Cruise with young twins

[Garyjames220]

Hey

so we have identical twins arriving in March and we are planning a cruise in may or sept 2022 with Disney or royal haven’t decided yet

if it’s May they will be 13 months old. Do you think the cruise can still be enjoyable or is it just to young. Really need a holiday after all these lockdowns here in Uk

we have a bugaboo donkey twin stroller and wanted advice on this as it does look quite big. Also how often do you really end up using this on a cruise and looks hard work

We plan in doing a weeks cruise next year and 2 weeks in Disney as well. May and the other one in sept/Oct time. Any advice in which one you would do first?

any other tips would be great too

 

[lisa3635]

I didn’t have twins, but had 2 close together. I found we preferred to each push a stroller instead of the double on vacation. I think this would be even easier on a cruise because of the narrow hallways. We took one of our girls on a cruise at 11 months and it was ok, it was more enjoyable when she was about 18 months though.

 

[Chrislovesdisney]

Hey

so we have identical twins arriving in March and we are planning a cruise in may or sept 2022 with Disney or royal haven’t decided yet

if it’s May they will be 13 months old. Do you think the cruise can still be enjoyable or is it just to young. Really need a holiday after all these lockdowns here in Uk

we have a bugaboo donkey twin stroller and wanted advice on this as it does look quite big. Also how often do you really end up using this on a cruise and looks hard work

We plan in doing a weeks cruise next year and 2 weeks in Disney as well. May and the other one in sept/Oct time. Any advice in which one you would do first?

any other tips would be great too

I think anything is possible. Disney is great with young kids, pre-COVID, helping you out at buffets, at meals, etc. My daughter was a little older, 18 mos. There’s a million tips on these boards for travel with babies (such as getting hanging organizers, what type of bibs to pack, etc) . Key for me would be stateroom - I loved having a verandah to sit on while my toddler napped. I’d recommend two cheap umbrella strollers, which will fit through the halls. Having said all of that, it’s hard to know how a vacation will go not knowing your children’s temperaments. I knew my daughter could hold her own at a table for an hour long dinner and that she’d be okay with a 2-hour drop off at the nursery one or two times so we could squeeze in a massage and a dip in the adult pool. She was always able to fall asleep and nap anywhere. So when she was 6 months, we felt okay booking the cruise a year out. If she was a more temperamental baby like my older daughter was from day 1, we wouldn’t have attempted it til she was a little older. Just putting out there some considerations!

 

[martikus]

Traveling with young kids is hard. And the amount of stuff they need at that age (diapers etc). And if they are just learning to walk think how hard a cruise would be. Keep in mind too most pool areas don’t allow diapered kids.

I also can’t imagine that long a flight to Disney with kids that age. The saying is true - when you travel with kids it’s a trip. Without kids it’s a vacation.

If it were me I’d do a weeks vacation at a house somewhere instead where you can drive all the things you need, easy place for naps etc. but that’s just me

We didn’t take our son on first cruise until age 6 and had a blast.

Oh and if you do cruise+Disney always do cruise last. Gives a week to decompress after all the walking and running around at Disney.

 

[Garyjames220]

Traveling with young kids is hard. And the amount of stuff they need at that age (diapers etc). And if they are just learning to walk think how hard a cruise would be. Keep in mind too most pool areas don’t allow diapered kids.

I also can’t imagine that long a flight to Disney with kids that age. The saying is true - when you travel with kids it’s a trip. Without kids it’s a vacation.

If it were me I’d do a weeks vacation at a house somewhere instead where you can drive all the things you need, easy place for naps etc. but that’s just me

We didn’t take our son on first cruise until age 6 and had a blast.

Oh and if you do cruise+Disney always do cruise last. Gives a week to decompress after all the walking and running around at Disney.

thanks your your tips. Well we are still wanting to try to two big trips a year As live is short and waiting until 6 for example is quite a while when we both love Disney and cruises so we would like to try and find ways of making it work

 

[CaLuCa]

I took my twins when they were just past their second birthday. I was also 20 weeks pregnant with a surprise baby. My ILs went as well, which should have helped and made a smoother experience, but in reality it was just another two people to take care of and help (they are not elderly, just incompetent, for instance, after the cruise DH had to fly out of MCO for a work meeting and got to take the Cruise Line bus while I had to load all our luggage, buckle the babies in their car seats while my FIL sat in the car waiting for me to drive the 7+ hours home). I desperately wanted a break. I had these two, a husband who worked constantly and had also spent 3 months of their lives living in another state for work, and we were on our two multi-state moves within 4 years. I wanted to be able to finish a meal and take a nap. Neither of these things happened. My expectations were too high. While it was a fun time and we have sweet pictures and I did get to enjoy good food (just not always warm or while without holding a baby), it was way more work than I imagined.

