3.5 year old 10 day cruise - Tips & Tricks, please

[Abr155]

I just booked a NCL cruise (Getaway) for February 2024 (long way away, I know, but wanted to make sure our daughter was potty trained & old enough for Splash Academy).  DD will be just over 3.5 at the time of the cruise.  We are booked on a 10 day out of NYC (4 total sea days, 2 at beginning with Bermuda in between and 2 back to back on way home). Stops include: Bermuda, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Puerto Plata DR, & Turks & Caicos.  Questions are mainly for those who have already cruised with a toddler 🙂

 

1. We booked a family balcony. Are your kids comfortable on the convertible couch (will likely be using inflatable bedrails)? Did opening and closing balcony doors while child napping/sleeping wake them?

2. Did your child nap everyday?

3. How much did you rely on other adults in your party to help with your child - we are going just us 3, so no extra hands?

4. COVID restrictions aside (hope is everything will be "normal" by 2024), would you have been comfortable taking child to specialty restaurants?

5. We'd likely use NCLs Splash Academy a few times for some mommy / daddy dinner dates. For those who used the the child care in the evening (their complimentary hours are 7-10 or something like that), did your child play the whole time, or fall asleep?

6. For those who grab cocktails after dinner and shows, was your child with you, i.e. are little ones allows in/near bars?

7. Did you bring umbrella stroller for walking around ship/ports? Any other "must have" items?

8. I assume in 2 years time my DD will have used a shower, lol, currently still baths.  Did your child have any problems with the shower?

9. Did your child need booster seat at restaurants (do they even have them lol)?

10. Can you give typical sea day schedule for your child?

11. Any problems with child getting motion sick? 

 

Any other tips/tricks for cruise life with a toddler??

 

Thanks!

[Abr155]

Just now, Abr155 said:

We are booked on a 10 day out of NYC

Also, I know 10 days is a long time for a first cruise - do we think it's too long?  My thought was it normally takes her a few days to adjust to vacation life, so, I thought longer would mean more adjusted vacation days.

 

Also also, I'm a little intimidated by NYC port - any tips?  We would have a family member (NYC local) drop us off and pick us up.

[Kerry's Girls]

6 hours ago, Abr155 said:

Also, I know 10 days is a long time for a first cruise - do we think it's too long?  My thought was it normally takes her a few days to adjust to vacation life, so, I thought longer would mean more adjusted vacation days.

 

Not too long.  I found you're thinking to be spot on - we did a 15 day when my girls were 4 and they got onto the cruise schedule and had no issue with the length.  I had no extra hands - it just means you're together a lot, but also not an issue.  YES to naps.  Every day before dinner.  Makes everyone happier in the dining room and was nice down time for all of us.

 

[Abr155]

1 hour ago, Kerry's Girls said:

Not too long.  I found you're thinking to be spot on - we did a 15 day when my girls were 4 and they got onto the cruise schedule and had no issue with the length.  I had no extra hands - it just means you're together a lot, but also not an issue.  YES to naps.  Every day before dinner.  Makes everyone happier in the dining room and was nice down time for all of us.

 

Thank you! Longest cruise I’ve done is 8 days and been dying to increase it bc it’s never enough!

 

Where did your girls sleep when they were 4? And did you have a bath or were they fine to bathe in the shower? Trying to figure out logistics! Hard to imagine her being a “big kid toddler” when she’s not even 2 yet haha

[kitkat343]

Precovid NCL allowed children who were not potty trained in the kids club.  You needed to take a beeper and show up to change your child if they needed it.  Our 3 year old was completely potty trained, but needed help wiping so we got a beeper.  If they still do this it is an enormous relief (HAL's forums terrified me with stories of kids getting banned from the kids club because they had an accident).

 

My biggest advice is to take private tours with small kids so you can control the itinerary, but with covid that may not be an option (we are waiting to sail again until it is).  Whenever the kids get cranky on excursions, stop and get them some snacks.  You can find private tour operators on tripadvisor and duplicate the tours on the cruise line, and with private transportation they can hold your stroller wherever its not allowed.

 

On the first day, take a diaper bag to the buffet and take fruit, yogurt, and cereal (if NCL still has cereal boxes or throw it in bags if not) back to your room so you always have snacks on hand.  Fruit is absolutely not allowed off the ship, but sealed boxes of cereal and yogurt might be allowed, and that way you always have snacks in port.  I also fed my kids on the car rides back, because otherwise they'd fall asleep in the car and take a too short nap and they'd be cranky.  

 

On NCL, I think the excitement of the kids clubs will keep your child awake.  On Cunard, there is a night nursery so its possible a kid would sleep there, but quite unlikely on the other cruise lines from what I've seen of the kids clubs (but my kids love to play so similar rooms might exist but I wouldn't necessarily know about it).

[Kerry's Girls]

On 3/2/2022 at 5:15 PM, Abr155 said:

Where did your girls sleep when they were 4? And did you have a bath or were they fine to bathe in the shower? Trying to figure out logistics! Hard to imagine her being a “big kid toddler” when she’s not even 2 yet haha

We're just three people (me and my twins), so at that age we shared the pushed together larger bed.  If you're concerned about them falling out, you can roll a towel up as a modified bed rail and stick it under the sheet, or pull the mattress onto the ground.  Before they could shower, I brought a blow up "duck tub" with us.  Perfect size for the small shower.  Easier obviously if you can start with showers at home and hopefully it goes ok.  

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 3/2/2022 at 11:48 AM, Abr155 said:

1. We booked a family balcony. Are your kids comfortable on the convertible couch

yes, the sofa was fine.

