Do you think it is worth cruising with a one year old?

[Steamboat Girlie]

DH and I are considering a 3 or 4 day cruise, before we do the parks. Do you think we would enjoy ourselves? Our son will be about 12 months old at time of sailing. Do you think he is too young? Any and all replies appreciated.

 

[lbgraves]

IMO, you should go! Your child may not like the characters but it is relatively easy to avoid them if you want to. He will be able to enjoy the Mickey ear at the pool and at 12 months that should make him happy. Flounders is available so you & DH can enjoy an dinner out. The parks, IMO, are too much on little ones because you are always on the go so you don't miss out. On the ship we were able to actually relax & enjoy ourselves. Kids are only kids once & if he does like the characters, he will only react to them like he does at 12 months once.

 

[hydster]

I dont think I'd do a cruise with a child that young but that's just me. Our minimum age is 3 and it has worked out pretty good for us. I think it's a personal decision though. It's been awhile since I've had a 1 year old but I would assume you'd have to bring diapers, maybe formula, bottles, baby food, wipes and alot of other things that at an older age you wouldnt need to bother with. People always say the kids dont remember it but who cares. You and your husband will remember it and if you can afford it and want to deal with it then go for it. The youngest we've ever taken on a Disney vacation with us is 18 months and it was hard but we managed. Did I ever do it again? No, but I dont like dealing with changing schedules, cranky babies, naptime and packing my whole house in a suitcase. To me that isnt fun but to others it is.

Dont know if that helps

Heidi

 

[Steamboat Girlie]

lbgraves,
Pardon my ignorance, but what is Flounders? Some type of babysitting service? If so, have others used it? Are the babysitters trust worthy? Of course, I'm a new mom and am very nervous about leaving him with strangers.

 

[hydster]

Flounders is basically a "group" babysitting service on board. It's available for kids 12 weeks to 3 years old. You have to make "reservations" on embarkation day and there is an extra charge for this service (not for the kids clubs for kids 3 and up but for Flounders) and it is $6.00 per hour with a 2 hour minimum required. It's only open for select times and the space is limited. It's a first come first serve service for children. My friends went with their 22 month old and she said they were excellent with her. They felt very comfortable leaving her with them and she said her little girl was very happy. It was also their first and only child so I know the nerves were a little jittery for her but she said it was good. They were only able to get Flounders for 1 day however because it was full the rest of the time on the 4 day cruise.

HTH
Heidi

 

[wdw1972]

I'd never cruise with a kid that young. It's no vacation for the parents, and disrupting the kid's routine has the potential for a cranky baby. We had a couple next to us with a baby about that age. She was adorable & smiling on the first day, then got progressively less happy - and the parents looked more stressed each day. Just my opinion, but they would have had a much better vacation with the little girl staying with grandparents, or waiting until she was fully potty trained and able to spend a good deal of time in the kids' clubs and be able to sit through a 1-hour show and 1.5 hour dinners if they want to eat as a family. A baby can't handle that - so as a result the rest of the family misses out also.

 

[lillygator]

We are cruising in May with our (then) 18 month old....I think she will do fine....even at 12 months she was not on a bottle so all we would have had to bring would have been diapers. She is very flexible and maintains a schedule but is not a child that melts down if we disrupt it. I wouldn't dream of doing a cruise without her.....I say go for it!!
Some babies can handle things better than other just as people can....parents just need to know and respect their limits.

 

[lbgraves]

We have always traveled with the kids from DS at 1 month old. We have visited family, traveled with DH on business, toured the Biltmore Estate & hiked in the mountains...all with them in strollers & gear packed for the ride. I even braved flying down to TX to meet DH on an extended trip with both of them, car seats, & stroller alonewhen they were 10 & 31 months. I guess it depends on the child. We were lucky I guess. We timed our meals during their naps when little and just went with the flow. It would be very difficult to keep to a strict schedule with a baby. I guess I am looking at it from the aspect of a still new mom who probably hasn't taken much time for herself over the past year. The cruise would be a nice break as far as not having to worry about cleaning or cooking. If naps don't fit with the dining rotation, there is always the option of room service...talk about pampering!!!...or Topsiders. It is all in how you look at your vacation. Traveling with a 3 (who didn't care for the club/wanted daddy's undivided attention ) & 5 yo wasn't exactly easy but we kept to their routine and naps and managed to have the most relaxing vacation since we spent 4 days in the Bahamas on our honeymoon.

