Cruising with 18 month old?

[Ineke]

My daughter and son-in-law are considering an Alaska cruise with their 18 month old toddler. What experiences have others had on HAL with a toddler that young? What facilities are provided, and what facilities are available to them? Would they be better off looking at a different cruise line or a particular ship? They are partial to HAL as they took a similar cruise on their honeymoon and had an unforgettable experience. Any input would be much appreciated!

[twinkletoes4445]

Honestly, I'd probably sail HAL if they have a program that would work for your daughter and SIL (for the baby). I think when you're talking about kids up to 6 years old or so, I feel the fewer the kids, the better. I'd feel much better putting my 18 month old in a program where there were only a few others there also. So if the hours of the program work, I'd do it. :)

[caviargal]

There is a family cruising board on this site that I believe would be a great place to find information and personal feedback on cruising with toddlers on various lines.

 

HAL's program is for ages 3 and up and no facilities are provided for toddlers. Pools will not be available to your child and in cabin babysitting is not guaranteed. If you visit their website, there is detailed info on Club HAL.

[newmexicoNita]

Honestly, I'd probably sail HAL if they have a program that would work for your daughter and SIL (for the baby). I think when you're talking about kids up to 6 years old or so, I feel the fewer the kids, the better. I'd feel much better putting my 18 month old in a program where there were only a few others there also. So if the hours of the program work, I'd do it. :)

HAL as well as most lines have no programs for 18 month olds. The best lines offer is a parent/child playtime. To be honest, I don't think I would choose HAL with a very young toddler. I would choose a line with that is a little more child friendly. NCL, RCI or Princess are the 3 that come to mind if you want to do Alaska.

 

I personally love HAL, but not for the very young children. The crew may be fine with them but I am not certain how passengers will respond to toddlers on a line that is considered a more mature oriented experience.

 

nita

[6rugrats]

The toddlers on our HAL cruise were pretty well received by the other passengers. But, I think they should leave the baby with grandma and take the cruise by themselves. Otherwise, IMO, they just aren't going to get any kind of a break and they may be limited as to the excursions they can do.

 

If they love HAL, they may not be happy with some of the other lines mentioned.

[hammybee]

No cruise line has activities for an 18 month old. Even Disney requires a child to be 3 and toilet trained to participate in any activities. In cabin babysitting is available for an extra charge, on all cruise lines.

 

Putting a diapered child into a pool or hot tub is a no-no for the obvious reasons.

 

Expecting an 18 month old to last through a dinner in the dining room is asking for trouble because it is common for such dinners to average 2 hours.

 

Having said all this, there are plenty of people with toddlers on HAL cruises, especially in Alaska. Most tend to dine very early, in the LIDO and forgo the evening entertainment.

 

I don't think it much matters which cruise line one chooses with an 18 month old cause at that stage it's all about them. The people who seem to cope best are those who keep the toddler on his/her normal schedule and timeframe, not local time and work their schedule around the toddler and not the other way around.

[twinkletoes4445]

HAL as well as most lines have no programs for 18 month olds. The best lines offer is a parent/child playtime. To be honest, I don't think I would choose HAL with a very young toddler. I would choose a line with that is a little more child friendly. NCL, RCI or Princess are the 3 that come to mind if you want to do Alaska.

 

I personally love HAL, but not for the very young children. The crew may be fine with them but I am not certain how passengers will respond to toddlers on a line that is considered a more mature oriented experience.

 

nita

 

I didn't know they didn't have something for 18 months old. I guess I am just the opposite of you...I'd take a small child on HAL because I think the fewer the better. My kids, after the age of 6 or so, would enjoy a line with more activities.

 

I'd probably still use HAL and hire an in-room sitter. I was always paranoid about taking my kids (when they were really little) anywhere where there were tons of other little kids. We used to vacation with our kids all the time, and we just worked what we did around their schedule. We spent a lot of time in our cabin/hotel/condo, so we made sure we had a nice one that had nice views, and things to do, since we were there a lot. We've even used in-room sitting a bit, and that worked out fine.

