2 year old questions

[terkov]

HI- love to cruise, going to take 2 year old daughter on her 1st cruise (NCL) but hubby is now saying she is too little and will be bored. Please note, she is still in diapers.

 

So, I am thinking maybe disney?

 

I love freestyle (she needs to be in bed by 7ish) so love freestyle, but I am thinking disney might be more used to little ones?

 

Can she do a kids program even in diapers (Yes, I do not mind changing her) are there any programs where I can stay and play/craft/sing whatever with her? I think I read once in a NCL daily that there was a playroom set up with toys in a lounge...is that only for babies??

 

She is a wonderful, happy, friendly kid, i just want her to have fun!!! and not be bored. THANKS for any help!!!

[beffiegirl]

I went on my first cruise when my daughter was 2. We went on rccl enchantment...she loved it. she was to young for the club but she wouldn't go anyway. They had a baby/toddler program in the mornings to play with toys but she was happy by the pool. She couldn't go in the pool( you have to be potty trained) but they had a sprinkler she could run through. When she was 2 almost 3, we went on adventure of the seas, and she was almost potty trained so I let her go the pool.Just made sure she went potty before she went swimming, and they let her in the club too,cuz she was almost 3 but she would not stay...so she went we me and my hubby to the shows. I would do disney or the new rccl ships have a water park , so you don't have to be potty trained(just for the pool).

[Tggrtoes]

I'm getting ready to do a similar post of my own, but I can tell you we took our then 1 year old son last year on his first cruise. We did Princess... it was great, although we decided at that point that if we were to do it again, we'd do a line that had the child care included. Which pretty much is only Carnival (or Disney for fee, but they have an hour limit of 10 hours for 5 day and I forget how many for 7 day). I know others have the in-room babysitting, but I didn't like that it was just whomever was available, so they weren't specially screened for child care (and would be tired after their long hours for their regular job).

 

Anyway, sorry for the rambling. Too much caffeine. :D Princess allowed DS to be up in their special play room with us - had lots of cool toys, DVDs, and a craft area. We spent a portion of each day there. Bottom line: he definitely wasn't bored. Especially now at 2 (which my son is now), there is so much stuff - stairs, elevators, bright colors, etc. for them to look at, they will love it. Question is mostly how much you want to run after him or how much you need a vacation yourself. (i.e., do you need him to have child care so that you and DH can do stuff on your own, have meals without rushing and trading off if your little one gets ansy, etc.)

[cb at sea]

At 2, your daughter won't really know where she is...as long as you and hubby are happy, she will be, too!

Most of RCI's ships require kids to be 3 before they can use the "club"---and they must be potty-trained and capable of pulling pants up and down. You won't be allowed in to "help' her. The exception is Oasis...they do have a "baby" program....

 

I think Carnival will accept under 3 in their kid's club...and Disney will, as well.

You should pick the ship that YOU want, because it won't matter to your child!

[terkov]

So, as odd as this sounds, my hubby and I love to spend every min. with her. I travel a ton for work, so this is our time to be with her! During naps, I nap with her. Bed time, i will cuddle with her and read a book on the balcony, so child care is not a concern; however, CHILD programs is what intersts me. Not to "dumb" her, but rather so she can have fun (like she does in Gymboree for example) but I would perfer to be with her....

 

We might be able to try the pool, as in the day she uses the potty, just at night she wears her diaper.....

 

I am just not sure if we should do Disney or NCL. My fear with NCL is if she does not like it, 7 days is a long time on a boat! :-)

Does anyone know if we can see a show rehersal? Since the shows are later at night, do they let you watch a rehersal?

 

THANKS!!

[WineDown17]

We took our 2 YO to Europe on X last year for 2 weeks and he loved EVERY minute of it.. I also travel a lot for work and am of the same opinion as you.. Kids club is not a draw for me on a ship..

 

We took him everywhere.. never used a kids club (couldnt actually)..except for the play room where we played with him- as you state you would do...he never cried once, fussed once.. even on the long air plane rides.. Which shocked even us.

 

CB is right- if you are happy, the baby will be happy most likely (every kid is different, but..)

 

Every morning he would wake up and ask 'What are we going to do new today?".. and for a 2 year old, no 2 days on a cruise ship are alike! So pick the line you would prefer and have a ball!

[poppan]

I haven't been on NCL but I looked into it when we were deciding which cruise line. Their program takes kids as young as 2 (according to their brochure and website). I was told diapers are OK but the staff won't change them, they will give you a pager and page you when your child needs to be changed.

 

I took my 2.5 year olds on Celebrity recently and they had a blast. They were never bored and X is even less of a kid-ship than NCL or in fact, most other lines. I think they just enjoyed being with us -- we spent a lot more time with them than we do at home. Their program didn't take 2 year olds, but parents were welcome in the kids club so we stayed with them while they played. They loved it. There were so many toys and things to do. It was a 2 week cruise and they never got bored of going there. They also really enjoyed the pool. You said your child uses the potty during the day, so you should be allowed in the pool.

[paryea]

We took our 1+ YO on a 2 week cruise to Alaska last year and are booked on a 8 day to Mexico this year (he'll be 2.5 YO). We had him with us at all times and I don't think he was ever bored. He loved playing "ping pong" on the Lido deck, "playing" chess with the life-sized pieces, or chasing a ball anywhere (we found all kinds of little-used areas during the day that were safe and he wasn't bothering others). I tried taking him into the kid's club during the off-time (when no programs were scheduled) to play with the toys, but it wasn't really better than the things we came up with on our own for him to do.

 

I agree with the other posters...if you have a good attitude about what you're doing and are used to spending time having fun with your daughter, then you will find fun things to do on the ship too.

[jam82]

Next month, we will be taking our 3 year old on his 10th cruise. All of the cruises have been on Carnival, chosen at first because of the ports and now because of the children's program. Even though he has spent alot of time at Camp Carnival, he still loves every minute of it. It is always new and exciting for him. He also loves the water works, elevators, lights, dining room shows, the arcade and going to the beach. I've also cruised on NCL, Celebrity, Costa and RCCL. I feel like Carnival is the best for kids. Most everyone LOVES Disney, but it's not for us.

[Onessa]

Hey Turkov - our DD is now 14YO:eek:, but has traveled and cruised with us her entire life. I'm with you in that I had a child so that my DH and she and I could be a family - and could do things together.

 

We found that with a real little one a cruise was perfect -- with the floating hotel aspect, we didn't have to worry about entertaining a toddler for a long car ride. With the all-inclusive nature, we had more time to spend together since we did not need to clean or cook. We managed our expectations -- we didn't plan exotic excursions, just tooled around the harbor area. DH and I spent alot of time together on our balconey -- room service was a blessing -- for those early evening bedtimes.

 

Our first cruise with DD was a short 3-day "just to try it" (Seattle, Vancouver, Victoria) on RCCI when she was just a few months old. It went very well and we followed it with a 7-day a little less than a year later.

 

We did not "do" a Disney cruise until she was much older (and then really only because we were cruising with another family) -- early on she was afraid of costumed characters, later -- she just never was "into" the Disney stuff.

[queenL]

Ditto what poppan said. I'm pretty sure NCL takes 2 yr olds you just have to come and change their diapers. That might be the best bet for you.