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Babies: 9 - 12 Months
amr1218
member
Cruise w/ infant?
amr1218
member
So the in-laws mentioned that they wanted to take everyone on a cruise as our Christmas present this year. This is certainly NOT the norm for our crew. My initial reaction was 'WOO HOO' bring on the bahamas! But once reality sank in, I realized cruising with a 14 month old is a pipe dream. Has anyone ever tried taking an infant on a cruise? Is there any amount of planning and packing that would make this feasible. The selfish side of me would LOVE a tropical (paid) vacation. 
At this point DH & I are not ready to leave DD for week.
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Re: Cruise w/ infant?
I would definitely go. We took DD and DS on a Disney cruise back in Feb. when they were 2.5 y/o & 5 mos. It was a lot of fun. On the days that we were "at sea" we enforced naptime but when we were on shore we were more lax about rushing to get back for nap.
You should look to see what their childcare is like and take advantage of it. I loved being able to send the kids to the nursery so DH and I could have a quiet adult dinner or I could go to the spa while DH took a nap.
Also, Disney is in partnership with a company where you can order diapers, wipes, snacks, etc and it's delivered to your stateroom upon arrival. I loved not having to drive down to L.A. with all those items for a 7-day cruise. We walked into our stateroom and there was a nice lovely box with all of this things ready to go! It was well worth the money spent. You should look on that cruiseline's website to see if they have something similar.
As a warning because I'm sure this isn't just a Disney thing but due to health reasons kids in swim diapers weren't allowed in the pool. They had a dinky little fountain area for the toddlers but it was so cold out on the sea it was pointless.
As for packing you'll need to pack enough clothes for the amount of days and more. Look to see if they provide a PnP for the stateroom otherwise you might have to bedshare. Bring a favorite blanket or stuffed animal and familiar books to read at night. At that age I would try not to steer too far away from your home routine in regards to naps and meals because it might be harder for LO to readjust when they're back home.
We took DS when he was 6 months. It was super easy, just make sure you take enough diapers and wipes they do not have them onboard or at least the ship i was on didn't.
I agree with pp about the inflatable tub it was a lifesaver for us. We actually took it up to the pool deck and let DS splash around in it.
It was great to go with family. Plus nice that they were there to take care of DS while DH and I had some alone time.
Definitely go!
We went back and forth on cruising or not this coming March. We ended up deciding to take the cruise. Of course we havent gone yet but we are very excited. Things we have done to make ourselves feel more comfortable....
Booked a balcony room so that when its nap time DH and I can still enjoy the day.
Got the extra insurance incase anything happens (we usually dont book insurance)
We are sailing from a port that we do not have to fly to
Getting them both passports even though technically it is not required for this cruise
When we go DS1 will be 18 months and DS2 will be 6 months.