Since we have a child our travel had to adjust. We have another person to take into consideration during our journeys, a person with very specific needs and requirements. Whereas every age has its challenges I think that in sense of packing and amenities available during trip the smaller the kid is the more we need to ensure that we’re not lacking any essentials.

In this post I want to share our cruising experience with a one year old toddler. Is cruise a good way to explore the world with a small child? How to prepare for a trip? What are the pros and cons of cruising with kids? I will share here our thoughts on this experience. Again, this is an opinion, thus it is subjective. Also, every child is different and what works for one family may not be the best option for the other. However, I think it’s still useful to exchange observations between parents so we can plan and decide about our holiday in more optimal way.

Which cruise have we done with our child?

We have chosen a one week Caribbean cruise. We have booked the cruise and flights separately and stayed few days in the beach resort after the cruise. Our departure and final port was Pointe-à-Pitre in Guadeloupe and during the journey we have visited different Caribbean countries: Barbados, Santa Lucia, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Martinique (this one is actually the overseas territory of France as well as Guadeloupe).

What was the age of our child?

Our daughter was at the time 14 months old.

How did we choose the cruise and are there some formal limitations when travelling with a small child?

We have chosen a cruise with an European company.  We are European passport holders so we have chosen a cruise starting and ending point in the EU territory for the convenience (currency, health insurance, safety). We have chosen a cruise under 11 nights on board because of the cruise company policy.

For this particular cruise liner the kids must be at least 6 months old to be allowed on board. For our particular company the infants under 2 years old could participate in a cruise no longer than 11 nights. Note that different companies have different rules for minimal age or length of the journey. I know that some cruise liners do not have the restriction on length of the itinerary but rather that child under some age can not be on the cruise when more than some number of consecutive days is on the sea (without docking to any port).

These rules are very important to study when choosing your journey so you are allowed on board of the ship at the departure day. The online reservation system sometimes allows to make a booking even if the family does not fulfil the criteria. Checking the eligibility of the children on board is the responsibility of their parents/caregivers.

Note that there also are some rules for older children too. Minors (under 18 years for ports outside of US or 21 years for trips including ports in US) can not travel unaccompanied by adult nor occupy cabin without at least one adult. This was the rule for our cruise liner but again this may change or be different for other companies so check the children and teens participation policy before booking.

For our cruise liner another limitation was that we could not have a cabin with balcony when travelling with a toddler. Again, we were not informed or banned to do it at the moment of booking and I’m not sure how such mistakes are approached upon check in during embarkation.  Whereas the rule makes perfect sense and it’s for the safety of small children, our experience is that the system does not ban us to choose this option when making reservation which is very tricky.

Thus my biggest recommendation is to read carefully the children on board policy for your cruise company to avoid bad surprises or being denied to embark.

Another limitation is that many cruise excursions in the ports of call have a minimum participation age required which can reduce your options to do activities.

What to take on a cruise when you have small kids?

The amenities for children are available but their choice can be limited. If you want particular food/accessories they may be not available. On small Caribbean islands where the ship stops only for few hours you can also rely only on what you can find in the nearby stores and the supply may be basic.

Which toddler essentials we took for a cruise and didn’t regret it? Note this is our subjective list.

• Documents

Your kid will need passport to fly and disembark in different ports of calls (which often are in different countries). Make sure of the validity of the passport and possession of the visas required to enter the countries you visit.

• Insurance

It is important you have valid health and travel insurance when going abroad and especially with kids this really is a must. Make sure you choose the right plan for your families and the adequate coverage in case something happens.

• Medicine

It goes without saying that if your child takes some specific medicine you need to take sufficient amount of it on a cruise. But even without any regular medications, it’s important to bring a solution for fever, pain, runny nose and disinfectant – all appropriate for age of your kid of course

• Milk formula

If you’re using milk formula for your kid I recommend bringing sufficient amount of it on board. We didn’t find the brands we use in the Caribbean supermarkets and you don’t want to take the risk that your child will reject or be allergic to new formula

• Sufficient amount of nappies

To avoid surprises of not finding the right nappy sizes or the brand you use I suggest bringing enough of nappies

• Water

To prepare the formula or give the child water to drink we use only low mineralized water (our preferred choice is always Evian). This is the tricky part because we don’t want to fly with liters of water crossing Atlantic. Fortunately, the local supermarket in the embarkation city had big packages of Evian so we just bought enough for the cruise. We were lucky here but this ensured us that the starting and ending point of a cruise matters. We started in a French port so the shops had French products which we know and use. Btw, we never seen Evian in supermarkets in other Caribbean destinations other than in Martinique and Guadeloupe (which are both French).

