Cruising with little one

[Stews2020]

Hi! We are cruising for the first time with our little one (just turned 2) next month and just looking for any pointers or advise to help with the experience. Rather it be related to flying, packing, while on board the ship, ports etc. Open to hear others experiences and insight. Thanks in advance. 

[whogo]

Which ship, which cruise line?

[Itchy&Scratchy]

13 hours ago, Stews2020 said:

Hi! We are cruising for the first time with our little one (just turned 2) next month and just looking for any pointers or advise to help with the experience. Rather it be related to flying, packing, while on board the ship, ports etc. Open to hear others experiences and insight. Thanks in advance. 

I'd start reading this entire subforum, starting with the latest threads, and then ask specific questions. You will get a lot of general info just by reading.

Edited September 12, 2022 by Itchy&Scratchy

[Stews2020]

On 9/12/2022 at 7:08 AM, whogo said:

Which ship, which cruise line?

Freedom, Royal

[Stews2020]

On 9/12/2022 at 12:18 PM, Itchy&Scratchy said:

I'd start reading this entire subforum, starting with the latest threads, and then ask specific questions. You will get a lot of general info just by reading.

Thanks I will give that a try.

[Essiesmom]

You might go to the Royal Caribbean board here, go to the top left of the page where it says See posts about and next to that ‘select ship’.  That gives you a drop down menu where you can select Freedom, and it will show you threads about that ship.  EM

[Stews2020]

6 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

You might go to the Royal Caribbean board here, go to the top left of the page where it says See posts about and next to that ‘select ship’.  That gives you a drop down menu where you can select Freedom, and it will show you threads about that ship.  EM

Thank you so much! I will try thay right now.

[KeroTravel]

We will be cruising early next year with our 3 year old for the first time and as a practice run (since we've never travelled with him) we just did an All-Inclusive to Punta Cana.  My suggestions for flying:

1.  Pack enough entertainment for the plane.  We took a kaleidoscope, an old digital camera we don't use anymore, mess free markers and colouring books, fidget toys that he had never seen before and of course a tablet loaded with shows he loves (if you little one is a tablet user and has never used headphones, I would recommend getting them used to a pair)

2.  Make sure to take a pillow or something soft for your little one to rest their head.  We we lucky that our flight was during nap time, so he was out for almost half the flight.

3.  Layers of clothing.  Planes can be really cold.

4.  Snacks - we took applesauce pouches, dry cereal, mini cookies, granola, quinoa crackers

5.  Lollipops to help with cabin pressure (we're lucky he didn't feel anything, neither did we actually - there and back)

 

If you've got any beach days planned:

1.  A collapsible pail is great.  Saves you so much space in your luggage.

2.  Puddle jumpers for the water are great, but also a pain to pack.  We got a Speedo Child's Vest (available on Amazon) that was much easier to pack because it was flatter

 

Sorry I can't offer any suggestions for being on a ship, but would love to hear about your experience on the ship with a little one if you're down for sharing.  Have a great time! 

[Stews2020]

On 9/23/2022 at 6:11 PM, Flatbush Flyer said:

 

 

On 10/13/2022 at 3:00 PM, KeroTravel said:

We will be cruising early next year with our 3 year old for the first time and as a practice run (since we've never travelled with him) we just did an All-Inclusive to Punta Cana.  My suggestions for flying:

1.  Pack enough entertainment for the plane.  We took a kaleidoscope, an old digital camera we don't use anymore, mess free markers and colouring books, fidget toys that he had never seen before and of course a tablet loaded with shows he loves (if you little one is a tablet user and has never used headphones, I would recommend getting them used to a pair)

2.  Make sure to take a pillow or something soft for your little one to rest their head.  We we lucky that our flight was during nap time, so he was out for almost half the flight.

3.  Layers of clothing.  Planes can be really cold.

4.  Snacks - we took applesauce pouches, dry cereal, mini cookies, granola, quinoa crackers

5.  Lollipops to help with cabin pressure (we're lucky he didn't feel anything, neither did we actually - there and back)

 

If you've got any beach days planned:

1.  A collapsible pail is great.  Saves you so much space in your luggage.

2.  Puddle jumpers for the water are great, but also a pain to pack.  We got a Speedo Child's Vest (available on Amazon) that was much easier to pack because it was flatter

 

Sorry I can't offer any suggestions for being on a ship, but would love to hear about your experience on the ship with a little one if you're down for sharing.  Have a great time! 

