Norwegian Sun with a 4.5 year old

[Nautica1]

Does anyone have any advice on cruising on the Sun with a 4.5 year old? We are planning on using the kids club at night so my wife and I can go to dinner. We are also thinking of using the club on Sea days for the first few hours so we can hit the gym/spa. Anyone have any experience using the Kids club? Anyone have any tips on which restaurants may be better/worse in case we do bring him to dinner with us? Any advice on excursions? I think we are planning on hitting the beaches and maybe do a little shopping - any suggestions?

[KeystoneCruiser]

We were not on the Sun, but the Star when our daughter was 5 and she loved the kids club! The Kids Club is only open while at sea. When in port, it is a fee babysitting service but only if you register in advance and they have enough kids to offer it.

 

Kids Club opens in the evenings while at Sea at 7:00 p.m. and you have to pick the kids up by 10:00 p.m. After that time, it again becomes a pay as you go babysitting service. I can't tell you how much it cost for the babysitting after 10 because we didn't use it. (I think it was rather pricey though).

 

During the regular kids club sessions, they do all kind of activities and have "theme nights." This past summer (again on the Star), my daughter was 8 and the Cruise Director himself (Thanks again Kieron!) spent some time with the kids and showed them the theater.

 

Finally, as far as dining is concerned, NCL has, in my opinion, a very good kids menu in the dining rooms. (it is the same Kids Menu in all dining rooms, including the specialty restaurants) The kids also, of course, can order off the adult menu. This past summer, my daughter would order soup off the adult menu and then her meal off the kids menu! Dinner does take a long time in the eyes of the kids so a couple solutions for us were to take her gameboy along and to have her food delieverd right away. (they will bring the kids meal right away if you ask.) When she finished it early, we did a couple of things...1,) If it was after 7, one of us left the table between courses long enough to take her upstairs to kids club or 2) if it was before 7, we let her read a book we had brought or play her gameboy. (sound turned off on the gameboy of course!)

 

Hope this helps.