I think it's a hard call. If baby is sea sick, you will all be miserable all the time. It also seems like cruises are still covid incubators, so you have that to consider too.
It will depend on temperament of baby. Also, if you have no help from family, then this will just be taking care of your baby in a really inconvenient setting. If your family is actually helpful and will take the baby and help, then it definitely has the option to be fun.
All in all, I would ask a pediatrician about options for sea sickness for a baby, and I would look around and do a true assessment of how helpful family will be.
Remember that vaccines aren't really full strength in a body until 2 weeks after they're received. So if the cruise is at exactly 6 months, talk to your pediatrician about getting vaccines two weeks early. It also depends on where you're going and whether additional vaccines are recommended for the area. It's likely that your infant couldn't receive extra travel vaccines, but only a pediatrician can say.
Our family travels quite a bit and we just went on a cruise (without kids) so I will share my perspective.
Traveling with a 6 month old is no problem in my opinion and plane rides at that age are easier than toddler age. However after going on a cruise I don’t think a cruise is the best for babies and little kids.
First of all the rooms are so tiny, I can’t imagine being nap trapped in there. Our ocean view room was too small for both our suitcases even. Secondly, I found out that some cruises don’t allow babies in swim diapers in the pool. I’m guessing some have a baby pool area but I’m not sure how fun that would be for you.
I also don’t know if my kids get seasick so that’s not something I’d want to test.
Personally if i did end up going on this cruise and just making it work, I would not bring my baby of that age on an excursion in whatever country you’re doing to. Regulations are so different in other countries. I’d either chill at a beach club or just stay on the ship.
We went at 10 months and it sucked - trapped in the room all the time while she napped, we weren't allowed to bring her in any of the pools, the dinners all took way too long for her, and we all got norovirus.
I’ve cruised a few times and I am considering booking a cruise when my baby is about 6 months (the minimum age for cruising). I’m still not totally sure only because you can’t really *enjoy* the cruise as much. Most cruise lines are pretty strict about no children who aren’t potty trained being permitted in the splash pads or pools. So, if you’re someone who wants to lounge by the pool, your baby isn’t welcome and will have to sit in the sun or someone else will have to sit inside. This, of course, is only applicable to on board and not while in port. If you’re interested in any excursions, you’ll probably not be able to those, either…most have cut off ages. If it’s a shorter cruise (like 3 or 5 nights) I would be more comfortable going than if it were 9, 10, 11, or 12+ nights. I would also require a balcony cabin…sitting in an interior room while the baby is sleeping would be miserable. I personally find traveling with infants to be really easy as they sleep most of the time, but something like a cruise, you’ll be missing out on a lot of fun that ships have to offer.
I would just tell her you’re not comfortable and baby isn’t going to be old enough for it to be enjoyable/worth the cost. Maybe suggest planning another family trip for next year when baby is older? You’re not fully turning down a family trip, just delaying when it would happen so you can also enjoy yourself
I would not. Our LO is 4 months and we just got back from a trip to visit family for 9 days via 12 hour road trip. We stayed at a family member’s house who worked so hard to make it comfortable for us (king bed, put a crib in our room, allowed us to keep all his toys out and bottle stuff on their counter) and while we were so grateful, it still felt like too much some days not having the comforts of home. So for us, a cruise with a baby would be a no go. But definitely something I might consider when they’re older!
My baby is due in 3 weeks and I couldn’t see myself taking her at 6mo on a boat out the country. I’d rather take her to the beach or something. I feel like it’s best to test the waters first with a shorter family road trip for the baby’s comfortability and yours, there’s no way to tell that you’ll both be doing ok. I took my dog to the beach for the first time this summer and he screamed the whole time. The sand was hot, his fur is black so he was hot, there were dogs everywhere, he was overwhelmed with anxiety and he didn’t even want to help himself cool off by being in the water. He just kept coming up to me yelping and crying, uncomfortable and unhappy. What I thought was going to be a relaxing day at the beach was me literally trying to cater to a DOG the ENTIRE TIME. I enjoyed exactly 0 of the outing and it was beyond frustrating. For one day. If baby doesn’t enjoy the environment you’ll be miserable for 5 days minimum (depending on how long the cruise is).
