What Was Your Cruise Experience?

I have been on two cruises now and absolutely love them! The ship is awesome and you get to see different beautiful places. My mom and sister took my niece when she was two and she had a great time. Carnival has Camp Carnival where the little kids can go and she kept asking to go all the time, she had such a good time with them. It is a good time and I cant wait to take my little boy when he is about two.

We did a cruise with Norweigen in Nov of 05 with a 3 year old and 9 month old. It was with 20 some family members. We had a great time. Plenty for the kids and adults to do. Talk to dr about ways to avoid get sea sick. Once you get sick you stay that way. Hope you have a great time.

We LOVE cruising with our four kids (ages 3, 5, 8 and 11.) Our last one was in May and we finally got it right!!!

Get an over the door shoe organizer (less than $7 at Wal-Mart.) Someone gave me that advice and it was, by far, the best I've gotten! You will have a ton of stuff to keep organized in a tiny space (unless you have load more money than us and are in a super-suite!) We never had a problem finding the kids shoes- which we kept on the bottom so they could reach- our sunglasses, lotions, jewelry, toiletries, hair accessories, you name it!

Bring Children's Tylenol at the very least. You might consider a cold medicine and anti-diahrea (sp?) medicine just in case.

Dinners in the main dining room can literally last hours. Not sure what cruise line you are on, but it could be a problem if you are seated with people you don't know. If you have a table for your own family, you have more control of dinner... order the children's meals first and ask that they come when your appetizers come. Then, let them eat dessert as you eat your entree. If they are still behaving, go ahead and order dessert for yourself or else BAIL! BY THE WAY, you are totally allowed to order food for your child off the adult menu! It took us a while to figure that out, but I don't let my kids eat pizza/chicken nuggets/mac and cheese nonstop at home, so why on the ship? My kids enjoyed having steak or whatever for dinner instead of frozen kid fare! Also, since mine are older, it was an opportunity to try out things to see if they liked them and not get upset if they didn't eat it (as I would in a restaurant if I spent $25 on an entree!)

Some budget-conscious ideas... Buy a few cheap inflatables (we got $0.88 rings at Wal-Mart that the cruise ship actually charged about $8- the same exact item!) They are pretty strict if your child is not potty-trained. Buy some flavored drink mixes (the kind you add to a bottle of water to make lemonade or whatever) and save on buying sodas or other drinks... water and ice tea are free. I brought some refillable bottles to bring ashore. Bring some Zone bars or the like for taking ashore... most places ashore are quite expensive. Don't forget to bring sunglasses and sunscreen- the prices for those are crazy if you forget!

Your son may or may not not be old enough to go to the kids club- I think Carnival allows under 2 year olds... my kids LOVED going. Realize that it is customary to tip the daycare workers at the end of the cruise... I brought a thank you note to stick the money in and thanked them personally. I also brought some candy bars to stick on the outside... makes them feel appreciated.

From now to the cruise, save all Happy Meal toys and the like. Bring them and break one out at dinner or when your child is behaving well. This incentive to be good works great and it gives them something to do! (If you wrap them in wrapping paper, you can show it to them when you are trying to bribe them to be quiet or smile for the camera and not ruin it if they don't like the toy- can you tell I've done this before?!!!) Individual packages of gummies can be a life saver too!

Have a great time! Our May cruise was with a group of 30 for my dad's milestone birthday... it's great to have loads of relatives to help watch your child as you visit the buffet line. Consider yourself lucky!

I've been on 2 Caribbean cruises and it's one of my favorite ways to travel! I haven't been with my son yet (I'm trying to hold out until he's old enough to "carry his own backpack"), but here's a couple of tips in anticipation of things you might face...Get the travel insurance offered by the cruise line. The first time we didn't and had some flight delays that, had we missed the boat, would have made us miss the cruise altogether. The second time we did and it made for much better peace of mind (especially since I was pregnant). I think it's well worth the money spent.

Also, take PLENTY of time to travel to the ship. As I said, we had travel delays that had us sprinting to the ship 10 minutes prior to pulling the gangplank. NOT a relaxing start to a vacation, and nearly impossible with a toddler. If it's possible, you might try getting to the port city the night before the cruise embarks for a smooth ride.

Make sure you all (including the little guy) have passports. It takes a while (can take several months) to get them, so start early. Mom and Dad both have to be there to apply for baby's, so keep that in mind too.

