Adice for traveling with 3 year old

[Sun4Me2Please]

Looking for cruisers who have traveled with young children before. My husband and I have cruised before, but not with a young child. My daughter and 3 year old Granddaughter will be joining us in March for a 6 day cruise. Through your experience what has worked with bedtime (early, or letting them stay up later) Any experience with Camp Carnival ? Were you able to balance family time and Camp Carnival time ? She is pretty outgoing, so we hope she will take part in some CC time. How did you do dinner time? We have early dinner, but it takes a while to get through dinner on the cruise, not sure if she will enjoy that every night. Any suggestions from past experience would be appreciated.

[champagne123]

The only advice I would like to contribute is, please do not worry or stress about it. Go with the flow. You will have such a great time with her. I cannot wait to take my grandchildren next year. I just plan on taking it one step at a time. :o:o:o

[Heartfruit]

On my daughter's first cruise (I think she was 5), what worked well for us at dinner was to have her meal served with our apps. Then my husband or I would slip her up to Camp Carnival after she'd finished and rejoin the table for the main course. She got fed and got a chance to play. We had a lovely meal with adult conversation. Everyone was pretty happy with that set up.

[Sun4Me2Please]

Thanks, we are not really stressing about it, just thought it is always nice to see what has worked with others. I remember asking a lot of questions before our first cruise and did the feedback ever help. just little things we would have never thought of before. I just thought I would throw the question out there and see what has worked for family cruisers.

[Tapi]

Some nights you'll be at the MDR, others you'll be at the buffet. Others neither. Best piece of advice is to be open to any possibilities

[OT2Be2004]

We are taking my 4 yr old on her thir cruise and it will be my 3 yr olds second cruise. We did the same thing for dinner. The girls had their dinner while we had our appetizer, their dessert while we had our dinner, then we took them to camp. We got to have some adult time and they had fun! We typically only sent them to camp on sea days for two hours so we could do some adult stuff. They loved it! We also used it the last night. We sent the kids to the night owl party where they made tshirts and had a party while we went to

The Legends show (dh was Elton John).

We let them pack a book bag with toys and they enjoyed just playing on the balcony with their toys. We also order room service every day and get them milk and cereal so they eat while we get ready and we have some coffee. We also take little boxes of cereal from breakfast so they can have a snack.

[Mistyhon]

We just took our 3 year old son and 6 year old daughter on their first cruise around Thanksgiving (7 day Magic)

 

We chose early dining as that is about the time we usually eat at home.

We requested being seated with another family with children (boy was DD's age)

We requested fruit we knew they would like as apps (in advance strawberries, grapes, bananas)

We didn't allow electronic devices at dinner

Every night was a ton of fun in the dining room and the kids were fantastically behaved beyond our expectations. DD loved trying new things, and DS loved the unlimited bread and all of his faves on the kids menu.

 

We only took the kids to cc twice (both on an evening after finishing dinner at 7:30 pm) They had fun and next time we will most likely use them more. Cruising with kids is definitely a different experience than just cruising as a couple.

 

We spend most of our time in the waterpark and pools (and at port doing fun excursions.) We didn't stress about routine and did what we wanted. DS crabby-he needs a rest, if not we ignored nap time. It's their vacation too was my opinion so I let naptime (younger child) and bedtime slide as long as they were well behaved.

 

We drove so it was nice to be able to overpack and have a toy or item from home if we were sunned out for the day and needed a break.

[lisalisa143]

My DD has cruised since 18 mths, the last being 4 yrs old when we sailed in Oct. We had late dining and ordered her dinner with our appetizers. Every night to the dinner table I would bring a small surprise bag with items to keep her busy, whether coloring (kids menu & colors provided), travel size etch a sketch, Wooly Willy game, Wiki Stixs, etc. Each night was different and she would not know what she was getting till after she ate. It worked fine for our family time and also the dining staff entertained her as well.

[lisalisa143]

My DD has cruised since 18 mths, the last being 4 yrs old when we sailed in Oct. We had late dining and ordered her dinner with our appetizers. Every night to the dinner table I would bring a small surprise bag with items to keep her busy, whether coloring (kids menu & colors provided), travel size etch a sketch, Wooly Willy game, Wiki Stixs, etc. Each night was different and she would not know what she was getting till after she ate. It worked fine for our family time and also the dining staff entertained her as well.

 

I did fell to mention we did not allow electronic device at table either such as mistyhon stated. The items in the surprise bag were like$1-$4 cost and an item that she has not had before so it was more intriguing to her.

[Sun4Me2Please]

Thanks all of you, many good options to have for making it enjoyable for everyone. We certainly hope she brings her good manners, and I think getting them there food served with the adult appetizers is a great idea! I also do not allow electronics at the table :) We will have to be selective on the toy things as we will be flying, but I think we can find smaller things she enjoys that will keep her entertained during down time :) Great advice everyone!

