Cruising with a child under 2 years

Hi,

We are considering cruising on NCL Jewel with our grandson who is under two years old - just wondering if anyone has done this and if it was successful. It is 9 day cruise with only two at sea days - other days are port days.

I'm not sure how it could work so am happy for any feedback to help with my decision of including him and his parents.

Thanks!

I love to cruise, but my last cruise was in 2011 when my kids were 1 and 5 and I regretted it. They didn't sit through meals and it was stressful to chase them around so it was a very long week. Not relaxing!! They are now 7 and 11 and we are going to attempt our first cruise since 2011. I am expecting it to be much easier now that they can sit for a three course meal without getting impatient, can swim etc. But if you have a calm 2 year old, the maybe...it also depends on your expectations. If you go into it knowing that it will be a different experience then it is OK.

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It's really no different than how it is at home! You will do the same things, but without the cooking and cleaning! I would book a balcony, so you have someplace "to be" while your child is napping or down early for the night.

Bring a stroller...lots of walking on the ship and in ports!

Children in diapers CANNOT use the pools...so a blow up tub is useful for splashing AND bathing in a shower!

You're a FAMILY...and that's how families vacation!

Lots of us have cruised successfully with toddlers. NCL can be a good choice because of the flexibility of dining times/places. You'll have a table of your own and can ask the waiters to keep the pace of the meal going. The nice thing about a cruise at that age is it's pretty easy to keep them on a schedule. Port days can be great as long as you're in a flexible situation (think beach day or walk rather than large tour bus) and follow the rule to never let them get too tired, hungry or thirsty. When my girls were that age I much preferred cruising to any other type of vacation.

All the best,

Mia

I love to cruise, but my last cruise was in 2011 when my kids were 1 and 5 and I regretted it. They didn't sit through meals and it was stressful to chase them around so it was a very long week. Not relaxing!! They are now 7 and 11 and we are going to attempt our first cruise since 2011. I am expecting it to be much easier now that they can sit for a three course meal without getting impatient, can swim etc. But if you have a calm 2 year old, the maybe...it also depends on your expectations. If you go into it knowing that it will be a different experience then it is OK.

 

 

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Hmmmm. He is not so calm - he is a very active little boy and he loves water so I'm not sure he will be happy seeing the pool and people having fun in it and not understanding why he can't go in.

My main worry is how to allow him to burn off some energy.

Thanks for responding - very much appreciated.

It's really no different than how it is at home! You will do the same things, but without the cooking and cleaning! I would book a balcony, so you have someplace "to be" while your child is napping or down early for the night.

Bring a stroller...lots of walking on the ship and in ports!

Children in diapers CANNOT use the pools...so a blow up tub is useful for splashing AND bathing in a shower!

You're a FAMILY...and that's how families vacation!

Thanks! Food for thought. As grandparents we will help and do some babysitting - no worries. Just not quite sure how the parents will manage. Although, have decided that a balcony cabin is definitely the go!

Lots of us have cruised successfully with toddlers. NCL can be a good choice because of the flexibility of dining times/places. You'll have a table of your own and can ask the waiters to keep the pace of the meal going. The nice thing about a cruise at that age is it's pretty easy to keep them on a schedule. Port days can be great as long as you're in a flexible situation (think beach day or walk rather than large tour bus) and follow the rule to never let them get too tired' date=' hungry or thirsty. When my girls were that age I much preferred cruising to any other type of vacation.

 

All the best,

Mia[/quote']

 

Thanks Mia. Your girls sure do look cute! You make it sound easy :)

You will be fine...there are plenty of "empty" spaces to let your toddler run. If you don't want a "melt-down" because of the pool, simply don't go to that deck with him! Cruising in no different than any other vacation....it's up to you and your family to make it work....same as at home.

I love to cruise, but my last cruise was in 2011 when my kids were 1 and 5 and I regretted it. They didn't sit through meals and it was stressful to chase them around so it was a very long week. Not relaxing!! They are now 7 and 11 and we are going to attempt our first cruise since 2011. I am expecting it to be much easier now that they can sit for a three course meal without getting impatient, can swim etc. But if you have a calm 2 year old, the maybe...it also depends on your expectations. If you go into it knowing that it will be a different experience then it is OK.

