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Cruising with a 3 year old-Tips!!


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Hey all- Our 1st family vaca is in 2.5 weeks on the Oasis. It is the 1st time our daughter is going on a cruise. Anyone have any tips/tricks or things to do/avoid? We are currently on deck 8, Large Int stateroom. Hopefully the upsell fairy calls us with a good offer but if not, we are totally ok where we are. Our room has the pullout, vs pullman. Let me know what has worked/hasn't worked for your family! Thanks!

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Hopefully you have made all your entertainment reservations by now. If not, then try using your Cruise Planner ASAP. If you cannot get the reservations you want, then check the Royal Promenade when you board for crewmembers helping guests to make resrvations.

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Hopefully you have made all your entertainment reservations by now. If not, then try using your Cruise Planner ASAP. If you cannot get the reservations you want, then check the Royal Promenade when you board for crewmembers helping guests to make resrvations.

 

yep, we got everything except cats. we will not be seeing that. my least favorite musical and why they put that show of all shows on a ship, I am sure is a topic for a whole other thread LOL

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I would say to "go with the flow"! It is, after all, a vacation!

 

You will enjoy the convenience of Deck 8...and I'm betting your daughter will have to be dragged out of the kid's club...she'll have a blast!

 

yes i am sure. I am going to have a heart attack with it though. I have never left her with anyone I don't know before :(

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yes i am sure. I am going to have a heart attack with it though. I have never left her with anyone I don't know before :(

I think you'll have a change of "heart" when you actually see the Adventure Ocean (Aquanauts 3-5) area, program activities, the staff and see the other kids enjoying it.

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I think you'll have a change of "heart" when you actually see the Adventure Ocean (Aquanauts 3-5) area, program activities, the staff and see the other kids enjoying it.

 

oh yea I want her to go to some of the parties they have and stuff. Just keeping my anxiety at by is my issue. she is so exited.

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It's very safe, they are very stringent in hiring the kids club staff and the security is definitely on point. My son has autism and has been known to wander off at school and I had no hesitation that he would be safe there.

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It's very safe, they are very stringent in hiring the kids club staff and the security is definitely on point. My son has autism and has been known to wander off at school and I had no hesitation that he would be safe there.

 

That is great to hear. She is not very good with her listening skills and is very friendly. We have been working on stranger danger since she was like 14 months because of it! .5 seconds and she is off somewhere. Gives me a heart attack.

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We haven't brought our kiddos on a cruise but have done many land vacations with them. One thing I always pack for the littlest is appropriate size fork and spoon especially if we haven't used adult size ones at home. We just get the cheaper "take and toss" kind so if we misplace them or don't want to worry about getting them clean its not a big deal. We also make sure to pack a night light as my kiddos sleep with one. I'm trying to think of any other things that are kinda out of the ordinary that you might forget because it is just so normal at home. Have a fun time making memories!

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Is your child potty-trained? AO is a diaper and pull-up free zone and non- potty trained kids can't go in the pools with the exception of the baby splash zone. Just FYI. The boardwalk with the carousel is awesome for little kids!

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Okay...here's my story:

 

Our very first cruise ever was a Disney thing--in the pre-Disney cruise days when Disney had the JV deal with the now-defunct Premier Cruise Lines...Our kids were 3 and 5...in fact, it was our older daughter's 5 year old birthday...

 

As in all first cruises, that is where we learned most of our lessons as to all the things we did wrong...So, here goes:

 

Mistake number one: We didn't pay much attention to cabin location. we were booked into a cabin at the very front of the ship. Our then-TA told us it was a great cabin because it was bigger than the standard window cabin (In those days, there weren't many balcony cabins, but my wife wouldn't have taken a balcony in those days for fear of two little kids playing outside with a small railing). Anyway, here was the problem: The Kids' Program was all the way in the AFT. We'd leave the kids there in the evening...but they'd fall asleep there...and we had to carry the girls back to the cabin--the entire length of the ship. Lesson learned...with kids, look for a cabin close to whatever end of the ship the kids' program is on.

 

Mistake number two: We allowed the TA/cruise line to book us into redeye flights, arriving early in the morning on embarkation day...in Florida...from the West Coast. Kids (and us) were dead tired by the time we got on the ship. Kids were cranky. One slept right through dinner. After that we learned to ALWAYS fly in at least a day before the cruise...even without kids!

