Cruising with 9 month old twins

[Himmin]

Hi all

Does anyone have any tips or advice for taking a cruise with 9 month old twins? Or a baby in general.

It will be me and my husband on the fantasy round the carribean in January for 7 nights.

Thanks

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Do book the nursery -set times, they book up fast.

 

[ahain]

Please don't take this the wrong way.....but if it was me, I would likely have them stay at home with grandma since they are not really old enough to enjoy or remember the cruise and will also be quite a handful for your as well.

 

[suebecdan]

Hi all

Does anyone have any tips or advice for taking a cruise with 9 month old twins? Or a baby in general.

It will be me and my husband on the fantasy round the carribean in January for 7 nights.

Thanks

I toke my twins on their first cruise at 11 months. It was not a Disney cruise, but we had a wonderful time. I would say to go this cruise with no expectations and no schdules. My boys were with us 24/7 and we enjoyed it and never felt like it was too much work. We had a balcony room so when they napped we were still able to enjoy the outdoors. We had first sitting so we ate early, then we would walk around the ship. We would change them in their pj's before going to the show. Our boys are good sleepers so we never had issues with that. We don't like leaving our twins behind and for this reason they have become amazing travelers. I can take them anywhere and they behave great. IMO if you want to experience this cruise with your twins, then do so. No one can tell you what will work for your family. Just have a great time and don't let the little things get to you. Have fun!

 

[mygavin03]

I just got off the Wonder with my 9 month old daughter. We are big vacationers and take our kids everywhere with us (12, 5, 3, 9 mos). I have to say this was the hardest vacation we have ever taken. Cruising is totally different from a land based vacation. My daughter just wanted to be down and crawling and there was literally no place for her to do that. We had one pack and play in our room and it was cramped but you will probably have two. We signed her up for the nursery the first night at dinner and were called to come get her within 20 minutes. I felt like we were tied to the room at nap times (she takes 2) bc she just isn't great at napping on the go. I am glad we went because my other kids really enjoyed themselves but if we would have just had the baby we wouldn't have gone.

I don't want to discourage you-just some things to think about. Maybe your kids are better at schedule adjustments and napping on the fly than mine!

 

[Quellman]

We thought we had it covered with one at 14 months. Packed enough diapers based on historical usage. We get to the first port after 2 days at sea, we had to get more. Caught a bit of sickness and rolled through what we brought quickly. We were glad that he was able to eat solids and the like so he could try other stuff. Chicken was great.

Book nursery time if you think you will use it. We only used it 2 nights. Once for Palo and the other for the Animators show. We also did the open house activities with the nursery. Our guys loved toys, and we could rightly only pack so many of those. It was still a great trip and had a lovely time. .

 

[Yooperroo]

Hi all

Does anyone have any tips or advice for taking a cruise with 9 month old twins? Or a baby in general.

It will be me and my husband on the fantasy round the carribean in January for 7 nights.

Thanks

When in January? I'll be on the Jan 9 sailing with my 6 mo old

 

[Himmin]

Were doing the 30th January! Nice to know we are not the only ones taking young babies!

 

[chardeman01]

Hi all

Does anyone have any tips or advice for taking a cruise with 9 month old twins? Or a baby in general.

It will be me and my husband on the fantasy round the carribean in January for 7 nights.

Thanks

I took our 9 month old twins on a 7 day DLC at Christmas. It was a great experience and they enjoyed it. Did we have some stressful moments absolutely....twins baby's are going to be tiresome regardless. Overall, it was awesome seeing them laugh and have fun on the cruise. The memories we have are worth it. We did have help on the cruise since our families (parents and our sibling's families) were on the cruise as well. In fact I would assume it would be easier with 9 month old twins then doing the same trip with 2 year olds. We travel a lot and didn't slow down when we had our twins. They need to get use to travel. They have traveled to a couple countries, Disney world, DLC, and other areas in the States. We have another DLC booked this upcoming Christmas....which may be more work than the last one.

 

[PandL]

I want to say that there is nothing more frustrating than to hear someone suggest "leave them at home they aren't old enough to remember it" That isn't helpful advice and it is annoying to hear. My son is 14 months and I am not ready to leave him for 1 night. He is still breastfed so leaving him for 7 nights is out of the question. What are young families supposed to do? I guess we should all hole up and refuse to get out into the world until our kids are old enough to "appreciate" all that we do for them. Something tells me that we will be waiting forever. Parent's aren't stupid they know that their baby won't remember the cruise/trip/experience, but it is a lot of joy as a parent to watch the wonder of your baby experiencing the world.

