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Originally Posted by Mikoyan
At that age, it's not too bad as they're in the eat/sleep/poop phase still. They're not mobile at all. We flew with a 4 mth old to Florida for my wife's conference. I took the kid on my own to Legoland and the Kennedy Space Center. We did Disneyworld after.
Cruise ships aren't really equipped for severe medical issues with under 1s. We did Vancouver to Hawaii and had to leave the 8 month old with grandparents as we were going to be more than 500mi from land. It was in the fine print, likely to do with medical evacuation. I guess they aren't set up for With you going down the coast it won't be an issue. Kiddie meds, for pediatric emergencies. Formula and diapers. Kiddie gravol for nausea just in case.
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The cruise lines don't allow kids under 1 year old if the ship is away from shore for more than 48hrs. It's 6 months old for a ship under 48. For that reason Hawaii is out of question, not that we want to experiment how we will fare with 2 kids stuck on a boat. Rather big boat mind you but still stuck on a boat.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eff-1
We talked about doing a cruise with our 1 year old but decided against it because his bedtime is around 7 or 8pm, meaning we'd be stuck in our cabin while he sleeps and would be missing out all the evening activities and shows.
So I guess my best advice is bring something to keep yourselves occupied in the evenings after the kids are in bed. The cabins are tiny (unless you booked a large suite) so just plan for that as well. There is a TV in the cabins but the signal sometimes when you're out at sea is choppy and the channels are limited, so plan on having your own downloaded entertainment.
Bring EVERYTHING. Don't assume you'll be able to buy missing items on board like diapers. They might have it, but maybe not the kind you like, or the size you need, etc.
When it comes to eating, cruise lines are pretty good if you tell them your needs in advance (i.e. high chair, booster seat, allergies, kids menu etc)
If you use a car rental agency, you can add a car seat to your rental. Save yourself from bringing your own.
If you use Turo, remember that ICBC won't cover you. You have to buy the Turo insurance and check with your credit card for any coverage.
If you are bringing the car seats, pack them well! Get a travel bag. The cargo handlers won't treat it kindly.
If the 9 month old still qualifies and isn't too big and can't sit up on his/her own, you can request the bulkhead seat and bassinet from the airline. If not, you'll have him/her on your lap the entire flight. If you choose to book an additional seat for the enfant to give yourself more space, Air Canada requires you bring the car seat into the cabin and strap him/her into it. Check with your airline.
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We'll just go as the crow flies. Both kids will need to sleep, I guess question is how far we can go from the room.
I'm a little wary about renting a car seat, if we arrive and they tell us sorry we ran out we would be stumped. We are thinking of bringing car seat on to the plane. Still trying to figure that part out.
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Originally Posted by inv4zn
Generally you should book, and then immediately call the airline. This is one of those things that isn't worth winging it.
All those stories you see about parents being separated from children, is 99% due to poor planning with a sprinkling of entitlement. Call and confirm, then call a few days later to confirm again.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Eff-1
I personally wouldn't risk it and pay for the confirmed seats. That's just me.
The CTA policy is children under 5 must be seated next to their parent.
But if the flight is full and the airline isn't able to shuffle other people around, you'll be hooped.
I'd just pay for the peace of mind and then you can choose a row near the front for example, or a window, or whatever you want.
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We are planning to pay the extra to get our seats booked in advance. Not worth the risk.
Thanks for the tips everyone!