Cruising with an 'adventurous' toddler

Hi all

My husband and I have just booked a cruise with our 2 1/2 year old toddler departing in October on the Pacific Jewel. We are new to cruising and would love to pick the brains of some of you 'seasoned' cruisers if we may...

We have heard many and varied reviews of P&O and their various ships, after much deliberation we decided to book a P&O cruise - couldn't go past the price and variety of destinations we will visit. We are heading into the experience with a 'you get what you pay for' and a 'a holiday is what you make it' mentality and intend of having a great time. We run a small company and deal with many stresses so in our personal lives we are very happy go lucky and quite casual people so plan on making the most of this opportunity...

We are travelling with our 2 1/2 year old daughter who is extremely...adventurous, determined and challenging to say the least...she is an entertainer; loves to dance and sing and is always, always on the go!! She does not have a day time sleep and is very difficult to get to bed at night time... anything before 9.30pm is a miracle for us. As 'difficult' as this is for us we have battled with it for 2 1/2 years and have since decided to embrace her active personality (I wish I could go go go like the Duracel bunny) and include her in many experience on board our Cruise. She loves dancing to live music, listening to live performances etc...and although we will monitor her behaviour (remove her if she is difficult or noisy) hope she can enjoy these opportunities with us. As I understand it little ones are welcome in the performance areanas and entertainment areas (bars and lounges) until 9.30pm. Can anyone provide me any advice on this subject? Tips? Things to be mindful of? Also, any advice of taking a 2 year old on a p&O cruise - I know she cannot attend the kids club and I'm not sure I'd want her to anyone but what other bits and pieces can be recommended for us? We have a triple room and I am planning on purchasing an EZY bed (inflatable travel bed) to take with us -is there ample room for this? It can be sat on top of our Queen bed during the day.

I wonder if anyone has actually read through this essay...? If so I truly appreciate any advice you can offer :)

Thank you so much :)

Holidaying with kids is challenging isn't it. However cruising is one of the best options and when she is old enough for kids club she will happily wave you off with a big smile. They do lots of stuff with the kids including talent quests etc. so when she is a little older she will be in her element.

You should be aware that she may suffer from motion sickness so consult your doctor about what would be the best precautions for a child of her age. It is better to start the medication before the cruise leaves the wharf...one side benefit is that it will slow her down (possibly make her sleepy). She is welcome anywhere on the ship possibly if she is a runner you might want to consider putting reins on her...I would take a dim night light for the cabin so that you can turn off the main lights. There will be music up on the pool deck and she can dance her little feet off. All through the ship there are live bands etc. at different times of the day.

I am sure you will love cruising...perhaps a little later in your cruise career you can consider a balcony cabin...no don't panic..but it's nice for you and hubby to sit out there when you have the little one trying to sleep in the cabin. Some ships have dvd's you can hire and play in the cabin or you can take your laptop or portable dvd player.

You will be off the ship every few days and swimming etc. should wear her out for you.

Good luck and I hope you all have a wonderful time.

Hi all

 

My husband and I have just booked a cruise with our 2 1/2 year old toddler departing in October on the Pacific Jewel. We are new to cruising and would love to pick the brains of some of you 'seasoned' cruisers if we may...

We have heard many and varied reviews of P&O and their various ships, after much deliberation we decided to book a P&O cruise - couldn't go past the price and variety of destinations we will visit. We are heading into the experience with a 'you get what you pay for' and a 'a holiday is what you make it' mentality and intend of having a great time. We run a small company and deal with many stresses so in our personal lives we are very happy go lucky and quite casual people so plan on making the most of this opportunity...

