Definitely bring an umbrella stroller. You can still enjoy your time (maybe hit the bar) when they get cranky and want to sleep. Get a stateroom by the elevator. I got adjoining cabins with my son and his family with two under 3 year olds. You can keep them locked, shut or don't have to use them, but just in case one of the toddlers gets up and wanders in next room their parents can still enjoy their sleep (this happened to us). After the first day my daughter-in-law was sold on this as we went back and forth all the time, since we kept part of the kids stuff with us to save them some space. We've been on 22 cruises, so we didn't mind missing some things so our kids could have some fun. I will add that my wife and I are HANDS ON grandparents, so this worked great for us and everyone had a good time.
My in laws are very hands on grandparents as well and we will be cruising with them next year. They are saviors on family vacations and help me keep my sanity. I’m sure they appreciate you!
We have a 3 month old right now but thinking about going on a cruise when we can. nice to see some of your videos explaining what its like with an infant. Very helpful! Thanks!
This was very very helpful as someone who went a quite a few cruises over the years this will be my first one as a mom with my 17 month and I’m trying so hard to be prepared and manage my expectations. Thanks for all the tips and info
This video and tips are AMAZING!!!! We are leaving for 7 nights in the symphony of the seas soon and we are pretty much getting everything you have recommended. Thank you!!!
That final wrap up hit home. Considering a cruise with our 3 year old after having done a few previously on our own. Will certainly be a different experience but it’s not just about us, thank you for the reminder.
Thank you!! We love your comment! There are so many people who will tell you not to take your child on a cruise. Honestly, just like any other vacation or even any normal day, having a child is work. So why not take them, make memories, visit different places, see new sceneries, have different experiences without having to cook or clean? Lol!
Taking my grandson on his first cruise. It will be him, his momma and me. Super nervous, but your video helped so much!!! He will be 14months when we cruise.
Your videos are awesome Booked our first cruise 11/27/23 on Radiance just 4day excursion with our 3year old -just little trial run before booking longer cruise Thanks again
very informational. Some of the stuff seemed like over planning to me, but some things, I did not think about. Overall very helpful. Im going to travel with grandparents to lighten the load. hopefully that will help
The video definitely covers a lot, so cruisers can pick and choose what’s helpful and useful to their families. What’s too much planning for one, might not be for another. Can’t please everyone, but we’re glad you got some value from it. Taking grandparents will definitely be helpful! Hope you have a nice cruise!! 🤗
@@barrettosontheloose we used it more in the lido as the food in main dining area had more options for our baby (like soup, mash potatoes, steamed veggies bread and chicken strips)
Thank you so much for this video booked a family cruise with my 1YO and 5 YO and I was really nervous about it. This really helped me and calmed me. Thank you for doing this.
This was very helpful! I didn't even think about bringing the disposable bibs. We keep some in the car for restaurants. We're taking our 2 and 4 year olds on their first cruise in November.
Thank you for sharing, my husband and I will be celebrating another anniversary in February 24. My daughter recently inquired if she could attend with us. she and her husband will be bringing their two children who will be six and two years of age at the time of sailing. I want to be able to help my daughter with the children, as well as have some quality time with my husband. It will be interesting to see how it all pans out. I’m just hoping it’s not one of those leave the kids with the grandparents routine the entire cruise.
That will be exciting! If you don’t mind our suggestion, what if you set the expectations ahead of the cruise and designate which sea days or which times of day the you, the grandparents, will be on kid duty?
Thank you. Im in Australia and taking my 16 month old on a nz cruise soon. I've cruised prior and we have gone overseas with him but I was feeling like it was a mistake to book. You have reassured me it's worth it so thank you
Traveling to Long Beach today to go on a 6 day cruise with my baby who turned 1 five days ago. The zip-lock bags for storing food/snacks for later was a genius idea, thank you for that. I'm up at 4 in the morning trying to figure out if I'm missing anything. Probably over thinking since I am nervous traveling with my 1 year old lol. And your video made me feel much more confident in what I've prepared for. So thank you, for an awesome video. And with all respects, you are just breath takingly gorgeous too! haha. Have a great day, I'll be sailing today around 5pm PST.
Aww thank you so much!!! For that age, we’d definitely bring a small stroller, baby carrier, diapers, wipes, disposable bibs and placemats, bottles/sippy cups and snacks! Have an awesome time!!!
