Our little one Warren went on his first cruise at 7 months old. Being first time parents and also first time away from home for an extended period, we completely over packed for his first cruise.

However a few tips we have learned cruising with him over the last three years, and what modes of transport we use for him have certainly changed.

If I had to choose i’d definitely go for the Cybex Beezy, although I think this would probably work better from around a year old.

BabyBjörn Baby Carrier

Not something we used on many of our trips, but it was so nice to use when Warren was smaller.

We could get about the ship so easily with his carrier and it was lovely to be able to use the stairs, which made things much easier. We picked up ours secondhand from Facebook marketplace.

Baby carrier perks:

• Super compact, takes up little space
• Perfect for nap times
• No need to wait for lifts

Baby carrier negatives:

• Sadly can’t be used easily for too long since baby grows out of them quickly
• If you’re travelling somewhere warm, these are pretty toasty when worn

Bugaboo Cameleon (or alternative travel system)

On our first cruise we took our Bugaboo Cameleon, it’s a super pushchair, pretty lightweight and can get pretty much anywhere easily with the big wheels. These came in really handy during our stops, with plenty of pavements to get up and down. Plus I’m not sure how you cruise, but we certainly get our steps in when off the boat.

Perks of a complete larger pushchair or travel system:

• Larger hood to cover from the sun or wind.
• Lie flat for nap times when out and about.
• Big wheels, which makes it easy for getting about even the worst terrain.
• We had some accessories to go with this, such as rain cover and cosy toes which came in handy in cooler climates.
• Overall the larger travel systems are pretty robust and feel very sturdy, definitely good when getting your steps in.
• Loads of storage underneath, perfect for all the purchases

Negatives of a larger pushchair:

• Cabins aren’t known for being the largest, Our Bugaboo doesn’t fold small and took up a lot of space in the cabin.
• Lifts are busy on cruise ships, we found we often struggled to fit in the lifts during busy times.
• Our Bugaboo takes up a lot of space in the car, the journey to the port was quite cramped at times.
• Corridors in the cabin get narrow when the cleaning trolleys are out, we struggled to fit our full pushchair down on MSC and Princess.

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After taking our Bugaboo on numerous trips, we decided to try and find something smaller and more compact, to free up space in the cabin. Warren was getting around more and wanted space to play and explore. We actually opted for two modes of transport for him at this point.

Smartrike stroller

We were looking for something smaller for getting around the ship, since little legs can’t necessarily go too far. We opted for a smartrike as these fold down ridiculously small, plus Warren also thought he was steering the entire time, which made trips far more enjoyable for him.

Honestly wish we had picked this up sooner, we actually bought ours secondhand of Facebook marketplace, and it was one of our best buys for cruising with Warren.

Smartrike perks:

• Super compact
• Can be used from 6 months with the foot plate in place, to keep legs raised.
• Safety rail is great for younger children, to make sure fall or get out.
• Baby/toddler definitely saw this more as a ride than a mode of transport, which made getting him in much easier
• Due to it’s size, we found getting around the ship on this so easy – we actually used it up until he was 3 years old.
• Small canopy for trips up on deck, to shade from the sun.
• Storage on the back for toys, snacks and changes.

Smartrike negatives:

• Taking a second mode of transport isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but this folded down so small we popped it into the bottom of the wardrobe.
• Definitely not the same amount storage space you come to love with a traditional pushchair.

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Cybex Beezy – Compact pushchair

Again another purchase of Facebook marketplace, our Cybex Beezy is an absolute fantastic pushchair and still comes with us to date, Warren is almost 4 years old, but would certainly struggle on a 30k steps day at port.

I wish we had started using this sooner really with the Smartrike as it is the easiest pushchair to fold down, plus for how compact this is it’s super sturdy. We looked at a few others but they felt really flimsy.

Cybex Beezy perks

One hand click fold, plus it’s easy. Not like when you see people who demo this but when you try yourself you can’t even do it with two hands.

• It’s lightweight
• Good size sun canopy
• Large storage underneath
• Lies quite far back, but not quite flat, we’ve had no issues with naps in this
• Footrest can be locked up for nap times, or for younger babies
• Can be used from birth

Cybex Beezy negatives

• The sitting up position is a little slouched
• Smaller wheels do make it trickier to get about, but unfortunately this is the case with almost all compact pushchairs

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