Riding in Boats with Infants

[HooKooDooKu]

Something I don't recall this being addressed in the forum before.

If you are travelling with an infant, what do you do if you want to take a boat ride (such as a glass-bottom boat tour or even just a tender to shore)?

I know that Disney provides special floatation devices for infants in case something goes wrong while you're on the high seas. But what about while you're at port?

I assume that Disney would not look too kindly on people taking these floatation devices off the ship for an excursion (but this is an ASSUMPTION).

I know that my personal choise would be to remain stuck on the ship than to risk so much as a tender ride to shore if I didn't have some means of protecting my infant incase something went wrong.

 

[jodifla]

Tenders have life jackets aboard. I imagine that anyone DCL contracts with would also have life jackets aboard for each person.

 

[HooKooDooKu]

It's not an issue of life jackets. Modern meritime law requires a floatation device per person.

The issue is INFANTS.

Infants require special floatation devices.

If you have an infant booked in your room, you are provided with a SPECIAL floatation device intended for INFANTS. Compared to what is in your cabin for adults and children, the infants floatation device seems to be something like a floating crattle. Not sure what it's like because it comes to you in a special package about the size of three bricks put together (but obviously much lighter). It comes with special instructions, and includes the fact that the package should only be openned in a real emergency.

Now I don't know for sure, but I seriously doubt that excursion boats, tenders, and water taxies are going to have these special floatation deviced for infants.

 

[oreilly76]

I am not sure about any one else but we will be bringing along our PFD for her. One in her size. We like her to wear it just playing the ocean with us anyway...

 

[ClarabelleCow]

As sandy said, bring your own is the best approach, we are leaving in about 12 days for 2 weeks and will bring our 4 year old PFD for those exact reasons, we are chartering a sailboat for a day, I know they will have PFD for him, but I'm more comfortable with his own, he knows it and won't fight it. Even my 11 year old will bring hers mostly for snorkeling. You need the kind with the head/neck piece and strap between the legs.

 

[tas190]

When we tendered on our last DCL cruise we had one under 1yr and the guy at the tender pointed out the infant live vest to us, just so we would know where it was in an emergency

 

[HooKooDooKu]

Thanks everyone for the great replies.

Soon after posting, I was reminded that I've got some Credit (member rebates) are REI. I checked their web site, and they have PDFs for infants, and they are less than $40. I plan on ordering one today.

I don't know why we didn't ever think of getting an infant PFD when we took our 1st cruise with DS. It would have made things much easier than when we took DS out into the water at CC.