We did our first cruise with our baby when she was 11 months old. We had a blast other than restriction from covid and not being able to get off at some port. Looking forward to our next cruise in october without this restriction and hopefully being able to enjoy camp ocean.
We love cruising and haven’t been able to since we now have twin baby girls. I just booked us one for next year and the girls will be 22 months for their first cruise so I found your video so helpful!
Since carnival just announced that Covid vaccines are no longer required my family and I (including grandparents and my siblings) are all planning a cruise in January! We have a 1 month old today and he will be a little over 6 months on this cruise 🥲 we’ve definitely missed cruising and can’t wait to go again!
@@barrettosontheloose I’m not sure just yet, we just started talking about the trip a few days ago! My mom was the one looking into everything! I know we’re sailing out of Galveston !
My toddlers are 2 (soon to be 3 in Jan) and 4.. we will be sailing soon. Im a little nervous but Ive taken many notes. We plan on using the kid zone..hopefully well get some adult time in.
How exciting! Just remember, your family will make tons of memories on this vacation and pack a lot of patience. 🤗 We actually tried Camp Ocean on our last cruise, and just put out the video yesterday, if you are interested: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AOQe9GoQdSs.html
Royal Caribbean is very toddler friendly. Have you tried cruising with them? Like their program guarantees that everyone will have something to do at all times
Going on a cruise in August. My son will be 7 months. So excited to see what this will look like. My husband and I did our first cruise last year and were obsessed now!
How exciting!!! Isn’t it funny how even when you’ve cruised many times pre-baby, once you add them in to the cruising picture, you kind of feel lost? LOL! Hope you all have an amazing time! 🤗
@@barrettosontheloose lol that's how I felt with everything! Even going to the store. I was like um how do I do this. Now it's all natural and easy. Definitely ready to get the cruise nerves with baby out of the way.
Thank you for this! We have never cruised and going on our first for Thanksgiving with our toddler who will be 2 (27 months) as well as a 10yr old. We are excited and Im hoping he is potty trained but not holding my breath either.
@@barrettosontheloosehow do they know or confirm? Do they pull your kids swim trunks down to check? What if I just put my kid in the water with his trunks, how do they know if your toddler is potty trained or not?
@mariahmagallanes6699 they will ask you if your child is potty trained. You say yes or no. As long as the child isn’t wearing any type of diaper, they pretty much take your word for it.
This video is really helpful! We're taking our two kids next month to a Hawaiian Cruise! Just subscribed to your channel, Barreto last name is so familiar, is that from Philippines?
This video is awesome! We’re avid carnival cruisers and preparing to take our grandchildren with us. The diaper bag with changer is a must have. I can’t find it in amazon. Can you please link it for me? Thank you!! ♥️
That is awesome!! Definitely treat the ship like your home and keep routine as much as possible! Naps are very important! With that length of time, you can take it easy and explore the ship slowly. Have a blast! 🤗
This was so helpful thank you! I am curious to know how nervous you were to have a little one on board? I'm trying not to be super nervous but we all know mom anxiety is real! Thanks for any suggestions or wisdom in being able calm my nerves
Hi Katy! Thank you for watching! We totally understand how it can be nerve wracking, but the railings on the upper decks are pretty high and either solid or have barriers so your child will be safe. (There are some lower decks where the railings are not solid, but those areas are easy to avoid.) She was always with one of us or both of us at all times too. If you have a balcony room, make sure to lock the top and careful for slamming doors so little fingers don’t get smashed. Deep breath! It will be a great time! 🤗
This will be our family's first time traveling with a 2 year, and I was a little nervous until I watched your video. Thank you for all the helpful tips!
I have a 2 year old twins and this is our first cruise. I'm so nervous but excited. What activities can the kiddos do that would be fun for them? Is the camp still on? They're not vaccinated yet
How fun! Definitely bring some small toys and books to play with in the stateroom. Around the ship, they can play in the mini golf area, roam around, watch shows, some ships have Zumbini classes and have a trampoline park that has a time slot for young kids, build-a-bear, etc. Yes, Camp Ocean is open for that age group! Hope your family has an amazing time!!
All cruisers get a Sail and Sign card, but we just hold onto our daughter’s in our own lanyard. You check them in and out of Camp Ocean with your card. We have 2 Camp Ocean videos, if you’re interested. Also, lanyards are one way of carrying the card around, but you can use whatever you want.
