Sailing with an infant (long, sorry)

[justhat]

We're booked for a 4 night Wonder cruise in June and will be bringing our 3 month old daughter on board with us. Has anyone sailed with an infant this young and if so, what do we need to know? We'll be in WDW for a week before and 3 days after the cruise and I've been planning for the baby on that part of the trip for months, but for some reason the cruise part seemed like it would be easier. Now that I'm thinking about possibly not being able to add her to our reservation because of too many kids her age already booked, Flounder's Reef filling to capacity, etc. I'm going into panic mode!!! I do have some questions that hopefully you guys will have answers too:

We are currently booked on the Disney transfers from WDW. Is this a good way to get to the ship? Our priority is to book times for Flounder's Reef because we'd like to eat at Palo's one night. Will the transfers get us there at a good time, or should we cancel them and get a town car?

We're in a category 3 room and the CM told me when I booked that I could book Palo's in advance because of the cat. 3 room. Is this true? If so, is it only Palo's or can you book Palo's and Flounder's Reef?

Has anyone left a child this young at Flounder's Reef? We've looked at photos online and it looks nice and clean and heard from others with older kids that their kids were very happy there but I haven't heard anything about 3 month olds.

What are the hours for Flounder's Reef? I know they're open at night during the dinner seatings, but what about during the day? We don't plan to leave her there a lot (though I think it sounds like that), just for dinner one night and if we book an excursion that she can't come on (if they're open during the day). Can infants go on all the excursions that don't have a minimum age listed?

Do the staterooms have cribs/pack n' plays available like the WDW resorts? I assume they have something, but I can't seem to find any info on it.

Sorry about all the questions, I think that's it (for now at least). We'll be calling to add her to our reservation (not sure what I'll do when they ask for her birthday though) tomorrow since others have said that they have limits on the number of kids in each age group allowed to sail.

 

[musicgirl]

HI, I can only answer one of your ?'s. I'm sure someone else will.

If getting to the port early is priority to get flounders time, I would strongly suggest going with the towncar service. DCL transportation will probably not get you there until 12:45 or so. Sometimes it depends on where you stay. At POR, we didn't get on our way until around 12:30 and it is about a 45 min. trip.

From what I understand if you have 3 or more, it can be cheaper to go with a town car. I'm not sure if DCL charges for infants for transportation so that could figure into it as well.

Have fun!

 

[jel0511]

Just a note to you, babies MUST be at least 12 weeks of age to travel on DCL. I see that the baby is due mid-March, but it is possible that you could have the baby as much as 2 weeks late. I know hard to think about, but definately possible (my sisters 2 children have BOTH been 2 weeks late). If that does happen, you would not be allowed to bring the child with you on the ship, and DCL will check the birthcertificate at check-in. I can also see it's your honeymoon, so to be safe, I'd check into other arrangements for your child. I've personally didn't see children that little in Flounders the one time we used it, but I was definately happy with the care my 19 month old son received and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. I believe you can make Flounders ressies with the concierge immediately after boarding, so don't worry about not getting times.

 

[moinab]

An infant is a lot easier to handle on a cruise than a toddler!

I don't see a problem with a 3 month old in Flounders. My DD was 5 months old when we left her there from 10PM to midnight on the 2nd night of our 3-night cruise last July.

Personally, though, I wouldn't leave an infant there while leaving the ship for an excursion. I don't know if the pagers work off the ship, but even if they do, if the baby needed you, it wouldn't be easy to get back to the ship in a timely manner. JMO

Regarding ressies, we were on a full-to-capacity ship last July, and I had no problems getting the time I wanted after strolling into Flounders around 4PM the first day. I think it's more of a challenge on the 7-day cruises. I'm not aware of DCL limiting the number of infants allowed on a cruise, because they don't provide any programming for infants.

DCL provides a Graco pack-and-play with a cute Mickey sheet upon request. You will want to bring a blanket or blanket sleepers for the air conditioning, though. We also requested and received a diaper genie for our stateroom.

