aggieamy Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 DH and I are looking at going on a cruise with friends in May to the Bahamas. The only issue is that we have to pay for everything pretty soon and we're nervous about it because we are trying to adopt. We could get matched at any time. DH thinks it will be a disaster to try and take an infant on the cruise ... I've got more of a gung ho spirit. Has anyone cruised with an infant before? It would be for a week with a few ports outside of the US. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veritaserum Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 I've never done it and I probably wouldn't (it would depend on the destination). I think most/all cruise lines won't let infants under a certain age on board. I think it's 6 months? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 I would worry about health issues, paper work issues or other snafus. It would be awful to have something cause you to miss a cruise that you've paid for. Couldn't you post-pone it a year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 I would! The youngest child we've cruised with has been 2. Worked out fine! But, I think it might have been easier with an infant. Couple things to consider - you won't be able to do many excursions with an infant. We had trouble finding ones we could do that interested us as a family. We ended up splitting up in some ports and exploring on our own in others. Also, consider trip insurance. If you get it, and then can't go - you will be reimbursed. We had a trip insurance company pay out more than $35,000 for our family (we had a medical emergency in a foreign country). We paid $168 for the policy. How exciting! We love cruises! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenR Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 We took a family cruise when my oldest was 6 months old. We all had a blast and I would definitely do it again with an infant. (And yes, I think 6 months was the youngest allowed on the cruise-line we were on.) I should also note that when we went, it wasn't just my husband and I, but also my parents and my siblings so we had a lot of people itching to play with the newest baby in the family. They were all a big help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted July 26, 2012 Author Share Posted July 26, 2012 I would worry about health issues, paper work issues or other snafus. It would be awful to have something cause you to miss a cruise that you've paid for. Couldn't you post-pone it a year? We could. Easily and happily but our friends are so excited to go. Guess we'll need to start talking to them about plan B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Honestly, depending on the age of the baby, my first priority would be cocooning with the baby at home for bonding purposes. I wouldn't want to be in a situation where the baby was in a strange environment and having to get used to having a whole lot of people around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Honestly, depending on the age of the baby, my first priority would be cocooning with the baby at home for bonding purposes. I wouldn't want to be in a situation where the baby was in a strange environment and having to get used to having a whole lot of people around. Agree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomandlorih Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 We did it with dd8 when she was 2yrs 2mos and it was great! I would with an infant(if allowed by the cruiseline) but it might alter eating plans.. think more buffets on the Lido deck than sit downs in the dining room! No laying by the pool either. They may have babysitting (ie a kid's club) on board but I wouldn't want to use it.. but then again it's hard for me to leave my 3.5 year old at the church nursery at I KNOW all those people! lol Yes, the baby stays with me=D Cruises are awesome though! Good luck with your decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Honestly, depending on the age of the baby, my first priority would be cocooning with the baby at home for bonding purposes. I wouldn't want to be in a situation where the baby was in a strange environment and having to get used to having a whole lot of people around. Yes, this. If it was my own baby maybe I wouldn't worry, but with an adoption I think it would be REALLY important to be at home, let the baby start to understand your routines, etc. Also...cruise ships are giant germ incubators in my opinion. My thought is to go ahead and plan on going, but purchase trip insurance. That way you can cancel if you need to, and not be out all that money. However...check with trip insurance first to see if a baby would be an allowed reason for cancelling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 We had a delightful cruise when my oldest was 4 months old. Dh's grandparents took the whole family and it was planned a year in advance, before we knew we were pregnant. This was a steamboat cruise on the Mississippi River--nice and gentle, slow, always within sight of land. This was also my disabled dd. She had already had a shunt put in at 2.5 months and we were still learning about her seizures. It was probably a little crazy to go, but we had no problems on the trip, dd loved it, everyone loved her, etc. I think it would be much easier with an infant than a toddler who can move around and get into trouble. Incidentally, grandparents took us on a cruise the next summer too, to Alaska. Very big cruise ship. Dd was 16 months, but still not mobile (still not today!). That one went just fine too. I recommend just living life and not over-worrying about all that could go wrong--we would never go anywhere if that was the case! But trip insurance does sound like a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 I wouldn't go because I don't think they make life jackets that small. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristyB in TN Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 When my babies were infants, my husband worked for a company that required us to go on company trips, many were cruises. I had no one to leave my kids with for an entire week so we always had to pay extra to take out children. I have taken an infant as young as 6 months on a cruise. We had a lot of fun! By the time my youngest came along I started taking our babysitter with us so it helped. The cruise was fine for the baby, it was easy to get around and the only problem was the crib in our incredibly tiny room. I recommend staying away from carnival because those seem to be geared less toward families and babies than the others...and they are terrible. