I’m currently planning our next family vacation on a cruise ship. With all the different things we need to pack, I’m wondering if my baby monitor could be helpful during our trip. I will share with you the safety tips I learn.
Taking a baby monitor with you on a cruise is a good idea. You can use your monitor like you would use it at home. But, because you will be on a cruise ship, you must be aware of the following safety tips.
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Will baby monitors work on a cruise ship?
There is no ultimate answer to this question. From what I founded, different parents had different experiences.
Because not all cruise ships are made the same, and not all rooms have the same surroundings, you will probably have to test it for your self. A baby monitor signal could work a few feet away from the cabin one day, and the next day it could stop.
To be extra careful, I would not only rely on the baby monitor. There are too many other factors to take into consideration.
Do baby monitor work inside the room?
Many parents are using a baby monitor inside their room, and it is working fine. Some families will take a two bedroom suite and use the monitor to watch their kid sleeping in the second room.
Even if you can hear your baby through the wall, the monitor is a gre
at help to see what going on in the room without opening the door and the light.
Will it picks up other radio signals?
This doesn’t seem to be a problem on cruise ships. Of course, your baby monitor could pick up the signal from another baby monitor. If so try to change the channel.
You will not be able to overhear the conversation between the captain and the coast guard. They are transmitting on a different frequency.
Will there be too much noise onboard?
The rooms on a cruise ship are quite enough. The constant ambient noise from the ventilation or the boat will not interfere with the monitor.
To be extra careful, you can always adjust the sensitivity of the microphone.
If you decide to enjoy the view from the balcony, while your baby is napping, you must consider the noise from the ship, who could be louder than your baby.
Therefore, if you close the balcony door, to keep the room quite while your baby is sleeping, your monitor will become handy. The monitor will notify you as soon as your baby wakes up.
Will I hear the door open from the room?
One of my main concern is if I will hear the door open. This is something I would undoubtedly test before using the baby monitor. I would make sure to position the monitor in a certain way or adjust the sensitivity of the microphone so it could catch the sound of the door opening.
If someone comes in or goes out of the room, I want to know!
Do I need a WIFI connection?
If you are using a WIFI baby monitor, you should ask if you will be provided WIFI access in the room and around the ship. Since I don’t control the WIFI, I wouldn’t take the chance to rely on it. I would preferably bring a non-wifi monitor.
Do baby monitors work between rooms?
If you are planning to go on vacation with other adults, you might consider occupying the adjacent room. So, when its bedtime for the kids, you might want to put the kids in one bedroom and stay in the room next door for the evening.
In this particular situation, using a baby monitor would become handy to check on the kids next door, without continually peaking inside the room and risking to disturb their sleep.
But, here’s what you should consider.
Depending on the ship structure, your monitor could cover the range of 2 to 5 rooms apart. I saw different stories, and many parents mention that their baby monitor was not covering very far. But most of them were affirming that the monitor was working next door.
The strength of your signal could also make a difference here. Long range baby monitor tends to have a stronger signal, which could be helpful to pass through the metallic structure of the ship.
Finally, I wouldn’t worry too much about this, because just like a hotel room, you will probably catch what’s going on in the room next door without a baby monitor.
Poor reception due to ship structure
Parents have notice feedback noise from their monitor. Therefore, you must consider the ship structure and know there is a good chance your baby monitor may not be working as good as you think. Even if it works fine in your home, it could have a poor reception onboard.
Do baby monitors work between floor level?
From what I founded, there’s no magical answer here. For some parents, it works, and for the other, it was not constant, and it was not working in some case.
Keep in mind, even if your monitor signal reaches the lounge section, there a good chance you will have difficulty to listen because of the noise. There will be music and people talking all over the ship.
3 types of monitors parents are using on a cruise ship
The baby monitor you are using at home will probably work on the ship. Many parents are using their good old audio monitor, and they were pretty happy about it.
If you want to improve your chance of bringing the right type of monitor, I would recommend getting a long distance baby monitor. Baby monitor app or wifi monitor may not be working because they will depend on the ship WIFI signal.
Here’s what I learn from my research.
