Advice for cruising with an under one year old

[Comcam]

Hello all,
The wife and I are looking to book a 4 day cruise with our daughter who is under 1. We are looking for any advice you guys have from anyone who has done it.

Thanks all!

 

[Quellman]

Hi welcome aboard. there are a tons of topics already on this very subject, so be sure to try searching.

But in general, bring lots of diapers, book nursery time in advance up to I think 10 hours. Then be sure that your stateroom host gives you the paper that has all the toddler time events and open houses.

We have sailed in this category before. It's still fun, just a different type of vacation.

 

[Comcam]

Thanks for the advice! I will also hit up the search feature.

 

[Boysmom1626]

You can also ask your stateroom host for a diaper genie. Our host emptied it every morning when he cleaned the room. It was nice to have a break from that chore!

 

[KashasMom]

I've traveled/cruised with all 3 of mine from the time they were a month old. I always recommend staying on the baby's schedule as much as possible. Bring a comfy stroller to sleep in if necessary. Bring familiar toys and favorite blanket from home. Bring a hat, baby sunglasses, and sunscreen. The splash area will be fun - those UV shirts are good too. Bring a small pail and shovel for the beach. When you are in port take little boxes of cereal/snacks and juice with you. Bring something to keep your child busy at dinner (dinners can run a bit long). Let your child get used to the characters...as much as many of us love them, they can be scary for babies. Take a small first aid kit (antibiotic ointment, band-aids). Most of all don't stress and have a great cruise!

 

[disneyfan888]

I believe the Diaper Genie will automatically be provided when they see a baby in the stateroom. We have already done two cruises since our LO and the DG has always been provided. It was a nice surprise when we cruised with her the first time to see that it was already in the room as well as a crib.

As others have mentioned, just bring extra of all the essentials (Diapers, cream, bottles, formula if used, brushes, stroller, blankets etc.)All these things are sold on board which is good if you were to run out, but they do cost more than at a regular store. Any snacks/food they like. Not sure if your baby is doing well with solid foods, but bring anything they may traditionally eat just in case they do not like or want the food on board. Water Diapers for the baby pool area. Little ones have a special section for them to play at the pools since they are not allowed in the regular pools unless they are potty trained.

The Nursery staff is amazing! Very nice and attentive.

Have a great cruise!

 

[AndreAggie]

Devil's advocate here, because I can hide behind a screen and keyboard and you can judge me all you want.

Don't do it. You're paying a lot of money for a vacation for an infant who won't remember it. You're not going on vacation....you're moving your normal family routine to a ship. Sure you don't have cook and clean, but that child will still need your 100% attention. You're paying extra for babysitting. When they're 3, they can go to the clubs for free (as in, you paid a boatload of money to have a great vacation and this perk is included). You are limited in your alone time. You're very limited in your excursions. If it's possible, let the grandparents have their time with the baby and you and your wife go on a great vacation and enjoy your time with each other. You have plenty of time in the near future to enjoy great Disney vacations.

I know I'm going to catch hell for this response but like I said, you don't know me from Adam and I just wanted to give you the "other side" of things.

 

[hanscarlet]

Honestly I think cruising with an under one year old is easier than cruising with a toddler. The nursery can provide you guys some alone time and as long as you get a verandah room then you can really have a relaxing time. Pack and play and diaper genie are a must. If you want to watch the shows then get baby some headphones because they can be loud for a little one's ears. You may not last too long on Castaway Cay but the ship is near empty that day and lots of fun.

 

[jencp2001]

We brought our little guy when he was 10 months old on a 5 day out of NY. It was one of the best vacations we ever took. It was nice that he could explore the ship, and we did take advantage of the nursery which was one of the highlights for us. I was a little nervous at first with the nursery being a first time Mom, but they really went above and beyond. At the end of the cruise we got an envelope that had pictures of him with a couple of princesses and in one of them the princess was reading him a story. It made me cry when I got it.