Ok, just one more thing...Keep in mind that if baby is not TOTALLY potty trained (no swim diapers, nothing), cruise lines won't allow him in ANY of the pools or in the childcare areas. That's been the big reason I didn't want to go until my little guy is older. Royal Caribbean has a 2 potty accident limit on their childcare, a kid won't be allowed back in after that. With your cruise still a year out, maybe you can use that for potty incentive!!

Good luck and I'm so excited for you!!

My husband and I went on a cruise for our honeymoon. We didn't have any children at the time so I can't give you advice about that, but I do know you should take a case of your own bottled water. They sell bottled water for outrageous prices so you spend a fortune! I drank so much soda and alcohol on the cruise I ended up with a bladder infection and in the cruise hospital for the last 2 days :(

I LOVE going on cruises. I have been on 2, both Royal Carribean. LOVE IT! We didn't take the kids, but have talked about doing that since our last cruise when we checked out the childcare for that just in case we did. We weren't allowed in the childcare! We were surprised! If you didn't have a child in childcare, you couldn't go in there! Very nice! They don't allow camera use in the childcare areas. We weren't even allowed in the teen areas -- no one over 18 including the parents are allowed in those areas! Very nice too. I would feel safe leaving my kids!

One thing you might want to agree upon as a family is to whether or not you plan on doing the formal night at dinner. We skip it each time because it is just extra stuff to pack for one night! There are other food options available! Yes, we loved the food too. Ate about 12 times a day! Unlimited ice cream machines run most of the day! Be prepared to eat -- A LOT!!

Have fun and enjoy!

It depends on what cruise line you are going on but I went on Carnival. We had the best time. Listen to your travel agent on what to do and not do. Chances are she has gone and knows the procedure. We went to the information meetings on the cruise which are helpful in upcoming events on board. We had older kids but they have a daycare and play center, things like that on board for your son. Every one is super wonderful. We had a great time. Good luck and hope you enjoy.

My husband and I went on a cruise a couple of years ago. We loved it. It was very relaxing and exciting. One night they have a really dress up dinner.... you must do that. That is your night to feel like a real princess. Of course, I don't know how it will be with a baby... you may be very limited unless of course your family is willing to help out with some babysitting. The cruise we were on stopped at a port where we could sign up and do things like snorkeling and riding the jet ski's and feed the sting rays and parachute. Do not ride the jet ski's. It was a total waste of money. You weren't allowed to just ride you had to do exactly like they said and if you got out of "line" in the very least they turned around and screamed at you. It was the most horrible time of my life. I loved the snorkeling and I loved playing with the stingrays... maybe my favorite. We parachuted and that was scary at first but had a great time doing that. We stopped at alot of ports along the way and went to eat at restaurants and went to a lot of souvenir shops and that was fun. Other than that, it was just a relaxing, come as you please, go as you please, whenever you please, kind of trip.
But I don't know how it will be with a baby.
Have fun!

Talk to your pediatrician about what you can give your son for motion sickness and be prepared just in case.

My cruise experience was wonderful. We went on a family cruise a couple of years ago and I had never been on a boat before let alone going across the world. When you walk in you will totally forget you are on a ship and we only felt it sway 2 times in 7 days so if you are worried about that don't be. As far as kids if you pick the right ship there will be plenty of activities for everyone to do, plus you can eat pretty much 24 hours a day. Must haves would definitly be some water, battery charger and extra batteries are a must. I don't know your trip is planned but anything we did that was off the ship we had to pay for & be prepared to tip your waiter, housecleaning, etc at the end. Ohh and I found out the hard way that the pool is saltwater not fresh. My friend thought that was funny but not me. Pack plenty of clothes and don't forget the formal wear for the nice dinners. Good luck hope this helps ya!!

I agree with a lot of the advice. We went on a Royal Carribean cruise when my kids were 4 1/2 and 2 1/2. My 4 1/2 had a great time, because of the pool! My 2 1/2 year old had a good time, but it was a little tough for me. The Poop Police were out in full force (there are no lifegaurds, just people watching out for swim diapers/babies in the pool), so he couldn't go in the pool. I can totally understand why the cruise lines do this, but it does make it hard on a mom with a young one.
The reason my son had a good time is because he just likes pressing buttons and riding the elevator!