Thank you so much for sharing this info! Every bit helps. We definitely need to practice with the headphones! Collapsible pail is another great idea. We have been working on snack ideas, goldfish, fruit snacks, pouches and mini cookies. Have to get a couple more activities to keep him busy for there and back. Loved the lollipop idea as well. Thank you so much for sharing this. I will definitely share with you once we get back what we found useful on our cruise! 

 

Punta Cana sounds amazing too! Take care 

Edited October 19, 2022 by Stews2020

[gluecksbaer]

On 10/19/2022 at 3:02 PM, Stews2020 said:

 

Thank you so much for sharing this info! Every bit helps. We definitely need to practice with the headphones! Collapsible pail is another great idea. We have been working on snack ideas, goldfish, fruit snacks, pouches and mini cookies. Have to get a couple more activities to keep him busy for there and back. Loved the lollipop idea as well. Thank you so much for sharing this. I will definitely share with you once we get back what we found useful on our cruise! 

 

Punta Cana sounds amazing too! Take care 

 

When my kids were that age, I wrapped the little toys/activities I brought and called them "presents."  It made them more exciting and the unwrapping took up some time too.  I also used to just put away some of their small toys a month or so before a trip.  It was like it was new again and I didn't have to buy as much.

[Choozin Croozin]

On 1/7/2023 at 5:16 PM, jacobtsf said:

 

Next was 12 days on the Jewel doing a British Isles cruise. This was originally supposed to be a Baltic Cruise when she was an infant, which would have had its own set of pros and cons, but that cruise was delayed multiple times first due to Covid and then Putin. We were lucky enough to have Grandma and Grandpa with us which really helped. While this ship doesn’t have all the bells and whistles the larger ones do we still found plenty to do with her. She liked being able to be in the “real pool” since she is now diaper trained, but she had some major separation issues and didn’t want us to leave her at Adventure Ocean. 
 

 

 

 

We are going on the Jewel in March. Traveling with a 2.5 year old. In very early stages of talking about potty training. Is there an Adventure Ocean program for that age? I didn''t think there was. I am the grandmother, and was just looking for things to do with her on the ship since the splash area is a no no unless she's a quick study in the potty department. Thank you for any and all information

 

[jacobtsf]

25 minutes ago, Choozin Croozin said:

We are going on the Jewel in March. Traveling with a 2.5 year old. In very early stages of talking about potty training. Is there an Adventure Ocean program for that age? I didn''t think there was. I am the grandmother, and was just looking for things to do with her on the ship since the splash area is a no no unless she's a quick study in the potty department. Thank you for any and all information

 

Adventure Ocean starts at 3. Instead of a nursery they do have occasional “Babies and Tots” activities, a chance for little ones (with their parents) to play together with toys and do arts and crafts. 

[Choozin Croozin]

18 hours ago, jacobtsf said:

Adventure Ocean starts at 3. Instead of a nursery they do have occasional “Babies and Tots” activities, a chance for little ones (with their parents) to play together with toys and do arts and crafts. 

That's what I thought. Thank you for the info about the other activities though. That at least is something to do. How do you know when those times are? Should we visit there for a schedule or would that be in the Cruise Compass? I read about someone bringing a small inflatable pool and I thought that was a great idea for something to do too. 

[jacobtsf]

Just now, Choozin Croozin said:

That's what I thought. Thank you for the info about the other activities though. That at least is something to do. How do you know when those times are? Should we visit there for a schedule or would that be in the Cruise Compass? I read about someone bringing a small inflatable pool and I thought that was a great idea for something to do too. 

 

It will be listed on the cruise compass and in the app (under Babies and Tots).  It is held in the Teen Lounge room, right across from Adventure Ocean and the Arcade. On our British Isles cruise there was an activity every Sea Day.

[Choozin Croozin]

8 hours ago, jacobtsf said:

 

It will be listed on the cruise compass and in the app (under Babies and Tots).  It is held in the Teen Lounge room, right across from Adventure Ocean and the Arcade. On our British Isles cruise there was an activity every Sea Day.

Thank you SO much. You've been so helpful. I didn't even know there was a Babies and Tots section in the app. 🤦‍♀️

 

[jacobtsf]

2 hours ago, Choozin Croozin said:

Thank you SO much. You've been so helpful. I didn't even know there was a Babies and Tots section in the app. 🤦‍♀️

 

It isn’t in the app, it will be in the daily planner, but it will say “BABIES & TOTS” before the name of the activity 

[Choozin Croozin]

21 hours ago, jacobtsf said:

It isn’t in the app, it will be in the daily planner, but it will say “BABIES & TOTS” before the name of the activity 

Got it! Thank you so much again.