They also had a race in the atrium for babies who were crawling but not yet walking. It was ADORABLE. They also had special times in the kids clubs where you could go in with them, so they could play. The splash area was also great for his age.

As one of the previous posters said, I agree with trying to stick to their normal schedule. The dinners were long, but the wait staff was really great. One dinner when my little guys was fussing, dinner was served, so I was trying to get him to eat, and the server came over and cut up my steak for me, so I could eat while I was working with my son. I couldn't believe it, but I was so thankful. there were so many little touches like that.

I felt like it was the best vacation we could have taken since he was so young.

Good Luck!

 

[KashasMom]

Devil's advocate here, because I can hide behind a screen and keyboard and you can judge me all you want.

Don't do it. You're paying a lot of money for a vacation for an infant who won't remember it. You're not going on vacation....you're moving your normal family routine to a ship. Sure you don't have cook and clean, but that child will still need your 100% attention. You're paying extra for babysitting. When they're 3, they can go to the clubs for free (as in, you paid a boatload of money to have a great vacation and this perk is included). You are limited in your alone time. You're very limited in your excursions. If it's possible, let the grandparents have their time with the baby and you and your wife go on a great vacation and enjoy your time with each other. You have plenty of time in the near future to enjoy great Disney vacations.

I know I'm going to catch hell for this response but like I said, you don't know me from Adam and I just wanted to give you the "other side" of things.

For us it's not really about whether or not the baby remembers. It's about family time without the hassle, noise, and interruptions of everyday life. We never put our daughter in the nursery and in fact she's spent very little time in any kids club. That's our choice. Our vacations are 100% family time. We've made the best memories traveling. My daughter might not remember WHERE she was but she remembers the experiences she's had (from about 3 on). Prior to that age we spent a lot of time in pools, at the beach, meeting the characters, etc. While I wouldn't change anything others may feel differently.

 

[EASchechter]

Babywearing! Get a ring sling or a babyhawk/toddler, or a soft structured carrier, if you don't have one already. Having a ringsling saved my sanity on the Autotrain with a then 3-month-old.

 

[Staceycs]

I say go for it! Our son was 10 months old when we did a 7 night cruise on the Fantasy, and it was one of our best trips to date.

We still did a tonne of great activities and we had great day trips in the ports. We really didn't feel like he 'cramped our style'- when we did things like bingo or animation classes, he happily played on the floor next to us. My husband and I would also swap time with each other and I would go to the spa and he would go to the pool etc.

While we had booked the nursery, we didn't get to use it as he developed a cold. Still- we really didn't mind.

The servers in the dining rooms adored him and bent over backwards to make sure our meals were easy and fun. The room steward was also a big help and would arrange his toys in a new Disney shape or pattern each day.

I'll never understand the sentiment that you shouldn't do it because they won't remember it- our holidays are about living in the moment and creating new experiences- not about generating a bunch of photos we can talk about some day. This kind of means that we shouldn't bother to leave home for a few years lol- no thank you!

Go for it and have a great time. On our next cruise the kids will be 4 and 2...that will be a very 'interesting' trip!

 

[lilouisianagal]

We took DS when he was 2.5yrs, so a little older, but we had lots of fun. We scheduled nursery for about 30-45 min after dinner started and one of us would run him up there and then we could eat our dinner in peace. We let our servers know our plan the first night and they were GREAT about getting his food out almost right as we sat down (they have a similar program for the kids club kids where kids club workers bring the kids to the kids club partway through dinner). Another option is to feed kiddo from on the deck quick foods and drop off just before dinner. Definitely request a pack n pay and DG if needed. You can always do laundry on the ship if needed. It was different than our pre-kiddo Disney cruises but I would go again in a heartbeat. I would definitely get trip insurance though, since you never know what is going to happen just before or during a trip. Talk to your prediatrician about motion sickness options if you think that might be an issue at all. And have fun!