 

We are travelling with our 2 1/2 year old daughter who is extremely...adventurous, determined and challenging to say the least...she is an entertainer; loves to dance and sing and is always, always on the go!! She does not have a day time sleep and is very difficult to get to bed at night time... anything before 9.30pm is a miracle for us. As 'difficult' as this is for us we have battled with it for 2 1/2 years and have since decided to embrace her active personality (I wish I could go go go like the Duracel bunny) and include her in many experience on board our Cruise. She loves dancing to live music, listening to live performances etc...and although we will monitor her behaviour (remove her if she is difficult or noisy) hope she can enjoy these opportunities with us. As I understand it little ones are welcome in the performance areanas and entertainment areas (bars and lounges) until 9.30pm? (( un less this is a new rule the only time or places we could not take a 2.5 yr old would be any adult only sho or the casino and the night club)) Can anyone provide me any advice on this subject? Tips? Things to be mindful of? Also, any advice of taking a 2 year old on a p&O cruise - I know she cannot attend the kids club (( yes she can go to kids club but you or hubby would have to stay the with her the holl time )) and I'm not sure I'd want her to anyone but what other bits and pieces can be recommended for us? We have a triple room and I am planning on purchasing an EZY bed (inflatable travel bed) to take with us -is there ample room for this? It can be sat on top of our Queen bed during the day.(( as fo a triple berth would she sleep in a porter cot? if yes a queen bed and porter cot work well))

I wonder if anyone has actually read through this essay...? If so I truly appreciate any advice you can offer :)

 

Thank you so much :)

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I agree with Rugbypopsie be prepared for motion sickness. A few other suggestions:

Snacks and soda drinks can add up and be expensive on board so if these are going to be needed take a supply with you and be prepared to stock up at ports when you can. Definitely take with you any prescription or across the counter meds (sunscreen etc) you use at home - expensive on board and difficult to find ashore.

The toys, activities and etcs for kids enrolled in the Kids club are not borrowable and ganes in the Library are usually aimed at adults or people in their second rather than first childhood. Whatever she is into apart from dancing and wearing out your battery you may need to take with you, within reason and whatever baggage linits apply.

We will be on the Jewel in September and if I notice anything in particular, I will repost on this thread. Enjoy!

hope this helps as we have been taking our son on cruises from 13 months old and is 5 yrs old next month and has done 12 cruises.

 

please read text in red

quote

Originally Posted by mk220209

Hi all

My husband and I have just booked a cruise with our 2 1/2 year old toddler departing in October on the Pacific Jewel. We are new to cruising and would love to pick the brains of some of you 'seasoned' cruisers if we may...

We have heard many and varied reviews of P&O and their various ships, after much deliberation we decided to book a P&O cruise - couldn't go past the price and variety of destinations we will visit. We are heading into the experience with a 'you get what you pay for' and a 'a holiday is what you make it' mentality and intend of having a great time. We run a small company and deal with many stresses so in our personal lives we are very happy go lucky and quite casual people so plan on making the most of this opportunity...

We are travelling with our 2 1/2 year old daughter who is extremely...adventurous, determined and challenging to say the least...she is an entertainer; loves to dance and sing and is always, always on the go!! She does not have a day time sleep and is very difficult to get to bed at night time... anything before 9.30pm is a miracle for us. As 'difficult' as this is for us we have battled with it for 2 1/2 years and have since decided to embrace her active personality (I wish I could go go go like the Duracel bunny) and include her in many experience on board our Cruise. She loves dancing to live music, listening to live performances etc...and although we will monitor her behaviour (remove her if she is difficult or noisy) hope she can enjoy these opportunities with us. As I understand it little ones are welcome in the performance areanas and entertainment areas (bars and lounges) until 9.30pm? (( un less this is a new rule the only time or places we could not take a 2.5 yr old would be any adult only sho or the casino and the night club)) Can anyone provide me any advice on this subject? Tips? Things to be mindful of? Also, any advice of taking a 2 year old on a p&O cruise - I know she cannot attend the kids club (( yes she can go to kids club but you or hubby would have to stay the with her the holl time )) and I'm not sure I'd want her to anyone but what other bits and pieces can be recommended for us? We have a triple room and I am planning on purchasing an EZY bed (inflatable travel bed) to take with us -is there ample room for this? It can be sat on top of our Queen bed during the day.(( as fo a triple berth would she sleep in a porter cot? if yes a queen bed and porter cot work well))

I wonder if anyone has actually read through this essay...? If so I truly appreciate any advice you can offer :)

Thank you so much :) sorry I forgot to out line the third answer in red

Hi. We also took our first family cruise with a similar sounding 2.5 yr old. She is now 8 and is looking forward to our next one in 3 weeks, along with her sister. I agree with all suggestions so far but if I can make a couple more.... We have found that packing items like sticker books, tubes of glow sticks, small bottles of bubble mix with a wand are a really easy, inexpensive way to pass time when waiting for tenders, embarkation etc. They don't take much room, cost little if lost and are also a great way to make friends when off shore visiting ports. We have also packed snacks (sealed and meet quarantine and ship regulations) as small people tend to get hungry a lot on beaches and waiting in tender queues.

