It is my humble oppinion that one of the most bothersome afflictions for a tied-down parent is that of wanderlust- loving to travel, loving to explore, needing to roam. Before I was married with kids (which happened before I even graduated college!) I had been to over 15 different countries, visited over 20 of our beautiful States, lived across the world in Japan, backpacked Europe with my best friend, and enjoyed experiences some people can only dream about. I’m blessed, of that I am sure.
Fast forward to now and the only wandering I’m doing these days is back and fourth across the state visiting family separated by too many miles. Bills pile up, vacation days dwindle away and the weeks run together in a way that makes real “travel” seem impossible. Strangely, this is the first year that I’ve ever had to make that cross-state drive by myself (can I still say by myself with the kids and the dog but without Brandon?) and I’ve done it twice so far this year. Might seem like no big deal to some, but for me- it’s huge! All that time alone in the car left me feeling very adventurous and hopeful that I can take my family on adventures around the world just like my parents did for my brothers and me. Could I (could we) be carefree parents, rolling with the punches, embracing the trials of vacations with kids in tow? Would it be worth it?
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(We’re home so I can safely say) it’s totally worth it, folks. I’m not sure any of my family members would really describe me as carefree and rolling with the punches though BUT…
We were blessed with an invitation to accompany my husband’s mother’s side of the family on a week-long cruise to the Bahamas- (the MAhamas as we now call them thanks to Lilly). We were psyched at the prospect of an awesome vacation but even more excited to spend time together with our loved ones and our girls and get to experience the kids’ enjoying their first big trip together.
Planner that I am, I spent weeks reading forums and blog posts about cruising with babies. I was looking for insider tips, advice, recommendations and warnings. Turned out to be a pretty big waste of time because *most* of the tips and advice shouted “DON’T TAKE BABIES ON CRUISES” in bold capital letters and I was panicking.
Guess what, nay sayers? We baby-cruisers had a BLAST. That’s probably more of a nod to my sweet little girls than anything else (they were really beyond awesome)but I still find it my civic duty to share my own tips for cruising with babies and toddlers (and LOVING it) at the end of this post. For now, enjoy some of our favorite memories and stories from an unforgettable trip…the first, of many, trips away from the US of A!
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Pools ON a ship?! She was amazed.
…and in love with the “hot pools”.
One of many quiet, sister moments.
And more than a few Daddy-thinks-your-going-overboard heart-attack moments.
The particular part of the ship featured in these particular photographs was really the only part that had true ship rails- not clear plexi walls- surrounding the perimeter. I have little to no fear around boats and water having grown up on many (Dad’s a sailor and all that jazz), but Brandon was far less at ease. I knew those grubby little feet wouldn’t slip off the rail and she was up long enough for me to snap a picture and scoop her down. So a grand total of 2.5 seconds. But yes. These ships aren’t baby proof, people. The kids could definitely *technically* slip overboard. It’s even possible that Grace could slide through the space between the plexi and the deck of the upper floors but we never tested the theory 😉 On a safety note, there are steps EVERYWHERE for kids to climb and fall off of, but for the most part, I really wasn’t that worried.
Mommy always knows they are safe.
Special time with Uncle Casey, missed him oh so much.
Can you think of any better place to play?
Little Gracie should be hired as the official mascot for Carnival Cruise Line. Step aside Freddy Fun Ship, your replacement has arrived. I kid you not this girl was famous on-board our vessel. Everyone knew her. Everyone wanted to wave to her, talk to her, introduce her to other people, sign with her. Everywhere we went we heard little whispered, “look, LOOK! That’s Gracie, the little baby I was telling you about.” Multiple strangers approached Brandon saying things like, “I don’t normally do this, but I have to tell you that baby is the cutest baby I’ve ever seen.” And Grace would bat her lashes in agreement. The dancers loved her at every show and she soaked up the attention. Most morning were spent cruising up and down the rows and rows of lounge chairs on the top deck. She’d walk as far as she could, tipping and rocking with the waves, and stop at each and every chair to chat with people, wave, blow kisses and point. She’s a little showoff. Doesn’t help that she’s the size of a 6 month old with the spunk, charm, and skills of a 1 and a 1/2 year old. She’s just that kind of kid.
Exploring the Bahamian beaches.
I’m not exactly sure how she does it, but Grammy is able to get Gracie to fall asleep on the beach. She is patient and calm and somehow able to get Grace settled down enough to close her eyes and nap. Uncle Casey was more than happy to nap with her, enjoying some particularly calm company of sleeping babies.
And this girl. My heavens, this girl. Played and played and played in the sand on each beach. Totally comfortable. Totally content. She didn’t need any help, she didn’t ask for anything, and she really built some sweet sand castles. Plus, my no-longer-a-baby-brave-girl walked her cute little butt way out into the ocean (by herself!) and let us carry her around in the deep water to see fish and cool off. She was bowled over by waves, splashed by her family members, and beaten down with sun. But we were blown away with her newfound water confidence. I’m so proud of her. And I’m pretty sure I’ll never forget the look on her face when I suggested she sneak a little pee-pee in the ocean if she REALLY had to go potty and couldn’t. That suggestion kind of blew her mind and she’s carrying it around in her heart like a precious secret.
And the Bahamian beer, of course.
What a super tired beach girl looks like.
And of course the moments caught on my cell… God bless iPhone.

