Is travel/cruise with 8-month-old baby worth the hassle?

[tharr]

We have a big family 7-day Western Caribbean cruise planned but my BIL & SIL with a new baby are having cold feet. They are wondering if the hassle of travelling with an 8-month-old (all of the stuff to pack/lug, and restrictions on what they can do and the fun they can have) is worth it. They are worried that they will be so preoccupied with protecting the child from the sun and scheduling around naps that they won't be able to have fun nor partake in many of the excursions, etc... They feel that they won't have as much fun and their baby will be too young to really get a lot out of the trip.

Has anyone regretted travelling with a child this age? Are the hassles of packing TONS of stuff and restrictions with a baby worth the diminished fun?

I'd love for them to come and I'm not sure how to reassure them. I'll be travelling myself with DH, DDs ages 9 and 6, and DS age 18 months. Although my 18-month-old will be a handful, he will at least enjoy himself with the entertainment.

I'd love to hear all of the pros and cons. Thanks!!!

 

[anty30]

I went on RCCL when my DD was 8 mos. old. I have to be honest and tell you I would never do that again. I felt like it was a lot of work and I did not enjoy the full benefits of a cruise. Now, that being said, DCL is a different world. I would assume that it might be easier on DCL only because it is geared towards families with children of all ages. RCCL did'nt really cater to young babies at that time. I don't know if they do now, but I do know that DCL caters to everyone. So, it is really up to your BIL and SIL. I hope that if they go, they will try and relax and enjoy.

 

[Danthesand]

We did the Celebrity Zenith on a week long cruise to Bermuda when our son was 7 months and our daughter was three and a half.

Our experience was apparently quite different than that of anty30; it was one of the best cruises we have ever taken. The staff and crew all made a massive fuss over us, as did the older passengers (I almost got tired of grandmother types going nuts over "the baby" every time we used the elevators). We initially worried about being in the dining room, but our son generally slept through most of the dinners, and our servers were absolutely fantastic with my daughter (cut her food for her, etc.)

Perhaps one of the other reasons things worked out so well is that a Bermuda cruise is "easy" - you stop at one island and stay for the better part of five days, so the usual port "rush" disappears. Or stated differently, it's a great place to go with an infant.

The first beach my son ever visited:

Too bad the very limited DCL initeraries don't include it!

 

[lbgraves]

Your SIL will get a week off from cooking & cleaning & will be treated like a queen. I wish that we had gone on a cruise when the kids were each 8 months old! There are many threads on this subject. If you do an advanced search of this forum using "infant" in title only, your SIL will have several threads to read thru with valuable info. Here is one to get her started. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=884227&highlight=infant

 

[LasseKjus]

A vacation is what you make of it. If you enjoy spending time with your child, then this will be the best vacation you ever had. We took our daughter on the Holland America Zuiderdam (thanks to her grandparents!) when she was eight months old and it was great. She had a blast. And we have tons of great pictures with her. She loved playing in the ocean and exploring St. John's. She also stood for the first time while on board (imagine that) and said her first real word the day after the cruise. We had such a good time that her grandparents sprung the following year for a family trip on the MSC Opera. That was even better. She was bored of Nassau on the final day, so we just went back on the ship and swam in the empty pool. Didn't see much of Nassau, but that was my favorite day on the ship. We had such a good time that we are taking her on the Disney Magic in July. Her sister will be just over three months old then and we can't wait to take our whole family on the vacation of a lifetime. (The wife and I went on the Disney Magic for our honeymoon). Sure you might miss out on some things that you might have done in your single days, but if you like your child, then by all means go. There's nothing more relaxing then a day at sea, especially with your child.

 

[cindalu]

Hi
I would say go for it. Your kids are only young once. Plus the baby would be free except for port charges.

When my oldest was 9 months old she went to WDW for the very first time. I know it is a different world on DCL.

I would say go. It upsets me when mothers esp say they are going to wait until their kids are older.

You never know what could happen or if someone in your family gets sick or gets unemployed etc.

 

[TexasGirl]

We went with a 5 month old and will repeat with a 13 month old. Go for it. Time goes by so swiftly at that age. Grab every second you can with them. It is a different cruise with a baby there for sure but what memories.

 

[Diana Lyn]

We cruised in Sept with my just turned 2 year old and 11 month old. It was one of the easiest vacations we've had. Sure, there's the initial packing frenzy, what to bring, how many outfits, diapers, etc. but it was so worth it once we got onboard. Because our room was only steps away the entire time we were on the ship, it was so easy to do changes, we didn't have to lug all this equipment around the ship with us. I didn't have to prepare any meals, or clean the giant messes they left on the floor. As for missing out on any fun, I think seeing my kids faces on the cruise was fmore fun than I've ever had. At night, after dinner, they went to Flounders to play while we went to the shows and deck parties, so we had our fun too. Especially that young, they just go with the flow, it will probably be easier on them now than in 5 years.

 

[Dale-Not-Chip]

I feel this is the one of the few vacations you can do with a baby and not be miserable. or make the baby Miserable. I would defenitaly make sure they have a veranda to sit and relax while the baby naps. Budget some sitter time. Dragging babys to movies and parks and busy places can make everyone including the baby upset. (Although with older kids the baby just has to deal sometimes). But a cruise, a beach cabin, you can sit up shop. your not required by anyone to do anything so if the baby is having a bad day, order up some room service, hang out on the veranda and watch the world slip by.

