If it were you, what would you do?

[unquenched]

Hello everyone. :) I am new to the CC boards and new to cruising. Currently, DH and I are beginning to plan a January 2009 Caribbean (or Bahamian) cruise. We are going to bring our DS who will be just a few weeks shy of turning three when we sail. He is not currently potty-trained and we are not sure he will be, but we are working on it.

I have been reading the boards, checking out brochures, and cruise line websites, and trying to decide what will work out best for us. I have also talked with friends about cruising and been given some things to think about. But I do have some other questions I am hoping any of you can answer for me.

 

1. It appears to me that the best option for kid's programming that goes as young as 2 (since by some cruise lines he will still be considered that despite being within a month of three) is Carnival. I have read CrusinMama's blog and checked out her program activities sheets. To me, it looks like a great program. But- friends have mentioned that if I can 'afford' nicer, to go with a different cruise line. Is this true? Is Carnival up-to-par or sub-par as far you as are concerned? (I am meaning about food, accomodations, activities, etc...)

 

2. What about Disney? I have read that Disney will usually allow a 2 year old to participate in their Oceaneers program as long as they are within a month of turning three AND potty trained. Since we don't know how quickly DS will potty train, would it be better to skip Disney for now?

 

3. Tell me about NCL with toddlers. I know they have programs for as young as two, but they require the parents to do the diaper changing. I also know because of this, parents can't go off of the ship when the kid's are in the club. Not a really big deal. What seems more attractive to me is saving $1000 on airfare by sailing right out of NYC. Since we live only 4 hours away, we could easily drive there. But I wouldn't want to plan this if this wouldn't be the greatest option for our son. And I know my DH will want relaxation time, so I'd probably be the one responding to diaper change beeps.

 

4. Does Princess have a program for as young as two?

 

5. What about the pools situation? Which ships have the best options in case DS is not potty trained?

 

6. Last but not least, if it were you, which of the cruise lines would you choose? And which ship?

 

For a little more information on my son, he is already very talkative and very active. He loves outdoor play, but he also loves story time and all kinds of arts and crafts.

 

Thank you SO MUCH (in advance) for your help! ;)

[CeleBrat]

We've sailed on all of the cruise lines you mentioned with toddlers EXCEPT Princess, so here are my thoughts:

 

1--Carnival is NOT sub-par. Some of their older ships are not as fancy and lack the "WOW" factor. But, their newer ships (Glory, Freedom, Liberty) are fantastic. Large kids facilities, good variety of food facilities (pizza, deli, sushi, etc...), and well-kept ships. You can probably find the best deal on Carnival. We sail Disney a lot, but when we were last on the Glory, we thought it equal to a DIsney ship (minus Mickey, of course!)

 

2--Disney is pretty strict about the potty training thing. You can be asked to remove your child from the clubs (for length of cruise) if he/she has too many accidents. So, be SURE that they are securely potty-trained. Disney has the BEST kids facilities (largest, highly-themed) and magical experience of sailing with characters.

 

3--NCL kids facilities are comparable to Carnival. Same type of activities (teddy bear picnic, theme parties, movies, etc). We were on the NCL Star, and there was even a climbing area and ball pit in the Club. Most of the newer NCL ships have a kids swimming area (with mini-slide) and playground. That is something Carnival doesn't have.

 

I would probably book the NCL cruise out of NY if I were you. Then, there's not the "hassle" of air travel with our little one (ugh!), and you can pack all the needed extras for your child because you are traveling by car. We even took a potty chair with us one time! NCL also offers Free-style dining, which means you can eat dinner whenever and where-ever you want. Doing so also means you can SKIP formal night, and not have to worry about packing extra formal attire.

 

Also--you mentioned that you were worried about being beeped for diaper changes. Not sure how long you plan on leaving your child in the club, but we never once got beeped because our kids were only in the club for 1-2 hours at a time. We usually drop them off for specific activities and then pick them up when it's done. Our kids LOVE the clubs, but they also LOVE spending time on the ship with us, and going swimming as a family, eating together, seeing the shows, etc.