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary in VA Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 When we lived in Germany we took a Mediterranean cruise and a Baltic cruise with our dds. The youngest was 1 for the Med and 2 for the Baltic. Of course she already had a passport, which might be a problem for you timing wise. We took our portable crib, stroller and baby backpack. It was great! We had no problem except for one cranky old guy on the Mediterranean cruise. I guess he figured children shouldn't be allowed on cruises because they might disturb his fun. One time we got on the tour bus and he made obnoxious comments when he saw us; his lady friend was very embarrassed by his behavior. Our dds were actually very well behaved and all the other passengers and waiters loved having them there. It was a fantastic way to travel with children since we covered the biggest distances while we were sleeping and there was plenty of room to roam the ship while at sea. No "When are we going to get there?" comments. And the food was great :001_smile: How much time I would have to bond and settle in with my new child before the cruise would be the deciding factor for me. As fun as the cruises were, I don't think I'd want to do that if my child were not fully bonded with us yet. I'd want my focus to be on the child and not the travel. Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 My only thought is, if your adoption is international (or even not), are you aloud to do that sort of traveling with the child within a certain time frame of the adoption finalizing. (I'm totally ignorant on adoption AND cruises...that was just my thought.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kricau Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 I always read such horrible stories where everyone on the cruise gets sick. I am sure it would be MUCH WORSE if it were an infant on board. The closed in atmosphere and no way to get them to a doctor :( I don't know ??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kricau Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 :lol:Are you picturing the Titanic??? I wouldn't go because I don't think they make life jackets that small. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeldaRules Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 (edited) No, but I wouldn't take my kids on a cruise unless it was a Disney one. I want to stay up late and have no one nagging at me. . I know a baby wouldn't nag, but they are dependent on you. You could stay up late. I like to have drinks here and there, dance at night...hard to do with a baby. It depends what you want out of your cruise Edited July 27, 2012 by vfnelson2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 We took dd when she was 9 months old and we all had a blast. The only issue is children over six months are ticketed like adults. Fortunately my fil is military & we booked her as his cabin mate and saved some money. We had no problems at all and I would do it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 I wouldn't do it if I was adopting, simply because being taken into a strange environment with strange people and no idea what's going on, and then being taken on a cruise with lots and lots of strange people would probably be too much for an adult to handle, much less an infant. Also, you don't know what kind of health issues you might be dealing with, especially if you're looking at an international adoption. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caedmyn Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 We've been on two cruises (pre-children). I would go on one with a nice calm baby like DD was. Never in a million years would I go on one with a screamer like DS1. DS2 was in between the others in temperament...I don't know if I would have gone on a cruise with him. Now a toddler, I would be scared to go on a cruise with a toddler (at least one like my two crazy active climbing boys) for fear they'd escape and fall overboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praisefor3 Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 In a heartbeat. We've traveled many, many places with infants and as long as your expectations are to go with the flow on their timetable and aren't worried about your own agenda but just being together it is a wonderful experience. Every trip has its risks and that isn't limited to infants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 I would! The youngest child we've cruised with has been 2. Worked out fine! But, I think it might have been easier with an infant. Couple things to consider - you won't be able to do many excursions with an infant. We had trouble finding ones we could do that interested us as a family. We ended up splitting up in some ports and exploring on our own in others. Also, consider trip insurance. If you get it, and then can't go - you will be reimbursed. We had a trip insurance company pay out more than $35,000 for our family (we had a medical emergency in a foreign country). We paid $168 for the policy. How exciting! We love cruises! Get the trip insurance and decide later if you need to. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 I think it would be do-able, but I agree that having just adopted, it might be too hectic and stimulating for the baby during the bonding process. Also, the first months with a newly adopted baby can be really exhausting (mine were!). You might be surprised how hard it really is to figure out the little person and vice versa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 Will it be a newborn adoption or older? Our children were both 6 months when they joined our family. I would have been comfortable taking them on a cruise 4-6 weeks after their arrival. I agree with Starr--buy trip insurance and decide later. Besides, if you book a trip, it's almost a guarantee you'll get a call then ;). That's always how these things work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bootsie Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 I have never hesitated to travel with children, so I would do it. They biggest problem that I see is the need for a passport if you are travelling internationally. We travelled internationally with our daughter when she was less than two months old; getting the birth certificate so that we could get the passport, and then getting the passport in time was tricky. I would think that could be even a more complicated process in the case of an adoption. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artichoke Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 I'd cruise with an infant and immediate family but not with an infant and friends unless those friends are super close and would be okay with a newly adopted infant's needs taking precedent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 I wouldn't go because I don't think they make life jackets that small. I think they do! I know that when we were on our last cruise, my then 5 yo needed a smaller life jacket and they got it for her. I'd imagine they have to have smaller lifejackets. I always read such horrible stories where everyone on the cruise gets sick. I am sure it would be MUCH WORSE if it were an infant on board. The closed in atmosphere and no way to get them to a doctor :( I don't know ??? Nah. That's rare. It makes the news when it happens. It's no more contaminated than hotels. You should see all the precautions cruise lines take to avoid illness. MUCH more than hotels! And, cruise ships have doctors. And, they have arrangments with local hospitals on land should anything go wrong. We know this first hand as my ds got sick on a cruise in the Pacific Ocean and needed immediate surgery. From the decision to the start of his surgery was only about an hour! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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