We are doing a Disney cruise at the end of summer. Can you talk about what to do while she naps and bedtime? I'm worried my hubs and I will be bored while she naps in the room.
That will be so fun! Here are a couple ideas: 1. Nap when she naps. A well-rested parent is a happy parent. 😴😃 2. Since you’ll be traveling with your husband, take turns on who stays in the room during nap/down time, then grab a drink and head to a deck to lay out and get some you time. 🍷🍹 3. Book a balcony room. When you’re back in the room for down time, you can still get that fresh sea air and have beautiful ocean views. 🌊 4. If you watch any shows/movies, bring a tablet with them pre-downloaded for you to watch.
Thank you for the info! I'm more nervous now though 😔. My daughter is 2 and a half. She isn't potty trained yet. Do you think we can change that in 2 months?? 😬. Also we are flying in and I never thought about the car seat. Is there a place to rent them or how can I figure that out without having to bring one?
If she is showing interest in potty training, or can communicate the fact that she has a wet diaper after the fact, then yes, you can definitely get her potty-trained! I would look for a shuttle company that can offer a car seat or doesn’t require one. There is also public transportation which we’ve used before - bus, train, etc.
Hi, I am cruising with my 11 month old for her first birthday next month. My husband and I are curious if the curtains in the balcony room are blackout curtains or not? If they aren't we will definitely buy a blackout curtain for nap time with some magnetic hooks. Thanks, I appreciate you responding to my question. Great video and tips
Thank you for watching! Hope you guys have a wonderful trip! For us, the curtains give plenty of darkness if closed from wall to wall. I’ve seen other cruisers say it’s not enough for them.
@@barrettosontheloose great thanks you so much for your response. I have so much anxiety about cruising with my baby lol but im grateful we can just get on the ship and avoid a flight here in Charleston. One last thing, are they reasonable with the amount of luggage 🧳 you can bring on the ship? I have a feeling we will have a lot of stuff with the umbrella 🌂 stroller and pack and play and all her formula and what not?
Not having to fly is so helpful!! They will not say anything about the amount of luggage you have. It might be easier to wear your daughter in a baby carrier for boarding? Then keep the stroller folded up resting on top of a rolling carry-on suitcase, for example. Check in as many bags as you want, but carry on the important things. There is a video on our channel with some of the things you should carry-on.
Hello, thank you for the video. My wife is due in September with our first, and extended family is wanting to do an Alaska cruise in June 2025. You mention that the baby needs to be 12 months old if it is 2 sea days in a row. Does that mean the day after you leave has to a port day? or would it be fine to be leave and sea day the next day. Thanks
Congratulations!!! We have an Alaska cruise playlist, if you are interested! Two consecutive sea days, embarkation day does not count. So for example, it can be embarkation day, sea day, sea day, port.
Cruising with my 18 month old next month! First cruise for myself ever, will have a big group but worried about what she will do without waterworks the whole week?
The mini golf course is always a hit! There’s a Zumbini class, Build-A-Bear workshop, Dr. Seuss breakfast and parade. Dr. Seuss Bookville usually has toys and you can checkout books. Some ships also have actual playgrounds and the SportsSquare. The Panorama has a trampoline park with designated times for the under 5. Oh and ice cream! Toddlers also like roaming around in general so walk around the ship and/or find an empty lounge to let them run around in during the day. Hope you have a blast!!
Thank you so much for this video, this is so so helpful. We will be taking my daughter on her first cruise next January, she will be 2.5 I'm a SAHM and not comfortable with leaving her in the Camp Ocean (personal preference), and I had been wondering if I would be allowed inside with her just to play, so do you know if that is that the case? ♥️
How fun!! Thanks for watching! We have a Camp Ocean video about our experience, if you’re interested! Camp Ocean has stay and play times for under 2s and a fun Zumbini parent/tot class!
This video was so helpful! I'm planning a cruise for next year and my son will just be turning 4. For camp ocean, are there designated times for lunch, or do you just come at anytime for pickup?
Thank you!! For Camp Ocean on sea days, it does not close for lunch. You just pick up for lunch or do lunch then drop off. Camp Ocean Kids' Only Lunch is offered only on port days, 12:00pm-12:50pm in the Lido Restaurant (time/location may vary) Sample menu for lunch may include: chicken nuggets, cheese/pepperoni pizza, french fries, carrot and celery sticks with Ranch dressing and chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Have a wonderful cruise!!