We went on another one (guess I must have liked it somewhat) when that surprise baby was 27 months and the twins were a few months short of five. ILs also came again and I experienced the same thing to an even greater scale with them this time (I have since learned my lesson.) This cruise was still challenging, as my kids didn't like the kids club (they had very little experience in large group settings and the chaotic nature of the clubs was overwhelming for them), but I had lower expectations and fewer bucket list things I HAD to do.

About the parks, I took the twins when they were 20 months the first time. The surprise baby when he was 9 months. At this point we lived 7+ hours away and drove. I adore the parks. I love bringing babies and toddlers to the parks...All ages! I've watched my kids (twins are now 10) grow up with Disney and see the magic (current situation is not wowing them...we went 2 weeks ago and they were dismayed by some missing features, mainly preshows for some rides). I think navigating the parks with infants and toddlers is easier than a cruise. I knew all the secret corners to nurse them. I loved their faces on Small World and Peter Pan.

For strollers, I do not think the Donkey would work in the hallways. I would recommend looking at a tandem stroller. I am out of the stroller game, but we had a City Select tandem. Honestly, I would rent a stroller when you got here. Bugaboos are quite nice, and between the flights, luggage transfers, and those horrid rumors of expensive strollers walking off by themselves at Disney and showing up on Craig's list or FB marketplace, I would feel sick if I lost it.

You are asking a lot of 13 or 18 month olds. A very long flight. A three week adventure that will rock their schedules. Please do not take this as a don't go, because I firmly believe in families connecting over travel and I believe in simply a change of scenery can improve the soul. I took our olderr daughter overseas to Germany when she was 2.5, and she was super easy to travel with; she also did Mexico at 9 months and 20 months, and Hawaii just after her third birthday. She was a fantastic traveler, but my twins were a wreck (well, just the girl. The boy could have been okay; his sister was just a mess...but she potty trained herself at two and learned to cook during lockdown so now I get breakfast in bed.) Just tamper your expectations. I would maybe do a trial run of something closer to home before you need to make final payment.

Congratulations on your babies! I still look at mine and wonder how 10 years have passed.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I will warn you that the kids you think you will have will not be the kids you actually have.

It is okay to dream big, but you may very well find that two big trips with air travel and all of the attendant car seats and baby food and shift feeding of twins, combined with child temperament, is not fun.

And if that happens, it is not a failing of you, or your kids. It is just life.

With twins there are added factors beyond what might happen with a singleton, too. NICU time is not uncommon, and they are often smaller at birth.

Add in that infants are not going to be approved for vaccine, and your physician may urge avoidance of air travel for a while.

 

[Cheburashka]

if it’s May they will be 13 months old. Do you think the cruise can still be enjoyable or is it just to young. Really need a holiday after all these lockdowns here in Uk

Congratulations on your twins! How exciting!

As a mother I'll say that I don't think a cruise with two 1 year-olds will be worthwhile, no. They'll be too young to get into the Disney magic (likely would just be scared of the characters), and they will need intensive attention from you throughout the entire trip. If you can convince a willing and capable relative (like a doting grandparent who already often babysits) to cruise with you (at your expense), then that might be a way to make the cruise worthwhile.

In general I recommend a local vacation while they're so young. Something that won't require any long flights. A trip to the countryside or the beach would be ideal. I would wait until at least age 3 for a Disney parks trip. I would wait until they've proven they're content going off to childcare without you for a few hours at a time until taking them on a Disney cruise (assuming you can't bring your childcare with you).

Being a parent is such a wonder, that your current desire to travel frequently might wane for a while as you experience the joy and challenge of caring for two babies.

 

[gotomu212]

We are big proponents of traveling with little ones, but there are some trips that are better than others. Specifically for DCL my daughter went at 6 months 1 day, 16 months, and 2 years old (we don’t normally cruise THAT often but a few things got smooshed together).

