rebeccalouiseagain

I would recommend midship on deck 5.

Sorry but that wasn't my experience. I've been on several Disney cruises (including the Fantasy) and DD (who at the time was 4, 5, & 6 during those cruises) has stayed in the kid's club while I was out in Key West, etc. Now, Disney's policy could have changed. My last Disney cruise was 1.5 years ago.

Most cruise lines will watch the children if you are on a ship sponsored tour. Practically all youth programs are open on port days, but will ask in advance if you plan to be on a ship tour that departs before 9AM. If so- you need to let them know in advance because they will only open early if someone needs this service. If you aren't on a ship sponsored tour they will not open early for you.

I have left my child on the ship in various ports. Sometimes a family member was still on board- other times not. I would probably ONLY do a ship sponsored tour if I was going to be an hour or more from the ship. Just for peace of mind. I think it also depends if your child has done well with the youth program. I wouldn't want them to feel sad or afraid if Mom wasn't available for whatever reason.

I sailed aboard Zuiderdam & Crown Princess three weeks apart recently in March/April. Sadly, the Zuiderdam pools often looked dirty after about 2 o'clock each afternoon. The tiles had an ongoing rust deposit problem. Completely different story on the Crown Princess ! What a glorious delight that the pools were crystal clear, sparkling, Finncantieri shipyard fresh every day. I couldn't get enough of those beautiful pools.

I agree- we love the pools on Princess. Lots of them on the older ship especially.

I wish they would just make them saltwater pools- then they could constantly change the water. Perhaps the salt builds up in the system though or something like that. Not an expert on these things. One way to keep kids out of the adult only pools is to make them saltwater.

I must be in the minority of people who hated Disney cruise line, but my then 4 year old had a blast so it was worth it for his sake. I guess a cruise, IMO, should be about the entire family and I think Royal Caribbean is a great choice for families. It's not a "kiddie" ship, but it there are areas where children can run around, have fun and make noise without it being a problem.

If you want to see Glacier Bay and do an inside passage- yes- Vancouver is your best bet. I particularly like College Fjords the best- just spectacular IMO. I haven't been to Hubbard yet. The Star Princess would be my pick (but I haven't sailed Coral or Island). I had a great time on Star. All three of these ships have indoor pools, but Star has Skywalkers, which is a great place to watch the scenery go by.

Seattle is cheaper and easier. I wouldn't rule it out. Ruby does do Glacier Bay (but not the inside passage) in 2017.

San Francisco is also a great port to sail out of (if you don't mind motion). I thought the sail away, under the Golden Gate was spectacular. I particularly like the Grand because it has an indoor pool, which Ruby does not.

Based on what is on your wish list- my advice is to brave the Vancouver port. Keep in mind though- our cruise last year in June of 2015 was delayed by three hours (due to the late arrival of 200 guests), and it took a long time to get on the ship. So we never saw much of the inside passage. I've also sailed out of Vancouver when it was foggy and didn't see much either (in May of 2013). If I had to pick the ideal time to sail- it would be last week of May (we saw the most whales migrating during this time- lots of spouting- and a "Free Willy" moment where an orca breached before my eyes.)

In case you are wondering why I'm enthusiastic about the indoor pool.. Even if you don't swim- this is additional space that is climate controlled and great for eating meals in and watching the scenery.

Yes, disgusting. But be assured that the murk and the yellow stain was almost certainly a result of sun block. That is typically the cause of foam in hot tubs, too.

I agree with you that it was probably sun block but this was on the first day of our Canada/ New England cruise and you could visually see that the pool wasn't clean. Again- my fault for getting in. I just came off the Veendam and there is no aft pool any longer- so was not an issue. I never used the indoor pool- but that was because I was in Canada (again) and it was wasn't too tempting to swim- although it was nice and warm in the solarium. The pool didn't look dirty, but I don't trust any ship pools any more. They talk about norovirus and the two places that probably one could get it are the pool and the buffet.

Anthem allows babies on the Bermuda cruise. It's a five night with two sea days, 2 land days, and 1 sea day. Not 3 consecutive sea days.

I have never paid a fortune for spring break. I've always been able to do a cruise the week of Easter break (in our area they have off from the Thursday before Easter- and return to school 10 days later). I've always gotten good deals on these cruises- they are not marked up like Christmas cruises. So this would be a good time to travel.

Kids get sick, have injuries, miss school due to family funerals and the like. To add a week off, when your child may have already missed days of school (likely), is just making it harder for them. Teachers in my area will not give kids make up work for unexplained absences. Yes- you can lie and say they were sick- but don't expect the teacher to give you the work if you tell them that you are traveling. It won't go over well. In the end- I didn't want my son to feel the pressure of missing school or have to lie to his teacher and classmates about his absences.

The aft pool on Maasdam last year was murky. I got in (against my better judgement because I was so hot). My robe was stained yellow after that! Gross. So I have no desire to swim in those pools ever again.

Driving to Bayonne would certainly be easy for you, and Anthem of the seas does have a nursery (hourly fee) and a little circular area by the pool that has an inch or water for diapered babies to splash around in. Maybe your two year old will be potty-trained by the cruise. I think it depends what your expectations are for a vacation. I have cruised with an active toddler and an infant. It's hard with a toddler for sure. The babies will love the ship- they will probably sleep really well too. However, it's not like sitting by the pool with a cocktail reading a book. It's running after an active child. If it's going to stress you out being in a small cabin with two babies- I'd say go to a resort instead.

