Infants on a cruise Disney Cruise Line Discuss Infants on a cruise in the Miscellaneous Disney forums; Hi folks! My wife and I are will be joining all the WDW Radio fans on the Disney Dream this coming February. It is our first cruise, so I've got ...

[TheAncientBahu]

Hi folks!

My wife and I are will be joining all the WDW Radio fans on the Disney Dream this coming February. It is our first cruise, so I've got some questions.

We're taking our newest child with us. He'll be almost 8 months old at the time of the cruise. Will they allow infants into places like the theater shows or no-children-allowed restaurants?

Are there child care options for infants? If so, is the price for that child care included in the cost that they charge for bringing an infant on the cruise?

Thanks for your help!

[zippitydoodah]

There is a nursery, but there is an hourly rate, it's not free. Here's some info I found " In addition to bathtubs in all cabins, Disney Cruise Line is the only cruise line offering a nursery for infants and toddlers. Little ones must be 12 weeks or older to cruise with DCL. The nursery charges $6 per hour; make your desired reservation soon after boarding. The hours are flexible but generally the nursery is in operation 4 hours during the morning/early afternoon on sea days; 5.5 hours during the morning/early afternoon on port days; and 6.5 or 6 hours nightly depending on the cruise."

No children are allowed in the adults only restaurants, so if you want to do that you would have to use the nursery. I would imagine he would be allowed in the theaters... and I know they don't allow babies in the main pools on the current cruise ships, but there are special baby/toddler swim areas you could use.

Hope that helps!

[zippitydoodah]

Here, I found this as well:

"Question
Is it true that children must be toilet trained in order to enter the pools?
Answer
Yes. The United States Public Health Service requires that only children who are toilet trained be permitted to enter swimming pools and spas onboard cruise ships. Young children who are not toilet trained are welcome to enjoy the fountain play area near the Mickey Pool. It's designed exclusively for the enjoyment of children wearing swim diapers?"

[Beaky]

we are cruising too with a newborn! It's not our first cruise, but it is our first baby-he'll be 6 months old by then....we don't know how to pack for it! He's only 7 weeks old now-so we're still adjusting to having a baby at all

How many diapers do you bring? Do they sell diapers on board? How do you clean bottles? How much clothes do you bring? (My baby spits up a lot right now-but hopefully that will subside by then)...how do you carry a baby around on board? Stroller? Bjorn? carseat? How does a little one eat in the dining room? In the carseat? He is too little for a highchair....so many questions!!

[TheAncientBahu]

Hi Beaky!

This is our 4th child, so I have some answers for you.

1. By the time he is 6 months old you'll have developed a good idea of how many diapers he goes through in a day. We play it safe when we vacation by bringing 50% more diapers than the baby will go through normally.

2. I have no idea if they sell diapers on the cruise, but I'd be willing to bet that if they do it will be a lot more expensive than if you just bought your own and brought them with you.

3. Pack clothes for a baby as you would with an adult, but include at least 1 extra outfit per day in case of accidents. I can't say for certain whether there are laundry services available on the cruise ship, but there must be laundry equipment somewhere for the crew, so there must be a way to clean the baby's clothes if need be.

4. To carry the baby around, some people love the Bjorn, some love the sling, some love to carry, and those are all convenient to bring with you. I'm not sure if you can bring a stroller on board, but I would avoid those big SUV style strollers in any event. I don't know if you can bring car seats on board, either.

5. As far as where the baby will sit in the restaurant if he isn't ready for a high chair... I'm wondering the same thing, although I'm confident that my kid will be able to sit in one by that time.

6. One more thing: you will want to bring sun protection for the baby. Just be aware that sunscreens and babies don't always mix well. All of my kids have had mildly bad reactions to even "infant" sunscreens.

Originally Posted by Beaky

we are cruising too with a newborn! It's not our first cruise, but it is our first baby-he'll be 6 months old by then....we don't know how to pack for it! He's only 7 weeks old now-so we're still adjusting to having a baby at all

How many diapers do you bring? Do they sell diapers on board? How do you clean bottles? How much clothes do you bring? (My baby spits up a lot right now-but hopefully that will subside by then)...how do you carry a baby around on board? Stroller? Bjorn? carseat? How does a little one eat in the dining room? In the carseat? He is too little for a highchair....so many questions!!