The cruise when she was small and still carried everywhere and sleeping was the easiest. Once she was mobile but too little to understand walk next to me/don’t eat that/yuck no touch was harder. Especially when they get to the still carried but weighing more stage because there are so many stairs and long hallways (and with a few exceptions strollers are just really unworkable on the ship-good for excursions though). Personally, I’ve also been disappointed in the offerings for the toddler age group onboard- too young for the clubs, but short of a small mat area there was nothing for them to play with, climb on, etc. Open House times would allow them so play space but it’s not geared to their age and ends up not fitting their development.

The other hard thing about cruising with toddlers, is you’re almost always “in public”. We had one angelic very well behaved toddler and then later one that was very very sweet but umm very much a terrible two toddler. She did much better on trips that were more independent, nature based, family exploring than one where you are trying to go to meals, shows, characters, small cabins. It’s hard to know where your kids fall but before a transatlantic flight, I’d figure out if you have kids that are the “go to sleep anytime in movement” sort or they “i cannot be contained to this plane seat for more than 1 hour” sort. And full disclosure one of those cruises was a TA and involved transatlantic flights so not my first rodeo as they say.

 

[Garyjames220]

We are big proponents of traveling with little ones, but there are some trips that are better than others. Specifically for DCL my daughter went at 6 months 1 day, 16 months, and 2 years old (we don’t normally cruise THAT often but a few things got smooshed together).

The cruise when she was small and still carried everywhere and sleeping was the easiest. Once she was mobile but too little to understand walk next to me/don’t eat that/yuck no touch was harder. Especially when they get to the still carried but weighing more stage because there are so many stairs and long hallways (and with a few exceptions strollers are just really unworkable on the ship-good for excursions though). Personally, I’ve also been disappointed in the offerings for the toddler age group onboard- too young for the clubs, but short of a small mat area there was nothing for them to play with, climb on, etc. Open House times would allow them so play space but it’s not geared to their age and ends up not fitting their development.

The other hard thing about cruising with toddlers, is you’re almost always “in public”. We had one angelic very well behaved toddler and then later one that was very very sweet but umm very much a terrible two toddler. She did much better on trips that were more independent, nature based, family exploring than one where you are trying to go to meals, shows, characters, small cabins. It’s hard to know where your kids fall but before a transatlantic flight, I’d figure out if you have kids that are the “go to sleep anytime in movement” sort or they “i cannot be contained to this plane seat for more than 1 hour” sort. And full disclosure one of those cruises was a TA and involved transatlantic flights so not my first rodeo as they say.

well the cruise we were going to do would be in Europe so about a three hour flight for us

 

[Chemist]

Its funny, usually all these threads are about how easy it is cruising with children.

When I was 18 months we flew back to Europe because my grandmother was dying. I didn't sleep the entire plane ride over, NOR the 6 hour train ride. I was a lovely child.

My oldest child didn't learn to sleep outside his room (or daycare) until he was 7 or 8. I sincerely wish I were kidding.

That being said... I have a picky eater, and I am so thankful that we can cruise and there is ALWAYS something available for him to eat. (I'm afraid to try and travel with him, as his diet is SO limited. And he gets MAD when he's hungry. Its him, his older brother eats anything.)

 

[Junebug1029]

I think with the amount you spend on the Disney cruise, you want everyone to remember it and appreciate it. Not saying you won’t have fun or make special memories, but your twins would be happy with your local park.

 

[Garyjames220]

I think with the amount you spend on the Disney cruise, you want everyone to remember it and appreciate it. Not saying you won’t have fun or make special memories, but your twins would be happy with your local park.

yeah But only thing is we don’t want our holidays in the local park

 

[Garyjames220]

Its funny, usually all these threads are about how easy it is cruising with children.

When I was 18 months we flew back to Europe because my grandmother was dying. I didn't sleep the entire plane ride over, NOR the 6 hour train ride. I was a lovely child.

My oldest child didn't learn to sleep outside his room (or daycare) until he was 7 or 8. I sincerely wish I were kidding.