Edited January 8, 2014 by Sun4Me2Please

[rjkcubs]

Our upcoming cruise will be our 7th with our 10 yr old son and our 4th with our 6 year old daughter. We typically cruise with other families with kids of similar ages. We have noticed through the years that our waiters tend to hurry through dinner a little bit more when there are kids at the table. Most times we have realized that we are finishing dessert and a lot of others are still on their main course. Typically in the past, we have finished with our dessert right when they start performing. I don't know if this is normal, or if this has just been our good luck. We are like the other posters and don't allow electronic devices at the dinner table. Like others have said, just go with the flow and the kids will be fine. We usually hit the arcade for a bit after dinner, which the kids seem to enjoy. We usually go to bed when we can tell the kids are ready and get up in the morning whenever we feel like it. My daughter usually wears out before our son, so most nights the girls go to bed and my son and I do whatever he wants to do. There isn't much better than having a blast, getting away from work and cruising with little ones.

[UATLB]

we usually pick late dinner. we do this so it allows us time to unwind after being in port all day with out rushing back to the ship and hurrying to get ready or napping. and after dinner we'll bring the kids to camp and depends how tired they are depends how late they stay. the latest they have stayed was about 230 and they still didnt want to leave at that time. they also like to eat with camp on some nites. we really let them choose how they wanna do there day/nite activities but they have a blast

[kimba9615]

We took our daughter on her first cruise when she was 5. We had planned excursions in all ports and found that we were beat when we got back. It was great because we all took naps in the late afternoon so our daughter could stay up later without getting cranky. We chose anytime dining, which worked well for us because of the naps and we could take our time getting ready for dinner. Most nights she was great through the whole dinner in the dining room. There were a couple nights she asked if she could go to straight to camp so we fed her on the Lido, took her to camp then went to MDR ourselves. She loved Camp Carnival and wanted to go all of the time. You are going to have a great time as long as you can plan to be flexible.

[carrieluvsgreg]

We traveled with some friends and their 4 year old. I would recommend "my time" dining. That way you're flexible. The dining staff did an excellent job including the little guy and he felt like the star of the show.

[SteelerCruiser]

Go With The Flow.........my son has been cruising since he was 2 and he is now 8. There were times especially early that it was challenging but we would get stressed out which in tunr stressed him out and just made it worse. That being said we would still have a great time. We have always been late dinner people so that is what we do on cruises. Many times if he is hungry earlier then we will get him something on lido. Sometimes now more than earlier he will go to camp and eat with them. For those long dinners in the dining room you might consider some sort of entertainment piece for her. something to keep her occupied. One Major Thing I recommend is taking an Umbrella Style stroller as it will come in very handy when she wants to rest and not walk. That can be used onboard and off the ship. Enjoy the making new memories!!!

[LREcruise02]

We have a 5 and 3 year old who have been on several cruises. They love the dining room I just bring a few small toys. They do shows and dancing in there and can get out of their seats and dance around! We mostly do camp for sea days I let them pick what activities they want to do. They love camp! Also the splash water areas are great. We usually just go with the flow for naps and bedtime. When they are tired then go to sleep. I don't worry if they are up a little late! Bring sand pail and shovel do beach days!! Have a great time!

[qshari]

We have cruised with my daughter when she was 2 and 3 years old. We had late dinner so we didn't have to rush after returning from ports to get ready for dinner and to allow a nap before dinner. It worked out well for us. We just let her color while waiting for dinner and she was perfect except for one night out of 14 in which I took her to the room early. Camp Carnival is great! We only used it a couple of times for a short period of time but with little ones they give you a phone so if any issues come up they can contact you which provded peace of mind for us when we did leave her there. We will be cruising again now that she is 4 and look forward to it, you will all have a blast!

[Spiralshell]

Go with the flow! We cruised when our son was 2.5 and had an amazing time. We did any time dining but usually went on the early side. Our son was so worn out from playing all over the ship all day that he fell asleep at the table nearly every night. We purposefully got a booth later in the week so he could stretch out.

The waiters were fantastic with him. Don't be afraid to ask for something special even in any time dining. We had the same team every night and they always were ready for us and brought his food very quickly.

It may be different with older kids but younger ones will be thrilled with every inch of the ship. Just going up and down the halls, climbing on and off all the chaise lounges in a row, or riding up and down in the glass elevators is a treat for a 3 year old. Have fun!

[cherrycola]

Yes, go with the flow! Last month we were on a cruise with our 3 year old and 1 year old. We had Early dining, it works for is because it's our usual dining time at home. They have kids menu with a couple colouring pages, and a crayon so it will keep them occupied. By the way, we ordered off grown ups' menu for our three year old son. Circle C is open most of the time during the day, so it's really up to you when to drop them off or to pick them up. Some times they don't serve lunch for the kids at the Circle C, just be aware. Everything will be explained in the schedule. We didn't do much excursions though because most activities have minimum age, but we find it more relaxing because we didn't have to try to be on time for anything.

