49erfan said:
Hi,
My in-laws are taking the whole family on a cruise in October.
Sounds great right? Has anyone taken a small child on a cruise? Our daughter will only be two. Any tips?
Yeah. First, which cruise line are you going on? Some are 'youth' oriented, others are family, others still for the 'older' set. I wouldn't recommend, for obvious reasons, the 'youth' oriented set. Less obvious though, is that their babysitting or daycare service providers
may be less attentive, trained, or skilled as families with small children are not the focus.
Second, be honest with you and your wife....who's this cruise for or about? If it's for you and her to enjoy (and there's nothing necessarily wrong with that), how would leaving your daughter with your in-laws while you're dancing the night away impact their own vacations onboard too? If it's about showing quite a unique experience to your daughter, then it wouldn't be a huge deal if you missed that cabaret or show that particular evening as you'll be in the pool for the 8th time today with her.....and having a hoot! An ideal situation would be if your in-laws are gifting this cruise for you and your wife so that they get to spend more time with their grandaughter!
On a more personal and practical note, as in most trips, bring some familiar belongings for sleeping, such as her pillow or blanket. Bring some home snacks she likes that may not be available onboard. Seasickness probably won't be an issue, but bring some Gravol for kids (I forget what the children's ones are called) just in case. Also, enough diapers or pullups for the duration of the cruise, as again, her specific kind/size might not be available onboard.
I found the Disney Cruise, for obvious reasons, to be the best balance for kids and adults, and the crew, staff, hosts/hostesses were very polite, well trained, accommodating, and professional.
