Singing I love it when we’re cruising together! Okay, JK, that statement is not accurate, not even kinda. We wanted a logistically easy trip that would not involve trying to keep a baby quiet on the plane or trying to keep a baby quiet in the car/bus. The perfect solution, (besides staying home), we thought would be a cruise. When I tell you we were so wrong, I mean it! We call this particular cruise experience, a work trip, cause that is exactly what we did. There are several variables that could have made this trip better, but it seriously was a series of unfortunate events. I feel like cruising is even less user friendly than driving honestly. But the more you do it, I’m sure the better it is. The whole process from checking in, to dining, to disembarking was just so not clearly conveyed (in my opinion). I cannot imagine doing it without a cruise planner (we used Sheree with cruise planners, she is amazing and came highly recommended from our cruise extraordinaire friends). This was my husband and I’s second cruise but first time with the kids.
So you may be wondering, why was it so bad? I think I will discuss that vs giving a how-to/tips (as I am not an expert and barely understood how we did anything).
For starters, 1 year olds like to roam and be free. They touch and put everything in their mouth. That is not an option on a cruise ship. My son tried to roam, and every-time he was approached by a crew ship member or an elderly looking puzzled as to where his parents were, plus nothing is child proof. My son ended up getting sick from trying to sample various parts of the ship. Sick baby makes for sleepless nights, and being all in the same room with a sick baby, means team no sleep for everyone.
The dining experience would have been my favorite part if we did not have to worry about wrangling in our 5 year old and 1 year old, emphasis on the 1 year old. We did not get the WiFi + surfing package (which cost a lung), which is usually our iPad (Baby Einstein) is our lifesaver during dinner when we are out, so we had to rely on non-tech options (did not work). How in the world did our parents and their parents do it? Or parents who don’t allow tech do it? My youngest is very vocal, very active, and hasn’t shown any interest in a single toy-to-date, so I think this is one of those variables that if were different, it could possibly make the experience more manageable. There is a nursery, but with him being sick, he had to be cleared prior to being able to use it. It’s safe to say that we’re at that point where we don’t eat out much, at least not by our choice…for now.
The excursions were my favorite part. I am very active and when we travel, we maximize our time. The time spent confined on a boat with 2 littles, almost felt like we were just wasting time and trying to keep them alive and entertained with very minimal resources. For the first stop, we really wanted a beach. We waited until too late to book excursions so we ended up having to work through the cruise line. The only option, was beach stay with open bar. The issue is that we had to pay $60 for our 5 year old, plus our fees ($70). We bit the bullet because we thought it would be a good opportunity for the boys to just be free and enjoy the sand and water (which was brown, only along the stretch of our beach area). The food was very basic options (minus the fancy fried fish pictured below) and cost $20 per meal. It was totally not $20 per meal quality. To make matters worse, we got rained on and only got to enjoy less than 2 hours of the beach. The guides told us that it hardly ever rains! It was just our luck that it did. I do think that Costa Maya is a potentially a great stop! The check in area is full of shops and dining, pool, live music, and dolphins that you can swim with ($$). If you want to save money, you could honestly just stay there, but there is no actual beach access, only the view of the ocean that is separated by large rocks.
The Tulum excursion was a better experience! The only drawback was the fast Windjet Ferry that transfers you from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen. My whole family got sick. I was fortunately okay, but it seriously rocks hard. So if you have any sensitivity to motion, plan accordingly. Despite this, my husband and I both agree that this was a great choice. The ruins itself were incredible and educational. If you have a small kid, definitely bring something to push them in. There is tons of walking and they do have ramps to use instead of the stairs. People kept coming up to us asking if we rented our wagon. I think our collapsible wagon is the best thing we have purchased all year. It not only serves as a mode of transportation for the boys, but it is also a bench for us and a place for them to nap. It has a canopy so it protects them from the hot sun. Even in November, the weather was very warm in Mexico. They had rain come through there as well and despite using bug spray, I got bit at least 50 times.
The full day at sea back to Galveston (our port) was the LONGEST day ever. The weather was cool the entire time on the boat and it was very windy. They had to close the top deck. We did not want to spend any time in the pools due to the weather. That is one of the biggest amenities and source of entertainment on the ship, so it left us with limited options. We had to choose between napkin folding, trivia, or other activities like an art auction. None of which would make a baby or small kid happy. Just to add to our boredom, the Norovirus was going around, and I am pretty sure I caught it cause I spent a good part of the day/night on the toilet for days (TMI, sorry). It was brutal. Thankfully I was really prepared and brought an entire pharmacy which helped me keep things in some.
OMG the toilet and sinks, I don’t know how I forgot those two issues. The toilet smelled like old pee or like my son had missed the toilet (boy moms know this smell). No matter how much our stateroom attendant came in to clean it, it still carried this smell. The sink does not drain the water instantly, so it builds up in the bowl. This makes for a very difficult experience to wash toddler cups. Blake loves these munchkin straw cups that are so very hard to clean. It was just such a rough combo. At some point Blake puked all over Paul and our booth at dining, and I think this may have been related to either some sour milk that we missed on the cup. It was rough! Our stateroom attendant and all the staff were amazing though!
This post has been pretty negative, and I apologize for that, but I just want to outline clearly why we struggled with the trip. I think what we learned most was if we do this again, to bring more family/friends. We felt very much alone and it was hard to let lose and enjoy ourselves as we were constantly on guard and trying to entertain our kids with limited tools. Perhaps waiting until the kids are older, is a better solution as well. Ethan did go to the kids club (potty trained and up) for a few hours over the course of the cruise, which he enjoyed. Had we not waited to purchase excursions so last minute, we could have not only saved money, but also had more options. Being disconnected from the outside was bittersweet. We really got to spend quality time together and I could tell my kids really appreciated that (well for sure my oldest did). On the other hand, we felt very removed, it was too many days to be unplugged. The last day we bit the bullet and got internet for day and this was same day we put Blake in the nursery so we could enjoy a peaceful meal (love you Blake). Last mistake or lesson learned is that we booked a smaller boat (5 day cruise) so that naturally means less amenities. We really wanted to do a short duration to test it out. My husband is for sure sick at sea, but we were unsure about the kids. I bet a bigger boat would have all the fancy stuff that ours did not. Another option would be trying out a Disney cruise, but everything Disney is just so expensive. We do plan to go on one for my sister’s birthday in a couple years, so will have to mentally prepare myself.
We have no regrets, we needed to experience it at least once. For now we will stick to traveling by air or land. What is your experience with cruising? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I do realize that I may have a very unpopular opinion this, but nonetheless, it’s how we feel from the experience.
As always, thanks for reading, XOXO.
There’s a formal night with professional photographers. Here’s our pic from it!