I've just booked the Anthem of the Seas from Bayonne- Bermuda. A five day cruise. I'd think that one would keep your little ones fascinated and Bermuda is a really nice place to visit.

I've cruised on Holland America. In the summer and on holidays there will be children onboard and parents, which changes the vibe of the cruise. So it will be a bit more fun than an off season cruise on Holland. However, the ships are small, with very few activities. The ships are quiet for the most part with entertainment at night (Comedians, Pianists, Production shows, and maybe a magician) In the lounges there will be a guitarist, a violinist and a pianist. All the lounges will be very quiet with people listening to the music. I think you'll have a nice family vacation on Holland if the kids use Club Hal, but otherwise- yes they will be bored. The pool is small. I'd only do Holland if the itinerary was something you can't find on another, more family friendly line.

The other thing I didn't like about Holland is the limited selection of food in the buffet (very disappointing) and the limited hours of the restaurants onboard. If you don't eat breakfast by 9:30 in the MDR or 10 a.m in the lido buffet- there is nothing until 11:30 (dive-in hamburger and taco bar) and again lunch is only served from 12 noon until 2PM (except dive-in) and dinner is only served from 6 until 8PM in the lido

The specialty restaurants are good, but you shouldn't have to pay for a good meal. The main dining room food is just ok IMO.

MSC, I've not sailed, so can't comment.

I'd go with the two insides- simply because you will have more privacy, can stay up late watching tV without disturbing the little ones. You'll double the square ft. Have two televisions, two bathrooms, twice as much closet space. Sounds like the best plan

I've been on 38 cruises and a lifeboat has never broken down. I've sailed princess 8 times and never had a lifeboat break down. The only experiences I've had where it took ages to get back on the ship was with Norwegian. One year we were on the return tender from the private island and had to keep circling the ship because the surf was too rough. By the time we were able to tie up to the ship- we had been bobbing around for approximately 1 hr. I was on the tender solo with my then 3 month old ( yep NCL once allowed 3 mo. olds). When we finally hooked up with the ship- the passengers looked at me and said "Get off!" because they were all terrified for my infant (I was fine- I knew we'd get on eventually and my baby slept through the whole ordeal).

I had a similar experience on Norwegian in 2005. We were on a two story ferry (tender) and we had to keep circling the ship. We got right up to the ship and the crew hooked the ferry up to the metal ball thingy on the side of the ship. The surf and the weight of the boat must have been too much because that metal ball ripped right off. The crew member who was trying to tie it up fell between the ferry and the platform on the ship. Two crew members quickly lifted him up by his armpits. The (ferry) tender smashed up against the platform. That crew member would be dead if not for the quick reactions of his mates. Again, same baby (now 5) was asleep in the stroller while all this was going on. When the ship finally hooked up to the ship- everyone ran to get off- but I just stayed where I was until everyone got off. And then got off.

Tendering sucks.

They don't alternate the positions like on Celebrity. So the desk will always be by the sliders as depicted in the photos.

I love Grand Cayman and the Carnival Vista is new- so I'd go with Carnival.

The dining room is open for breakfast. Hours are not very long. On my most recent cruise the dining room opened at 7AM and finished at 9:30AM. If you sit with other people- and they order oatmeal- you will not get your warm breakfast until they finished this course. So it also takes an hour for breakfast- which I don't mind because I like a leisurely breakfast.

So if you are in a hurry- don't agree to share a table.

They explicitly say that only unopened packaged food can be brought off the ships in ports. Yes- you can risk packing a picnic from the buffet and more than likely you won't get caught, but it's against the rules, so don't cry if you are reprimanded or fined.

We always bring about a dozen protein bars between the two of us when traveling. We usually buy a bottle of water as well before getting off the ship. They make for good snacks at midnight or early in the AM or when getting off the ship. They aren't that expensive.

If you want to avoid spring breakers- choose a cruise that is 10 nights or longer .

I've been on over 30 ships and the Regal is my new favorite. Love her.;)

There will be lots of spuds.

On cruise ships tipping is the norm, so "when in Rome."

I've only sailed Carnival once, but have sailed Royal several times and I'd say that Princess ships are prettier. Pools are nicer and hot tubs are nicer. The buffet on Princess is ok- I always found something I liked, but it's very repetitive. Doesn't change up much (if at all). However the food in general is very good onboard. Entertainment is very good. I think the vibe onboard is relaxing but not boring. I love Movies Under the Stars (bring warm clothes if you want to sit on the deck) to watch them. Skywalkers is a nice place to take in the scenery in Alaska. I also enjoyed the International Cafe in the morning instead of the buffet. They have pastries and breakfast sandwiches, but the coffee isn't free. I tend to get up- get my free coffee in the buffet and then go down to the atrium deck 5 (International Cafe).

As for Alaska. I've been there 8 times and I'd recommend taking the public bus to Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau and then splurging on the ship excursion to the Musher's Camp in Skagway. I really enjoyed the 30 minute narrated ride to the camp- where we saw an orca in the inlet, and watched the huge salmon swimming enthusiastically under a little foot bridge. The dogs were excited to see us and we did a little ride around the mountain path. Then we got to pet the puppies after, and go to a lookout point with a magnificent view. Well worth it. I've done the train ride and it's exciting for about 10 minutes.

Ketchikan is the best port for shopping and sampling some of the smoked salmon- so load up on souvenirs there.

In Victoria I went whale watching and went to Buchart Gardens. The gardens are my favorite thing to do there, but the whale watching was excellent.

Also- the tv's and free movie choices on Royal are much better than on Emerald.