 

Hope that helps!

 

CeleBrat

[lagbunch8]

We've sailed on all of the cruise lines you mentioned with toddlers EXCEPT Princess, so here are my thoughts:

 

1--Carnival is NOT sub-par. Some of their older ships are not as fancy and lack the "WOW" factor. But, their newer ships (Glory, Freedom, Liberty) are fantastic. Large kids facilities, good variety of food facilities (pizza, deli, sushi, etc...), and well-kept ships. You can probably find the best deal on Carnival. We sail Disney a lot, but when we were last on the Glory, we thought it equal to a DIsney ship (minus Mickey, of course!)

 

CeleBrat

 

I respectfully disagree. I have sailed Carnival 3 times (fantasy, freedom and liberty). I will not sail them again. It is a lower end product and that is why it is priced as such. Some people say they love Carnival-it works for them. But, it is what it is. As long as you know that going in to it you can take it for what it is.

[Julienatul]

We have sailed NCL, RCCL and Carnival. We really love the Carnival ships and have never felt they were "sub-par". RCCL and NCL are also nice and all have great kids clubs. There are always tons of families with children on all those lines. Our DD (2.5yrs) has been on 5 cruises.

 

If you decide to do Carnival, pick one of the newer ships or one of the recently redone ships with the waterparks. One thing you have to keep in mind is that even though you have the best intentions with wanting your son to go to the kids club, he may not want to go or may have trouble separating from you with strangers. All of the clubs will make you pick them up if they continue to cry after a few minutes. Unfortunately this happened to us with DD on our last two cruises. She is very outgoing and has attended daycare since she was an infant but the unfamiliarness of the cruise really made her clingy. Just be prepared for anything when they are that young. Carnival will change all diapers, NCL will only call you for BM's. RCCL they must be potty trained, Disney also. I have heard on Disney they not only have to be potty trained but able to go in by themselves and do it all on their own. Also, you son may still be afraid of Disney characters at that age so it might be best to wait a few yrs before trying Disney.

 

Have fun, a cruise is a great way to enjoy a vacation with your little one!

 

Julie

[calikak]

I didn't really like our Carnival cruise, but it wasn't so much Carnival's fault--the food and service beat my expectations and the balcony cabin was a very nice size. Here's where I sound like a snob: it was the passenger demographic on our sailing that I wasn't really into. Here's an example: the first morning of the cruise, I was sitting in the atrium enjoying the music of the string quartet and watching the ocean go by, when a group of loud, very drunk senior citizens (i.e., with canes/walkers) came to sit nearby. We're talking 9AM and they're already three sheets to the wind and loudly slurring things like "Lez go to the casino, they'll learn ya to play some craps." This clearly wasn't Carnival's fault, and maybe we just hit the icky passenger jackpot on that cruise. But if you do sail with Carnival, especially in the Caribbean, especially during the school year when there are less families aboard, I think it's something to be prepared for. If that doesn't bother you, I would have no qualms recommending Carnival. Honestly, I felt like the food was better than Princess, and the dining room service was outstanding.

 

Princess's kids program is for 3 and up. Same with Holland America.

 

We just had our first NCL cruise earlier this month and really enjoyed it. I think the upside with kids is that with no set dining times, you can work with your kids' schedule, rather than having to adjust to the ship's dining times. Be prepared for the extra cost for specialty restaurants onboard, though. We didn't eat in the regular dining room, just in specialty restaurants (it was only 2-night cruise so we spoiled ourselves), and we thought the food was good to great, but I've read that in the regular dining room the food can be not as great. There is hope this will be addressed with some upgrades NCL is doing right now.

 

If it were me, not having to fly would more than make up for having to go change my son's diapers, so I'd probably pick the NCL cruise. We picked an NCL cruise for our next one in part because we got a fantastic rate on a suite, and in part because we only have a short flight to get to the port.

