Welcome to the first in my “Travel with me…” series, following on from me taking you over to Belgium and the Christmas Markets this week I am taking you on an adventure with Cathy from mummytravels.mummytravels is a fantastic travel blog, with my favourite strapline of all times “can you keep travelling with a baby” and I think she proves that yes you can, with destination guides, travel checklists and a new vlogging series which is well worth a browse.
Where are you taking
us to today?
To the Caribbean!
What sort of trip was
What sort of trip was
it, adventure, beach, relax, sightseeing?
A bit of everything – we took a cruise from Miami around the
Caribbean, stopping at Grand Turk in the Turks & Caicos islands, Jamaica
and Nassau in the Bahamas. In the week’s holiday we fitted in a bit of beach, a
chance to relax, sightseeing (especially in Miami) and some adventure for me as
well.
Caribbean, stopping at Grand Turk in the Turks & Caicos islands, Jamaica
and Nassau in the Bahamas. In the week’s holiday we fitted in a bit of beach, a
chance to relax, sightseeing (especially in Miami) and some adventure for me as
well.
Tell me all about it;
where you stayed, food you ate, how the little person took it all!
The ship was the Carnival Breeze, our home for most of the
week. I’d wondered whether a cruise would really work with a toddler as my
daughter was about 16 months old at the time but actually it turned out to be
perfect. We had a big stateroom, as they call the cabins, with enough space for
her travel cot and room to play, plus a balcony so I could chill out in the sun
and watch the sea when she napped.
week. I’d wondered whether a cruise would really work with a toddler as my
daughter was about 16 months old at the time but actually it turned out to be
perfect. We had a big stateroom, as they call the cabins, with enough space for
her travel cot and room to play, plus a balcony so I could chill out in the sun
and watch the sea when she napped.
The whole ship was incredibly family-friendly too so I didn’t
have to worry about taking her anywhere – half the time the crew wanted to play
peekaboo with her and nothing was too much trouble. There’s no babysitting in
the evenings (until after 10pm) so I tucked her up in her buggy each night,
covered her with a muslin and headed out to the bars and restaurants as she
dozed happily.
have to worry about taking her anywhere – half the time the crew wanted to play
peekaboo with her and nothing was too much trouble. There’s no babysitting in
the evenings (until after 10pm) so I tucked her up in her buggy each night,
covered her with a muslin and headed out to the bars and restaurants as she
dozed happily.
There was a huge choice of food too, as you’d expect from a
cruise ship, and something available pretty much the whole time so I could
always find something to tempt her even if she was being fussy and I had some incredible meals myself
– sushi, fantastic mouthwatering steak, Italian, great cocktails. I’m not sure
how I didn’t waddle home.
cruise ship, and something available pretty much the whole time so I could
always find something to tempt her even if she was being fussy and I had some incredible meals myself
– sushi, fantastic mouthwatering steak, Italian, great cocktails. I’m not sure
how I didn’t waddle home.
There was also a kids’ club, with a few sessions for under
twos which she loved, and they did port day childcare as well so I got to head
off on my own in Jamaica and do all kinds of adrenaline-fuelled activities
which were definitely not suitable for a toddler. When I got back on board she
had so much fun she hadn’t wanted to stop playing to nap… She loved the whole
thing too. She’d actually just started to walk properly about a month before we
went, and practising on the slightly wobbly deck of a ship meant she got her
balance very quickly.
twos which she loved, and they did port day childcare as well so I got to head
off on my own in Jamaica and do all kinds of adrenaline-fuelled activities
which were definitely not suitable for a toddler. When I got back on board she
had so much fun she hadn’t wanted to stop playing to nap… She loved the whole
thing too. She’d actually just started to walk properly about a month before we
went, and practising on the slightly wobbly deck of a ship meant she got her
balance very quickly.
Why did you choose to
tell us about this holiday?
Because it’s not an obviously family-friendly trip but ended
up being a fantastic break – even the long-haul flight really wasn’t too bad,
and we’ve done another similar length journey since. Once you’ve done one, it’s
so much easier to try again. I really believe that having kids doesn’t have to
limit you to a beach break in Spain (although I’m a big fan of those too) and
somewhere like the Caribbean is so welcoming to families.
up being a fantastic break – even the long-haul flight really wasn’t too bad,
and we’ve done another similar length journey since. Once you’ve done one, it’s
so much easier to try again. I really believe that having kids doesn’t have to
limit you to a beach break in Spain (although I’m a big fan of those too) and
somewhere like the Caribbean is so welcoming to families.
What is your
favourite memory from this trip?
It’s really tough to pick just one – hearing her giggle
gleefully as we swam in the Caribbean is one of my favourites, but I also loved
the Cuban food tour we did in Miami. It was a walking tour and she napped for
the first bit as I found out all about Little Havana, scoffed different Cuban
specialities and then watched the outwardly grumpy old men playing dominoes in
the park melt and coo over my daughter. Again, it wasn’t an obviously
baby-friendly thing to do but it worked really well and was perfect as we only
had a few hours to explore.
gleefully as we swam in the Caribbean is one of my favourites, but I also loved
the Cuban food tour we did in Miami. It was a walking tour and she napped for
the first bit as I found out all about Little Havana, scoffed different Cuban
specialities and then watched the outwardly grumpy old men playing dominoes in
the park melt and coo over my daughter. Again, it wasn’t an obviously
baby-friendly thing to do but it worked really well and was perfect as we only
had a few hours to explore.
What did you learn
about travelling with babies/toddlers/children from this experience?
You’ll be surprised what you can do if you try – it’s so
easy to listen to the people who tell you you’ll never be able to do all sorts
of things once you have a baby, but actually that’s not always true. I also
discovered I could survive a 10-hour flight with her on my own (and that people
are really helpful) and that cruising is unexpectedly perfect for toddlers.
easy to listen to the people who tell you you’ll never be able to do all sorts
of things once you have a baby, but actually that’s not always true. I also
discovered I could survive a 10-hour flight with her on my own (and that people
are really helpful) and that cruising is unexpectedly perfect for toddlers.
What is your top tip
for travelling with little people?
Take wet wipes, snacks and stickers – my daughter was
obsessed with stickers at the time, and still loves them on journeys. And try
to relax (which I’m not always good at myself). If they miss a meal or their
routine’s out, it’s not the end of the world. Enjoy the chance to have a great
time with them and worry about making the nap up later.
obsessed with stickers at the time, and still loves them on journeys. And try
to relax (which I’m not always good at myself). If they miss a meal or their
routine’s out, it’s not the end of the world. Enjoy the chance to have a great
time with them and worry about making the nap up later.
And if you want to know more about Cathy and the other fabulous places you can check her out at mummytravels, on twitter as @CathyWinston, her wonderful Vlog, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+.
If you want to take part in my “Travel with me…” series please get in touch with me by email on lifewithbabykicks@gmail.com.
