How young is too young to cruise?

[G00fyDad]

We've never been on a Disney cruise before. We had planned on making this next trip a land/sea trip, but we opted for land only. Our next Disney trip, hopefully next year, will be a Disney cruise only. At that time my daughter will have had her baby and he/she will be 7 months old. My daughter really wants to go with us on the cruise, but I am worried that A) the baby will be too young to safely go, and B) will the baby at that age be too much to handle on a cruise?

 

[RandomPrincess]

That's really up to your daughter. I could have handled my babies at 7 months on cruise no problem, but every baby is different. Disney allows babies this young so it is not unsafe from their point of view. They have child care centers for the baby if you want some grown up time but they charge an extra fee for them. To me 7 months is easier then a one YO that wants to run and crawl around everywhere and my be to excited to fall asleep in a stroller. My babies were much easier to take out and about at that age including trips to Disney.

Is this her first child? Maybe wait until the baby is a few months old to book just to make sure she is still okay with it. Things could change once the baby is here.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Disney is good at looking after all children including babies, if you ask for a personal opinion, I think 2> 3 is the youngest age. Medical center is limited in what it can do, and loads of people on board can increase a risk. Add different food or timezones, then there is an increased risk, but overall still low.

 

[G00fyDad]

Thanks. I will have to book the trip before the baby is born so my daughter will have to decide then. Hopefully she will decide to go. I think that trip would be fun with a baby.

 

[wdwstateofmind]

If you're questioning if a related 7 mos old is too young then I think you are answering your own question...but that's just how I feel, no one's confirmation that it is okay should change your gut instinct at the end of the day...

 

[G00fyDad]

I wasn't actually asking people's permission. I wanted to know how they felt when they did it. So technically I did not answer my own question. I have no gut instinct about this. I have no idea what it would be like with a 7 month old child in tow on a cruise since I have never done a cruise before.

 

[wdwstateofmind]

I wasn't actually asking people's permission. I wanted to know how they felt when they did it. So technically I did not answer my own question. I have no gut instinct about this. I have no idea what it would be like with a 7 month old child in tow on a cruise since I have never done a cruise before.

You have no gut instinct but you have a daughter? God bless any child under your watch and care...

 

[G00fyDad]

You have no gut instinct but you have a daughter? God bless any child under your watch and care...

I don't know who ed in your Cheerios, but you can take the argument and attitude to someone else. I have a gut instinct. I was just asking people's opinions on their experiences, on this instance, on a cruise that I've never gone on before. Why are you trying to argue with me? How dare you question my parenting skills? Apparently your parents didn't raise you to keep your mouth shut when you have nothing nice to say. You're apparently a real piece of work to take one question from me and turn it around and try to make me look like a moron. That takes real skill. Apparently we know how your parents raised you, so why don't you put down the computer and let people who have an intelligent answer or opinion reply.

 

[englanddg]

Thanks. I will have to book the trip before the baby is born so my daughter will have to decide then. Hopefully she will decide to go. I think that trip would be fun with a baby.

Well, the good news is...if you all change your mind, you can apply the balance paid towards the cruise towards a future Disney cruise (even one a year or two later), as long as it's before your final payment date. So, you aren't "losing" your money.

As mentioned, there is Childcare on board at the nursery, but for children under 3 there is a cost. It's $6 per hour, I think. I didn't really look into it outside of curiosity, because my kiddo is well past that age!

At 7 months the Pools are gonna be a family swim thing, but I never really saw the Fantasy pool get so unruly that a parent with a 7 month old couldn't enjoy themselves (in the Mickey Pool). The other neat thing is that the water "around" mickey isn't very deep at all. So, Mommy could relax in the deeper "mickey" while playing with the kid in the shallower section (I think...it's hard to remember how big my kiddo was at 7 months, but I know she was sitting up and mobile (though not yet walking, that didn't come until later...funny how the years blend together!).

If the pool is too much, there is a childrens splash area on the Fantasy...two, actually. One is Nemo's Reef, but that was is restricted by age. The other is the Aqualab waterworks. I think sitting off to the side with the kiddo would be fun there...but I'd steer clear of the middle "dunking" sections with a 7 month old.

