First DCL - Cruising with Baby

[wanderwishtravel]

We are cruising with our 7-month-old in January. We will of course bring baby food, but… I read a Disney Panel post from 2016 that said chefs will puree menu items for baby. Is this still true?

Also, does anyone know recent ship price for diapers? We’re trying to figure if it’s worth it or not to pre-pack and cart with us. We would prefer not to.

Any other baby tidbits we should consider?

 

[Lillebelle]

I unfortunately don't know the answer to either of your specific questions. We've always packed our own diapers because we're particular about the brand. I'd be a bit nervous about relying on the ship store for anything 'essential' though. The shop is closed any time the ship is in port due to regulations and I don't know how much/how often they restock things. If you don't want to lug them from home, you could see about shipping to something like an Amazon locker near wherever you're sailing from?

As far as other 'baby tidbits':
- You can't bring a bottle warmer, but you can request one on board
- Similarly, you can request a diaper genie in room
- Baby won't be able to go in the pools but there is a splash area for littles (bring swim diapers in addition to regular diapers if you're going to do this!)
- Small World Nursery is available for babysitting for an hourly fee. Reservations are required for this so make any reservations you might want ahead of time to line up with any adult activities. I recommend going during Open House on the day you board so you can see the facilities (pretty sure that's your only chance to go inside).

Have an amazing time!

 

[nancipants]

We are cruising with our 7-month-old in January. We will of course bring baby food, but… I read a Disney Panel post from 2016 that said chefs will puree menu items for baby. Is this still true?

Also, does anyone know recent ship price for diapers? We’re trying to figure if it’s worth it or not to pre-pack and cart with us. We would prefer not to.

Any other baby tidbits we should consider?

The shop does not carry a wide assortment of diapers. They might not have the size you need, and if they do, it'll be a small pack for an exorbitant price. Considering how many diapers a 7-month-old can go through, I would recommend bringing your own. It's a pain, but I wouldn't want to risk it.

 

[dumdumducky5]

We are cruising with our 7-month-old in January. We will of course bring baby food, but… I read a Disney Panel post from 2016 that said chefs will puree menu items for baby. Is this still true?

Also, does anyone know recent ship price for diapers? We’re trying to figure if it’s worth it or not to pre-pack and cart with us. We would prefer not to.

Any other baby tidbits we should consider?

I would not count on the ship having diapers in the size you need. When we went on the Fantasy in 2019, they did not have diapers that fit my son. I underestimated how many diapers we would need and ended up having to take a taxi to the store in Nassau to get some more. I can only imagine it’s even worse now with the Covid shipping delays and such.

 

[5Texans]

I wouldn't rely on the ship stores for anything essential. I always just see the diaper space in the luggage as room for shopping on return. I was given pureed veggies on the Fantasy, but it seemed like kind of a hassle and I just used my own baby food pouches after that. They also brought me fruit and steamed veggies that I cut into finger food. I carried baby cereal and baby food and a bowl to dinner a few times, then I just fed the baby in the room before dinner so I was more free to enjoy my meal. I did make use of the it's a small world nursery and they'll feed baby too, but my babies are breastfed primarily and the longest I dropped off was 2 hrs so I didn't take advantage of this.

Tips:
I did a ton of babywearing, but I did bring my Maclaren umbrella stroller that fully reclines and has an extendable foot rest so baby could nap in the stroller. Depending on how well your baby sits up, I'd bring the stroller to dinner- only 2 of my 5 could have used those low backed high chairs all the way through dinner at that age.

If your baby is drinking from a cup I'd bring that, and some sort of puffed cereal to entertain them during meals. I also brought a wipeable long sleeved bib that baby can't pull off, baby spoons, disposable placemats w/ sticky strips on the back so I don't have to worry about them throwing dishes on the floor.

I always bring a waterproof sheet for the pack n play to go under the regular sheet- It makes me feel better about the multi use bed and those thin sheets.

I brought a collapsible bucket and a couple water toys so baby could play next to my pool or beach chair for a while.

You probably already have this figured out, but long sleeved zip up swimsuits and sunhats w chin straps help cut down on the amount of sunscreen and reapplication

 

[Fuzzycaterpillar1]

We are cruising with our 7-month-old in January. We will of course bring baby food, but… I read a Disney Panel post from 2016 that said chefs will puree menu items for baby. Is this still true?

Also, does anyone know recent ship price for diapers? We’re trying to figure if it’s worth it or not to pre-pack and cart with us. We would prefer not to.

Any other baby tidbits we should consider?

In 2019 they pureed the food for our then baby and delivered it to our cabin. They also cut food into teeny tiny pieces for him.

I would pack a few diapers for the plane and then buy a pack at a store by the cruise port. You can request a pack and play and diaper pail through the dcl app or Guest Services.

Baby spent most of his time at Nemo's Reef crawling around and toddling.

We wore him via carrier most of the time but also used the summer 3d lite stroller for him when there were crowds and on Castaway Cay.

We dressed him up as a parrot on pirate night.


There's also Jack Jack's Diaper Dash which is a baby race.