[caviargal]

 

I'd probably still use HAL and hire an in-room sitter. I was always paranoid about taking my kids (when they were really little) anywhere where there were tons of other little kids. We used to vacation with our kids all the time, and we just worked what we did around their schedule. We spent a lot of time in our cabin/hotel/condo, so we made sure we had a nice one that had nice views, and things to do, since we were there a lot. We've even used in-room sitting a bit, and that worked out fine.

 

HAL does not guarantee in room sitters and last year on the Oosterdam, friends with a non potty trained 2.5 year old were very disappointed that they could not particiapte in any excursions or a nice dinner for 2 as there were no sitters who would change diapers.

 

It would not be good to assume that sitters are available when there is no program to support it.

[twinkletoes4445]

HAL does not guarantee in room sitters and last year on the Oosterdam, friends with a non potty trained 2.5 year old were very disappointed that they could not particiapte in any excursions or a nice dinner for 2 as there were no sitters who would change diapers.

 

It would not be good to assume that sitters are available when there is no program to support it.

 

When we vacationed with our small children, our day revolved around them. We worked what we did around them. If they needed a nap, we spent time in our condo/cabin/hotel. We made sure we had a great view, balcony, room service...things like that, since we knew we'd spend a lot of time there. :)

 

I'm sorry your friends were disappointed, but when you travel with a child that age, you really have to go with the flow and not plan on much for you. If they were on HAL, they could have done a nice dinner in their cabin. As for excursions, if you've got a child that age along, the excursion you choose would have to be something that would work for the child, not the other way around. I can tell you that when we vacationed without our kids, we did different types of vacations.

 

A sitter would be nice, if available, but realistically, when you take a child that age on a vacation, it's about them and their wants. Any break you can get, grab it.

 

That being said, if the parents were still planning on cruising with their child, I'd pick HAL, at least for that age. That's just me. The in-room dining would be a perk, along with the extensive room service menu. I could live a whole week in my cabin on HAL and not feel the least bit deprived of anything.

[Ineke]

Thanks to all who have replied. We, too, have seen parents with toddlers, and while, as stated, the child's routines, need to be maintained, there are ways of having enjoyable family time together. I don't think they are looking for programs, more for some input from people who may have traveled with a child that age and how it worked for them. Does Hal provide cribs, or would they need to bring a playpen? As for the dining room, the Lido would work, I think, with possibly a hired sitter for one or two nights. Are high chairs available in the Lido, or would they need to bring their collapsible one? If at all possible, I think they would prefer to stick with HAL, unless there are compelling reasons not to do so. They like the Vancouver to Vancouver return trip, as there would be no flying involved.

[newmexicoNita]

I didn't know they didn't have something for 18 months old. I guess I am just the opposite of you...I'd take a small child on HAL because I think the fewer the better. My kids, after the age of 6 or so, would enjoy a line with more activities.

 

I'd probably still use HAL and hire an in-room sitter. I was always paranoid about taking my kids (when they were really little) anywhere where there were tons of other little kids. We used to vacation with our kids all the time, and we just worked what we did around their schedule. We spent a lot of time in our cabin/hotel/condo, so we made sure we had a nice one that had nice views, and things to do, since we were there a lot. We've even used in-room sitting a bit, and that worked out fine.

the fewer the better policy has merit, I would agree with you about that, but I do not think HAL has in room baby sitting especially for 18 month olds. Spending time in a condo can be very different from spending time in a cabin on a ship. I just think there are better lines for families with babies and toddlers. I agree a vacation with very young ones should be spent making sure their schedules are not messed up and life will revolve around them, that is why I am not certain a cruise is the best answer for a toddler plus spending time in a cabin on any line, HAL or others is one thing, spending time in a cabin with a busy one is quite another.

 

Nita

[hammybee]

Does Hal provide cribs, or would they need to bring a playpen? As for the dining room, the Lido would work, I think, with possibly a hired sitter for one or two nights. Are high chairs available in the Lido, or would they need to bring their collapsible one? If at all possible, I think they would prefer to stick with HAL, unless there are compelling reasons not to do so. They like the Vancouver to Vancouver return trip, as there would be no flying involved.

 

Cribs and high chairs are available. The request for the crib should be made at the time of reservation and reconfirmed, upon boarding.

