Please Help - Cruise with a toddler?

[sas80]

my daughter inl laws friend took her 12 month old on a cruise she said if she had to do it over again she would not do it,said she spent alot of her time in the cabin,hard to sit out on the deck by the pool not much shade,we have a time share in aruba,my daughter in law will not take our grandaughter there till she is older would not subject her to the strong sun,I tend to agree with the other poster,leave the baby with the Grandparent's that is what we are for.

 

Both my (10 month old) DS's grandparents are out of state. One of them has a bad back and could not care for DS, and the other has to work for income....

 

Should DH and I tie DS up in the closet and go on our cruise alone? :confused: Or should we just not go on a cruise vacation at all until DS is the "right" age?

[smile1234]

My original question was not inteneded to bring forth a debate on whether it is right or wrong to bring kids on a cruise...that is everyones own personnal choice. I thank you for those of you resonded with honest information. My daughter is mature and tall for her age. So if i am able to potty train her in the next month i do not see the pool being an issue. My initial question was if it was enforced...ie if she is not 3 she cannot do this or that. As it is now in our pool she does not wear swim diapers and does fine and knows not to do whatever you want to call it in the water. I am dissapointed that RCCL does not have any other activities for this age as she does most things 3 yr olds do...as for not taking child on vacation.... She learned to crawl in Aruba and walk in Orlando ! Thanks again for your responses/

[Sea Island Lady]

My mom would totally understand your feelings, Sea Island, and I suspect my wife and I will feel the same way in about 17 or 18 years. That's why we're so looking forward to this trip...as an extended family, we all live in various places (some Florida, some California, some Germany, some New York City). This is one of the very rare opportunities to be all together in one place at one time. My siblings have only had a chance to see our daughter once since the adoption was finalized and we brought her home...they have been very gracious to offer to babysit during the cruise to give my wife and me the chance to relax a bit.

 

Michael

You've got it made with having the help around! You should have a great time!

 

The cost of cruising with her is comparable to other vacations (when factoring in lodging, food, entertainment, transportation, etc).

 

As for comparing the cost to other vacations...

 

The last deal we got on a 3rd and 4th person was on the Disney Cruise back in 2000 and it was $399 pp. Our two youngest were something like 12 and 15, which averaged $57 a day (that didn't include all the taxes, extras and air.) We stay in a suite, so if we were to take a 3rd, it would cost at least $799 today.

 

A baby and toddler don't eat the same foods as adults, so you have to bring your own and if there is flying involved, the cost goes even higher! Entertainment for a toddler??? :rolleyes:

 

Having said the above, when we do take our children (they have been on at least 5 cruises with us), they stay either in an inside or a standard balcony to the tune of $1000 for the first two and $799 for the 3rd - based on our family reunion cruise one July when they stayed in an inside on the Mariner.

 

$799 will buy us 1/2 week at our beach house for a family of 10! We could have gone to the beach three times for what that one July cruise cost us.

 

To the OP, hope you have had some of your questions answered and I do hope you have a wonderful, relaxing time. Come back with a report!

 

Got to go...leaving town for a quick vacation!

[Desert Cruizers]

Robyn, I agree with you. It really upsets me when we see a Post, inquiering information, and instead of answering that person nicely it has to be followed by critical remarks. Alot of people new to cruising come and in and search for answers to assist them. I am happy to say the majority on CC members respond kindly and try and help those people out.

[HurricaneSally]

Robyn, I agree with you. It really upsets me when we see a Post, inquiering information, and instead of answering that person nicely it has to be followed by critical remarks. Alot of people new to cruising come and in and search for answers to assist them. I am happy to say the majority on CC members respond kindly and try and help those people out.

 

If all OP's simply want information they should be getting the information from the cruiseline faq's. This is a discussion board, isn't it? Not just an information center. If it is just an information center, then we would all get bored pretty quickly, wouldn't we?

[chicagojayhawk]

Why do people feel the need to stir the pot? :rolleyes:

[Desert Cruizers]

Chicago, I love these boards for everything it offers all of us. I'm refraining from further discussion. Smile thanked us for our responses.

[Kerry's Girls]

I have taken my 2-1/2 year old twins on three cruises, and they are the three best weeks we've had in our lives. A cruise is a perfect way to travel with toddlers - better than any resort or condo vacation we've taken (and actually much more economical - since I'm not interested in a vacation where I have to deal with meal preparation, and eating at restaurants for every meal is horribly expensive). Of course, it's a different cruise than without children, but if you want a trip that includes your child, I don't think there's any better way to go than on a cruise - even if they're too young for the kids' program (as long as you want to spend all your time with your child - which I do when I'm on vacation).

 

We don't miss the pool at all. We go to resorts when we're in port, so on sea days we spend our time playing. Sea days fly by - in fact, a week is never enough. My girls get to try all kinds of food they otherwise wouldn't (and there's always plenty for picky eaters), and we're all treated like princesses in the dining room - not like trying to have decent meal on land.