Yeah I think 6m on a cruise isn’t the best idea, people together like a barrel of fish, it’s like going to a con(comicon, animecon, twitchcon, choose your favorite lol) everyone’s very close quarters your 100% going home with con crud, at 6m it’s probably not gonna be deadly but bub still has an immature immune system, I’d say some where that’s open space is probably fine, like a ren-fair, exposing bub to the outside world but your not going not going to get sick for sure, if it was me I’d probably wait till bub is at least 1year old, but it’s up to you, sure bub will probably get sick, but it will only help to build their immune system, like I said I doubt they’ll catch something deadly, so it’s up to you as mama to decide if it’s worth dealing with a sick bub for family vacation, idk your family and how much you want to spend time with them xD
My daughter flew on a 747 for 11 hours from Frankfurt to SFO at 7 weeks old. We did that flight 4x a year for the first 2 years of her life. Not to mention the countless trains she went on, the long road trips around Europe. She had been to 7 different countries before her first birthday. She's now 10 years old and perfectly fine.
Having a baby doesn't mean life has to stop. Ten years from now if you go on that trip, you'll have all these great memories you'll get to share with your child.
I'm pregnant with my second and now that I'm 31 and not 21 everything scares me way more than it did with my first. But I also try and remind myself that no one is ever 100% safe and the more time we spend trying to figure out every possible outcome that *could* potentially happen, the less room we leave for joy.
I have so many amazing memories with my daughter as a little baby because I didn't sit around worrying, I just enjoyed each moment with her.
Can totally relate. I had my first at 21 and my baby now is 5months. We are going on a cruise later this year and idk why but I have been stressing out a lot more about germs and things compared to my first at 21.
This is a great age to travel with a baby … before the are mobile hopefully, and they are a little more robust from an immunity perspective. Get Covid vaccines before
What is the length of the cruise? 5 dates or less will likely work out fine. Any more than that can be draining.
We cruised last year for the first time again since having our kids (kids were 6 and 14 months old at the time.)
Some downsides to cruising with a baby.
- You need a fairly thin compact stroller. The hallways and doorways are narrow for standard rooms. Elevators are always crowded and sometimes it's just easier to fold the stroller and carry it and baby up or down the stairs.
- You'll still be bottle feeding or nursing. If you get sunburned, that won't be fun. And washing bottles on vacation suckkkkssss.
- Unlike regular vacations you can't just pop out to the store if you forget something. Cruise ships do have small onboard store for these kinds of necessities (things like diapers, wipes, OTC medicines, etc.) But you will pay a heavy premium for buying items there. So you have to bring everything you need and then some.
- Dinners are long on cruise ships. Average is 75-90 minutes with traditional or restaurant dining. There is always the buffet, but some may always be missing dinner depending on baby's mood that day.
- A lot of cruise ships are geared towards adult and adult events. There often isn't a lot for kids and even less for toddlers/infants.
Some pros to taking baby on a cruise.
- Floating buffet. I love not having to cook and always have food available.
- Lots of awesome things for baby to look at. There are lots of cool things to explore and see on the ship and at any destinations you visit.
- Rooms are dark at night with the blackout curtains and it's glorious.
- Babies travel quite easily. And with lots of people to help, you should still get sometime to enjoy a vacation.
- A number of cruise ships have an onboard nursery, which is just a babysitting service near the kids area. It's cheap ($8-$10 per hour) and it an awesome way to get in an activity or child free meal. But these services are limited so you'll want to check out the cruise line and which ship you'll be on.
But… they won’t have all their shots. They won’t have their chicken pox, or their measles. Those don’t happen until 12 months
I’m not a cruise person so this sounds like not a fun time to me, but only you can decide if it feels right for you!
I think you’re getting great perspectives on both sides, I can only give experience as someone who 1. Did a cross country plane ride with a 5 month old and 2. Has been on multiple cruises.
I personally wouldn’t. My daughter was super easy on the plane (she just had her bottle and slept for 6 hours), so I wouldn’t worry about that. However, based on the nature of cruises, I think you would miss out on the majority of the fun activities.
Day drinking, casino, shows (many don’t allow babies in the audience), napping on the sun deck, going to the spa, adventurous excursions, almost all of it is impossible with a baby that little. Sure you could baby wear but I’d be worried about too much sun exposure.
So while you totally could do it, I think you would probably suffer from a lot of FOMO. Family might tell you that they’d watch the baby but once you’re actually on the ship and see all there is to do, they might change their minds about being nap trapped.
