Advice for Cruising with an Infant

[kittyklawz]

We primarily use cloth diapers for our kids, but on the cruise we used disposables. Your on a vacation, the last thing you want to do is wash diapers.

If you get in a day before or take private transport to the port I suggest swinging by Target to pick up your diapers, so you don't have to lug it on the plane.

We will probably be driving so that won't be an issue

 

[disneyfan888]

First off, congrats on the little one soon to come into this world! What a blessing.
Our baby is one and a half and we have already done 2 cruises with her. The first one we took with her was a Halloween Cruise last year. It was really nice and the activities were neat, but not worth the added price to us. I guess it's one of those things where you have to experience it and see if it's worth it to you to pay the extra money, but they don't add that much more themed activities for us to want to do it again.
We got to use the nursery for the the first time. The nursery CM's are phenomenal. I was so scared to leave her, but I would not leave her anywhere else. They made us and the baby feel safe. The times we have sailed with her have not been too busy, so we had no issues reserving. I thought she would cry and it was me who ended up crying leaving her there. It was the first time I had left her in a care facility so it was hard, but I was happy she was not sad or uncomfortable. Just keep the room phone on you in case they need to reach you.

Just remember to take the essentials, lots of diapers, swim diapers, bottles, formula if used, brush to clean bottles, first aid. All these things are sold on the ship, but they cost more. It is nice to know they can be purchased if forgotten or one runs out. The only thing I don't remember seeing is formula. You can get milk though if they are drinking cows milk by then.

The cruise will provide a crib/playpen and diaper genie which is fantastic.

As for the rooms, we have sailed on all the categories. We do prefer a Verandah. I love being able to just sit on the balcony and look at the ocean whenever I want. An inside stateroom with a baby feels very cramped and the added square footage even if not much makes a huge difference. We could barely move the first time around with the stroller, crib etc. We even had to put the small table from the room on one of the sides of the bed in order to have room to move.

The second time we sailed baby was over the one year mark and already eating solids and was able to eat some things from the buffet and MDR's. Like most babies, she is a picky eater at the moment so it mostly consisted of eggs for breakfast and tenders for dinner which the servers sweetly cut for her.

If the baby is not potty trained by the time of sailing she is not allowed to go into the swimming pools, but you can take her to Dory's reef which is designed for smaller children. Our little one loved it. She loves the water so she enjoyed going as well as the beach on Castaway.

If you have any more questions feel free to ask. I hope you enjoy your cruise! Have a beautiful wedding and delivery

 

[kittyklawz]

First off, congrats on the little one soon to come into this world! What a blessing.
Our baby is one and a half and we have already done 2 cruises with her. The first one we took with her was a Halloween Cruise last year. It was really nice and the activities were neat, but not worth the added price to us. I guess it's one of those things where you have to experience it and see if it's worth it to you to pay the extra money, but they don't add that much more themed activities for us to want to do it again.
We got to use the nursery for the the first time. The nursery CM's are phenomenal. I was so scared to leave her, but I would not leave her anywhere else. They made us and the baby feel safe. The times we have sailed with her have not been too busy, so we had no issues reserving. I thought she would cry and it was me who ended up crying leaving her there. It was the first time I had left her in a care facility so it was hard, but I was happy she was not sad or uncomfortable. Just keep the room phone on you in case they need to reach you.

Just remember to take the essentials, lots of diapers, swim diapers, bottles, formula if used, brush to clean bottles, first aid. All these things are sold on the ship, but they cost more. It is nice to know they can be purchased if forgotten or one runs out. The only thing I don't remember seeing is formula. You can get milk though if they are drinking cows milk by then.

The cruise will provide a crib/playpen and diaper genie which is fantastic.

As for the rooms, we have sailed on all the categories. We do prefer a Verandah. I love being able to just sit on the balcony and look at the ocean whenever I want. An inside stateroom with a baby feels very cramped and the added square footage even if not much makes a huge difference. We could barely move the first time around with the stroller, crib etc. We even had to put the small table from the room on one of the sides of the bed in order to have room to move.

The second time we sailed baby was over the one year mark and already eating solids and was able to eat some things from the buffet and MDR's. Like most babies, she is a picky eater at the moment so it mostly consisted of eggs for breakfast and tenders for dinner which the servers sweetly cut for her.

If the baby is not potty trained by the time of sailing she is not allowed to go into the swimming pools, but you can take her to Dory's reef which is designed for smaller children. Our little one loved it. She loves the water so she enjoyed going as well as the beach on Castaway.

