mylifecompleted

How do you guys handle these? I know she will spend time in AO but I am not sure if she keeps her card on her all the time or what? She is 3 so not really going to have a real handle on keeping track of it. Are they allowed to use lanyards? or wrist bands? How do you all ID your kids on the ship?

Both I believe? (It was nice that they automatically refunded my money without my having to catch this.) Yes there is a photo studio on the ship. It is located in Central Park on Deck 8 (Called: Picture This! Studio). This is something that is separate and the photos are not included with your digital images package. I know they practically hounded us about coming in for professional portraits the entire cruise, but we were too busy so were satisfied with the ones we took around the ship.

oh perfect. i am still on the fence if i want it or not but i mean, if we like 10 pictures, we might as well have gotten it?

anyone?

At the end of the cruise $299 for all digital images; $399 for all digital images and prints in your folio. They will not print out all of them, you just get to keep what has already been printed. If you go online to MyCruisePhotos.com you can pre-purchase your disc for $249. On our cruise (July 23, 2017) at the beginning of the week they offered a $199 special, so I got refunded another $50+.

 

My brother bought 6 digital images for $100 (before he found out he could have them all for $147). Other staterooms in your family can purchase all of their digital images for $147 per stateroom, IF one member of the party purchases everything at full price (which for me was $199). Be sure to mention when you are checking out at the cash register that your family member purchased the full package and give them the stateroom number. Otherwise you will be charged full price. This information is on their website and you can print it and bring it with you just in case there is a problem.

 

Look in your Cruise Compass for the special. It was only for a few days at the beginning of the cruise (if they offer it).

I forgot to ask, was it in the compass or down at the studio desk. Also, isn't there a photo studio on the ship?

Thank you!! I will go ahead and pack earplugs and maybe bring a white noise machine then in case changing is not an option. It will be one of the last spring break weeks, so the ship is likely to be sold out, but we can always ask.

They usually assign the cabin fairly quickly. I think ours was assigned within like 3 days? If you check it a lot (I think I did like 20 times a day :p), as soon as you see it with a cabin number, call them. If you booked on the RCCL site, just call them, but if you booked with a TA or online place, just call them and they will ring RCCL on your behalf to change it. We booked via priceline and I think it took her like 8 min to get ours changed. She said there were others but they gave me the best one they thought given our situation as we preferred a sofa to a pullman because of how little the kiddo it. Hopefully you get a good one! we are pretty happy with ours. If the upsell fairy decides to visit us we will be over the moon though!

Thank you Jill. I know it is quite a bit more effort to post these things than one might expect. We'll be on her next March and this is a big help. By the way, did you enjoy the cruise? We just booked a guarantee inside (yn)because the price difference was too drastic too ignore. Figure even if we get the worst room on the ship. . . it's THIS SHIP (which DH and DD have requested, and she ain't the cheapest boat on the water). Hope you loved her.

We booked an inside gtd for the same reason. It was almost 800 less than anything else on the ship. We were given the largest interior category but on deck 3 right under the disco. With a 3 year old we were pretty upset until Someone on here mentioned you can move rooms after as long as it's the same category they assigned so k to k m to m etc.

Yes, from what I have researched, seems like its a very good program. I think they will have lots of fun.

Yea I am nervous about leaving her since she doesn't go to daycare or school yet but I think she will be okay. I am sure they will find each other and be buddies :)

Sorry was so small, hopefully you can see pricing here better..

 

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You are the best thanks! Grandma have her 20 bucks so I think mom and dad could cover 2.50 if she decides she wants it. Thank you!!

It's more about the experience, almost a year later my girls are still talking about it and still play with their animals from there. It brings back memories when they take them out and gets us talking about the whole cruise again. BUT the seem came apart too on my little one's pink dog the day after we got it made and we brought it back and she got a new one no charge and no questions asked! They were so nice about it!

I am a seamstress so I am not worried if it comes a part after i can fix it. I agree it's about the memories. She has a gre at memory and I am sure her new friend will have her remembering vacation

Sounds like this is just what you all need. One of the best things about cruising with the family is that there is something for everyone. My husband plays basketball during the day but knows he will find me up on the sun deck camped for the day. So he comes and goes. The kids when with us would spen most of their time in the clubs. and we would meet up for dinner. We were on one cruise when the kids were probably 16, 14 and 8 and they were in an inside cabin across the hall. I got up the first morning and knocked on their door - no answer. The room steward was in the hall she's says, " Oh mama, they're already gone. They went to breakfast, came back and then the older ones were dropping the little one at his club and then going to theirs. They said they wanted to let you sleep." Yep, that beacme the daily routine. We would meet up for meals.

 

Take this time to relax and regroup. Sounds like you guys need it. ;)

Yea i am glad we are going. We got such a good deal my mom is going a month after us on the same ship/itinerary. I know little one will want to be in the club a lot but I hope she will be good. she is hitting Threenager status with a vengeance LOL. Hopefully she will be too tired to complain and fight :)

I didn't read the other comments but here's my PSA... don't be like us and forget the stroller. :o My youngest was 2.5 and we forgot it and it was the worst thing we could have done, would have been SO easy to nap her on the ship in the stroller at the pool, have her sit in it during shows, walk around ports with it, instead we had to hold her a lot. So, make a list and put STROLLER in bold.

 

Also bring...