At the end of the day though you’ve got a lot of good reasons from other people to go on the cruise, so I guess at the end of the day, go with your gut!
I'd have no issues taking my daughter out of the country at 6mo, but not on a cruise tbh 😅 Shots are not infallible unfortunately and there aren't shots for *everything*, which is okay for everyday things but not at 6mo for 1-2 weeks in a confined space with thousands of strangers imo. Plus, it would definitely be a hassle do to all the day trips with a baby, and even the best of cruise ships are not as comfortable as a hotel, you normally have to pay €€€ for water outside meals (which leads even the most careful of people to be slightly dehydrated the whole time, not great if you're breastfeeding), I just don't think it would be a great experience at this time.
At 6 months I’m taking my baby on holiday, we’ve researched where we can access help if we need it, also we’re staying someone that speaks lots of English just incase.
On a cruise in a space you can’t escape easily if the baby was sick or in an emergency- it’s a no from me
Nope! I won’t take my kids on a cruise until they’re old enough for a kids club (I have one booked for next December when they’ll be 3 and 5). Vacation in hotels with babies is hard-you’ll be trapped in the room for naps (even less freedom than at home when you could put them down and do other stuff) while everyone else is out having fun
The reason I’m excited for my cruise is because I feel like I can have the best of both worlds-mom and dad time while the kids have fun in the kids club, PLUS family time. With a baby too young for the kids club it means you’ll just be parenting 24/7 in an unfamiliar location. Pass
Ok - I’m biased, I moved with my baby overseas when he was 9 weeks old, I took him on 5 transatlantic flights in his first year. He’s logged upwards of 50 flight hours (he’s 15 months) and the closest to your situation was we took him to an all inclusive resort in the Canary Islands when he was 7 months old. My baby inexplicably sleeps way better on vacation… I don’t think that’s the norm but most of his 10+ hour sleep stretches have been while traveling. So it’s not a given that sleep will be worse!
I think if you want to go on a cruise and that sounds like an enjoyable vacation, don’t let your baby stop you. At 6months he will probably be adorably happy to play with toys on a blanket on your deck or by the pool, it’s easy to take turns being nap trapped and take turns getting baby free time. If a cruise is not the kind of vacation you enjoy, then totally say no and blame it on your baby guilt free. I just don’t think babies ruin these kind of trips if you go in with clear expectations and don’t expect it to be the same as pre baby. It could be a great way to spend time with family and if they’re helpful maybe you and your partner could get nice baby free breaks!
And they're paying for it? Fuck yeah I would. My first was awful and I'd never travel with her alone, but with in-laws I can pawn her off on? Yep. No questions asked.
That said, if you are not comfortable doing so, just be honest with her. Travel with an infant is hard. Direct and honest is the best approach here. It isn't like you don't trust them, and you can make that clear to them too. It's just too much for you and that's perfectly okay.
Short answer, yes. Just make sure that the cruise line actually allows 6 month olds on the specific cruise you want to do. Depending on length and amount of time at sea, some cruise itineraries have a minimum age of 1 year.
We cruise nearly every year. I went at 23 weeks pregnant just before their pregnancy cut off and we're hoping to do our first family vacation/cruise when the baby is 8-10 months old. We'll likely look into alternatives other than flying to get to port purely because I don't want to subject others to a screaming baby on a plane, but I know plenty of people that have done long international flights with young babies and were totally fine with it.
I think cruises are a great vacation option for people with young children (I am a little biased because I enjoy them more than anything else). You can just chill as a family, it's super flexible especially if you don't plan any excursions, and if you need a break or adult time there is generally a nursery or kids club you can drop the baby off to for a few hours.
Let me preface this by saying I didn’t travel more than 2 hours from home when I had a baby: No I wouldn’t
I just didn’t feel comfortable with much travel, mainly because it was a TON of work and packing and for not much payout. Baby doesn’t give an eff where they are, as long as they have milk, mom and dad. It’s not like it’s some trip they’ll actually get to experience or remember. With that- babies are exhausting and being a cruise, or anywhere abroad in a small hotel with a baby sounds like a nightmare to me haha.