 

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[CruisingSoon88]

Our kids started cruising at 2 & 5. They are now 5 & 8 and we have taken them on 4 cruises. They love the MDR and we have never had an issue with them getting bored or not making it through the meal. Our rule at home is no toys at the table so that is also enforced on the ship. Anytime dining works best for us because depending on the excursion or what we've done that day, we may want to eat earlier or later. I like the flexibility. Our boys love camp and they usually spend an hour or so in there every day. After dinner, they go to camp and stay for the night owls events. Their normal schedule goes out the window when we are cruising. We tell them that if they behave at camp, we will go get ice cream when we pick them up. There have been many nights that we are eating pizza and ice cream at 2AM. They love it. As others have said, just go with the flow and enjoy your time with your granddaughter.

[luvsviola]

My kids are 2, 4, and 6.

 

What we did was take Kindles with headphones with movies on them, and Leap Pads (again, with headphones) to dinner. We ordered the kids meals with our appetizers. Then, as soon as kids were done eating (and I was done my appetizer) I walked them up to the kids club. We finished our meal in peace, and they had fun with their friends.

 

We don't allow electronics at the table at home, but there, I am more concerned with my 3 kids not disturbing other diners. My older two are diagnosed ADHD, and get excited/loud very quickly.

 

I let the kids stay up late and have fun, and then we all sleep in in the morning. My kids are up til 10 or 11 on the weekends anyway, so they are flexible about bedtime.

Edited January 9, 2014 by luvsviola

[Lace]

Looking for cruisers who have traveled with young children before. My husband and I have cruised before, but not with a young child. My daughter and 3 year old Granddaughter will be joining us in March for a 6 day cruise. Through your experience what has worked with bedtime (early, or letting them stay up later) Any experience with Camp Carnival ? Were you able to balance family time and Camp Carnival time ? She is pretty outgoing, so we hope she will take part in some CC time. How did you do dinner time? We have early dinner, but it takes a while to get through dinner on the cruise, not sure if she will enjoy that every night. Any suggestions from past experience would be appreciated.

 

My first advice is to work around their schedule, and have them in mind first in most decisions. We found we have never had a need for CC, and for meals, we ordered a kiddie meal as well as an adult entree. In the end, learned to eat adult tasty foods. By the end of the week, we never even looked at the kiddie menu.

We also found having a balcony room convenient, so once they went down, we didn't feel locked in.

[jcearth]

I have 3 sons ages 7, 5, and 3 who have been on a few cruises. We alter their schedules for cruises (they usually get up a 6am for school and are in bed by 8pm, but there is absolutely nothing happening at that time of morning on a ship, and that is way too early to turn in). Generally, they are up at 8am, and go to bed between 11pm and 12am, and will have a long nap in the afternoon. This is a much more suitable schedule for us for a cruise, and lets us partake in much more activities. My children are huge fans of Camp Carnival, but we will split time between their and having activities as a family (pool, waterslides, hot tubs, mini golf, karaoke, shows, etc.) We will mix it up for dinner - some nights the kids eat with Camp Carnival (6pm in the buffet in a roped off area) - last cruise we did this on elegant nights, some nights they would eat quickly, and then go to Camp (make sure to let your servers know of this preference), and some nights they would stay for the entire dinner. A lot depends on moods and how their day is going (tired children do not equal good dinner companions!). Be flexible and try to have realistic expectations for their behavior, and you will be fine. have a great cruise!

[jiggs]

I echo a lot of the comments on the board about being flexible. We're headed on our 3rd cruise with our son in a few weeks. He's 4, he would correct me and say 4 and a half. He doesn't like camp carnival. On two cruises he's been there about 4 hours. He likes the activities but would rather be with Mom and Dad. So, unless he asks to go, he's normally by our side.

 

I do think it depends a lot on your itinerary...sea days seem to be longer than island days for sure. We're beach people and spend hours and hours at the beach, usually on the first cab out to the beach. Then back for a late afternoon nap before dinner as mom and dad watch sail away from the balcony.

 

We do early dinner to avoid melt downs. We've managed to eat in the MDR 12 of 13 nights and he does well...some nights it gets a little long, but some nights it gets a little long for me too. He even wears a tie and vest on formal night, so kids do play along pretty well.

 

quick list -

Keep him fed and always encourage him to drink fluids, pack snacks on islands

Bring lots of sunblock, more than you think you may need. nobody wants a sunburn

Plan to get into some freezing swimming pools on deck on sea days

We use the disco as a gym when its closed, he loves to run the dance floor

You can use the camp phone as a cell phone to any other phone on the ship :-)

The arcade is the ultimate place to be for our son use this to your advantage

Early mornings are great, no crowds and no lines

Play mini golf and the sports decks early before the other bigger kids get up there

 

 

Have fun and don't sweat the small stuff, I promise there will likely be more poor behaving adults than small kids.

[Sun4Me2Please]

I am so happy I posted this question! Many great ideas :) I am now thinking that the anytime dining is something to look at, we currently have early dinning. I know we will have a blast, and I don't think we will use CC all the time, as her mother is kind of concerned about leaving her there, but we will use it for breaks from time to time, after all it is a vacation for her mom as well. I will have to put a sand bucket and shovel on my list to pick up in Key West:) good idea!..... Thanks again everyone, always good to get feedback from those who have gone through the experience before :)