Questions on cruise w/ one year old (Celebrity Constellation

Questions on cruising w/ one year old (Celebrity Constellation Xmas 02)
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We are a family of 8 adults and our daughter who will be 14.5 months at the time of the cruise. I know the cruise is a long way off but I have a few questions:
1) Any car seat tips? I've read about the portable carseat you can get at one step ahead for under $30. It sounds great but, can you use it on the plane? Do Caribbean taxis and excursion tour buses even have seat belts anyway?

2) What are the cabin cribs like? We are sailing on Celebrity's Constellation.

3) Do the restaurants and buffets serve kid friendly food?

4) What about life vests? Do they provide child sized ones? I am considering buying one for my daughter anyway to use on any water excursions.

5) Any advice on what to do on shore w/ a one yesr old? Ports include St. Croix, St. Lucia, Barbados, Antigua and St. Thomas.

THANKS!!!

Jess

I'm the family cruise editor here and we're about to take our 8 year old daughter on her 10th cruise and six month old on his first! Here's some tips:
*Seat belts: a lot of tour busses in the Carib. don't have seat belts to fasten in your car seat unfortunately
* Cribs: they are generally similar to the cribs you get in a hotel: smaller sized than you have at home
* Meals: Celebrity does have a kids menu in the restaurants.
* Itinerary: I'm going on a Southern Caribbean cruise at the end of June which hits most of the ports you mentioned. Can you contact me via this message board again in early July and I'll gladly give you family friendly land suggestions.
You can also read upcoming articles on cruising with an infant which will be on this site in May and June. (I'll write them after the Disney Cruise we go on next week.)
I think you'll find cruising a relaxing way to go with kids. It's just a bit cumbersome having to pack diapers, etc. for a full week away!
Smooth sailing,
Luisa Frey Gaynor