Ocean views for days.

Lilly’s little shell collection.

Cruise ship colors.

#lucagetsaround

Treasure hunting.

Napping with Uncle Casey…again!

The boys got jokes.

Watching the Atlantic.

Keepin’ our skirts down on the top deck! Windy as hell.

Storm blowing through.

Pastel paradise.

Bahamian beach in Freeport.

Lilly meets the cast and is dazzled by her cousin Rachel’s talent.

Sleeping under a lounge chair.

Walking on the high seas.

Lilly meets the Captain!

Meeting the Captain!

Playing with baby.

EXHAUSTED after a wonderful day.

My favorite pictures of these sweet little humans.

Sister-love.

Endless views of the Atlantic.

Gracie loves to cruise!

Obsession with the drop down bunks (stored in the ceiling).

Cutie on the beach in Florida.

Learning the ropes from Uncle Casey.

Captain Gracie

Mouth full of ice cubes.

We picked up a bunny from kids camp one day!

Mommy and GG.

Me and my girlies.

The adults only deck with a view of our last-night sunset and the water slide.

Love my sis!

Sunset on the Atlantic.

Girls at their lookout perch.

Hangin?

My sweet little family.
You can find the whole set on my IG feed @sweetersidemom. I Instagram everything- SO not sorry.
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So anyway, in no particular order… here are my:
Tips and Tricks for Cruising With Young Children
1. If possible, DRIVE to your port thus allowing more leeway in the packing department- no restrictions on liquids, number and size of luggage articles, and it’s CHEAPER. Duh. Of course this isn’t possible or practical for all, but if it is, definitely take advantage.
2. Bring you stroller and carseat- great for cruising around the boat decks and also great places for baby and toddler to nap/eat lunch ect. We’re lucky that our littlest can literally sleep all night in her carseat. This was a lifesaver.
3. Bring enough clothes for 2 or 3 daily outfit changes. I know my kids well enough by now to know and expect a necessary outfit change after every meal- that equals three outfits per day per child. Or be dirty. Usually the latter is fine with me but I decided I wanted lots of “my kids are clean and dressed cutely” pictures instead of a lighter suitcase.
- In the same regard, pack a few bags of the soft-sided-duffle variety. These fold up flat and can be nested into other suitcases and slid under the beds- lots of extra room in your cabin when the bags are out of the way.
- Unpack AS SOON AS YOU GET ON THE BOAT. (Before the lifeboat drill) Seriously, listen to me about this. I am a non-unpacker and have no issues living out of a suitcase. But with two kids, so much kid stuff, and so little space, it felt freeing to assign everything a place and be organized all week.

