Princess Cruise witj a toddler

[ilovetinks]

First off am I nuts for cionsidering doing this? My daughter will be 1 when I want to go on a cruise next summer (Canada/New England). And what room would I book for 3 adults and a toddler?

[6rugrats]

It wouldn't have worked with any of my children, but I don't know your child. Keep in mind that your child can't use the pools if not potty trained, and depending on the ship, you may have no babysitting available.

 

I assume you are trying to save money by booking only one room. It's going to be a tight fit; try booking the biggest cabin you can, and consider one with a balcony.

[karatemom2]

I don't think you are nuts, but it might be a challenge. We didn't cruise until our youngest was 5 so I can't comment on cruising with a toddler, but we do cruise a great deal with Princess so I can at least provide some feedback there.

 

I have seen many babies and toddlers on Princess and the crew always dotes on them. I assume at that age you would be using a crib or pack n' play of some type for sleeping and that will take up some room in a standard cabin, however it would be doable as long as you could fold it up during the day so it was out of the way. Three adults can fit in a standard cabin, but one would have to sleep on a fold down bunk. If that is not preferred you would need to book a minisuite which has a fold out sleeper sofa. Princess does not offer babysitting and the minimum age for the kids club is 3, however, toddlers can go to the Pelican Club during certain hours as long as a parent stays with them. A balcony might be nice but on a Canada/New England cruise it might be too chilly to use much depending on the time of year. I think if I were you I would go for the minisuite without the balcony for the extra room and sofa bed.

[Kerry's Girls]

I took my twins on a few Princess cruises before they were three (the picture below is of them at 13 months on the Sapphire Princess) and we had a wonderful time. As long as you're fine that you'll be with your child 24/7, Princess was a great choice for us. As the previous poster said, my girls were always completely doted on and never bored because (unlike most other cruise lines) Princess allows under-3s and their parents to use the kid facility.

 

As for rooms, 3 adults and a toddler is going to be tight no matter what size room. I would probably look to see if getting two of the lowest priced rooms might be about the same cost as a more deluxe room for four.

 

Best,

Mia

[cb at sea]

If it's just 2 adults and the 3year old, I wouldn't pay for 2 cabins....you'll have enough room. I would try for a balcony, tho, so you'll have someplace "to be" when you put the child to bed....it would be awful to just have to sit in a dark room!

[myraid]

:DWe have done 3 princess cruises with our DS (one at 18 months, one at 2 1/2 and one at 3 1/2) and are about to embark on our next princess adventure (in two weeks!!!) with our now 5 1/2 year old DS and our 18 month old DD. So our only experience (with kids) is with Princess, but we love it. Our DS was never bored and in fact, never even used the kids program (though he might this time around) and the crew really doted on him. My son loves the pool and the beach and we were always able to find something to do with him, whether on the boat or in port. I can't say enough good things about Princess, although we are tempted to try RCCL next year just for a change of pace.

 

In terms of rooms, we have always gotten a mini-suite for hubby, myself and DS. We are doing the same this year, but my parents are joining us and also have a mini right next door so my DS might actually bunk with them. I think 3 adults and a child in the mini is going to be tight, and I definitely wouldn't do it. Then again, we wouldn't bunk with another adult in our room period, so I guess it depends on the person. How about getting a mini and an interior room- that's what my brother does and he always just joins us in the mini to enjoy the balcony.

 

A tip- if you do go with a mini-suite and an interior room and travel with 4 people (because the child will be considered a full-paying person), have 2 people registered in the mini and 2 people (your child and the other adult) registered in the interior room (or whatever cheaper room you might choose). This works to your advantage because the "per-person" rate is cheaper in the cheaper room- we saved a ton of money this way. When we are on-board, we simply change the kids names back to our room so that the tipping etc. works out fine. There is nothing wrong with doing this and we have done it on every cruise that we have done where my DS joined us (he logged in with my brother's interior room). So this year, my DS and DD are technically registered in my brother's interior room and my husband and I are registered in the mini-suite...if only we could leave them in the room with him for the whole cruise!!! :p:p:p

 

Happy Sailing!!!