We love cruising and couldn’t want to take our little Rosie on her first cruise. On most cruise lines, babies can’t cruise until they are 6 months on the day of sailing. Because my 30th birthday fell around the time Rosie would be 6 months, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to take her on a cruise! Cruising with a baby definitely had some challenges, and we learned A LOT. Every time we would figure something out, Tony was like, “write that down!” Here are my 10 tips for cruising with a baby.
1 – Prepare for Poor Sleep
This was by far the hardest part about cruising with a baby. Rosie did not sleep through the night at all while we were cruising. The crib that the ship provided was very small and because she moves around a lot, I think she would wake up when she collided with the rails. When she would wake, we would help her immediately because we were worried the neighbors would hear. We love our Slumber Pod which keeps it dark when you have to share a room.
2 – Get a Room with a Balcony
I read this in a few different blogs before we booked and I am so glad that we did this (normally we do not splurge for a balcony room!) We had to spend a lot more time in our cabin than we ever have before due to Rosie’s early bedtime and her naps. It was nice to have the balcony to hang out on while Rosie slept. Enjoy a few drinks at night once the baby is asleep!
3 – Your Room is Your Home Base
One of the best parts about cruising with a baby is that your room is always close by. Use this to your advantage. Do not carry around a diaper bag and all of your crap around the ship. If the baby needs a diaper change or a bottle, just go back to the room!
4 – Bring Everything You Could Possibly Need
Besides for diapers, the cruise ship did not have anything available to purchase for Rosie (no formula, no wipes, no bath soap, no baby sunscreen, etc.) Pack way more diapers than you could ever need! Ports will have some of these items, but I wouldn’t rely on that. I did buy more baby sunscreen in port one day. Also make sure to bring medications (ibuprofen, Tylenol, etc.) and any other necessities (nose frida, etc.)
5 – But Don’t Bring the Large Items
The cruise ships will have cribs and high chairs for free to use so do not bring the pack n play or travel high chair. As I mentioned, the crib was small but it worked. Every night we requested a high chair in the dining room and it worked great. I believe on Carnival you can request a stroller (for a fee) but we brought one. See tip 6 below!
6 – Opt for a Travel Stroller
We do not have a travel stroller, so we brought our regular stroller on the trip. It was big and clunky and difficult to navigate through the crowds on the ship. We ended up using our front pack most of the time on the ship and in port. This was a great option but she is heavy to carry for long periods of time. I think if we would have had a smaller/lighter stroller we would have used that on the ship (maybe something like this?)
7 – You Will Need an Outlet Extender
Our cabin only had ONE OUTLET, like one single plug. We couldn’t plug in everything we needed for her at any given time. We opted to have the sound machine plugged in at night (as our one item) because we thought that was the most crucial. This meant we couldn’t plug in her monitor, our phones, etc. Get an outlet extender!
8 – Make Friends with the Crew
A few different crew members really fell in love with Rosie and it came in handy when we needed a little bit of special treatment! One particular crew member saw us on disembarkation day and helped us to skip some of the line and use an elevator (instead of the stairs). It was nice to have friends in high places!
9 – Be Flexible and Willing to Adjust the Schedule
Cruise schedules don’t always lend themselves to baby’s schedule. All you can do is try to be flexible and roll with the punches. Rosie will nap pretty much anywhere, so we would have her nap in the front pack, the room, or in our arms. If your baby doesn’t nap on the go, adjust your schedule so they can nap in your room. Evenings were the most difficult schedule-wise. We tried to get her to nap late (or even through dinner) so that we could have some peace during dinner and then keep her up the shows at night.
10 – Have Fun
This is the most important! Of course it was more difficult to cruise with an infant than it was before we had her, but it was so much more fun. There were so many activities for her on board (Carnival is so family-friendly) so take advantage of that. They did a story-time, a parade, etc. Babies in diapers can not go in the pool (even in a swim diaper), but that wasn’t a big deal. Babies this little are entertained just watching people go by! Ports were easy and fun because we took her to the beach and she loved the water and the sand.
Any other questions on cruising? For more general questions on cruising, check out my FAQ here!
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