My girls’ suitcase. I squeezed in every single article they would need for ten days- including diapers- into one bag (miracle I know). But I wanted that second bag totally devoid of their clothes and such so I could pack beach toys, our front pack carrier, and towels in the fourth suitcase. I used giant zip lock bags- 1 filled with tightly rolled pajamas for Lilly, one with tightly rolled pajamas for Grace, one filled with the swim stuff, one filled with the “fancy” dresses, one filled with play clothes for each girl. It wasn’t a perfect method by somehow it helped everything fit and keep me organized. Then I had built in bags to use for soiled and dirty clothes and an easy way to contain stuff when we packed up to come back home off the ship.
Random things to pack:
- Power strip (there is only one outlet in your stateroom)
- Medicine (kids and adults) You know, incase your mostly toothless, almost 1 1/2 year old decides to get a molar.
- Band aids (you have to BUY them on the boat if you forget)
- Squeeze pouch baby food/applesauce and good purse snacks like granola bars, gummies, trail mix etc.
- Soda or juice (each person can bring 12 bottles of liquids and neither of those are free on the ship)
- Cheap beach towels (if you lose the ones given to you in your room they are $22 each to replace)
4. Make your own “excursions” by getting a taxi to a free beach close to port. These were generally $5-$7/person (babies were free), and our cabbies definitely took us to beautiful beaches. This was SO MUCH BETTER than attempting guided tours and excursions from the boat that ran anywhere from $100-200 per person INCLUDING the kids. Crazy right?! We wouldn’t have lasted the duration of those excursions anyway with naps and such. Our kids were plenty happy to play on the beach for half a day relaxing in the sand. And so was I!

Free beach number 1.

Free beach number 2.

Free beach number 3.
5. Attempt what I am calling “nap flexibility”. Coming from a normal routine of VERY regimented naps- this was hard for me. But guess what? Totally fine for our girls. Not only did they shift down to 1 nap (or no nap)/day, they also napped in the stroller, carseat, or (our favorite) under a lounge chair on the pool deck. This allowed us all to remain outside even when one or both of the kids needed to sleep.
6. Bring small surprises for dinner. This genius-ness brought to you courtesy of my mother in law who had a new small trinket for Lilly each night at dinner. It was usually enough to keep her occupied and happy before her dinner came and was a fun nightly tradition that Lilly thought was really special- nothing crazy, things like dollar store coloring books, stickers and mini note pads etc. but it was awesome.
7. Take advantage of the kids activities. Our cruise had “Kids Camp” that Lilly was literally BEGGING to go to each day. She thought this was one of the most special parts of the cruise and loved every minute she spent there. She also loved the singing and dancing shows each night (our cousin is the AWESOME lead singer on Carnival Pride so it was extra fun to see her) but even on nights when the shows started at 9 or even 10p.m. Both girls stayed awake to watch every minute.
8. If you have a non-potty trained child, beware that they are not allowed in the pool for obvious sanitary reasons. We solved this problem by (buying and) using our sand toys and Bucket-O-Beer buckets and filling them with ice and water for Gracie to play with next to our lounge chairs. She loved it and it cooled her off enough not to care about the pool.
9. Something I wish I had done for my three year old was prepare her for the boarding process. She epically FREAKED OUT when they put her precious puppy, Guinness, through the x-ray belt and it took her a long time to recover from that. She totally panicked and it honestly scared the living daylights out of her. Then, she had a really hard time getting through the lifeboat drill and hearing the person on the loudspeaker discuss “fires” and “emergencies” and “life saving measures”. She’s old enough to know what those words mean and asked many concerned questions. No big deal BUT I know if I had talked to her about these things ahead of time it would have all been easier.
10. If you have an iPhone, put it on airplane and keep it on and in your pocket for pictures. Great quality, tiny size, easily carried. I only pulled out my big camera around dinner time and twice on the beach but still have a beautiful full set of pictures to remember our vacation.
11. Bring something to do during downtime (nap time) that you usually can’t do at home. No cooking or cleaning on a cruise so my reccommendations are A) Take naps too B) Bring a few books you’ve been dying to read C) Finish a crochet or knitting project or (my personal favorite) D) Keep an instant vacation scrap book and update it while you are in your room during nap time/bed time or whatever time you spend relaxing in your stateroom. I’ll have a whole separate blog post on how I create my vacation scrap books DURING my vacation- they are addicting!
12. BRING TOYS. Seriously. I know that might sound ridiculous when you’ll be on a ship brimming with activities and pools and fun stuff, but kids are kids and they still need stuff to play with (duh). Even with endless amounts of family members and activities, I’ve found that kids still benefit from having things to play with either by themselves or together to focus their attention. Our favorite this trip were:
- our girls’ iPad
- the Instax Mini 8 Polaroid camera I got for Lilly off of eBay