 

 

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Babies, toddlers and cruise ships as you found out are an exhausting combination. I am not a child hater, I am a realistic Grandmother. I feel sorry for the babies who belong at home in there own bed and normal routine. And the poor mom who ends up being on 24/7 alert and ends up exhausted.

I have kept my grandchildren in several occasions so that their parents could actually enjoy a cruise. Was happy I was able to do it and remember those occasional special vacations when my Mother in Law did this for us! Folks babies and tiny people just don't belong on cruise ships, leave them with grandma and enjoy a break. JMHO :)

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One thought I had AFTER we went on the cruise with the 1 and 5 year old back in 2011 is that if I were traveling with the parents, we could reserve early seating for my parents and late seating for us. We could feed the little ones on Lido deck while grandparents have dinner in the dining room and then switch. The grand parents could start the bedtime routine while we eat at late seating. That would have made things less stressful because I remember not finishing a single MDR meal with my then very wiggly kids. Ha ha. I think the key is to have realistic expectations.

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We began taking our kids on cruises as soon as they were old enough (6 months) and have never regretted it.

Cruising is among our best family memories. We prefer cruising to any other type of holiday(including staying at grandma's house). It's much simpler.

Some tips:

-Potty train! Then you don't need to worry about the pool issue

-Use the empty bars during the day as spaces for him to run off steam

-Consider a different cruise/ cruiseline. RC and Disney offer services for the under 2 set as well as pools if they are still in diapers.

-Consider cruising later: Carnival has free daycare for 2-year olds

-Continue reading here for hints and tips(and tell the child's parents too as well)

What a wonderful experience, have fun!

Thanks all for your thoughts and tips - it really will be up to the parents if they would like to join us on this family cruise but I just thought I'd be as prepared as possible to give them all the pros and cons......and I wasn't sure just how it could be. We've been on lots of cruises but hardly ever seen any kids (because they are all having fun in the children's and teen's areas). Just wasn't quite sure what areas toddlers were allowed to go and how they could get involved (or not!). I'd love to have them on the cruise - but not if it proves too difficult for the mum and dad.

Royal Caribbean is more toddler friendly. They have a nursery where parents can leave their kids - for a fee, of course. They also have programs for children under the age of 3. If your cruise is not set in stone, you might check them out.

We took my daughter on her first cruise last year at 15 months. She did great for the most part and loved it (especially the dining staff). We had one dinner where she started getting fussy and acting up so I immediately left with her and took a stroll around the ship and just had my husband bring us up food to the room once he was done. I think the most important thing is to go with realistic expectations. While some might be reading this and seeing having to leave dinner as a negative I went into this knowing that if we were in a situation that was too much for her or disruptive to others we would promptly remover ourselves from it so the fact that it only had to be done once was awesome to me.

We are going on her second cruise next month and she is now over 2. Not gonna lie I'm definitely more nervous about this one just because she's so much more opinionated now. I would definitely recommend cruising with an under 2 year old mainly because you aren't going to get a chance where it's that "easy" (comparatively) for a few more years.

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I've sailed once with a 3-yr-old and once with a 1-yr-old. Our little ones loved to dance. There's usually live music early in the evening and not a lot of people dancing, so we'd take a corner of the dance floor and dance as a family. It was a great way to burn energy. We also took them to the walking track and let them run (they are used to walking tracks at home and were already trained to stay out of people's way). The ships we went on had splash pads for little kids, so we were able to spend a lot of time in the water, and they truly loved that.

A port-intensive cruise may be more difficult. My children did not do well in situations where they had to sit down and be quiet for extended periods. With toddlers, we'd use go to the beach 2 of the 3 port days, and the third day one person would stay on board with the children while the other adults did an active shore excursion. Nap time can also be an issue - if you're in port all day, will kiddo sleep at some point? The 1-yr-old napped under an umbrella on the beach. The 3-yr-old did not; we had to return to the ship so he could have his downtime.

