Taking a cruise is a nice idea if you want to focus on relaxing and planning set activities for your kid(s). With a cruise, you’ll have a set amount of time to explore a particular city that you’ve docked in. The ship will likely have plenty of activities and food whenever you want it.

The key downsides for us are the sizes of the room and the risk of illness and being hard to pivot your trip.

Why take a cruise with a baby?

There are a few reasons that so many families consider cruising with their children under 2!

Tons of activities

Being on a cruise offers ENDLESS activities for the whole family, as well as meal schedules, entertainment, predetermined stops at ports and an itinerary. While most things to do on the cruise (or off) are most appreciated as 18-24 month old activities, toddlers on the upper end of the 12-18 month age range may also be able to enjoy the cruise ship itself if they’re walking by that point.

It’s really for the parents!

For young babies, they’re just coming along for the cruise, and parents can enjoy what they like best, from being at the pool, to shopping and getting off at port cities.

Low stress factor

Cruises are low-stress, if you choose to embrace the cruise travel style: meals are always available and many have children’s play areas or amusements. Your cabin is most likely cleaned by housekeeping every day (or you can opt out), which is helpful.

Escape the cold winter

For families who live in places that get winter weather, cruises are a great way to escape cold temperatures with your little one. Similar to the experience with an all-inclusive resort, you can get your child some sun and longer days during snowy or frigid months.

Benefit from babysitting

Some cruises have babysitting services for children older than 6 months! Check with your cruise operator to see if this is available.

What to consider on cruises with a baby

Cruising is a special type of travel. While super popular with families, going with a baby is an experience that requires a few ground expectations:

Very small cabin rooms

The rooms (cabins) on cruise ships are very small: unless you’ve upgraded to a luxury room, you likely will have a tiny cruise cabin and hopefully a tiny bit of room for a bassinet or travel crib in the walking areas. Some traveling families book 2 rooms and have one parent in the room.

Our opinion: We wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving our daughter in a room alone in the case of an emergency, so we’d opt to have the crib or bassinet in our room. This happens to be what you’ll be used to if you’re managing baby sleep at 0-3 months on your trip.

Tip! It is ideal to book a room with a balcony so that mom and dad can step out to relax while baby is sleeping in the cabin during nap times.

Few “escapes”

There’s not much “escape” during “Days at Sea:”

  • Make sure you are down for the days spent on the ship (time will probably fly by because you have a baby with you).
  • In extremely bad weather at sea, the ship’s activities may be limited and you may be asked to remain in the interior of the ship, with outdoor activities being reopened when the coast is clear.

Frequent housekeeping

Housekeeping comes often on cruises, and that can be part of the experience. While twice-a-day housekeeping was once normal on cruises (daily housekeeping plus turn-down service), things are changing and once-a-day or even opt-out housekeeping may be the norm on the cruise you take.

Note: If you ever want to opt out of any housekeeping services in order to have flexibility time in the room with the baby (naps, jet lagged sleep schedules, etc.) or request a specific type of day, talk to the housekeeping team on your cruise.