 

There is no compelling reason not to sail in Alaska with HAL and there will be other parents with toddlers onboard. The backdrop of Alaska will make for some nice family pictures.

[newmexicoNita]

Thanks to all who have replied. We, too, have seen parents with toddlers, and while, as stated, the child's routines, need to be maintained, there are ways of having enjoyable family time together. I don't think they are looking for programs, more for some input from people who may have traveled with a child that age and how it worked for them. Does Hal provide cribs, or would they need to bring a playpen? As for the dining room, the Lido would work, I think, with possibly a hired sitter for one or two nights. Are high chairs available in the Lido, or would they need to bring their collapsible one? If at all possible, I think they would prefer to stick with HAL, unless there are compelling reasons not to do so. They like the Vancouver to Vancouver return trip, as there would be no flying involved.

Cribs and high chairs are available. You will need to reserve the crib as soon as you book as there are a limited number. High chairs are not as much a problem. As for baby sitting, this is something that may or may not be possible so you would be best to plan on dining with your little one every meal and maybe you will be lucky enough to be able to get away a few nights. good luck.

 

nita

[twinkletoes4445]

the fewer the better policy has merit, I would agree with you about that, but I do not think HAL has in room baby sitting especially for 18 month olds. Spending time in a condo can be very different from spending time in a cabin on a ship. I just think there are better lines for families with babies and toddlers. I agree a vacation with very young ones should be spent making sure their schedules are not messed up and life will revolve around them, that is why I am not certain a cruise is the best answer for a toddler plus spending time in a cabin on any line, HAL or others is one thing, spending time in a cabin with a busy one is quite another.

 

Nita

 

We ended up taking our kids on most of our vacations. We didn't have anyone who'd watch them, so we fit in things for us when we could. Honestly, I wished we would have cruised with them when they were small, but didn't really think of cruising. I suppose to each his own, but we were just flexible and enjoyed our vacations. HAL's wonderful room service menu and being able to dine in your room for dinner would be appealing to me if I were traveling with a small child. Not all lines offer that, so you'd be stuck with sandwiches...or whatever happens to be on the room service menu. Not on HAL...that's one area they shine in...actually, we didn't have a single complaint about our last HAL cruise. :)

[nchank]

It has been many a decade since we had a 18 month year old. From what I recall they do need considerable attention and parents at times need some free time. Grandma would probably just love to take care of the child and parents would have a more relaxed trip.

 

Don't forget the baby's passport if you take the child.

[cccole]

Your children are with you for so few years, why not travel with them? A cruise with your 18month old will be incredible. Our experience has been that unless your child is screaming during dinner and running around the ship being totally obnoxious most everyone will enjoy them. A set schedule?.......that is a bit hard to do while vacationing but infants and children seem to adapt to changes better than adults. Choose the cruise/vacation that you will enjoy as a family. If an in-room babysitter is not available it's really not the worst thing in the world to be on your veranda looking at the moon, stars, and ocean!!! Have a great cruise with everyone. Cherie

[hammybee]

 

Don't forget the baby's passport if you take the child.

 

I am an advocate for everyone having a passport. Having said this, I think a birth certificate suffices on this particular cruise, this summer.

 

Anyone know for sure?

[newmexicoNita]

We ended up taking our kids on most of our vacations. We didn't have anyone who'd watch them, so we fit in things for us when we could. Honestly, I wished we would have cruised with them when they were small, but didn't really think of cruising. I suppose to each his own, but we were just flexible and enjoyed our vacations. HAL's wonderful room service menu and being able to dine in your room for dinner would be appealing to me if I were traveling with a small child. Not all lines offer that, so you'd be stuck with sandwiches...or whatever happens to be on the room service menu. Not on HAL...that's one area they shine in...actually, we didn't have a single complaint about our last HAL cruise. :)

I agree their room service menu is the best. I still prefer getting out of the cabin unless you have a mini suite. We too love HAL, we only have a problem with the lack of activities. The service is great, the food very good and the cabins the best for the money. You said you would never have thought of cruising with the kids, I don't know how old you are, but we couldn't have affored to plus when ours were little vacation were the mountains, beach, visiting relatives and camping. We did do things like Disneyland on occassion. By the time we had grandkids things changed, but our kids still wouldn't have thought about taking their kids on a cruise. They did so some pretty awesome vacations. Our granddaughter has a 1 year old (a year this week) she also says she wouldn't cruise with Abby for at least a couple more years. Again, everyone has to do what is best for them.