[two-foxes]

Although this will be our 7th cruise, we only have one cruise with our DS under our belts...but I learned LOTS of how to travel with a little one. Here are some tips I have:

-DCL will provide a pack in play and sheets. But, bring your own sheets. They smell like home.
-You can request a diaper genie in your stateroom. We skipped it and bagged diapers in the scented diaper bags to save room in the stateroom.
-You can bring a stroller on board, but I would recommend a smaller, umbrella type with a recline. DS rarely made it thru dinner, so we would just put him in the stroller, recline it and push him just a bit under the table. He slept fine and we were able to finish dinner.
-If your little one isn't quite big enough for a wooden high chair, use your stroller with the snack tray to eat.
-The nursery is great. USE IT to have a few adult hours to yourself! You are limited in the amount of hours for the cruise, but we maxed out our ressies for Lou's cruise for DS #2 after not using it enough when we cruised in 2008 with DS #1.
-I would absolutely bring a Bjorn, Ergo or what ever carrier you use. During the sail away party, you will not be able to navigate a stroller and it will be the easiest way to carry your little one.
-They do sell diapers on board, but pack enough for your trip and then some. Also, don't go short on baby wipes, either. You will use them for everything on board.
-Bring a small bottle of dish soap as well as a bottle/nipple brush for bottles or sippie cups. You will be able to clean them well in your stateroom.
-They have previously had jogging strollers and wagons for use on Castaway Cay. First come, first served, but so much easier to deal with on the sand and you don't have to worry about cleaning sand out of your stroller.
-If the little one is playing around with soft foods, the wait staff is very accommodating. Ask for whatever fruit you may want, over cooked pasta or veggies....We also ordered room service quite a bit for DS. The fruit bowl, cheese plate and mac and cheese were always a hit!

I know I am forgetting lots of basic stuff....but if you have specific questions, ask!

[TheAncientBahu]

Thanks, two-foxes! Great advice, and I'm hoping that my wife will relax a little about the nursery based on your post. When do you recommend using the nursery? Do you think it will work out during show times?

[two-foxes]

Originally Posted by TheAncientBahu

Thanks, two-foxes! Great advice, and I'm hoping that my wife will relax a little about the nursery based on your post. When do you recommend using the nursery? Do you think it will work out during show times?

Before DCL, I had NEVER left my DS#1 in the care of anyone other than his daycare provider or family. I was really nervous about how both I and DS would do with Flounders. But, when we dropped him off for our Palo dinner, Pluto was there, sitting on the floor, "reading" stories with the kids and the staff working seemed wonderful. That eased my mind a bit.

For our Feb cruise, we have the nursery reserved for spa time for DH and I, as well as Palo brunch, Pirate night after dinner and the last night of the cruise. DS#2 won't be able to stay up late enough for the fireworks on Pirate night and the last night of the cruise is when I am running around like a yahoo trying to repack to have the bags out by 11:00 pm.

I think during the show and maybe stretching it for your dinner for even just one night would be great, too. Always remember you are just a page away! But ultimately, it is up to you when you want to do it...the great thing about the ship is that even when there is nothing "planned" you can always do something....go grab a drink, go sit in the rainforest room, go sit by the adult pool. Just take any time to grab a few hours in "off times" when you can just enjoy what DCL has to offer the "big kids"!

[TheAncientBahu]

Thanks! I already have some time reserved on the last night of the cruise. Is this when Pirate night is? Or the fireworks?

[two-foxes]

Originally Posted by TheAncientBahu

Thanks! I already have some time reserved on the last night of the cruise. Is this when Pirate night is? Or the fireworks?

Pirate night is when they have the fireworks, and it historically has been on Castaway Cay day. I am assuming it will stay the same on the Dream, but they could always change it and ruin all my plans (just kidding...nothing can ruin my plans when I am on DCL!)

