Family cruise with a 15 month old – Jewel or Gem?

[xiaoluojie]

We are planning our first vacation as a family, and have our eyes on Norwegian Jewel or Gem leaving on December 17th, or 18th.. This is our third cruise, but the first cruise with our 15 month old baby.. I have a lot of questions :oso would really appreciate if anyone can provide any insights. Not sure where would be the best place to post so I will just post the same questions on both the Norwegian board, and the family cruise board..

Q1: Which ship would be a better choice for us? I know that the two ships are almost identical, Gem a bit newer with bowling alley and rock climbing (doubt that we will do either), Jewel with the Nickelodeon characters (our son is still too young to care).. I guess that our baby will be mostly walking excitedly all over the place for the majority of the time. He’s too young to get into the kids’ club, but I am wondering whether there are any areas on either ship that are designed for young toddlers to play around with parents watching (sort of like a playground)? I guess I am really trying to decide which cruise will be better for the baby? For us parents we just would like to get away from our busy daily routines and most importantly, to not have to cook for him for an entire week (crazily picky little eater)!

Q2: Would a balcony room be enough for 3 of us? I think we will end up co-sleeping as my son refuses to sleep in other beds unless with a parent by his side, so not sure whether the bed will be big enough.. Do all the balcony rooms have a pull out sofa?

Q3: Where would be good places to look for good deals for the NCL? Is now a good time to book? Or I can wait a bit to see if the price will go down as the date gets closer? I saw that the price dropped for 1-2 days last week, but went up again. Not sure whether anyone knows what kind of pattern they have, or rather, it’s just as predictable as our stock market these days?

Q4: Will we have trouble getting whole milk on the ship? Where would be the best place to ask for it? The buffet station?

Q5: We have been on a Celebrity Cruise and a Royal Caribbean one. We loved the food on the Celebrity and were somewhat disappointed by the Royal Caribbean. I know that it’s quite a subjective topic, but just wondering how you would compare the NCL food to the other two cruise lines’? And for those who have been on both Jewel and Gem, which ship offers better food in your opinion?

Q6: Do I need to bring a baby bathtub with me or there are other good ways to give him a good wash?

Q7: Anything to recommend for shore excursion other than taking the baby for a stroll? Or he will be too young for all of the activities?

Q8: Since the ship leaves in NYC in December, should we be prepared to dress for winter for the embarking day only? Or the next day would be chilly as well?

Sorry for so many questions… Many many thanks in advance.…

[marley]

Hi, I can answer a couple of your questions if that helps. We have three little ones and have sailed with them as young as 6 months old. We were on the Dawn and the Pearl in the last few years. They had whole milk in little cartons that you could get at the buffet. As far as the room goes I would not want to do anything less then a balcony. You can put the little one to sleep in the room and escape to the balcony to talk. It will make it nice for you all to have a little space. If your room does not have a bathtub then bring a small inflatable tub. You can get them at Target. NCL does something called under 2 Zoo, but on both Cruises I never found anyone or any toys in the rooms where they said it would take place. I asked crew members about it and they had no idea what I was talking about. On the Dawn they had a great pool area for the little ones on the back of the ship but I don't know about the Gem or the Jewel. Also I know they have Pack and Plays to use as cribs. That may be your best bet at 15 months old.

Here are a couple of other tips: Pack little individual trash bags for the diapers. Bring Sippy cups. Lots of Extra Wipes. Bring your own crib sheet and blankets. a small Dreft stain spray or stick for the clothes.

 

I hope this helps you out a bit. I am sure someone else can answer the rest of your questions!

[rvsullivan]

No pool time unless they are completely potty trained, no swimmers/diapers. Under two zoo is supposed to be for the little ones play time with a few toys available. Bring your own wipes as they are shared toys. Shore excursions are going to be tough except for a beach break type activity and you will be "stuck" for the duration most of the time. Most excursions are not geared for small children.

