After Baby V was born, we had to take a break from traveling for at least 6 months. When she was 8 months old, the travel bug bit us again, and we went on a southern Caribbean cruise vacation in Dec 2015. It was our first big vacation with a baby, so we had a lot to learn. In the end, fun was had by all!
We were booked on the Carnival Liberty, out of San Juan, visiting 5 southern Caribbean islands, the week of Dec 20, 2015.
Our itinerary
- Day 1: San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Day 2: St. Thomas, USVI
- Day 3: Barbados
- Day 4: St. Lucia
- Day 5: St. Kitts
- Day 6: St. Maarten
- Day 7: Back to San Juan
tips
- Taking a cruise was a good idea with an 8 month old. It was good to have the same cabin for 7 nights in a row, and we did not have to lug around luggage to different hotels every night. We were able to spread our stuff out, and not have to deal with check in/check outs.
- San Juan, Puerto Rico is similar to any other American city, and had American drug stores and shops with plenty of baby supplies. Rather than lugging diapers and baby food from home, I went to a CVS in San Juan before boarding the ship, and bought enough diapers, wipes, cereal, packaged baby food, and formula for the cruise. This way, I didn’t have to carry extra luggage on the flight.
- It was also nice to have a place for dinner every night. Since we are vegetarian, most places involve us doing some kind of research into where to eat, which takes up time. The vegetarian food on this ship was amazing. Every night, they had an Indian Vegetarian option in the Main Dining Room, which tasted really good and fresh! And the menu was changing every day, and included regional specialties from all states of India. It was something we looked forward to every day.
- Room service breakfast was great, since we did not want to pack up kiddo and head to the buffet or restaurant every day. We were able to get something delivered for free, and eat it, while getting the baby dressed and ready to go.
- The itinerary itself was fine. All destinations had good beaches. I felt like I had over-planned, and we would have felt more relaxed if we had just visited one beach in each of the islands.
- Baby did not care where we were, or what we were doing, as long as she was fed, and could take her naps.
- I had requested a crib in our room, and since we had booked a balcony room, there seemed to be enough room for us to walk. The balcony was a good addition, in case we wanted to enjoy some conversation, while baby slept.
- The dining room provided a high chair on request. Unfortunately, our little one did not care to sit in a high chair for long…The staff were super friendly though, and loved interacting with our baby.
- I’ve made a separate post on travel gear I found useful during the trip: Baby gear I take when I travel
