🛳 Cruising With a Toddler: What I REGRET Packing🙅🏼‍♀️ (And Lessons Learned)

In a recent video, I showed everything I packed for 2 adults and a 1-year-old for a week-long cruise plus a day/night in NYC beforehand. Today, I'll tell you which of those things I'm SO glad I brought and which things I SO didn't need. Plus, I'll share some lessons I learned about cruising on the Norwegian Escape AND lessons learned cruising with a toddler!
SOME OF MY OTHER VIDEOS
WHAT I PACKED ON A CRUISE (WITH A TODDLER):
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CRUISE DOLLAR TREE/TARGET DOLLAR SPOT HAUL:
• 🚢 CRUISE DOLLAR TREE /...
BEST CARRY ON BAG EVER:
• BEST CARRY ON BAG EVER...
WHAT TO DO BEFORE LEAVING ON VACATION:
• WHAT TO DO BEFORE LEAV...
EMPTY HOUSE TOUR: tinyurl.com/yb...
EXTREME DEEP CLEAN: tinyurl.com/yc...
MY #1 ORGANIZATIONAL TOOL AND COUNTLESS WAYS I USE IT:
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ORGANIZATIONAL GAME CHANGERS
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HOW TO BECOME A MORNING PERSON
tinyurl.com/y9...
Pregnancy Must-Haves Video (Uncommon Tips + End of Pregnancy):
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Mommy Must Haves (0-3 Months) Video:
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How To Fix Broken Eyeshadow, Blush, or Bronzer Palettes
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Fit in 20 Minutes (My anytime, anywhere click-and-buy workout guide!)
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Cooking Without a Kitchen Cookbook:
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FTC DISCLAIMER This video and everything in it is not sponsored. I’d love if it were, and if that is the case with anything I share with you, I’ll be sure to let you know. All opinions are my own. If you’d like to team up and collaborate for a sponsored video, please email [e-mail].

[@simplyfunctional6451]

Also a tip on the mini fridge you can pre request to have your mini bar cleared out prior to boarding on any ship.

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

Great tip!

[@marcelaganem3310]

@@HeresWhyILikeIt how ?

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

@@marcelaganem3310 @simplyfunctional I'm sure you could ask your room steward once on board, but Simply Functional, do you have a tip on how to do that beforehand? Perhaps call the cruise line and request!

[@Beachandpool]

Awesome tip!

[@kanieshamartin5648]

I have watched videos for two weeks straight trying to find one like yours! We are going in September with our one year old and this helps so much!

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

@kaniesha martin you made my day! I'm so glad this helps! I have a couple other cruising videos where I talk about Dollar Tree/Target Dollar Spot things to bring (many apply to toddlers) and also what I packed (before I knew what I regretted ;) ). They're both linked in the description box of this video incase it helps!! You guys will have a blast this fall on your cruise!!

[@danielleroberts613]

We cruised with our 8month old on the NCL Encore February 2020. We had a blast and have already booked for NCL Escape February 2021. We brought a small stroller (contours bitsy in Canada) that could hold his bucket seat without an additional adaptor which made for easy travel in the airports and American taxis/shuttles. When we were at port we used a Tula baby carrier to keep him contained while getting to the beach in the buses/shuttles. I highly recommend this as they can fall asleep while you travel if they are tired. The compact stroller also made it easy to maneuver on the boat. It was narrow enough for the cabin hallways that you could make it past the cleaners carts! We brought muslin blankets and clips to provide shelter from sun/wind/reduce noise when in the stroller. Our guy likes his earmuffs so would use them in the evening. We got to Miami early enough we were able to purchase diapers/snacks/pouches at target so we didn’t need the extra space flying (just remember to bring enough to get you to your destination I almost forgot haha). We had a small collapsible duffle bag packed when we flew to put all this in to bring onto the ship. We had to bring his sterilizer for bottles and since it’s an electronic carry on the electric portion or it can be held up in screening, this happened to my moms travel steamer on our wedding and didn’t want to fight to get the sterilizer! If you do beach excursions we bought a baby floaty by Swimways Baby Spring Float Sun Canopy. The canopy was awesome to help shade the little ones. With the Encore we only got the drop in centre for under 3yrs which was awesome had a tonne of toys. We would visit 1-3 times a day to let the little one play, it was easy to do a 20min stop down in the guppies room. I’m excited to try out the drop off on the Escape when he is 20months next year, did you use it at all?