If you have any more questions feel free to ask. I hope you enjoy your cruise! Have a beautiful wedding and delivery

Thank you so much. Its kind of ridiculous but I am planning the wedding around the cruise haha! I don't care about the wedding that much TBH besides having the wedding dress I want. We are planning to do a Halloween on the High Seas in Oct 2018, just working details out with the TA at the moment. My mom and I are both big fans of Halloween and we've asked her to join us so we have more help with the little one. He will be around 14 months when we cruise. I know it seems a little weird to invite mom on the honeymoon lmao! We are trying to decide between the Deluxe Family Ocean View with Verandah, or getting 2 rooms either connecting or nearby. I've heard the pack n plays are tiny on the ship and some people's children had trouble fitting? Would you recommend bringing our own (since we are driving) for a 14 month old boy or do you think the ones the ship provide would be adequate? Also trying to decide between First or Second seating for dinner. I think I will book first if its still open and then change to second if we need to since I don't know what the babies schedule will be. We are all night owls now but that could change after baby arrives. How late do the pools and splash pad stay open on the pool deck?

 

[disneyfan888]

Thank you so much. Its kind of ridiculous but I am planning the wedding around the cruise haha! I don't care about the wedding that much TBH besides having the wedding dress I want. We are planning to do a Halloween on the High Seas in Oct 2018, just working details out with the TA at the moment. My mom and I are both big fans of Halloween and we've asked her to join us so we have more help with the little one. He will be around 14 months when we cruise. I know it seems a little weird to invite mom on the honeymoon lmao! We are trying to decide between the Deluxe Family Ocean View with Verandah, or getting 2 rooms either connecting or nearby. I've heard the pack n plays are tiny on the ship and some people's children had trouble fitting? Would you recommend bringing our own (since we are driving) for a 14 month old boy or do you think the ones the ship provide would be adequate? Also trying to decide between First or Second seating for dinner. I think I will book first if its still open and then change to second if we need to since I don't know what the babies schedule will be. We are all night owls now but that could change after baby arrives. How late do the pools and splash pad stay open on the pool deck?

It's not weird at all to bring your mom. It's nice to have the help, especially being your first cruise with the baby, that way since it is your honeymoon you can have some alone time if you want to have dinner at Palo/Remy's etc.
The playpen is a standard size one, bigger than the traditional travel sized one. I think I have a pic, I will try to find it and post it for you to see, but the baby should fit comfortably. I would recommend though to bring blankets or comforter to put in the bottom of the crib as they can be pretty hard. That tends to be a biggie with the babies on the cribs Disney offers.
The seating for dining is mostly personal preference. While on a regular basis I like to have dinner before 7, on the cruise we always opt for second dining because having first dining seems like we have to rush to make it to dinner. Once you get on board you can have lunch if you want while you wait for your stateroom to be ready, many people opt to have lunch. Shortly after you got to the stateroom, you can relax a bit or unpack if the bags have already been delivered to your room, then in a blink of an eye it's time for the mandatory drill, immediately followed by the sail away party and after that is done, it's time for the fist seating dinner. That one thing after the other seems to rushed and while yes, it mostly feels like that the first day, we find the pace of the second seating a lot less stressful. Our baby so far adjusted well too. If the baby tends to have an earlier eating schedule you can always either order room service which is free of charge or you can get food on the pool deck.
The main pools are usually open until 10PM, the smaller ones and splash areas usually close at 6PM. However, there are always a lot of activities to do on the ship for all ages. The adult area is usually open until 1 or 2 am with music/DJ etc. One of the advantages of having your mom there is that if you felt like you wanted to check the adult side at night and she is up for babysitting, you can explore the adult side during late hours as the Nursery is open until 11. So any adult activities you are wanting to do would need to be done before that time if you opted to leave the baby at the nursery.
We personally enjoy the family activities, although I would definitely recommend watching Match Your Mate. It's a show like the Newlywed game and it is hilarious. That's the only thing we have missed not being able to see on the last two cruises because the show is usually at 10:30 and runs past 11, so if you have a chance, go give it a try, you guys might even get picked since you will be on your honeymoon!

Let me know if I can be of any more help

 

[kittyklawz]

