An inclusive cruise with my husband & 8 month old son. Any recommendations???

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As a travel agent, let me provide you some accurate information regarding the type of cruises you are seeking.

SilverSea, Regent, Seabourn, and SeaDream cruises are all-inclusive cruises meaning that the cruise fare includes accommodations, all meals and snacks, 24-hour room service, all beverages - including soft drinks and alcohol, and all gratuities.

Yes, they are going to cost more than mass-market cruises like Carnival, NCL, Royal Caribbean, etc., but you're also getting much more. These ships carry fewer passengers than the larger ships (110 - 700 rather than several thousand), which makes for a nicer cruise experience since you don't spend an hour waiting in line for everything from leaving and returning to the ships in port to booking shore excursions. The staterooms are all outside staterooms and, with the exception of SeaDream, the smallest cabin is at least twice the size as a standard cabin on a mass-market ship.

The service and food is impeccable and the staff bends over backwards to accommodate your needs. Although this is true for most of the staff on other cruise lines, it is much more so with these cruise lines.

Unlimited soda, wine, and premium alcohol are also included in the pricing. On other cruises you'll spend about $30 per person for a "soda card" for your cruise, about $5 per beer, and $7-10 per drink, so the cost of drinks can really add to a bill on conventional cruises.

Because the staff on most cruise lines work for tips, they are willing to work very hard to please the passengers, however, in the past, a lot of these hard-working staffers have lost out on pay because passengers decided to skip the tip because they assumed it wouldn't be missed or because they ran out of cash during their cruise. To alleviate this problem, many cruise lines now add a daily service charge to your shipboard account that you can pay with your credit card, cash, or traveller's checks. The amount is on the average of $15 per day per person. So on a 7 day cruise it would be about $210.00. On the all inclusive cruises I mentioned above the staff works for salary and, although tips are appreciated, they're not necessary.

As on all cruises, purchases in the on-board shops, shore excursions, salon/spa treatments, and casino are not included in the pricing.

If you take a room on a mass-market ship with the same itinerary and square footage, include the cost of the number of drinks you're planning to consume, and add in the gratuities you'll find the costs are compareable.

Would I take an 8 month old on a cruise? Probably not. With the exception of Disney, most cruise lines are not prepared to accommodate babies. Even Disney is limited as to what they can offer and you would need to check with each cruise line. Taking a baby on shore will also not be easy, especially since most ports will require you to take a vehicle such as a taxi or motor coach to the main attractions. You would then need to have a car-seat with you for the baby. The availability of cribs and high chairs on board will also be limited.

I agree with some of the others who said, take the cruise without the baby and enjoy some time together. Later, when your child is older and you take the child on a cruise
with you, you'll find you'll have a totally different experience.

stephanie s

it is really hard to take an infant on a cruise. yes they will provide a high chair but you also have to make sure they provide a crib (disney does) it is a pain to get to port and carrying the stroller and diaper bag.plus if you run out of need something (formula, teething medicine etc..) and if your in anouther country do you want to chance that? there is alot of stuff that you would want to do that you cant, and if there are any child programs for babies you have to be there at all times. some cruise lines do offer baby sitting services and it is alot of money per hour and sometimes there is a min of hours and alot of times the nanny goes in your room. depending on where you want to go, i would recommend an all inclusive resort instead. did you ever consider jsut not taking your son? i know it sounds cruel and you will miss him, but mommy and daddy need alone time too and it would be a great vacation for just the two of you. my husband and i take two vacations a year one with and one with out kids. i would talk to your husband and see what you two want to do, if anything have grandma come on and she'll always want to watch your son so you two can go gamble or watch a show lol :)

tbugs

Why not wait a few years until your little son can enjoy the trip and will not be bothering other passengers?

If you mean an "all-inclusive" cruise, there are just a couple of the very high end cruises that do that. Most cruises include all meals, some beverages (not alcoholic or soda), entertainment, and just being on board. Excursions cost extra.

You will be spending too much time tending your baby than enjoying yourselves, though. Stay home and save your money. Young parents need to save money.

TINKERTOY ..... the 1 & only

I have been on over 15 cruises with four different cruise lines and this is what I suggest.

First, all cruises are for the most part "all inclusive". There is free food somewhere on ship 24/7, and that also includes always free coffee, tea (hot and cold), milk, juices and punch or lemonade. The only beverages you pay for are soft drinks and alcoholic drinks. Many ship have what they call "alternative dining restaurant options" where there is a fee/gratuity/service charge of between $5. and $20 per person each time you eat there. BUT YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED to ever eat there. They are generally nice places, like French, Sushi/Chinese, Tex-Mex, or steak house. But you will have a grand choice of meals in the main dining room, and all ships usually have a buffet area that you can use for dinner if you want that is always free.

