Cruising with my 1 yr old Son ???s

[Nicsmom]

I just booked my first cruise with DCL for October 29. Very excited!! I will be traveling with my husband, DD 11 yrs and DS 1 yr. I've ordered the crib and highchair. I will make ressies at Flounders which I understand is great. For those of you who have traveled with babies, do you have any tips for me.

Can I bring an umbrella stroller with me everywhere on the ship? Unfortunately, I was only able to get a late dinner. So, I'm hoping that I can bring the stroller into the restaurants with me and he can sleep in it.

What type of excursions will work with a 1 yr old. Do I bring my stroller? A car seat?

Thank you

 

[RichNKatHolly]

We cruised in Jan of this year with DD who was 1.5. She had a great time! We were able (as most other cruisers were) to bring the stroller right to the table at dinner. We did have the late seating which didn't work out so great for us as both kids were quite tired, but DS fell asleep at the table and they packed up his dinner for us to bring to the room. DD didn't fall asleep in the stroller, but she did fall asleep in my lap.

We did bring the umbrella stroller (actually 2) and thank goodness. The Wonder is big and DS (then 4.5) wouldn't walk - he'd want to be carried! So DH pushed one and I pushed the other. No problems at all. We are going back this Dec 1st!

Sorry I can't give a review on Flounders as we did not use it, but it looked very cute inside.

Have a great trip!

 

[RichNKatHolly]

Almost forgot, we did not do any excursions. We took them off the ship for 1 hour in Nassau just so DH could get a few cigars to bring to the firehouse. In CC the kids just had the greatest time digging in the sand and swimming in the beautiful water.

Gosh, I can't wait to see that water again!!!!!!

P.S. This trip we will be getting a room at Atlantis for the Nassau day, they have a very cute kids pool area and great slides.

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Our GS was one when he cruised with us. Not really any excursions geared toward young kids. I don't know which cruise you are taking, but at St.Maartin there is a butterfly farm that little ones seem to like. Glass bottom boats are nice to see all the tropical fish. Even the little ones can view them easily and seemed to be entertained by them. Most ports have glass bottom boat rides. Beach excursions seem to be very popular for families with younger children too. Kids love the water and sand. Be sure and pack lots of sunscreen and drypers(swim diapers). They do sell them on board, but they are very expensive and sell out quickly. On CC in the grouper game room they have a large sandbox that is great for young kids as it is in the shade and out of the wind. Plenty in there to keep older kids happy too. The bikes there do have baby seats and helmets upon request, so you could take them for a ride around CC if you'd like. Just about any excursion that is listed for any age group will be accessible for a stroller. But from what we've seen the umbrella strollers are the best type due to lack of space and needing to be folded up often. I have never seen anyone with a car seat in any of the taxi's in any port. I dont think they are required on most of the islands. But we have had some CRAZY drivers. If you go to Nassau, the aquarium at Atlantis is great for younger kids. The tour goes kind of fast, but when it's done you can go back through at your own pace as often as you like as long as you have the arm band on that they give you. There are stairs outside that you would have to fold the strollers and carry young kids for a little ways. If you take the water taxi be warned you will have a short uphill walk to Atlantis and then back again afterward to the dock. It's a nice walk but with kids you'll want a stroller. The return boats run about eveery 45 minutes for several hours so you can take your time after your tour to explore the area if you want. Some people pay the taxi to take them over so they avoid the walk. I think it's about $7 or $8 per person, one way. I believe on the western cruise one of the stops has a turtle farm that is appealing to kids too, but we havnt been there yet. Hope this helps a little. Dont forget that sometimes it's nice to stay on board and enjoy all the pols while they are empty. Of course sometimes they do empty them and do a thorough cleaning while in port.
mom x4,grandma x4

 

[Nicsmom]

Thanks for you replies. I should have mentioned that we are doing the 7-day eastern trip.

 

[Mickeyhugger]

No advice here. I just want to commend all of you who take babies and toddlers with you on your vacations. My brother and his wife constantly take mini-vacations because they need 'couple-time.' (I think hiring a sitter one night a week would be better.) I'm happy to see that having your children with you is THAT important to you.

 

[HeelMD]

-Early Dining
-Just visit the port area, wouldn't do shore excursions
-No problem with the umbrella stroller
-Take some ziplock bags to put little snack things in to carry with you
-Take lots of swimming diapers

 

[cookleitz]

We took our 1.5 year old son on the western cruise in January, and are doing the same itinerary in January of 06. If you want to try for early dinner, first thing, when you get on board, go right to the area that they are taking Palo reservations and see the head server from the dining room. We did this and we were switched to early seating. We used Flounders and it was great! A couple of times through the cruise, they'll have times that they will be open for you to take your little ones in to play. You'll have to stay and supervise, but it's a nice time for the kids to get familiar with the surroundings and you can meet and visit with other adults. You can also take children under 3 into Oceaneer Club to play and participate in their activities, but you have to stay with them. This was saving grace for us! We never minded staying with Trevor and enjoyed our time playing with him. If you don't want to take strollers, Disney will have small, umbrella-like strollers available on a first come, first serve basis. They were really nice strollers! Diapers were very expensive on board - make sure you have plenty. Children who are not potty trained will be able to play in the splash pool located in one of Mickey's ears. When we sailed, staff were always keeping a very close eye on children who had swim diapers on and they would "shoo" them out of the other pool areas if they saw them. We had a hard time finding snacks on board for our son. Either plan to grab an extra cereal box at breakfast or take your own snacks along (we bought craisins and Goldfish crackers in Key West). This isn't to say that there is a lack of food, but we didn't always want Trevor to have ice cream or french fries when he was hungry. You'll LOVE the free drink station on deck 9. Each night before we went to bed, we'd take the sippie cups up there and fill 2 with milk to put in the cold box in the room overnight. That way, we had drinks for Trevor first thing in the morning.

Hope this helps! You can PM me if you have other questions.

Chris

 

[stars918]

Hi,

We're leaving on the Magic out of L.A. July 30th with our 1 year old son (just turned 1 today ).

I'll definitely give you a FULL report when we get back.

 

[klineyqueen]

We went on a seven day when our son had just turned one. We all had a great time. We pushed his stroller everywhere. The only place you can't take it is into the theater.
We used flounders reef for one night but he was already asleep when we pushed him in. He slept the whole night.
We did an excursion every single port day. You just have to pick things that allow small children. Our son is pretty laid back so we did not have any trouble. You know your child better than we do so you may have no problems with excursions.
You really should pack a few snacks that he really likes. My son is a cracker and goldfish lover. They don't have much on that line of snacks. That again is up to you, but I was glad for the few things I packed.
Oh yeah - - do not run out of diapers or wipes! You will go broke if you need to replenish on the ship!!!!
We had a strange experience at the pool. He was younger than the other kids in the swim diaper ear and some older children were jumping at him. A few big kids were running through the ear and walking on the rim. I am not over protective but I did feel uncomfortable with the fact that he really could have gotten hurt. Just something to keep in mind.
I am sure you will all have a great time. Kids are the best!!!

 

[Contrariwise]

A couple of times through the cruise, they'll have times that they will be open for you to take your little ones in to play. You'll have to stay and supervise, but it's a nice time for the kids to get familiar with the surroundings and you can meet and visit with other adults.

How do they announce the times you are allowed in? Is it in the navigator?