Royal Carribean put wristbands on all the kids as they embark. It has their lifeboat muster station on it. I can't remember if it had anything else like a barcode to help staff access our details. If you are at all concerned that she might get away from you at any stage, it might be worth considering something similar, maybe with your surname on it. On that note, most cabins that we have had in the past cannot be locked from the inside (as in just by turning the handle it unlocks and opens the door). We woke up one night to find our then 2.5yr old with the door open, stepping out into the corridor at 3am!!! Suffice to say we then barricaded it with a chair and pram for the rest of the cruise.

Hope you have a great time. It is a really fun holiday with young kids.

If you are happy go lucky type people as you say, you will have a great time regardless of the quality of the ship etc.:)

Just a question...will your daughter turn 3 before you plan on cruising? If so, she'll be able to go to the kid's club (Turtle Cove) unsupervised, otherwise if she's under 3 you can take her along, but you'll have to stay with her. Just something to consider. ;)

We took our two daughters, aged 7 and 3 on our last cruise and they had a ball, so much so, we booked another cruise for a few months later. :D I agree with many of the suggestions others have already given you...particularly in regards to drinks, snacks and entertainment (colouring books etc) for the kids.:)

hi, i have been on one cruise (so not seasoned) and this was without my 2 year old. BUT I knew I would be travelling with a 2.5 year old for my next cruise (which is in september) so i made friends with mummies that were onboard on my first cruise and picked their brains :)

so here were some of the tips given to me:

-pack a small carry-on suitcase full of stuff for them. suggestions were crayons/paper/play dought stickers etc - whatever crafty items they like doing. then some small toys that they love from home. maybe even some new ones so they are a novelty.

-pack a blanket from home if you think they would like a familar comforter.

-pack any thing you think you might need toiletry wise. (panadol, bum cream, bandaids).

-one lady said her travel portable dvd player (like a laptop) was heaven sent.

-you can use the childcare facilities but you have to stay with them, but might be good for some thing different.

My tips that i thought would be useful that i've written down for us to remember:

-take zip lock bags for food. there is no morning tea served so i thought it would be a good idea to zip lock a few pieces of fruit or some thing similar to keep for his morning tea? i remember at the buffet there were little tubs of yoghurt that i might grab one of to put in our fridge.

-im going to take a small container of cordial as my son only drinks water if there is a small drop of cordial in it (i dont know why, you cant even taste the cordial with the amount i put in!)

-im going to take a heap of nappies and wipes - on board costs are *so* expensive so i dont want to be caught out!

i found most people were really good with kids - especially the crew (as most are islanders etc, where kids are spoilt and treated so wonderfully :) ) there was one family that had a little 2 year old girl and they would have her in the pram at night time and then when the girl had had enough they would all take turns in take her for a walk around the place etc.

the decks are very safe (my boy is adventureous and i checked this out too).

and if your little girl loves music then she will love the cruise :)

If you like when we come back from our cruise in sept i can send you an email and tell you how we went :) my little boy will be 2 and 3 months when we go.

 

 

-im going to take a heap of nappies and wipes - on board costs are *so* expensive so i dont want to be caught out!

 

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Add in a roll or two of plastic tie bags for the used nappies - your steward will probably give you an extra bin for the bathroom if you need it but the bags make it easier to keep the small room neat.

I don't have kids so can't help you but did you consider for similar money the possibility of doing an Asian Holiday for a week instead before booking your cruise.In Singapore and Malaysia they have facilities in most resorts/hotels where you can leave the little one while you do your own thing at any time.Just an observation.It's been a long time since the size of my family ever travelled with toddlers and babies though.If the kid though was a twelve and a half going on thirteen year old i would be of more use to you as I have been there down that road before.