Norwegian cruise line, which promotes its "freestyle" cruising has the most alternative restaurants, maybe 7 or 8 per ship, so you can spend a bundle using them. But that's your choice.

All of the shows and facilities on ships are free, except that you do have to pay a fee for spa services like massages, wraps, facials.

Carnival is a nice cruise line for beginners and budget cruising. But it is not the only line with programs for kids, most lines have them. I have been on more than 15 cruises with Princess, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and NCL and they all had staff persons assigned to run programs for kids of various ages. with a staff person or two to supervise.

Here's my recommendation. I suggest a Royal Caribbean cruise on one of its new ships Freedom of the Seas or Liberty of the Seas. Identical ships that do Caribbean itineraries. Here's what I wrote for someone else about the Freedom which we went on last November.

The ship holds over 3,000 passengers but we completed boarding in about 30 minutes from the curb to our cabin. It would have gone faster if they had been ready at a couple spots. We were slowed mainly by one person looking at all of the "Set Sail" passes as we entered the terminal. Then they were slow in setting up a second security desk to take security photos for the cruise cards. After that it was a breeze.

I loved the balcony cabin we had. It was roomy and had plenty of space for clothes; bags go under the bed. They announced to us that the beds on the Freedom will be cruise line wide; its was a great pillowtop bed and was very comfortable in comparison to beds on other ships. There was a flat panel HDTV in the room, a safe, and a shower stall with a sliding door. Our room included a love seat and coffee table.

The ship has a mall area down its middle with shops on both sides, including a barber shop, coffee shop, and a place where you can get free food 24/7. That's in addition to the 24/7 free room service.

The ship has some features that other ships don't have. The rock climbing wall is on many RC ships. But the new "flow rider" is unique to RC's Freedom and Liberty of the Seas ships. It is a place where you can go surfing on a boogie board right on the back of the ship. It works great, although I didn't try it. There is stadium seating for people to watch or sit while awaiting their turn. The ship also has an ice skating rink and during the week there are two days when there is a free ice show that is great, kinda like the Ice Capades. The ship also has a full sized basketball court and mini-golf.

This ship is great for kids and families with kids. On the pool deck there is one area called the H2O Zone which is essentially a small water park for kids; but us big kids can play there too. It has water cannons, a small lazy river, a pool, and falling water all over. Your kid will love it. Then the middle of the ship has another pool where everyone can get wet or use a hot tub. Then up further there is an adults only area called the Solarium with a pool and two hot tubs that extend over the sides of the ship. These tubs are huge, can hold maybe 12 people and you can look over the side of the tub at the ocean.

The ship has THE best gymnasium I have ever seen on a cruise ship. All of the latest equipment, including weight machines, rowers, steppers, treadmills and each has its own TV screen so you can watch TV while you workout. It also has a boxing ring and some other new high tech stuff.

In addition to the ice shows there was a show in the main show room each night. There is a casino and there are bars and lounges all over the ship. There is an internet cafe but I would ship it as it way too expensive and just wait until you get to Cozumel and there is an internet cafe right at the pier that is only $5. for an hour (vs $50 an hour on ship).

The only thing I did not like about the ship was its Windjammer Cafe where everyone goes for breakfast and lunch if they don't go to the main dining room, is too small for everyone and people were walking around looking for a table after they got their food. We decided to just order the free breakfast room service an eat on the balcony.

Duane T

I just came back from the Disney Cruise Ship "Magic" and I noticed Disney made accomodations for infants but they recommend the kids be at least 1 year old. They a a special Baby pool and I know they change the water AT LEAST once a day.

Beyond that, there isn't much your kid can do (or remember) other than pictures that you can show your kids when they're older.

1Cheapcruise

a cruise vacation will not be all-inclusive.
some never ships have started to charge a cover-charge to dine in certain restaurants.
do some homework or find a local cruise agent that can help compare a cruise vacation and an all-inclusive vacation.
have a great vacation!

carlos z

yes, you can search for a cruise here at the very bottom link of the page, (your own search box) use it anytime to check for specials and time frames.

bon voyage!

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Stephi

The Carnival Triumph is a great cruise line, even for little ones!

apo

Patience and relax.
Try to schedule your activities around his schedule. And you'll be fine. Also bring with you your baby scentials, diapers, food. Find out if your ship allows for babies not potty trained to use swimmer diapers and use the pools.

wisemapl

Check out this website for all of your vacation needs
http://www.ytb.com/wisemapl

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