voyager okay for toddlers?

[nikkiandbean]

Just about to book a trip to the Med on Voyager with my very active daughter who'll be 20 months old. Is this an okay ship with a little one? Any advice would be great. Have never been on a cruise before so am a bit anxious. Can you drink the water onboard? Are the toddler sessions any good? Any advice really appreciated and if I've posted on the wrong board - sorry, first timer!

[Rala]

To answer a couple of your questions....yes, you can drink the water on board: I find it very good. If it seems a little warm, your ice bucket is usually full and that solves the problem.

 

The Aquatots (ages 18mos. to 36mos.) is held once each morning in one of the lounges with one of the Adventure Ocean counselors present. They put a big mat on the floor and take out a number of Fischer-Price toys and interact with the little ones. The session lasts about 45 mins. and a parent or caregiver must remain for the whole session. This was our experience on the Majesty, but I would think it would be similar on all ships.

 

I am sure you will get more advice from other posters. Have a great cruise!

[crusinmama06]

Here's the kid's info if you want to take a look...

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/pdf/Adventure_Ocean_Fact_Sheet.pdf

 

Yes the water is perfectly safe. I did take some bottled water to make bottles with...but that was just me.

[Nliedel]

The water is fine. My eldest has a sensative tummy and he liked the water. It's very clean.

[Travelgrrl]

I'm not a kid-basher, though I'm confident that the folks who are on these boards will not disappoint :rolleyes: and chime in with some negativity - but I guess I would question the choice of a Med cruise for your very first one with an 'active toddler'. Even my genius children ;) would not have enjoyed traversing ruins, visiting cathedrals and touring art museums when they were toddlers.

 

I can't imagine trying to push a stroller over cobblestoned streets, keeping a toddler amused on looooooong port days (many of which require lengthy travel to get to your optimal destination - ie Civitavecchia for Rome, Livorno for Florence, etc), and maximizing your enjoyment of the Med, all while trying to balance your child's needs.

 

Not to mention, if you take organized tours with others, people will really, really hate you for bringing a toddler along. I just returned yesterday from Alaska and there were a couple of toddlers on our independent whale watching excursion, and one was whiney and obnoxious (who could blame her? She had no interest in looking for whales, was more interested in playing with the naturalist's whale models) and I heard more than one other passenger offer to chuck her over for 'whale bait' or 'chum'.

 

Maybe a shorter, less port intensive Caribbean cruise would be better for your first, to see if you enjoy cruising with your child at this age? Or going on the Med and arranging for a grandparent or relative to take your active toddler for the time when you are gone?

 

I can't imagine any of you having a terrific time on a port intensive, intellectual Med cruise. And I love kids!

[GBRBEB]

I think you will have a great time on Voyager. And yes Voyager is very kid friendly They have a great swim area just for kids...of course a parent would also have to be present and kids have to be potty trained to use the pools etc...

 

A note to remember dining on Voyager is of a traditional cruise experience meaning that there is a main or late sitting dinner in the dining room. There are some alternative restuarants but not as many as you might find on say Norwegian Cruise line for say (which has open seating dinners)...etc... We always chose early sitting when travelling when my son was younger we just worked around his naps.

 

Also, I believe that Voyager has in cbain baby sitting. We didn't use this service on RCCL but did use it on RCCL's other line Celebritiy and were very satisfied with it...

 

 

My son was a very active 20 month old when he went on his first cruise so don't worry about any negative posts.

 

And I also think that your choice to take your child to the mediterrean is also excellent. I was taken all over europe by my parents at a very young age and thouroughly believe that children at a young age still learn a lot when bveing exposed to different cultures....

 

 

A previous posters have said the water should be fine...and Voyager is a great ship...

[wishtdream]

My DH and I took our DD on her first cruise at 17 months on Explorer of the Seas, Voyagers sister ship while the itinerary was different the amenities and services offered on each are almost identical.

 

I cannot comment on the aqua-tots program because it was not offered at that time, but I can tell you that we all had a good time.

 

We did use the in cabin sitter and if we had i to do over would have used her more often, we have used this service on both Explorer and Voyager and were very pleased with the sitters. They are well trained and do a very good job. My advice would be to book one as soon as you board as they go fast and there are a limited number of sitters on each ship.

 

We did Main seating dinner and DD ate with us each night The waitstaff doted on her as if she was their little girl and all went well. When she got antsy DH and I took turns walking with her outside the dining room.

 

Keep in mind that your standard cabin does not have a tub so you may want to acclimate your child to the shower before you go. you will also want to make sure that you bring adequate supplies of diapers, wipes, children's medications, diaper creams etcetera because the ship does not stock these items. you will also want to bring toddler friendly dry snacks onboard. There is plenty of dry ceareal, yougurt and fruit availible on board.

 

You will find that the staff on the ship will fall over themselves to make sure that both you and your child enjoy your vacation.