Has anyone gone on a cruise with an infant?

Question

if you have i'd love some advice. i will be going on my honeymoon to the eastern caribbean on celebrity's constellation with a 9 month old.

1)will shore excursions be a problem lugging the car seat and stroller?

2)will i annoy others in the restaurant?

3)are the portable cribs satisfactory?

4)is the in cabin sitting service trustworthy?

any other tips would be great.

Answer 1

been on with an infant and without... it is a total nightmare and you do not relax

we were in the same situation as you for our honeymoon and you know what we didnt bring her sounds harsh but you need alone time...plus why spend the tip money and third person fee when your little one will not even remember it.. you can save that money alone for a deposit for a future cruise where you will be able to enjoy it as a family

however i dont know if you breast or bottle feed but people freak out when they see a woman breastfeeding, and if you run out of  formula i dont think you want to buy some at some of the islands, they have differnt guides in formula and such

with shore excursions i would advise you not take any but instead view the ports at your own leisure.. you will be on baby time and it is hard to lug off the diaper bags stroller and your stuff as well

also even with a swim diaper a baby is not allowed in the pool,even the kiddie pool, and you need to check with the baby sitting services because some ship will not do the in room babysitting services until they are one years old.

as far as the restraunt there are older passengers that act immature so i wouldnt worry.. and i would definatly bring a pack n play and not use thier crib

dont mean to be rude, just helpful

9 months is a fun age

Answer 2

I had been with a 2 year old girl and my wife pregant.

so... i can answer your querries.

1) Yes, it will be a problem, so don´t take the stroller.

2. It is not your problem. but if you want to avoid bad looks, go to eat at times when the people is doing other activities.

3) yes.

4) i did not tale the cabin-sittign service because i took my mother in law.

5) Please, don´t care about other people, enjoy your honeymoon, and relax. But maybe you can leave the baby with some family (mom, dad, in laws) because is far better cruising along instead of with childs.

Answer 3

Go to CruiseCritic.com, click on "Boards" at the top of the page.  I think they have a board for cruising with kids/infants; if not, you can find into by doing a search on "infants".

1]  I would think a "baby pack" would be a lot easier.

2]  People in the dining room would not be annoyed by an infant as long as he/she is not disruptive.  Be aware, however, that meals in the dining room take two hours or more, so you might want to eat at the buffet or have a sitter during dinner.

People at CruiseCritic can give you all the info you need!

Have a great trip!

Answer 4

We cruised with our 18-month old niece on Carnival in 2006.

First, take your own playpen.  The "cribs" supplied by the cruise line are not as clean as you keep your own and the one supplied to us collapsed the first night she used it.

Take the small umbrella stroller instead of the big 4-wheel drive stroller.  Much easier to manouver on board and in port.  Also, check your ports.  Tendering with a stroller is hard to do.

You should not take the car seat on shore excursions.  Most of the transporation on shore is not accomodating to car seats.

Request the early seating for dinner and perhaps a table near the door for quick exits.  The noise level in the dining room is significant.

Pack everything the baby will need before midnight in your carry on luggage since it take several hours to get your checked luggage to your cabin.  

Make sure your cabin is not over or under the casino, theater, clubs, stairwells or elevator so the baby will not be awoken with the noise.

We did not use the sitting service....if you were at home, would you leave your baby with someone you knew nothing about....

Last tip....check the cruise line's policy about fares and tips concerning the baby...we had to pay a fare for the baby but were not required to pay the tips...we only found out about not having to pay the tips until after the cruise.

Answer 5

Good grief, no.

Why would you want to bring an infant?  Leave the baby home with grandma/grandpa.

There is no daycare on a ship.  Your enjoyment of the cruise is going to be extremely limited with an infant.  You will be spending most of your time in the cabin while baby sleeps.  The baby won't be allowed in any of the pools (they don't allow diapered children in any pool due to health concerns), you won't be able to enjoy the shows unless you pay for a baby sitter....which is expensive as heck - with restricted hours.

Go to cruisecritic.com.....lots of info there.

Do yourself (and your fellow passengers) a favor....leave the baby home or wait a coupla years.

Answer 6

I don't have children but here is a article that lists some things you may need to know.  It talks about shore excursions, packing, infant life jackets etc.  Hopefully it will be useful for you.

Answer 7

I am one of those children free that hate when kids act up anywhere and the parents don't do anything. I think as long as your child knows how to behave and you are a caring parent then you should annoy anyone. They make the cruises children friendly unless it's for adults only, and they would have told you already.

Answer 8

I just returned from a cruise - and I took two babies.  We all had a great time.

Our kids are 5 months old and 20 months old.   We did an Eastern Caribbean, 7 nighter with Carnival.

Here's my advice:  

Book a balcony-class room, or even a Jr. Suite if you can afford it.  You will value the extra elbow room more than the typical passenger.  I would skip out on casino playing, spa treatments, and even (gasp!) a shore excursion or two in favor of having a larger room.  