1. Walkie-talkie are very popular onboard
Many passengers are using a walkie-talkie to communicate on a cruise ship. It very common to see a couple talking to each other with the walkie-talkie.
They work, but from what I heard, they are not 100% reliable. Because of the ship structure, the signal could be lost if you go too far.
So don’t expect to cover the whole ship.
Walkie-talkie with baby monitor mode
A walkie-talkie with a baby monitor would be ideal. Because you can use it as a baby monitor and to communicate with each other on the ship. When you are watching over your kid, this could be handy to reach the other parent.
If your walkie-talkie does not have a baby monitor mode, you could always try the rubber band trick. Just put a rubber band around the talk button to leave it open and put it next to your kid. This way you can always hear them.
2. Video baby monitor
What I prefer with video baby monitor is you don’t rely only on audio. You can turn on the screen and see what going on. You can check if your kid is still in his bed and if the light or the door is open. Plus the night vision feature can be helpful when you sleep in a dark room.
Since I already own a video baby monitor, I will be bringing this type of monitor.
3. Audio baby monitor
From all the feedback I got from parents who already used a baby monitor on a ship, many of them had a simple audio monitor. It does the job, and with the voice activation (VOX) you can also be alert when your baby is awake. They also tend to need fewer batteries than the video monitor.
What should I also bring?
Don’t forget to bring extra batteries for your monitor. Also, you could bring an extension cord to plug the monitor or to recharge the batteries.
If you want my advice on which baby monitor is the best for you, check out this list I created of the top baby monitors.
6 things to do if the monitor is not working
Since I will not know for sure if the monitor is properly working until we are onboard, I have thought of a plan B. I feel pretty confident it will work, but here’s a list of the alternate option to a baby monitor.
1. Enjoy the view from the verandah
My room will have a verandah so I will enjoy the view while my kids are napping. Sure I will grab a book or a glass of wine (or both) and just sit on the balcony.
Pro tips: If you leave the sliding door a bit open, you will be able to catch if your baby is crying. I would suggest you do a test first, by having one parent go on the balcony and the other where your baby is sleeping. Try to talk and see if you can hear it.
Don’t worry. You don’t have to sit quietly in a dark room while your baby is sleeping. You can still enjoy some adult time while watching over your baby.
2. Take turn
We will take turns to watch over the kids. While one is staying inside the room, the other can go out.
We will have the time to enjoy the activities on the ship while the other could be doing a nap and recharging his battery. In my experience, I always need extra energy with my kids while on vacation.
3. Bring a stroller
You might be lucky enough to have a baby who can fall asleep in a stroller. If it’s the case, you can bring your baby beside the pool when it is nap time or for a late night dinner.
For me, this was (almost) never an option. My kids need a quiet environment to fall asleep. Otherwise, they just keep their eyes open to see the action around.
This might be the best and more simple option you have.
4. Kids club
Most cruises have a kids club. They provide all kinds of activities for the kids while their parents are enjoying the ship.
They act as a daycare service. But did you know that some cruise offers a nighttime version? They are called Sleepover and are open between 10 pm, and 3 am. So if you really need someone watching over your kid for one night, this could be the solution.
5. Get a second room next door
You could get two rooms next to each other. Some bedrooms communicate from the inside. This gives the ability to put the kids in one unit while you are in the other. You just leave the communicating door open enough so you can hear what going on in the next room.
It’s like having a suite with two rooms.
But, when it bedtime you will have to sleep with the kids. From what I found, kids are not allowed to sleep in a separate unit. Plus I wouldn’t feel comfortable knowing my kids are sleeping where there a door leading to the hallway. I wouldn’t take the chance they woke up in the middle of the night and go outside that door trying to search for me. Even if they don’t want to leave the room, they could mistake the communicating door between the units.
On a cruise ship, children must always be under the supervision of a responsible person. Kids under a certain age are not allowed to wander around the ship freely.
Maybe you could bring that responsible someone with you on vacation?
6. Bring a babysitter on vacation
Maybe you and your kids are familiar with someone who would be available to go on vacation with you.