Hi! Cruising to the Caribbean in Aug with a 21mo old. Have cruised before but never with a toddler. Would you suggest we bring our car seat on excursions or would he be considered a lap infant? Trying to plan port days that are still fun for the adults but also able to travel with him safely. We will have our travel stroller too.
How exciting! If you plan on doing any excursions that involve car transportation, it is up to you on what you feel comfortable doing. Most of these countries and islands don’t have car seat laws so most cruisers will just hold their child in their lap. Of course there are few who bring it along, again it comes down to what you’re comfortable doing. If you book a Carnival excursion, transportation is typically in large buses so you can hold baby then. Or you can avoid any type of vehicle transportation if you don’t want to bring your car seat and just walk to your destinations.
Thank you so much! Currently, the Covid protocols do not allow for unvaccinated children under 5. With the recent vaccine approval for this age group, this should change very soon. Under 2 would then be allowed to join for parent/tot times and select port days, but you’d find out times on the ship. When do you sail?
Depending on ages and how many kids you have, some ages are more work. Lol! My advice is to let go of expectations, go with the flow and don’t plan a ton of activities to do on sea days. It might be less of a vacation and more of a trip. Some “trips” aren’t relaxing even without kids (I.e. running around Italy or even New York). I feel like cruising is an easy way to travel and visit different places with little ones. You could always test the waters and go on a shorter cruise. There are cruisers who loved cruising with their children and definitely ones who say they won’t do it until a certain age. We will be cruising in a few months once our youngest turns 6 months old. It’ll be her first cruise and our now 3yo’s 5th cruise. We enjoy it!
Thanks you for the video! My wife and I have cruised several times in the past, but in June of next year we are taking an Alaska Cruisetour on Princess with our 3 year old. My big concern is booking excursions that require transportation from the ship to the activity. Did I understand correctly that we will need a car seat? Did I see you using one in this video on an excursion? I have already been trying to find a travel friendly one that will minimize bulk. Any additional information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Hi Jeff! Thank you for watching! For an Alaskan cruise, you will need a car seat/booster seat if you're doing any road transportation by anything other than a big bus. Take a look at our Alaska playlist to see what we did in each port. The only port we needed a car seat in was Skagway, because we rented a car and ventured off on our own into the Canadian Yukon, which we HIGHLY recommend! Your daughter will enjoy the stops and the views are spectacular!
@@barrettosontheloose Thank you for your response. I feel like we are going to buy a travel friendly one just because we will end up interior Alaska and on a tour into Denali. I would rather be safe than sorry!
The umbrella stroller comes in handy for ports when you’re doing a lot of walking. I love my baby carrier that I’ve used in backpack mode until my daughter was over 2.5! Here’s the link: amzn.to/3OxwhvX
So under 2 can be left on sea and port days specific times but no meals ? Does this depend on the ship? I saw they only offered night owls. We are wanting to try to plan if we can do any excursions or not without our 1 year old
Did you stay at a hotel before embarkation day? If so how did you get from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the ship? Where did you stay?
Hi Alexis! We’re heading on our 2yo’s 4th cruise this month! We’ve done a variety of driving to port, flying to a port city and taking public buses and lightrail to get to our hotel and then to port. Are you wondering about transportation to a specific port?
@@barrettosontheloose yes. We will be doing carnival Bahamas cruise porting out of Miami. We have a hotel before and after sail dates. So we would need transportation from Miami a airport to a hotel to the ship back to the hotel and then back to the airport.
Do you know if your hotel provides a free shuttle to and from the airport? One option would be to take the hotel shuttle from the airport to your hotel and then back to the airport the day of your cruise, then take the Carnival shuttle bus to port. It’s a large bus, so car seats are not needed. Another option is to use Lyft, Uber or a taxi without a carseat, since Florida does not require the use in transportation vehicles, but of course you do so at your own risk and if you are comfortable with that.
We’ve cruised 4 times with our daughter and have always gotten a balcony stateroom. Having a balcony is a must for us to be able to relax, get fresh air, see the views, etc.
So here’s my question. How will they know? Do they pull your kids pants down to check & see if they have a swim diaper on or what if someone just put their kid in the water with their trunks. My question is how do they check & confirm this?