I haven't cruised with a baby. Mine will be 18 months on our cruise in September BUT I did travel when he was 9 months (and younger) old a lot. I have even traveled across the country on planes alone with him. You just need to be relaxed and able to go with the flow. Schedules will get screwed up, babies will get fussy, you and your SO will get irritated with one another, etc. Just try to let it go.

The hardest thing will being able to haul all of the stuff (luggage, babies, carry-ons) I don't know if you baby wear but I have found popping my baby in a carrier for crowded situations (example...airports and I imaging embarking and debarking a ship) is heaven. It keeps my son content and it gives me two hands to carry stuff. Also bring a lightweight blanket if you are worried about them being on the ground. This allows you to create your own "play area" wherever you go.

Good for you for planning a trip. It won't be easy and your trip might not look like anyone else's ideal cruise, but just make it work for your family and make the most of it. Enjoy the time away from real life and YOU will never forget the amazement and wonder on your babies faces as they take in the magic of the world around them.

 

[MinnesotaChill]

I haven't traveled with babies on cruises, but one thing that really stood out to me was stroller selection. There were some strollers that seemed just so unwieldy for those tiny rooms!

 

[coloradocutie]

Congrats on your little ones!!!

We love traveling with our little ones. We took my oldest on a (non-Disney) cruise at 1 year. I loved it as a tired new mom… one week of someone cooking for me! When my youngest turned one we all went on another (this time Disney!) cruise. I think cruising is a great travel choice with infants. Disney was so AMAZING with the little ones - they "get" traveling with children! So i can tell you a few tips from our trips- hopefully there is a little something that you find useful

- brought my own pack and play sheets - cozy soft and known
-had the concierge at the hotel prior to embarking get my diapers and wipes so that i didn't have to fly with them
- we did stick to our regular naps and sleep schedule. i LOVE naps because if we kept the little one as close to our home schedule as possible, it made the rest of the awake times so much more pleasurable for the rest of us
-did not do any excursions (partly due to see above) and the car seat issue. we were content just walking around the ports.
-brought my own safety socket covers (painters tape also works well) and night light, though you could prob leave the bathroom door ajar
-are you on a verandah? we brought the baby monitor from home and would sit on the verandah during (the previously mentioned and much loved ) nap time
-never used the nursery so cannot comment on that.
-did bring disposable sippy cups and brought bibs. we were able to get a high chair in the room on DCL for feeding in the room.
- they have diaper genies for you
-you could consider getting a MMR for your little ones prior to embarking given the recent measles outbreaks, and that there are a few thousand others on the ship. it is usually given at 12-15 months but you can do it at 9 months and it would give them measles protection. (just have to do it again at 12 m) we are about to cruise again and at age 2 I just boosted my little one her with MMRV (MMR with chickenpox) earlier than most get it (usually right before kindergarden) due to CDC recommendations for travel. (hehe! I even went back and checked my own measles immunization status to make sure i am good! )
- i did bring small bottles of dish and laundry detergent and I did do laundry once
-packing cubes allowed me to get a ton of stuff into a little space.
-never booked from babies travel lite, but a lot of people really like them for ease.
-REI and old navy have long sleeved baby rash guards for sun protection. tar-jay online
-the cove cafe has great lattes

Enjoy your trip!
Enjoy living life with your little ones! Hope you make sweet memories!

 

[Dug720]

I haven't traveled with babies on cruises, but one thing that really stood out to me was stroller selection. There were some strollers that seemed just so unwieldy for those tiny rooms!

And they must be stored in the cabin - NOT in the hall. The halls are small enough without people thinking they are storage areas for strollers.

 

[twopeasonepod]

I really hope that I don't offend anyone, but it needs to be said....no one knows what it's like to have multiples unless you have multiples. It's not like having "Irish twins" or "three under three" or whatever. It is WAY different. And VERY difficult. Plus, multiples are typically preemies, which means that they may be 7 months at sailing, or maybe 9 months chronologically but only 7 months developmentally.

Only you know what is best for you. But if these are your first babies, you may truly not know what you are getting yourself into. I am a child psychologist, and even I was overwhelmed with having twins. Difficulty BFing, one of them puked 1,000,000 times per day, digestion problems and gnarly diaper rash for several weeks, etc etc etc. Of course, it all worked out in the end (they BF'd for 16 1/2 months, eventually stopped puking, etc.), but it was STRESSFUL. I want you to be able to enjoy your cruise!

We are insane travelers (the boys have been United Premier members for 5 years -- 25,000 miles or more), but there is just so much crap to tote around with two babies. I remember hatin' it with their car seats and the Bob double stroller and double everything. If you decide that it's worth it to still travel with all of that and no help, then I absolutely encourage you to do so.