It's certainly possible to do - and to have fun! -, but that depends on the child's temperament and what trade-offs the adults are willing to make.

I feel sorry for the babies who belong at home in there own bed and normal routine. And the poor mom who ends up being on 24/7 alert and ends up exhausted.

 

Completely respect your opinion (and you sound like a dream of a grandma), but keep in mind that at home there is no one coming in to straighten up twice a day, no one delivering coffee in bed every morning, no one making meals-to-order pretty much any time of day - at least at my house :). A cruise can be the best quality time a mom gets with her babies/toddlers, since someone else is doing all the cooking and cleaning and it's easy enough to step out of your cabin and walk to an area to play (for me a week without car seats every time we need to go somewhere is worth the price of admission!). I do agree sticking to a routine is best, but that's easy enough to do on a cruise.

So long as everyone is realistic about what the kiddo is capable of doing you'll be fine.

Don't expect them to sit through a long dinner. Make plans around how you will handle that:

Maybe Dad can scope out the menu and let Mom know what to order him, than he can bring the kiddo a bit late to dinner.

In between courses (or whenever needed) everyone takes a turn going for a walk with the kiddo.

Maybe Mom orders her desert to go and leaves dinner early.

When you board go and request a table close to the door, so it makes slipping out easier.

Bring along some new toys that get revealed at dinner. A couple new cars can go a long way to keeping everyone happy!

If the pool is going to be an issue, avoid it. You've got lots of Port days to hit beaches so that your water baby can have fun.

Another person posted about using the empty bars during the day. We LOVE those areas. We set up shop in an empty bar and hang there for hours during the hottest part of the day. No sunscreen required. Your little will love playing hide and seek behind chairs and under tables.

Big things to remember...

Stay on schedule. If nap time is 12:30, than everyone has to pull together and make that nap happen! Take turns if you like, but those naps are critical. Just like food. If dinner is normally at 5:30, than that is when you should eat.

Pack extra diapers, wipes and clothes, you never know!

Have fun!

Babies, toddlers and cruise ships as you found out are an exhausting combination. I am not a child hater, I am a realistic Grandmother. I feel sorry for the babies who belong at home in there own bed and normal routine. And the poor mom who ends up being on 24/7 alert and ends up exhausted.

 

I have kept my grandchildren in several occasions so that their parents could actually enjoy a cruise. Was happy I was able to do it and remember those occasional special vacations when my Mother in Law did this for us! Folks babies and tiny people just don't belong on cruise ships, leave them with grandma and enjoy a break. JMHO :)

 

 

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I do respect your opinion, but I respectfully disagree with you... I feel like I will enjoy my cruise more with my child then without. JMHO ;)

You made a similar comment on my thread last year. Not everyone has parents that are still around or capable of watching a toddler.

To me it is simple: our kids' world is so much larger than ours was due to having been on many cruises (as well as other travel.) A parent's role is not to do what is easiest for them, it is to do what is right for the children. That's the bargain you make when you start a family.

With a 2 year old, it probably doesn't make all that much difference. They truely won't remember all that much after a year. However, the experiences will become part of them hand change how they mature. It's all about small steps, so start 'em right and start 'em early!

That said, you do have to be respectful of schedule, maybe just assume they'll be eating in the buffet (it's much easier!) and excursions have to be chosen with care from a relatively small set of options. With 7 port days, we would stay on the ship at least 2 days of those days with our 7YOs. With only one child and adults to spare, it should be simple to accommodate the child's needs and still have grown up time for all concerned.

However, it seems that the question is not if you should take the kids, but if you'll invite the parents (your kids). My vote is that you should certainly discuss with the parents, and let them make the call.

I really appreciate everyone's thoughts on taking an under-two on a cruise and I feel well able now to present the pros and cons and possibilities to the parents. Of course, it will be up to them if they decide they are willing to give it a go....and there will be a few family members on board to give them a break at times.....but they are all on their holiday too!