 

Mistake number three: So, we had EVERYTHING packed into our luggage...and checked it at the ship with the baggage handlers. Meanwhile, we all had on the same clothes we flew in overnight on the redeye...and in which we spend the morning prior to embarking...Ever seen clothes that a 3 year old and a 5 year old had been wearing for over 24 hours and had eaten 3 meals and assorted snacks in? And played in and sweated in? Of course, our luggage wasn't delivered to our cabin until late...and we had to go to dinner dressed in those clothes. Lesson learned: Especially for the little ones, pack a change of clothes in a carry-on.

 

Other lessons: 1. Consider choosing your tours and excursions carefully. Will they keep the little one interested? Will the little one be a bother to the adults on the tour (Remember, even though you think your 3 year old is adorable, some people out there, for whatever reason, seem to just hate kids). 2. When you take the 3 year old to dinner, will the child sit through a 2 hour dinner? Probably not. Many RCCL cruises now have a "family dinner" where the kids' program comes and gets the kids from you 45 minutes into dinner. Do that if you can. If not, be prepared to ask your waiters to bring the kid's food quickly, then excuse yourself for a few minutes between early courses and take the child to the kids' program. 3. Bring sufficient toys and activities for the child to keep them occupied and happy.

 

Good luck...

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My daughter started cruising on that "Big Red Boat" at 7! I had to laugh at some of the previous posters comments, so true!

I started taking her children at 3&5. My daughter is very protective of the children, but had no problem taking them to kids club! They gave my son in law a special phone that they use to call parents when necessary. Word of advice, take it out of your swim trunks before swimming! We all had to sign as designated people to pick them up and security is very tight! Instead ou a night light, because of the lack of outlets, I picked up battery operated candles for the bedroom and bathroom.

I can't speak to the mega ships, but on the smaller ones, my daughter's only complaint was the few hours it was open. 9-12, 2-5, and 7-10.

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Okay...here's my story:

 

Our very first cruise ever was a Disney thing--in the pre-Disney cruise days when Disney had the JV deal with the now-defunct Premier Cruise Lines.

 

we were booked into a cabin at the very front of the ship.

 

Mistake number three: So, we had EVERYTHING packed into our luggage...and checked it at the ship with the baggage handlers. Meanwhile, we all had on the same clothes we flew in overnight on the redeye...

 

.

 

OMG, I could have written this post. We did the "Big Red Boat" with kids the same age. We also had a cabin at the very front, in fact the window looked over the bow (felt lots of movement). I forgot and tagged all our luggage with a ships tag and didn't realize they took them before they came out on the carousal. So we are all stuck hanging out in long pants at the pool until our bags showed up. But what fun the kids had. I wouldn't change it for the world.

 

BTW: keep us posted when you get back as we are leaving in about 35 days on Oasis with a 5 & 3 year old granddaughters. So tips will be welcome.

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Is your child potty-trained? AO is a diaper and pull-up free zone and non- potty trained kids can't go in the pools with the exception of the baby splash zone. Just FYI. The boardwalk with the carousel is awesome for little kids!

 

 

Yea she has been since she was a little over 2 so she should be good to go! I didn't even consider that until we were researching cruises and I was like duh that would be important lol

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Okay...here's my story:

 

Our very first cruise ever was a Disney thing--in the pre-Disney cruise days when Disney had the JV deal with the now-defunct Premier Cruise Lines...Our kids were 3 and 5...in fact, it was our older daughter's 5 year old birthday...

 

As in all first cruises, that is where we learned most of our lessons as to all the things we did wrong...So, here goes:

 

Mistake number one: We didn't pay much attention to cabin location. we were booked into a cabin at the very front of the ship. Our then-TA told us it was a great cabin because it was bigger than the standard window cabin (In those days, there weren't many balcony cabins, but my wife wouldn't have taken a balcony in those days for fear of two little kids playing outside with a small railing). Anyway, here was the problem: The Kids' Program was all the way in the AFT. We'd leave the kids there in the evening...but they'd fall asleep there...and we had to carry the girls back to the cabin--the entire length of the ship. Lesson learned...with kids, look for a cabin close to whatever end of the ship the kids' program is on.

 

Mistake number two: We allowed the TA/cruise line to book us into redeye flights, arriving early in the morning on embarkation day...in Florida...from the West Coast. Kids (and us) were dead tired by the time we got on the ship. Kids were cranky. One slept right through dinner. After that we learned to ALWAYS fly in at least a day before the cruise...even without kids!

 

Mistake number three: So, we had EVERYTHING packed into our luggage...and checked it at the ship with the baggage handlers. Meanwhile, we all had on the same clothes we flew in overnight on the redeye...and in which we spend the morning prior to embarking...Ever seen clothes that a 3 year old and a 5 year old had been wearing for over 24 hours and had eaten 3 meals and assorted snacks in? And played in and sweated in? Of course, our luggage wasn't delivered to our cabin until late...and we had to go to dinner dressed in those clothes. Lesson learned: Especially for the little ones, pack a change of clothes in a carry-on.

