Question for those who have traveled with young children...

[janets]

We are currently booked on the 11/30 7 day eastern cruise in a Cat. 4 cabin. We will be me, dh, ds (4.5) and soon to be born ds (4 months at time of sailing). When we cruised on the 4 day last September, ds#1 was already sleeping in a regular bed, so they made up the day bed for him (we had a Cat. 6) and we had a bed rail.

However, this time, ds#2, obviously, will be in a crib. What kinds of accomodations can be made for him? I have heard that DCL can provide pack n' plays but is that the only option? I happen to have purchased for ds#1 a portable crib that we have used when on a "by car" vacation, but never used when on a "by air" one. Does anyone know if I should perhaps have the crib shipped down to FL to meet us and then put through as luggage on the way back? The only reason I bring this up is that ds#1 NEVER slept in a pack n' play and while I can only guess at what this new baby will do, I like to have all my options.

Thanks to all in advance for your advice/information.

Janet

Offsite 1991
Disneyland 1992
CBR 1997
Swan/Contemporary Concierge 2001
Contemporary/DCL Wonder 2001
Contemporary 2001
Next stop...DCL Magic 11/30/02

 

[jenc]

We have flown with our pack and play and just checked it in as luggage -- no problem. One thing that I found helped quite a bit with my kids and the pack and play is to use the same sheet that is on the crib mattress on the pack and play "mattress." I think this helped them feel more "at home." (especially since they were used to sleeping on a cream colored mattress and the pack and play was navy blue with brightly colored animals.

I am sure someone will have more accurate info than I, but I am pretty sure the cruise line provides pack and plays as requested.

Have Fun!
Jen

 

[dizneykids]

as far as i know, the only option for infants is the pack and play. we used one for our youngest when he first went on the cruise (he was just 4 months old as well), and he had no problem with it whatsoever. they will provide you with sheets and blankets for the pack and play as well, though we brought his own blanket so he had something familiar when he slept.

they will also provide you with a diaper genie (which we did NOT know until our third cruise with him), so be sure to ask your stateroom host for one. you can also call dcl or your TA (depending on how you booked) and have those requests put in your record so they will have the stuff in your stateroom when you arrive.

also note that they have strollers on board that you can borrow and use throughout your trip so you don't have to bring your own unless you want to. the ones they have are the jogging-type strollers with big baskets and a big hood to protect them from the sun. you can take them with you off the ship if you need to, and they have extras on castaway cay for use on the beach.

good luck and have fun!

 

[nedleycan]

Looking forward to seeing you on our 11/30 cruise.
To answer your question on the "bed" issue. My kids never had problems sleeping in the portable cribs (like the one that you have), because they slept in it at Grandma's, daycare, etc. When this one is born, why don't you use the portable crib for naps, etc. Then he will get used to it (which is good for many reasons, not just for the cruise).
The other thing that we did sometimes is to build a bed on the floor, using lots of blankets. The baby may like the vibration of the boat, and sleep even better on the floor. And he won't be crawling yet, so there is no worry there.
Just a thought!

 

[akasleepingbeauty]

I think the primary problem you will have with the portable crib rather than the pack 'n play is the space to put it in. Granted, you will have the space next to the verandah since you are in a cat 4 but this will mean blocking access to the verandah. Other than that area, I just don't think there is room for anything larger than a pack 'n play. We were in a cat 5 with a pack 'n play last year and we could barely get around it when it was up so I would imagine a portable crib would make it even more difficult. Since your new ds will be so small and undoubtedly taking multiple naps during the day, it won't be very feasible to put the crib or pack 'n play up and down so you'll probably have to maneuver around it all the time.

I would use the pack 'n play and hope for the best. Bring your own fitted sheet from home (the one they gave us was just a big sheet wrapped around the "mattress" and that can be a safety hazard) and maybe even one of those sleep wedges to make him feel cozy. Hopefully, he'll do just fine.

If you are also bringing an infant carseat and/or stroller, you may even find that he will sleep comfortably in one of those. I have had several friends whose new babies would only sleep in their infant carseats for several months so maybe it would work for
you.

Good luck and happy cruising,
Rhonda

 

[janets]

I guess I'm just trying to analyze this thing a bit too much, which is definitely my failing. I like the idea of trying to have him nap at home in the pack n' play so that he's used to it for the trip. And if we decide to use that, I'll definitely bring my own sheets for him to sleep on. As far as space is concerned, I don't think the p n' p takes up more room than my portacrib so I think it will be whichever works for convenience. I also like the idea of making him a little bed on the floor. You're right, he won't be moving at that point, so I don't really have to worry about him getting very far.

I will definitely make sure I put the requests on my ressie before going, so that we don't end up missing out if there are a number of small kids on board. I'm still thinking we'll bring our own stroller/carseat combo, since we'll have to get from the car to the airport terminal onto our flight, into a seat and then from the airport to the terminal and reversed on the way home. I think I will definitely use the strollers they have at Castaway Cay because they are so much easier on the beach, but I think I'd rather have my own the rest of the time; otherwise, dh will have to carry the baby as well as the luggage all over the place. But I will give that some thought too.

As far as diapers/formula...I will have to pack diapers for the whole cruise, but what did you guys do for formula if you didn't bf? I don't know what we'll be doing this time around, but I thought I'd bring (if needed) the individual powder packs and mix per bottle. Last time I brought my own water and can do so again. I hate the thought of spending that much more for water to make bottles on the ship. Any suggestions in that area?

Thanks again for your input.

Janet

Disneyland 1991
Offsite 1992
CBR 1997
Swan/Contemporary Concierge 2001
Contemporary/DCL Wonder 2001
Contemporary 2001
Next Stop...DCL Magic 11/30/02

 

[janets]

I guess I'm just trying to analyze this thing a bit too much, which is definitely my failing. I like the idea of trying to have him nap at home in the pack n' play so that he's used to it for the trip. And if we decide to use that, I'll definitely bring my own sheets for him to sleep on. As far as space is concerned, I don't think the p n' p takes up more room than my portacrib so I think it will be whichever works for convenience. I also like the idea of making him a little bed on the floor. You're right, he won't be moving at that point, so I don't really have to worry about him getting very far.

I will definitely make sure I put the requests on my ressie before going, so that we don't end up missing out if there are a number of small kids on board. I'm still thinking we'll bring our own stroller/carseat combo, since we'll have to get from the car to the airport terminal onto our flight, into a seat and then from the airport to the terminal and reversed on the way home. I think I will definitely use the strollers they have at Castaway Cay because they are so much easier on the beach, but I think I'd rather have my own the rest of the time; otherwise, dh will have to carry the baby as well as the luggage all over the place. But I will give that some thought too.

As far as diapers/formula...I will have to pack diapers for the whole cruise, but what did you guys do for formula if you didn't bf? I don't know what we'll be doing this time around, but I thought I'd bring (if needed) the individual powder packs and mix per bottle. Last time I brought my own water and can do so again. I hate the thought of spending that much more for water to make bottles on the ship. Any suggestions in that area?

Thanks again for your input.

Janet

Disneyland 1991
Offsite 1992
CBR 1997
Swan/Contemporary Concierge 2001
Contemporary/DCL Wonder 2001
Contemporary 2001
Next Stop...DCL Magic 11/30/02

 

[redpants]

For our infant son, we brought along our own bottled water (medium-sized Zephyrhills Sports bottles), that way we didn't have to purchase water, and we could be sure that the water was OK to drink. We also used the individual Enfamil packets, which are a little more expensive, but well worth the convenience.

Have fun!