[xiaoluojie]

They had whole milk in little cartons that you could get at the buffet. As far as the room goes I would not want to do anything less then a balcony. You can put the little one to sleep in the room and escape to the balcony to talk. It will make it nice for you all to have a little space. If your room does not have a bathtub then bring a small inflatable tub. You can get them at Target. Here are a couple of other tips: Pack little individual trash bags for the diapers. Bring Sippy cups. Lots of Extra Wipes. Bring your own crib sheet and blankets. a small Dreft stain spray or stick for the clothes.

 

Thanks so much for the information.. Very helpful indeed. Great tips too.. I haven't started thinking about the packing yet, but looks like that there will be so much baby stuff to bring on board!

 

When I searched on target.com, I found nothing under inflatable tub, and then when I searched inflatable pool, all the ones coming up seem to be pretty big.. maybe the season is over.. I am wondering whether anyone used this one before?

http://www.amazon.com/Intex-INX59409-My-First-Pool/dp/B0001GE2AM/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1318188448&sr=8-11

 

My only worry is that it seems to be pretty small.. my son is almost 28 lbs, I guess it should work for the purpose of bathing, right? We are not concerned about not being able to go to the pool.. I think he will be pretty busy exploring the rest of the ship..

[xiaoluojie]

No pool time unless they are completely potty trained, no swimmers/diapers. Under two zoo is supposed to be for the little ones play time with a few toys available. Bring your own wipes as they are shared toys. Shore excursions are going to be tough except for a beach break type activity and you will be "stuck" for the duration most of the time. Most excursions are not geared for small children.

 

Thanks so much for your reply! So will the under two zoo have scheduled open hours? or we can just pop in any time? Good point on the shore excursion.. Maybe we will try to do a beach break when we really want to get away from the ship..

[Rileyz]

You may want to get a minisuite since it has a bathtub. I did this when my daughter was 3 and it worked out great. There is not a ton for babies or toddlers to do on the ship. Still nice to get away though :)

[ZoneHPH]

You are asking for opinions/experiences. I am happy to share mine. DISCLAIMER: I am not a professional parent who feels that I have all the questions to everything. We also live in Northern NJ so its easier for us to bring a little more stuff than if we flew to a port.

 

My DW and I brought our DD on the GEM this past May (NYC to BDA). At the time DD was 11months. NOTE: we are VERY fortunate she travels well and doesn't fuss at all...even at home.

 

And now, my 2 cents worth"

 

We are planning our first vacation as a family, and have our eyes on Norwegian Jewel or Gem leaving on December 17th, or 18th.. This is our third cruise, but the first cruise with our 15 month old baby.. I have a lot of questions :oso would really appreciate if anyone can provide any insights. Not sure where would be the best place to post so I will just post the same questions on both the Norwegian board, and the family cruise board..

 

Q1: Which ship would be a better choice for us? I know that the two ships are almost identical, Gem a bit newer with bowling alley and rock climbing (doubt that we will do either), Jewel with the Nickelodeon characters (our son is still too young to care).. I guess that our baby will be mostly walking excitedly all over the place for the majority of the time. He’s too young to get into the kids’ club, but I am wondering whether there are any areas on either ship that are designed for young toddlers to play around with parents watching (sort of like a playground)? I guess I am really trying to decide which cruise will be better for the baby? For us parents we just would like to get away from our busy daily routines and most importantly, to not have to cook for him for an entire week (crazily picky little eater)!

 

Your DS won't really care too much what ship you sail. However, you did good in seeing the Nickelodeon feature on the Jewel. IMO Spongebob stinks. Luckily Dora is onboard. We are booked for Dec 10. So if your schedule allows for that week, our kids can hang out, if you wish. :D

 

On the Gem, I seem to remember time where you can go into the Kid's Club to let your kid run around. But to be honest, I don't know for sure. We just brought DD with us everywhere on the ship.

 

And in all honesty, we didn't look at all into kid-friendly amenities...she was only 11mths old.

Q2: Would a balcony room be enough for 3 of us? I think we will end up co-sleeping as my son refuses to sleep in other beds unless with a parent by his side, so not sure whether the bed will be big enough.. Do all the balcony rooms have a pull out sofa?

