Review - Crown Princess with a toddler

[eloisesmom]

I just got back (11/30) from a 7day cruise on the Crown Princess with my 18mo old, DH, stepson (14yo), mother in law, brother and sister in law and nephew (2yo).

 

Brief synopsis: I won't be taking Princess again with a toddler, and probably will avoid them overall (for more reasons than I'll go into here).

 

My main complaints:

1. Anytime dining is a horrible idea for a toddler, as it takes much much longer to get through the meal than it does at traditional seating. Even though we had a standing reservation and the same waiter every time, we had to ask for high chairs every night and wait for them to be found.

 

2. Getting a highchair in the buffet area is like finding a needle in a haystack. Waitstaff often didn't even know what we were asking for, and when they did know what we were asking for, they didn't always know where to find them.

 

3. The idea that you can play with the toys in the youth area is not as convenient or easy as it sounds - only one parent can go in, so you can't be there as a family, and it's only open when the program is open so you can only be in there when it's stuffed with other kids and your kid isn't allowed to interact with any of the kids in the program. Add to that the fact that there aren't a lot of toys, they keep the program kids busy with activities instead which is great for them but not so great for the younger kids who are there to borrow toys.

 

4. Diaper changing facilities? None. Zero. Zilch. Not on the boat, and not on Princess Cay. I changed a poopy diaper with my DD laying on the sidewalk outside the restrooms. Not sanitary or convenient for anyone.

[cb at sea]

Whoa! Didn't know Princess was so unfriendly to kids! Next time, try Disney, RCI or Carnival!

[notentirelynormal]

I just got back (11/30) from a 7day cruise on the Crown Princess with my 18mo old, DH, stepson (14yo), mother in law, brother and sister in law and nephew (2yo).

 

Brief synopsis: I won't be taking Princess again with a toddler, and probably will avoid them overall (for more reasons than I'll go into here).

 

My main complaints:

1. Anytime dining is a horrible idea for a toddler, as it takes much much longer to get through the meal than it does at traditional seating. Even though we had a standing reservation and the same waiter every time, we had to ask for high chairs every night and wait for them to be found.

 

2. Getting a highchair in the buffet area is like finding a needle in a haystack. Waitstaff often didn't even know what we were asking for, and when they did know what we were asking for, they didn't always know where to find them.

 

3. The idea that you can play with the toys in the youth area is not as convenient or easy as it sounds - only one parent can go in, so you can't be there as a family, and it's only open when the program is open so you can only be in there when it's stuffed with other kids and your kid isn't allowed to interact with any of the kids in the program. Add to that the fact that there aren't a lot of toys, they keep the program kids busy with activities instead which is great for them but not so great for the younger kids who are there to borrow toys.

 

4. Diaper changing facilities? None. Zero. Zilch. Not on the boat, and not on Princess Cay. I changed a poopy diaper with my DD laying on the sidewalk outside the restrooms. Not sanitary or convenient for anyone.

 

Wow…. We experienced non of these problems on Princess. We’ve cruised when my GS was 1, 2 and 3 and my GD was 6 months. I can’t speak for Anytime Dining but we had no problem with getting high chairs in the DR.

 

We also never had a problem getting a high chair in the buffet, which is where my DD ate quite a few times and since the majority spoke good enough English, I find this interesting.

 

We also were allowed more then one parent every time we went and sometimes my DD and I stayed for an hour or so watching my GS play. Did you bring any toys yourself? I think it would be hard for them to stock a variety of toys when you have (sometimes) over a 600 kids on board. Personally, we brought his favorite toy. We found that the activities kept him quite happy and the staff was very attentive. You can hardly blame the staff because they didn’t have enough toys because your child didn’t want to do the activities. I didn’t even know you COULD “borrow” the toys. It would never occur to me to go to a daycare area and take the toys out of the facility.

 

Ok, I agree there should be some diaper changing areas BUT “on the sidewalk”? You couldn’t have had someone traveling with you help you to change your child’s diaper, rather then laying him on the ground? We’ve been lots of places (like the county fair or a park) where there are no changing tables. Someone holds the kid, while the other one changes him in mid air.

[crusinmama06]

That's a shame. :(

 

I have noticed a lack of changing facilities on all cruise lines.

[GOLDENBONNY]

That's a shame. :(

 

I have noticed a lack of changing facilities on all cruise lines.