It could be a grandparent, a cousin or maybe the babysitter next door.
If I had the money for an extra person, that would be my favourite solution. It will give you the opportunity to go wherever you want in the evening. Alone with your partner, without the kids. This person could also be in charge of the afternoon naps and kids activities.
Even without a baby monitor, you have plenty of options to enjoy a safe vacation with your family.
4 safety tips on a cruise ship with kids
At first, I was nervous about the idea of bringing my kids with us on the cruise. So I did some research, and I found out I was not the alone been worried about his first cruise. Many parents were asking the same question as I was and they got pretty useful answers from cruise ship veterans.
Let’s see what they had to say!
1. A baby monitor is not a babysitter
Baby monitors are meant to keep your children safe. The only thing they can do is alert you when there’s a sound in the room.
In no way, they were meant for parents who want to party all night while their kids are sleeping. It’s sound a little bit extreme, but it’s true.
In my experience, I always feel safe at home. Enough so I would sit in my backyard while the kids are sleeping inside the house with the front door unlock. I would tend to have the same attitude when I go on the cruise. This is where I might be mistaking.
Even if the ship is a safe environment, there’s always a chance for something to go wrong. I can’t predict whos going to be with me on the cruise and what will be the weather on the ocean. That’s why I would recommend taking enough precaution to keep your kid safe. Even if it means to be more protective than usual (in my case).
On the other hand, if you do bring a babysitter, you can still use your baby monitor. It could be a way to communicate with the babysitter. It can be used to watch once in a while on what they are doing. It can surely give you the peace of mind you need to enjoy a night out, while your baby and the babysitter are sleeping in the room.
2. Leaving kid alone in the room
Leaving a child alone in the room, without adult supervision can be dangerous.
Even if you lock the door, all staff have the master key and could come in. Worst, it could be your kid who opens the door and start looking for you. It’s not because your baby can’t open the door because he is sleeping in a crib that he his 100% safe.
Also, your baby could be sick, have a severe reaction to the food or choke on something. That is why you must be able to help within seconds.
Bottom line, you must use your adult judgement to know how far you can go from the room.
3. How far is too far?
Depending on the location of the room, I would try to stay close enough to see the door of our room. If there’s a common area just outside, I will consider it, if I can keep an eye on the bedroom door.
I couldn’t enjoy the pool while my kids may be in danger. I can’t imagine been out for dinner or at the lounge enjoying cocktails while my kids are two floors away. I will always be checking if the monitor is still working. This doesn’t sound like a good night out to me.
And what if there is an emergency? It will take you too much time to reach your room if you are not on the same deck.
4. In case of emergency
I don’t like thinking about the possibility of an accident. Because once I start thinking about it, I see danger everywhere.
I try to be layback as much as possible, but when it comes down to a life or death situation, I don’t want to take any chance.
I know all modern cruise ships are equipped with all kinds of technologies to keep the passenger safe.
Like fire doors. Did you know that in case of a fire the security doors could close and prevent you from getting back to your room? Your baby could be lock away from you and left on his own. Fire or false alarm happens more than you think.
Also, in the case of a general emergency, the flow of passenger in the hallway could make it impossible to get back to your cabin.
But, sometimes it’s mother nature who can be unpredictable. I read this story about a cruise ship who got hit by a massive wave and windows got broken. Water got inside the room, and some passengers belongings have been washout to the sea. This could be a complicated situation for a baby or your child.
In my case, I won’t be more than a few feet away from where my kids are sleeping. I will always keep an eye on the room, physically and through the monitor as well.
I’m excited about our vacation
Kids safety is always on my mind, and now I feel more prepared. We need that vacation, since its been a stressful year and we don’t take any vacation in a while. We showed pictures from the ship to the kids, and they are pump too!
If you are leaving too, I wish you a safe trip!
P.S. If you’re seeking for the best baby monitor and hoping to find real reviews from real parents. You should check out this list I created of the top baby monitors.
To get the best insights and tips to find the best baby monitor, I read more than 300 reviews online and ask my friends or others parents. From all their insights and my own experience, I’ve built this list of the best baby monitors.