 

We had an inside cabin and our DD slept with us on the bed. When pushed together, I think the bed is a King size. I'm a large fellow, but my wife is petite, bottom line, there was enough for all 3 of us on the bed without having to sacrifice comfort. But, there again, every family and child is different. At home she sleeps with us anyway. My point, it made it easy for her to sleep this way on the ship.

Q3: Where would be good places to look for good deals for the NCL? Is now a good time to book? Or I can wait a bit to see if the price will go down as the date gets closer? I saw that the price dropped for 1-2 days last week, but went up again. Not sure whether anyone knows what kind of pattern they have, or rather, it’s just as predictable as our stock market these days?

 

This is a personal choice. Many book directly with NCL. Many book by way of other Travel Agents (travel stores, online, etc). All I can say is that you should book when you feel the price is within your budget. Off peak cruises are priced very well...but as you get closer to Christmas (as in your case), it could be a bit more than, say, our Dec 10 week.

 

Q4: Will we have trouble getting whole milk on the ship? Where would be the best place to ask for it? The buffet station?

 

Whole milk is not a problem. (We were slowly transitioning our DD from formula to real milk at this time.) You can kindly ask your waitstaff in any of the restaurants. And as you already know you can get whole milk in the buffet. We did pack some formula for our time off the ship to make it easy for ourselves. (And we also packed dish washing detergent and brushes to clean her bottles.) We also checked in a case of bottled water for convenience in our cabin and port time (NCL needs not worry about my trying to skirt around buying their beverages...I make up for it...always!) :D

 

Q5: We have been on a Celebrity Cruise and a Royal Caribbean one. We loved the food on the Celebrity and were somewhat disappointed by the Royal Caribbean. I know that it’s quite a subjective topic, but just wondering how you would compare the NCL food to the other two cruise lines’? And for those who have been on both Jewel and Gem, which ship offers better food in your opinion?

 

I have been on RCI, Carnival, and NCL. Food IMO is comparable. Each company has their Hits and Misses. Unless you are an extremely picky eater, I don't think you would have a problem with the food. I know this isn't a helpful tip, but I'm not hard to please. My food has always been served hot or cold. My servers are always attentive. I have very little to complain when it comes to the food.

 

Much to the chagrin of some, our DD joined us in LeBristro for a full 2hr dinner. And she hung in there with out making a fuss.

Q6: Do I need to bring a baby bathtub with me or there are other good ways to give him a good wash?

 

Disclaimer: This is what my DW and I do. I am not at all suggesting that you do this. Taking a baby bathtub is just too much to take IMO.

 

My wife takes our DD into the shower with her and bathes her. She holds her the entire time. Then when bathing is done, she passes her to me and I finish the process. I towel DD off, put on the diaper, powder her up, and dress her.

Q7: Anything to recommend for shore excursion other than taking the baby for a stroll? Or he will be too young for all of the activities?

 

Your DS might be too young for some of the excursions (i'm just thinking of the ones we might take our DD on.) On our May-Gem cruise to BDA, excursions were the last thing on our minds. All we wanted to do was be together as a family. Which will be doing the same this coming December. I'm not sure if we will do any excursion in Florida or Nassau. We might do something in Nassau. We have relatives in Orlando...so we might just meet up with them for a late lunch, then get back onto the ship.

 

Q8: Since the ship leaves in NYC in December, should we be prepared to dress for winter for the embarking day only? Or the next day would be chilly as well?

 

It will be cold for most of the sailing until the ship gets around the area of the Carolinas. But it will still be cool. I don't have experience sailing in December. I'll have better knowledge after our vacation. However, I'm sure others will chime in on this for you. Our DD seems to handle the cold very well. So we will see what we can do "outside".