 

[justhat]

We're taking our 3 month old on our cruise in June and despite the differences and adjustments we'll make from cruising by ourselves in the past, I'm sure we'll have a great time. We're actually already thinking about planning another cruise for either December or April, when she'll be 9 or 13 months. I'm sure by 12 months you'll be much more comfortable as parents than we will at 3 months and you'll be into a routine and know what works best for your son so I would definitely go.

 

[moinab]

I completely agree that it depends on what you are looking to get out of it. If you are expecting to go to the shows and the nightclubs, and stay on a schedule, you are setting yourself up for failure. If you are flexible and willing to go with the flow, then you could have a great time. We went on a 3 day last summer with our almost 3 year old DS and our 5 month old DD. We had a wonderful time. We used the nursery once, for 2 hours. We were very happy with it, but quite frankly, we just didn't like being away from our children. We didn't go to any of the shows because DS was afraid of the characters. We made our own fun. Both of our kids sat through every meal, no problem. We had lots of distractions for them. For us, it was totally worth it to be pampered by the CMs for 3 days, having all meals prepared and our stateroom cleaned twice a day, and going to beautiful Castaway Cay. BTW, our DD is a very high-need baby (in other words, she is extremely fussy.)

DD is now 1 year old, and we would not hesitate to go on another cruise if we had the chance. We bought FL resident passes for WDW this year, and have gone twice in the past month. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[neverlandclub]

Although I would never take them as newborns again,( too hard with the heat and sun and you can't use suntan lotion on them until they are 6 months.) I would not hesitate to take them on the 3 or 4 day cruise at 1. This April, we are taking our youngest who will be 11 months at cruise time. Their facial expressions are priceless. They have so much to look at and be stimulated by. I think it is great. I took a small stroller which you can take to dinner should your little one need to sleep. Also, Flounders was wonderful with my 1 year old on our first cruise. She had a ball and the people were just fantastic. My kids sleep so well on board also, because the boat gently rocks them to sleep.

NeverlandClub

 

[markmyboy]

I have cruise with my daughter since she was 8 months old. Disney is the line to go with for the under 2 crowd!! The other cruise lines offer nothing for them! Flounder's is a great place for them, we only used it once for 2 hours, but it was a nice break. Packing diapers is not SO horrible, escpecially because it leaves you with TONS of extra space for the trip home!! At 8 months we traveled with formula & even THAT was not so horrible...again, extra space at the end of the cruise!! By 12 months you should be able to let him have milk & it is readily available on the cruise ship. You will be able to find plenty for him to eat & I know for us Cheerios were an essential!! He will be able to splash in one of Mickey's ears!! There are plenty of open areas for you to let him run around & when he gets tired there are plenty of great places to nap with him, or if you have the stroller, you can still wander around while he sleeps. We have found that cruising is a very relaxing & enjoyable vacation for us with the kids. Disney really has been the best cruise line we have been on so far & EVERYONE we ran into was GREAT with the kids!!

oops, also wanted to mention that a sun hat was also an essential, one that ties is even better!!

 

[minniemouse1]

On our first cruise our DD was 10 mon old. Still on a bottle and eating baby food. We had a great time and did it again last year in Oct 03 with our 1 1/2 yo and 2 1/2 yo. We used flounders both occassions. On ur first cruise I was paged to go get her after she had been there almost 1 hour. It was her bedtime and she would not settle down for them. I was not charged for using the nursery. On our most recent cruise we used flounders for our youngest twice and had a wonderful experience with them. She loved it. They also have a family play time where you can brng the kids into play with the toys while you stay with them. This was really fun for our 1 1/2 DD.
I'm not so sure about bringing a one year old to the parks. It seems like it would be too hard. Its easy to enjoy yourself on the cruise because the atmosphere is so relaxing. At the parks I just feel rushed. to try to see as much as I can. Whatever you decide enjoy yourself.