Lilly with her Instax camera.
- a huge new coloring book filled with simple activities and stickers
- a Nano Pet (what! you know you loved them as a kid) tragically, ours didn’t end up working (stupid eBay seller, I am sending bad Karma your way) but Grace thought it was awesome… haha
- animal figurines
- beach toys
- mini notebook and pen
- pretend cell phone for Gracie
- pretend camera for Gracie
- and don’t forget the lovies!!! (We lost Gracie’s giraffe paci and it was such a pain in the butt. Before we left I breifly considered bringing both of the two that we have but figured there was only a slim chance of losing it. Big mistake. We had other paci’s with us but that one is her favorite.)
13. Need something? ASK! Cruises are known especially for their incredible attention to their guests- I have never experienced human beings going above and beyond the way they do for you on a cruise. Of course they are working for your money (that’s PRE-PAYED in the cost of your cruise, by the way. But seriously, the staff are genuinely nice. Example: Lilly wanted to meet the captain, alone (as in NOT wait in the line of regular cruise go-ers waiting to take pictures with him on Captain’s dinner night), to give him a picture she drew of her entire family with him. So SHE asked the Maitre-di of our dining room if she could give the Captain her drawing. DURING dinner that he was in charge of, this man took her little hand in his and walked her all the way down to the main cruise atrium to personally introduce her to the Captain and his crew. The Captain picked her up and listened while she explained her whole drawing, gave him a hug, shook hands with the rest of the crew and yelled, “Gotta go tell my Dad I met you!” before running back to the dining room. Our room steward carefully arranged Lilly’s puppies/animals/sunglasses into the mix of towel animals each night which Lilly LOVED. And probably every member of the crew on-board knew Gracie by name and said hi to her and Lilly every chance they got. I could go on and on with examples. It was phenomenal.
14. Try to establish spousal code for meltdown moments. Somehow (and I really don’t know how), Brandon and I have an unspoken agreement that neither of us are frustrated, angry, upset, sick, impatient, or tired (insert any negative emotion) at the same time. Agree that you will trade responsibilities, take turns dealing with kid-drama, and attempt to adjust accordingly WITHOUT fighting each other. If you can sense your hubs needs a break, take the kids to get ice cream while he relaxes in the Adults Only Serenity Lounge (!!). If you are about to LOSE YOUR SHIT, have your spouse pop those suckers in the stroller while you get a drink by the pool. One of the nicer perks of a cruise is that you don’t HAVE to all be in the same place all at the same time.
15. PARTICIPATE IN THE “NICE” DINNERS! If you are worried about your kids behavior (daydreaming of their heathenistic restaurant ways?) rest assured that cruise staff are prepared to handle anything your kids can dish out. Mess, crying, picking food choices- they will taylor dinner exactly to your child and get their meals out asap. There is usually a big dance and song production in the middle of dinner to serve as a distraction and it’s super fun for kids. If all else fails, bring your ipad/laptop/cell phone and send those kiddos right under the table cloth to have a “dinner fort” and watch a movie without disturbing anyone or causing any trouble at all. We chose the early seating (each evening at 6 o’clock) and it was the perfect time for our kids. We had awesome, busy days, still squeezed in naps for the most part, then had a lovely dinner followed by a late night. Loved it!
16. Hit the consignment sale racks for special “cruise clothes” for your kids. You just spent a fortune on a wonderful vacation. DON’T spend a fortune on outfits for your little ones that they may wear once or twice (or God forbid ruin altogether) during your trip. I got almost ALL of the outfits you see in our photos at our local consignment “summer clearance clearout” event at the beginning of spring. I guess they were clearing out old summer stock to make space for the new stuff people were bringing in. Granted, I didn’t know we were going a cruise at that point but I was tucking all my finds away for another beach vacation we are going on later this summer. Regular prices for dresses and outfits were about $6-$9 each. Everything on the sale racks was a whopping 50% off! That means all those precious dresses and outfits my kids wore cost a total of about $50 give or take. Here’s my advice for consignment sale shopping:
- look for unique labels
