Princess Kids Program

[Babie]

I apologize if this is the wrong place to ask :-)

I'm taking the Grand in December and am interested in the kids program. My daughter will be 2 in May, so we're not taking her on our April Grand cruise. What I'm curious about is if Princess has a kids program for 2 year olds. How good is it, and is ther a charge and if so, what is that charge.

I know there's babysitting available, but I don't want to go that route with her, I'd prefer her to be with other kids.

Any advice/information is greatly appreciated.

Thanx in advance.

LES!

[soprano]

The kids program on Princess starts at age 3, but you can use the facilities with her, as long as you are present the whole time.

[Ella2]

I know there's babysitting available, but I don't want to go that route with her, I'd prefer her to be with other kids.

 

Actually, unfortunately, there is NO babysitting on Princess for kids under age three. They have "group babysitting" from 10:00 am to 1:00 am on most ships once the kids programming closes, but that's only for those ages 3-12.

 

With a 2-year-old you will have no options for leaving your daughter in the care of others, unless you bring along a willing family member. ;)

 

Enjoy your cruise! :)

[FamilyGuy1010]

I apologize if this is the wrong place to ask :-)

 

I'm taking the Grand in December and am interested in the kids program. My daughter will be 2 in May, so we're not taking her on our April Grand cruise. What I'm curious about is if Princess has a kids program for 2 year olds. How good is it, and is ther a charge and if so, what is that charge.

 

I know there's babysitting available, but I don't want to go that route with her, I'd prefer her to be with other kids.

 

Any advice/information is greatly appreciated.

 

Thanx in advance.

 

LES!

You are doing the right thing...another option is to bring someone you trust that is willing to watch your kid on the ship.

 

For what it's worth, last year on the grand my 5&7 year olds enjoyed the kids program.

[mo'vakayplz]

Does anyone know if the 3 year old needs to be potty trained to participate in the kids program?

 

thank you

 

 

**I know enough that a child who is not potty trained doesn't go in the pool.Swim diaper or not---

[Babie]

Thanx for all the info. I guess we'll wait til December 2006 to cruise with her!

Thanx again!

LES!

[Cruisin' Chick]

You may want to rearrange your plans and go with Carnival. We started off taking our little one on Carnival. She couldn't participate in the kids' program the first time as it was a month before her 2nd birthday but I think we were able to take advantage of the babysitting ($5/hr back then) and she didn't need to be potty trained. That info may be on their website. The next year she got to participate (still 2 and not fully out of trainers) and enjoyed it.

[AliceJ]

You are doing the right thing...another option is to bring someone you trust that is willing to watch your kid on the ship.

 

For what it's worth, last year on the grand my 5&7 year olds enjoyed the kids program.

 

Familyguy:

 

How did your 5 year old enjoy the kids' program? We're cruising Princess in April with your 5 y.o. daughter. She's our only child and I like to give her a chance to participate in the kids' clubs so that she has some play time with other her age. Looking forward to hearing your input.

 

Have a great night!

 

Alice

[nycny]

We have cruised Princess twice with our 5.5 year old (when she was 3.5 and 4.5) and will do so again in March. My DD LOVED the program. Arts and crafts everyday with lots of fun activities. Many nights she asked to leave dinner before dessert to get up to the program. Our usual routine was kids club in the morning, family time for lunch and a swim, back to kids club until dinner, dinner as a family, and then more kids club. The tour of the bridge was the highlight of her trip. She felt very welcomed and can't wait to go again. Please ask if you have any questions, Elise

[mo'vakayplz]

Hi NYCNY, we are going on our first Alaska cruise, in July, on the Sapphire Princess. We have cruised as a family several times before.

 

If you wouldn't mind answering a few questions:

 

- do you need to be potty trained to participate in the kid's club? My youngest probably won't be fully ready by July?

 

- did you ever leave your children on board the ship & go off on an excursion on your own?

 

- if you have been to Alaska, do I need to bring winter hats, mittens, gloves, for the little ones or are layers & shoe/sneaker footwear ok for being on deck & getting off the ship?

 

Thanks for your time.

 

What nice memories you are making for your family!

[ghgeckos]

yes, children need to be potty trained. I have heard of people leaving thier kids behind and gone on shore without them. I haven't tried it yet myself. We are doing Alaska this summer too and we are planning to bring a bag full of winter clothes just in case because our 6 year old gets cold easily. Enjoy your cruise.

[cruznliz]

From the Cruise Answer Book (p.13) " Youth Center staff cannot administer medication, bottle feed, change diapers, or provide meal service."