I took my son on his first cruise at 16 months. It was great for all of us. We cruised on Carnival. They do babysitting at night (infants included) for a fee and were the only ones besides Disney that would change diapers. I found that most of the employees loved having him around. They really seem to miss their own children so they went out of the way to make things good for him. At the time, everyday Carnival would have cornhole boards set up and we would take him there to play. Also the kids club opened earlier in the morning (prior to people being able to drop off their kids) for family time play. We had a balcony and haven't cruised without one since. I brought a few of his favorite things and some jars of apples (the gerber kind) because he absolutely loved him. This helped keep him busy in the dining room while we waited for food. Some people recomend bringing a small blowup type pool to set up in the bathroom as a tub and/or put on the balcony. I didn't do this. As others have said if you can potty train this helps the pool issue. While I would say cruising with a little one can be done I would say it really depends on the child.

We're taking our 13 month old to Alaska in September. Leaving dinner or coming back to the ship early is small price to pay IMO. I can't wait to see the look on my daughters face when she's watching whales breach or we're passing by massive glaciers.

She's already flown cross country twice. It's definitely work, but we had great vacations with her. I think it's a huge misconception that it's more work than it's worth to travel with small children (then again, my partner and I are in it 50/50. Neither of us get stuck with the brunt of caring for her; we both do our share and that makes it easier. And on this cruise we're going with two other couples who are crazy about our baby and they've already agreed to do some babysitting ;)

Our daughter was 9 months old on her first cruise, being a premie she just started to crawl at that age. The disco was a great place for her to Play as it was empty during the day. We had dinner in the MDR and I left early with her on two evenings as she got fussy. Also only tried one show and as she did not like the changing light left before she disturbed others.

We took a land vacation last year and were back on ship at 2,5 years old.

She had a blast, even though she was too young for kids club which she missed as she is used to daycare, but she could Play around everywhere, was well cared for by everybody and we ate most dinners in the MDR again. Here she needed some entertainment to keep her occupied even though our ´servers gave their best to make it smoth and fast. We enjoyed nearly every Showin the theatre as she had so much fun on the upper Level.

We´ll be back on ship in November, and all three of us are looking forward to it.

I have sailed on quite a number of cruises where one of my children was 2 or under. (My youngest sailed his first cruise at age 4 months - before the rules were changed to require 6 months.) Our family has always had a fantastic time. Although it sounds like the original poster may have pretty much settled on which ship she wants to sail, I think a big part of how challenging or not challenging cruising with a toddler will be is the selection of ship. For instance, with respect to NCL specifically, NCL Escape actually has a nursery program for children 2 and under (for a fee). Even if you don't use it very much, the option of being able to have some reliable drop-off care can make anything seem less stressful. (No one has to feel like they are imposing on their travel companions if they want/need a break, and no one's travel companions have to feel imposed upon.) And, while most cruise lines don't permit diapers in the pools, many of the newer ships have fun elaborate "splash" areas that look like water parks for toddlers and access to the "real" pool becomes a non-issue.

I have sailed on quite a number of cruises where one of my children was 2 or under. (My youngest sailed his first cruise at age 4 months - before the rules were changed to require 6 months.) Our family has always had a fantastic time. Although it sounds like the original poster may have pretty much settled on which ship she wants to sail, I think a big part of how challenging or not challenging cruising with a toddler will be is the selection of ship. For instance, with respect to NCL specifically, NCL Escape actually has a nursery program for children 2 and under (for a fee). Even if you don't use it very much, the option of being able to have some reliable drop-off care can make anything seem less stressful. (No one has to feel like they are imposing on their travel companions if they want/need a break, and no one's travel companions have to feel imposed upon.) And, while most cruise lines don't permit diapers in the pools, many of the newer ships have fun elaborate "splash" areas that look like water parks for toddlers and access to the "real" pool becomes a non-issue.

No pools allow swim diapers, and only a handful of ships have splash areas for diapered children (DCL and some RCL ships).