 

When I took my twins on their first cruise at 13 months, my friends all thought I was nuts, but we found LOTS of other toddlers on board - and that was on Princess, which isn't known for being the most child-friendly. We're going on our fourth cruise for their 3rd birthday, and I can't wait. You'll have a great time. You can find lots of tips for cruising with a toddler on the family board.

 

Best,

Mia

[HurricaneSally]

Why do people feel the need to stir the pot? :rolleyes:

 

What do you consider "stirring the pot?". This is a discussion board, isn't it? Why do people get upset when people actually "discuss"? I don't get it!!!!

 

Everytime someone doesn't just answer the question, people get snippy and pissed off. What are these boards for?

[Johnkut]

Don't get me wrong, I am all for family vacations. Personnally, I think there are better vacations for children than taking them on a cruise and cheaper. There just isn't enough for them to do on a cruise ship. I've taken my family on camping trips, ski vacations and other trips where we all could do something together as a family. I would much rather take young ones to Disney World than on a cruise, there is more for them to do. What kind of a vacation is it for a family when the first thing most parents do when they board is sign them up for the kids clubs and drop them off so they could go and enjoy themselves. Let's face it, you're not taking your little toddlers on cruise because they would enjoy it, you're going on a cruise so you can enjoy it. Ask any 3 year old if they would rather go on a cruise or to Disney World, and I'll bet they would have more fun at Disney.

[dc-snoopy]

I agree that this is a discussion board and the topic is cruising with toddlers. Personally, the way I read the CC boards, as long as people do not throw personal insults or attacks, the discussion is useful to someone, not necessarily the OP, but many others will want to get the viewpoints expressed. I think that it would be helpful to see if other cruisers have useful experience and knowledge to consider about cruising with toddlers. DW and I are likely to have that question ourselves in a few years. Knowing some of the problems that some people face, it might mean that we would choose family time somewhere else (like Grandma and Grandpa's home which has a pool and is within easy driving distance of Disney World) instead of on a cruise and leave cruising for the times when we need/want a vacation alone and can find alternative vacation plans for kid(s).

 

I think it is important to get all opinions out there. Each reader can sift through the opinions presented, see which ones weigh more for themselves and make a more informed decision. How is this different from going around and asking friends, family, co-workers or acquaintances that you know if they have sailed with children and the pros and cons of sailing with children? It is unlikely to change the OP's plans for the upcoming cruise, but what about the several dozen other posters with toddlers who were attracted to the subject? As long as no one gets insulting, all are invited to the discussion.

[Kerry's Girls]

Don't get me wrong, I am all for family vacations. Personnally, I think there are better vacations for children than taking them on a cruise and cheaper. There just isn't enough for them to do on a cruise ship. I've taken my family on camping trips, ski vacations and other trips where we all could do something together as a family. I would much rather take young ones to Disney World than on a cruise, there is more for them to do. What kind of a vacation is it for a family when the first thing most parents do when they board is sign them up for the kids clubs and drop them off so they could go and enjoy themselves. Let's face it, you're not taking your little toddlers on cruise because they would enjoy it, you're going on a cruise so you can enjoy it. Ask any 3 year old if they would rather go on a cruise or to Disney World, and I'll bet they would have more fun at Disney.

 

I respectfully disagree - at least in terms of my own family. A cruise is the absolute best way for us to spend quality time together. As a full-time working single mom, it's important when we go on vacation for us to just have stress-free time to play and enjoy each other. I don't have to worry about meals or cleaning - or anything really - except spending time with my toddlers, and they get attention from their stress-free mom. Disney is ok with toddlers - but we spent much more money at Disney for a lot less fun and a lot more aggrivation (and then there's the food issue!).

 

Best,

Mia

[cruizie]

I think you will have a wonderful time w/ your child on the cruise. My 5 yr old dd has been on 8 cruises & loves them. She plays pretend cruise at home. If you ask her what she wants to do on vacation, she says "go on a cruise." It is true that she has enjoyed the cruises more as she has gotten "older" and so have we. What I love best about cruising w/ my daughter is that we have family time, we have couple time & we have alone time. I have not left my daughter to go on vacation & honestly cannot imagine how lonely we would be for her. That does not mean that I think people should not do it - to each his own is my motto. However, whenever we go on a cruise, there is always some couple looking so sad while talking to my daughter - always turns out they choose to cruise w/out their kids.

 

As for AO (Adventure Ocean), no, she won't be able to go but at 2-1/2, she might not have gone anyhow. My dd would not go when she was 2 (we were on Carnival that trip & they start at 2). We found other things to do though. She loved to watch the ocean, looking for "whales." We brought crayons, coloring books, etc. A few small toys like you do when you go to grandma's or out to dinner. If you plan to eat in the dining room, I would recommend early seating. Also bring along some markers or something to keep her/him entertained - those Color Wonder markers & coloring books were perfect for that time. By all means, work on potty training if you feel your child is ready but if not, there are lots of other things to do to keep your child happy.

 

Have fun!

 

cruizie (aka Leslie)