I would pack a seperate suitcase for the baby. Put all the diapers (at least 10 per day) in the suitcase along with the clothes and a few favorite toys. If you have to fly, I'd pack a few new toys for the plane trip to help keep his interest for a bit. As far as making up the bottles, the ship is very accomodating when it comes to babies. You can call ahead to make sure a high chair will be available at your table when you arrive (and for the duration of the cruise) We always pack a suitcase with sodas and water for ourselves so you can do the same. That way you'll always have water available for the bottles. In the dinning room, they will bring you warm water every time if you ask so you can make the bottle up right there (or before you leave if it's not time for one yet) You can even get warm water all over the ship wherever they serve coffee. There's always a cafeteria/grill type of set up available 24/7 so you can get warm water there. You can do laundry on the ship and you can get quarters for the laundry from the pursers desk as well as laundry soap (in the gift shop) although I'd buy a few of the small travel boxes from the store and throw it in with the baby's stuff. Baths are a little tricky...you can use the sink in the bathroom or just put him in the shower with you or dad. Just remember you can have 2 bags per person so you should have no problem bringing along any extras you think you might need.
Michelle
a.k.a cruise-a-holic..lol
If you need to bring jarred food - we did because we wanted organic and certain types - you can put them in a stack (we did a stack per day) and wrap with one layer of the big-bubble wrap secured up the length with packing tape and on the ends with twist ties. You can place a grocery order with the local Whole Foods and have a family member pick up your items to be wrapped and packed in your hard-sided suitcase before getting on the ship. Diapers make good cushioning for the jars too. Powdered laundry soap can be pre-measured and put into those formula dispensers if you think you'll be doing multiple loads. Baby cereal can be pre-measured in those dispensers too. Use the ship's dishes and utensils whenever possible but be sure to bring some Tupperware or those reusable/tossable toddler containers and utensils for you outings. Bring a dish brush with the soap loaded into the handle so you can do the dishes in your room and bring a large lingerie net bag and a hanger to use as your "drying rack". Bumkins makes reusable lightweight bibs that can be wiped clean and air dry quickly - we loved the one with the long sleeves for saving on multiple wardrobe changes. If the ship is providing a portacrib you might want to bring your own packNplay linens - including a waterproof pad... so you aren't scrambling for a re-make in the middle of the night due to diaper failure. Worst case scenario just have a small waterproof pad so you can put it on top of the wet spot and get your little one back to sleep quickly. I carried my son in a sling at 13mos through the airport while pushing the stroller full of our carry-ons... the sling and the hip hammock were my two best resources for kiddo transport when I needed my hands free or the streets were too bumpy to push a stroller in Mexico. For small-folding strollers I love our combi... it's lightweight and has a fantastic recline and sunshade and even has a small basket as well as a cup holder for me :)
OK everyone has great advice... the only thing I didn't see is vacuum pack your diapers. If you have a vacuum sealer it smashes diapers super thin and you can pack a day's worth in each bag. My friend did this when she went to Albania and it worked great! Have a great time, and relax... you don't need as much stuff as you think!
Hi Emily,
I took my son on a cruise when he was 6 mos and it was fine. I was still breastfeeding and did not need to mix water with formula, however, they allow you to take water so you may want to bring your own safe bottled water. I know they sell some at baby stores that are sterilized. I tried to bring a kettle to boil water to clean bottles, pacifiers but that was a no-no. Had to leave it at port. Thank goodness the sink water in the bathroom was scalding hot and that is what I used. It doesn't sound so great but it was very handy. Otherwise, I have no idea where I would have gone to wash these items. It was even so hot, I heated the stored breast milk in a wine glass. Lots of improvision is needed. They had a crib we borrowed so I didn't have to bring the Play and Pack. Made our cabin VERY tight but, again, it was worth having the baby with me. We drove to port down south and I too, brought everything! It was way too much, he didn't need all the toys, diapers I brought. We bought wipes in Mexico which was fine. My ship had no baby food. You may ask for mashed food at the dining room. Otherwise, bring a masher yourself. We held the baby in our arms for showering with a towel wrapped around him for safety-was fine. There are laundry facilities on cruise ships, don't worry. Might even be better than over packing (since you are flying). I, again, brought way too much clothes for my son. I did bring a stroller which helped alot. It folded up and we put into closet when in room because we were very cramped. We had a lot of fun though. We were with family also which is always a great help. Have fun!!
Great stuff from other commenters, just a couple of thoughts:
- The tap water is absolutely safe to drink. But as always, only run the cold water.
- Princess ships generally have showers rather than tubs, and unfortunately the shower heads are usually affixed to the wall. Your best bet may be to sit on the floor of the shower with your son and use a washcloth.
- Princess doesn't allow a 10 month olds in the pool. Only a very few ships (Disney and a couple of the largest RCI ships) have kids' pools with the extra filtration needed to safely accommodate kids who aren't potty trained.
Have a great trip!
A big thank you to everyone who replied to my post. All the great advice really helped me organize for the trip and alleviate my anxiety. I spent a week organizing and packing, which paid off. I especially appreciated all the descriptions of amenities on the cruise (e.g. small shower size, infants not allowed in pools, etc). Armed with that info I was able to prepare by buying things like an inflatable bathtub (which fit perfectly and really helped alot). We ended up having a great cruise vacation with the extended family. Thanks again mamasource!!