21w pregnant + toddler + cruise??? relaxing?

[MinnieMouse64]

Honestly, before you do ANYTHING you should talk with your OB doctor and see what he/she says about going on a cruise before you book your cruise. I know it is none of my business but personally, being a level 3, neonatal nurse I would not be traveling out of state being that far along. Yes, your right your baby will not be viable at 21 weeks. But there are also other risk, such as developing pre-eclampsia before or during the trip and having to be on bed rest until the baby is born, you could go into preterm labor. If your OB is okay with it, then go and have a Magical Time! Definitely, call Disney cruise lines and ask about their travel insurance, as expensive as Disney cruises are I would hate to lose that much money.

 

[Quellman]

We did lots with our 2.5 year old. We took advantage of the open house time for the kids clubs, so that was fun, plus all of the other things. If your husband doesn't mind the bit of extra work he has to do wrangling the kiddo than sure. But a cruise with a toddler is no where near the same as it is with a semi-independent child.

 

[readytogotodisney]

Our first cruise was when I was 23 weeks pregnant (before they changed the rule) and with my then just turned 3 yr old. It was amazing. IMO, nothing is really "relaxing" with a 3 yr old, but I'd rather be on a boat enjoying the ocean instead of in Indiana staring at the cornfields.

It was the first of our DCL cruising days.

 

[wl1117]

As long as you are feeling fine and neither you nor your OB is concerned about the pregnancy, I'd go. I'd also book the nursery time. My youngest daughter turned 3 during our last cruise, so she spent time in the nursery right up to her birthday and loved it. There's plenty to do there for her age range and she may love it too. You can always cancel the time later. Aside from the nursery, there's still plenty to do with a toddler. Have fun!

 

[Iamaplanner]

I think it really depends what your two year old is like. My daughters were ROUTINE, ROUTINE, ROUTINE. At age two, there was nothing fun about going out to eat with them or worse - sleeping in a bed that wasn't their own. For us, it was more work than it was worth (and we found out the hard way). But of course, that's not every child. So, assuming your little girl is 'easy' in that regard then I think it would be a fun trip.

 

[lanejudy]

I think you mentioned something on a previous post about medical insurance and evacuating from a cruise. Do you know if this is part of trip insurance or a separate medical insurance? It is such a great suggestion so I will be sure I have this coverage!

Unfortunately if I lost the baby before 23w, he/she wouldn't be viable so it would be all about taking care of me. Great point though. I really like that Disney doesn't want anyone over 24w on the cruise, likely for this reason. ...

Since you seem to have particular interest in travel insurance coverage... be specific in your questions when shopping for policies. It's easy to add DCL's offered insurance, but that may or may not be the best policy for your needs so compare with third-party options as well. If you want to include medical, ask. If you want to know about evacuation, ask. Many travel insurance policies specifically exclude pregnancy, so any complications or issues arising due to or related to the pregnancy would then be uncovered -- even if the policy includes evacuation, if PG is excluded that could negate coverage returning the mother home for her care. I'm not saying don't travel, just make sure you are comfortable with the risks and don't make assumptions about your travel insurance coverage without asking all the questions that come to mind.

Best wishes for your new little one and enjoy your cruise!

 

[Sandbtwmytoes]

Pros:
A lot of food variety included in the fare...so no worry about reservations, trying to find something to eat at any time of day and added cost.
Cabins that are roomy and where you and 2.5 year old can nap whenever you want
Nemos Reef splash area for your little kid and Aqua Duck for your big kid (er, husband)
Movies for those quiet days and nights...fantastic movies on Funnel vision as well as first run in the theater. Jungle Book, Finding Dory, etc. We love watching the new movies.
Beach day at Nassau and Castaway Cay. Although, I would honestly hit the beach on CC and stay on the ship for Nassau.
Did I mention no cooking or cleaning? I should have put that first.

Cons:
You have to disembark on the last day.

Seriously, I would definitely take this time to vacation before the 2nd one comes along. And a cruise seems to hold the best of all possibilities for the most potential relaxation.

The no cooking and cleaning convinced me! When I considered other locations/trips, I didn't want to have to worry about finding food for a toddler 3 times a day! Booked the trip today! Thanks for your list

 

[Sandbtwmytoes]

OP you sound incredibly level-headed and I truly appreciate that. So many (especially Americans) freak out over things and you aren't. I love it. Good for you.

The question is...do you want to sit around the house for a week with your toddler and your belly, or do you want to sit on a cruise ship and a beach for that time? Do you want to just watch the clock, cook, clean up, etc...or do you want to play, eat food that others have cooked, have someone cleaning up for you, and have things to do at all hours of the day? I'm sure your daily life isn't all that relaxing. So do you want your daily life at your home, or on a cruiseship?

How is your husband at taking care of you and of the toddler? Can he be relied upon to take her over to get food, to perhaps bring you back some food if you don't want to move off of your lounger? If so, GO. Some spouses aren't great at that sort of thing, and that makes it less loungey and less relaxing. (of course, it's not wildly relaxing to be the non-pregnant spouse in this situation, poor DH, but that's life) If it's ALL going to be up to you, that's a factor.

