* Only toilet trained kids are allowed in the pools on every cruise ship. Some Royal Caribbean ships have a splash area for untoilet trained kids. This area is on its own filtration system, so if a child has an accident, they can drain the area quickly without affecting the majority of passengers. Don't quote me on this but I was told by crew that the reason untoilet trained kids aren't allowed in the other pools is that it is fresh ocean water, without ANY normal pool chemicals that would kill any bacteria.
SO we packed an inflatable splash pool that bub could play in on our own balcony, you could also use it on the pool deck, I have seen them used before, but we cruised to New Zealand and it was too cold on the pool deck for swimming. We also used the inflatable pool for bathing bub in the bottom of the shower. Being inflatable it was easy to fit in our luggage.
* The standard cabins on most ships are small, and having a bub still having a day sleep and a bedtime of 730pm meant we spent more time in our cosy cabin than pre bub cruising. I purchased some heavy duty magnetic hooks from eBay and some block out curtains and hung these easily from the roof. Other people have suggested shower curtains, but I was concerned about the airflow through shower curtains and opted for regular curtains for this reason. The curtain offered almost complete block out of the light from the TV. It was perfect! Also protected bub from the direct flow of the A/C, hubby and I like to have a cooler room. So be sure to check where the A/C outlet is, otherwise you might freeze your bub.
* White Noise App on an old device, I say old device here so you can leave it on the desk with the white noise playing while you play with your current device. We had ours set to Beach Waves so it fit in perfectly with the cruise cabin noises. We don't use White Noise for bub to sleep at home, but I wanted to ensure that me using the bathroom at night and hubby's snoring didn't startle bub awake.
* I packed Coat Hanger organisers, another eBay purchase. I found these useful with all of Bubs nappy changing items in them and used another one in the bathroom over the shower glass. Many people suggest an "over door organiser" but this wouldn't work as well on a Royal Caribbean ship as it would cover all the hooks for your towels in the bathroom.
* Research the ports you are visiting and see if there is ANYWHERE you can restock for the essentials. We cruised for 19 nights, and there was no way I could pack enough nappies for that trip, so we restocked in Hobart and again in Auckland. I packed enough initially for 5 days. This made it easier to get to the ship without another piece of luggage just for Nappies.
* Research the ports for any aquatic centres close to the ship, or resorts you can visit where bub can actually have a swim. We did this in Hobart & Wellington.
* Ensure you pack a barrier cream, like Sudocream, as bub developed his first bout of Nappy Rash while we were away, he has never ever had it before. I put it down to a different diet and ALWAYS being on his butt either in a high chair or pram as opposed to home he'd be crawling around most of the day.
* Speak to your waiter on night one in the dining room and ask them to record a special order for you in advance for every lunch & dinner on the cruise so bub can be served first. We asked for Pureed mince, sweet potato, potato & zucchini for every main meal and then Pureed banana, pear & apple for bubs dessert. We also said we would eat in the dining room for lunch whenever it was open (Sea days) and we would eat in the buffet for the Port days. We asked for it to come out at 530pm for dinner and 12 noon for lunch. Most of the time this was on time and perfect. A few times we had to wait, and once the waiters saw how bored bub got waiting ie squealing they realised why we'd asked for it to come out straightaway.
* Start trying your bub on foods they have onboard BEFORE you go. If you choose to not put in a special order you may encounter issues, as everything in the buffets and restaurants is seasoned and our bub likes bland - luckily for him I am a very bland chef hahaha.
* Bring snacks for your baby from home. These come in handy if you take them to Adventure Ocean, off the ship for Port days or just when they get hungry onboard and you can't find a food they like.
* I decided to bring our own portacot & all bedding. I am SOOOOOOOO glad I did, as the portacot in our cabin upon arrival was tiny, it had a weight limit of 14kg on it too and bub was very close to this weight. It was also only setup with a fitted sheet. I am not sure if the cabin steward would have brought more bedding later, but I have heard other people say all they were given was a sheet and they had to ask for adequate bedding for their bub.
* Pack a backup sleep bag, sheet, blanket(s) & comforter, if bub has an accident or is sick you don't want to be without these while they are sent off for cleaning.
* If you can get some rubber bibs and get bub used to them before you go. I had some and tried them a week before we left and bub cried when I put it on him, so he didn't have enough time to get used to it. I do not recommend disposable bibs as this is just more waste on top of all the wipes and nappies that the ship has to dispose of.
* Bring a peg airer, we used this to dry our swimwear and bub's bibs that I rinsed in washing detergent in the shower. Our shower did not have a small clothes line it in like we were used to on other ships.
* Ovation has a toy library in Adventure Ocean that you can borrow toys to play with around the ship. We still took a few favourites from home though.
* Bring your own plastic cutlery if that is what bub is used to.
* Only bring a couple of bottles if you are formula feeding, you won't have enough room in your bathroom to store many before washing them up. We took 3 bottles (bub was having 2 a day) and 1 bottle for water. I then washed them up every morning and refilled. There was a kettle in our room, so we could sterilise them. Bring a deep cup or jug, or ask your stateroom attendant for one, so you can warm bottles using the boiling water in that.
* Bring any pain relief you think bub might need. There won't be anything commercially available on the ship for them, you would have to see the ship doctor and if you are travelling to another country it might be hard to find something in a local pharmacy.
* Getting off the ship with a pram or stroller is pretty pain free, but getting back on the ship and when you initially board is another story. Some security staff made us fold the pram up and put through the scanner, others went through everything even opened his fabric books looking for stuff. They also tried to carry the pram with bub in it downstairs to be scanned. I had had enough by then and said "no, can't we use this scanner here?" which we were standing beside. They said "No, this is for people requiring wheelchairs only" to which I replied "It is dangerous to carry a baby down the stairs in a pram, so we will use this one, or the elevator" and they finally said ok. So if you don't feel safe doing things security is instructing you to do, or bub is sleeping just say no, you want an alternative.
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| The curtain we placed up with magnetic hooks on the ceiling, the coat hanger organiser + more magnetic hooks with the bibs, coat hanger organiser in the bathroom & giving bub a bath in the bottom of the shower in his inflatable pool. |
I think that is it for now, but I can add to this as I recall things!!
Happy Cruising
:)
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