 

What I can say about the ship is this. We bought a baby backpack carrier for our Bermuda trip. This was WORTH THE MONEY IMO because we could carry our DD on our backs and have our hands free to take photos, browse in the shops, and more importantly have a drink in my hand :D. This also was 1 less stroller in the passageways. HOWEVER, at night time, we did use our stroller. This was helpful because DD could sleep if she got tired. We watched every show, and there were times she would sleep right through them. We made it a point to get to the shows 30min early to get the same seats. Front row of the mezzanine directly behind the glass. There was plenty of room for her to walk around, but then plenty of room to open the stroller and not be in anyone's way.

Sorry for so many questions… Many many thanks in advance.…

 

We know what cruising was like before we had a child. So we took note of how other families traveled. We learned what we liked and didn't like. We took note of things that could be a PITA to ourselves or our fellow passengers. In the end, I think we have our own little system/methods for traveling with our little one without going overboard (no pun intended) in the preparations and planning.

 

The one thing we did do (only because we live very close to the Terminal) I prepared her baby food. I pureed sweet potato, acorn squash, and peas. I froze them in the little baby containers and brought them onboard. I asked the cabin steward to remove all bar items in the fridge and we stored the food there for the week.

[kayakstef]

As far as the whole milk we have also found milk in "sippy" boxes at the super market. They don't need to be refrigerated and travel very well on excursions. They're usually in the baking isle at the store.

[xiaoluojie]

You may want to get a minisuite since it has a bathtub. I did this when my daughter was 3 and it worked out great. There is not a ton for babies or toddlers to do on the ship. Still nice to get away though :)

 

 

Just booked a balcony cabin this morning.. :o Hopefully it will work out.

 

Can't agree with you more.. Even though there will be limited activities for infants/toddlers, I know that I am looking forward to getting away very much...

[xiaoluojie]

You are asking for opinions/experiences. I am happy to share mine. DISCLAIMER: I am not a professional parent who feels that I have all the questions to everything. We also live in Northern NJ so its easier for us to bring a little more stuff than if we flew to a port.

 

My DW and I brought our DD on the GEM this past May (NYC to BDA). At the time DD was 11months. NOTE: we are VERY fortunate she travels well and doesn't fuss at all...even at home.

 

And now, my 2 cents worth"

 

 

 

We know what cruising was like before we had a child. So we took note of how other families traveled. We learned what we liked and didn't like. We took note of things that could be a PITA to ourselves or our fellow passengers. In the end, I think we have our own little system/methods for traveling with our little one without going overboard (no pun intended) in the preparations and planning.

 

The one thing we did do (only because we live very close to the Terminal) I prepared her baby food. I pureed sweet potato, acorn squash, and peas. I froze them in the little baby containers and brought them onboard. I asked the cabin steward to remove all bar items in the fridge and we stored the food there for the week.

ZoneHPH, thanks for sharing your experience in so much detail! Your reply was a lot of fun to read too.. We booked the Dec 17th Jewel, so maybe our kids can hang out in a cruise next year ;-)

 

I am so impressed that your DD is so well behaved! I can not imagine my DS sitting through a 2 hour dinner at a nice specialty restaurant without driving us/waiters/neighboring tables up the wall.… I am guessing that we will be hanging out a lot in the buffet area, or maybe try our luck a few times in the non-specialty dining rooms. Your bathing method, would probably not work for our DS as well, since I am sure he will try to struggle out of my arms the second the sprinkler is on. To this day we have not successfully used nasal aspirator of any kind, and clipping nails always requires one of us showing him some intense entertainment from iphone.

Before reading your post I thought that for sure we will have to skip all of the evening shows, but now there is hope! We will definitely try the front row of mezzanine. Fortunately our feisty little boy can sleep through any noises, so maybe we can still watch at least some of the shows (that is, if he can cooperate and fall asleep after a day of running around). Did you have to sit closer to the corridor so that you can escape just in case the baby screams? (or maybe you don’t care since your DD never screams ;-))

[ZoneHPH]

ZoneHPH, thanks for sharing your experience in so much detail! Your reply was a lot of fun to read too.. We booked the Dec 17th Jewel, so maybe our kids can hang out in a cruise next year ;-)

 

I am so impressed that your DD is so well behaved! I can not imagine my DS sitting through a 2 hour dinner at a nice specialty restaurant without driving us/waiters/neighboring tables up the wall.… I am guessing that we will be hanging out a lot in the buffet area, or maybe try our luck a few times in the non-specialty dining rooms. Your bathing method, would probably not work for our DS as well, since I am sure he will try to struggle out of my arms the second the sprinkler is on. To this day we have not successfully used nasal aspirator of any kind, and clipping nails always requires one of us showing him some intense entertainment from iphone.

