Cruising with a very small infant

[Anonymous]

Am I crazy?

We have an invite to a wedding at the end of May. I'm due in mid-April. It would be a 7 day cruise on Carnival to the Bahamas. If we bought travel insurance (in case our infant was born sick, and we had to cancel, or I was still in active recovery from a C section) and could work out the details, is it so crazy to think we could go on a cruise with a 4-6 week old?

The way I look at it? Someone else cleaning up, cooking, interesting things to see, go, do - we get a balcony cabin, a stroller and a carrier, and we're all set.

Plus - from what I can tell, outside of port taxes, you do not have to pay for an infant on Carnival cruises.

[Anonymous]

Sounds dreadful...waking in the middle of the night, germs. There is no way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sounds dreadful...waking in the middle of the night, germs. There is no way.

Gotta ditto that. It would not be at all restful.

[Anonymous]

the germs alone keep me away from cruises in general - let alone with a newborn...

if you really want to go can you fly down to meet them in Bahamas for the actual wedding? or is the wedding on the boat?

[Anonymous]

Wedding is on the boat pre-disembarkation. So we could go to the wedding without going on the cruise.

In re: being restful - is it any less restful than being at home with the infant? Germs are a fair concern, but wouldn't commonsense precautions work just as well on a cruise as they do on public transit?

[Anonymous]

L0ok very carefully at the terms of any travel insurance policy before you buy it... pregnancy likely would be considered a preexisting condition, so if a c-section recovery is your reason for cancelling, that may not be covered by the insurance.

[Anonymous]

OP, are you planning to breastfeed? I myself would not want to do this because I prefer to breastfeed in private, and breastfeeding takes up a LOT of time with a baby that young. I would end up spending an awful lot of time in the cabin, which doesn't sound all that comfortable or appealing.

You go through a ton of diapers at that age, too, which I imagine would be challenging to manage on a ship. Also be wary of too much sun exposure for a little baby, because it won't be old enough to wear sunscreen yet. The germs thing would concern me too.

Bottom line -- if this were a destination wedding at a resort, where I had a spacious comfortable room and didn't have to interact with so many people in a confined space, I would go for it. But I would not do a cruise.

[Anonymous]

No way would I do it.

1. germs. Especially cruise ship germs. Lots of people don't like to travel on planes with babies this age because of the recycled air. On a ship you also have to think about norovirus and other gastrointestinal outbreaks. Also, lack of access to our family's doctors if necessary.

2. my comfort--when mine were newborns, I spent ages in our glider. Some friends had to bounce their baby to sleep by sitting on an exercise ball.

3. concerns about bothering people--babies cry a lot. In fact, they cry more and more each week, reaching their peak at about 6 weeks. I would be extremely self-conscious about my crying child in such an enclosed space.

4. laundry. Babies that age don't go through one outfit a day, which can then be placed in a dirty clothes bag. They soil their clothes in a serious way, sometimes pooping or peeing through 5-8 outfits a day. This is difficult enough to deal with at home!

[Anonymous]

I just posted something similar last week and DH found out the RC does not allow children under 6 months on a cruise. I think Carnival is 4 months. For me though, I was planning to decline for the main reason of being in the middle of the ocean with no access to a real hospital or my pediatrician. It's just too young, along with all of the other reasons above.

[Anonymous]

here's your answer from the carnival website...they've made the decision for you! There is a good reason why you shouldn't take an infant so young on a cruise.

Can I sail with my infant?

Minimum age for sailing is 6 months, with the exceptions of Transatlantic, Hawaii and South American cruises, which are 12 months.

This policy is in place due to the infant's vulnerable health. While at sea or in port the availability of medical care may be limited or delayed. Early infant care, in particular may require specialized diagnostic facilities and/or treatment that are not obtainable during the cruise on board the ship or ashore in ports of call.

Fly-Aweigh infants (6 to 23 months of age) will be charged the "Cruise-Only" rate as long as the infant sits on a parent's lap on the airplane. If an airline seat is requested by the parent, then the infant will be charged the standard Fly-Aweigh rate. When an infant reaches 24 months of age, an airline ticket is required by the airlines.

Standard cruise fare applies to booking of a minor.