 

On 3/2/2022 at 11:48 AM, Abr155 said:

2. Did your child nap everyday?

he was 3.9 yo on his first cruise, so - yes, he definitely napped. We had an inside room and I stayed with him, while he napped. He slept like a log, and still does at 11. I either read a book or listened to an audio book. Having a balcony would have been great nap-wise, but also I would have been afraid that he'd sneak out to the balcony on his own.

On 3/2/2022 at 11:48 AM, Abr155 said:

3. How much did you rely on other adults in your party to help with your child - we are going just us 3, so no extra hands?

we did not rely on anyone, but us two. Our kid doesn't have any special needs, so it's like any other vacation.

 

On 3/2/2022 at 11:48 AM, Abr155 said:

would you have been comfortable taking child to specialty restaurants?

probably. Since his very first cruise, DS was allowed to use a tablet with headphones to watch cartoons or play games during MDR dinners, so he's always nicely behaved unlike other kids we've seen (including our friends'). It's been a life saver.

 

On 3/2/2022 at 11:48 AM, Abr155 said:

For those who used the the child care in the evening (their complimentary hours are 7-10 or something like that), did your child play the whole time, or fall asleep?

can't comment, because DS has done kid's club exactly once, for about 20 minutes, after which they called us and told us to come pick him up. He adamantly refused to go to kid's club ever since. You don't know how your kid will be in a couple of years, so I probably wouldn't plan that far. Mine does not like kids he doesn't know and had separation anxiety at that age.

 

On 3/2/2022 at 11:48 AM, Abr155 said:

For those who grab cocktails after dinner and shows, was your child with you, i.e. are little ones allows in/near bars?

DS tags along to everything, and we've never had a problem with that. However, during pandemic sailing, unvaxxed kids are not allowed into vaxxed-only venues if the cruise line even allows unvaxxed kids. Hopefully, this will be over by 2024.

 

On 3/2/2022 at 11:48 AM, Abr155 said:

Did you bring umbrella stroller for walking around ship/ports? Any other "must have" items?

not at that age, but DS gave up on a stroller at 14 months once he discovered running... Sigh...

 

We brought diapers for night time sleeping and naps, because he was potty trained only during the day at that time.

 

Another must have is a stuffed animal to sleep with (DS always choses a special one for every cruise - he's always been into plush animals, still is and still brings one with him).

This moose came with us on a cruise last November (DS was 10). He's also always brought a small metal box with small toys like cars, legos, figurines to play with during downtime.

 

 

 

a small nightlight is a plus.

 

On 3/2/2022 at 11:48 AM, Abr155 said:

I assume in 2 years time my DD will have used a shower, lol, currently still baths.  Did your child have any problems with the shower?

he still took baths at home at that age, but took showers on a cruise without problems. I think it was fun because it was on a ship and a novelty.

 

On 3/2/2022 at 11:48 AM, Abr155 said:

Did your child need booster seat at restaurants (do they even have them lol)?

I do not remember him using it, but he is tall and was the size of an average 5 yo at the time. But I think we used his car seat booster (no back) at the theater a couple of times. However, he'd just migrate to daddy's lap every time, so we stopped bringing the booster to the theater shortly.

On 3/2/2022 at 11:48 AM, Abr155 said:

Any problems with child getting motion sick? 

not at that age, but recently he has been - we now use children's dramamine.

[Abr155]

@Itchy&Scratchy, thank you so much!  So helpful!  We actually booked another, sooner cruise for October when she'll be 2 year, 3 month - a shorter, one port cruise out of home port - sorta as a test run for bigger ones lol hoping things will be more pre-covid by then, but if not, we're prepared!

[Itchy&Scratchy]

43 minutes ago, Abr155 said:

@Itchy&Scratchy, thank you so much!  So helpful!  We actually booked another, sooner cruise for October when she'll be 2 year, 3 month - a shorter, one port cruise out of home port - sorta as a test run for bigger ones lol hoping things will be more pre-covid by then, but if not, we're prepared!

is Carnival allowing unvaxxed kids now? I hope they do by October.

 

so, don't forget all the diapers and wipes, kid's meds and thermometer, floaties or puddle jumper, SPF lotion, crocs or water shoes for LO, sand toys, water bottle or sippy cup. Life hack if she is using sippy cups and you need her to drink some milk before bed or something - use a to-go coffee cup from a cafe.

 

You can click on my signature and look at my Getaway review. Yeah, DS was older than your LO, but you'll have an idea. After Getaway cruise we decided to only cruise with NCL if it were almost free, mostly due to inedible MDR and buffet food and the smoke smell. Entertainment was superb.

Edited March 22, 2022 by Itchy&Scratchy

[Abr155]

1 minute ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

is Carnival allowing unvaxxed kids now? I hope they do by October.

 

so, don't forget all the diapers and wipes, kid's meds and thermometer, floaties or puddle jumper, SPF lotion, crocs or water shoes for LO, sand toys, water bottle or sippy cup. 

 

You can click on my signature and look at my Getaway review. Yeah, DS was older than your LO, but you'll have an idea. After Getaway cruise we decided to only cruise with NCL if it were almost free, mostly due to inedible MDR and buffet food and the smoke smell. Entertainment was superb.

They are allowing unvaxxed kids now - Effective March 1, 2022, children under 5 will be able to sail without a vaccine exemption.  That said, as of now, their kids programs are limited to vaccinated kiddos 5 and up (really hoping that changes by October - Carnival is one of the few lines who offer complimentary kid camp for 2 and up instead of the normal 3 and up). 

 

And thanks, I have quite the packing list for LO haha