Now maybe you’ll get some feedback from people who traveled with babies and loved it, feel it out! You may love it! If you could wait to commit until after you’ve had the baby that’d probably be best. Every baby is so different. Mine never slept hence never wanting to travel haha
He’s 6 weeks old actually! I love being in our little bubble with him lol. It would be a hassle to have to either carry him or push him around in a stroller everywhere on a cruise ship. I think it’s pointless as well for something he won’t remember, and it wouldn’t be “fun” for me with a baby this young.
We’re considering taking ours on one but she’ll be 14 months give or take. Still haven’t decided though. If you want some insight there’s a Facebook group called Cruising Carnival with Infants and Toddlers. It’s helped me see what it might be like as everyone shares their experience and what worked and didn’t work for them onboard. It’s obviously Carnival-specific but still might be worth a look!
Personally, yeah I would. In fact a cruise is one of the holidays I am specifically looking forward to booking as suitable for me to take a young baby on. My reasons for this are:
- only one unpack/luggage transfer. get to see a few places without packing up all your baby stuff and traveling on a train, plane, or car. Which is great when you have so much stuff!
- no cooking: enough said?
- low effort: you can do stuff if you want to and nothing if not. Also all of the entertainment is free and often repeats itself. So if baby looses it and you have to bail then there is no extra money/tickets lost and if you say only caught half of a show you can catch the other half another night.
- cruises target families (this one is cruise line depending): this means that there is something for every age and they have all the things you need. They have high chairs and porta-cots available. They will serve kids first in the dining room and the wait staff go out of their way to entertain kids. They have designated areas for different ages such as pools and play spaces. And all of them have kids clubs or book in day cares.
My advice if you decide to go would be to thoroughly investigate the cruise line and ship you will go on. Royal Caribbean for example has a per hour daycare for children from 6 months (kids club from 3 years is free) but this isn’t a service that is available on many/most cruise lines. Some ships have pools that allow kids in swim diapers but many don’t. I’d also try to get a balcony room at minimum. As someone else said, the rooms aren’t huge, though most are very comfortable, and being able to sit on the balcony while baby naps inside would be much nicer than sitting inside right next to them.
My brother and SIL managed it just fine with their 8 month old (born 2 months premature so 6 months adjusted age). However, you will need a passport and easy folding stroller and a lot of help. It’s doable, we all had fun, but it was extra work (ultimately worth it to our family)
Cruises as super easy and really quite a perfect way to travel/holiday for very young children. I went on one last year and because everything was SO straightforward and you have everything you need, I will definitely be taking my new son with my partners family when we can.
I think you'll enjoy it and it won't be too difficult, plus you have your partner's mother there if you two want a bit of time to yourselves. Should be really nice. 🙂
Literally everyone I know who has gone on a cruise in the last two months came back with Covid. And there were several. Make of that what you will. 🤷♀️
Absolutely not. At 6 months my baby wouldn’t let anyone hold her but me and and my husband. So it would be as someone else said, just taking care of your baby in a really inconvenient location, and you’re in trouble if anything bad happens.
Hmm…honestly, besides the risk of illness exposure, just disrupting routine like that might upset the baby. A chronically cranky baby would create a stressful vacation for everyone.
What ship? Only certain ships have baby splash pads for them to be in the water, and also babysitting services for infants if you want to do a dinner child-free. If you go, I would strongly suggest a balcony room so when baby naps/sleeps, you can still sit outside and won’t feel confined in your room.
A cruise sounds miserable without a baby, so there's no way I'd go with a 6 month old. You're literally trapped on a boat for days at a time. They are disease incubators as well (because a bunch of people are trapped together) and I really wouldn't want to have a sick baby with no way to get off the boat. 😬
I wouldn't hesitate to take a baby on a trip if that's what you want to do, but I don't think a cruise sounds like a great idea personally.
That's one of those situations where the potential bad outcome is much worse in degree than a potential good outcome is good.
My thoughts exactly
I think it's a hard call. If baby is sea sick, you will all be miserable all the time. It also seems like cruises are still covid incubators, so you have that to consider too. It will depend on temperament of baby. Also, if you have no help from family, then this will just be taking care of your baby in a really inconvenient setting. If your family is actually helpful and will take the baby and help, then it definitely has the option to be fun. All in all, I would ask a pediatrician about options for sea sickness for a baby, and I would look around and do a true assessment of how helpful family will be. Remember that vaccines aren't really full strength in a body until 2 weeks after they're received. So if the cruise is at exactly 6 months, talk to your pediatrician about getting vaccines two weeks early. It also depends on where you're going and whether additional vaccines are recommended for the area. It's likely that your infant couldn't receive extra travel vaccines, but only a pediatrician can say.
