Cruise with 21 Month Old

Hi S., We took my then 2 year old and my 5 year old on a 7 day cruise on a western Caribbean last August. My children are NOT vaccinated at all. I would really suggest that you give you little girl at least 1,000mg of vitamin D3 per day along with elderberry daily while on your cruise. Wouldn't hurt if you all took it too. It would be 2,000mg per day for the adults.We use the gummy D3 with a liquid Elderberry that I get from Sprouts or a vitamin store. We use Vitamin D3 all year round and double the dose in the winter/fall months. We NEVER get sick. I also give a daily dose of Elderberry if my children are over exposed to alot of "cooties" like a playgroup or play ground setting that day. Also do you know if your child may have an "issue" with motion sickness? If you don't, you'll want to be prepared for that if it arises. Small children can get motion sickness just like us. I took it all just in case ") Motion sickness bracelets,the patches for me, Dramamine, Bonine for both us the adults and children. None of us had a problem at all but we had smooth sailing for the entire 7 day cruise. Also it might be wise to bring along a portable dvd player and some dvd's for those down moments in the room while your trying to unpack/pack or get ready for dinner....etc....Helped us alot. We chose not to leave our boys with the "Kids" programs but for a few times but they did have a blast while they were they there. We just prefer to vacation with our children and wanted to be with them :) All in all I can't really think of any bad experiences we had while on the ship or in ports. Loved it and so did the boys.
If you can think of any questions that i might be able to help you with don't hesitate to send me an email.
Best Regards,
C.

Oh my goodness she will LOVE it! We took our daughter when she was 2 1/2. She actually had a lot of fun. Just be careful on the Islands and carry hand sanitizer with you. My advice, take a small stroller that is easy to fold, carry, and store. You don't want to carry her all over the islands. My husband always carries a backpack to keep drinks and snacks in. (diapers too for that age) Choose a cruise line that is very kid friendly. We use Carnival and I have found it to be very kid friendly. My daughter's 2nd cruise was a 7 day carribean cruise. She had a blast! My husband and I have only been on one cruise without our daughter, it was actually while I was pregnant with her. I have found that I have more fun when she's there. It is just so much fun for me to watch her have fun. Have a good time!

Yay that you decided to do the cruise! You won't be disappointed! My son was 22 months old when he went on his first 8 day cruise. It was by far one of the easiest vacations we have ever had with him. The staff were wonderful with him (always having his "favorite drink" at dinner, giving him special attention in the little things they left in the room, and just everyone helping us more because of him). He did not get sick on the cruise, but I needed to go to the ship's nurse, and she was just wonderful (even though I showed up after hours, they didn't charge me a penny)! If you're not sure how they will react to the motion of the ocean, talk to your doctor about how much non-drowsy dramamine (sp?) to give her before hand. I get horrible sea sick, and it was the only thing that helped. (BTW, I talked with the nursing staff on board and they told me that dramamine works best, and those wrist bands are a waste of money...I was REALLY sick the first night, and the dramamine "cured" me wonderfully!) Other than that, HAVE FUN! She's too young to go to the kid's area, and you will probably be more than happy to just have her with you. It is so relaxing when on board, knowing that she can't just wander off to God knows where! Good luck!

My daughter was about 22 months when we went on our five day cruise and I have nothing but good things to say. Everyone on the ship was very accommodating with her and absolutely loved her. They don't see many babies and you can tell. They go out of their way to be helpful. We went for my friend’s wedding. At the reception, the bride and a friend were dancing on the floor and before anyone knew it the bride was on the floor, twisting her ankle pretty bad. The dr on board came to her with a wheel chair and checked her out there and then took her down to the infirmary. They were very well trained and courteous and checked on her throughout the whole cruise. I hope you have a great time!

I went on a 7 day Carribean cruise when my son was 23 months old. We had a good time and so did he. Our waiter at dinner was especially attentive to him. My son sat through an almost 2 hour dinner every night because they were so nice to him. We received several compliments from people at nearby tables at how well behaved he was. Well, much of that had to do with the fun he had with the wait staff. The last day of the cruise, my son had a fever but nothing else wrong. We went to see the ship's doctor. Be advised, they do not accept insurance. He just needed some motrin to get the fever down and tylenol was not working. The ship did not sell motrin. So, I had to pay $180 for the doctor appt. to get motrin from the doctor. The doctor wanted to give him antibiotics but we declined because we were going home the next day and I could take him to our regular doctor. At any rate, he slept for 5 hours that day and was fine by the evening. Your daughter is likely too young to leave in the kids area as I believe they have to be 3 to be left in the care of others. There was plenty to do on the ship to keep my son occupied. Have fun!