That being said... I have a picky eater, and I am so thankful that we can cruise and there is ALWAYS something available for him to eat. (I'm afraid to try and travel with him, as his diet is SO limited. And he gets MAD when he's hungry. Its him, his older brother eats anything.)

yeah I was thinking that to.
I was looking more for tips rather than everyone saying wait until there older

we can go when there older to anyway. We rather find ways to make it work than not do nice holidays for years and years. We are still in full lockdown here in the uk and a holiday can’t come fast enough lol

 

[AnnaS]

I will say good luck if you decide to go on your cruise. Who knows, the cruise might be better/a bit easier than Disney. I don't think the kids will pay a fare that young but wether or not it's worth it to you, is all up to what are you expecting out of it. For our Bermuda cruise two years ago, I met a young family with three little kids (one was a baby) - and I was in awe at her bravery lol and admired her for it. No family help. Was it worth it? I don't know. I have three kids (all adults now) - but I never cruised with them that young and no twins.

My son has taken his two twin boys (they will turn 4 soon) and their older sister (she will be 7 soon) and he also had the help of both sets of grandparents - us. Well I was there for the second trip but not much help since I had my daughter's wedding in Disney and was really busy and this trip we stayed at different resorts.

Flying with car seats, double stroller, another stroller for my granddaughter, diaper bag, etc. was a lot of work. My granddaughter was on a few trips with them before the twin boys came. The first trip with the twins, they were about 6 months old - they realized right away that that trip was going to be different and decided that after the wedding trip (they were about 18 months then) - they were going to wait until they were a few years older. He realized on their first trip that TS meals were out for a while. They did some adult TS while us parents watched the kids. They can really use a break.

It can be done and there are many many happy and great moments but it was a lot work. My son has been a ton of times and are also DVC members. Last summer they did something closer to home - Hershey. They will most likely go back to Disney after COVID - my son is tempted to go to Disney with my granddaughter - daddy and daughter trip - and use his points.

If you are coming from the UK - you will be coming for two weeks for each trip? Your resort will be your home. Try to follow the kids' schedule as much as possible even if you have to miss things. Their naps are very important. You will have two kids - not three - so I can see it being a little easier than what we experienced. Try not to bring too much. Have grocery delivery (diapers/wipes/baby food). We/they have no regrets - it was a great trip and we now laugh about certain moments. The airport was comical.

 

[Garyjames220]

I will say good luck if you decide to go on your cruise. Who knows, the cruise might be better/a bit easier than Disney. I don't think the kids will pay a fare that young but wether or not it's worth it to you, is all up to what are you expecting out of it. For our Bermuda cruise two years ago, I met a young family with three little kids (one was a baby) - and I was in awe at her bravery lol and admired her for it. No family help. Was it worth it? I don't know. I have three kids (all adults now) - but I never cruised with them that young and no twins.

My son has taken his two twin boys (they will turn 4 soon) and their older sister (she will be 7 soon) and he also had the help of both sets of grandparents - us. Well I was there for the second trip but not much help since I had my daughter's wedding in Disney and was really busy and this trip we stayed at different resorts.

Flying with car seats, double stroller, another stroller for my granddaughter, diaper bag, etc. was a lot of work. My granddaughter was on a few trips with them before the twin boys came. The first trip with the twins, they were about 6 months old - they realized right away that that trip was going to be different and decided that after the wedding trip (they were about 18 months then) - they were going to wait until they were a few years older. He realized on their first trip that TS meals were out for a while. They did some adult TS while us parents watched the kids. They can really use a break.

It can be done and there are many many happy and great moments but it was a lot work. My son has been a ton of times and are also DVC members. Last summer they did something closer to home - Hershey. They will most likely go back to Disney after COVID - my son is tempted to go to Disney with my granddaughter - daddy and daughter trip - and use his points.

If you are coming from the UK - you will be coming for two weeks for each trip? Your resort will be your home. Try to follow the kids' schedule as much as possible even if you have to miss things. Their naps are very important. You will have two kids - not three - so I can see it being a little easier than what we experienced. Try not to bring too much. Have grocery delivery (diapers/wipes/baby food). We/they have no regrets - it was a great trip and we now laugh about certain moments. The airport was comical.

thanks for the tips

disney world would be 15 nights and the cruise would be 7 nights and 3 nights in a hotel before it but the cruise would be from europe so it’s about a 3 hour flight for us

we are thinking the cruise might be best at 13 months and Disney at 20 months

 

[AnnaS]

thanks for the tips

disney world would be 15 nights and the cruise would be 7 nights and 3 nights in a hotel before it but the cruise would be from europe so it’s about a 3 hour flight for us

we are thinking the cruise might be best at 13 months and Disney at 20 months

It can be done. Have you cruised before? Have you been to Disney? It's all good as long as your expectations are not high - with or without kids/in general/in life - and you won't be disappointed or worry if it's worth it. Example - if you want to have a TS meal, see a show - know that this might not happen. You will know that diapers will be changed constantly, poop will come right after you stop to take a few minutes after you changed one/them. Then 10 minutes later, the other one will poop, lol. Do you plan on keeping them on the same feeding and napping schedule (at home)? My dil did - there were times that I thought it was strange but it helped and made things easier for her in the long run. She does this on vacations too. Same schedule. You will find what works for you. Just don't stress over the little things.

