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Cruising With a Baby
Tosha Tingey • May 10, 2019
Taking a baby on a cruise? This post will answer all of your questions!
As soon as our cruise was booked I took to the world wide web for some help on how to cruise with a one-year-old. I was shocked at the lack of info there was! So I decided to put my two cents into the world in hopes to help somebody else wanting to take a cruise with a young kid.
A few details: We went on a Royal Caribbean
Cruise in October with my parents. Our daughter, Addie was one year and one day old the day we disembarked. She was nursing three times a day and taking one nap. She was a steady walker and a fairly good sleeper. At home, we are reasonably strict about bedtimes and sleep training. But full disclosure, her “schedule” was completely thrown, and she adjusted to our week of fun and late bedtimes, and she rocked it!
I’ll go over 5 points that I hope helps you feel ready to take your baby on a cruise and not feel like you’re being held back from an awesome vacation.
- Late Night Shows
- Naps and Bedtime
- Eating on the ship and on the islands
- Babysitting
- Transportation & Activities
Late Night Shows
This question was the big unanswered question that nobody on the internet answered! One of the best parts of a cruise is the entertainment! The morning of the cruise we met a couple with a two-year-old who cruised the year before and they gave the best advice. We followed it, and it was awesome, so here it is! After dinner, go change your little one into their pajamas and grab any bedtime gear. For us, it was her “lovey” and a pacifier and sometimes a blanket. Before and during the show we gave her the opportunity to sleep and about half of the time, she would fall asleep during the show. The other times she was tired and calm enough that she would sit and watch.
Naps & Bedtime
We traveled two hours ahead so the first couple of days it took us all some time to adjust to Eastern Time. Every day we were at sea we made it a priority to go back to our room to let her nap. When we were out on the island, we would try to give her the opportunity to sleep whenever we were driving, walking in the stroller, or playing at the beach.
For bedtime, we typically went to the earliest showtime and then after the show put her to bed. If she slept during the show, we would let her wander around the ship for a bit to let her get tired again and then take her to bed.
The best advice I got from the Internet was to bring magnets. (These are the ones we got click here) The ceilings are metal, and so we were able to use extra sheets to create a room around her pack-n-play. Also, if possible I would recommend a balcony room. We had an ocean balcony, and it was the BEST! The two of us would go out and play games or read while enjoying the view during her naps or after her bedtime. I also really enjoyed nursing her every morning on the balcony!
Eating on the Ship & Islands
We had cruised before, so I knew the large variety of food that is offered on the ship. You have no reason to be concerned about how to feed your child on the ship. (If your child isn’t on solid foods, be sure to call Royal Caribbean beforehand and they can have baby food available.) We had a scheduled 5:30 dinner and it was perfect. Our waiters were SO good with Addie. Every time we got to dinner, the waiters would already have her favorite fruits ready for her when we got there. Anybody that eats out with a child knows how huge this is!
Our ports were, St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, and Labadee, Haiti. In St. Maarten we met up with friends who took us to a delicious restaurant by the coast. We brought some fruit for Addie in a ziplock bag, but she wasn’t too interested. She ended up eating a lot of the same things we did, and she did just fine. We were only in Puerto Rico for half a day, and so we did our excursion in the morning and then went back to the ship for lunch. In Labadee, Royal Caribbean provides lunch on the island, so we were well taken care of.
Babysitting
A big question we had was child care. On Royal Caribbean, they offer a child care program called Royal Babies and Tots. This program is for children six months to three years. (To learn more about this service, check out the Royal Caribbean blog post here.) We took advantage of this program once on the last day to watch the matinee show of Grease! Her grandparents watched her for one evening and during one of her naps. Otherwise, we really enjoyed having her with us and doing activities with her. You can go onto the islands with your child in childcare, but the phone that they give you doesn’t work off the ship. We personally didn’t feel comfortable with that, but it is an option.
TRANSPORTATION AND ACTIVITIES
We brought a baby carrier (Wildbird ring sling) and an umbrella stroller. I wore her through all of the boarding process, which was nice because she sleeps better in her sling than she does in a stroller. So she slept through the whole boring process. Although, I must admit, security wasn’t too pleased with it and I was wanded and had to hold her away from me while going through the metal detector. Luckily she stayed asleep though. I thought I would wear her more but it was so flipp’n hot on the islands that I mostly kept her in the stroller.
While in St. Maarten, we rented a car at a place right near the port. They had car seats you could rent out as well, but they were all pretty trashed. We ended up borrowing our friend’s, and even that was barely anything for her age. I’m not even going to share a picture to keep from the world judging me. But, in my defense, it was better than nothing at all! Which, no law requires kids in car seats on St. Maarten. But with the low-speed limits and prayers, we were just fine. 🙂
Lastly, I want to share a few activities we enjoyed with Addie. We loved the splash pad! Addie could play on at the splash pad all day if we let her. And we loved it because we met a lot of young families with kids the same age. Keep note that all kids in diapers are not allowed to go in the swimming pools or the larger splash pad with the bigger kids.
Other activities included, Addie doing Zumba with me, the carousel (she loved it…until it started moving. haha) and she LOVED to explore. I’m really grateful she could walk because she was happy just walking around and exploring the ship. And it’s a massive ship, so she had a lot to explore! They also have an under 3 play area near the child care that is filled with age-appropriate toys. The first time we took Addie she loved it so much that she cried when we had to go. Whenever we had a spare minute we would let Addie play there.
For our excursions, we were kind of forced to be a little more low-key. Most adventure excursions offered by Royal Caribbean don’t allow young kids. Last time we cruised, we did a lot of high adventure stuff, and this year we had to be more laid back. St. Maarten, as mentioned before, we rented a car, and our friends showed us around the island. For Puerto Rico, we did a bus tour, and that wore all of us out, and it was only a 3-hour excursion. Labadee, we rented shaded beach loungers, and it was worth every penny. It gave us privacy and an area for Addie to play and sleep that was out of the sun.
Well, I hope something in here helped you feel more prepared to take your baby on a cruise with you. We had a total blast and will definitely do it again! If you have more questions, we would love to help!
Have you taken kids on a cruise? What advice would you give?
Check out this blog on Parenthood4ever and be sure to follow them on Instagram as well for more tips for traveling with kids
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