Traveling with Kids on Plane and Ship for the First Time

I love the Crayola Color Wonder markers. The kids can draw without you having to worry about getting the plane/rental car/ship whatever messy.

My kids also have their own little suitcase that they take with their toys in it. They love pulling it through the airport and digging in once on the plane to find their toys. It makes them feel grown up.

E.,

I let my children each bring a back pack. I put coloring books, crayons, stickers, small toy or small stuffed animal, plenty of snacks and a few juice boxes. Make sure you put something "new" in their backpack, possibly a book or small game that they have not seen or played with. The new item sometimes keeps their attention longer. Also, pack each of them a change of clothes and a sweater for the plane, sometimes it is to cool for them. Remember to schedule down time or nap time during the day. It weems that they are having so much fun they are not tired but come dinner time you will be happpy you all had a break. Have a wonderful time.

A. G

E.,
First of let me say you are a brave woman! Also,I do have a few suggestions. I am really strict about gum and never let my kids chew it, yes even the 8 yr old. But, when we flew to Disney we let her chew gum as it did help her ears quite a bit on the plane. My son was less than a yr old at the time so all we could do for him was give him the bottle to suck on which we were told would help.

Another idea is to buy some cool tactile things they can do with their hands and not let them see them until they go on the trip. That keeps them more intrigued than just packing old toys. One of my personal faves is Color Wonder markers and coloring books. Silly Putty is also cool if your youngest won't eat it and drawing boards with the attached "pen" can be found in smaller sizes.

Find out exactly how many pieces of luggage you can bring with your children. I think a diaper bag is allowed and does not count as a piece of luggage but double check. I had a separated bag of just snacks, games etc. (Definetly bring snacks!!)

Be careful with the amount of liquid you pack with the new laws. Trust your instincts as far as bringing medication. Maybe you could just bring Tylenol. I am sure they have places you could buy it at if you needed to.

Couple more things, I suppose it depends on your flight, no guarantees... but our flight to Disney was full of kids and families so it was a little less stressful and in the end there was no crisis other than me walking up and down the aisles to comfort my crying infant. The worse thing that could happen would be that one of the kids would scream or bump into soemone's seat. Oh well, if it happens, it happens.

Lastly, expect some things will go awry but it doesn't have to ruin your trip. We had a great time even though it wasn't perfect. The goal is family time together in a change of scenery and you will have that!!!!
Have fun.
M.

Hi E.,

We just got back today from our Disney Cruise with a 19 month old and a soon to be 5 year old. Here are my suggestions:

1. Do NOT over-pack! The kids are mostly in their bathing suits, unless at dinner where you should bring something which they call cruise casual. Some people on board took cruise casual to mean totally dressed down, but for men and boys, nice khakis and a colard (sp?) shirt is what is recommended, no shorts/tank tops or t.shirts. Ladies and Girls, pant suits or dresses.
2. Bring something nice for your family to wear for the Disney Lifestyle Portraits (white background) really really nice!!!! And of course all of the other pictures they will be taking of you on board and on Castaway Cay.
3.For the flight, honestly don't bring to much on the plane. With this being their first flight, they will be totally consumed with the plane and looking out the window. Do bring a book, crayons that sort of thing just in case, but honestly the flight will go by SO FAST! And be very careful of the people sitting in front of you, kids kicking seats can really tick of the person in front of you. My son kicked the guys seat in front of him and he turned around an nearly bit my sons head off, which almost lead myself and my husband into a near fight for scaring our son, but I won't get into that, just be careful you might have a monster in the seat in front of your child.
4.Fill out all of your forms on-line before you go, makes it much faster to get through the line and on board.
5.when you get off the ship, have a porter help you with your bags through customs. They have their own special line and you get though really fast, or else you wait in a very long line, and I honestly don't like lines :)
6. Take advantage of the Kids Club and Flounders Reef if you need to. They are FANTASTIC with the kids!!! My son loved the kids club and my 19month old had so much fun in the nursery and I was very happy with her care.
7. Don't make your table mates wait more than 10 minutes for you to show up past your schedualed dinner time.

There are so many other things I could tell you, but honestly you don't want to over research things like I do because your expectations are going to be way high and they may not be met.
In the next week I'll be doing a cruise review at www.tripadvisor.com , www.cruisecritic.com and www.disboards.com (the last one is disney discussion boards), plus I'll post pictures.
Curious as to what Catagory Cabin you got? I know you don't spend much time in your cabin, but with two small ones and if you use a pak-n-play, extra space (balcony) is a MUST!
Good Luck and have a Great Cruise!
J. in Macomb

Hi E.
I am an ex-flight attendant with a 5 year old and a 2.5 year old myself. We travel a lot, so I can relate. The best thing is to be prepared for the worst. The 5 year old needs snacks and coloring books and a portable dvd player. Be prepared to walk the aisles on the plane with the 2.5 year old once the little guy is over his toys and coloring book. Snacks are wonerful for him too...but go for no sugar! Take water for everyone, especially you as airplanes are very dehydrating and you need lots of water when you are pregnant. Get the kids to drink on landing as this will help their ears pop. I also give my kids chewy candy on landing. It is more of a worry for babies or if the child has a head cold. If one of your kids does have a head cold, I would suggest a decongestant like Claritin an hour before landing. As for the Disney cruise,I haven't been on one... but I would say to definitely take your own meds... like Tylenol and sea sickness meds, antibiotic ointment and bandaids.
Have a wonderful time!
Lucky you!

Hi E.,

I know some of this will be repetative of the other Mom's, but I have also traveled quite a bit with my 2 boys, as both infants and toddlers. My husband usually stays home, so generally it is myself and the two little ones! I have found the portable DVD player was essential. I let the older one pick out 2 brand new DVD's before we left so it would be something new and exciting! YOu could even rent them or buy the used ones at Blockbuster. I tried holding off nap schedules for my younger one, and in the event he decided to stay awake, I brought some books, snacks, etc. Again, even for the baby, I brought "new" things, only because I had the fear they would be bored with their normal things! Fortunately, the baby (who is now 20 months old) has traveled very well, and the lull of the plane in combination with him being tired seems to put him right to sleep. I never used the medications as I was always afraid they would backfire and make them overly tired. I usually make sure the baby has something to snack on during take off and landing, and I will give my 3 1/2 year old a 1/2 piece of gum...which he thinks is a big deal! Cheerios, goldfish, etc. are great for the younger one. Or simply having them drink from their sippy cups is also a help to un-pop their ears. So far, I have never had an issue with my children on a plane. Also, when you walk on, it is also fun to ask the attendants if your kids can meet the pilot. The pilots usually make a big deal out of it for them!

Make sure to bring lots of snacks and buy juice/water when you get into the airport. Bring suckers for take-off and landing. I'm not a fan of druging the kids on the flights. We flew to Florida when my son was 2 1/2 and to the Bahamas when he was 3 and I was pregnant. He was good on both trips. The DVD player helps.

Bring lots and lots of sunscreen.

I have traveled several times with my son, now 3 1/2 on a plane. In fact we are going on vacation this Friday. What I do is make a special trip to the store for him to buy coloring books, etc. to pack in his bag for the plane to keep him busy. Snacks are a must and make sure you have water once you pass through security. When my son was younger, he always fell asleep as soon as the plane took off. Good luck and I'm sure they will surprise you.

Loved the kids club on the ship! Eat your dinner together and then take the kids to the club while you and hubby enjoy time together!