milk that doesn't require refrigeration, etc fit into. If we had been flying in, having one less large bag would probably have pushed us to using Travel Lite.
We 1st traveled when our DD#1 was 17 months old, and she had experienced Mother's Day out already for several months so had no issue playing in the nursery. The counselers are great, and you can look through some glass windows and see that they are constantly interacting with the children.
It was funny that at close to 2 years of age, she didn't want to go to the nursery as much b/c she preferred being with us, and thus, we took her to more of the live shows, etc. That being said remembering back to 6 months of age, I think you'll be able to utilize the nursery quite a bit without stranger anxiety - especially around normal sleep / nap times.
We also enjoyed the afternoon nap of getting a chance to hang out with each other in the room while our DD#1 slept behind the curtain. One of us would go get a specialty drink, and we'd read, play on our i-pads, etc. My DW brought a small speaker that plugged into her i-phone, and we played orchestral lullaby music to help our DD#1 fall sleep without distraction.
We didn't travel with grandparents and at 6 months, my DW wouldn't have left our DD#1 with the grandparents.
Is it still work making sure the little ones eat at breakfast, lunch, dinner; watching & entertaining them...of course. Does it feel like a vacation where you get to relax...absolutely!
Note on another cruise website, there is a forum for babies / toddlers on cruises with lot's of great tips.