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Hi Ladies, have any of you gone on a cruise with a baby? Do you know if there are any regulations with brining food and formula on the ship. I have heard that the ship gives you a pack and play you just need to bring your own sheets. Any recommendations for traveling on a cruise with a baby. Our son will 7 months when we bring him on the cruise. TIA!
TTC 8/09 C/P 10/09
B/W & SA & HSG Results = Normal
IUI#1 & #2 Clomid = BFN
IUI#3 Follistim + Progesterone = BFN
IVF - 2/20- BCP 3/6 - Lupron 3/17 - Follistim & Menopur
ER - 3/27 25 eggs retreived 18 fertilized ET - 4/1 transferred 2 embies = BFP!!! Beta#1 = 476 Beta#2 = 1,177
P/SAIFW

Re: Cruises w/ Baby
Took our baby on a cruise several years ago at 7 months too.
1. Try to get a balcony room if possible. Makes nap time much more tolerable.
2. It should be no problem with the food/formula. We even mashed up bananas and avocados for her from the dining room. Depending on the cruiseline, they might let you bring bottled water onboard or purchase a package.
3. You will probably need to reserve a pack and play ahead of time if you want one.
4. Have you cruised before? If so, don't expect the same experience. We went without any family, and while it was fun, it was exhausting. Very different from pre-baby.
Check out www.cruisecritic.com for more advice. They have a forum esp. for families.
We cruised 2X, once when my son was 2 and another when he was 2.75 years old.
The 1st time we went on Carnival and DS had to be 1.5 to go to the kid care center. 2nd time we went on Pricess and he had to be 3 so he went to the kid care center but an adult had to stay with him the whole time. I had a hard time finding a place he could roam around so we took him to the day care center even though an adult had to stay with him.
On carnival, we didn't reserve the crib (it wasn't a pack and play) ahead of time, we just told our room stewardess when we got there.
I've never brought food/formula, but i have brought outside food onboard and it wasn't a problem.
You can bring bottles of water with you, i saw lots of people do this.
Bring a stroller so you can wheel your baby around the ship if you have trouble getting him/her to sleep.
We just went with our 10 month old. We brought plenty of food (the kind in pouches) and snacks (cheerios and puffs) for him with us and a sippy for water. He is BF so we didn't have to bring formula. He ate lots of food off the buffet and lots of rolls (teething). We were on a RC ship and he wasn't allowed in the pool. But, they did have an infant playroom that we took advantage of most days. It had age appropriate toys and books and a few guided activities.
We brought our baby bjorn and also our BJ city mini. We got DS ready for bed and he fell asleep 8/10 nights in the stroller while we were having coctkails before our 8:30 dinner. It worked out very well.
We didn't have a balcony but, in the future we will probably get one (that said, we don't plan to cruise again until DS can go in the pool). We did bring books and our laptop to watch movies while DS slept during the day.
The pack n play takes up a ton of space in the room. Just make sure you get your suticases stowed under the bed and all your stuff organized when you get there. It will make it a lot easier as the days go by.
I brought a small backpack diaper bag that I hung off the stroller and always had it with us so we wouldn't have to go back to the room every five minutes. It had a few toys, diapers, wipes, etc as well as spoons, bib, sippy, food, cheerios, sunscreen and a hat. We always carried a blanket too as the a/c was pretty cool most of the time.
Have a great time!
B/W & SA & HSG Results = Normal
IUI#1 & #2 Clomid = BFN
IUI#3 Follistim + Progesterone = BFN
IVF - 2/20- BCP 3/6 - Lupron 3/17 - Follistim & Menopur
ER - 3/27 25 eggs retreived 18 fertilized ET - 4/1 transferred 2 embies = BFP!!! Beta#1 = 476 Beta#2 = 1,177
P/SAIFW
We are planning to go on RC's Allure of the Seas when our son will be 13-14 months old. I have done a lot of research before making the decision to go. Here are some tips:
- reserve the pack and play ahead of time, bring your own sheets.
- consider a blow up pool or even the duck tub for on the lido deck (can be filled by using ice buckets or water jugs and taking water from the main pool) since babies in diapers (even water dipes) can't go in the pool. Freedom and Oasis class have a designated baby splash zone. Pool/tub can also be used on balcony.
- Reserve in room babysitters ahead of time.
We are planning to go on RC's Allure of the Seas when our son will be 13-14 months old. I have done a lot of research before making the decision to go. Here are some tips:
- reserve the pack and play ahead of time, bring your own sheets.
- consider a blow up pool or even the duck tub for on the lido deck (can be filled by using ice buckets or water jugs and taking water from the main pool) since babies in diapers (even water dipes) can't go in the pool. Freedom and Oasis class have a designated baby splash zone. Pool/tub can also be used on balcony.
- Reserve in room babysitters ahead of time. We will be reserving a babysitter for the night of the quest game and maybe one other show.
- Research the ship's baby programs. RC's freedom and oasis class hasthe royal baby and tots programs where you can participate in activities with your LO. They also offer a Fisher Price toy lending program, so no need to pack a ton of toys.
- You do not need a car seat, the baby can ride in your lap. Consider bringing a lightweight stroller. We plan to bring the ergo and an umbrella stroller.
- Forgo shore excursions and hop in a cab (or walk!) to the beach, rent an umbrella and enjoy the day.
- Consider the stops. We will be going to the bahamas, st thomas and st marteen. I feel safe in Bahamas and St thomas, but since we have been to St Maarten, we will probably opt to stay on the ship during that stop.
- Bring new toys that your child has never seen/played with before for dinner time, the plane ride, shows, etc. (consider going to the dollar store or target's dollar bins for little things to save space).
- Some lines allow you to order diapers, wipes and organic baby food and have it sent to your room. You must do this before the cruise though since they do not carry these items onboard. On that same note, the gift shops do not carry childerns medications, so bring what you think you will need. The doctor bill can run you $500+ on a cruise.
- If you must fly to get to the cruise destination, consider arriving early and shopping for diapers, wipes, etc. on land before boarding rather than having to pay to check it.
- Plan to do your own laundry. There is no need to bring 7 days worth of baby clothes. There is one day (usually mid-week) that ships run a 1/2 off special. Keep in mind, baby clothes are going to be charged as if they are adults clothes. There are also washers/dryers available on board.
- Request a highchair for the dining room ahead of time. After the first time, your waiter/stewerd will have it waiting there for you.
- Definitely get a balcony room. We will never go back after having a balcony on the Oasis and definitely wouldn't consider it with a baby. It will be a nice retreat if/when we are cabin-bound during nap times.
Happy Cruising!