 

[matchtrader]

We are cruising with our 8month old DD in a couple of weeks and, this being our first cruise, we don't speak from experience. However, when considering vacation options (we are from Canada and need to escape to warmer climes in the winter) we felt that a cruise was the best option available. While we typically take our older kids (DD6 and DS4) on a beach vacation, we didn't feel that a week solid at the beach would be a great thing for a baby (constant heat, sand in the mouth, etc.). The cruise, with the abundance of activities for our older kids and the always close proximity to our cabin (except for excursion days which should be manageable), seemed like the best of all worlds. We could have a warm vacation, get a few hours in at a few beautiful beaches and enjoy stellar facilities and fantastic customer service.

We are fortunate to be bringing along our DM on the trip to act as a psuedo-nanny, but even without her, we thought this would be best option out there.

Hopefully our reasoning pans out!

 

[txtara]

So worth it! We have traveled with our children everywhere and anywhere since birth. Train rides, hotels, boats, islands, beaches anything....at 8 months they just go with the flow! Tell them not to stress. No they probably wont get to see everything but it will be a nice relaxing week with not cooking and no cleaning!

 

[soleilmagie]

We went with our 8 months old DD and our 2 1/2 DS last January. We had a great time. We worked around naps and often took turns while the kids were sleeping so the other one could explore the ship.

The only thing is... your family will want to go back to do everything they didn't have time to do!

 

[PatricenPete]

I didn't select any of your options only because I really think that it depends on the child.

Our DS is a very mellow, go with the flow kind of kid. He's been traveling since he was 7 months old, with trips to the Jersey shore, Boston, WDW, and a cruise in November.

It wasn't a hassle at all - in fact all my trips with my son were my favorite trips, just seeing his eyes light up when he saw all these new things was just amazing for us.

Yes, we had to work around his sleep schedule, but if gave us the chance to really see things that we might have missed before because we were always on the go go go.....we had SUCH a good time with DS that we actually have another trip planned (WDW and the Wonder) for March of this year and ANOTHER trip planned for October of 2007 when we will have TWO little rugrats.

 

[MarcyIn Florida]

We have a big family 7-day Western Caribbean cruise planned but my BIL & SIL with a new baby are having cold feet. They are wondering if the hassle of travelling with an 8-month-old (all of the stuff to pack/lug, and restrictions on what they can do and the fun they can have) is worth it.

I'm not sure what all of the stuff they'd have to lug is -- diapers and wipes and baby clothes?

It seems to me that an pre-walking baby is a lot easier to take care of on a cruise than a toddler. Pop the baby in a sling or a Baby Bjorn, and you're good to go! I'd rather travel with a sturdy baby than a walking, exploring toddler any day!

 

[threesit@yahoo.com]

It is SO worth it! My baby was a bit older when we went on our 7 day cruise. She was 12 months. I used their port a crib...I did bring a full size stroller, a "hang on the table" highchair (I used this at home and knew she couldn't get out of it) my diaper bag, 6 diapers per day and and a box of swim diapers, a hat and a tub of sunscreen

We did have a cat:4 reserved, and once we checked in we upgraded to a suite (cat 3)for $600.00. This was cool because there was tons of room and very comfy for me when it was naptime, not to mention the crib fit into the walk in closet so it was like a seperate nursery!

But...I would recommend at least a room with a balcony...I would put her down for a nap and then grab a book and sit on the balcony and tan and read! ALONE time!!!! It was wonderful! We went on an excursions at every port and it was a snap! She (and her giant stroller) went everywhere with us (could not walk at the time)! She rode on the open air bus/tram (as well as the stroller), took tours, and She did great at the beach playing in the sand and splashing in the water. She took a nap on my stomach while I floated on a raft in the ocean...I simply had my husband put a towel over her body.

And...YOU WOULD NOT believe Flounders nursery! My baby had never been left with a sitter, in the church nursery...not even with a grandparent, and she went right to them at Flounders! It is the niftest nursery I have ever seen. (We went to Palo and left her there) It is so sterile! They have a crib for each child, and their own highchair too! I think it is one child (maybe 2) per worker) She did not want to leave!

I have pictures of her everywhere in the boat (at the zero entry pool, the theater, and on the ecxursions clapping. She had a blast!

She is 5 now and we leave again in 2 weeks and she LOVES looking at the the pictures of herself being kissed by Minnie!

Go GO GO!!!

If you'd like to see the photos of happy baby everywhere in the on the Disney boat and in the tropics, write :threesit@yahoo.com

Beth

 

[LoveMyLAP-BAND]

Okay- my two cents.

One thing to consider is the personality of the child. My first child was very easy going and loved different things. We took him to restaurants all the time. As a matter of fact, we took him everywhere.

My second child was very difficult and did not adapt as easily when he was a baby. Just recently are we able to take him to a restaurant and on trips.

Have a great time!

 

[CM_Mom]

If it really is a Big family, maybe some of the other adults could offer to keep the baby for an excursion or two so the couple could participate. There's Flounder's in the evenings so that's not a problem. When you're on board, you can check which excursions are "Flounder's friendly" if they're comfortable leaving the baby there while they do a short excursion.

Pretty much the trip is what you make it. Several folks have posted who had older children that got sick during the cruise and were confined to their cabin - sometimes the adults get sick - there are really no guarantees regardless of age.