1.  Some shore excursions will be fine with the stroller.   Do not attempt to push the envelop, however.  An air-conditioned sightseeing bus tour is a great idea.  Taking the baby on a glass-bottom boat tour or a mini-submarine - not so good.   Try the museum tours, butterfly gardens, or anything that involves a scenic drive.  If you're planning a day at the beach, rent a cabana if finances allow.  You won't regret it.

2.  Dinner.  Two words.  Early seating.   You will probably not score primo seating when you have a 9 month old in your party.  Expect that you will be assigned a seat near the doors.  If the kid acts up - YOU know when it's time to retreat.  Nuff said.  Just tell them you'd like to take dinner to your stateroom.

3.  Portable cribs are hit-and-miss.  If they are using PackNPlay cribs, be certain that they are being assembled correctly.  

4.  Cabin sitting is only available to children over 1 year in age.   Although it might not be hard to find someone to babysit on an informal basis, because:

CRUISE SHIP EMPLOYEES LOVE BABIES!!!!  And by that I don't mean that they don't mind them, or they kinda like seeing them.  They simply adore them.  Many of them are supporting their own families in far-off places, and they don't often get to visit them.  They will stop you everywhere on the ship and ask how old your baby is.  

Many of them would LOVE for you to ask if they would like to hold the baby.  You think I'm kidding now, but just wait.  Your baby will have more friends in uniform by the end of the week than you can imagine.  

Start your week out by giving your waitor a nice tip ($10-20) and tell him that since you are traveling with an infant you might require extra assistance.  For instance you might ask to have a bowl of something the baby would like to eat delivered to the table straightaway every evening.  This might help avoid the crankies.  

Most menus include a fruity cream soup option nightly - grownups use them for palate cleansers in a fancy 5-course meal, but babies universally adore them.  Cold creamy apple soup, mango soup, papaya soup, peach soup, and bing cherry soup are some that were served on our recent cruise.   Might not sound real appetizing to you, but try it out on the baby.  It'll probably be a hit.  

Remember that cruises also cater to the elderly population - and some of them are fairly toothless also, hehe - so there will usually be something baby-friendly on the menu.  

Bring enough diapers!  You won't like the ones they sell onboard - they are geared towards toddlers.  

Enforce your baby's normal bedtimes and naptimes - the less tired they are, the less cranky and more well-behaved they will be.  The rocking of the ship will probably be soothing to your baby - mine always seem to love it.

This was taken from Celebrity Cruiseline's webpage, concerning babysitting for infants:

Babysitting (Stateroom Services):

For a nominal fee of $8.00 per hour, for up to two children within the same family, parents can arrange for a private, in-cabin babysitter. Children have to be twelve (12) months old or older to be eligible for in-stateroom babysitting and there are to be not more than two children per babysitter. Babysitting services are available through the Cabin Services Desk onboard all Celebrity vessels. Parents are asked to make all private, in-cabin babysitting requests 24 hours in advance. Private, in-cabin babysitting is subject to personnel availability.

Answer 9

I agree with ITA.  Infants really do not belong in a formal dining room on a cruise.  Dinner can take up to 2 hours, and if somebody has a screaming infant next to you - it's going to  get very annoying.

Ships are really not equipped to handle strollers on the deck, the hallsways are too small.  

My advise is get a babysitter - your going to be on your honeymoon - why bring the baby?

Answer 10

We've been on several cruises and one with our infant a year ago.  Here are the answers from our experience:

1.  Carnival Cruise line told us car seats were not needed.  a) you don't have space in the cabin, b) taxi's and buses did not require them, child must sit on your lap.  Call your travel agent or cruise line they can help.

2. You are paying for your cruise as much as anyone else.  If the child is throwing a tantrum and refuses to calm down then you may want to walk out for a few minutes and try to calm them.  With cruises there are many non-formal dining options so if you have to leave the formal dining room, you can go straight to another dining option elsewhere on the ship.  We brought a sippy cup and crackers for our baby to eat while waiting for our food.  I would also suggest booking the early seating for dinner to anyone with children.

3)  portable cribs are fine, just like you'd use at home or in a hotel

4) we didn't use in cabin, we tried the daycare but our daughter wanted no part of it.  we booked early dinner then went to the late shows, our baby fell asleep in our lap during the show so we had no problems.  I would think the sitters would be fine.  Employees on cruises are awesome.  they work hard for their money, often leaving family back home for 9 months to work on a VISA, during this time they often send money back home.

Other tips:

1.  book appropriate excursions where you won't be diving, tubing, etc...

2.  zip lock bags!  best things ever.  bring a whole box.  trash is emptied twice per day morning and night.  if you get poopy diapers putting them in zippy bags neutralizes the odors until trash is emptied.

3.  plan to shower with baby in your arms, use the sink or bring a small inflatable baby tub that you can buy at most baby stores

4.  don't forget baby sunblock

5.  bring plenty of diapers

6.  bring extra clothes you don't want to spend your cruise doing the wash

7.  HAVE FUN