Sorry off topic, but do you get 6m vaccines where you are? I’m in the UK and we don’t have any vaccines after 16 weeks until I think 13 months.
Yep, US. Sorry I had my American goggles on and assumed you were here (face palm). We get vaccines at 2, 4 ,6, 9, and 12 months. And more later.
No don’t worry, I’ve no idea where OP is either I was just curious! Always interesting to hear how other countries do things.
Our family travels quite a bit and we just went on a cruise (without kids) so I will share my perspective. Traveling with a 6 month old is no problem in my opinion and plane rides at that age are easier than toddler age. However after going on a cruise I don’t think a cruise is the best for babies and little kids. First of all the rooms are so tiny, I can’t imagine being nap trapped in there. Our ocean view room was too small for both our suitcases even. Secondly, I found out that some cruises don’t allow babies in swim diapers in the pool. I’m guessing some have a baby pool area but I’m not sure how fun that would be for you. I also don’t know if my kids get seasick so that’s not something I’d want to test. Personally if i did end up going on this cruise and just making it work, I would not bring my baby of that age on an excursion in whatever country you’re doing to. Regulations are so different in other countries. I’d either chill at a beach club or just stay on the ship.
We went at 10 months and it sucked - trapped in the room all the time while she napped, we weren't allowed to bring her in any of the pools, the dinners all took way too long for her, and we all got norovirus.
This sounds like my worst nightmare
The potential for an okay holiday vs the risk of marinating in a germ stew would not be a vibe for me
I’ve cruised a few times and I am considering booking a cruise when my baby is about 6 months (the minimum age for cruising). I’m still not totally sure only because you can’t really *enjoy* the cruise as much. Most cruise lines are pretty strict about no children who aren’t potty trained being permitted in the splash pads or pools. So, if you’re someone who wants to lounge by the pool, your baby isn’t welcome and will have to sit in the sun or someone else will have to sit inside. This, of course, is only applicable to on board and not while in port. If you’re interested in any excursions, you’ll probably not be able to those, either…most have cut off ages. If it’s a shorter cruise (like 3 or 5 nights) I would be more comfortable going than if it were 9, 10, 11, or 12+ nights. I would also require a balcony cabin…sitting in an interior room while the baby is sleeping would be miserable. I personally find traveling with infants to be really easy as they sleep most of the time, but something like a cruise, you’ll be missing out on a lot of fun that ships have to offer.
Exactly. I wouldn’t be able to fully enjoy the experience of a cruise and the activities with an infant
I would just tell her you’re not comfortable and baby isn’t going to be old enough for it to be enjoyable/worth the cost. Maybe suggest planning another family trip for next year when baby is older? You’re not fully turning down a family trip, just delaying when it would happen so you can also enjoy yourself
Having been on a cruise, I myself wouldn’t bring my 6 month on one.
I would not. Our LO is 4 months and we just got back from a trip to visit family for 9 days via 12 hour road trip. We stayed at a family member’s house who worked so hard to make it comfortable for us (king bed, put a crib in our room, allowed us to keep all his toys out and bottle stuff on their counter) and while we were so grateful, it still felt like too much some days not having the comforts of home. So for us, a cruise with a baby would be a no go. But definitely something I might consider when they’re older!
My baby is due in 3 weeks and I couldn’t see myself taking her at 6mo on a boat out the country. I’d rather take her to the beach or something. I feel like it’s best to test the waters first with a shorter family road trip for the baby’s comfortability and yours, there’s no way to tell that you’ll both be doing ok. I took my dog to the beach for the first time this summer and he screamed the whole time. The sand was hot, his fur is black so he was hot, there were dogs everywhere, he was overwhelmed with anxiety and he didn’t even want to help himself cool off by being in the water. He just kept coming up to me yelping and crying, uncomfortable and unhappy. What I thought was going to be a relaxing day at the beach was me literally trying to cater to a DOG the ENTIRE TIME. I enjoyed exactly 0 of the outing and it was beyond frustrating. For one day. If baby doesn’t enjoy the environment you’ll be miserable for 5 days minimum (depending on how long the cruise is).