 

 

I dont really think they need one, I see no problem to go to cabin and change diper.

[crusinmama06]

I dont really think they need one, I see no problem to go to cabin and change diper.

 

Actually I do see a problem. There should be a changing station outside of the dining room in that bathroom and one in the bathroom at the pool deck.

 

It's never fun to leave dinner, make everyone at the table waiting, just to walk back to the cabin to change a diaper. It would be much easier if there was a simple table in the bathroom there.

 

And if you are at the pool, wouldn't it be easier to have a small table in that bathroom instead of getting everyone dressed and marching back to the cabin?

 

Simple things like that make an easier cruise for those who go with babies. ;)

 

Luckily, I am past those days. No kids in diapers. :D

[sunandseagirl617]

We, too, have noticed a reduction in kid's activities on Princess. It's a shame, they use to be our favorite line to sail. I don't want to slam Princess, after five cruises on them, I just noticed they seem not to be doing much to attract young families any longer. With that being said....

 

Hopefully someone sailing on the new Ruby can let us know if that is true or not:confused:

[Kim4]

Actually I do see a problem. There should be a changing station outside of the dining room in that bathroom and one in the bathroom at the pool deck.

 

It's never fun to leave dinner, make everyone at the table waiting, just to walk back to the cabin to change a diaper. It would be much easier if there was a simple table in the bathroom there.

 

And if you are at the pool, wouldn't it be easier to have a small table in that bathroom instead of getting everyone dressed and marching back to the cabin?

 

Simple things like that make an easier cruise for those who go with babies. ;)

 

Luckily, I am past those days. No kids in diapers. :D

 

Absolutely...Those pull down diaper stations should be in at least the most popular restrooms if not all of them.

 

P.S. I've gotten pretty good at changing diapers while DS or DD is on my lap. DH is usually horrified, but you have to do something, right?

[CanadianTwosome]

I agree that there should definitely be at least some pull down diaper changing tables in convenient places (as usual, Cruisinmama got it right and named the best choices), but I actually don't see a big problem with changing a baby on the ground... depending on the ground of course and with a towel or blanket put down first.

 

I guess I'm really just wondering what would make a PUBLIC diaper changing station, where strangers whose hygeine habits we know nothing about have been changing their 'soiled' babies is so much 'better' than a flat surface lying on my own clean towel or blanket... When my daughter was wearing diapers, I never once changed her on any surface without some sort of barrier that I had provided myself. On more than one occasion, I changed her while picnicking - lying on the ground where we were all sitting and enjoying our meal...

 

Just my two cents. :)

[Kim4]

I don't know...maybe it has less to do with cleanliness and more to do with keeping baby's messy bottom out of sight from everyone else.

 

My SIL and BIL, who have no kids were traveling out to see us. They came in the door and kept going on and on about what happened at a gas station...they said it was soooooo horrible!! They said to us, "can you believe it...someone in a van next to us was changing their baby's poopy diaper right there on the van floor and we could see the whole thing"!!!

So, DH and I just look at each other, because we've both done that exact thing at least 20 times with each kid while we're on the road!! ha ha. I think probably everyone with kids has done that on long trips! Change them in the gas station bathroom???? EWWWWWWWWW

[crusinmama06]

CanadianTwosome and Kim 4 - Yep, can't tell you how many times I've changed my kids in the back of my SUV in a parking lot...lol. :D

[Kerry's Girls]

I just got back (11/30) from a 7day cruise on the Crown Princess with my 18mo old, DH, stepson (14yo), mother in law, brother and sister in law and nephew (2yo).

 

Brief synopsis: I won't be taking Princess again with a toddler, and probably will avoid them overall (for more reasons than I'll go into here).

 

My main complaints:

1. Anytime dining is a horrible idea for a toddler, as it takes much much longer to get through the meal than it does at traditional seating. Even though we had a standing reservation and the same waiter every time, we had to ask for high chairs every night and wait for them to be found.

 

2. Getting a highchair in the buffet area is like finding a needle in a haystack. Waitstaff often didn't even know what we were asking for, and when they did know what we were asking for, they didn't always know where to find them.

 

3. The idea that you can play with the toys in the youth area is not as convenient or easy as it sounds - only one parent can go in, so you can't be there as a family, and it's only open when the program is open so you can only be in there when it's stuffed with other kids and your kid isn't allowed to interact with any of the kids in the program. Add to that the fact that there aren't a lot of toys, they keep the program kids busy with activities instead which is great for them but not so great for the younger kids who are there to borrow toys.

