naked Posted June 7, 2006 #1 Share Posted June 7, 2006 Here is the story: some friends want to take a cruise and they came to me because they know DW and I enjoy cruising. They are 2 couples in their late 30's or early 40's, each with preschool children. They are thinking about a trip in Jan, 2007. Couple #1: Live in Brooklyn, NY. Children will be just turned 1 and age 2. Both love to dive and want to dive while the kids remain on the ship. They are Anti-Disney. Couple #2: Live near Chicago. Children will be ages 2 and 6. Both are Celebrity Captain's Club Select Members but have never cruised with kids and want whatever can best support kids of that age. I understand that Celebrity might not be the best line for this profile of guests. I also wonder if they might be better off waiting until the kids are 3, but I know at least Norwegian starts their kids club at age 2. What cruise line do you recommend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeystoneCruiser Posted June 7, 2006 #2 Share Posted June 7, 2006 Here is the story: some friends want to take a cruise and they came to me because they know DW and I enjoy cruising. They are 2 couples in their late 30's or early 40's, each with preschool children. They are thinking about a trip in Jan, 2007. Couple #1: Live in Brooklyn, NY. Children will be just turned 1 and age 2. Both love to dive and want to dive while the kids remain on the ship. They are Anti-Disney. Couple #2: Live near Chicago. Children will be ages 2 and 6. Both are Celebrity Captain's Club Select Members but have never cruised with kids and want whatever can best support kids of that age. I understand that Celebrity might not be the best line for this profile of guests. I also wonder if they might be better off waiting until the kids are 3, but I know at least Norwegian starts their kids club at age 2. What cruise line do you recommend? I can only help with NCL, but they may want to wait a while even for NCL. First, NCL Kids Club only accepts kids who are 2 and older. There are no exceptions. Also, if a child is placed in Kids Club and is not potty trained, then the parents will be given a beeper to come and change the child when needed. As a result, parents cannot leave the ship. NCL Kids Club is only free while at sea and only during select hours. (Closes at 10 at night). If they want to utilize the Kids Club during the ports or after 10, then they can pay for group babysitting which is an additional per hour fee. Again, if the child is not potty trained, then they will be given a beeper. Also, NCL does not allow children in the pools in swim diapers, or any diaper for that matter. They must be potty trained. As far as the couple with the 2 & 6 year old, the children would be in different age groups in Kids Club. Sometimes this becomes an issue for siblings. NCL is very strict with their age requirements. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I&MsMom Posted June 8, 2006 #3 Share Posted June 8, 2006 I can only help with Carnival. Kids MUST be officially 2 upon boarding to use the camp. Camp counselors will change diapers, so you can leave the kids while you go ashore. Camp is free, until 10 pm. It is open on port days from when the ship docks until when it sails away, and the counselors will feed your kids lunch if you're not on board. On sea days, camp hours are generally 9-12, 2-5-ish (it varies slightly) and 7-10. After 10 pm, there is babysitting until 3 am at a nominal charge (we've never used it, but I think about $6/hour). We first cruised with a 5 year old and 25 month old. We're completely hooked. HTH! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty9 Posted June 8, 2006 #4 Share Posted June 8, 2006 I'm not one who agrees with leaving kids, especially ones so young, on a ship while parents go off on a shore excursion. Too many things can happen---what if they miss the ship and the kids are left alone while the ship sails off---what if one child falls or becomes ill while the parents are off by themselves? I was on a cruise when the parents left their kids on board, and they missed the ship and the kids were left alone without parents for two days until the parents could make it to the next port of call. I know many parents do leave their kids and go off on excursions, but my personal opinion is that for kids under age 5, it's just not a good idea. On some lines, the kids club is only open until noon on port days, so that means they would have to be back to pick the kids up from the camp. RCCI and Celebrity have age 3 as the minimum age for the kids camp. Carnival takes them at age 2. I agree that Celebrity isn't the best choice for this group. RCCI and Carnival have the best kids facilities, imho. But, I think it would be better for them to wait until their kids are older before embarking on a cruise where they want to leave the kids on board while they go off on their own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FPP777 Posted June 8, 2006 #5 Share Posted June 8, 2006 I see only two choices..... 1. Wait until they are older. 2. Bring a babysitter with them. It would be a hefty price to pay, but atleast they would have someone they know watching the children. In either case, if they want to leave the children on the ship while they dive, they need to take a dive excursion arranged thru RCL. This way if the excursion runs late, the ship will wait. If they set it up on their own the ship will leave if they are late. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHIPMUNKSMOM Posted June 8, 2006 #6 Share Posted June 8, 2006 NCL does not charge on the Majesty for Kids Crew while at port. The hours are shorter than at sea, but they don't charge a fee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom1977 Posted June 8, 2006 #7 Share Posted June 8, 2006 I see only two choices..... 1. Wait until they are older. 2. Bring a babysitter with them. It would be a hefty price to pay, but atleast they would have someone they know watching the children. In either case, if they want to leave the children on the ship while they dive, they need to take a dive excursion arranged thru RCL. This way if the excursion runs late, the ship will wait. If they set it up on their own the ship will leave if they are late. I have to say this may be the way to go. Both couples are going to have to realistically look at their children and make hard choices. Babies at 1 and 2 are still high demand. Are the parents willing to bring along everything needed? Are these children able to go along with the changes without throwing their schedules out the window? Are they use to being with strangers, or is the mom stay at home and the children never been with a stranger? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerry's Girls Posted June 8, 2006 #8 Share Posted June 8, 2006 For me, cruising with my toddlers is better than NOT cruising. I think a cruise is the least stressful way to travel with babies/young children. It's certainly not the same vacation as cruising alone with my husband, but nothing is the same after kids anyway. If they can afford to get an extra inside cabin for their kids and a sitter/family member, clearly that would be ideal, but I saw a lot of other families with children too young for the kids' program on my last cruise and everyone was having a great time (my twins were 13 months at the time). They just have to know that activities/nights out without the kids aren't going to happen. Best, Mia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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