 

 

-Medicines (Tylenol & Motrin-we needed this and glad we had it, kids seasick chewables just in case, vitamins)

-Snacks for the room

-Hand sanitizer

-Anti-bacterial pump soap for the room (we have a thumbsucker so this is essential lol)

 

And don't go crazy with shoes, we brought a lot for our girls and they ended up wearing 2 pairs each, natives/crocs for the pool and flips at night.

 

We had to bring our girls last minute last year on Allure (2 days before) and they were 3.5 and 7, we had to wing everything. They both loved adventure ocean and went 4 of the nights, they loved ice skating and the shows, carousel, build a bear, it was a great week. Enjoy!

Following this thread for all your great tips and tricks. We will be on the Oasis in March and my son will be just over 3. Have to start potty training soon to get ready for Adventure Ocean. He loves his school/daycare and I'm sure will enjoy it. Just have to get that potty thing under control. He is also allergic to peanuts... another thing for me to worry about!

not sure how he does but with my daughter, we just talked about it for like a week and said okay on this day, diapers are going bye bye and we let her pick out a big gift that she would get at the end (we got rid of binky and did potty training at the same time eek). Once we hit that day, she was just nakie for like 2 days straight and we went potty every 20 min or so and by the 2nd day she was pretty good and by day 3 we were done.

Not sure if that will work for your kiddo but giving her a timeline and a goal she was all for it!

We will be on this cruise too. We also have a 2.5 year old son and 4 year old daughter who will be on their first cruise.

aww yey! your daughter should be in the aquanots group with mine. she is so excited to make friends! are you planning on taking her there at all?

If you are going into Labadee and your daughter likes trolls you might want to check on the photo-excursion/safari there. Has goodies for kids and dance party when they get back to the ship. Pricing is a bit weird - on Allure it costs for kids but not adults, even if it includes the water park and coaster.

YES! we have this booked. She is under 4 so we can't add her until we get on the boat :( I may see about swapping it for the one with the coaster or slide rather than the water park because we don't plan on doing that anyway. at least hubby and I will do the coaster!

Did you do it by chance? wondering what the goodie bag is like at the end.

LOL Love it! The trip is his gift;)

Yea we weren't really PLANNING this, but we just had to replace our AC at our house and we have had a really rough few months with medical stuff and just everything hitting at the same time and we are super stressed. we found a stupid cheap deal on this sailing for the 3 of us and I was like I KNOW it is more money, but we need to get away and just relax for a few days. I conned him into it but he is really excited :) Little one asks every day if its time for vacation yet lol.

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 :)

Thank you!! That photo discount you talked about, i see it says 19 pp/d but you said it was 199 the 1st day or so? is that correct? Or did i just miss that pricing in the files?

I thought Cruise Critic helps all cruisers with questions they have no matter what they are.

Exactly. Experiences on board/on shore are part of your cruise experience.

Wanted to add, I picked up a kids flyer for day 7 along the way and it shows that morning in kids club they have "Trolls Morning" for ages 3-5 in Adventure Ocean. It says "Poppy and Branch" so they may drop in???

 

 

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You are the best, seriously! This makes me so happy!! little one is going to be so excited!! Thank you so much!

Unfortunately you need to be four years old and 48 inches tall to participate in this excursion. I am guessing that is because of the water park component. I wonder if they sell admission to the dance party back on the ship seperately? She would adore that, as would her sister who will be 17 months old then.

They don't. They can be added on board as "spectators" and you can carry them through the experience and let them do the party. The restriction is there due to the water park. We aren't doing the water park because she isn't that great of a swimmer yet. I called RCCL and emailed the shore excursions team as well and everyone gave me the same answer. It actually works out because the shore excursion is free for adults and only kids pay but you can go through the experience and with them and get the goodie bag for them as well! You just have to sign a waiver about the water park portion, but again, if you aren't doing it, it doesn't really matter! :)

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!

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

Bless your heart - you just made my day!! My granddaughter turned 3 yesterday and she just adores Poppy Troll! We are taking them on Oasis in January and was so hoping that Poppy would still be on board! We won't tell her ahead of time, but boy is she going to be excited!!! Thank you!!

Did you see the shore activity with the Trolls on Labadee if you are going there on your cruise?

I can confirm that Poppy will be on board Oasis until at least May of 2018. I've got inside information on that because my DD is DreamWorks Crew on that ship starting late September, and she is "friends" with both Poppy and King Julian of Madagascar lol.

UGH Yes i LOVE you! Same as the other reply, my daughter is 3 and obsessed. She doesn't know they will be on the boat because i didn't want to deal with a disappointed 3 year old for a week on a boat LOL. I Hope they have the party for the aquanots still. We are doing the excursion on Labadee that has the dance party with the trolls. I am pretty sure she is going to explode when that happens.

Question for you:

 

I'm what I guess you'd call a Broadway newbie. I've seen and liked Hamilton, Wicked, Chicago, and Fiddler, although all of them felt about 25 minutes too long for me.

 

I wanted desperately to sneak out at the intermission of Les Mis and run for it, but I was with a large group of people and someone would have noticed I was gone. :)

 

Given the above, do you think I'd like Cats?

it all depends on what you like. Les Mis is my all time favorite musical. I grew up in NYC so going to a bway show was at least once a month thing for me. I fell asleep during Cats. Take that for what you want lol. I find that with Cats, people either really like it or really hate it. I will say that RC does a good job on their productions so if it sounds like something you may like, try it! it is free after all! :)