 

From what I've read and heard from my brother's family, the children have to be 3 but they don't have to be potty trained. That being said, if the child is not trained you are given a pager and if a "diaper emergency" occurs, you are paged to come take the child back to your cabin to take care of it. (Also, if the child is not trained you may not leave the ship while the child is in the Fun Zone.)

Personally, I think it's a darn good policy. I'm glad the counselors don't have to devote time to one child in that way and I'm also glad the parents aren't haphazardly changing their child on the Fun Zone floor where my child is playing. :eek:

[merela]

Does anyone know if the 3 year old needs to be potty trained to participate in the kids program?

 

The answer is YES. Not only that, your child needs to be familiar with preschool setting. My almost 4YO had never been to preschool before she went on the first Princess cruise. Even though she was potty-trained and old enough, she did not want to be left there. Her second Princess cruise was very different. By then, she's had preschool experience and she asks to go to the kids' club every morning.

 

I think the child is out of the program if they have 2 potty accidents.

 

I have a 37M old who will be going with us next week on the Star Princess. He has been diaper-free for over 2 weeks. I wonder how he'll do in the kids' program because he has never been in preschool, but his older sister will be with him. I hope he would want to be in the kids' club.

 

I've written quite a bit about the kids' programs offered by Princess. The activities are about the same, but the theme of the activities and crafts may be a little different depending on the cruise itinerary.

 

Princess also offer baby food for infants. Great stuff.

 

I would check Norwegian Cruiseline because they have kids' program for children 2 and up. They'll page parents whose children need diaper changes.

 

If you can get great 3rd and 4th passenger rates for your child, go, even if she is not old enough for kids' club. I think cruising is the best kind of vacation for parents with small children. DH and I just take turns going to shows on the ship (sometimes we take our kids with us) and we don't do any organized excursions. When the kids are napping in the cabin, we watched lots of new movies on TV, which we never get to do when we are home.

[merela]

yes, children need to be potty trained. I have heard of people leaving thier kids behind and gone on shore without them. I haven't tried it yet myself. We are doing Alaska this summer too and we are planning to bring a bag full of winter clothes just in case because our 6 year old gets cold easily. Enjoy your cruise.

 

On our last cruise to Alaska, DD did not want to get off the ship in Ketchikan. After a boring sightseeing day in Skagway, she would rather be in the kids' club than getting off the ship. Our day in Ketchikan was only 3 hours (9-12). I had fun walking to a fishery, shopping and taking photos. I was disappointed that DD wasn't in any of the photos, but I couldn't get her to get off the ship with us.

 

YOu do have to sign up the day before at the kids' club to make sure there is enough space in the kids' club during port days. When we picked her up for lunch, she had made a beaded necklace and 2 beaded bracelets. She was a happy girl!

 

We went to Alaska end of August (week before school started) and it was very warm. It even reached 70F around lunch time, but it hovered around 50F most of the time, even as we cruise down the inside passage.

 

Since young children can't tell when they are cold, you need to dress them appropriately. They'll need a ski hat (the kind that wraps their head and ears), mittens or gloves (woven kind is fine since you aren't going skiing), turtle neck cotton shirt, then layer that over with a sweater or a sweatshirt, then a fleece jacket or ski-jacket. Buy one of those rain poncho for your child at the dollar store in case it rains when you get off the ship. Your kids can wear sneakers, but in case it gets wet when it's raining outside, it's good to have a spare pair of shoes.

 

On the ship, they turn the heat up, so it was actually hot in dining rooms and the Princess theatre, unlike our Mexican cruise where aircon was on full-blast. Our 5YO DD wore her short-sleeved dress for formal nights and she didn't need a long-sleeved jacket at all in dining rooms.

 

We were on the Diamond Princess, but Sapphire is its sister ship, so I don't think they differ much.

 

I have posted kids' program patters for different age groups and Princess' Kids' menu before. Check them when you get a chance. My kids absolutely loved the alphabet soup. They asked for it every meal.

[MaryLS]

How did you manage a tour of the bridge?

[mo'vakayplz]

Thanks for the great response. Princess seems to offer a lot of options.

 

I will try to use all the suggestions given here to help maximize this amazing family vacation that we are going on.

[roe2ship]

There are two different responses here about whether your child needs to be potty trained for the kids program.......does anyone have any other information?

 

Cruznliz - was your brother's family on a cruise recently?