[2Cruise4Ever]

I've only sailed NCL with my kids. So, I can give you that perspective. We've been on the Dawn twice with our kids (2 and 7 the first time; 5 and 10 now) and we're going again in 12 days (can't wait!!!). Our kids absolutely LOVED the kid crew. We couldn't keep them out of there. DD was not potty-trained the first time. So, they did give us a beeper, but we were never once beeped. Personally, I would never leave the ship without my kids. Too many visions of the ship leaving with us running toward the dock :eek:! Yikes.

 

At any rate, the Dawn's kids pools are not chlorinated. So, if your DS is not potty trained yet, he will not be allowed in the pools. But, I do know that one of the Disney pools allows swim diapers. And, I think one of the newer RCCL ships has a pool for toddlers who aren't potty trained yet.

 

I've heard great things about all major market lines (NCL, Princess, RCCL, and Carnival) and their kids programs. So, if I were in your situation, I'd go for NCL or Carnival, both going out of NYC.

 

Whatever line you choose, you'll definitely have a GREAT time!!!

 

Happy Sailing! :D

[KerCar]

 

3. Tell me about NCL with toddlers. I know they have programs for as young as two, but they require the parents to do the diaper changing. I also know because of this, parents can't go off of the ship when the kid's are in the club. Not a really big deal. What seems more attractive to me is saving $1000 on airfare by sailing right out of NYC. Since we live only 4 hours away, we could easily drive there. But I wouldn't want to plan this if this wouldn't be the greatest option for our son. And I know my DH will want relaxation time, so I'd probably be the one responding to diaper change beeps.

 

Just back from our 2nd cruise on the NCL Spirit out of NYC. My children ages 2 and 5 had a BLAST, once again:D They loved the kid's crew (even the 2 year old!) Only got beeped once the whole week for a diaper change. I would put a fresh diaper on DD before dropping her off at the crew and change her again right after I picked her up and this was always sufficient. We LOVE the freestyle dining concept when travelling with the kids:)

[dolphinwyo]

We have only sailed Carnival, and have always sailed with kids. Our kids LOVE Camp Carnival, Funship Freddy, and the staff is always great to them. They change diapers if necessary, and have a kid size bathroom right in the camp area if they are trained.

I can't speak of the other ships, but we have gone with Carnival due to price - as we have to drive 2 hours to Denver and then fly to any port, so cost of cruise + cost of airfare for four people is a factor. We considered NCL for next year, but have no reason to not go with Carnival. 24 hr pizza, ice cream, and if the kids are happy - everyone's happy! I would say they probably all have good kids programs from what I have read - so I would go with the best value for now if it were me.

[lastingtouch]

We are taking our Grandaughter on the NCL Gem on December 6th. Olyvia will be 2 on December 26th. I know they don't make exceptions for the Kids Club under 2 so my question is even though she is too little for the club would we be allowed to use the play area while the club is not using it? I plan on doing most of the baby-sitting and thought it would help keep her busy. I noticed on our Jan. cruise on the Gem they had a big play room and at the time no one was in there.

 

If anyone had any suggestions on how to keep her busy it would be much appreciated. She has been walking since she was 7 months. She's a handfull! :D

[JCSM-Mom]

I have heard on Disney they not only have to be potty trained but able to go in by themselves and do it all on their own.

 

I found this to be true. My DD was 2.5 when we sailed on the Wonder in December 2006, she had been fully potty trained for over 5 months (something hit here when she turn 2 and she announced she wasn't wearing diapers anymore...and she didn't). Anyway, the kids club was pretty slow so we asked if she could go in with my son.

 

They didn't really seem to care about the age part, but were firm on the doing the potty thing themselves. She had to show them that she could do it by herself. She just needed a stool. There was one by the water fountain. I wish I had the video camera! She was sooo cute packing that stool into the bathroom, going, packing it over to the sink washing her hands and packing it back out again to the fountain. She wanted to play in there so bad! They let her stay (with a warning that if she had an accident she'd have to leave) it wasn't her I was worried about, it was more likely her 4 yo brother would have the accident.

