2 year old on the Breakaway

[palmtree99]

Hello, wondering if anyone has cruises with a 2 year old before. Any suggestions/tips? I just saw that the child care is for kids 3 and up. Can anyone tell me their experience cruising with a 2 year old?

[existential monkey]

We had our (then) 16-month-old son with us on the Carnival Triumph in October '13. Everyone thought we were nuts to take him, but we had my mother along too and we had a wonderful time. Here are my suggestions and remarks:

 

1. Most of the kids programs are for ages 3 and up, so you will probably have your child with you the whole time.

2. Bring a suit or a dress for your child if you want to dress up; it's a great photo op, especially since you don't have to buy any pictures you don't want. My husband and son had matching suits and we got a wonderful photo for our Christmas cards. ;)

3. NCL will provide a crib (pack & play) if you call them and ask for one.

4. If you are in a balcony room or below, you can bring some dollar-store magnetic hooks and a shower curtain with you. The hooks should stick to the ceiling and you can hang up the curtain to create a privacy barrier.

5. Bring an umbrella stroller. The smaller and lighter, the better. We had a big one on our last cruise because we had an ocean suite, but traveling the hallways of the ship was a giant pain, not to mention the buses for the shore excursions.

6. If your child is a picky eater, the buffet may be a better bet for most meals. For breakfast, room service is also great.

7. One of the reasons we booked a mini-suite was the bathtub. My kids are nuts about their baths, and anything balcony and below will only have a shower.

8. You can call NCL and request that the drinks and snacks be removed from your stateroom's mini-fridge.

9. If your child is used to a nightlight: there will be limited outlets in your stateroom. Three words: battery-powered tealights.

 

Feel free to ask if you have any questions. We sail on the Jade this fall, and our kids will be one and three years old. I think it will be a good time. :D

[tvguy72]

If it's just the two of you, it will not be a vacation.

To spend that kind of money to have a little one in tow, and be extremely restricted to what you can do aboard ship is not fun.

 

This is from personal experience. Because your baby can't go to the camp facility. You most likely can't see show's , use the pool's, tendering is a huge challenge, most if not all shore excursions, have a romantic dinner ect...

 

However, like the 2nd post said if you go with other people, it may work much better for you especially if they will babysit here and there.

 

But, ultimately this is your decision to make, this is just from personal experiance.

 

I hope this helps.

[Freckle53]

We took our first cruise last fall with our just turned 2 year old son (and his 10 year old brother). We had a blast. No, it was not a carefree, lay by the pool, sleep in, party all night vacation. But it was still relaxing and fun. If you can adjust your expectations, you can have a great time.

 

We sailed on Carnival where he did qualify for their Camp Carnival. The first sea day we took him there and dropped him off and were called to get him 20 minutes later because he was crying. :) We had expected that. We tried to eat dinner in the MDR a couple times, but everything took so long, it just wasn't worth it. We enjoyed the buffet food at everyone's leisure and never walked away hungry.

 

We did not really take advantage of any entertainment, but didn't miss it since it was our first cruising experience. We brought our nice umbrella style stroller (lays back flat for when he fell asleep in it) and walked miles around the ship. We had our favorite deck where we could walk almost around the whole ship outside and there was rarely anyone on it and we just enjoyed seeing the ocean and being outside. Our son loooooved the elevators (especially the main area glass ones). He loved saying hi to everyone we passed, guests and staff and everyone was so friendly as well.

 

We had requested a crib for our room and received it. It was like a metal hotel style crib, but the size of a pack and play. He exclusively slept in a crib at home but would not sleep there. He ended up sleeping between myself and my husband at night and did that just fine so we let it go. He'd even nap with me on the bed in the afternoon on sea days, so it worked out just fine. We'd wander around the ship until like 9 or so (his normal bedtime was 7) and then we'd get ready for bed. Our older son played with his gadgets until he fell asleep and we'd watch TV. We did bring the white noise machine that we use in the 2 year old's room so I think that helped. Once he was asleep we could go on the balcony or sometimes my husband went out to the casino.

