Toddler on Cruise?

[Subie555]

My ex-wife's mother is looking to take her and our 3yo daughter on the upcoming Panama cruise:

 

http://www.princess.com/find/cruiseDetails.do?voyageCode=B731

 

The MIL came to me asking for permission to take our daughter - it's my ex that should be making the request but whatever.. is this cruise children-friendly? Personally I think it's a bit young to take her, I'm not sure how well ships are child-proofed (I'm thinking they're not really child-friendly) but maybe it's just my cautious father side worrying about it.

 

It's a long time to be away from home (and me), but if it's safe for her to be on a ship, I'd be OK with it.. I'm thinking she'll need her car-seat for excursions, stroller, maybe a pack-and-play crib for sleeping in.. does the ship provide any of that?

 

Thanks.

[ColoradoGurl]

She'll be safe on the ship. Mom and grandma will have a fairly miserable time on a trip like that with a 3 year old, you should let them go, lol.

 

As for your concerns though, that's great that you are thinking of those things as wanting her to be safe. It would make me nervous to let anyone take my 3 year old on a cruise. I don't know about Panama but in the Caribbean, most people just kind of have to throw out the idea of car seats and hope for the best. Even if they bring one, there may not be a seatbelt to connect it to. I rode in a "taxi" (van) once that had a fold up camping chair in the back as an extra seat. Check engine light was on the whole time, and we had to stop for gas.

 

They'll have to pack a ton of stuff, it will be hard and restrictive and kind of miserable. I took a 2 year old on a cruise once and while I enjoyed the vacation, I would NEVER take a kid that little on a trip like that ever again. Nap time spent sitting alone in the room with nothing to do, can't go to nighttime shows because of bedtime, having to spend 2 or 3 hours at dinner hoping the 3 year old can sit still, no visiting the casino, forget relaxing at the pool with a drink (your daughter won't even be allowed in the pool unless she is 100% potty trained and not in pull-ups or swim diapers). Sign the letter and just know the ex will likely not have nearly as good a time as she is hoping for.

 

 

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[SadieN]

There probably be only a handful of kids onboard. There will be organized activities for your child. A cruise is child friendly.

 

Look on the Family Board for lots of info Cruising with kids.

 

 

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[partybarbie]

My little nephew took his first cruise at two-years-old and his second one at three-years-old. I don't even have children and I enjoyed cruising with him. On the second cruise, he didn't want to get off the ship and cried to go back to his cabin.

 

Your daughter will probably be fine. At three-years-old, the child can be signed into the kid's center. If your daughter is used to going to daycare, there's not much difference.

 

The ship will take good care of her. At three, she can sleep in the twin bed and the cabin steward will put up a side rail so she won't fall out. They have high chairs, if she still needs one. There's even a kid's menu at dinner.

 

It's better if they aren't in diapers so that they can swim in the pool, but that shouldn't be a deal breaker.

 

I would recommend bringing a car seat, as that wont' be provided.

[easyboy]

The ship is child friendly. These are the activities for kids on the ship:

http://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/onboard-experience/kids-and-teens/

[Shelly97060]

if your child is potty trained she will be able to go to the kids club. They have a wonderful children's program and are very strict about ensuring that only the responsible parent or guardian removes them from the secure club area.

 

The ship is child friendly. As you mention in your post, you will need to provide the car seat and stroller.

[sunsetbeachgal]

The staff really caters to kids, our granddaughters have been cruising since around 2 years old and no issues, they love cruising. Plenty of foods that kids love too both in dining room and buffet, matter of fact we sometimes order things off the kids menu!

 

You can bring a car seat but I wouldn't count on the tour vehicles in the ports being able to accommodate it. Some vehicles are open air safari type vans, some are taxis or buses, etc. we use seat belts whenever they are available but I don't always remember them being available. Child restraint vehicle safety laws in these places are not the same as ours.