 

Anyway, back on topic....we are trying NCL this October with the kids, so I can't answer that. The kids really had a good time at Camp Carnival last September! The kids club there was a lot of fun for them. My Avatar is some face painting they had done while there. My son is hoping that they will have a dinner just for them on NCL too. I explained that freesytle meant we'd all eat together.....

 

Personally I didn't find Carnival to be Sub-Par. Every cruise line is different, somethings I like and some I don't. I've found the 'sub-par' clientele mentioned on every cruise at some point or another.:rolleyes: I'm amazed at some of the things I've seen.

 

Lastly, before my kids were potty trained and/or old enough to go to the kids club I cruise on Celebrity, RCCL and Disney. Celebrity and RCCL have in cabin babysitting. In hindsight, I'd probably go Carnival or NCL with a 2 year old if I had it to do again.

 

One last thing to think about is boys sometimes are tougher to train...DS wasn't potty trained until he was about 2-3 months past 3.

[unquenched]

Thanks so much for the feedback. I think, because we won't know for sure if he will be trained, we will skip Disney until he is a little older.

So far the itinerary we like best is NCL's 10 day out of NYC, but I didn't realize they'd want such a huge deposit compared to Disney! :eek: Do you think it's too late to go on a cruise in January if we don't book it until September?

[mom2girls]

I've taken my children on 3 cruises on Carnival. The youngest was barely 3 at the time. When we walked off the ship after the 7 days were over she stated: "Mommy, why are we leaving our home?". Obviously, she's been addicted to cruising ever since. IMO, Carnival does an awesome job with kids. They are definitely not "subpar".

 

I often book my cruises 3-4 months in advance. If I were you I'd keep an eye on the prices. If they go any lower I'd jump on it!

[KerCar]

Thanks so much for the feedback. I think, because we won't know for sure if he will be trained, we will skip Disney until he is a little older.

So far the itinerary we like best is NCL's 10 day out of NYC, but I didn't realize they'd want such a huge deposit compared to Disney! :eek: Do you think it's too late to go on a cruise in January if we don't book it until September?

 

In my experience, NYC sailings usually get more expensive as you get closer to sail date and almost always sell out. So if you are going to wait to book, be sure to keep an eye on availability and prices. Keep in mind that your deposit is 100% refundable up until final payment date. Also, sign up for email alerts from NCL and/or your favorite online TA. They often run specials where you can book your trip for $250 down total. Check the web sites often for similiar specials. Good luck:)

[CKEA_Cruising_Family]

We sailed the NCL Gem out of NYC in March with a 2 (not potty trained) & 4 year old. They LOVED Kids Club and we also only got paged once for a diaper change. We drove to the port and it was great!!! We are looking for a cruise next year out of NY or NJ again. I'm hoping my son will be potty trained by our next cruise but at 2 1/4 he's not interested at all!

 

They have a small kids pool but it did not allow swim diapers. Luckily it's enclosed and they have some toys in the same area to play with so my 2 year old was fine with letting his sister "swim" while he played. I did see kids with swim diapers in both kids and regular pool even though there were signs posted and I didn't see the staff do anything about it which was a bit disappointing - the rules are there for a reason.

 

There is an under 2 area on the Gem where parents must stay and supervise. I don't know that the actual Kids Club area was ever open to the under 2s.

 

The flexible dining was also great. Our typical evening involved feeding the kids at the buffet (great selection) and then dropping them off at Kids Club and having a dinner out just the 2 of us.

[kosoffj]

we have done ncl 4 times with our son (he's about 2.5 now) and it's been great, last time was the first he was over 2 and we used the kids club. they were wonderful. he is not potty trained yet, they just gave us a phone and if he needed a diaper change (not to be gross but mostly if he smelled) they gave us a call, they had the facilities to change him right there.

 

the phone was given to everyon in the 2-5 room (in case your child got really upset or needed you for any reason), made me relax knowing they could get me if they needed me!

