The cruise we took was a 4-night trip from NYC to St. John s, Canada on the Carnival Glory. While C

My husband and I love going on cruises (we even got married on one!) so we were excited air tickets cheap deals when we got the opportunity to bring our daughter on her first.  My (awesome) boss takes our staff away every year (minus a few), and since we are all superclose, we knew that we would have tons of help. My parents also decided to come since they are close with my boss and coworkers, and they didn't want to miss out on Zoey's air tickets cheap deals first cruise air tickets cheap deals either. My husband and I were so fortunate to have so many people with us that all have their own special bond with her. It really gave us the opportunity to do things as a group, as a family, and as a couple.
The cruise we took was a 4-night trip from NYC to St. John s, Canada on the Carnival Glory.  While Carnival is not my first choice in cruise lines (or 2 nd , or 3 rd …) it was free so who was complaining? It was also a vacation so, again, not complaining. It was the only cruise that fit within the timeframe that we could close the office so of course, we booked it!
Preparing for the cruise was the most important factor in us having a great time. That and the fact that I have a really air tickets cheap deals good 2 year old. I'm not just saying that, she really is just so well behaved that it makes it a joy and pleasure to do things like this with her.  I even joke that next time I'll bring her and leave my husband at home There were a few things that I was uneasy about before going. First, my daughter is always asleep between 6:30-7:00 every night. Because we were eating dinner as a group in the main dining room, we chose the early seating. That was at 6pm. With 10 people plus a toddler sitting down to eat AT 6, I was very worried.
air tickets cheap deals Also, I was nervous about sleeping in the same room. We never bring our daughter in our bed/room so on the occasional times we sleep in the same bed/room at a hotel, she thinks it's hysterical air tickets cheap deals to wake up and see us next to her.
And lastly, I was nervous about being able to enjoy ourselves with a toddler. I know that vacations aren't the same with a toddler in tow so I didn't have high expectations. However, I did want to partake in some of the activities and shows that cruise ships provide (after all, it's why I love them!).
There are a few things that I don't mess around with, and sleeping is one of them. I am very adamant about napping and sleeping. I knew going into this vacation I was going to have to chill out some. While I wanted her to stay awake a little later, I didn't air tickets cheap deals want her to lose the sleep that she requires (and wants; the girl loves her sleep and she tells you when she's ready).  I wanted to attempt to give her a later nap so she wouldn't fall apart at dinner and perhaps even do something after dinner. While there are many people who choose to parent differently, I'm not one who believes in dragging around my kid, who is cranky and tired, for my own benefit. Fortunately enough, my parents offered to take her after dinner a couple of nights so my husband and I could go out. That was a huge help!
One of the best decisions we made was to get a balcony. We knew that once she went to sleep, we wanted somewhere to hang out. Since we couldn't get adjoining rooms with my parents, we were able to get rooms next door to each other and then adjoin our balconies (the room steward was able to unlock the door that separated the two). This was awesome. We left the doors to the balconies unlocked so we had access to both rooms at all times. This was great for naptimes, mornings when my parents would come get her so we could get ready, an extra room to hang out in, etc… I also brought our handheld video monitor. I would never, ever leave her alone sleeping in the room, but I also didn't want disrupt her sleep if I was constantly opening up the balcony door to check on her.
Overall, she slept great. Even though we requested a crib and didn't have one in the room upon arrival, we decided to let her sleep in her own bed to see how it went. She woke up a few times wanting to switch beds, but I can't really blame her. She sleeps in a crib every night in her own room. I'm sure the multiple bed options were enticing.  She woke up about an hour earlier the first 2 mornings air tickets cheap deals (6:20) because once she saw us, she wanted to play. The next night my parents kept her in their room, and she slept perfectly normal since she's used to sleeping in the same bed with them when she has sleepovers at their house. The final night she slept with us again and she slept as normal. My mom actually had to wake us up to get ready to pack and leave!
What I did to prepare for the extended dinner was download Bubble Guppies episodes and apps onto the iPad, bring crayons and coloring books, stickers, air tickets cheap deals and small toys to keep her occupied.  While we have never brought the iPad to dinner (and we do go out often), I knew we needed to prepare air tickets cheap deals ourselves. That thing was a lifesaver, especially since every meal lasted over 2 hours every night.  The last night we ate at the specialty steakhouse, air tickets cheap deals and that dinner was just under 3 hours and she was perfect. She played on the iPad, she drew, we read, etc… I was extremely air tickets cheap deals impressed with her patience!
After dinner each night we went back to the room, put her pj's on and put her in the stroller. We walked around a bit with her in the stroller, and then she either went with my parents or we went back to the room.  We debated back and forth prior to going whether we wanted to bring the umbrella stroller or the bigger one. While I knew the umbrella stroller was smaller and probably easier to maneuver in small corridors, I wanted the ability to lay the seat back if she fell asleep in it for either naps or after dinner. I am so happy we brought the bigger stroller; one of the other best decisions we made.
One of the positives about Carnival is that their youth program for kids starts at age 2 while the majority of all other kids programs on other cruise lines start at age 3. This became an ongoing joke amongst our group because while I have no hesitations about the programs onboard, there were so many people in our group who didn't mind taking her for a few hours so we could play trivia, go to a show, etc… that we never even sent her. Not even once.
One of the downfalls of most ships is that swim diapers aren't allowed in the pools since they are filled with salt water instead of chlorine. I completely understand their reasoning; it just makes it difficult when you have a toddler that LOVES to swim and sees everyone else doing it. I'm not sure about any other ships but I definitely think a chlorinated family pool would be a great idea. Cruises are such a great vacation for families, and swimming is a fun thing to do while onboard.
-Disposable Bibs (these were great in theory, instead of having to wash a bib each night. After the 2 nd time, she decided she wanted to use 'her' bib so we ended up having to wash and use the same one each night anyway.
Overall, we had a fantastic time. If we didn't have all the help that we had with us, we definitely would have had to do some things differently. We probably would have eaten at the buffet air tickets cheap deals a couple nights, spent more time on the balcony while she slept, and took advantage of Camp Carnival. It still would have been fun, just different.
I think Zoey's favorite part about cruising was the unlimited ice cream cones (that my dad, her Paa, couldn't resist giving her every time they passed the machine…I even caught her with 2!) and the turn down service that left chocolate on her pillow every night (and an animal made out of towel! She definitely doesn't get any of that at home!)
This entry was posted in Life and Family air tickets cheap deals , Motherhood , Parenting , Travel , Uncategorized and tagged Carnival Glory , Cruising with a toddler , Family Vacations , Toddler Vacations , What to Pack for a toddler on a cruise . Bookmark the permalink .
Zoey was so well behaved,and air tickets cheap deals bc of your great paranting and sticking to your routine as best as possible really worked out well! She was a pleasure I would babysit any day ! I had an amazing time with you guys and zoey