Good itinerary for sailing first time with a baby?

[PrincessShmoo]

Hmmmm.....I don't remember if I even thought about it at the time. The first big trip we took with our oldest, she was 13 months old and we flew to England to visit my sister for 2 weeks. While there, we traveled pretty much every other day to "see something".

When she was 2, and we had added a 6 month old to the mix, we packed up the car and took a driving trip from southern California to North Dakota and back. I believe that trip was 3 weeks.

I guess our kids were "good travelers" I don't recall. Only issues I remember was, on the second trip, we picked up my mother who was visiting friends about 1/2 way through, and she was absolutely appalled that my oldest was subsisting on french fries & milk. At least it seemed that way to her. And one day the baby decided he just wasn't going to be happy that day. But we all survived it.

 

[tlprice]

My 13 year old daughter has always been a great traveler. Her first WDW trip was at 11 months and she's been at least once every year since (except this disrupted Coronavirus year). We did a 45 day road trip when she was 3. Her first DCL cruise was at 8. Her first Europe trip was at 11. I took a trip to Europe when she was 2 and left her home with Grandma. That would have been a horrible trip for her. I think it is hard for you to really plan a trip now not knowing your baby's personality (congratulations, by the way). You have no idea until you have them what they will be like. Also, I wouldn't feel bad leaving them at home when they are young. They really won't have a clue that they are missing something and may actually be much happier not traveling.

 

[Philharmagicfamily]

Go for it! We loved our first Disney cruise (kids were 4, 2, and 7 months). We loved it so much we had the Transatlantic booked for this year for our second cruise!

The nursery was absolutely fantastic (we booked it daily for the little ones’ naps) and allowed my husband and me to have lots of adult time in Cove cafe/Palo/etc., but we had so much high-quality family time. We got home and told all of our friends with young kids how utterly relaxing the cruise was!

That being said, an Alaskan cruise would be rough for my kids. When we travel to different time zones, they typically don’t adjust all the way. For us, that means that Europe works well because it means they sleep in to about 10 and go to bed at about 10, but Alaska they’d probably be awake 3 am -3 pm, which would ruin a vacation for me!

Good luck!

 

[Philharmagicfamily]

Also, we’ve gotten lots of comments about traveling with little kids because they won’t remember it. While this may be true, I will always remember the fantastic times we had as a family.

I may feel differently if these were once in a lifetime trips for us, but vacations are a big priority for us and we budget accordingly.

 

[NavyDoc]

I’m due in November and would like to book a cruise in the future with the baby, but not sure which itinerary to go with. I’m not going to book anything until cruises start sailing again so I have some time to figure things out.

I live in Florida so a Caribbean cruise probably would be easiest since we could drive to the port and not have to fly with the baby. It’s not my favorite itinerary though and would love to go to Europe or Alaska. Are there those any good with a baby? I’m assuming by the time the world starts to get back to normal my baby will be six months to over a year old. It’ll be my first time sailing with a baby so I have no clue what to expect.

Remarkably, my DW and I are in the same boat (ha-ha, new dad joke).

Our first is also due in NOV and we have a 4-day Bahamian booked in JUN. We are nervous, but figured we might as well jump in (especially with the relatively low cost of child care onboard so that we can ensure we have "date night" and enjoy Palo and Remy). I agree that a shorter cruise, and one that wont require an extra flight is probably best. Given the current environment regarding travel outside the country, it might also be easier to get to the Bahamas vice a European country over the next year.

 

[MJB03]

Congrats on the new baby! We took DS on his first cruise at 9 months, out of Galveston, near where we live. It was an 8 night cruise, so he got his first visit to MK, including his first haircut at the barber on Main Street. We had a great cruise, but we weren’t able to do as much as we normally did, simply because it was time for a nap, he was fussy, he was hungry, etc. As others have mentioned, a baby frequently controls the schedule.