[Cruisin' Chick]

Our girl went on Carnival cruises when she was 23 months old (missed Camp Carnival by a month), 3 years and 4 years old. She loved the program. She was in pull ups for her second cruise and it helped that the little kids area had low toilets. There was a wading pool for the toddlers on her first cruise.

[Rhealsmom]

Just returned from Carnival Miracle with our 18 month old niece out of NYC. It was wonderful.

 

We have only ever sailed on Carnival. Unfortunately, she was too young for Camp Carnival -- but we did take her to the free play time every "sea day" that they have for families with kids under 2.

 

The staff were wonderful. The days that we went -- there were 2 children under the age of 2... One was there for babysitting and I was there with my niece. Even though I was there, the staff still interacted with Olivia and were able to entertain both children.

 

They do have a "child friendly" washroom right in the playroom and are very strict with the entering and exiting of the Camp Carnival area.

 

For Olivia we took a blow-up pool and actually kept it inflated on our balcony during the whole cruise. We were going to take it up to the deck --- but Olivia really didn't show a whole lot of interest in being in the big pools (we don't spend much time sitting around the pools ourselves). She had a blast with the pool, bubbles and a couple of soft cars on our balcony.

 

All of the staff were great -- and although we can't compare with any other line ---- would not hesitate to recommend this itinerary (we are actually going to book again in 2 years for a family celebration cruise (Grammy & Grampy's 50th; Aunty and Unkey's 25th; as well as 2 birthdays)

 

If you need any other information -- you can e-mail me at traceyhogg *at* rogers *dot* com

[chipmaster]

Hello everyone. :) I am new to the CC boards and new to cruising. Currently, DH and I are beginning to plan a January 2009 Caribbean (or Bahamian) cruise. We are going to bring our DS who will be just a few weeks shy of turning three when we sail. He is not currently potty-trained and we are not sure he will be, but we are working on it.

I have been reading the boards, checking out brochures, and cruise line websites, and trying to decide what will work out best for us. I have also talked with friends about cruising and been given some things to think about. But I do have some other questions I am hoping any of you can answer for me.

 

1. It appears to me that the best option for kid's programming that goes as young as 2 (since by some cruise lines he will still be considered that despite being within a month of three) is Carnival. I have read CrusinMama's blog and checked out her program activities sheets. To me, it looks like a great program. But- friends have mentioned that if I can 'afford' nicer, to go with a different cruise line. Is this true? Is Carnival up-to-par or sub-par as far you as are concerned? (I am meaning about food, accomodations, activities, etc...)

 

2. What about Disney? I have read that Disney will usually allow a 2 year old to participate in their Oceaneers program as long as they are within a month of turning three AND potty trained. Since we don't know how quickly DS will potty train, would it be better to skip Disney for now?

 

3. Tell me about NCL with toddlers. I know they have programs for as young as two, but they require the parents to do the diaper changing. I also know because of this, parents can't go off of the ship when the kid's are in the club. Not a really big deal. What seems more attractive to me is saving $1000 on airfare by sailing right out of NYC. Since we live only 4 hours away, we could easily drive there. But I wouldn't want to plan this if this wouldn't be the greatest option for our son. And I know my DH will want relaxation time, so I'd probably be the one responding to diaper change beeps.

 

4. Does Princess have a program for as young as two?

 

5. What about the pools situation? Which ships have the best options in case DS is not potty trained?

 

6. Last but not least, if it were you, which of the cruise lines would you choose? And which ship?

 

For a little more information on my son, he is already very talkative and very active. He loves outdoor play, but he also loves story time and all kinds of arts and crafts.

 

Thank you SO MUCH (in advance) for your help! ;)

 

Provided your kids are potty trained, Disney if you can swallow the price.

 

Carnival is okay but lots of tastless things all in the name of "fun" on that ship.

 

Princess a little more sedated.

 

My kids loved Disney and so did I. None of my kids wanted to stay in the carnival kids club. We'll see about Princess this summer, but we'll be spending so little time on the ship on this cruise.