[Gaynors]

When we were on the Caribbean Princess last September my son was 3. We were told he had to be potty trained AND 3 to be in the kids program. They did give out beepers but that was if the child had an accident, wanted to leave, or was misbehaving and wouldn't listen to the staff.

 

Does anyone have any experience if your child is 2 1/2 and potty trained can they participate in activites?? From the "book" answer I would say no, but am just looking if anyone has asked or tried onboard.

[Cruisin' Chick]

My daughter (7 yrs old) was like Merela's last summer. Our first port was Ketchikan and we discovered the fine print about signing up a day ahead a bit too late. She went with us, we booked a tour at the tour center. She liked the totem poles but otherwise was bored. Couldn't wait to get back to the kids' area and hang there. So we asked her if she wanted to go out at any other ports, she said no, we signed her up for the rest of the week and cancelled her ticket for the Yukon excursion. She was happy, we were happy.

 

For the Alaskan trip, you may want to pack some woolies. We took our heavy coats, yarn hat and gloves. Came in handy on the morning we cruised the Tracey Strait. It was in the 50s and 60s and rainy the week we went. At our hotel, before we left for the pier, we met some people who just came off the HAL ship and they said they wore shorts the whole week. So be prepared.

 

Really glad to hear that diaper changing isn't allowed in the kids' room. I really hate it when people feel they need to change diapers any place, even when there's a changing room a short distance away (I've seen it happen on sitting surfaces, in eating areas, on the floor). I always took my child to the closest restroom, along with a changing pad, cleaning up afterward (yes, once in the car in the backseat when I didn't want her to wait for our return home). Never in a public place out in the open.

[merela]

There are two different responses here about whether your child needs to be potty trained for the kids program.......does anyone have any other information?

 

Cruznliz - was your brother's family on a cruise recently?

 

For Princess cruises, your 3YO child definitely need to be potty-trained before he/she can join the club.

 

For Norwegian Cruiselines, their kids' club starts at age 2 and I believe the child does not need to be potty trained, but they won't change the diapers for you. If your child has a soiled diaper, they'll page the parents and the parents will have to come and change the child's diapers.

 

Not sure about Carnival or Royal Caribbean potty requirements, but I'm sure since their kids club programs starts at age 3, the child probably needs to be potty-trained.

 

In any doubt, call the cruiseline.

 

They are also very strict about the age limits. 2.5 YO will not be allowed in the kids' club by himself. But for Princess, the parent can accompany any child under 3 into the kids' club and use their facilities (I did crafts with my 2.5YO DS while my 4.5YO DD is part of the kids' club). Royal Caribbean does not allow any child under 3 to enter their kids' zones even when they are accompanied by an adult.

 

 

HTH.

[soprano]

Does anyone have any experience if your child is 2 1/2 and potty trained can they participate in activites?? From the "book" answer I would say no, but am just looking if anyone has asked or tried onboard.

 

Remember, because you need a birth certificate to board, they know exactly how old all the kids are...this is why you can't "sneak" younger kids into the program. Also, for older kids, they know to just what age group each child belongs.

[Gaynors]

Soprano -

 

I fully understand and would not try to "sneak" them in. I was just wondering if anyone had asked while they were on the ship. If the 3-6 year old was a small group maybe my 2.5 year old could join.

 

-

 

On our RCI Radiance trip in December they told someone we meet that if the child was potty trained and behaved in the group atmosphere, there daughter could join (she was under 3) BUT since there were over 30 kids actually in the 3-6 year olds they couldn't handle anyone else and she didn't get to participate!

 

It is very nice that Princess actually lets the younger children (<3) use the facilities as long as accompanied by and adult, RCI didn't allow this.

[Laurin612]

I am having a heck of a time potty training my 34 month old! He's very much looking forward to our 4/9-4/19 cruise on the Dawn, so I guess I'll have to tell him that he can't play in the kids' club if he isn't fully potty trained! Perhaps that will be just the motivation he needs! :D

 

Are refreshments available for the kids in the kids' center? My 6 year old wants to know!

[Cruisin' Chick]

From what I understand, no food is allowed in the fun zone area. We celebrated my daughter's birthday on the Sapphire and had asked if we could take the cake to the zone so the other kids can enjoy it too and were told no. (I think part of it was concerns about allergies as well as keeping the area clean).

[Gaynors]

On the Caribbean Princess last year in the afternoon's (on sea days) they had ice cream in the Fun Zone. Each child was offered a scoop of ice cream and their choice of sprinkles.

 

I'm sure if you asked they might make ice cream time into a little birthday party...