 

4. Diaper changing facilities? None. Zero. Zilch. Not on the boat, and not on Princess Cay. I changed a poopy diaper with my DD laying on the sidewalk outside the restrooms. Not sanitary or convenient for anyone.

 

If I had done Anytime dining on my first cruise with my twins (they were 13 months), I may never have cruised with toddlers again either. I know that lots of people like the flexibility, but with Traditional dining, we show up and the high chairs are set up, milk and their favorite food is on the table and most of the glass and flatware is already removed. I'm also not a fan of buffets since I hate juggling the plates. But relaxed meals together are one of my favorite parts of cruising with my toddlers on Princess.

 

It's amazing how different people can have completely different experiences. My 3 year old twins are about to sail their 5th Princess cruise - so clearly we're happy with the Princess/toddler combination. We did also sail once on Carnival, but I don't remember any diaper tables outside of the kids area on Carnival either. (Really, I never expect diaper changing facilities anywhere except maybe Babies R Us. I thought that's why strollers have a recline feature :rolleyes:. I could teach a class in advanced diaper changing on the run.)

 

Sorry you had such a miserable time.

 

Best,

Mia

[crusinmama06]

but I don't remember any diaper tables outside of the kids area on Carnival either.

 

No there aren't. There are none on any cruise line. I can't even remember them on Disney now that I think about it. ;)

[ChristieK0310]

RCL had one changing table on the pool deck in the female toilets on Freedom of the Seas and this was a really big help.

[crusinmama06]

RCL had one changing table on the pool deck in the female toilets on Freedom of the Seas and this was a really big help.

 

Hmmm, I missed that. Now I'll have to check out the Indy toilets to see if they have one.

 

I can see it all now "Excuse me, coming through, can I change a baby in here? No I don't HAVE a baby, but if I did, could I change her in here?" :D

[JordanLovesCruisin]

No there aren't. There are none on any cruise line. I can't even remember them on Disney now that I think about it. ;)

 

That's a shame! You would think that DISNEY of all lines would have them..

 

As this does not apply to me now,

 

hopefully in a few years it will ;)

 

OP-I'm sorry about the flaws on your cruise :(

[CSoul]

If I had done Anytime dining on my first cruise with my twins (they were 13 months)' date=' I may never have cruised with toddlers again either. I know that lots of people like the flexibility, but with Traditional dining, we show up and the high chairs are set up, milk and their favorite food is on the table and most of the glass and flatware is already removed. I'm also not a fan of buffets since I hate juggling the plates. But relaxed meals together are one of my favorite parts of cruising with my toddlers on Princess.

 

It's amazing how different people can have completely different experiences. My 3 year old twins are about to sail their 5th Princess cruise - so clearly we're happy with the Princess/toddler combination. We did also sail once on Carnival, but I don't remember any diaper tables outside of the kids area on Carnival either. (Really, I never expect diaper changing facilities anywhere except maybe Babies R Us. I thought that's why strollers have a recline feature :rolleyes:. I could teach a class in advanced diaper changing on the run.)

 

Sorry you had such a miserable time.

 

Best,

Mia[/quote']

 

Mia, Just curious if one of your many Princess cruises included the Crown?

 

We are a group sailing on the Crown this coming Feb. which includes my GD who will be 18 months at the time. Now i'm glad that we booked traditionnal dining (recommended by our lovely TA!!).

 

My DD had no intention of lugging around the diaper bag and had already planned on using the cabin for diaper changes :p Might be slightly inconvenient on Princess Cays but i'm sure we will manage.

 

As for the kids' area, would the OP be referring to the actual "room" for youth. I am hoping that the deck area near the kiddy pools would be available for more than one parent to enjoy.

 

Thanks to the OP for posting her experience (even though not a good one :eek:) and giving us future cruisers the insight needed to best prepare for our upcoming cruises!

 

Danielle

[Kerry's Girls]

Mia, Just curious if one of your many Princess cruises included the Crown?

 

We are a group sailing on the Crown this coming Feb. which includes my GD who will be 18 months at the time. Now i'm glad that we booked traditionnal dining (recommended by our lovely TA!!).

