Cruising with a Toddler

So I know it's much overdue.... but I'm finally getting around to doing that post I promised on cruising with a toddler....

So many people thought I was completely crazy when they found out I was taking Dax on the cruise with us... 18 month old .... on a big boat... yikes.  But there was absolutely no way I would go on a big family vacation without him. And that's the wonderful thing about cruises.... they're super family friendly. You can make them as wild and crazy as you'd like, or as calm and relaxing as you'd like.  Here are a few of my tips to make cruising with a toddler successful..

1. Take a stroller!

I went back and forth on this and boy am I glad I decided to take one! This trip would have been simply miserable without it. There were many times we just walked around the entire ship using that stroller. Dax loved going on his "ride"! It also made the boarding and debarking go 10x smoother than it would have went without it. I'm also glad I decided to bring ours instead of buying an umbrella stroller. You want to bring something that can fold up small (there's not a lot of extra space in your room for a big stroller), something light weight (for carrying it around in the sand or up and down stairs), and for me a big thing was having a stroller that would lay back (so Dax could sleep in it) and had a cover to protect him from the sun. I've talked before about how much I recommend this stroller so here's my plug again (I think I should get paid for this).

2. Safe space to run!

Toddlers are a big ball of energy.... and your rooms are barely big enough to sleep in so getting rid of a lot of energy in your room isn't really an option. Find a safe space for your toddler to do nothing but run and climb. For us, we found a deck on the side of the ship where there weren't many people were Dax could just run his little heart out. Also, the stairs. On the last day while waiting to be call to debark we climbed up and down between the 3rd and 6th floor about 5 times. I was exhausted, but somehow his little legs kept going. You may get some strange looks from people when they see you chasing a toddler on a deck or when you pass them 10 times going up and down the stairs. But you can always tell the moms who have had a toddler once in their life because they have this "Oh bless your heart, I can relate" look in their eye and for just a minute, you feel like a normal person again. You do what you gotta do!

3. Find an elevator and become BFF with it!

This "beep beep" as Dax called them became a part of the family. It's like magic... cranky baby... go ride the beep beep. And we didn't even have to ride it, he was perfectly content just watching it go up and down. Again, we may have got some crazy looks, but most people have been there so they relate!

4. Find an arcade!

Oh the arcade... a boys dream world. Apparently this fascination with arcades doesn't happen when a little boy turns 8 or 9.... they're born with it. Nature vs. nurture? Arcades are nature for sure.  He loved running around in this room, climbing up on all the games, and pushing any buttons he could find. Now I about went crazy being in a small, confined place with about 15 boys... but again... you do what you gotta do.

5. Bring dinner activities!

Formal dinners are a big deal on the cruise... and if you want to make it through one you have to have some fun things to keep your little one occupied, because boy can they be long. So in our bag we would have some special activities that I only got out at dinner time... the biggest success was playdough with Popsicle sticks. Always a winner for this boy.

6. Have a picnic!

So during our cruise we had two day's at shore. These mornings were busy mornings spent mostly out in the sun. By the time lunch rolled around Dax was usually starting to get fussy. Being hot and sleepy and most of the time locked in a stroller would make anyone fussy. So instead of going back on the ship and heading to the buffet or dining room... we opted for room service! Room service is completely free 24 hours on a cruise and this was always the best decision. Dax would get a grilled cheese, pickle, yogurt, and chips (which he wouldn't eat but they came with the sandwich), and I would get a grilled turkey and cheese, pickle, potato salad, and cheese cake. When we got back to the room from our day at shore I would call and place our order. While we waited we would get cleaned up and about 10 minutes after ordering our food would come. I just laid a towel out on the ground and we would sit together and have a picnic. We both enjoyed this SO much :)

7.  Last tip..... opt out of dinner.

Dax doesn't get to watch TV at home, I love Annie (and come to find out he does too), and it was just us watching the movie and having some great conversation over dinner. <3


Well I hope this was somewhat helpful! I know before we left for the cruise I search all over the Internet and read every blog and website I could find about cruising with a toddler to help me prepare. These made our life much easier.... so hopefully they help you as well!