- look for still attached store tags (obviously this denotes a never worn item)
- look for matching sets so you have complete outfits (you’ll even often find matching outfits in various sizes from other parents who dressed their kids the same!)
- Treasure hunt! Skip the stuff you see every day at Target and Baby’s R Us. Find the different stuff!
17. Unless you have a special stateroom (or are traveling via Disney Cruise Line), your room will most likely NOT have a bath tub. This is no big deal for our kids since we shower them from the time they are born and it’s nothing new. But if this is a major concern, I’d definitely practice washing their hair and such in the shower. We certainly didn’t stick to a shower-every-single-day regimen but kids are kids and need to be cleaned… even if it’s an occasional thing 😉 The shower head is usually a detachable kind that kids have fun holding onto, so that’s a plus!
**Above all, I gathered that most of the anxiety expressed from other parents came from the expectation that the cruise would somehow be “more relaxing” than real life. If you think about it, you never stop being a parent and enjoying the many obligations that this lovely profession entails- but you might as well enjoy it a hell of a lot more on a cruise! No cooking, no cleaning, beautiful scenery, no work. It’s like parenting on steroids- only the good parts.
Cruised with kids?! Leave me a comment with anything you’d like me to add to this list! I’m dreaming of a Disney cruise someday (maybe when I’m sure our brood of miscreants is truly complete) so I’ll tuck this all away for another trip.
Ta ta for now.
Back to real life 😉
-J
P.S. I owe you a cookie if you made it to the end of this blog post. Holy long-ness.
Nicole says
By far the best cruise advice I have read! LOVE the pictures too! We will be crusing for 7 days with a 3 year old and 10 month old… both girls! I MUST copy some of the picture ideas! Reading your list actually cured a bit of my anxiety!!
Martha says
The story about Guiness was just too much – really had me laughing!!
Elizabeth says
Thanks for compiling all these great ideas! I love to travel, and even love to do it with my kids, so I’m always looking for ideas about how to make it go smoothly. Gonna Pin this one!
sweeter-side-of-mommyhood says
You are so welcome! So glad to hear of other Mamma’s enjoying the world with little ones in tow 😉
Paula Panganiban says
Any tips for the iPad? My son loves YouTube kids but I don’t think we’ll have good enough internet for that. He is just meh when it comes to Netflix
Jacquie says
I’m not a proponent of YouTube kids- I won’t get into here but do some googling- there is terrifying stuff hidden inside YouTube kids content. I’d try some games! How old is your son? Monkey preschool lunchbox is a fave over here. Trying to think of all the apps my girls like… they love the bake shop cake decorating smoothie making type games, spot the dot, peekaboo barn (for very young). So much good content out there but you might have to test a lot of it first!
Dawna says
Hi there. I found your post through Pinterest.
After filtering through your post and photos, your tips were so worth the read. We’ll be cruising with our daughter at the end of November, and she’ll be 9 months old at that point. I’m a little nervous about how to best keep her entertained, but I’m really hoping there will be enough on board to keep her amused when we’re at sea. There will be a lot of people with us (friends are getting married on board), so they’ll be a bit of a help, but I know our little one would rather be with mom and dad. 🙂
And I think I’ll be practicing showering with her in the meantime. She’s been good in the shower after swimming lessons. 🙂
Thanks for these tips! Any others you’d offer?
sweeter-side-of-mommyhood says
Hi Dawna! So glad you found the tips useful.
One thing I thought of after we went to the beach actually – a small blow up pool would be so worth it ($5 at Target etc.). Being able to sit baby down in the little pool near your lounge chairs or wherever you are on the deck would be awesome. And did I mention sunscreen? I’d definitely go with the spray for use on the boat. You are basically cruising on a giant mirror so it is ROASTING in the sunshine on deck. I’m lucky to have babes with fairly dark skin but even they were slathered in SPF 70 24/7. Last but not least, I’d bring a little spray spritzer fan (the ones with batteries in them) to cool off baby on deck for the same reasons ^^ I hope you have a wonderful time and get the chance to relax and connect as a faimly!
Meg says
