? for mommies...or the experienced.

[lovepuzzles]

What great information I have found here on the boards! Wanted to let you know what I have planned so far (thanks to the board) and also have a few questions for the mommies out there.

Trip details:

4 Day Wonder- June 27, 2004

2 adults, DD 6yo, DS 6mo, and a babysitter!

"Secret" Verandah room #6134 cat 7 & 6133 cat 11. Thanks to the boards I knew to ask for the secret room and also for a cheaper room across the hall (for the babysitter and my DD and maybe DS 1 night). I was surprised only booking 4 months out that the room was available. I'm guessing a little pixie dust was sprinkled this way!

Because of some suggestions from the board, I decided a babysitter would be a great idea. Especially for DS.

Here goes the questions:
We are wanting early seating for dinner, but are waitlisted. What are the chances of getting it and do I have to continue checking with DU or do they just contact me if it becomes available?

Secondly, since I'm crazy enough to take a 6month old do they have highchairs in the dining rooms, or if he can't sit up yet, do they have anything to set him in? Do you see many babies in the dining room? I'm a little concerned over how dinner will go. Any tips would be appreciated.

And finally, I will still be nursing my DS. I am a very modest person and really don't like nursing in public, but I don't want to have to go to the room and sit everytime he becomes hungry either. Does Disney have any private places that would be appropriate for a nursing mom? Have any of you been in this situation before?

Thanks for any tips!

 

[mmouse37]

We travelled with our friends who had their 7 month old and 3 year old with them. The first night the baby was in the stroller in the dining room and it was a bit of a tight fit. The remaining nights he went to Flounders Reef Nursery during dining times and slept like, well a baby!!! His parents then picked him up after dinner. His parents really needed that dining time for themselves and the 3 year old and the baby didn't miss a thing in the dining room.

I do not remember if DCL has high chairs, but I have seen babies in the dining rooms in their carriers or strollers, but as I said, unless you have a table that has some extra room around it, the strollers can be a tight fit.

MJ

 

[dis4me]

DCL has restaurant style wooden high chairs. We used a high chair helper but I don't think they carry them any more. If you check amazon they may have some type of cloth support for babies who have not mastered sitting up.If your son still fits in the carrier this can be put on the top of it. My ds was 6 mos when we went and we had a great time. Just be prepaed for the unexpected. At least you will have a babysitter for the extra help.That is wonderful.
I am not sure but if you ask they may let you nurse in Flounder's reef. They have rockers three. Also Deck 4 has comfy lounge chairs. It ca be crowded t times but if it is an of time you might find a private area.

 

[DVCanuck Jr]

For a private area, check out deck 7 aft... there is a outlook deck there whith hardly anyone on it EVER! I spent 2hours undisturbed on that deck....wonderfull!

 

[ruttie]

we just got off and had no problem getting our table switched althuough we were the first one there in line to do it so...... we wanted early had late but got switched to early doing this.

 

[lrmillen]

my ds was 9 mos. at the time of the cruise and i was nursing. i found it helpful to pump milk the week before, freeze it and bring it on the cruise to put in a bottle for the times we were on the islands. Now this takes the extra help of your stateroom host who needs to make sure you have ice at all times to keep the milk on in the room "fridge". Then defrosting and warming the milk is easy, just put the bag in hot water from deck 9 or run hot water over it. There are plenty of private places on the ship, so don't worry about that, the only place you'll have trouble is by the pool and dining rooms for privacy.

 

[KarenP99]

We went 2/1 with our 8 month old.

She sat in a highchair in the dining rooms.

I went to flounders once when she was fussy, to see if I could rock her. They do not allow anyone in because it is a secure area.

It wish they had a nice dimly lit area just for those purposes, at night when she was fussy, I wanted to leave the room so my other daughter could sleep...but the lights were so bright everywhere, it was tough to find a calm place (inside), that's why I headed to Flounders...but no go

As for nursing, I found deck 4 to be quite private, also the "secret" deck on 7 was great.

There were plenty of private areas, but it always depended on the time of day...

Good luck & have fun!

 

[lovepuzzles]

Thanks for the great tips. I looked on Amazon and found a travel table chair I am thinking of ordering and I also found something that helps babies sit up in highchairs. I hadn't thought of that before. I'm feeling better about dinner.

When you say you see strollers in the dining room, do you mean umbrella strollers? I can't imagine taking his full size one.