• Some ready to give baby food in jars (applies to really small kids)

Cruises usually have a big choice of food in buffet and specialty restaurants. Our child could already eat some soft cooked food when on a cruise but in case of emergencies – child doesn’t like the dish served or you can’t find anything suitable currently at the buffet you can then use the jar with your kid’s favorite dish. I didn’t take jars for entire cruise but just a few in case our child gets hungry on excursion or doesn’t like the dish in the restaurant.

• Baby sleeping bag

It is recommended that the children below 2 years sleep in baby sleeping bags. Take 1 or 2 for the cruise as in our case only pillow and duvet were provided.

• Baby soap and spf cream

The selection of baby cosmetics on the ship and Caribbean supermarkets were limited in destinations we visited. I recommend bringing the products you use with you. We were not exposing our child in direct sunlight but still were ensuring she has a sun protection when on the beach or sundecks on the ship.

• Enough of clothes

We didn’t bring plenty of clothes but enough not to be forced to make laundry all the time. From our experience variety of clothes are needed: swimsuits for kids’ pools, light clothes for excursions and a bit warmer for air conditioned cabins, etc.

The above list is not exhaustive and focused on items which are essential for us. I recommend creating your own list few days before departure to pack with calm mind. From my experience baby products are more difficult to find when on holidays than items for adults.

And finally last but not least, this is my subjective list of pros and cons of taking a cruise with small kids. I hope it will help you to make a decision if this type of travel is for you.

Pros:

• Big comfort on the ship. The cabins and the decks are usually modern, safe and comfortable. You will be provided with baby cot, baby chair and other amenities and you know it’s a standard.
• Good food selection served with high hygiene standards. The cruise offers vast selection of food for meals which allows to choose something your child can eat. From our experience food is prepared in safe and clean conditions which allows to avoid/minimize risk of food poisoning. I find this is less the case when going to local restaurants abroad especially in middle/lower income countries.
• Many activities for kids: there is plenty of kids clubs, kids focused attractions and entertainment options as well as babysitting service. The older the child is the more options are available. This allows the parents to have some time for themselves too.
• You see many places at one journey without burden of travel or changing accommodation. The ship takes you to new location while you rest on board. No hassle with luggage, changing hotels or transportation. This is especially valuable when travelling with kids.

Cons:

• Cruise limitations. You have to meet various restrictions on type of cruises and cabins when travelling with kids (number of nights on board or consecutives days at the sea, etc).
• Limited medical assistance. To be clear there is a doctor on board but at least on our cruise there was no pediatrician and the medical assistance is of course more limited than on land. With small kids many problems can be urgent and adequate care is less available on the ship.
• Hygiene issues. The cabins and common spaces are regularly cleaned and disinfected but of course on large cruises (with thousands of guests) it is unavoidable to touch surfaces with other people and also be in close proximity with other passengers. Small kids are of course more sensitive to get in touch with viruses and bacteria as they still take unwashed hands to their mouths, lick toys or are naturally less careful and vigilant to stick to basic hygiene rules. This increases risk of catching various infections.
• Limited choice of excursions. If you plan to take excursions to explore the ports of calls there is many of them which require minimum age to participate. Many options may be unavailable as the excursions buses or boats do not have amenities to accommodate kids (for example car sits for kids).

Here we are! This is again non-exhaustive list of pros and cons of taking a cruise and what you can expect (and what not) on the ship! My overall reflection is that all is possible but certain options won’t be available, one needs to be flexible and prepare well to avoid unpleasant surprises! That being said our child loved to spend time on the ship, enjoyed the Caribbean beaches and we all have seen amazing beautiful places!