Canada trip with a 2 yr old

[qqmelodia]

Hi,

 

I need some help in deciding what excursion to plan for our new england & canada cruise on the Carnival Glory in Sept2010. Traveling with me is my DD who will be 2 then, and she takes one nap between 12-2, timing is not exact. My ports of call is Boston, Portland, Halifax and St. John.

So far, I have nothing planned except walking around near the terminal. Does anyone have any suggestion for me? Also, if you have gone on the Glory and wouldn't mind sharing your reviews and experience with small children on board, I would love to hear from you.

Thank you so much in advance.

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[YOWmom]

I'm afraid I can't help a whole lot with the ports on this one (despite being Canadian!) but as I understand it, there is not a whole lot to do in downtown St. John (though there is a nice public market) so you might be better off booking an excursion for that day to see the Fundy tides or something. Downtown Halifax is awesome though - the Historic Properties on the waterfront are great (the Lower Deck is my favourite pub in the universe), and there's also Pier 21, a national historic site (essentially it's Canada's Ellis Island) with a great museum and interpretation centre, or you could take a stroll over to the Citadel or up Spring Garden Road to check out the Public Gardens and/or do some shopping.

 

As for the Carnival Glory, we were on her in January with our two girls (then 11 months and 5 years). Our older daughter went to Camp Carnival a few times and it was ok. The staff were quite friendly and she felt very comfortable there. However, she was at the top end of the 2 to 5 age group though (she turns 6 next week), so I think she found some of the activities a bit boring and would have liked being with the older kids. It seems there were quite a few 2 and 3 year olds, so if your DD does go to Camp, she should enjoy it there. Overall the staff on the ship were great with the little one - always helpful in getting a high chair set up, etc. and gave the baby lots of attention (which she loved!). We took the both kids to the MDR for dinner 6 out of 7 nights and they did fine. The Assistant Maitre D' (Daniel from Romania) was wonderful, and would check on us every night, and a few times, he picked the baby up and took her for a stroll around the dining room so we could linger over our meal a few minutes longer. That said, aside from Camp Carnival, there was not a whole lot to do on board with a little one who couldn't go in the pools, so be prepared! One thing that really helped when the baby needed to run around (yes, we had an early walker) and burn off some energy, was that most of the bars and lounges are completely empty during the day and have wide open spaces where the kids can play. We would just go in there and hang out and let her move around freely and safely. We also brought a portable DVD player (mostly for the 5 year old) which we used in the cabin when she needed some downtime. Anyway. hope some of this is helpful and that you enjoy your cruise!

[jerin]

Boston has a wonderful Children's Museum that would be worth the trip to check out. It's over by the Aquarium, which would be another great option for that age. I remember when we lived near Boston when my youngest brother was a toddler, public transportation (subway and bus) were entertainment, too. The Public Gardens (Boston Common) has some neat, kid-friendly bronze statues that little ones can touch (Make Way for Ducklings), and Swan boat rides.

A popular activity for people with kids in St. John (we'd left ours home that time) was the horse and carriage ride.

In Halifax, the families mostly seemed to be headed to the Citadel. The ferry (just to ride) also seemed to be popular. We enjoyed the Maritime Museum and the Pier 21 museum, and thought that our grade schoolers would have enjoyed them, but we were glad that we didn't have to be chasing our toddler through.

We went to Bar Harbor instead of Portland on our cruise, so no ideas there.

[Ontariotrekker]

Be sure to layer her clothes, both CDN cities can be either really warm or really, really cold and damp in Sept. There are lots of parks and playgrounds for her to run and play which may be the most interesting thing for her at that age.

[lmg1230]

It wasn't on a cruise, however, we stayed in Halifax when our youngest daughter was 3 (almost four years ago). The Citadel was a fun place to run around. As well both of our daughters got a kick out of the Harbour Hopper tour which is a vehicle that tours on land and then drives into the water for a harbour tour. There was also a Theodore Tugboat that did harbour tours. If you like ice cream then don't miss COWS Ice cream which is in the harbour area - it's delicious!

 

Lisa

[A&Jfamily]

We have been on the Glory - last Aug. and will be taking her again in June, 5 day to Canada. My youngest is now 6, but has been cruising since 2. His first ship was the Valor, a sister ship of the Glory. I have found the kids programs to be great and very consistent across the board, the Glory being no different.

 

I would not hesitate to take a 2 year old to NE/Canada; the great thing about cruising is you can do as much or as little as you want. I would consider booking tours through the cruiseline - as kids under 4 are free anyway. Having been to both Boston and Portland, it is neat just to walk around as well. The "ducks" tours (offered both) places are fun. In addition to the children's museum in Boston, you could also do the zoo.

 

In Halifax, there is a ton to do on the water front - or so I have heard. I don't think anyone mentioned the Theodore the Tugboat.

 

In St. John, we are renting a car and going to explore the sea caves and Fundy trail - if yours is like mine, anything outdoors is great so you should enjoy it very much.

[qqmelodia]

Thank you all for your input. Five more months to go!! :)

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