 

Nita

[tchix]

No cruise line has activities for an 18 month old. Even Disney requires a child to be 3 and toilet trained to participate in any activities. In cabin babysitting is available for an extra charge, on all cruise lines.

 

This is actually not true- Disney has Flounder's Reef, a program for children under 3 (who need not be potty trained) where they change their diapers and everything. It's more like group babysitting with toys (which suits them at that age). But, Disney does not go to Alaska.

 

I think it's so interesting that folks suggest leaving the kids at home. For us, we ALWAYS take our kids with us. Our children are only young for so little time, and when we do have time away from work to go on vacation we want them with us! We do usually go with others (grandma, godparents, etc). We've taken our oldest on one cruise when he was 12 months, and are going on another with our 2 year old and our 5 month old, and at the end of the year we are doing a 2 week New Zealand and Australia cruise on Celebrity. Then again, we took our son to Thailand when he was 7 months, so we may have a different perspective.

 

As people have said, it only works if it's not all about us, and we have to go with the flow and do what the kids want. But a few missed dinners (room service instead) are well worth it to us!

[hammybee]

This is actually not true- Disney has Flounder's Reef, a program for children under 3 (who need not be potty trained) where they change their diapers and everything. It's more like group babysitting with toys (which suits them at that age). But, Disney does not go to Alaska.

 

 

Thanks. I stand corrected. Here is the link to the Flounders Club which really seems to be a group babysit:

 

http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/dcl/en_US/onboard/more/detail?name=FloundersReefNurseryDetailPage

[twinkletoes4445]

I agree their room service menu is the best. I still prefer getting out of the cabin unless you have a mini suite. We too love HAL, we only have a problem with the lack of activities. The service is great, the food very good and the cabins the best for the money. You said you would never have thought of cruising with the kids, I don't know how old you are, but we couldn't have affored to plus when ours were little vacation were the mountains, beach, visiting relatives and camping. We did do things like Disneyland on occassion. By the time we had grandkids things changed, but our kids still wouldn't have thought about taking their kids on a cruise. They did so some pretty awesome vacations. Our granddaughter has a 1 year old (a year this week) she also says she wouldn't cruise with Abby for at least a couple more years. Again, everyone has to do what is best for them.

 

Nita

 

The room service really is great, isn't it. :) There aren't a lot of activities, but we tend to sit on the balcony, with a glass of wine and read. I know it sounds boring to some, but we really don't do too much while we're cruising.

 

We did a lot of the same vacations as you did. We love the mountains, so we always made sure we had a nice cabin with a good view...or nice condo. We didn't have a ton of money to spend back then, but somehow I always managed to find a good "deal."

 

I suppose the reason I mentioned taking children on a cruise is because we really never had anyone to watch our kids. Sometimes my parents would watch them for a short business trip, but never did we take a "real" vacation without them. I used to envy my friends that had family to watch their children, but we had a wonderful time...even though at times it was crazy with three kids! And our kids remember so many things from all our vacations. We sit around and just laugh and laugh at the funny things they did, and the good times we had.

 

My kids are grown, our youngest is 22 (we're in our early 50's). None of them are married...but I sure hope one of these days we have a grandchild...and yes, if asked, I'll be happy to watch the baby while mom and dad go on a cruise!

[dobiemom]

My sister only sails HAL. She went to the Caribbean with a 7 month old (back then, HAL provided the food and diapers! But I don’t think anymore.), Alaska with a 4 and 2 year old, and the Mexican Riviera with a 10, 8, and 5 year old.