When DS was a little older, say around 2-3, we had to stay on board (at the last minute) in Key West while the rest of the family went ashore, because DS was fussy/cranky and hadn’t slept well the night before. We didn’t have an excursion planned, and we had been there before, but it was still a little disappointing. I would hate to spend all that money on a European or Alaskan cruise, including airfare, and end up missing a port or two, because of the baby.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

I think Alaska would be great with a baby. 3 sea days where you can sit on your balcony (definitely splurge for a balcony if you can) while baby is napping, sipping a coffee while watching the scenery. Do tours that you can determine your own schedule, like renting a Green Jeep in Skagway or renting a car to go to Nugget Falls in Juneau. If you've got a crawler, they could do the Baby Jack Jack race!

 

[Quellman]

Hey congratulations. For some reason, you are one of the forum members here who just has stuck out. From the wedding, all the honeymoon planning, and the trip reports. I know that you are no stranger to travel. We never were either. We spent 2 weeks in Greece for our Honeymoon. Have been on multiple trips through Europe, Alaska, and cruises. We discovered that we were not big fans of travelling with a baby. He wasn't a fan of baby wearing. Neither was our second. Sitting on a plane for 12 hours was absolutely out of the question. We did manage lots of car based trips.

We did Disney at 10 months. First cruise at 14months. We found that our normal routines from cruises were very changed. Take everything you do and struggle with at home, and now you have to do it without the comforts and convenience of home. We packed on some toys and books. Turns out, while we tracked average diaper usage prior to sailing, we had to get more at a store in St. Maarten. Having a balcony was a must for us, as it always has been. Being able to lounge on it while there is a nappy baby is perfect. And I know that you guys travel the same. Look into getting a 5e to save some money vice concierge. 4E would be a good choice too if you want a big more sun.

Flexibility is key. We spend more time now on the family decks. Watching him go down the mickey slides. The youngest is in Nemo's Reef. Making use of nursery and kids club has always been great to allow us to take advantage of a tasting or Palo.

On my youngest first cruise, the waves were rough, and we had to leave her in the pack and play since the rocking of the ship made her walk into walls and fall over a lot. She was just past a year old. We would rather save money and not worry about port excursions (though we did a private boat in the Caymans because I don't think we would have the opportunity to go back). The time will come when we will probably do less of them, but I see us reducing the number of cruises significantly as we travel to more diverse locations. Due to the proximity, take the Magic out of Miami since you can get some longer itineraries. I would wait personally until the little is closer to a year in age simply because it becomes easier to identify and troubleshoot what might be wrong (gas vs actual illness for example). Also at that age you'll have more of the vaccine schedule under your belt.

 

[coloradocutie]

We did Alaskan cruises when each of our children turned 13 months (got MMR/Varicella shots , waited 4 weeks and then cruised). It was WONDERFUL! The scenery is gorgeous and all of the ports were walkable with a baby carrier. Yes, we will have to go back at some point and do the adventuresome excursions. But Alaska was a great place for us to cruise and vacation as tired parents. Go for it! Get a verandah and bring a baby monitor. Enjoy and congrats!

 

[monkeydawn]

I am childfree but have traveled (including cruises) with young kids. Those families have said they they will only travel to family or take trips with backup/ extra family. And that is what they have consistently done. Its worked out pretty well for them but both of their girls are pretty easy going.

Look around and plan now. Give yourselves something to look forward to while you have the time to plan. But dont lock yourselves into something until youve been parents for a little while and know how the little one acts, at least at home.

In your planning just see if there is something leaving from FL you can get excited about, just in case you decide that a flight and time changes arent the right choice for you at that time.

And congratulations.

