30 day cruise with 2.5 yo

[bnorms]

Hello. We (being my parents and I...father not involved) took my daughter on an Alaskan cruise (HAL) when she was almost 2. It was only a week and she did okay. She acted up a bit but I made every effort to keep her from disturbing others. I was most embarrassed when she bolted on a formal night and was weaving through the linen covered chairs :eek: I promised myself I wouldn't cruise with her again until she was old enough for the kid's club.

 

Well I guess this was like the entire childbirth experience (you know, where you swear you won't have any more kids but then gradually forget and have more)....I seem to have forgotten my vow to not cruise with her anytime soon and we are booked for a 30 day cruise around South America with Princess :o

 

As far as Princess is concerned...I have heard that she can play in the kids area as long as I am supervising her. The deck plans appear to show a small playground on the Star Princess. Does anyone have any experience with this?

 

She is behaving better now that time outs are strictly enforced and the slightest warning of an imminent time out will cause her to become a little angel.

 

I am a little worried that since this is an extended cruise during the school year, that other passengers will not be happy about a toddler being on board.

 

If anyone has any experience traveling on long cruises with little ones, I would love to hear any advice you have to offer!

[boulders]

I have not heard of 2 year olds being allowed in the Princess Pelicans area. There were none on my recent 2 week cruise on the Diamond.

 

Also, be aware that if the numbers of children on a cruise are very low, they may not hold the youth activities.

[6rugrats]

I am curious as to this cruise choice. It really does not seem a good fit for a 2.5 year old. She isn't old enough to go to the children's program, if it's even open. She can't participate in group babysitting, and Princess has no private babysitting.

 

I believe you can take her into the Youth Center if you stay with her.

 

I don't know what you mean by "father not involved", but if he retains any legal rights, please don't forget your notarized permission to travel letter.

[kitty9]

I've been on three South American cruises and to be honest, it's not at all a child friendly cruise. And 30 days? WOW, that's a very long time for a 2.5 year old to be cooped up on a ship. The average age will be quite high, and I highly doubt there will be any kind of a program on board, not even babysitting at night because unless there are enough kids on board, they don't have a program. I just read their kid's policy on line and it says they need 20 kids to have a program, and I very much doubt there will be any kids on board seeing it's such a long cruise. There won't even be any kind of babysitting available, so you will have your child with you every day and night for the duration of the cruise.

 

It's a great itinerary, but I really don't think it's one for someone with a young child. Just my opinion after taking a cruise like yours.

[6rugrats]

I totally agree, but looks as if OP is leaving on this cruise 18 Feb and has already paid. I can't imagine being on a 30 day cruise myself. Appears OP's parents will be along, so she will have that help.

 

OP - please come back and post how it went.

[Kerry's Girls]

I'm booked on a segment of one of these itineraries later this year with my twins, so I've looked into them a bit. The 30 day cruise will also have passengers doing one half of the itinerary or the other. I've read that there are often many other kids from South America on these trips.

 

I cruised Princess quite a bit before my twins were three and it was a great choice for us because of the ability to use the kids club as long as I was there (most other cruise lines do not allow parents/underage kids in the kids club).

 

Personally, I wish I had taken these longer cruises before my girls started school since now it's no longer an option. We did a 15 day cruise when they were 4 with only 4 port days and none of us were ready to leave the ship when it was over. Clearly it's not for everyone, but I wish I had done what you're doing.

 

I'd suggest going to the ports of call board and doing a search under "kids" in the South America section.

 

Have a great adventure!

 

Best,

Mia

[bnorms]

What I meant by "father not involved" is that he hasn't been around since early pregnancy, not on the birth certificate, etc. I had no problems getting her passport or Brazilian visa since I am the sole parent. I guess I was clarifying because when people read "we", they most likely assume it refers to the poster and their spouse.

 

The cruise is made up of two 2 week cruises...we chose to do both legs so we could go around Cape Horn and end up in California, where we live. It appears some people are doing both legs, others are doing only one.

 

As for the choice of the cruise, my parents (in their 60's...working on their bucket list, as they have said) really wanted to see South America, as did I. I just graduated a 2nd degree accelerated nursing program. It was quite intense (to say the least!) and we had planned all along to take a long vacation after I graduated and before I started working. I have been studying for the NCLEX and just found out I passed and am now licensed :D It seemed like the ideal time to take this trip since I won't be able to take a long trip like this anytime soon after I start my life as an RN. Luckily, Savannah is easily entertained and is usually happy in any situation. She was great on the 5 day car trip moving from Kentucky to California last month as well as spending long weekends in our apartment while I was studying for tests/finals. I know those both don't compare to a 30 day cruise...but we will be getting off and roaming around at each port. I'm not really worried about her getting bored on the ship, I just was interested in hearing what the Star Princess was like. I know she won't be able to go in the pool on board, but I am bringing her bathing suit so we can go to the beach if we choose.