I'll remember the deck locations. I've written it down in my travel notebook so that I don't forget.

Any other tips for traveling with babies would be great!!

 

[professorandmom]

I've nursed twins (not on DCL) and you will have NO problem finding chairs in nooks that are quiet and out of the way - (skip the pool deck) perfect for a cozy cuddle!
Barbara

 

[aprilgail2]

Originally posted by lovepuzzles

When you say you see strollers in the dining room, do you mean umbrella strollers? I can't imagine taking his full size one.

I had a full size one and I remember we went down to lunch with it because my daughter was sleeping in it and they asked me to please leave it outside...I told them my daughter was sleeping and they let me bring it in but they would have preferred I did not.

 

[dis4me]

We had our full size stroller also. We would parkit outside the restaurant each nigt. One night my ds fell aslep nd I was tryin to wake him up. Our server came over and said shhh let him sleep enjoy the peace and she escorted him to our table and put the carriage in the high chair spot.

 

[moinab]

DD was 5 months old on our cruise last summer. We got a full size Graco stroller from Guest Services ($100 deposit on our shipboard account) specifically for her to sleep in during dinner. It worked out great, but we had late seating, so there were quite a few empty seats around us. Here's a picture. http://community.webshots.com/photo/85968863/85719753izKjyT

The first night of the cruise she actually nursed and slept in the sling during dinner. No one had any idea she was nursing. It's very discreet. I used it a lot on the cruise. If you don't have one, I'd highly recommend getting one, even for a 6 month old. Here's a picture of DD in the sling at Thanksgiving, when she was almost 10 months old. http://community.webshots.com/photo/103732607/103734558nQrKEi

Did you know you can request a diaper genie and pack-n-play, also? Here's a picture of DD sleeping in the pack-n-play. http://community.webshots.com/photo/85968863/85714403FLbXAS

Let me know if you have any more questions!

Maureen

 

[Dreamer04]

Maureen, I just loved those pics! Gosh, I miss those days.

 

[lovepuzzles]

Thanks for all the info!!

Maureen, I just loved those photos. It makes me so excited about taking DS. I do have a few more quick questions. I wasn't aware that you could get a stroller onboard. You said it was a $100 deposit. Do they charge you a daily rate for the stroller and do you keep it the entire trip? Is it first come first serve or can I reserve the stroller, pack-n-play, and diaper genie ahead of time?

I had known about the pack-n-play, but had no idea they had a diaper genie!! That will make for a nicer trip!!

Also, the sling is a good idea. Where did you find yours? Does the baby get hot in these?

Thanks,
Kim

P.S. I know I'm asking a lot of questions, but I want to well prepared.

 

[moinab]

The strollers are first come, first serve. We got ours on the 2nd day of a 3-day cruise. It was pretty grimy, but since we were only using it for her to sleep during dinner, it wasn't that big a deal. I just put a blanket down. Other people have posted that the strollers they received were in very good condition. You go to Guest Services and ask for a stroller. There is no charge for using it. They put a $100 deposit on your account, which is credited back when you return the stroller. You can keep it for the whole cruise, and can use it in the ports, too.

We brought an umbrella stroller with us, too, for our 3 year old DS. The full size stroller is rather difficult to maneuver on the ship, and would probably be very much in the way during the early dinner seating.

I don't think you can reserve the stroller, but you can reserve the pack-n-play and diaper genie. We just requested them once on board, but I would do it ahead of time, just in case.

I bought my sling from a local MayaWrap distributor, but I think the best place to get them is on ebay. If you do get a MayaWrap, be sure to watch the instructional video/DVD. At first, I hated it, because I wasn't using it correctly. Once I watched the DVD and learned how to use it (it's very easy) I loved it. I still use it now that DD is 13 months old. Here's a link if you want to find a local distributor. MayaWrap

I bought the unbleached cotton sling because I was concerned about how hot it would get in the FL summer, but it is very comfortable.

BTW, I have a picture of DD in a high chair at CC, but it's not in my online album. PM me with your email address if you'd like to see it.

Ask as many questions as you like! That's what we're here for!

 

[deebs]

we brought our side by side double stroller for our 3 month old and 2 year old. It was squishy in the dining room, but it worked. By the last night of the cruise, the waiters finally figured out that they should remove the extra chair BEFORE we got there.

Have fun