I’m going to be cruising with my twins just before their first birthday, so I’m happy I found your tips! What type of stroller(s) do you use for your kids? What did you do about carseats when at a destination? I’m sketching out my strategy! Feel free to email me with anything specific that could help!
sweeter-side-of-mommyhood says
We have an Eddie Bauer stroller/carseat combo. Since we were taking taxis or tour buses at our destinations we didn’t bring carseats at all off the ship (they are not required and we were usually in the taxis for a max 10 minutes- i.e. short drives). But the stroller AND carseat were awesome while on the cruise- the ships are so much bigger than you realize and having something the kids can sit in while you walk is ah-mazing 😉 You might have some maneuvering to do with the stroller in your cabin but it’s totally do-able and worth it!
Danna says
This was great! We are going on a cruise with my 2.5 yr old and 6 month old. Everything I read had me regretting this decision until now! Thanks for the tips!
sweeter-side-of-mommyhood says
You are so welcome! Try and relax- it will be so much fun!
Melissa says
Hello there!
Thank you for sharing such great tips! I will be cruising in about 3 weeks with my husband and girls. One is 3 and the other will be 12 months! I have 2 questions: what did you do about milk? My girls drink whole milk, warm, in the morning and at night… Also, we are not sure if we should take our single umbrella stroller or the double umbrella stroller… Our 3 year old is at the point where she likes to walk around but also likes to sit in the stroller sometimes… We are even considering buying another single umbrella stroller, and leave it in the cabin when she doesn’t want to sit in it or doesn’t need to.
amberly says
I have a very similar situation. Do you or anyone else have any advice on these milk and double stroller things? Thanks!!! I leave in 3 weeks!!!
Dea says
Thank you!!! Totally worth the read. So glad I found this post!
Terri says
Thank you for this blog…by the way…I earned a cookie. Lol. We will be taking my lo who will be 15m old on a cruise. I looked carefully at the girls’ clothing, but it would be great if you could send me some specifics. We’ve been on 5 prior to her being born…I just want to be sure I’m packing appropriately.
sweeter-side-of-mommyhood says
We did alot of dresses for our girls on the cruise! Super easy for them to run around and play in, not too warm, not fussy, easy to throw on over a swim suit. Of course I packed them lots of swim suits too. We’re lucky that our girls don’t burn easily so I wasn’t worried about keeping them covered. Suncreen is enough for them! I found many of their outfits and dresses at thrift shops actual and second hand stores.
Ashley says
Thanks for posting this and showing it’s possible to have fun with babes on cruises! We are taking our 13 month old on one for the first time on Sunday. I found your advice really helpful. Also— can we talk about your kids swim suits and clothes?! SO cute! I want that pink ruffle bikini and I thought I spied some baby Sperrys! I loved it.
Francesca says
Thanks for this post! Really really really helpful! I’m going on a cruise in January with a ‘just’ 3 year old and a ‘just’ one year old for 4 weeks so it was useful to see the little things you took along with you and how you coped at dinner etc… It’s definitely made me even more excited to go now! X
christina says
I really liked you tips! We are going with my 1 and 4 year old. Its our first time with both. I like the advice to unpack before the drill, that one is a definite. Thanks
Natalie says
Love the pictures! Great tips! We are currently planning as Alaskan cruise for my mothers birthday. I will be taking our 18 month old. Im nervous about size of cabin and the pack n play and not having the partiton. We are looking at Celebrity Millennium Veranda. What did you do for sleeping arrangements? I think my very regimented 2 a day napper will need to adjust to naps in stroller.
jaz barrera says
I have cruised before, but never with a baby. In the depths of my heart I knew it would be okay but wanted to be prepared. When I started reading blogs people were very negative. I was glad to hear all the positive and the you cautioned instead of discouraged. Thank you for taking the time to write this and congrats on your beautiful family!
Leah says
Loved your post! I have to say I enjoyed the first part of your blog I forgot about the 17 tips until the end when you reminded us. We are going on a 4 day cruise with a 4 yr old girl and 2 year old boy. Me and my husband agreed to just go with the flow but as a mom, I’ve been a bit nervous. Your tips were definitely helpful and I pinned this one for sure! Thank you!
Jacquie says
You are so welcome – I hope your cruise is really fun for the whole family! I’m jealous 😉