 

Other lessons: 1. Consider choosing your tours and excursions carefully. Will they keep the little one interested? Will the little one be a bother to the adults on the tour (Remember, even though you think your 3 year old is adorable, some people out there, for whatever reason, seem to just hate kids). 2. When you take the 3 year old to dinner, will the child sit through a 2 hour dinner? Probably not. Many RCCL cruises now have a "family dinner" where the kids' program comes and gets the kids from you 45 minutes into dinner. Do that if you can. If not, be prepared to ask your waiters to bring the kid's food quickly, then excuse yourself for a few minutes between early courses and take the child to the kids' program. 3. Bring sufficient toys and activities for the child to keep them occupied and happy.

 

Good luck...

 

man BRB was just a hot mess. It was my 1st cruise at about 8 and I actually saved up the money to pay for my own way so it was a huge deal. I wanted to swim with the dolphins. That was it. Our flights from NYC were on TWA and we had to emergency land 2 times, 2nd time we barely made it back to the runway. Had to use the slides and all that stuff. Missed a whole day at disney. Flew down the next day and the day after got on the boat. Went to the shore excurions desk because back then you didn't book that in advance and they said come back in 45 min. We came back in 30 and when we got there, there was a ton of people and they told us the dolphon swim was full. Queue the water works. I lost it. My mom was FURIOUS. the guy said well people were here so we opened it up. They ended up accomodating us but holy hell. it was a hot mess.

 

Thankfully we live only 1hr from the port so we should be okay with a less cranky kiddo, but she will miss her nap, and probably will the whole week, so we shall see lol. I Hope you cruises since have been easier!

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we sailed on the Oasis last year and took our son (who was 2 years, 4 months at the time). Things that helped us:

 

1) I hate over packing but its so hard not to with little ones so I what we did was brought some clothes pins (purchased at the $ tree) and some 550 cord and a tiny bottle of laundry detergent. My husband tried the string from one wall to the other, then at night I would wash his clothes (mostly swim suit) in the shower at night and hang it up with the clothes pins to dry. We were never in our room during the day except in the evening to clean up for dinner and by the time we got back most of the stuff would be dry. I also brought popup laundry basket and tucked it away in the corner of the room so our dirty laundry was out of the way and I didnt have to mix our clean stuff with our dirty stuff during the trip.

 

2) We stuck to very basic excursions - mostly beach stuff - and he had a blast, as did we. We did Playa Mia in Cozumel (and he LOOOOOVED it), in Jamaica we did a RCCL excursion at Blue Waters (amazing service) it was super laid back and an nice quite beach day for the little guy, and in Haiti we just played in the water and at the little water park.

 

3) Bring extra water diapers as anything on ship will be quite expensive, we came home with an unused pack but better safe than sorry.

 

4) He wasnt old enough for OA so we had to utilize the nursery and they were fantastic. We only used them twice so we could go to the adult comedy entertainment show and once so we could have an afternoon at the pool by ourselves and do the zipline and rock wall. We took our BOB stroller and he fell asleep in the stroller before we even got to the nursery and stayed asleep the entire time. The other time was in the afternoon and he played for a bit but then fell asleep. However the staff was super kind and great with the kids.

I never left him with anyone but my parents and my best friend (like my sister) so leaving him at the cruise nursery made me uncomfortable but i was highly impressed by how great they were and they made me feel so comfortable. Not only was I nervous to leave him with them because of the fact he was never with anyone that I didn't know but also because he is autistic and I wasnt sure how they would be with him - but they were GREAT and he had a blast :) :)

 

5) Our kiddo is autistic and they had some 'sensory play bags' we could rent out - I would assume any family could rent these even though they were geared for ASD kiddos. But what we did was rent the bag of toys and took it with us to dinner so he could play with the stuff and it worked great, it kept him entertained at dinner long enough for us to enjoy it and no have to inhale our food and get out of there. After a few days of having the bag we turned it in and then got a new bag. The bags had great little toys that were appropriate for the dinner table.

We spent most of our time either at the pool/splash pad or running around the boardwalk. He LOOOVED the carousel and we went on that over and over and over - we didnt even have to get off because we were typically the only ones on there. He also loved the little infant/toddler room in the AO area - we would go there for a little bit from time to time for him to have some time away from the crowds.

