Welcome to another Family Travel Go Article.
If this is your first time visiting our site we are thankful to have you. We specialize in helping people travel better by sharing travel tips and new destinations through articles, social media and primarily our YouTube Channel where we post 360 vr videos, vlogs, drone videos and more.
I want to start out by thanking everyone who left us questions about cruising with kids on our videos and across our social media channels.
If you’re not much of a reader and you’d rather watch our Q&A Video go right ahead. But be sure to bookmark this page for future reference when planning your cruise with kiddos.
OK let’s dig into the questions.
First, we will go over any general cruising questions with kids.
1. Many people asked, “What is the youngest age a baby can be on a cruise?”
As for Carnival Cruise lines, Infants must be at least 6 months of age at the time of embarkation in order to sail. We waited until Cale was over 1 year old, but we know people who brought kids before that and they said they enjoyed it.
2. Others asked, “What are the required documents?” (Such as Passports or birth certificates for cruising with a baby or child)
There are some circumstances where a birth certificate and other forms of identification may be acceptable but in my opinion a full passport for each adult and child (not just a passport card) is more convenient, safer and worth having.
Remember to file for a passport far in advance so you will have it before your cruise. For more detailed information about passports please visit passports.state.gov.
3. Jetset Medic asked, “Did you use a stroller on the cruise?”
Yes, we did at times. We took a small fold-able stroller with us. Cale took many naps in it throughout the day. It helped us get around the ship easily all thanks to the many elevators around the ship. Our fold up stroller is older but you can check out a similar portable stroller in the description below.
Cosco Umbrella Stroller with Canopy and Three-Point Harness, Foldable Design, Anchors Away
4. The World n Us asked, “How do you handle all your laundry on a cruise?“
We actually just packed enough laundry to cover our days, so we didn’t have to worry about doing laundry until we got home. But if you’d like to do laundry there are irons, washers and dryers available on board as well and depending on the ship they either take change or you can use your sail and sign card as payment. There is also valet laundry service available for a cost as well. For more information about laundry services on Carnival Cruises check out this link about Carnivals Laundry Services.
5. Many asked, “Are high chairs available at the restaurants?”
Yes, the restaurants on board the carnival cruise ships have high chairs readily available. The formal dining room had one ready for us every night before we arrived.
6. Others asked, “Did anyone get sick or have motion sickness?“
No. Thankfully none of us had any motion sickness or any sickness at all (even though we all ate more ice cream than we should have). I have been on 5 cruises , Kayla on 4. and the boys on 1 and none of us have had any sickness issues at all. But there is a doctor on board each carnival cruise ship and check with your doctor before embarking on the cruise if you have any medical questions.
Many of the questions we received were centered around the kids club.
7. Charles Prevatte asked, “Did you leave the kids in a “Kids Club”? Did they have a good time there?“
Yes, We let Cash play in the Camp Ocean Kids Club a few times. Although we spent most of the time together, Cash loved making friends, playing video games and making crafts. The kids club was way better than I was expecting and the staff was very friendly and caring.
8. The World n Us Asked, “We want to do a cruise with the kids. Just wondering if your 1.5 year old was able to use the kids club if they had one?”
The Camp Ocean Kids club allows children ages 2-11 but they will watch children from ages 6 months to 11 during the night owl program costs a bit extra and lasts until 1:00 am. The age groups are separated in three groups: 2-5 are the penguins, the 6-8 year old’s are Stingrays, and 9-11 are sharks. For more information about Camp Ocean check out this link to Carnivals Official Camp Ocean Page.
Excursion questions
9. Find World’s Beauty asked “How much time did you spend in each place since that’s always an issue with cruises ?”
We spent 8 hours in Cozumel, Mexico and 8 hours in Progresso, Mexico. It gave us enough time to do many activities before getting back on the ship. We enjoy cruising at times because I can see many places within one trip. Videos and posts about our excursions and time exploring Mexico with the kids will be up soon.
10. Many asked, Do Excursions provide car seats?
At times. Our stop in Progresso we did have a car seat arranged for us as we rode to the Archaeological site of the Mayapan, The Cenote and the Hacienda. Video from our experiences from Progresso Port will be up soon so be sure to subscribe. But be sure to check with the excursion company before hand. We have a easily portable bump inflatable car seat BubbleBum Backless Inflatable Travel Booster Car Seat, Black
Bonus tips and things to keep in mind.
Keep in mind the biggest challenge on traveling with kids and babies is the same challenges you have with them at home. There will still be occasional fits and there will still be dirty diapers You will have these challenges no matter where your location. So don’t let kids prevent you from traveling. The rewards are totally worth it.
SNACKS!
There are milk cartons available at breakfast grab some extra to put on your rooms fridge. Also there are small cereal boxes so grab some extra of those for snacks throughout the day.
We limit our boys screen time but there are times we let our boys use the tablet. We found it helpful while waiting for dinner or waiting for a show to start. Little ones don’t like sitting still for long.
I’ve never been on a cruise before but it seems like such a fun way to spend a vacation! I don’t have kids yet but it sounds like this is an easier way of traveling with kids because there’s so much to do and they can’t exactly get lost when trapped on a boat!
I think a cruise would be a great trip to go on with young kids. These questions cleared up a lot of things for anyone going on their first family cruise.
Some of the cruise ships now are so well set up for families. Great tips for a first time cruiser taking their kids here – I’d want to know about things like car seats
great post to show that travel is possible with young kids! A cruise actually seems like a pretty ideal way to travel with kids since all the activities are pretty much planned out for you and on the boat you have all the amenities you need
We live just around the corner from Cocoa Beach where a lot of Disney cruises leave from. I hear that kids have a great time. We were always a bit leery of ball pits and the sort so kids cruises would put us on full germ alert. Glad to hear that you all had a great time.
This is a really interesting post. My brother just had his first baby and they were thinking of doing a cruise. It’s good to know that they need to wait at least 4 more months before they take Cooper on board. I’m definitely sending them this post.
I know a child with special needs and his doctor advised that the water helps him calm, so taking him to a cruise will be such a great idea! Im so happy reading this! We will definitely plan our cruise soon!
My parents took me and my younger brother on a cruise when I was a kid and I remember having such a blast. They do such a great job of designing the kid activities. I would definitely consider doing one when I have kids of my own.
Oh my gosh, I can’t imagine cruising with a child that has motion sickness! That would be the worst, thank goodness it didn’t happen to you. Great tip to grab cereal boxes for snacks throughout the day
That is a useful post for these are common queries to get your kids on a cruise. They are not so well documented and it always helps to get the answers from someone who has been there and done that. Am sure a lot of people will be bookmarking this.