Cruising with kids

[Lola1204]

I just booked our family vacation on a NCL Escape and I'm a little nervous! I have two boys 2 year old and 5 year old and was wondering if you can give me any pointers, ideas, advices on when cruising with small kids. Also am I allowed to take a stroller and swimmers on the ship?

 

 

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[cb at sea]

90% of cruisers have kids....it's no different than ANY family vacation! Yes, bring a stroller, bearing in mind the hallways are narrow and so are the cabin doors!

 

You will need to bring ALL baby-specific stuff...the ship sells nothing for little kids...bring any and all pediatric meds you might need, too!

 

Not all ships allow diapered people in the pools. Some ships do have a "splash" area for diapered babies, but I don't know if Escape is one of them. You should bring a blow up tub...since your cabin may only have a shower...useful for bath time, and you can let baby splash on the pool deck.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Be sure to take a look at the information about the kids' club: https://www.ncl.com/why-cruise-norwegian/family-cruises/youth-programs. I believe the Escape is the only one that allows children under 3 years old and that it's fee-based. But, that's just from what I've read here in passing as I no longer have young children so haven't had a reason to look into that.

 

Some people bring the umbrella strollers. A full-size stroller will be difficult to handle on the ship and your stateroom will be small, so not a lot of storage room. Something to think about.

 

There's a family cruising forum here on Cruise Critic. You should find lots of tips there for cruising with small children.

 

ETA: Here's the link for the family board: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=49

Edited April 23, 2016 by Quilting_Cruiser
Added link

[SuiteTraveler]

Definitely bring an umbrella stroller as other types are too big to be used on ships. Remember there is non stroller parking anywhere, so you need something small and portable that will not be in the way. Many parents buy a small inflatable play pool - one that is maybe 3 ft. in diameter. They put this in the shower in the bathroom and use it to bathe their children. They also use it on the balcony for children in diapers to have something to splash around in. Not all cabins have tubs - on NCL, some mini suites have tubs, but not all. Bring all that you need for your baby. Some parents ship the stuff needed to the hotel they will be staying in the night before the cruise. Call the hotel to let them know to expect the box. Other parents choose to go shopping in their embarkation city to buy what they need. This helps to prevent extra baggage expense and overweight baggage. Definitely take along pedialyte and other things you might need should either of your children get ill.