I would strongly recommend a MayaWrap-type sling, especially if you are nursing. They are extremely versatile, compact, and easy to use. My DD spent most of the cruise in the sling. Let me know if you'd like more info.

By all means, try to go to Palo, but just be prepared that if the baby, for whatever reason, doesn't take well to Flounder's, your meal will be cut short. I've heard of some people who had their meal packaged to go after they were paged, so that they could enjoy it in their cabin. You just never know with babies, how they will handle any given situation.

That's actually the best advice for cruising with an infant--be flexible!

 

[Donnainnj]

I think I remember reading that you can get room service from the restaurants with that cat. cabin, don't know if that includes Palos, but that may be an option if you are not able to leave your new little one in the nursery for any reason. Good luck.

 

[ChattyKathy]

Your due in March this year?

Personally, IMHO I would leave the baby with a sitter, possibly the grandma...
Like the other poster mentioned, the child will have to be at least 12 weeks of age when you cruise...so you may have to leave it behind anyways...unless you do a section and have a absolute positive due date!

My 2-cents worth!, Good Luck and Have Fun!


Kathy

 

[justhat]

We're about 99% sure that the baby will be born by March 19, which would be the latest date for her to be 12 weeks when we cruise. My dr doesn't want me to go more than a few days past my due date (3/12) since the baby appears large now and the smallest one in my family and fiancé's family was 8lbs 13oz. (My 4 month old nephew was 9.4 and he was 15 days early!) He thinks she'll be early anyway, but if not she'll most likely be induced by 3/16. My fiancé was hoping for 3/18 since that's his birthday, but I don't think he'll be that lucky. If she isn't here by 3/19 though, for some reason, we do have a backup plan to leave her with my mom, who will be at WDW with us to watch the baby so she's not out in the heat all day. She's not too thrilled with staying alone with an infant in a hotel out of state, but she will be available to do it if we need her. Not our first choice, but it's an option.

Thanks for the other tips. We'll definitely check into town car services now. I'd feel better in one since we could use her car seat, but then my fiancé points out that she'll be travelling in Disney buses all week anyway so it's not much different. but it is a much longer ride.... Wow, that's great that you can get a diaper genie too. I assumed they'd have pack n' plays, but I never thought about diaper genies. Did you request it in advance, or just when you boarded the ship? We'll be adding her name to the reservation today so I guess I'll just request the pack n' play and diaper genie now to be safe. It's nice to know that Palo will package our meal for us if necessary.

Moinab, it sounds like you had a great time and your daughter looks so cute napping on her beach chair! It's encouraging to hear that your 5 month old was easy to have along on the cruise. How did you do in the sun without sunblock for her? We're asking the pediatrician if it will be safe to use sunblock while we're away, but if she says no, did you find it was easy enough to keep her out of the sun? We do plan on using a sling, though we haven't gotten one yet. We got a Baby Bjorn as a gift, are these basically the same as a sling, or should we still get the sling?

Thanks for all the help so far, keep the ideas coming!!

 

[moinab]

We did not request the pack and play and diaper genie until we got to our stateroom. I would definitely recommend requesting them in advance. We had to make several phone calls before they arrived. Not really a big deal, but if you can have it set before you even board the ship, it's one less thing you have to deal with.

We live in FL, so I started using sunblock on her at 4 months, when we started taking her to the beach. I was just careful to keep it off her hands and wrists, so it wouldn't end up in her mouth. I only used it on the beach, though. Also, I used a sunhat. (On the cruise, I lost her sunhat during the sailaway party and had to spend $16 on CC to replace it ) When going out walking in the sun, I would have her in the sling, and would use an umbrella to keep the sun off of her.