It's not weird at all to bring your mom. It's nice to have the help, especially being your first cruise with the baby, that way since it is your honeymoon you can have some alone time if you want to have dinner at Palo/Remy's etc.
The playpen is a standard size one, bigger than the traditional travel sized one. I think I have a pic, I will try to find it and post it for you to see, but the baby should fit comfortably. I would recommend though to bring blankets or comforter to put in the bottom of the crib as they can be pretty hard. That tends to be a biggie with the babies on the cribs Disney offers.
The seating for dining is mostly personal preference. While on a regular basis I like to have dinner before 7, on the cruise we always opt for second dining because having first dining seems like we have to rush to make it to dinner. Once you get on board you can have lunch if you want while you wait for your stateroom to be ready, many people opt to have lunch. Shortly after you got to the stateroom, you can relax a bit or unpack if the bags have already been delivered to your room, then in a blink of an eye it's time for the mandatory drill, immediately followed by the sail away party and after that is done, it's time for the fist seating dinner. That one thing after the other seems to rushed and while yes, it mostly feels like that the first day, we find the pace of the second seating a lot less stressful. Our baby so far adjusted well too. If the baby tends to have an earlier eating schedule you can always either order room service which is free of charge or you can get food on the pool deck.
The main pools are usually open until 10PM, the smaller ones and splash areas usually close at 6PM. However, there are always a lot of activities to do on the ship for all ages. The adult area is usually open until 1 or 2 am with music/DJ etc. One of the advantages of having your mom there is that if you felt like you wanted to check the adult side at night and she is up for babysitting, you can explore the adult side during late hours as the Nursery is open until 11. So any adult activities you are wanting to do would need to be done before that time if you opted to leave the baby at the nursery.
We personally enjoy the family activities, although I would definitely recommend watching Match Your Mate. It's a show like the Newlywed game and it is hilarious. That's the only thing we have missed not being able to see on the last two cruises because the show is usually at 10:30 and runs past 11, so if you have a chance, go give it a try, you guys might even get picked since you will be on your honeymoon!

Let me know if I can be of any more help

Okay, thanks for all the info.

So I got an email back from the TA and the pricing for 1 family ocean view verandah is just a tiny bit cheaper than getting 2 rooms with portholes. The portholes are on dec 2 I believe, and the other room with the balcony would be on rom 6 or room 8. Do you think the verandah is better than having 2 rooms? I wish this was an easier decision!

 

[taggie4]

Okay, thanks for all the info.

So I got an email back from the TA and the pricing for 1 family ocean view verandah is just a tiny bit cheaper than getting 2 rooms with portholes. The portholes are on dec 2 I believe, and the other room with the balcony would be on rom 6 or room 8. Do you think the verandah is better than having 2 rooms? I wish this was an easier decision!

That's a toss up for sure on the rooms. My kids are elementary age now but remembering back I would probably choose 2 rooms. That way your mother and you guys could all have some privacy.

 

[kittyklawz]

SO! Happy news. The 2 rooms are connecting rooms on Deck 2, they are 2094 and 2096 with large portholes, so I think we are going to go that route. I have a 3 day hold on it right now. Trying to find state room reviews now to take a look.

 

[kittyklawz]

I pulled the plug and booked the cruise and sent payment for the deposit! Picked our wedding date as well and found out that its National Mad Hatter Day! Going to do an Alice in Wonderland Themed reception!

 

[disneyfan888]

I pulled the plug and booked the cruise and sent payment for the deposit! Picked our wedding date as well and found out that its National Mad Hatter Day! Going to do an Alice in Wonderland Themed reception!

That is so wonderful! Will you be getting married on board? I think the two staterooms idea is great. The next cruise we do with my dad we are planning to do just that with the connecting rooms. I have not located the pics yet, but I find them I will post

 

[kittyklawz]

That is so wonderful! Will you be getting married on board? I think the two staterooms idea is great. The next cruise we do with my dad we are planning to do just that with the connecting rooms. I have not located the pics yet, but I find them I will post

I told him in order to afford the cruise I would be willing to compromise on a courthouse wedding or at his parents church and then doing a reception at a friend's house to save money. We will most likely be getting married the weekend before the cruise I want to do a mad hatter tea party theme!

I was originally really set on a verandah but I think it will be much better to not be sharing a room with my mom if you know what I mean lol! I was also worried about her having to sleep on one of the twin beds and I want her to be comfortable in her own queen size bed since she will be helping us out and watching the baby while we go to the adult clubs etc.

 

[disneyfan888]

I told him in order to afford the cruise I would be willing to compromise on a courthouse wedding or at his parents church and then doing a reception at a friend's house to save money. We will most likely be getting married the weekend before the cruise I want to do a mad hatter tea party theme!

I was originally really set on a verandah but I think it will be much better to not be sharing a room with my mom if you know what I mean lol! I was also worried about her having to sleep on one of the twin beds and I want her to be comfortable in her own queen size bed since she will be helping us out and watching the baby while we go to the adult clubs etc.

That sounds like a plan! So happy for you! Continued best wishes in all of your wedding/honeymoon/baby plans <3

 

[kittyklawz]

That sounds like a plan! So happy for you! Continued best wishes in all of your wedding/honeymoon/baby plans <3

Thank you I can't wait! I am going to drive my family crazy over the next 511 days (yes, I am counting down! lol) I started a cruise meet/FE group on here for the cruise but nobody has joined yet, hoping someone makes a Facebook group soon too so I can talk with people who don't think I am crazy!