 

 

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[Cruise Raider]

Ships are pretty well childproofed so she will be safe in that respect ... she would be extremely hard pressed to have an incident such a 'falling overboard', if that is your concern. It really just can't happen! Cruises are very safe in that respect. Any stories you've heard about someone going overboard nearly always involve a lot of alcohol and a concerted effort to climb up on the railing to show their bravado.

 

However, I would hope your ex and MIL would consider how much fun (or should I say, how little fun) this might be for a three year old child. Every kid is different but she will be mostly with adults on a cruise of this length. Not many other kids her age to play with on a Princess cruise during the school year for 10 nights.

On the plus side, they will have a kids program where they are kept quite busy during the day if she is accepting of that....she will probably get ALL the attention they have to give. And, the waiters and room stewards do seem to love to spoil the little kiddos by creating fun little distractions and having special menus for them. She might feel like the bell of the ball.

She can go to the outdoor movies and have pizza and popcorn, ice cream with sprinkles ... very fun for kids, right?? There will be a kiddie pool as well.

 

My only concern would be that she might be bored unless she takes full advantage of the kid's program onboard. Some kids like that sort of thing while others don't.

The times I've been to the Panama Canal have been stifling hot ... but never gone at the end of October (but have gone at the end of Sept). She might be able to handle that kind of heat better than I do, though.

One other concern I would have is the mosquito problems in some of these ports of call. Make sure they take the proper precautions while in port and speak to her pediatrician before taking her to the tropics in this part of the world.

 

Of the ports of call, she would probably enjoy the Princess Cays and Grand Cayman, but tendering is involved in both these ports.

Cartagena has a little zoo area not to far from the ship but otherwise would consider that an adults only port. There is a lot of history there ... not really anything other than that zoo area (complimentary) that I would imagine a small child would enjoy. Colon is not a safe area to walk around ...and hopefully, the ship's personnel would be responsible enough to remind people of that. If they want to see the operations of the Canal, that would probably be ok but is very crowded on the viewing platforms. I would definitely recommend ONLY taking a ship's tour here ... don't just go out and grab a cab in this port. Costa Rica was very interesting when we've gone there ... but hmmmm? Not sure if anything there was geared towards small kids, though. Tons of mosquitoes seen in this port but we did venture into the jungle during our visits there.

[msmoger]

I can see them taking your daughter on a cruise, but don't understand why a Panama Canal cruise. There will not be a lot of kids, as compared to a Caribbean cruise, and the ports are not geared towards toddlers.

[ColoradoGurl]

I can see them taking your daughter on a cruise, but don't understand why a Panama Canal cruise. There will not be a lot of kids, as compared to a Caribbean cruise, and the ports are not geared towards toddlers.

 

 

My guess is the cruise is for the adults, and the child is just tagging along.

 

 

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[ColoradoGurl]

Ships are pretty well childproofed so she will be safe in that respect ... she would be extremely hard pressed to have an incident such a 'falling overboard', if that is your concern. It really just can't happen! Cruises are very safe in that respect. Any stories you've heard about someone going overboard nearly always involve a lot of alcohol and a concerted effort to climb up on the railing to show their bravado.

 

 

I have to disagree about this part. While I do think cruise ships are really safe, I did not feel that the upper pool deck areas were safe with my toddler. I was very nervous about letting go of her hand or allowing her to get very far from me, since she could easily have fallen over and rolled under the railing and fit right through; especially when seas are rocky and the kids aren't super steady on their feet to begin with. That being said, I've never heard of that actually happening in real life.

 

 

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[msmoger]

My guess is the cruise is for the adults, and the child is just tagging along.

 

 

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I get that. However, a slightly more kid friendly itinerary would probably go a long way toward improving everybody's experience.

 

 

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[ColoradoGurl]

I get that. However, a slightly more kid friendly itinerary would probably go a long way toward improving everybody's experience.