 

[sparty]

My wife and I went on our first Disney Cruise with our 14 month old son. We had a great time!! He was a little scared of the characters bu other than that he was great. We swam in the pool and watched the shows and had no problems. We used Flounders Nursery a few times and that worked out great. There is a nominal charge for that but it isn't too bad. We also went to the Atlantis aquarium and he loved looking at all the fish.

 

[owenbyd]

Just here to echo the sentiment that Yes, Yes, Yes -- we loved cruising with our infant!

Our ds was 9-months when we first cruised with him in September. We took a 4-day and planned to use the nursery during one excursion and two nights. We were leary so we only signed him up for the three-hour minimum most of the time. But, he LOVED the nursery. So, dh and I had our first dinner without him since he was born...it was so WEIRD! And, we were so excited to have him there, we even got him out of the nursery early one night so that he could participate in the deck party.

Everyone is different. And, many people will tell you that it is an inconvenience taking an infant along. We found the dining rooms and waitstaff more than accomodating, the nursery well equipped, safe and filled with workers that actually looked happy to be there and accessibility to shows and other functions as being not only accomodating -- but welcoming. Granted this little guy is our first, but I couldn't imagine taking a vacation without him. I know he won't remember our trip, but the memories as parents....well, to us they are priceless.

By taking ds along, we all got what we wanted. We got some alone time, some family time and some great memories. In fact, I can't wait until our May vacation to make some more!!

HTH,

Amy

 

[Mysticalbeauty3]

I think its great that you are thinking of taking a child that young....im taking a 6 month old to the cruise and disney....i feel that if im going to go through all the trouble at home why not do it in disney?? i mean ya you have to pack things but its def. worth packing an extra suitcase. It all depends on what you do if you mess up your babies times....but you really dont have to. But ya they wont remember...but at the time they will be seeing all new things!! and think of the pictures you could get!

 

[NYGiantsRule!]

I agree it depends on what you are expecting to get from the cruise, a relaxing vacation may not be one of them. I am a firm believer in the thought that if there is little or no charge for a child, there is not much they will get from an experience. DCL is no exception. There are many threads on this board from people upset about the limitations on the under 3 crowd. If you go and do not expect them to bend the rules for you and make your own fun, you will have a great time.

 

[crisi]

Depends on you, what you want to get out of it, and what your child is like.

At a year, some children are content with everything and will enjoy a cruise (or will enjoy anything else you do with them) and some are content with nothing and will make you miserable and most are somewhat in between. Some kids like routine and don't handle changes well - so a transition from home to park, park to cruise, cruise to home will not sit well. Others take the whole thing in stride. Some will want long naps, and you'll spend a lot of time in your room watching your kid sleep - others will gogogogogo from 8:00am until 10:00pm and conk out on a pool chair in the shade for an hour and a half each afternoon.

Some parents are capable of taking their childs moods in stride and will have a wonderful vacation even with a cranky child. Others will spend their time wondering why they spent so much money for everyone to be so miserable all the time.

Personally, we waited until our kids were old enough to enjoy the kids clubs so that they got a full featured vacation instead of having them come along on ours. But I can see the charms of cruising with a one year old as well - especially if you will cruise again when they are older.

 

[Leejanalex]

Yes, you need to take him. We took our 1 year old twin neice and nephew and they had a great time! Make sure that you have the early dining though. They didn't do well with the late seating. Hope this helps!

 

[Holly&Joesmommy]

hello, just wanted to state as others,... YES! You can enjoy your cruise with your baby. I think that you have to take into concideration what you are going for,...just private time with DH then you wont get what your looking for, but if you want a family vaction with family time and private time, this is the place to go.
We took our children and my DS went to FLounders several times, and he LOVED IT!!! We could hardly get him to leave.
The staff is FABULOUS and it was perfect for those times we needed to be alone, and to sched things for us that he was too young to participate in. I know everyone has their own opinon and as it has already been said, all children are different, and you know your child and it's limits. ENJOY YOUR TRIP!