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

Danielle, these are all such great tips! I hope everyone sees your comment. We tried the child care with our toddler and unfortunately, he was nottttt having it and I'd frequently get calls to come back. Thankfully we traveled with a bunch of cousins who would babysit for us here and there :)!

[@alchemy-coach]

Yaaaasssss 🎉 Mama! I appreciate this! I am going to go buy more pouches now!

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

ALL THE POUCHES! 😂

[@torahfollowerc6603]

I am bringing 5 kids and these tips are awesome! I would never have thought to bring an inflatable bathtub. I will have a 1 year old as well and worried about bathtub in the shower

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

Ahhh I'm so glad it helped you! The inflatable tub worked out so well for us. I hope you guys have a great trip!!!

[@Honest_Mom]

Any tips on dining with a toddler? Aside from bringing things back to the room and the hub recommendations. Did the dining room and/or buffet have high chairs?

[@michaelgoedeker9697]

Wow!! Great tips! We are doing a cruise this April with our 16 month old and 3.5 year old

[@storytimewithkay]

We are going on the escape with our 1 year old next month and this video was super helpful!!!

[@Beachandpool]

That's what I'm doing! Cruise to Bermuda! Need toddler tips! My first cruise! Wish me luck!😁

[@MeyerFamTravels]

For the fridge, you can just ask your room steward to take all of the alcohol out of it when you first get in the room! Then, you don't have to worry about it!

[@shaleaceashley]

Did you use you car seat a lot

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

We didn't! Only to and from the airport and on the flights.

[@myralong8084]

We use a door stop to use when listening to announcements that are not heard inside the stateroom.

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

That's so smart!

[@OneInTheSameWithDearra]

thank you so much I'm going on one next month with my 6 month old great info i needed

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

Have so much fun! I'm so glad it could be helpful!

[@ladylowman6403]

We’re they able to have a child lock on your balcony door? I have a smart door opening toddler and worried about that but want a balcony.

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

There wasn't a child lock. At the time, my toddler couldn't climb out of the pack n play and then wasn't in the room alone so we felt a little better about it BUT it's still nervewracking anyway! Especially with a smart door opening toddler! I know balconies are fun, but it might be a more enjoyable vacation without the worry :-/? This has really made a great point and I want to look in to seeing if there are/could be child locks on cruises!

[@danielleroberts613]

Hi! We were just on the NCL Encore and it had a child lock for the balcony door but it was in the top side of the door so it’s way out of reach for kids. We are heading on the Escape in 2021 with our son who will be 20months so hopefully they have the same!

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

@@danielleroberts613 Ah thank you!! And I hope you guys have a great time!!!

[@angiel-ferd235]

How safe did you feel having a balcony room with a 1 year old? Thinking of booking a balcony room instead of a Panoramic ocean view.

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

Honestly uneasy! He couldn't climb out of his pack n play, so he was confined, but I kept wondering "what if he climbs out?" We had the door to the balcony locked and barricaded the door with a bunch of stuff, but if I thought he'd for sure get out of the pack n play, I probably wouldn't even get a room with a balcony!

[@angiel-ferd235]

Thanks!! Going to stick with panoramic for now. I wouldn’t be able to sleep. Lol. Thanks for the tips

[@angiel-ferd235]

Thanks!! Going to stick with panoramic for now. I wouldn’t be able to sleep. Lol. Thanks for the tips

[@angiel-ferd235]

Thanks!! Going to stick with panoramic for now. I wouldn’t be able to sleep. Lol. Thanks for the tips

[@angiel-ferd235]

Thanks!! Going to stick with panoramic for now. I wouldn’t be able to sleep. Lol. Thanks for the tips

[@suanylv.6996]

Needed this video so bad Ty!

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

You are so welcome! I like to know what works annnnnd what doesn't 😅!

[@rhondaw182]

Thanks for all the great information 😊

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching and so glad it was helpful!

[@rebeccasoto9463]

how many pouches do you think would be appropriate? were taking our 20 month old this weekend

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

I brought 3-4 per day! I brought a "breakfast, snack, dinner, and extra snack". "Breakfast" was stuff like oatmeal + banana + blueberry pouch, a "dinner" one would be a combo of protein + veggies, like turkey/veggies, beef/veggies, lentil/veggies, and then the "snack" would just be some fruit or fruit/veggie combo. I also had puffs and crackers with me that saved the pouch stash some, haha. Also, we'd grab milk and cheerios from the breakfast buffet and bring it back to our rooms and I'd stuff a little box of cheerios in my diaper bag for outings (and to keep him occupied at dinner if the food wasn't out!). Good luck and have fun!!