 

 

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I know [emoji4] I meant it more in the sense that the adults probably really don't fare if the toddler has anything fun to do, and also probably don't realize that their experience will be much more miserable for not thinking of it.

 

 

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[msmoger]

I know [emoji4] I meant it more in the sense that the adults probably really don't fare if the toddler has anything fun to do, and also probably don't realize that their experience will be much more miserable for not thinking of it.

 

 

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Haha...definitely on the same page [emoji38]

 

 

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[Cuizer2]

My ex-wife's mother is looking to take her and our 3yo daughter on the upcoming Panama cruise:

 

http://www.princess.com/find/cruiseDetails.do?voyageCode=B731

 

The MIL came to me asking for permission to take our daughter - it's my ex that should be making the request but whatever.. is this cruise children-friendly? Personally I think it's a bit young to take her, I'm not sure how well ships are child-proofed (I'm thinking they're not really child-friendly) but maybe it's just my cautious father side worrying about it.

 

It's a long time to be away from home (and me), but if it's safe for her to be on a ship, I'd be OK with it.. I'm thinking she'll need her car-seat for excursions, stroller, maybe a pack-and-play crib for sleeping in.. does the ship provide any of that?

 

Thanks.

 

My first cruise (that I count) was a two week Alaska cruise. My then fifteen month old nephew was on the cruise (he is in college now). As far as the three year old is concerned, like an trip away from home, the three year old will have to be watched constantly. Bring along some favorite toys and the young lady will be fine.

[kitkat343]

The 10 day partial transit cruise was our 2 year old sons first cruise. He absolutely loved all of the ports Please tell your ex and mil to book private tours in all the ports (except Panama where they will need a cruise tour). It will be very hot in Cartagena, but is absolutely gorgeous and my son loved running around and exploring the churches and monestaries. Dora de zubria organized our private tour, met us at the pier and took us all over Cartagena. We had a lovely meal at the club de Pesca.

 

In Costa Rica, we visited the veruga rain forest, organized by Eduardo humphreys of yourluckytour.

 

 

In Jamaica Richard brooks took us to dolphins cove (which is great for kids) and scotchies for lunch.

 

 

There is a lot more details in the review of my cruise in my signature line, but the most important advice I can give you is to is stay off the ship tours, especially in Cartagena. It will be hot and you do not want to drag an unhappy 3 year old in a tour of 40 people where you have no control over the itinerary. And no one else on that tour wants to deal with your unhappy kid either. Book private excursions for just your family so you can stop and feed your kid whenever they need a break and stay longer when they are fascinated by something.

 

 

Also have them talk to the excursion office about the exact timing of the Panama Canal tours - you aren't allowed off the ship unless you are on a ship tour and they didn't tell us what time we would be allowed to reboard and that was a disaster since our son needed to get back on the ship for a nap. We've taken our kids at ages 2 and 3 on four cruises so far and the princess excursion was the only real disaster.

Edited July 5, 2017 by kitkat343

[delliemd]

Just my personal opinion I don't think children should be on cruises.I have 4, would never take them .Most people are well behaved but let's face it we are there to party .I only cruise the the caribbean islands, I've seen them all over 15 years, most times I never get off the ship now.If one were to take a child I would not let them out of sight.

[A&Jfamily]

Just my personal opinion I don't think children should be on cruises.I have 4, would never take them .Most people are well behaved but let's face it we are there to party .I only cruise the the caribbean islands, I've seen them all over 15 years, most times I never get off the ship now.If one were to take a child I would not let them out of sight.

 

 

 

I think that is a wise decision to leave your kids behind since you are there to party. DH and I are just the opposite. We are there to relax, and when the kids join us, enjoy a family vacation. The kids programs are wonderful, and now that they are older, they have no issue self entertaining on the ship. But we also do have breakfast with the 13 yo (no way is my 19 yo getting up - and before anyone passes judgment, and no I am not naive, he is not a drinker, is way to cheap to gamble and hates loud music but he does love nature, music, and comedy so there is plenty to entertain him), and dinner as a family every night. We might do trivia together, play a round of putt-putt or catch a show - you never really know.