As far as ship activities, I think the kiddo would be fine. You can walk in and out of theaters throughout the show, so if the kiddo is grumpy, that's not hard to do. As a courtesy, I'd probably try and snag seats near the aisle so it's easy to "leave" if tempers flare. But <shrug>

As far as being a parent...I think a cruise is a PERFECT choice for a baby (as opposed to dragging the kiddo around the parks). I would add...if you want to bring a stroller, it's allowed. I saw many families on the Fantasy who had them. But, I'd get one of those lightweight ones...because you don't want to have a big bulky stroller on the elevators / smaller hallways (like the ones leading to the staterooms).

Sounds like a fun trip! I hope you all can make it happen.

 

[G00fyDad]

Thanky you for that response englanddg. That makes me feel a lot more comfortable.

 

[MaryJaneP]

As most here can attest, different ships = different pools, so situation for daytime waterplay can vary. We checked out childcare options but our kids are too old. Our tablemates had two kids. One under 3, the other an infant. They were from Brazil. Limited discussion (language limitations on our part) but they seemed to enjoy it. Many many families with kids of all ages. Seemed to be more convenient when there where aunts, uncles, and grandparents to help spell the parents in shifts. I agree that you should make the reservation now and cancel/move within the timeframes needed.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Just an FYI, any child in diapers no matter if its swim diapers or whatever, no child in diapers can be in a pool on the ships. They have a water play area for the little squirts. They can't be in the pools until fully potty trained. The reasoning is that even the swim diapers "hold" whatever waste contents so when in a pool think of a tea bag steeping in a cup of water. Yeah. So that's the rule. Just so you know. There are nice themed water play areas for the little squirts and they're nice.

I think a 7 month old would be fine on a cruise. Maybe it'd even be a little easier in some ways than the parks because should you need to go back to your room for a rest or if you forgot something its super convenient and close. Just zip on over. Minutes. There's a lot that can be done with a little 'un and I think a fab time would be had for all.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

The baby is definitely not too young to safely go. As to whether they will be too much to handle kind of depends on your daughter. If it would stress her out having a small baby on any type of vacation, then maybe wait another year. But it she'd be okay on one vacation, she'd be okay on a cruise. I'm with Kelly, I think in some ways it would be easier on a cruise than somewhere like Disney World. Everything you need is right there!

My sister brought a little one the first time we cruises, and I've been on the cruise with friend's little ones before too. They were tied to their room for naps, unless a grandparent volunteered to do it, but other than that we saw them all the time. The babies didn't hamper anyone's vacations at all.

 

[G00fyDad]

Thank you for the suggestions.

 

[5thGenTexan]

We took our two kids.. the four year old was fine. However, the first cruise the boy was 2 3/4. and on the second cruise he was a few months past his 3rd birthday, There were times I was ready to eat him!!!!

 

[rick3236]

We took our baby on his first cruise when he was one year and one month old. It was not too young. We all had a great time, the baby was never a hindrance and we did not feel that we missed out on anything because we had the baby.

We used "Babies Travel Lite" to have baby supplies delivered to our stateroom so we did not have to carry diapers, etc in our luggage. Also, the folks at the Small World Nursery are fantastic with babies, which gave my wife and I some much needed time to ourselves (Spa treatment and dinners at Remy and Palo). Also, as an added benefit, the nursery people were able to get him to sleep without a problem, so we would just have to carry him to the room and he would sleep through the night.

 

[G00fyDad]

I love some of the responses I have gotten here. However, it looks like we are going to skip going to Disney net year and go to Gatlinburg, TN instead. (My other favorite place ) We will be taking this trip on a cruise in 2015. By that time the baby will be 1 1/2 years old.

 

[RandomPrincess]

I love some of the responses I have gotten here. However, it looks like we are going to skip going to Disney net year and go to Gatlinburg, TN instead. (My other favorite place ) We will be taking this trip on a cruise in 2015. By that time the baby will be 1 1/2 years old.

Have fun in Gaitlinburg! We are heading there this summer and cruising in 2015 as well. We are on the same vacation rotation.