 

Her children have traveled the world with her and her DH (England, Tahiti/Moorea, Hong Kong, China, Canada). She’s planning to go to Korea this year and a Mediterranean cruise next summer. With the kids. I gave up telling her she needs a vacation with DH alone. I guess it works for them . . . it wouldn’t work for me! ;)

 

Back to your question about HAL: As others have said, HAL doesn’t have a program for children that young (18 mo). I don’t know about the babysitters ‘cuz she doesn’t use them. But I do know that she loves HAL because the Indonesian/Filipino staff LOVES children. Maybe it’s because they miss their own families. Everywhere on the ship some staff member would always come and talk to them, making sure that they (the children) were enjoying the cruise, interacting with them. One waitstaff member would make cat (meow) noises that sounded so real we swore a kitten was on board! Other members made origami for them.

 

When the kids were older (of age) they did go to Club HAL but they didn’t go all day. That was the parent’s choice, not that Club HAL wasn’t open.

 

BTW we always ate in the main dining room (early seating). Her children know how to behave in public places. (Really. People are always coming up to her to compliment on how well-behaved the children are. Personally, I don’t think they are “well-behaved” (especially her youngest!) but are behaving appropriately.) If they had a busy day and are tired, they just put their head on the table and go to sleep. I have pictures! And they never ordered off the children’s menu. A cruise is a wonderful opportunity to try different things, both children and adults. (On the other hand, other family members’ kids only ate off the children’s menu. Whatever works best to keep the kids happy.)

 

Tell your daughter and SIL to take the baby on HAL and enjoy Alaska!

[newmexicoNita]

The room service really is great, isn't it. :) There aren't a lot of activities, but we tend to sit on the balcony, with a glass of wine and read. I know it sounds boring to some, but we really don't do too much while we're cruising.

 

We did a lot of the same vacations as you did. We love the mountains, so we always made sure we had a nice cabin with a good view...or nice condo. We didn't have a ton of money to spend back then, but somehow I always managed to find a good "deal."

 

I suppose the reason I mentioned taking children on a cruise is because we really never had anyone to watch our kids. Sometimes my parents would watch them for a short business trip, but never did we take a "real" vacation without them. I used to envy my friends that had family to watch their children, but we had a wonderful time...even though at times it was crazy with three kids! And our kids remember so many things from all our vacations. We sit around and just laugh and laugh at the funny things they did, and the good times we had.

 

My kids are grown, our youngest is 22 (we're in our early 50's). None of them are married...but I sure hope one of these days we have a grandchild...and yes, if asked, I'll be happy to watch the baby while mom and dad go on a cruise!

Like you we didn't have anyone to watch our kids unless we were really sick or something. Now our kids are just a little younger than you and our oldest daughter is a grandma of a little girl who turned 1 last week. Our younger granddaughter will be getting married in Oct. She graduates from the University of AR this May; thank goodness she doesn't have any kids. LOL Our daughter was lucky, we lived just about 8 miles from she and hubby when the girls were little and insisted mommy and daddy leave them with us for 1 week every year so they could get away. We loved every minute and they appreciated the time away from kids. Now they are doing the same with their granddaughter. i will admit the last few days we counted hours instead of days. LOL. Of course DD and hubby didn't have much money either but worked for the airlines so that helped them have vacations others only dreamed of.

 

Hope one of these days you get to find out how much fun being a grandma can be.

 

nita

[twinkletoes4445]

 

Hope one of these days you get to find out how much fun being a grandma can be.

 

nita

 

So do I! You sound like a wonderful grandma. :)

[ninkb]

A family cruise through the Panama Canal on the Zuiderdam included DD with her husband and their 16 month old daughter. DH and I loved being with them (we don't live near them) and enjoyed giving the parents some time to themselves. . . or one of us babysat while the others toured.

 

The baby loves people, was practically the only child on the ship, did not make a scene in the dining room, and was often carried around by bar/dining staff who miss their own children at home.

 

Of course it was easier because the parents were not the only ones to care for the baby. But HAL was excellent in providing the porta crib, a cabin big enough to accommodate it, high chairs in both the dining room and Lido deck . . . and staff who couldn't do enough to make our cruise excellent.

 

The parents take life in their stride. That says a lot about the child's reaction to change and "issues" that always come up. Taking a child of that age is very personal. We are so glad our family could all enjoy it. Best of luck to anyone trying it. It can be wonderful!!!

 

:):):) ninkb