Majesty or Monarch with 2.5 year old

[mrs.bobbyseal]

Hi all - we are looking into the Bahamas 4-nighter on either the Majesty or the Monarch next Nov/Dec. We will be traveling our daughter who will be 2.5 years old. I'm not interested in nursery drop off / babysitting, etc., so it's not a big deal that the kids club is 3+. What I'm really looking for is an area where we can go with her where she can play with toys or color, etc. I know they have the Royal Tots program - is it good?

 

Any other thoughts about these ships? With a toddler? I know they don't have a baby splash zone, but I think that's okay. I don't know if she will be potty trained by then or not. If she is, we can just go in the regular pool. If not, we'll avoid that deck :) Actually, at the moment, she hates pools, so it should be a non-issue.

 

She does love the beach, though, so we will be looking into beach excursions at Cococay and Nassau. Any advice would be great!!

 

Thanks!

[DarthGrady]

Hi all - we are looking into the Bahamas 4-nighter on either the Majesty or the Monarch next Nov/Dec. We will be traveling our daughter who will be 2.5 years old. I'm not interested in nursery drop off / babysitting, etc., so it's not a big deal that the kids club is 3+. What I'm really looking for is an area where we can go with her where she can play with toys or color, etc. I know they have the Royal Tots program - is it good?

 

Any other thoughts about these ships? With a toddler? I know they don't have a baby splash zone, but I think that's okay. I don't know if she will be potty trained by then or not. If she is, we can just go in the regular pool. If not, we'll avoid that deck :) Actually, at the moment, she hates pools, so it should be a non-issue.

 

She does love the beach, though, so we will be looking into beach excursions at Cococay and Nassau. Any advice would be great!!

 

Thanks!

 

The Majesty and the Monarch are sister ships, which means they are virtually identical. The only differences that I know of are in the upper level of their buffet areas. Monarch has the Jade restaurant which serves Asian inspired dishes and steaks for an extra charge. Majesty has a Johnny Rockets Diner (also an extra charge), and a Compass Deli.

 

As far as the routes, I believe Majesty's 4 night itinerary calls on Key West, along with Nassau and Coco Cay. Whereas Monarch just has a day at sea after Nassau and Coco Cay. Depending on what you're looking for, that could be something to consider.

 

Personally I would choose Monarch just because I like cruising out of Port Canaveral better. But if you're not driving in, that might not be an issue. Good luck with whichever you pick, hope you have a nice cruise!

[rolloman]

Hi all - we are looking into the Bahamas 4-nighter on either the Majesty or the Monarch next Nov/Dec. We will be traveling our daughter who will be 2.5 years old. I'm not interested in nursery drop off / babysitting, etc., so it's not a big deal that the kids club is 3+. What I'm really looking for is an area where we can go with her where she can play with toys or color, etc. I know they have the Royal Tots program - is it good?

 

Any other thoughts about these ships? With a toddler? I know they don't have a baby splash zone, but I think that's okay. I don't know if she will be potty trained by then or not. If she is, we can just go in the regular pool. If not, we'll avoid that deck :) Actually, at the moment, she hates pools, so it should be a non-issue.

 

She does love the beach, though, so we will be looking into beach excursions at Cococay and Nassau. Any advice would be great!!

 

Thanks!

As stated the ships are basically the same from a toddler aspect. The Royal tots program is about an hour in the morning where you, child and a counsler play with toys. They also will give you toys to take back to your room. Other than that these two ships are not toddler friendly (under age 3). NCL sky is a newer ship and has kids club for age 2 and above. Whether you will use it or not is your decision but it sure is great to have it as an option so you can give yourself a break and have dinner or see a show.

Age two to age three is an awkward cruising age. You pay full fare yet do not get the ammenities a 3 year old gets when cruising on RCCL. Disney and NCL are better choices at this age. Port Canaveral is a more toddler friendly port... more laid back and easy in and easy out.

[lesleyswimcoach]

We just did the Carnival Sensation out of Port Canaveral and loved it. We had sailed Celebrity without the kids but wanted a ship with lots of kids stuff. I looked at the RCCL ship because I knew they also were known for kids stuff but the Monarch wasn't even close to the Sensation. The waterworks area has sprayers and is perfect for toddlers. They also take 2 year olds in their kids club and change diapers! They gave us a phone so they could call if there was a problem. I realizie Carnival gets a bad wrap but we had fun and the price was right. We booked a suite and had plenty of room for 4. I am looking at Jewel of the Seas for next year out of Tampa. It isn't one of the crazy new ships with the Flowrider and such but it does have a waterslide, puttputt and an indoor pool. If it was just my husband and I, I would do the Monarch or Majesty but not with the kids.

[PattyG12]

Just took my 3 year old grandson on the Majesty in February. We had so much fun. The kids clubs are for 2+ I think. The pools just require them to be potty trained.

 

Remember that the Monarch will have a "day at sea" and the Majesty will go to Key West. Grandson loved Key West ... we went on the Conch Train (he loves trains) and then to the aquarium. I'd much rather do that then a day at sea with a toddler.

 

We ended up spending 2 days in Nassu instead of going to Cococay because of the Weather. Day 1 we went to the Zoo and saw the parade of the Flamingos ... a MUST do with a toddler. Day 2 we just went to the beach and built sandcastles under a palm tree.

 

Enjoy your trip!!

[FLACRUISER99]

Hi all - we are looking into the Bahamas 4-nighter on either the Majesty or the Monarch next Nov/Dec. We will be traveling our daughter who will be 2.5 years old. I'm not interested in nursery drop off / babysitting, etc., so it's not a big deal that the kids club is 3+. What I'm really looking for is an area where we can go with her where she can play with toys or color, etc. I know they have the Royal Tots program - is it good?

