
Cruising with a baby and toddler – the ultimate guide
When I originally published this post we were about to embark on our first ever family cruise onboard, Carnival Vista. To say I was excited was an understatement. We would also be cruising with a baby aged 13-months-old and cruising with a toddler aged three.
Cruising is something I’ve always wanted to do. The luxurious food, the West End-style entertainment and day after day of exploring remarkable destinations is my idea of heaven.
And Carnival Vista was just the most awesome ship (I’ve included a few pictures to make you dribble).
It’s all about family fun with the first IMAX at sea, an airborne bike ride, a waterpark, an ice cream bar and kids clubs. That’s not to mention the indulgent spa, numerous restaurants with sea view tables and a theatre come night club to keep mums and dads entertained.
However, cruising was not something I envisaged doing when our kids were so young (the Tin Box girls were three and one-years-old). Our eight day western Mediterranean cruise only came about thanks to the luck of a business card draw the year before.
Cue my squeals of disbelief and joy…swiftly followed by thoughts of ‘eek, are we ready to cruise with a baby and toddler?’. I rapidly started doing what any travelling mum would do: online fact-finding and asking my blogging friends for their expert advice.
Here’s the best tips, advice and tricks I came across to help us plan for our big adventure cruising with a baby and toddler. I hope you find them useful too:
Hot questions about cruising with a baby and a toddler
Are cruises really family-friendly?
If like me you are a little sceptical about whether a cruise is really the best type of holiday for young children then it’s worth checking out this post by Cathy at MummyTravels. She easily rolls off 5 reasons to take a Caribbean cruise with a child, including the numerous beaches, the family friendly service and the food. Reading this made me feel a lot less worried.
Carrie at Flying with a Baby also has some more handy tips for choosing the right family cruise.
What do I pack for a cruise?
We’re joining Carnival Vista in Barcelona, Spain, which means everything we take has to fly with us from the UK. With a baby and toddler also along for the ride we want to make sure that everything we pack is essential as we’ll have no hands free for ‘nice to have’ items.
So what do we need to take? Sarah at Extraordinary Chaos has a great packing list for first time cruisers. I love her tips about taking seasickness remedies for your kids and a separate shore bag so you can be ready to explore each day.
Another pro cruiser, Nadine at Juggle Mum, has the low down on the wardrobe requirements for day time and night time cruising. Oh, and the handy facilities on board for if you run out of clean outfits. It doesn’t matter what age your kids are and how much you pack, they’ll always run out of clean clothes!
What baby supplies should we take?
While we’re on the subject of essentials, let’s talk nappies. It’s a good idea to take a hefty supply with you.
This baby essentials packing list by David at Ports of Call is a must-read of you’re cruising with a child that drinks formula milk, is teething, or crawls a mile when they see a shower.
You may run short of things that you can usually pick up at the local supermarket while on holiday. For example, Carnival do not carry nappies or baby food, which could cause problems during sea days when cruising with an infant.
Are state rooms suitable for young children?
So you’re finally onboard. How are the sleeping arrangements going to work? And will the room be safe for kids?
Karen at Mini Travellers had similar concerns before going on her first voyage, but very quickly came round to the idea of family cruising.
Here’s her advice on state rooms: “Think about the age of your children and how happy you would be with a room with a view and the prospect of them getting out?
“In reality mine wouldn’t have been able to open the doors on our ship and I was happy with that, but if you are concerned then paying less and having an internal room may just be the way forward!”
When it comes to baby nap times travel cots are available onboard. Make sure you request one for your state room at the time of booking.
What do I need to know about our destinations?
Usually we visit one or two destinations during a holiday, not six or seven. That’s a lot of research to do before you set sail.
Lisa from Travel Loving Family explains why it’s so important to know your cruise destinations: “Even if you have have cruised before make sure you carefully check your cruise itinerary and know which cruise ship terminals you are going to be berthing at.
“Some ports have more than one cruise ship terminal and you do not want to be caught out thinking you are going to be within walking distance of a town if you are are not.”
Excursions – to book or not to book?
This is something that we have laboured over as our 2016 holiday budget hadn’t accounted for the expenses of foreign travel. However, when in (a port close to) Rome…
Lisa at Travel Loving Family is a bit of an expert on sightseeing from cruises having worked as Shore Excursions Manager for P&O Cruises.
Her advice is: “In my experience shore excursions offered by cruise lines are usually very well organised, they have been risk assessed and are therefore safe. In addition, as a passenger you have the reassurance that the cruise ship will not leave without you.
“However on the downside shore excursions can be expensive especially when travelling as a family. By researching your itinerary in advance you will know which ports you need to book shore excursions for and which ones you go off and explore independently.
“Alternatively you may wish to stay onboard the ship and make the most of the ship’s facilities whilst they are quieter.”