One thing I would suggest for sure is having two single strollers. Cruise ships are not good places to have doubles. And how the heck are you supposed to take the double nursing pillow? That thing is ginormous! haha

 

[Luvzmy3boys]

You are incredibly brave-- it's the lugging of all the gear along with the babies that is the challenge! Our travel with our twin boys at that age was limited to road trips and one flight to see grandparents because of serious health issues which have gotten much better with age (now 9). I Second the two (light as possible and easily collapsible) single strollers and backpack for each parent on planes, port excursions etc. because space is tight and double strollers are like tanks! Do take advantage of the nursery if you can and your kids have the personality for it. Best of luck!

 

[Family1st T]

Congrats on your little ones!!!

We love traveling with our little ones. We took my oldest on a (non-Disney) cruise at 1 year. I loved it as a tired new mom… one week of someone cooking for me! When my youngest turned one we all went on another (this time Disney!) cruise. I think cruising is a great travel choice with infants. Disney was so AMAZING with the little ones - they "get" traveling with children! So i can tell you a few tips from our trips- hopefully there is a little something that you find useful

- brought my own pack and play sheets - cozy soft and known
-had the concierge at the hotel prior to embarking get my diapers and wipes so that i didn't have to fly with them
- we did stick to our regular naps and sleep schedule. i LOVE naps because if we kept the little one as close to our home schedule as possible, it made the rest of the awake times so much more pleasurable for the rest of us
-did not do any excursions (partly due to see above) and the car seat issue. we were content just walking around the ports.
-brought my own safety socket covers (painters tape also works well) and night light, though you could prob leave the bathroom door ajar
-are you on a verandah? we brought the baby monitor from home and would sit on the verandah during (the previously mentioned and much loved ) nap time
-never used the nursery so cannot comment on that.
-did bring disposable sippy cups and brought bibs. we were able to get a high chair in the room on DCL for feeding in the room.
- they have diaper genies for you
-you could consider getting a MMR for your little ones prior to embarking given the recent measles outbreaks, and that there are a few thousand others on the ship. it is usually given at 12-15 months but you can do it at 9 months and it would give them measles protection. (just have to do it again at 12 m) we are about to cruise again and at age 2 I just boosted my little one her with MMRV (MMR with chickenpox) earlier than most get it (usually right before kindergarden) due to CDC recommendations for travel. (hehe! I even went back and checked my own measles immunization status to make sure i am good! )
- i did bring small bottles of dish and laundry detergent and I did do laundry once
-packing cubes allowed me to get a ton of stuff into a little space.
-never booked from babies travel lite, but a lot of people really like them for ease.
-REI and old navy have long sleeved baby rash guards for sun protection. tar-jay online
-the cove cafe has great lattes

Enjoy your trip!
Enjoy living life with your little ones! Hope you make sweet memories!

Thanks

 

[Mickeytwins4life]

I have 2 1/2 year old twin boys. We took our first Disney cruise with them when they were 17 months old. People thought we were crazy, but it was the best thing we could have done. Our boys are a handful, but we had an amazing time. We loved it so much, we took another Disney Cruise right after they turned two, and we already have our next cruise booked for 2017. Don't be discouraged by what some may say. I firmly believe in traveling with your children. I refuse to leave my kids at home. They have experienced and learned so many amazing things already! Take those sweet babies with you and have an amazing time!

 

[Weedy]

Maybe this could work:
The couch turns into a twin bed. It's very low to the ground. Disney will provide a bed rail and can put 2 side by side. Have both sleep in the bed?
This may work better than having 2 pack and plays set up.

 

[Weedy]

Just imagine 7 days no fixing meals... No making beds..
It will be a fun trip.

Disney will provide a diaper genie for the room.

The servers in the restaurants are great with kids. They will bring you kids food out quickly. And can make baby food if you need it. After the 1st night if you need something not on the menu (like a banana) they will have it waiting for you every night when you arrive.
Most of the time Disney seats you with a family similar to yours. If you're not comfortable with this you can call Disney and request a table for just your family.

For snacks There is fruit available at Cabanas (buffet) and also at the quick service restaurants on the pool deck.You can grab a carton of milk or a banana from the buffet to keep with you.

Room service is free so if you decide to stay in one night you can just eat in the room.
The room is divided by a heavy curtain that they close at night.
The TV can be pulled to your side of the curtain. There are on demand movies available.
You can bring 2 bottles of wine or 6 beers with you for a evening refreshments.

 

[belac]

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