 

Our ports were Florida, Nassau and Freeport. We brought our carseat because we rented a car in Florida and drove to see my family. In Nassau we took a jitney and did a day pass at the beach at Melia hotel and it was perfect. They have a private (virtually deserted) beach and many pools. One of the pools was 12" deep and the 2 year old loved walking around it holding my hand and splashing. There were deeper pools for our older son and they had things like kayaks and paddle boards to use in the ocean as well. We were only in Freeport a little while so just walked around near the ship.

 

We sailed with family, but it was my brother, his wife, her 10 and 8 year old and their 1 year old, so it wasn't family that could help take care of our littlest. I think they had a harder time keeping him entertained than we did with the 2 year old.

[NMLady]

Hello, wondering if anyone has cruises with a 2 year old before. Any suggestions/tips? I just saw that the child care is for kids 3 and up. Can anyone tell me their experience cruising with a 2 year old?

 

I suggest you also ask this question on the Family Forum where there are lots of parents who've taken their toddlers. Be sure you mention you are on NCL so don't have Kids Cub or child care option.

 

Many folks bring a collapsible pool since non-potty trained kids can't use kiddie pool, even in swim diapers.

The collapsible pool is also handy for bathing kiddy in the shower since most cabins do not have a tub.

[mizLORInj]

We have cruised 7 times with my six year old nephew. His first cruise was the day he turned 1 (the little cutie did a 10 day Panama Canal full transit!).

He loves cruising. Yes, there are about 5 of us to spend time with him while cruising. He goes to the kids clubs a little bit, but also likes the time with the family. And since we're all relaxed, he is too!

I remember when he was with us on a cruise when he was maybe 2 and when we went to the buffet he said loudly "eat! eat!". :p

 

It is great fun and I LOVE seeing little kids on cruises!

 

And I agree about photo opportunities--we have some GREAT family photos and photos of him alone as well taken on ships.

 

Edited April 7, 2015 by mizlorinj

[palmtree99]

Thanks so much for the replies! The inflatable tubs...if you use them on the deck as a pool, how do you fill them?

[cb at sea]

Get an ice bucket....you can scoop some water from the pool (or use the outdoor shower)...but do NOT empty back into the pool....find a floor drain or use the shower drain. You don't need much water...just enough for splashing!

 

And, I would say, that the dining room is MUCH easier with a small child than the buffet! There is a kid's menu with all the "basics"...and they will bring finger foods to tide them over....just MUCH easier than finding a table, getting the food and juggling plates and stroller....

 

And, there is really no reason to miss shows...most kids LOVE the noise and lights, even if they don't understand the show! You need not skip anything (well, not too much!) because you have your child with you. You're a family....families do vacation!

Edited April 7, 2015 by cb at sea

[mtsnow]

Great info. My wife and I are sailing the breakaway in sept. with our 2 year old girl. We have cruised before but not since we had her. We fully understand this will be a different type of trip, and we are very ok with that. I wouldn't want to cruise without her! It's our family, and if things are not as late night crazy that's just fine with us.

 

We booked a nice big suite with a big balcony just so we would enjoy the extra time we will have in the cabin at night.

[DkswartzFamily]

We have only done royal but my son loves cruising (about to do #4 and he won't be 2 until september). You know your kid and what they will/wont enjoy. We did some of the shows but sat in the back so we could leave quickly if needed (we didnt). They also have pool areas for 2 and under on the bigger ships (ncl does not- potty trained only i believe but i could be wrong) so bring a blow up pool. They also did daily activities for the little ones (play times, music class, art class etc) but again some families may hate that kind of stuff. We loved it. We did main dining every night and never had an issue. Our kiddo is active so we brought a few small toys and would take him out for a walk between ordering and the meal of needed (it was a few times). They really cater to the kids in my experience and were great with them- we had a blast! Oh- and some ncl ships have a playroom and time you can go in with them to play (no drop off service for that age which is fine- we enjoy family time and wouldnt have used it anyways)

[MrYellowDuck]

We've cruised with a two year old with a 12 hour flight to get to the pier too. You'll be fine - you can always find people who will say otherwise; it's an attitude-to-life thing I guess.

 

You already know what pace of life you have with a two year old. This won't change on a ship.

 

Meals will be fun. Waitstaff go far beyond the call of duty to look after their littlest customers.