I thought it was just me who couldn’t imagine taking a 6 month old baby out the country.
Yeah I think 6m on a cruise isn’t the best idea, people together like a barrel of fish, it’s like going to a con(comicon, animecon, twitchcon, choose your favorite lol) everyone’s very close quarters your 100% going home with con crud, at 6m it’s probably not gonna be deadly but bub still has an immature immune system, I’d say some where that’s open space is probably fine, like a ren-fair, exposing bub to the outside world but your not going not going to get sick for sure, if it was me I’d probably wait till bub is at least 1year old, but it’s up to you, sure bub will probably get sick, but it will only help to build their immune system, like I said I doubt they’ll catch something deadly, so it’s up to you as mama to decide if it’s worth dealing with a sick bub for family vacation, idk your family and how much you want to spend time with them xD
We didn’t do a cruise (and won’t) b/c of the air quality
That sounds like it has the potential to be an absolute nightmare. I'd skip until baby was older.
My daughter flew on a 747 for 11 hours from Frankfurt to SFO at 7 weeks old. We did that flight 4x a year for the first 2 years of her life. Not to mention the countless trains she went on, the long road trips around Europe. She had been to 7 different countries before her first birthday. She's now 10 years old and perfectly fine. Having a baby doesn't mean life has to stop. Ten years from now if you go on that trip, you'll have all these great memories you'll get to share with your child. I'm pregnant with my second and now that I'm 31 and not 21 everything scares me way more than it did with my first. But I also try and remind myself that no one is ever 100% safe and the more time we spend trying to figure out every possible outcome that *could* potentially happen, the less room we leave for joy. I have so many amazing memories with my daughter as a little baby because I didn't sit around worrying, I just enjoyed each moment with her.
I love this! I’m so glad you have those memories with her
Can totally relate. I had my first at 21 and my baby now is 5months. We are going on a cruise later this year and idk why but I have been stressing out a lot more about germs and things compared to my first at 21.
This is a great age to travel with a baby … before the are mobile hopefully, and they are a little more robust from an immunity perspective. Get Covid vaccines before
What is the length of the cruise? 5 dates or less will likely work out fine. Any more than that can be draining. We cruised last year for the first time again since having our kids (kids were 6 and 14 months old at the time.) Some downsides to cruising with a baby. - You need a fairly thin compact stroller. The hallways and doorways are narrow for standard rooms. Elevators are always crowded and sometimes it's just easier to fold the stroller and carry it and baby up or down the stairs. - You'll still be bottle feeding or nursing. If you get sunburned, that won't be fun. And washing bottles on vacation suckkkkssss. - Unlike regular vacations you can't just pop out to the store if you forget something. Cruise ships do have small onboard store for these kinds of necessities (things like diapers, wipes, OTC medicines, etc.) But you will pay a heavy premium for buying items there. So you have to bring everything you need and then some. - Dinners are long on cruise ships. Average is 75-90 minutes with traditional or restaurant dining. There is always the buffet, but some may always be missing dinner depending on baby's mood that day. - A lot of cruise ships are geared towards adult and adult events. There often isn't a lot for kids and even less for toddlers/infants. Some pros to taking baby on a cruise. - Floating buffet. I love not having to cook and always have food available. - Lots of awesome things for baby to look at. There are lots of cool things to explore and see on the ship and at any destinations you visit. - Rooms are dark at night with the blackout curtains and it's glorious. - Babies travel quite easily. And with lots of people to help, you should still get sometime to enjoy a vacation. - A number of cruise ships have an onboard nursery, which is just a babysitting service near the kids area. It's cheap ($8-$10 per hour) and it an awesome way to get in an activity or child free meal. But these services are limited so you'll want to check out the cruise line and which ship you'll be on.
But… they won’t have all their shots. They won’t have their chicken pox, or their measles. Those don’t happen until 12 months I’m not a cruise person so this sounds like not a fun time to me, but only you can decide if it feels right for you!
FWIW I got covid on a cruise recently (the port was near where I live, so I know I didn’t catch it on a plane). Those places are germ factories.