 

It allows us the perfect balance between family time and down time. Plus it has the bonus of all the wonderful ports of call. We always do something as a family and try to have one or two educational excursions such as animal encounters or Mayan ruins on a trip. They have been to most cruise ports on Eastern, Western, Southern, Canada and done one Alaska. It has been a great family adventure and I encourage the OP to try it.

 

 

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[A&Jfamily]

I think that is a wise decision to leave your kids behind since you are there to party. DH and I are just the opposite. We are there to relax, and when the kids join us, enjoy a family vacation. The kids programs are wonderful, and now that they are older, they have no issue self entertaining on the ship. But we also do have breakfast with the 13 yo (no way is my 19 yo getting up - and before anyone passes judgment, and no I am not naive, he is not a drinker, is way to cheap to gamble and hates loud music but he does love nature, music, and comedy so there is plenty to entertain him), and dinner as a family every night. We might do trivia together, play a round of putt-putt or catch a show - you never really know.

 

It allows us the perfect balance between family time and down time. Plus it has the bonus of all the wonderful ports of call. We always do something as a family and try to have one or two educational excursions such as animal encounters or Mayan ruins on a trip. They have been to most cruise ports on Eastern, Western, Southern, Canada and done one Alaska. It has been a great family adventure and I encourage the OP to try it as my youngest was 2 and his brother 8 on their first cruise.

 

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[cdr1]

We took our family to Alaska for our 40th anniversary. Our 4 year old grandson was a firecracker! We got him a backpack that looked like a stuffed animal that he wore and the long tail was a "leash" that someone was always holding on to! Worked like a charm.

[Colo Cruiser]

Funny! :)

[zogrand]

I think it basically comes down to your ex-wife. Do you feel she is a good Mom? Does she take good care of your daughter? Does she keep her safe? If the answers to these questions are "yes" then you should let her go. If the answer is "no", then don't!

[andrew2346]

I am sure your daughter will have a great time on vacation with her mom and grandmother. This type of vacation is really a privilege. Where the cruise is going should not matter to a 3 year old (nor should the parents care what the 3 year old thinks about the destination). They are not the boss...lol. Wait til they are teens :)

[Lyss00]

Hi!

 

We took our three year old (turned 4 on the cruise!) on a cruise Singapore to Tokyo three years ago. He had a blast! At home he was out of day sleeps but had a sleep most port days cause it was sooo hot and the heat exhausted him.

 

We tried the kids club.... but the time we arrived they were doing introductions etc and all the kids were sitting around.... getting a 4yr old to sit still for a while like that was a bit of an ask. Not surprisingly he didn't want to go back after that

[Kansas Gal]

We just returned from a Baltic cruise last week. One day returning from lunch we found an about 3-year old boy rolling around on the floor near our cabin. Having not seen any children around before I tried to talk to him but he just covered his face with his hands and would not talk. Several other couples came along and having not seen a child around our area before, one of them went into his cabin to call someone from the ship. I don't know who he called but after about 5 minutes someone showed up (not security) but didn't seem to know just what to do. He also tried talking to the child, but after a little while the child rolled into a doorway and went to sleep! After much urging from the passengers to make an announcement over the ship, he went to the steward's room to make a call. About that time a room service person came along, and thought he remembered the child being on the deck above playing with another child a little earlier. He went off and came back with an about 6-year old girl who said it was her brother, "Mommy was on a bus" (we were in port that day) and daddy was taking a nap. She knew her cabin number, so one of the passengers went to the cabin (it was actually 2 decks up) and knocked on the door until the dad woke up. He came down, swooped up the sleeping child and left. There never was an announcement made during this time. We were all disappointed in Princess's response to the situation.