Hi C.,

My family and I went on a cruise last year and it was great! However my children are older they are 6 and 8. Of course there wont be much for the one year old to really enjoy other than maybe the pool. They do offer a daycare type playtime if you would like to enjoy your dinner or a show without children, which is pretty nice. My husband or I had never been on a cruise and we were both pretty nervous. But it was great, neither one of us got sick, there were a few times at dinner that it was a little quezzy because you could see the boat leaning from side to side. We would really like to take our kids on a Disney Cruise I think they would love that as I am sure there would be more for them to do. We did however have one bad experience when we first got on the ship they had to evacuate the whole ship because of a bomb threat and of course that was miserable we had to sit out in the sun for three hours with no food or drink. Im sure this was a rare occurance and doesnt happen often, didnt mean to scare you, just sharing our experience. Im sure you will have a great time, I think everyone just expereince a cruise at least once.

I was nervous to. So I remember to carry medicine to help my nervous stomach. But when the boat sail I didnot have to take anything. If you are nervous about the water donot hang outside the first day. While the ship is moving if nervous do not look out the at the water through the window. Just remember to do everything that is offer to you on the ship. You are going to be fine. Just go to have fun leave your trouble at the dock and pick them when you come back. Donot drink the water in Miama it will make you sick. Write back and let me no how it went. Ann at ____@____.com

C.,
Our extended family went on cruise together when our children had just turned 3 and 5 - honestly - between aunts, grandparents, etc...they spent very little time in the child care area.....however, they did enjoy the area - but I think the youngest you could be to go into the child care was 2 - so you may want to check with your cruise line. We have all said, when we do it again, we will plan on being on board the ship as soon as we can - as soon as you get on board you have access to the cafe's and such and can be relaxing and ejoying the boat.
We loved the experience of the extended family on the cruise b/c we didn't feel the pressure to do everything together. We all had dinner together - but for the rest of the time, we all pretty much did what we wanted to and didn't try to "organize" everyone - of course you can do as much together as you want.
Hope you have a great time!

C.,
You're in for a treat! Cruises are a lot of fun and a unique experience. I have a few tidbits for you:
Make sure you take some medications such as Tylenol, Ibuprofen and especially Dramamine! Everything is very expensive on the ship. It helps to be prepared. Bring extra batteries for cameras, sunblock and try to pack somewhat light. The cabins are pretty tight spaces--wait till you see the itsy bitsy showers! A running joke is that the shower curtain will cross boundaries and touch you inappropriately...lol.
Make sure you bring a few larger pants/skirts for the end of the trip because you WILL be eating very well. It seems as if it's always time to eat. Have a blast and take lots of pictures!

My husband was nervous about going on a cruise for our 10th anniversary because he thought he would get sick. He ended up having a great time and we both would love to go again. We left our boys with our parents so I'm not familiar with the childcare.

We went on a cruise for our honeymoon, so no kids at the time. We took the Disney Cruise though and went to the parks also. It was a week long split between the parks and the cruise. I loved being on the boat even though I was afraid of seasickness. I get nausuous in the backseat of a car and just knew I'd be sick on the boat, but I wasn't. I didn't enjoy the stops on the cruise as I did just being on the boat. It was nice while in port, it felt like we had the boat to ourselves because everyone else would have gone on land. The kids places and activites on the Disney ship seemed excellent and we're planning on going again with the kids (4 & 1 yrs) in a few years. We're braving DisneyWorld with extended family next fall when they'll be 5 and 2 yrs but are saving the cruise for a couple more years.

Our family just returned from a cruise. It was wonderful. It was my husband and I's 3rd cruise, but the first with all of our 6 children. We have always cruised Royal Carribbean and always been very pleased. This past cruise there were over 900 children on board. They have lots of activities for all ages. Our children are older 13 - 22 years old. My suggestion is to research the islands that you will be going to. I have found that very helpful to know what we wanted to do. Sometimes doing the shore excursions offered by the cruise ship are nice but can be pricey. We have found that hiring a taxi and going to where we want is nicer without having to deal with a large group of people and being stuck to there time frame. Bargain with the taxi driver before you get in and settle on a price. There is tons of info that I could share, we have truely enjoyed cruising. If you would like to contact me personally for more info my email is ____@____.com

Good luck and have a great time!

C.-
A cruise is a MUST for everyone, at least once in you life. I haven't cruised with my children yet, but we plan to do that next summer as well. You will have the time of your life! we have always used Carnival, and never had a bad experience. They also have wonderful childcare in the event that you choose an outing not suitable for your child. I have been swimming with the dolphins & snorkling. we don't usually do alot of the outings, they can get pricey, but we usually take a cab or shuttle to the local beach, just ask some of your wait staff about the local beaches, they can give you some great insight. No matter what you choose to do, you will have an amazing time! The hardest part for me has been reacclimating to real life when you get home, it's that easy to relax. Happy sailing!

Definitely go through a travel agent or AAA, and definitely buy the travel insurance!