Ideal age - is 6 months + 2.5 years enjoyable?

[jenc842]

Thank you sooooo much everyone for your valuable input and expertise! I think we may just hold off and potentially explore a less expensive, shorter traveled trip - and the key I learned from you all is its not a vacation, but a trip that will have great memories no less. I'm so eager to cruise again but I think we'll be much happier shelling all that money out for the entire family when they are a little older. I love how supportive and helpful everyone on disboards is! Thank you again!!!!

 

[Family1st T]

We sailed when my third was 6 months and he was very very easy. He didn't sleep through the night (ugh), but my husband took him during the day so I could nap. It worked great. He napped in the stroller and was pretty content to sit in his high chair at dinner. When he got fussy, I nursed him. We actually cruised twice for a total of 15 days right when he turned 6 months. We happened to have friends on the first cruise and the mom was delighted to hold the baby whenever I needed her to at dinner.

Next month we are sailing again and he will be 2.5-ish and kid #4 will be 6 months, so exactly your situation (well, OK, plus two more kids, but they are 9 and 12, so they basically take care of themselves on a cruise ). A friend of ours is coming along and she loves my kiddos, so she has offered to watch the baby or the toddler on occasion so I can nap again. Naps are my current life goal right now, as a homeschooling mom with four kids . We also took a road trip when kid #3 was 1.5. We ended up leaving that trip a day early, driving home overnight because the kid wouldn't sleep. 1 year old was a challenge compared to 6 months!!! Ha! But anyway, we travel. It's what we do. I had two surprise babies a little later in life (I'm 38), so I'm not putting my life on hold any more than I have to. And for me, I'll either be home with four kids, cooking all the meals, cleaning up after 6 people, and teaching the bigs and chasing the littles...OR, I can be on a cruise. It's a no-brainer.

All that said, we can't afford DCL anymore (especially now that we are 6), so we will be on the Freedom of the Seas. It's a bit different, but they also offer child care for littles, so we will make it works.

Let me know how it goes...my lo will be 9months and a 4 yr old