[DippyDawg44]

Hey everyone, I'm Beaky's husband and we are very excited about the upcoming WDWRadio Cruise!! Thanks for all the great tips as we freak out on how to pack and plan for this trip (and we are frequent WDW, DL & DCL travelers) with our baby! We are just so unsure how to plan and what to bring (which stroller, car seat, etc). I guess we have to play somethings by ear and be flexible, but it will be interesting.

Anyone know how late the nursery is open at night if we want to get some drinks with the fellow WDW Radio cruisers after the shows?

[two-foxes]

Originally Posted by DippyDawg44

Hey everyone, I'm Beaky's husband and we are very excited about the upcoming WDWRadio Cruise!! Thanks for all the great tips as we freak out on how to pack and plan for this trip (and we are frequent WDW, DL & DCL travelers) with our baby! We are just so unsure how to plan and what to bring (which stroller, car seat, etc). I guess we have to play somethings by ear and be flexible, but it will be interesting.

Anyone know how late the nursery is open at night if we want to get some drinks with the fellow WDW Radio cruisers after the shows?

Are you needing the car seat for the plane or rental car?

[DippyDawg44]

Originally Posted by two-foxes

Are you needing the car seat for the plane or rental car?

Well, we did not buy an extra seat on the plane, but if there is space would love to just keep him in his seat. We will need a car seat for the rental car, which we going to just get from the rental car company.

We have a stroller (Uppa Baby) that the car seats fits into, but we were going to bring an easier to travel with stroller (City Mini) and then use the car rental car seat. So, we would have no car seat for the airport and plane.

Is this a stupid plan? Should we bring the Uppa Baby even know it bigger and bulky so we can put his car seat in it? And if so, then should we bring our own car seat?

See, so many decisions.....we are so rookies at this!!

[Carolla]

Originally Posted by DippyDawg44

Well, we did not buy an extra seat on the plane, but if there is space would love to just keep him in his seat. We will need a car seat for the rental car, which we going to just get from the rental car company.

We have a stroller (Uppa Baby) that the car seats fits into, but we were going to bring an easier to travel with stroller (City Mini) and then use the car rental car seat. So, we would have no car seat for the airport and plane.

Is this a stupid plan? Should we bring the Uppa Baby even know it bigger and bulky so we can put his car seat in it? And if so, then should we bring our own car seat?

See, so many decisions.....we are so rookies at this!!

Not sure where you are flying to/from but I will warn you. There is RARELY "space" anymore on planes. And I have read that SW often just won't let you take the carseat to "claim" the empty seat if you don't pay for it. (This seems to vary based on SW agent)

[two-foxes]

Originally Posted by DippyDawg44

Well, we did not buy an extra seat on the plane, but if there is space would love to just keep him in his seat. We will need a car seat for the rental car, which we going to just get from the rental car company.

We have a stroller (Uppa Baby) that the car seats fits into, but we were going to bring an easier to travel with stroller (City Mini) and then use the car rental car seat. So, we would have no car seat for the airport and plane.

Is this a stupid plan? Should we bring the Uppa Baby even know it bigger and bulky so we can put his car seat in it? And if so, then should we bring our own car seat?

See, so many decisions.....we are so rookies at this!!

I kind of agree with Corolla...it will be tough finding an open seat. There have only been 2 times we have not purchased seats for our sons when we flew (I am a bit obsessive about flight safety)...and we were able to have an open seat on one of those 4 legs. And that was on a trip to Cleveland in Feb...not a high demand location

It comes down to this....do what you are comfortable with. If your Uppababy stroller folds fairly compact, you should be able to store it in the closet or under the bed. When we had DSs Britax Roundabout with us, we stored it in our closet hanging from the stroller bag we bought. It just makes things a bit tight. I personally think it is a waste of money to rent a seat from a car rental company and I always bring ours for the boys. We are lucking out on this trip as my folks are snow birds in Florida and will have their car with them and we will store the car seats in there while we are on the cruise.

I think you said you cruised before, so remember the bags do not have a friendly voyage from the port to the ship, so I would just be sure to use your car seat with the stroller when when boarding just to make sure it isn't tossed around too much, if you bring the carseat/stroller.