 

I read and considered RCI as the next best after Disney. I only wished that Disney had decided to keep a ship in Europe like they did last year as I would have selected them regardless of the ports, if that tells you how I think about my experience between the 3, even with the Ports in Europe.

[mom2girls]

Provided your kids are potty trained, Disney if you can swallow the price.

 

Carnival is okay but lots of tastless things all in the name of "fun" on that ship.

 

Princess a little more sedated.

 

My kids loved Disney and so did I. None of my kids wanted to stay in the carnival kids club. We'll see about Princess this summer, but we'll be spending so little time on the ship on this cruise.

 

I read and considered RCI as the next best after Disney. I only wished that Disney had decided to keep a ship in Europe like they did last year as I would have selected them regardless of the ports, if that tells you how I think about my experience between the 3, even with the Ports in Europe.

 

I've never seen anything tasteless on Carnival. If you're talking about the "Hairy Man's Contest", that's all in good fun. And, of course RCI has the belly flop contest which I would consider in the same category.

[unquenched]

I really appreciate all the feedback everyone and thought I would give a little update...

 

My husband and I are both full-time students currently and will have different start dates for January 2009. Unfortunately, my classes begin on 1/12/09 which doesn't leave us much time after the holidays to go cruising. We definitely would not go over Christmas, not wanting to miss our families.

So we have decided, and honestly I think this is really for the best, to wait and go in May when we are both out of school. Our son will turn three in February and hopefully by May he'll be completely potty trained and ready-to-go. Waiting opens up a lot more doors and allows us to choose virtually any of the cruise lines. Personally, I am really liking how port intensive RCCL is and found a 9 day on 5/28 that is right out of Bayonne, NJ- less than three hours from where we live. While I hate knowing it will be almost a year, I know it probably makes more sense for us so we don't rush through a vacation and so DS might be able to take advantage of the pools, and we'll be able to go with any itinerary.

So I'll continue researching and make a final decision on which cruise in September. We'll book then, unless we see some specials we can't resist.

Thank you so much for your help. I really like this board and will post specific ships for feedback soon. :)

[KerCar]

I really appreciate all the feedback everyone and thought I would give a little update...

 

My husband and I are both full-time students currently and will have different start dates for January 2009. Unfortunately, my classes begin on 1/12/09 which doesn't leave us much time after the holidays to go cruising. We definitely would not go over Christmas, not wanting to miss our families.

So we have decided, and honestly I think this is really for the best, to wait and go in May when we are both out of school. Our son will turn three in February and hopefully by May he'll be completely potty trained and ready-to-go. Waiting opens up a lot more doors and allows us to choose virtually any of the cruise lines. Personally, I am really liking how port intensive RCCL is and found a 9 day on 5/28 that is right out of Bayonne, NJ- less than three hours from where we live. While I hate knowing it will be almost a year, I know it probably makes more sense for us so we don't rush through a vacation and so DS might be able to take advantage of the pools, and we'll be able to go with any itinerary.

So I'll continue researching and make a final decision on which cruise in September. We'll book then, unless we see some specials we can't resist.

Thank you so much for your help. I really like this board and will post specific ships for feedback soon. :)

 

Good luck planning:) May is a GREAT time to cruise out of NY/NJ. Keep in mind, that children must be 100% potty trained to participate in RCCL's kid's program. So if you do end up booking with them start the potty training process early:)

[chipmaster]

I've never seen anything tasteless on Carnival. If you're talking about the "Hairy Man's Contest", that's all in good fun. And, of course RCI has the belly flop contest which I would consider in the same category.

 

Yes, there was the hairy man contest. That was fun to explain how that was fun to my children.

 

Then there was the waiters dancing on the tables on the last night. We especially like how one of the females took the undulating to to new levels in the center of the dining table.

 

We really enjoyed turning on the TV to seeing replays of the hairy man too.

 

No question Carnival, Princess, RCI, and Disney attract somewhat different crowds, you get what you market to.

 

None wouldn't make me NOT sail it again, but it won't be my first, second or 3rd choice on any intenerary in the future for sure.