 

6) If your kiddo has a hard time with the muster drill they also offer for one parent to stay in the cabin with the kiddo (while the other parent is at the muster drill) and then the parent that stayed behind will do a private drill afterward (but you have to or you will get a notice from the captain).

 

7) We disembarked from the ship late. We were some of the last people off ship and it worked well for us (just cause our kiddo has a hard time with large crowds), it gave him time to run and run and get some energy out before getting on a plane to travel home. If you are not in a hurry getting off the ship take advantage and let your kiddo play off some energy, just make suer to get to breakfast early so that everyone can eat. We did get our of our room until later and missed breakfast all together.

 

8) The Cafe (I think its Park Cafe?) in Central Park has great lunch for the kiddos (as well as for the mom/dad) and we found we all liked it MUCH better than the Windjammer.

 

9) Bring a carry on bag with you the day you board - as soon as we got on (after eating at Sorrentos) we went to our room and immediately changed over to our suits and was at the pool before it got crazy busy. We got front row loungers right in front of the kiddos splash pad and stayed there for hours. If you pack your suits in your luggage then you may have to wait around for awhile to get her suit, sunscreen, and the swim diapers.

 

10) Bring water shoes, if she will tolerate wearing them, great for running around the pool deck as well as on the boardwalk (my son wouldnt tolerate them and we went barefoot a lot, but it gets slippery). They are also great for walking around the beaches.

Edited by TEGL
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I HIGHLY recommend you try to stick with the same nap schedule she already has. When I cruised with my 3-year-old, we had mandatory "rest time" in the cabin. I'd turn the lights off, put the tv on cartoons with the sound almost off, and within a few minutes he was sound asleep. The cruise was so excited that he was worn out every day.

 

I brought a ton of pre-packaged snacks from home just in case, but we didn't need them. Even my pickiest eater had plenty to eat.

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Hey all- Our 1st family vaca is in 2.5 weeks on the Oasis. It is the 1st time our daughter is going on a cruise. Anyone have any tips/tricks or things to do/avoid? We are currently on deck 8, Large Int stateroom. Hopefully the upsell fairy calls us with a good offer but if not, we are totally ok where we are. Our room has the pullout, vs pullman. Let me know what has worked/hasn't worked for your family! Thanks!

 

We've been cruising with our kids since the older two were 2 and the youngest started at 6 months. The are now 22,19 and 13. And still think it's the only way to travel. Just be flexable and be willing to take a walk if she gets fussy somewhere. We always requested a table in the dining room for just us. Easier to contol the situation. . I would have crayons and a book for them to colr in the MDR. I remember sitting down the first night in the mdr on one cruise and the look we got from the older two couples at the table next to us was priceless. They were horrified. The last night that table stoped me to thank me for having well behaved children and being willing to walk when needed. My kids tease me still when I tell that story.

 

The kids club is great and you can look in on her any time. I was always fearful my youngest wouldn't stay. It got to the point he didn't want to come out. I know many parents won't agree with my next statement but we have also left the kids on board in the clubs while we have left the ship in port. As they get older dragging them through shops in port just isn't fun.

 

I would make sure you have a small stroller with you. I would even take the little ones out of the room in the early morning and let my husband and older kids sleep in. We would stroll the ship. Just remember flexabilty is the key. Have a great cruise.

 

What week will you be on Oasis? My husband and I are on Sept. 10th for our 25th Anniversay.

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We've been cruising with our kids since the older two were 2 and the youngest started at 6 months. The are now 22,19 and 13. And still think it's the only way to travel. Just be flexable and be willing to take a walk if she gets fussy somewhere. We always requested a table in the dining room for just us. Easier to contol the situation. . I would have crayons and a book for them to colr in the MDR. I remember sitting down the first night in the mdr on one cruise and the look we got from the older two couples at the table next to us was priceless. They were horrified. The last night that table stoped me to thank me for having well behaved children and being willing to walk when needed. My kids tease me still when I tell that story.

 

The kids club is great and you can look in on her any time. I was always fearful my youngest wouldn't stay. It got to the point he didn't want to come out. I know many parents won't agree with my next statement but we have also left the kids on board in the clubs while we have left the ship in port. As they get older dragging them through shops in port just isn't fun.

 

I would make sure you have a small stroller with you. I would even take the little ones out of the room in the early morning and let my husband and older kids sleep in. We would stroll the ship. Just remember flexabilty is the key. Have a great cruise.

 

What week will you be on Oasis? My husband and I are on Sept. 10th for our 25th Anniversay.

 

 

We will be on the same cruise!! :) Hubbys birthday is the 8th so i told him he gets nothing since we are going on vacation :)

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