Before reading your post I thought that for sure we will have to skip all of the evening shows, but now there is hope! We will definitely try the front row of mezzanine. Fortunately our feisty little boy can sleep through any noises, so maybe we can still watch at least some of the shows (that is, if he can cooperate and fall asleep after a day of running around). Did you have to sit closer to the corridor so that you can escape just in case the baby screams? (or maybe you don’t care since your DD never screams ;-))

 

All I can say is that we are fortunate/blessed/lucky/what-have-you that our daughter can be on her best behavior during dinner. She enjoys having dinner at the table. We would ask for mashed potatoes in any dining room. We mostly ate at the Grand Pacific MDR on the Gem. And as I mentioned we also ate in Le Bistro. We also ate in La Cucina, but DD slept since it was after a show.

 

The front row Mezzanine (deck plan calls it "balcony") is on Deck 7. The VERY front section of the balcony is for Suite guests. But the back section also has a front row. As for the shows, even if your DS gets talkative, I don't think it would be a problem. Heck there are tons of passengers who talk during the performaces. Our DD was amazed at the lights, but then the darkness of the theater got her sleepy. But, if they cries and fussiness gets too much to enjoy the show...it's a quick walk up about 10 steps (give or take) and you are at the top of the balcony and can easily step out into the corridor.

 

And since you booked the Jewel on Dec 17, I'll be sure we take care of the ship for your arrival. :D

[ZoneHPH]

xiao...i also have photos to share of the Gem if you would like a visual view of how we traveled with our DD. my email is in my profile.

 

[xiaoluojie]

xiao...i also have photos to share of the Gem if you would like a visual view of how we traveled with our DD. my email is in my profile.

 

That would be great! I would love to see some real pictures on the ship, rather than those glorified ones on the cruiseline website.

 

sorry that I am a new user and still couldn't really find my way around the website yet. I clicked on your username and looked in the "public profile", but didn't see your email?

[xiaoluojie]

All I can say is that we are fortunate/blessed/lucky/what-have-you that our daughter can be on her best behavior during dinner. She enjoys having dinner at the table. We would ask for mashed potatoes in any dining room. We mostly ate at the Grand Pacific MDR on the Gem. And as I mentioned we also ate in Le Bistro. We also ate in La Cucina, but DD slept since it was after a show.

 

The front row Mezzanine (deck plan calls it "balcony") is on Deck 7. The VERY front section of the balcony is for Suite guests. But the back section also has a front row. As for the shows, even if your DS gets talkative, I don't think it would be a problem. Heck there are tons of passengers who talk during the performaces. Our DD was amazed at the lights, but then the darkness of the theater got her sleepy. But, if they cries and fussiness gets too much to enjoy the show...it's a quick walk up about 10 steps (give or take) and you are at the top of the balcony and can easily step out into the corridor.

 

And since you booked the Jewel on Dec 17, I'll be sure we take care of the ship for your arrival. :D

 

It's been either hit or miss for my DS. Sometimes he behaves well through an entire dinner, but other times he would throw food all over the place..

 

Your daughter is so cute!!!

[ZoneHPH]

That would be great! I would love to see some real pictures on the ship, rather than those glorified ones on the cruiseline website.

 

sorry that I am a new user and still couldn't really find my way around the website yet. I clicked on your username and looked in the "public profile", but didn't see your email?

 

zonehph@psualum.com

[ZoneHPH]

[xiaoluojie]

ZoneHPH, Thanks for sharing the pictures. Seems like you guys had a lovely time..