Costa Maya and Cozumel

Our first port was Costa Maya and we decided to do the cruise tour of the Chacchoben Ruins.  It was a 4 hour tour (1 hour each way on the bus).  We brought along the portable DVD player and this kept my son entertained on the bus ride.  My little one was able to nap on the bus ride there.  The tour guide advised us not to bring the stroller, so we left it on the bus.  I did see others using strollers while we were there, though.  The ruins were interesting to see and the tour wasn't too long.  My son seemed to have fun as well.  They both napped on the bus ride home which was nice.

Chacchoben Ruins

The area near the port here was nice.  The shops were cute and there was even a pool right by port.  I've read there are nice beaches pretty close as well.  Costa Maya seems like a great port for little ones.

Our second port was Cozumel.  We decided not to do another excursion.  Our plan was to just walk around the shops since the ones in Costa Maya looked so cute.  There weren't that many cute shops near our cruise port though (not enough for a day at least).  I had been to Cozumel on a cruise a few years ago and I think we docked at a different port closer to downtown.  We decided to go with my backup plan of going to a nearby resort - El Cid.  There was a $20 entrance fee, but it included a $12 credit for food and drink.  There was a nice pool with a zero entry kids pool attached.  It was perfect for us!  We didn't want to deal with car seats and taxis and this was walkable from the port.  

Pool at El Cid - our ship in background

My little one was able to nap on me on a lounge chair under the trees as well.  We were able to order 2 virgin pina coladas, several sodas, cheese nachos, cheese quesadillas and beef tacos for the cost of 4 adults.  The kids were free.  There was a little sand to play with, but not much.  I believe it's a man made beach.

I'm sure there are lots of better options in Cozumel without kids, but with little ones, this is a great choice.

We loved our Royal Carribean cruise!  I would definitely do another one, but kids aren't free.  That's my only beef.  When your kids are so small it's hard to justify the cost.

**NOTE - We did this cruise in Feb. of 2015

Royal Carribean Brilliance of the Seas with Toddler and Baby

We decided to do a short cruise out of Tampa, our home town with my parents.  My mom watches the kids while I'm at work and they had this cruise planned already.  Since I'd have to take the days off anyway, we decided to go.

Traveling with little ones takes a lot of planning.  What will we need to pack?  What will our sleeping arrangements be?  At the time of our sailing, my oldest was a little over 2 and my youngest was almost 1.  You plan trips ahead of time, but it's hard to know what your little ones will be like once you go.  We decided to book 2 adjoining Ocean View rooms for our family of 4.  My parents booked a room next to us.  Both of my kids still needed pack-n-plays at this time and I wasn't sure 2 pack-n-plays would fit in a single room.  The price of 2 Ocean Views on Royal Caribbean was less than one balcony room.  This worked for us and I didn't feel too cramped.  I also purchased magnetic hooks and a cheap shower curtain to hang so that my little one wouldn't see us when she tried to sleep.  I also brought our baby monitor from home, so that I could watch my older one, who slept in the connecting room.

Connecting Door

Pack-n-Play in room

My oldest is a pretty picky eater, so this is also a concern when on vacation.  Royal Caribbean always had chicken fingers on the kids menu in the Dining Room and Grilled Cheese was also always available, so we had no trouble there.  Once the Dining staff knew our preferences, they would have fruit ready for the kids once we sat down.  I had also purchased a portable DVD player prior to going and brought movies for the kids to watch during dinner so they wouldn't be too disruptive.  This worked great!  I also loved the high chairs on Royal Caribbean.  They had little trays on them that were so nice.  I brought disposable bibs for my little one, too.

Fruit plate always ready at dinner

Great high chairs

I also knew from reading the boards on Cruise Critic (so helpful!), that the rooms would have showers only.  One tip that I picked up there was to buy an inflatable baby tub.  We used it for both kids.  I've read that some parents also use it as "baby pool" type thing since children who are not potty trained cannot use the pools on this ship.  We did not do that, but it sounds like a good idea.

Inflatable Duck Bath Tub

Instead of bringing my big double stroller, I brought 2 single strollers.  One was our original stroller I already had with my 1st child and I purchased a second umbrella stroller.  I researched a lot and ended up with a Chicco Echo.  It's not the cheapest stroller out there, but it fit our needs.  We were already familiar with the Chicco brand, it had the 5 point harness, it reclines and isn't too bulky or heavy.  It provided a nice place for my little one to nap.

Chicco Echo Stroller

Our ports of call were supposed to be Grand Cayman and Cozumel.  When we boarded we found out we would not be going to Grand Cayman due to the weather, but would instead visit Costa Maya.  I had to do some last minute research on what to do!

Golf Course on Brilliance

Our second day was a Sea Day, so there was plenty of time to research.  I knew my kids couldn't use the pools on this ship so we found other things to do.  My son loved the golf course!