Here are tips for taking a cruise with a toddler without any problem. Check out this guide, find out what you can do, how to do it, and what you need to do for a hassle-free cruising with the infant!
Thinking of taking your first-cruise with your toddler? These trip preps will help you in a long way towards ensuring your family is shipshape and ready to hit the deck and ports.
When do people ask whether they can cruise with the babies and toddlers? The answer is yes, you can. But the real question is, should you? The answer is yes. Cruise is an ideal way to spend family vacations because toddlers are catered to and adults. Cruise ships offers activities and playrooms for kids under trained staff for all aged groups. There are even small bathrooms and sinks, specially designed for toddlers. So, if you want to acquaint yourself with these pointers, read below:
Yes, you can cruise with your toddler in a few cruise lines. But you need to take care that there are some adult-only cruises. Most cruises allow parents to travel with their six months or old baby. While on some itinerary, toddlers who are more than one year are permitted when parents plan for long ocean crossing or exotic cruises.
Generally, cruise lines charge a cost per person, which includes infants and toddlers. For example, if two adults pay for full-fare in the carnival cruise and share their room with the third one, the third person will get some discount on the charges. Children who are less than two years of age are not required to encompass the gratitude. Some cruise lines also charge port fees and taxes for children of all ages, including babies and toddlers.
Packing for little toddlers is a challenging task. So, you have to save a lot of time and energy. To maintain your strength and save your time, experts have gathered a few must-pack items for a toddler.
Also, Read: The Ultimate Guide to Cruise Packing
Most cruises have limited cribs, so it's good to request on the embarkation day itself. Or in case, you're planning that your toddler will sleep with you on a bed, check out whether the cruise line provides you bed rails or not. Else you can bring your rails. Don't forget to request a mini-refrigerator to keep the milk and milk products for your toddler.
Generally, the cruise bathrooms are shower-only. So, you can take your toddler with you for a shower or use the removable shower-head for spray-down. Even you can bring your child's inflatable tub with you and sponge down your toddler.
To feed your toddler, make a meal plan in advance. You can reserve those early dining seating or opt for an open-seating dining area. If your toddlers don't like to eat in public, you can ask your steward to bring the room's food. With 24-hours services, you can order food anytime and eat anytime.
There is a childcare facility available onboard for some family-friendly cruise lines, and sometimes it's complimentary. As a parent, you can drop your toddlers off, and the staff will take care of them and feed them. Your toddlers will enjoy all kids' activities and run an adventure fun.
Before booking the cruise line, first, check out which types of activities they provide to your toddler. Ask specific questions to your travel agent or search online, such as which programs are specially designed for toddlers? Does the little one require diapers in the swimming pool? How many years of experience or certification, or training does the onboard child caregivers have? Do toddlers have to share their space with big children, or they have their room?
Also, don't forget to checkout. If you're traveling with more than two or more kids, can you put them in one group, or you need to put them indifferent? Not only have these questioned but also clear your doubts regarding the other programs cruise lines are offering.
Unfortunately, your toddlers can't use any of the main swimming pools unless they are potty trained. There might be a kiddie pool where toddlers who are not potty trained can enjoy swimming with their diapers. Only the Disney cruise and Royal Caribbean Cruise has the splash zones certified by the CDC where the little one can swim with the diapers.
If you're planning to reach the departure port by driving or hiring a taxi, then carrying a car seat is essential for your child's safety. And if you want to avoid bringing that, you can travel via a bus that might be organized by the tour operator. The same goes for a stroller. Some cruise lines like Carnival gives the stroller on rent while the MSC cruise line offers it on the loaner. So, it's ideal for bringing a small umbrella stroller rather than bringing that big baby jogger.
Some cruise-lines offers the shore excursion but with age limits. Sometimes even the youngest child can't join the shore excursion program. Consider planning your shore excursion or find out some activity that your toddler can enjoy. Also, ensure that you keep things simple. Because the smaller the kid, the smartness is to keep the program simple. You can head down towards the beach or garden on the port. Doing this will make your trip more enjoyable for you and your toddlers.
Some cruise line allows you to do laundry onboard, while some have their laundry rooms. You need to ensure that the detergent, bleach, and starch that ship laundries use doesn't create any infection or allergy to your toddler.
Also, Read: Big Cruise Ship Vs Small Cruise Ship
Here are some vital things that you need to bring on your cruise for you and your toddler.
With these dos and don'ts, you will able to enjoy your cruising with your toddler.
It's a cruising vacation!! Always remember to have fun even if you're traveling with your toddler.
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