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

Hope your trip was great!!

[@goodlandtravelagency]

How did you navigate swimming pools? I am really struggling with Norwegian right now because they dont have splash zones for infants like Royal Caribbean

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

Oh no! Well, we were on Norwegian but the ship we were on had a splash pad. We did go in a pool once with him on-board, but we were holding him. While on deck, we kept him in the stroller most of the time so we didn't have instances of him running towards the pool or anything.

[@JoST41]

You bought the wrong magnets then. Ours held EVERYTHING including a loaded beach bag. They were actually hard to pull back off

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

Oh cool, can you share a link to yours?

[@stephd8381]

What cabin type did you have? Sailing on the Escape in February and curious as to how the pack and play is going to fit.

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

We had a balcony room! I'm not sure what it was called, but a queen size bed + pull out couch (that we never pulled out) and we put the pack n play between the couch and the desk!

[@stephd8381]

Awesome! Thank you so much and Happy New Year! Your videos have been so helpful!@@HeresWhyILikeIt

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

You're so welcome! And thank you so much! Happy New Year ✨💙

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

Have a great trip!!

[@kanieshamartin5648]

How did you do naptime? We are going at the end of this month and she won’t sleep if we are in the room. She is also 1.

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

I hear ya! We had at least one of just stay in the room with him while he napped. We brought our sound machine from home, a familiar stuffed animal, and they had a pack n play for us on the ship! It was great because usually, one parent stayed with him and the other could go do something else (workout, get food, water slides lol), or we could both sit on the balcony and hang out. Or we napped ourselves. Hopefully bringing some familiar things from home will help her fall asleep quickly and let you hang out!

[@kprenesti]

Hi! This was really helpful! Thank you!! Do you happen to know of you need to take car seats with you to get to excursions? My family and I will be going on a family reunion on the new NCL Prima and that question was raised.

[@sharmaineserapio3162]

How did you deal with nausea if he had any? I’m contemplating doing a cruise when my son is 1-1.5 years old to Alaska but since it’s the Pacific Ocean it can get pretty rickety and I’ve gotten nauseous twice when I did that cruise.

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

I didn't have any nausea on this cruise, but I have in the past! Ginger chews and dramamine have been helpful in the past, and if you're able to get a room that's higher up and in the middle of the ship, I think that helps, too. When I felt sick, I didn't have a window in my room, but having a window or balcony where you can look at the horizon helps, too!

[@Shanita162]

Thank you so much for this video! It was very informative!

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

You are so welcome! I'm glad it helped!

[@lahannid]

Your editor could use some improvement. Add in photos while the video is running of the items your talking about. It will make the video more visually appealing instead of us just looking at you talking the whole time. Really good content covered in the video. Very helpful information.

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

Thank you for the feedback!

[@kimblakely4559]

NCL charges you 15 dollars per bottle to bring on board, no free bottles.. Just got off the Breakaway

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

From what we experienced, that fee was only for the corking fee (if someone onboard opened). If you bring a corkscrew, you can open a bottle for free in your room! At least that's what we do.

[@explore-with-us]

so cool, thanks for sharing the valuable tips :-)

[@Beachandpool]

I wish you showed those pins....

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

Hi Night Owl! In this video, I mention that the clips are shown in a previous video - go to the 11:50 mark to see them in this video! Hope that helps and have a great time on your trip! kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJ-yZWqLadWBipo

[@Beachandpool]

@@HeresWhyILikeIt thank you!

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

@@Beachandpool You're so welcome! Have a great time - so cool you're going to Bermuda, too! On one of the places we docked, there's a place called "Snorkel Park" super close to the port. It was GREAT with toddlers because it's really shallow, calm water!

[@Beachandpool]

@@HeresWhyILikeIt thank you for the tip!👍

[@gardenngardenn4562]

Do you get free food on this cruise line?

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

Food is included in the price, yes! There are some exceptions. For example, there are certain restaurants (like steakhouses) that cost extra (and you have to make a reservation), but the usual restaurants, buffet, and room service are free. Additionally, there are packages you can get for alcohol or soft drinks, if you need. But otherwise, it's like an all-inclusive resort that floats!

[@gardenngardenn4562]

@@HeresWhyILikeIt great I’ll be going in December!

[@HeresWhyILikeIt]

@@gardenngardenn4562 Aww yay! Have a safe and fun time!! 💙

[@gardenngardenn4562]

@@HeresWhyILikeIt thanks!

[@franpaterno486]

Need Close caption