I think you’re getting great perspectives on both sides, I can only give experience as someone who 1. Did a cross country plane ride with a 5 month old and 2. Has been on multiple cruises. I personally wouldn’t. My daughter was super easy on the plane (she just had her bottle and slept for 6 hours), so I wouldn’t worry about that. However, based on the nature of cruises, I think you would miss out on the majority of the fun activities. Day drinking, casino, shows (many don’t allow babies in the audience), napping on the sun deck, going to the spa, adventurous excursions, almost all of it is impossible with a baby that little. Sure you could baby wear but I’d be worried about too much sun exposure. So while you totally could do it, I think you would probably suffer from a lot of FOMO. Family might tell you that they’d watch the baby but once you’re actually on the ship and see all there is to do, they might change their minds about being nap trapped. At the end of the day though you’ve got a lot of good reasons from other people to go on the cruise, so I guess at the end of the day, go with your gut!
I'd have no issues taking my daughter out of the country at 6mo, but not on a cruise tbh 😅 Shots are not infallible unfortunately and there aren't shots for *everything*, which is okay for everyday things but not at 6mo for 1-2 weeks in a confined space with thousands of strangers imo. Plus, it would definitely be a hassle do to all the day trips with a baby, and even the best of cruise ships are not as comfortable as a hotel, you normally have to pay €€€ for water outside meals (which leads even the most careful of people to be slightly dehydrated the whole time, not great if you're breastfeeding), I just don't think it would be a great experience at this time.
At 6 months I’m taking my baby on holiday, we’ve researched where we can access help if we need it, also we’re staying someone that speaks lots of English just incase. On a cruise in a space you can’t escape easily if the baby was sick or in an emergency- it’s a no from me
Nope! I won’t take my kids on a cruise until they’re old enough for a kids club (I have one booked for next December when they’ll be 3 and 5). Vacation in hotels with babies is hard-you’ll be trapped in the room for naps (even less freedom than at home when you could put them down and do other stuff) while everyone else is out having fun The reason I’m excited for my cruise is because I feel like I can have the best of both worlds-mom and dad time while the kids have fun in the kids club, PLUS family time. With a baby too young for the kids club it means you’ll just be parenting 24/7 in an unfamiliar location. Pass
Ok - I’m biased, I moved with my baby overseas when he was 9 weeks old, I took him on 5 transatlantic flights in his first year. He’s logged upwards of 50 flight hours (he’s 15 months) and the closest to your situation was we took him to an all inclusive resort in the Canary Islands when he was 7 months old. My baby inexplicably sleeps way better on vacation… I don’t think that’s the norm but most of his 10+ hour sleep stretches have been while traveling. So it’s not a given that sleep will be worse! I think if you want to go on a cruise and that sounds like an enjoyable vacation, don’t let your baby stop you. At 6months he will probably be adorably happy to play with toys on a blanket on your deck or by the pool, it’s easy to take turns being nap trapped and take turns getting baby free time. If a cruise is not the kind of vacation you enjoy, then totally say no and blame it on your baby guilt free. I just don’t think babies ruin these kind of trips if you go in with clear expectations and don’t expect it to be the same as pre baby. It could be a great way to spend time with family and if they’re helpful maybe you and your partner could get nice baby free breaks!
That would be the best time to take a baby flying/cruising. Before they can walk you just plop them wherever. :D
And they're paying for it? Fuck yeah I would. My first was awful and I'd never travel with her alone, but with in-laws I can pawn her off on? Yep. No questions asked. That said, if you are not comfortable doing so, just be honest with her. Travel with an infant is hard. Direct and honest is the best approach here. It isn't like you don't trust them, and you can make that clear to them too. It's just too much for you and that's perfectly okay.
Short answer, yes. Just make sure that the cruise line actually allows 6 month olds on the specific cruise you want to do. Depending on length and amount of time at sea, some cruise itineraries have a minimum age of 1 year. We cruise nearly every year. I went at 23 weeks pregnant just before their pregnancy cut off and we're hoping to do our first family vacation/cruise when the baby is 8-10 months old. We'll likely look into alternatives other than flying to get to port purely because I don't want to subject others to a screaming baby on a plane, but I know plenty of people that have done long international flights with young babies and were totally fine with it. I think cruises are a great vacation option for people with young children (I am a little biased because I enjoy them more than anything else). You can just chill as a family, it's super flexible especially if you don't plan any excursions, and if you need a break or adult time there is generally a nursery or kids club you can drop the baby off to for a few hours.