 

[o&smom]

I think any of the options could be a good choice, depending on your expectations, and what you want for all of you on the cruise. We cruised on Disney for the first time, on a 10 nt Med cruise, flying from the west coast when DD was 3 mos and DS had just turned 7. We all had a great time. We alternated full day excursions ie. Pisa with shorter ones or just exploring on our own in ports. Our daughter loved time in the nursery, and was often visited by princesses who we would catch holding her when it was time to pick her up. We ended up having her be in the nursery each night at dinner since she was not even old enough for a high chair. This gave us time to spend with our son to talk about his experiences. We squeezed in a Palo dinner one night, as well.
Our next cruise was Alaska when DD was 15 mos old. This was the only cruise where DD was not thrilled with the nursery. This cruise was our most relaxing of the 10 we have been on. Many of the ports had later arrival times which gave us time to hang out and relax on the ship. We utilized the nursery for a couple of shore excursions, but picked ones that were shorter in length. Our first Caribbean Cruise was when DD was 23 months. We had some relaxing beach days, and again used the nursery for a couple of shore excursions. We went back to Europe when DD was 3 for a 12 night Med. This was the cruise where DD really enjoyed aspects of the cruise. She loved seeing characters, spending some open house time in the kid’s clubs and being entertained by our servers. We have continued to cruise with another Caribbean, the Baltic, Iceland and Norway, Western Europe and 2 Panama Canal cruises behind us. I think the thing that helped was to have some broad plans of what you would like to see or do, but to not have expectations of what would actually happen. It has actually been a little strange to be able to experience some of the grown up areas of the ships as our kids have gotten older. It is a whole new experience each time we cruise.

 

[fredandkell]

Remarkably, my DW and I are in the same boat (ha-ha, new dad joke).

Our first is also due in NOV and we have a 4-day Bahamian booked in JUN. We are nervous, but figured we might as well jump in (especially with the relatively low cost of child care onboard so that we can ensure we have "date night" and enjoy Palo and Remy). I agree that a shorter cruise, and one that wont require an extra flight is probably best. Given the current environment regarding travel outside the country, it might also be easier to get to the Bahamas vice a European country over the next year.

So, not to be Debbie Downer, but you can’t “ensure“ that you have a date night. Your child may completely freak out and refuse to be dropped off at the nursery or you may be paged because your child is crying inconsolably and you have to pick them up. Things like this were a big surprise to me with my first child. You expect them to act like rational humans, but really small children are like tiny drunks who are completely unpredictable
Hopefully you can use the nursery with no problems and you have an easy-going child. You just have to be aware that you really can’t have any expectations about your first child until you meet him or her and learn their travel personality.

 

[MomOTwins]

So, not to be Debbie Downer, but you can’t “ensure“ that you have a date night. Your child may completely freak out and refuse to be dropped off at the nursery or you may be paged because your child is crying inconsolably and you have to pick them up. Things like this were a big surprise to me with my first child. You expect them to act like rational humans, but really small children are like tiny drunks who are completely unpredictable
Hopefully you can use the nursery with no problems and you have an easy-going child. You just have to be aware that you really can’t have any expectations about your first child until you meet him or her and learn their travel personality.

That happened to us too! The funny thing is our third baby was otherwise the most easy-going kiddo ever (he had no issues with sitters or day care at home) but he FREAKED OUT at the nursery and wouldn't stop crying on our first cruise and we got the call from the nursery to come get him, so we had to abandon our plans for a little kid-free time. I suspect he realized he was not at home and felt being separated from parents in a new place was just unacceptable.

 

[FSU Girl]

Thank you everyone!! I know things are going to change a lot when our little baby arrives. It is definitely going to be an adjustment for me since I'm such a planner and plan out little details to trips and know that babies aren't on a schedule. I'm thinking a quick 3 or 4 night cruise will probably be best, will probably look and see what leaves from Miami since that's super close to where we live. Not thrilled with the ports, but will give me a good understanding how the baby will handle traveling. She's going to be a Disney World expert too, I've already bought annual passes for me and DH so she's going to get a lot of exposure to traveling early on. The pandemic makes planning a little tricky, I don't want to book anything until cruises start running again, but it also gives me some time to figure things out and plan.

