shiriw Posted July 13, 2007 #1 Share Posted July 13, 2007 I am considering going on the 11 day cruise to Hawaii/ Tahiti on either the TP or the PP in Oct/Nov this year with my 15 month old. Has anyone done this cruise with a toddler? I understand that these ships aren't as equipped as others for toddlers. How many toddlers (if any) were on these ships? Do they have any special programs or babysitting? Are there any excursions that anyone could recommend that this age group would enjoy? What are the sizes of the regular inside cabins? Can they fit a crib? Do they provide cribs? If anyone could help with any of these questions I would be most grateful! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toto2Kansas Posted July 13, 2007 #2 Share Posted July 13, 2007 No babysitting is provided on Princess for toddlers, and unless they are potty trained, you must stay with them if they are taken to the childrens area. We have done the Hawaii/Tahiti cruise three times now and have never seen one this young onboard. In fact, the number of children was so limited, we didn't even see more than a few on any previous sailing, but they were much older. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrdood Posted July 13, 2007 #3 Share Posted July 13, 2007 We did a 5 day on Carnival with my 17 month old, he did great. You certainly have to make allowances with them. DW and I took turns being "on call" each night during dinner, shows and after. You will certainly not be able to just do what you want, when you want. It is a big adjustment. For us it was worth it because we cruised with a family group including the grandparents that live far away, so it was time for them to enjoy and get to know DS. He will never remember it, but the rest of us will and it was worth every sacrifice. You will get lots more information on cruising with a toddler on the "Family Cruising Forum" it is a regular topic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Druke I Posted July 13, 2007 #4 Share Posted July 13, 2007 Cabins on Pacific Princess and Tahitian Princess are compact, and squeezing in a crib would make the room quite uncomfortable, in my opinion. Inside cabins are only 160 square feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toto2Kansas Posted July 13, 2007 #5 Share Posted July 13, 2007 The lowest category I would suggest on these ships where a crib would fit quite well is a mini suite. Although, there would not be any type of curtain to enclose the crib itself, as they are one big room. So, this would depend on how your child would sleep in the same room with you for this long of a voyage. There is a balcony to escape to while the young one is napping if that is needed though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandrina Posted July 13, 2007 #6 Share Posted July 13, 2007 From Princess Cruises: "On Pacific and Tahitian Princess, the Princess Youth and Teen Programs are available when 20 or more children are sailing. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shiriw Posted July 13, 2007 Author #7 Share Posted July 13, 2007 Thanks for your input. I guess we will have to get a bigger room. Even if there aren't many babies for him to play with, I think he'll still do fine since he is a very good and quiet baby and will flirt with anyone who smiles back at him (and usually people can't resist his charms:). Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackbird71 Posted July 13, 2007 #8 Share Posted July 13, 2007 LOL on my Nov 06 Seabourn Pride cruise the only "kid" onboard was a toddler. See a picture of him in my link below. He had a great time. His parents took him to dinner most nights and he was great. But you have to know your toddler. ;) I am looking to do the Pacific Princess in Nov on this itinerary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabrielle R. Posted July 14, 2007 #9 Share Posted July 14, 2007 My Dh and I finished a 12 day trip starting in Honolulu and ending in Tahiti. We were on the Tahitian Princess. We had an inside- to make this trip more afforadable. No, a crib wouldn't fit- as others have told you. On our trip (June 17-30th) There were kids on board the ship, but the youngest was about 3/4 years of age. Many commented that they were surprised about the number of kids. Enough to have a program, but many said this was an oddity. Any other questions? I'd be happy to answer. Gabrielle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shiriw Posted July 14, 2007 Author #10 Share Posted July 14, 2007 Blackbird - beautiful pics! Its nice to know that there are other adventurous parents out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shiriw Posted July 14, 2007 Author #11 Share Posted July 14, 2007 Gabrielle, Did you enjoy the cruise? How did the Tahitian Princess compare to the other larger Princess ships? I have been having trouble finding flights from Tahiti back to Hawaii (Air Tahiti Nui being out of the question since 30 of the airlines' stewards are being prosecuted for drug smuggling). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CA Posted July 14, 2007 #12 Share Posted July 14, 2007 We did a 5 day on Carnival with my 17 month old, he did great. You certainly have to make allowances with them. DW and I took turns being "on call" each night during dinner, shows and after. You will certainly not be able to just do what you want, when you want. It is a big adjustment. For us it was worth it because we cruised with a family group including the grandparents that live far away, so it was time for them to enjoy and get to know DS. He will never remember it, but the rest of us will and it was worth every sacrifice. Since the OP was about cruising Hawaii/Tahiti on the Pacific or Tahitian Princess, I'm not sure where a 5-day on a Carnival cruise is relevant since the questions related to the size of the cabin and number of kids onboard. Cruising in the Caribbean for 5 days with a toddler is very, very different from being on a very small ship in a small cabin for 11+ days. It's doable but I think 11 days in a small cabin without help or family is less of a vacation. Flying there with a toddler would be a bit of a challenge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shiriw Posted July 14, 2007 Author #13 Share Posted July 14, 2007 I've flown with him on a 13 hour flight before and he was an angel. I do agree that we need a bigger room though. The good thing about this intinerary is that there are only 4 days at sea. The rest we will be outdoors on the beaches or doing some light walking trails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackbird71 Posted July 14, 2007 #14 Share Posted July 14, 2007 shiriw While bigger than a toddler but not much, on my Mar Seabourn cruise there was an extend family that booked two of the owner's suites across the hall from each other. I was walking by and the door was open and I saw a playpen. The next time I saw the Hotel Manager I asked if Seabourn had playpens, and he said yes but most parents bring their own :eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spongerob Posted July 14, 2007 #15 Share Posted July 14, 2007 Remember also that your last day in Tahiti will likely be a long one. You won't have use of your cabin although you can remain on board the ship until your flight is due to depart. You might want to look into getting a dayroom or staying on a day or two in Tahiti. It sounds like you know what you're dealing with. We were on a 10-day cruise on Royal Princess (old) and there was exactly one child on board. He seemed to do okay. It was a port-intensive itinerary. There was no dedicated play area for him, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabrielle R. Posted July 15, 2007 #16 Share Posted July 15, 2007 Gabrielle, Did you enjoy the cruise? How did the Tahitian Princess compare to the other larger Princess ships? I have been having trouble finding flights from Tahiti back to Hawaii (Air Tahiti Nui being out of the question since 30 of the airlines' stewards are being prosecuted for drug smuggling). Yes, we really enjoyed the cruise! This was our first Princess cruise, but we have sailed, Royal Caribbean, HAL, Celebrity, and Carnival. The Tahitian IS a small ship- incomparison to what we have been on in the past. We liked the smaller ships since some areas are not so crowded. We never felt bored, always lots of things to do. Harder to find a spot in the shade than in the sun. I enjoyed the food, didn't try the speciality restaurants. We had good service all the way around. Wasn't fond of the workers in the gym. Trying to push people to be detoxified for only $100 for a month, and he recommends at least 4 times...... The gym was nice, but After I heard the one fellow do one sales pich after another, I was tired of him. So I just walked the track- very small 13X's around = 1 mile. Plus we never took the elevator- stairs only. I didn't gain much weight since my clothes fit throughout the cruise.:) I didn't miss a meal either! Just lots of walking and stairs for me. Everything you really need is on two decks 9 and 5. We flew into Honolulu and out from Tahiti. So we flew Tahiti Air. We had good luck with the flight- I understand your feelings towards Air Tahiti. Perhaps you could fly into Tahiti and out of Honolulu? I know there are some that did our route, only backwards. Anything else I can help with? Gabrielle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.