Rob's entire family is going on a cruise in June for 7 days. His dad had decided he wanted to treat everyone. When he died 2 weeks ago, it became important to everyone. So, Rob's step-mom is booking this cruise (http://www.carnival.com/Itinerary.aspx?embkCode=PCV&itinCode=WC0&durDays=7&sailDate=6/4/2005&shipCode=GL&sailingID=25627&subRegionCode=CW) for all of 12 of us. Very generous!!!

Anyway - I have never been on a cruise. I have bunches of questions:

Where can I find info on preparing? packing? ect?

There is a program for kids ages 2-5 that Emma could be part of. Would you let your kids be watched by people you don't know?

How much extra money should we take?

How can we keep in touch on the boat? Can we use cell phones?

It's just from Florida around the Western Caribbean. Do we need passports or anything?

John will be 9 months. Can I take a stroller?

What else???

I went on a cruise with my family when I was 16...so I am reaching waaaaaay back here!

But,,prepare to be amazed! It really is a city on the sea. You won't believe how much room there is to wander, how much there is to do...

Whichever cruise line you are going with will likely have packing suggestions for the area you are traveling to. They also will let you know what is available on the ship. I didn't travel with little kids, but I almost wonder if they don't have strollers available for use on the ship? That would be something to ask about. There would be no problem taking a stroller along, but be prepared for a very small cabin! You spend little time there, so they really are quite tiny. So it may be ideal to take an umbrella stroller just so you don't have a big one taking up what little floor space you have.

We didn't need passports when we went to the Bahama's, so I wouldn't think you would at all.

Money..everything on the ship is included (typically), except tips if you feel compelled, and the duty free shops, gambling (our ship had a casino) and the bar. I am not sure if childcare is extra either...but going to the webpage of the cruise line you are going with will help.

You will want money for shopping on land, and any activities you want to do (we went to a really cool aquarium where you got to pet sharks and such, and a day trip to a fabulous dreamy place called the Garden of the Groves,,total tropical fantasy land)

Don't know about the cell phones,,,when I went, few people had them! We always just set a time to meet up at a designated place...

The daycare is your call...ask the ship how they find their childcare activity people. are they screened? Insured? Trained? You may be pleasently surprised to find that they are beyond qualified and a dream person to facilitate activities with your little one while you get an hour or so free.

I bet there are other mama's who have gotten to cruise more recently than I have.....:) What fun you will have!

You can take a stroller I did but didn't end up using it.
I let my kids go to the kids camp but they were 5 and 3 and together. You get a pager and they will call you if your child wants to leave.
The excursions run between 80 and 100 dollars a piece so kida pricey.
You'll need tip money they calculate it at $50 per person per day for everything.
If you drink or want a soda that'll be extra but they will charge your room.
They are very accomidating to little ones in the formal dining room. We went for my sister's wedding so I couldn't exactly skip the dinner and they were wonderful even though I had an overtired 1 yo with me.
The website is a wealth of info on clothing and whatnot.

That's all I can think of right now. Oh you won't need passports just birth certs and social sec. cards.

I checked and we can rent a stroller. Of course, they say that we can get the prices when we board the ship. Seems kind of tricky to me! Maybe we will just take an umbrella stroller. He'll be old enough by then.

I certainly have plenty of time to plan this (more than 4 months), but I love to plan ahead!

Anyone else with thoughts?

Here's a great resource with links to much of the information you are looking for.

http://www.cruiseshipcenters.com/Page.aspx-URL-AboutCruising.htm

Have you read the website for the cruiseline you are going on? They will have information on how they "deal" with soft drinks, water, tips ...

one of the best things my friend & I discovered is that we could arrange room service every morning ... it was delightful to hear the lovely voice on the phone with "coffee's on the way" ... It's nice if you need a "kick start" like I do.

I don't know if you plan on gambling - I'll give you the warning that I received from some experienced cruise-goers ... "the machines are TIGHT" (they don't pay well ...) You can only gamble when the ship is out to sea and therefore, a captive audience ...

I have heard that using the phones to call the mainland is VERY expensive.

In researching the shore excurisions, I found that the cruiseline offerings were quite expensive. It's good to find out "what to do" when you get off the ship ahead of time. There are books you can get about the western carribean. Your library might have some. I found that there were NON-cruise ship excursions offered right on the pier that were less expensive.

I took my first cruise a few years ago. It was wonderful !!

Have fun ...

Karen

I would double check the passport thing. My parents just took a cruise in the same area and DID need passports. That may be a recent change due to national security issues etc. I can't offer you any help as I have never been on a cruise but it sounds like fun!

Emily

Here's a great link .... http://www.travelsense.org/tips/packing.asp


off to get more coffee now ... (coffee's on the way) ...

Oh, that is a good tip on the room service. My parents said if they ordered drinks (even just pop or juice) it would get charged to their room, but if they just ordered extra to be brought to their room in the morning, it was included.

I am so excited for you! I really want to go on a cruise! I never really did before but being holed up in bed, pregnant and sick... lol I really want to get away!

Emily

good sites for info are cruise-addicts.com and cruisecritic.com

i cruised last march with my 4 kids (the youngers were 3 and 1 yr olds.) Honestly, they were too young. The 3 yr old did not want to stay in the camp on board. They did not like the salt water pools. They behaved some of the time at dinner, so we mostly did the buffets or in room. I was nervous with them on deck.

No passports needed to most of the caribbean. we rented a car in cozumel (our only stop) since we were a party of 6 and it was tough in the small taxis they had there to fit into.

we did not do the ship excursions (too pricey) we just hit the beaches and shops on our own.

leaving again next month this time jamaica and grand cayman. Leaving the now 2-4 yr olds with my mom! Will be trying again in January and will take the then 5 year old.

Tips: bring a power strip, night light and save money by bringing your own soda/wine (if you drink soda/wine).

Most of all--have fun!

Just revisiting this for any new thoughts...

I won't be taking the cloth diapers. How many disposables will I need?

I had a dream the other night that I forgot nursing pads and couldn't find the anywhere. Odd what constitutes a nightmare now!

We are definitely taking a stroller. John now often sleeps in it, so we love it!

What about an infant life jacket? Do we need to take one or will they have his size?