Bringing children on first cruise... advice needed

[Akitkat118]

My son is 2.5 and about to go on his second cruise. he was an angel on the first and so excited about everything (he was 20 months). this year he is even more excited, but we'll see how his behavior is in 2 weeks!! we always get a balcony.

 

on the flip side we have also done disney with him twice, but only for 3 days at a time for his age and have gone slowly. he also loves disney and has been very well behaved there too.

 

we just love travel so go for it. the only wayt to expose kids to things is to take them!

[mjkacmom]

That's generally the way I have done WDW in the past. However, they have come out with FastPass plus. They're doing away with standby lines, making everyone make reservations for the rides. I won't be visiting Disney again while they have this system.

 

I don't think that's accurate. You can make a few fast pass plus reservations for rides, but there are still standby lines.

[ej22ndrow]

I've seen a few people talk about bringing small inflatable pools for their kids that aren't potty trained and can't uses the pools (one post on this thread and a few on other threads). My question is....where/how do you empty the water out of the pool when your finished using it?

 

 

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[Kerry's Girls]

I've seen a few people talk about bringing small inflatable pools for their kids that aren't potty trained and can't uses the pools (one post on this thread and a few on other threads). My question is....where/how do you empty the water out of the pool when your finished using it?

 

 

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Don't worry - there are drains throughout. You'll see them when you're looking for them.

 

Best,

Mia

[Av8tor]

I've seen a few people talk about bringing small inflatable pools for their kids that aren't potty trained and can't uses the pools (one post on this thread and a few on other threads). My question is....where/how do you empty the water out of the pool when your finished using it?

 

Don't worry - there are drains throughout. You'll see them when you're looking for them.

 

 

Draining I could figure out, how do you FILL them? I haven't seen faucets on deck (but they're probably there somewhere)...

[CanadianDee]

We have always taken our 4 year-old granddaughter with us whenever/wherever we can. It's a different vacation to be sure, but we prefer it. We did Disneyworld with her just before her 3rd birthday and it was magical. We did Disney in the morning, then afternooned at our hotel with a swim in the pool and/or a nap, then back to Disney for the evening. Our tip is not to rush or overplan. Be flexible.

 

As to the cost of shore excursions, just note that many have a reduced rate or a free-under-5 fee for the little ones.

[Onessa]

Draining I could figure out, how do you FILL them? I haven't seen faucets on deck (but they're probably there somewhere)...

You don't need much water, borrow an icebucket or beer "pail" and three maybe four buckets full of schlepping from the nearest bar or restroom and you will be set.

[Russ Lomas]

At that time, we brought my parents and got connecting rooms for them, so in case we wanted to do something at night, we could leave them in the room, knowing my parents were there (connecting room open).

 

Liberty, Freedom and Independence have larger H2O zones for them to play on. Oasis and Allure have the boardwalk and more things for them to do.

 

If you were to bring them along, bring a set of grandparents or both to help out. You will enjoy it more, especially if you are going to get connecting rooms just for you and the kids...you should be able to fit into one balcony room. Or get a JS suite for more room...

The youngest we have taken a child on a cruise was when they were 3 years old and they LOVED it. I am not sure how much they would get out of it either of them, but the cruise will likely be cheaper and more relaxing for you.

 

I loved our cruise away without the children so we could do more adventurous excursions and relax more, but looking back at the videos and the photos with our childrens' smiling faces on those cruises makes it all the better.

 

We always get connecting inside rooms now since our twins turned 4. It is far better (and more economical believe it or not) than squeezing 4 into a cabin or getting a family suite. We have never had an issue with them trying to leave the room (heavy door). They LOVE the privacy of having their own room to play in and can wake up early and play without disturbing mommy and daddy when they want to sleep in.

 

I agree 100% with taking the grandparents at this age if possible. We did this last year and they said it was their favourite vacation ever since they got to spend a good amount of time with their grandkids and had their kids (we took a total of 28 people) and their families there as well. Our twins refused to go in Camp Carnival one year so we were "stuck" with them 24/7. Stuck may seem like a harsh word, but a little couples time is needed on a cruise. This impacted our going to shows, limited our time we could sit and enjoy a leisurely 2 hour dinner, etc. With the grandparents there (we have even cruised a few times with very good family friends who used to babysit our older daughters), you can tag-team and each take turns for quiet time and family time.

 

We just took our 4 DDs (age 6, 6, 9, 11) to Disney and Universal Studios this summer. After about an hour in each of the parks, they wanted to go back to the hotel. Too much waiting in line and too much walking for them. Some kids eat up Disney, but mine would pick a cruise 1000% over returning to Disney again and they were very vocal about this (in a nice way) on our drive back home from Florida.