I will definitely be doing a trip report for baby's first trip so be on the lookout sometime in 2021 (fingers crossed that travel gets back to normal then)

 

[MomOTwins]

Thank you everyone!! I know things are going to change a lot when our little baby arrives. It is definitely going to be an adjustment for me since I'm such a planner and plan out little details to trips and know that babies aren't on a schedule. I'm thinking a quick 3 or 4 night cruise will probably be best, will probably look and see what leaves from Miami since that's super close to where we live. Not thrilled with the ports, but will give me a good understanding how the baby will handle traveling. She's going to be a Disney World expert too, I've already bought annual passes for me and DH so she's going to get a lot of exposure to traveling early on. The pandemic makes planning a little tricky, I don't want to book anything until cruises start running again, but it also gives me some time to figure things out and plan.

I will definitely be doing a trip report for baby's first trip so be on the lookout sometime in 2021 (fingers crossed that travel gets back to normal then)

Oh my gosh, will be the cutest trip report ever!!!

 

[Jamcgee410]

We love to travel and never stop when we have babies so I think that is what makes them easier travelers. That said we did wait until our oldest 2 were 5 and 3 to cruise with them we did that just last year on the Disney Wonder. It was thus far our favorite family vacation. We now have an 8 month old baby we are East coasters and were supposed to vacation in Souther California in November which of course is now postponed

I hear from friends that cruising Disney with a baby is super easy. They have everything you need even a diaper pail for your stateroom. They also have food options at each restaurant for baby. I would pack a very small umbrella stroller for onboard and excursions. When we cruised we had spent time in Disney World before and we’re heading back to the parks after the cruise so we had our large double stroller and that was a pain! As soon as we got it to our cabin though it fit under the bed! And we left it there. I would say the only real issue is sleeping in small quarters when on a cruise but if you have a good sleeper that’s nothing to worry about. We always use sound machines in our kids rooms at home and always travel with them blocks any hallway noise. Our kids were the perfect ages for the kids club and they loved it and we loved spending some time alone. I don’t know if I would be comfortable sending my baby to the nursery(which you might know you have to book ahead of time and pay for) but I have friends who have vouched that their baby did amazing there.

overall I am a fan of any travel with babies and young kids we have had a blast and made amazing memories even if they don’t remember it you will and mine love looking back on their pictures.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I would pack a very small umbrella stroller for onboard and excursions.

Just a note on this - many ports (and the excursions therein) are not particularly stroller friendly (even small, umbrella strollers).

 

[DCLDVC1]

We did a 4 night on the Dream when our youngest was under a year and it was perfect.

 

[KevinFL]

I’m due in November and would like to book a cruise in the future with the baby, but not sure which itinerary to go with. I’m not going to book anything until cruises start sailing again so I have some time to figure things out.

I live in Florida so a Caribbean cruise probably would be easiest since we could drive to the port and not have to fly with the baby. It’s not my favorite itinerary though and would love to go to Europe or Alaska. Are there those any good with a baby? I’m assuming by the time the world starts to get back to normal my baby will be six months to over a year old. It’ll be my first time sailing with a baby so I have no clue what to expect.

3 night Bahama from Port Canaveral and done. You live in FL, good tester cruise, no flights, easy drive to Port Canaveral. If all goes well you can repeat or increase nights next trip. And in the unlikely event that the cruise does not work out then 2.5 days zips by and you are off.

 

[auntlynne]

3 night Bahama from Port Canaveral and done. You live in FL, good tester cruise, no flights, easy drive to Port Canaveral. If all goes well you can repeat or increase nights next trip. And in the unlikely event that the cruise does not work out then 2.5 days zips by and you are off.

Those three day cruises always seem too short - “Didn’t we just board?” But that probably seem interminable if baby isn’t happy.

Hoping you have a great life cruising as a family.