 

I knew that babysitting is not available and that is fine. I don't drink and definitely can't dance but if I want to see a show, my parents would watch her. I believe the shows will be repeated on the second leg of the cruise, so we could take turns if anyone really wants to see a show. None of us went to any shows on the Alaska cruise! I looked into things further after posting last night and read on the Princess website that she can go in the youth center as long as I am with her. The website also mentioned the outdoor play area for toddlers. I am wondering what the little playground is like and if it will be accessible even if a formal youth program is not being held. She is now obsessed with slides and I am hoping she will be able to play on theirs! I also am curious about whether there are children's books available to check out as she loves reading.

 

I am aware that she will be with me for the duration of the cruise...which is fine, I want her with me! If I do want to take time to read or something, my parents have always been eager to entertain and be entertained by their only grandchild :) They have asked if she can sleep in their cabin the whole time. I already feel more relaxed on this cruise...on the Alaskan cruise, it was 4 of us in one cabin! That was rough.

 

I will definitely post about our adventure when we return.

[bnorms]

I cruised Princess quite a bit before my twins were three and it was a great choice for us because of the ability to use the kids club as long as I was there (most other cruise lines do not allow parents/underage kids in the kids club).

 

Personally' date=' I wish I had taken these longer cruises before my girls started school since now it's no longer an option. We did a 15 day cruise when they were 4 with only 4 port days and none of us were ready to leave the ship when it was over. Clearly it's not for everyone, but I wish I had done what you're doing.

[/quote']

 

That's how I see it....we won't be able to do these kinds of things after I'm working and she is in school! I will be getting last choice for vacation time at the hospital...I doubt it will coincide with her time off school :rolleyes:

 

Can you tell me a little about the outdoor play area on the Princess ships you have sailed with? Someone posted somewhere about there being little tricycles. I feel kind of silly, wondering so much what it will be like....I just like to know what to expect!

[Kerry's Girls]

On the Golden, Sapphire and Diamond Princess, it was a small enclosed outdoor area accessed through the kids club, so not sure about getting to it if there is no club staff on board. There were tricycles, a slide and some other outdoor toys. The kids clubs had playhouses, toddler toys and a little area for watching movies. They had books, but not to take with you. I believe at this point you can call Princess and ask how many kids are sailing on your itineraries, and whether there will be club activities.

 

You may also want to bring a small blow up pool if she wants some on deck splash time (which can also double as her bathtub if she doesn't like showers). At her age, my girls would also fall asleep in their stroller and I would be able to continue to wander the ship, see a show, etc.

 

Best,

Mia

[notentirelynormal]

I'd also like to add that when my grandson was around 3ish we took him on a 10 day cruise. He started to get cranky around day 8. What he wanted to do was to fly home, get some of his OWN toys and fly back to the cruise. He just missed his personal stuff. So, my suggestion is to bring some of her favorite toys from home and give them to her sparingly once she gets restless. Maybe a few new ones too.

[Colorado Kat]

With three adults, you will be able to take turns supervising her. I like the idea of a small blow up pool. Some plastic cups and such, and my kids were entertained for hours.

 

Oh, at that age, they loved nothing more than me giving them a bowl full of ice-cubes to play with, outside on a hot day. That should be easily obtained.

[katyjeka]

Our longest cruise was 12 nights. We had a 7, 4, and almost 2 year old at the time. The kids did wonderful, and as parents, we enjoyed the quality time spent with them. We have a 4th now, who is just a little over one and I would not hesitate to take her on a long cruise. I'll admit I'm a little jealous as 30 days sounds wonderful. Enjoy your trip.

[kimmimom]

but I can't imagine cruising for 30 days with or without a child, but that is just me! Have a good time though!

[onthelake]

We have done many long cruises with our son. At the age of your daughter, the only thing that became too much for him was a long dinner Every night. You may find the buffet or room service suits better on occasion. Actually, that goes for me as well - 30 days of diningroom meals is too much food!

 

Also, we would take my son to a 'safe' deck area, like the sports court when not in use, and just let him run. Kids need the opportunity to have some unrestricted movement. We always made sure we chose an area that was safe and no one else was there not to disturb or disrupt anyone. A lot of people have strong opinions about small children on ships and we were always very careful to make sure there were no reasons for complaints.