Sarah at Extraordinary Chaos is an advocate for shopping around for excursions and exploring solo: “My top tips for the first time cruiser are to do your research on ports before you go. You can sometimes save a considerable amount of money on excursions if you book it all yourself. And quite often get a much more personal service.
“For example a trip to Rome from Civitavecchia can be quite costly yet it is only a 10 minute walk to the train station which costs roughly 16€ for a family of four for the 40 minute trip into Rome.
“Of course you need to be organised and get an earlier train back just in case you miss your train. But we had a wonderful tour of Rome this way and visited all the things we wanted to in a day.”
Can our children use the kids clubs?
Something that piqued my interest early on when I was looking through the details of our Vista cruise was that there are kids clubs. Woohoo! Mr Tin Box and I are in for some adult time.
However, you need to be aware of age restrictions in cruise ship kids clubs if you are travelling with children under the age of two.
Lisa at Travelmamas explains some of the different cruise lines’ kids club options in her post about tips for cruising with kids.
If your children are over the age of two then the world is your oyster. Jennifer at Kid Friendly Europe 101 had a great experience with the kids clubs on her first cruise, enjoying adult meals and shore excursions safe in the knowledge that the children were also having a great time.
Unfortunately Tin Box Baby was too young to take part in a lot of the daytime kids club activities on our Carnival cruise, but she could nap down during the evening sessions.
Will my kids like the food?
I had two relatively unfussy eaters and Tin Box Baby was weaned on to solids when we sailed so I was not too worried about this. There was a great variety of restaurants on Vista, so I was sure we’d have no problem finding something to their tastes.
Having also read a post about cruising with a baby by Chris at New Dadio I knew that pureed baby food was available on some cruise ships too, even though they were in poor supply during his family’s trip.
I found this post about food and drinks on Carnival cruises by Stefanie at Mommy Musings really informative about the different dining options. Tin Box Tot appreciated her complementary milk and cookies at bedtime.
Can my baby go in the ship’s pools?
My girls love a trip to the swimming pool and what better way to cool off after a day of sightseeing?
However, a bit of research on the web revealed that a lot of cruise ships do not allow babies in their pools unless they are potty trained.
Even swim nappies are a no-no. This is the case on Carnival cruise ships for public health reasons but some other cruise lines do offer splash pools for tiny tots.
Remember: every ship is different, so if you have a specific question about travelling with a baby and/or toddler then get in touch with your cruise line. Here’s a whole bunch of handy stuff about Carnival cruises with babies and toddlers.
Have you been on a cruise with a baby or toddler? What are your top tips? You can also read our tips for cruising with a baby based on our experience from our first and subsequent cruises.
If you’d like to see how our cruise panned out then have a read about the family-friendly Carnival Vista here.
More about cruising with kids
Did you know that as well as writing Tin Box Traveller I’m an editor on the travel blog Cruising with Kids? Hop over there for cruise reviews, port guides and plenty more tips for cruising with infants through to teens.
Disclosure: pictures courtesy of Carnival Cruise Lines and Pixabay. I’ve not been asked to write this guide or been compensated for it – I’m just so blinking excited!
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Lucky you! I have just come back from a 7 day In The Carribbean and I saw loads of families and small children… In fact, one couple had 8!!!! There was activities geared just to them and I found the ship very family friendly. Have fun and Bon Voyage!!
Eight! Wow, that is adventurous! Thank you, we can’t wait 🙂
Thanks for including my post, I love cruising and I bet once you get back you will say the same!!
We are going onboard Vista too this summer – I am so excited and can’t wait to read what you think about it if you plan to blog about it! Have fun!
JuggleMum, Nadine Hill recently posted…From career girl to juggle mum
You’re welcome – it was so useful. I’ll most definitely be sharing our experience on the blog. I can’t believe it’s come round so quickly. It’s to long until your cruise on Vista too. Have an amazing time!
Thanks for the link, I’m sure you’ll have a fab time no matter what you choose to do. Just try not to be “sold” on all the trips and take time to look around at the ports you’re actually calling in at. I look forward to reading your review 🙂
Thanks Chris. We’re definitely not going ‘overboard’ (Ha!) on the excursions. Look out for more cruising on the blog from mid-June 🙂
I really wouldn’t have considered a cruise with kids… Until I read this! Looks like you’re going to have an amazing time!
Thanks for linking to #coolmumclub! Good luck with the awards too… I nominated you!
Thank you love! I really appreciate it 🙂 x
We LOVED it when we went in January. Seriously adored it and are booking our next!x
Oooh, great to know you had a good time as our kids are so similar in age! x
Wow lucky you that sounds great! I would have been the same with all of the research! I hope you all have a fabulous time!
#KCACOLS
Thank you! 🙂
The cruise looks AMAZING! I’m so jealous! It’s a bit rubbish about the pool situation! Have an amazing time! #KCACOLS
Thank you! I know. It’s going to be tough letting one daughter in the water and having to hold the other back! I think swims are going to happen during Tin Box Baby’s nap times 🙂
Ohhh I’m excited for you!! Looks really lovely and its making me excited about our holiday, although a bit less glam as we are only off to Cornwall!!