Get a MayaWrap sling!!! You will not regret it! I bought one for the cruise, and my only regret was not buying it sooner. Here is a picture of my DD in the sling when she was 10 months old. http://community.webshots.com/photo/103732607/103734558nQrKEi I bought mine from a local distributor that I met at La Leche League, but you can get them on ebay. It's very important to watch the video/dvd that comes with it, so you learn how to use it properly. Otherwise, it will feel weird and you won't like it. I also used a Baby Bjorn. It's nice to switch back and forth, because you use different muscle groups. I brought and used both on our cruise.

Congratulations and good luck!

 

[justhat]

Thanks moinab! We have a few sunhats since we'll be in Florida in May and June, so I'll be sure to pack them, and I'll definitely ask about the sunblock since your baby used it at 4 months and was fine. I have an allergy to some of them myself so it made me skeptical of using it on a baby under 6 mos. Your baby is so cute! And I love her name, it's one of my niece's names and I've always thought it was so pretty and not overly used. You've convinced me on the MayaWrap--we had heard many people brag about how great they are and we knew we wanted a sling since we'll be travelling a lot with her at a very young age and I thought it would be good for breastfeeding her. Your baby looked very comfortable in it and since you're like the 99th person to say they liked the Wrap, we'll go with that brand. Thanks for the help!

 

[debm]

Definitely take the baby with you and go have lots of fun! I agree with "moinab" you need to have a sling. I don't go anywhere without my sling!

We took our baby when he was just barely the legal 12 weeks old. We had such a fun time we went back when he was 8 months old. Two cruises in his first year of life and it took me over 34 to go on my first! I admit it was easier when he was smaller. He would sleep most of the time. We haven't used Flounders yet but think we will give it a try on our upcoming cruise. he will be 21 months then.

Breastfeeding makes it 100% easier too. As long as you are solely breastfeeding you won't have to worry about bringing anything else with you. Plus your baby will have a stronger immune system. I strongly encourage you to get help in the early weeks of breastfeeding if you have any questions. There are so many knowledgeable people to help you because moms usually have a question or two.

I have to admit, I disagree with the posters that say to leave your daughter behind. If it is a choice, there will always be another cruise, but the basis of your daughter's early life is too precious to be away from her. Plus, you don't realize the feelings of protectiveness that you will feel for her. You probably feel them already though. That is your natural instinct that protects her from you being away from her. You would probably worry yourself sick on the cruise----and how much fun is that!?!? There will be plenty of years to go by yourself. The memories and pictures from this cruise will be treasured forever. The 3 of you together.

Have a great time!!!!

 

[moinab]

you're like the 99th person to say they liked the Wrap

LOL! All my friends kept telling me I had to get one. One of them even let me borrow one of hers (She has 4!), but I didn't like it. I finally relented and bought one just before our cruise. It turns out, I wasn't using my friend's sling correctly. Once I learned how to use it properly, I was kicking myself for not getting one earlier. DD was (and is still) a very high-need baby. I had to hold her all the time for the first 3 months. A sling would have made that time much easier.

Regarding the sunblock, if you have allergies, I'm guessing your pediatrician will tell you to not use it on the baby. The official line is to not use it at all on babies under 6 months. We don't have any allergies, so I felt ok using it. If you carry the baby in a sling and keep a sunhat on her, she will be pretty well covered. Again, I would recommend a light, Totes-style umbrella, too. (A friend of mine actually carried a parasol, but I found the umbrella to be more convenient.) The summer sun in FL and the Bahamas is brutal.

I agree totally with debm. Breastfeeding really makes it easy when travelling. The sling is great for breastfeeding. It's very discreet. DD was nursing in the sling during dinner on our first night on the cruise. Nobody at the table had any idea. They all commented on her being asleep. I also agree with getting all the help you need in the first few weeks. DS didn't have any problems nursing from the time he was 5 minutes old, but it took several weeks of working with her before DD learned how to get a good latch. If she had been my first, I would have been really discouraged.

You're in the home stretch now! Good luck!