Excellent advice! I love the view from the verandah and can't wait to get on board! DH is very helpful with DD, but he gets so excited and distracted on the cruise. We had to have a talk about how I would need more help He's a great guy though. I love that DD will get a great vacation with us before the sibling is born. Thanks!

 

[Sandbtwmytoes]

I would go for sure. So much to do for the little one on the ship and relaxing for parents. Does your daughter like characters? Daddy could easily take her for a bit to stand in line and meet characters while mommy gets a break before dinner. Or head up to Nemo's Reef. We didn't realize how warm that water was, very nice for mom and dad too. And if you get tired, relax in a lounger while daddy supervises. And the service on board is great with kids. Our main dining room servers last week bent over backwards to make sure our kids had what they needed. They even cut my daughters food while I sat there and ate my own dinner. I ate a hot meal every day last week on our cruise!

But I would say don't rule out the nursery because she is too old. At least go during the Open House and see if she likes it. If there's one thing Disney knows, it's how to entertain kids.

I'm really excited about Nemo's reef! I think DD will play here every day. Our first cruise was on the wonder and the splash area was tiny and some of it wasn't working well. I've been thinking a lot about the nursery and I think we will at least visit it. Lately, when the babysitter comes over, DD says "bye bye mommy" and runs off to play.

 

[Sandbtwmytoes]

We cruised when my ODD was 2 and I was about 19 weeks pregnant with my younger daughter. It was a nice, relaxing trip (the 5 days at WDW prior to the cruise less "relaxing" but still great . We love that on the cruise you can use the nursery and go have some adult time, they did keep our daughter entertained at 2 and she seemed to enjoy it. The whole no cooking, cleaning, chores, work, commuting thing - honestly, you can't go wrong.

Our daughter loves the open house activities in the kids club - there was something like "wake up with Disney junior" and they had the characters come out and dance with the the kids - she was over the moon. She loved meeting characters and we did relaxing beach days. Honestly it was a great way to spend some quality time as a family of 3 before our younger daughter joined the mix.

It will be hot if you cruise in August, but as a Texan, I assume you are used to hot summers (we currently live in Austin and the cruise weather was certainly no hotter than Texas summer).

Thanks for your reply! You certainly can relate. I love Austin!

 

[Sandbtwmytoes]

I think it really depends what your two year old is like. My daughters were ROUTINE, ROUTINE, ROUTINE. At age two, there was nothing fun about going out to eat with them or worse - sleeping in a bed that wasn't their own. For us, it was more work than it was worth (and we found out the hard way). But of course, that's not every child. So, assuming your little girl is 'easy' in that regard then I think it would be a fun trip.

She isn't very easy, but I learned a few things on the first trip. We definitely need some type of sound machine to cover up the hallway noise. She didn't sleep so great since she was in a new place, but I'm hoping it will be better this time.

 

[Sandbtwmytoes]

Since you seem to have particular interest in travel insurance coverage... be specific in your questions when shopping for policies. It's easy to add DCL's offered insurance, but that may or may not be the best policy for your needs so compare with third-party options as well. If you want to include medical, ask. If you want to know about evacuation, ask. Many travel insurance policies specifically exclude pregnancy, so any complications or issues arising due to or related to the pregnancy would then be uncovered -- even if the policy includes evacuation, if PG is excluded that could negate coverage returning the mother home for her care. I'm not saying don't travel, just make sure you are comfortable with the risks and don't make assumptions about your travel insurance coverage without asking all the questions that come to mind.

Best wishes for your new little one and enjoy your cruise!

Thank you so much! I've been asking lots of questions and it's amazing what isn't covered whey you get to the details. I did have a significant complication with a previous pregnancy, but I've been told by 3 doctors that it shouldn't happen again. And if we ultimately lose the money spent, better for me to be safe.

 

[Sandbtwmytoes]

Our first cruise was when I was 23 weeks pregnant (before they changed the rule) and with my then just turned 3 yr old. It was amazing. IMO, nothing is really "relaxing" with a 3 yr old, but I'd rather be on a boat enjoying the ocean instead of in Indiana staring at the cornfields.

It was the first of our DCL cruising days.

LOL, you are right! DD is not relaxing But I'm so excited that she will have a great time. Hopefully I get some fun too!

 

[Sandbtwmytoes]

We did lots with our 2.5 year old. We took advantage of the open house time for the kids clubs, so that was fun, plus all of the other things. If your husband doesn't mind the bit of extra work he has to do wrangling the kiddo than sure. But a cruise with a toddler is no where near the same as it is with a semi-independent child.

I found a recent navigator and there is a lot of open house time. On our first cruise, we missed every open house! I'm really excited to see all of the play areas. I agree she will have even more fun when she is older. That's one of the reasons we debated on this trip, but Disney really does make everything else so easy with young kids.

 

[Sandbtwmytoes]

As long as you are feeling fine and neither you nor your OB is concerned about the pregnancy, I'd go. I'd also book the nursery time. My youngest daughter turned 3 during our last cruise, so she spent time in the nursery right up to her birthday and loved it. There's plenty to do there for her age range and she may love it too. You can always cancel the time later. Aside from the nursery, there's still plenty to do with a toddler. Have fun!

I'm glad to hear the nursery was still good for your daughter! We might actually try it out.