Cornwall – totally great choice and just down the road from us in Devon 🙂
OMG this looks amazing! I never thought about taking my toddler and baby on a cruise… think I need a chat with my husband 😉 x #KCACOLS
Totally! Mine has never really been up for the idea because he works on Royal Navy ships. I keep trying to explain to him that cruise ships are a bit different 😉
Fab post and really really interested to hear how you get on – we’re considering a cruise for our honeymoon next year and will be taking SB, who will be three and a half by that point. Interesting to know about them needing to be potty trained! Have a lovely time! #KCACOLS
Ooh, what a great idea for a honeymoon. Not all ships need kids to be potty trained so do check when you book, but I think it’s quite common. We’re going to have issues taking one of our girls to the pool and not being aloud to let the other in!
Oh my goodness, how exciting!! The ship looks amazing! I hope you post about your experience when you get back? I’d be interested to know how it goes as we were considering cruises as an option when our baby is a little bit bigger. Have a lovely time! #KCACOLS
There will definitely be a bit of cruise spam on the blog when we get back. I’ll try to write about some other stuff too 😉
We did a Halong Bay cruise when our eldest was 16 months. For the most part, it was great, but she did get sick on the first night. That was scary. We are considering a Disney cruise next April after a week in the Domincian Republic. The kids will be 4.5 & almost 2 by then.
Holly recently posted…5 Aussie Family Getaways That Won’t Break The Bank
I’ve heard Disney cruses are out of this world for kids of the right age. I’d love to read about that if you decide to go ahead!
So exciting!! We went on our first cruise with our then 2.5 year old last year just for a 3-nighter. Next week we are going on a 7-nighter and I can’t wait at all. It was everything we expected last year and more, which is why we wanted to experience a longer voyage this time. We have only been with #P&O so far as love sailing out of Southampton without any hassle of airports. The kids club is great and we get some Mummy and Daddy time, which we desperately need. I hope you have a fabulous time! I’m going to try and write about our cruise once I’m back. #KCACOLS
Oooh, exciting times! Have an amazing time and I hope to be able to read about your tip before we go on ours. Yes, cruising out of Southampton is so much more convenient. My parents do it all the time – they’re cruising pros. I think it’s where I caught the bug 🙂
I loved reading this, we are considering taking our son on a cruise later in the year. Look forward to hearing all about it, have a lovely time.
Thank you so much. I hope to come back with lots of fresh tips for you 🙂
Thanks for including our tips, this is a really really useful post. Thanks.
Mini Travellers recently posted…Disney with Kids – Plan it! Wing it at your peril!
Thanks for contributing Karen! It’s always reassuring to hear from people who’ve blazed the trail!
Sounds so exciting! I have never been on a cruise before. I hadn’t realised there is so much to think about before you go though! I hope you all have a fantastic time away! Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next Sunday x
Rachel (Lifeathomewithmrsb) recently posted…My Blog on MOSI weekend in Manchester 2016
Thank you! Things keep popping up in my head…so much to do an so little time until the fun begins. Yay! x
Such a helpful post! Thanks for linking up to #thelist x
Thanks lovely x
This sounds like a fab thing to do with your little ones, and something I hadn’t thought of yet! Thanks for the inspiration, starting to think about summer holidays and always great to have ideas. #KCACOLS
Happy I could help. Have a great summer!
Thanks for including my link – you are going to have such an amazing time! My daughter was about the same age as your youngest when we did our cruise and it was wonderful. I’d love to do another.. especially now she’s old enough for the kids’ clubs. You’re tempting me…
Cathy (MummyTravels) recently posted…Discovering Sunken Cities: Egypt’s lost worlds
Fantastic article Claire – my blog is about holidays and days out for babies and toddlers so I have just shared it with my Facebook followers. Enjoy your cruise – you are going to have a great time, and I can’t wait to hear how you get on!
Thanks Jo, that’s really kind of you! There will be plenty of cruise spam from mid-June, so watch this space!
Great and informative post. We’re currently planning a Mediterranean cruise (my first cruise!) for 2017 and plan to take our 1.5 year old. Your post makes me feel like it is possible! 😉
Adrienne @ Adrienne Away recently posted…Afternoon Tea at the Sanderson
It must definitely is! You’ll have a great time. Just relax bedtimes a bit, take advantage of the day time care were you can and keep your itinerary flexible. We loved our first cruise with two under four-year-olds.
Going on a cruise with kids is wonderful I think! I am hearing a lot more about families going on a cruise so it is gaining in popularity. The kids club sounds great for having a few hours of me time 😉
Nanouk | Digital Nomad with Kids recently posted…Niche site vs Authority site: can I really call myself a ‘niche blogger’?
Absolutely! Holidays are for everyone to unwind and have fun 🙂