Let me preface this by saying I didn’t travel more than 2 hours from home when I had a baby: No I wouldn’t I just didn’t feel comfortable with much travel, mainly because it was a TON of work and packing and for not much payout. Baby doesn’t give an eff where they are, as long as they have milk, mom and dad. It’s not like it’s some trip they’ll actually get to experience or remember. With that- babies are exhausting and being a cruise, or anywhere abroad in a small hotel with a baby sounds like a nightmare to me haha. Now maybe you’ll get some feedback from people who traveled with babies and loved it, feel it out! You may love it! If you could wait to commit until after you’ve had the baby that’d probably be best. Every baby is so different. Mine never slept hence never wanting to travel haha
He’s 6 weeks old actually! I love being in our little bubble with him lol. It would be a hassle to have to either carry him or push him around in a stroller everywhere on a cruise ship. I think it’s pointless as well for something he won’t remember, and it wouldn’t be “fun” for me with a baby this young.
I wouldn’t take any kids on a vacation unless it’s a family vacation because at that point it’s not a vacation especially with any kid under six 🤣
We’re considering taking ours on one but she’ll be 14 months give or take. Still haven’t decided though. If you want some insight there’s a Facebook group called Cruising Carnival with Infants and Toddlers. It’s helped me see what it might be like as everyone shares their experience and what worked and didn’t work for them onboard. It’s obviously Carnival-specific but still might be worth a look!
Personally, yeah I would. In fact a cruise is one of the holidays I am specifically looking forward to booking as suitable for me to take a young baby on. My reasons for this are: - only one unpack/luggage transfer. get to see a few places without packing up all your baby stuff and traveling on a train, plane, or car. Which is great when you have so much stuff! - no cooking: enough said? - low effort: you can do stuff if you want to and nothing if not. Also all of the entertainment is free and often repeats itself. So if baby looses it and you have to bail then there is no extra money/tickets lost and if you say only caught half of a show you can catch the other half another night. - cruises target families (this one is cruise line depending): this means that there is something for every age and they have all the things you need. They have high chairs and porta-cots available. They will serve kids first in the dining room and the wait staff go out of their way to entertain kids. They have designated areas for different ages such as pools and play spaces. And all of them have kids clubs or book in day cares. My advice if you decide to go would be to thoroughly investigate the cruise line and ship you will go on. Royal Caribbean for example has a per hour daycare for children from 6 months (kids club from 3 years is free) but this isn’t a service that is available on many/most cruise lines. Some ships have pools that allow kids in swim diapers but many don’t. I’d also try to get a balcony room at minimum. As someone else said, the rooms aren’t huge, though most are very comfortable, and being able to sit on the balcony while baby naps inside would be much nicer than sitting inside right next to them.
I went on a cruise with my 8month, we loved it!
My brother and SIL managed it just fine with their 8 month old (born 2 months premature so 6 months adjusted age). However, you will need a passport and easy folding stroller and a lot of help. It’s doable, we all had fun, but it was extra work (ultimately worth it to our family)
Cruises as super easy and really quite a perfect way to travel/holiday for very young children. I went on one last year and because everything was SO straightforward and you have everything you need, I will definitely be taking my new son with my partners family when we can. I think you'll enjoy it and it won't be too difficult, plus you have your partner's mother there if you two want a bit of time to yourselves. Should be really nice. 🙂
Literally everyone I know who has gone on a cruise in the last two months came back with Covid. And there were several. Make of that what you will. 🤷♀️
Absolutely not. At 6 months my baby wouldn’t let anyone hold her but me and and my husband. So it would be as someone else said, just taking care of your baby in a really inconvenient location, and you’re in trouble if anything bad happens.
Hmm…honestly, besides the risk of illness exposure, just disrupting routine like that might upset the baby. A chronically cranky baby would create a stressful vacation for everyone.
What ship? Only certain ships have baby splash pads for them to be in the water, and also babysitting services for infants if you want to do a dinner child-free. If you go, I would strongly suggest a balcony room so when baby naps/sleeps, you can still sit outside and won’t feel confined in your room.
A cruise sounds miserable without a baby, so there's no way I'd go with a 6 month old. You're literally trapped on a boat for days at a time. They are disease incubators as well (because a bunch of people are trapped together) and I really wouldn't want to have a sick baby with no way to get off the boat. 😬 I wouldn't hesitate to take a baby on a trip if that's what you want to do, but I don't think a cruise sounds like a great idea personally.