If you get the opportunity to go and can go, go. We are all in need of a get away. Forgot to add my congratulations. They have a ton of things now to help with twins.

 

[Garyjames220]

It can be done. Have you cruised before? Have you been to Disney? It's all good as long as your expectations are not high - with or without kids/in general/in life - and you won't be disappointed or worry if it's worth it. Example - if you want to have a TS meal, see a show - know that this might not happen. You will know that diapers will be changed constantly, poop will come right after you stop to take a few minutes after you changed one/them. Then 10 minutes later, the other one will poop, lol. Do you plan on keeping them on the same feeding and napping schedule (at home)? My dil did - there were times that I thought it was strange but it helped and made things easier for her in the long run. She does this on vacations too. Same schedule. You will find what works for you. Just don't stress over the little things.

If you get the opportunity to go and can go, go. We are all in need of a get away. Forgot to add my congratulations. They have a ton of things now to help with twins.

yeah we have some about 4 cruise and been to Disney quite a few times now. We were there in dec 2019 at AKL for our honeymoon and then a cruise after it which was amazing

we are hoping to have the Disney dining plan so when you say a TS meal may not happen, is it not more about trying to get them to settle we will need to eat still


we are hoping they just nap in the stroller. They won’t be used to the heat etc so they might sleep no bother in the stroller. Well lets hope so anyway.

 

[AnnaS]

yeah we have some about 4 cruise and been to Disney quite a few times now. We were there in dec 2019 at AKL for our honeymoon and then a cruise after it which was amazing

we are hoping to have the Disney dining plan so when you say a TS meal may not happen, is it not more about trying to get them to settle we will need to eat still


we are hoping they just nap in the stroller. They won’t be used to the heat etc so they might sleep no bother in the stroller. Well lets hope so anyway.

With the sit down meals - you just never know what you will get from one child or two. My son normally does all TS meals in the evening - When he first went with all three, he found out on the first TS meal - we were together - that his ADR's with the kids was not going to work lol. We were at Via Napoli. Even though they are always prepared with bottles/snacks, food, covers for the table and high chairs - by the time the food came, they had to leave. My husband and I stayed and we brought them pizza when we finished. They cancelled some of their ADRs. They left two and we babysat the kids those nights.

My other grandson - (he will be two end of next month) - he slept through all our meals (he was 7 months). You just never know. Give it a try and go for it. If they are not cranky/screaming, impatient - you are good. You won't know until you try.

Try to keep them in the shade as much as you can. We had a lot of rain one May - extra work covering strollers, staying dry. Kids and adult bodies don't cool off. Lot's of water. Have fun planning. Prepare and you will be fine

 

[vegs1]

Congratulations on your impending arrivals! Such exciting news for you.

You sound like you really want to do the cruise. So....do it! You can at least for now put a hold on one and then decide later. I’m not sure if you have other children or not but if not, you may find in the next few months that parenthood is THE easiest walk in the park and your children are absolute angels OR you may learn that parenting two infants is a lot of work, tiring, and just a lot happens. The traits of your children coupled with realizing how much “stuff”they require may make you want a land vacation instead - perhaps to a cottage or something close by.

Cruising is a lot of fun but it sounds like you know that. Many people bring young kids and make it happen because they want to and have realistic expectations. One thing to remember is they can’t go in the pools and their sleep habits mean you will be in the cabin a lot.

Would you be able to bring your parents or in-laws along? We have been invited to go with my kids and grandchildren many times. We enjoy our time with the kids and let the parents have time out on their own. We pitch in and help, have sleepovers in our cabin, take them to meals and change many a diaper. If the littles get fussy at mealtime, we take them and just go and eat later. Maybe your family or your partner’s family would be willing to do the same?

I think you should go if that is what you want to do. You’re right, life is too short and it certainly passes by very quickly. As long as you know what to expect, you’ll be fine.