 

Any other thoughts about these ships? With a toddler? I know they don't have a baby splash zone, but I think that's okay. I don't know if she will be potty trained by then or not. If she is, we can just go in the regular pool. If not, we'll avoid that deck :) Actually, at the moment, she hates pools, so it should be a non-issue.

 

She does love the beach, though, so we will be looking into beach excursions at Cococay and Nassau. Any advice would be great!!

 

Thanks!

My advice is if you are going for the beach don't go to the Bahamas in the Winter. It can be cold in Nov/Dec.

[rolloman]

The kids clubs are for 2+ I think. quote]

 

Incorrect. The age for Royal Caribbean is 3.

[crusinmama06]

My advice is if you are going for the beach don't go to the Bahamas in the Winter. It can be cold in Nov/Dec.

 

You can tell you live in Florida. :D

 

I've been to the Bahamas in December and to someone from PA, it was HOT. ;) So I would say, it depends on how you look at it. :D

 

But actually, on the day we got back, a cold snap hit Florida and it was 50 degrees back at Port Canaveral. So I agree it could get cold.

[mrs.bobbyseal]

Thanks everyone! This advice is great!

 

As stated the ships are basically the same from a toddler aspect. The Royal tots program is about an hour in the morning where you, child and a counsler play with toys. They also will give you toys to take back to your room. Other than that these two ships are not toddler friendly (under age 3). NCL sky is a newer ship and has kids club for age 2 and above. Whether you will use it or not is your decision but it sure is great to have it as an option so you can give yourself a break and have dinner or see a show.

Age two to age three is an awkward cruising age. You pay full fare yet do not get the ammenities a 3 year old gets when cruising on RCCL. Disney and NCL are better choices at this age. Port Canaveral is a more toddler friendly port... more laid back and easy in and easy out.

 

We did look at the NCL Sky, but there didn't seem to be an area where we accompany our daughter for some playtime. It's drop-off only. I'm not interested in that at this point. We will likely be bringing the grandparents to help with the toddler, and she is very shy, so I don't think she would enjoy being dropped off by herself. I did like the idea of a suite with a bedroom on NCL Sky. I just want to know if there is a place we could take her to explore toys or books or coloring in case she gets bored.

 

We just did the Carnival Sensation out of Port Canaveral and loved it. We had sailed Celebrity without the kids but wanted a ship with lots of kids stuff. I looked at the RCCL ship because I knew they also were known for kids stuff but the Monarch wasn't even close to the Sensation. The waterworks area has sprayers and is perfect for toddlers. They also take 2 year olds in their kids club and change diapers! They gave us a phone so they could call if there was a problem. I realizie Carnival gets a bad wrap but we had fun and the price was right. We booked a suite and had plenty of room for 4. I am looking at Jewel of the Seas for next year out of Tampa. It isn't one of the crazy new ships with the Flowrider and such but it does have a waterslide, puttputt and an indoor pool. If it was just my husband and I, I would do the Monarch or Majesty but not with the kids.

 

Again, I'm not really interested in the drop-off programs at this point since my daughter is very shy. But, good to know that you had a good experience on Carnival. About the waterworks area: I thought diapers weren't allowed? Most toddlers would be in diapers? I'm not sure that my daughter will be potty trained by then.

 

My advice is if you are going for the beach don't go to the Bahamas in the Winter. It can be cold in Nov/Dec.

 

We live in Southern CA, which is not hot in Nov/Dec, so I think the Bahamas would be fine weather-wise. I'll look into it though, thanks for the tip.

 

Again, thanks everyone! We'll keep researching. It's hard to get a feel for what things might be available on the ships - the cruiseline sites provide such generic information, and it's hard to envision what it might be like. Also, my thought is if we did a 4-nighter with 3 ports, we would barely be on the ship, so does it really matter that much what kids stuff is available? (Assuming we have good weather, that is)

[DarthGrady]

You can tell you live in Florida. :D

 

I've been to the Bahamas in December and to someone from PA, it was HOT. ;) So I would say, it depends on how you look at it. :D

 

But actually, on the day we got back, a cold snap hit Florida and it was 50 degrees back at Port Canaveral. So I agree it could get cold.

 

You can't take weather reports from Floridians, we're warped (especially the super-rare Florida Natives). We have 75 degree days in January and walk around in shorts all year. :D:D

[rolloman]

Thanks everyone! This advice is great!

 

 

 

We did look at the NCL Sky, but there didn't seem to be an area where we accompany our daughter for some playtime. It's drop-off only. I'm not interested in that at this point. We will likely be bringing the grandparents to help with the toddler, and she is very shy, so I don't think she would enjoy being dropped off by herself. I did like the idea of a suite with a bedroom on NCL Sky. I just want to know if there is a place we could take her to explore toys or books or coloring in case she gets bored.

 

 

 

 

I forgot to mention the Sky has a small kids pool all the way forward. If you brought your own toys and coloring books all the ships mentioned have a card/game room. I can understand your hesitiation for kids club and anything I say is probably a waste, but I can assure you first hand it is not an issue. They really do a great job on NCL starting at age 2 and (RCCL when they are 3). They want your child to have a wonderful experience because if the child doesn't then mommy and daddy dont sail them anymore lol. If your child is shy, tell them, believe me they will make sure she gets 100% attention and engaged in activities. We sail alot and I have a just turned 3 year old (14 cruises under her belt) on all the major lines so I have a fresh history of what your expectations should be.