 

My DD had no intention of lugging around the diaper bag and had already planned on using the cabin for diaper changes :p Might be slightly inconvenient on Princess Cays but i'm sure we will manage.

 

As for the kids' area, would the OP be referring to the actual "room" for youth. I am hoping that the deck area near the kiddy pools would be available for more than one parent to enjoy.

 

Thanks to the OP for posting her experience (even though not a good one :eek:) and giving us future cruisers the insight needed to best prepare for our upcoming cruises!

 

Danielle

 

We have not sailed the Crown (Saphhire, Diamond, Golden), but have found all the ships (and their crew) to be similar.

 

The deck area near the kiddie pool can only be accessed through the kids' program (which is good - not just anyone can wander in). That being said, every time we've played in the kid area, we've always seen both parents with their child. The rule is that only one parent per child is allowed, so I guess depending on the crowd and the attitude, the rule is enforced, but I've never seen it - and we've spent quite a bit of time in the kids areas together.

 

I do bring my diaper bag with me everywhere (I'm in constant need of wipes, etc, besides just the diapers), but I always have my stroller with me, so it's not a hassle at all. I just leave it hanging on the stroller.

 

Most of us here have had wonderful cruise experiences with toddlers - including on Princess. There have been exceptions, but in any case, I think it's the easiest way to travel with toddlers. Have a great time!

 

Best,

Mia

[Julienatul]

We have never done anytime dining but we have always found a high chair in the dining room for DD. We did have trouble on deck a few times on Carnival and RCCL, always got one but sometimes after a long wait like 20min. So from our second cruise on with DD we started bringing the portable booster seat, never a wait, folds up nicely, we just hang the straps from her stroller, easy to carry and very sanitary since its our own, also great for feeding in the cabin if needed.

 

We just used her stroller reclined to change her diaper if its not handy to go back to the cabin. There are no changing facilities on most ships but as others said, I may not use them even if there were. The thought of all those people using the pool bathrooms just gives me the icky feeling. As for toys we always just brought our own for her.

 

Luckily they outgrow all those things very quickly, DD is now 3 and doesnt use a high chair and is potty trained so our last cruise was a breeze but now we are about to have another one in the next week or so so we will be right back to cruising with a baby again.

[RoofingPrincess]

IMy SIL and BIL, who have no kids were traveling out to see us. They came in the door and kept going on and on about what happened at a gas station...they said it was soooooo horrible!! They said to us, "can you believe it...someone in a van next to us was changing their baby's poopy diaper right there on the van floor and we could see the whole thing"!!!

So, DH and I just look at each other, because we've both done that exact thing at least 20 times with each kid while we're on the road!! ha ha. I think probably everyone with kids has done that on long trips! Change them in the gas station bathroom???? EWWWWWWWWW

CanadianTwosome and Kim 4 - Yep, can't tell you how many times I've changed my kids in the back of my SUV in a parking lot...lol. :D

Well, it was longer ago than I care to remember (he's 23 now), but - remember how, just after potty training, when the kid says he has to go, it means NOW! and not "oh, sometime in the next 5 to 10 miles or so, when you can find a place"???

I was driving for several hours, from central Connecticut up to New Hampshire, with the newly trained kiddo in his seat in the back. Did OK on the trip up, since we stopped at several rest areas. Was about 15 miles from home on the return trip, though, when he made That Announcement.

I was very near an exit, so I pulled off. Couldn't see any places with kid-friendly facilities nearby so I drove into a parking lot, and took his potty chair out of the trunk! Opened the car door to shield him somewhat from view, and he did what he needed to do. Dump the catchbasin into a ziplock bag with a few paper towels, rinse the catchbasin from a gallon of water in the trunk, and we were back on our way!

Hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do!

[Dr_DNA]

I have discretely changed my son just about everywhere under the sun and I have preferred that to many of the changing stations that I've found (they aren't always up to my level of cleanliness). A portable changing pad has worked well for me in just about all of these situations, ground/floor included. A stroler that had a seat that could lay flat (or almost horizontal) provided an obstructed venue just about everywhere we went. I guess that my point is that even if there were changing stations, unless they were kept clean, I wouldn't use them anyway.

[rebeccalouise]

I have cruised with an infant and in general I don't think cruising with infants is all that great on any of the cruise lines.

 

Cruises are best for kids 3 and up.

[crusinmama06]

Cruises are best for kids 3 and up.

 

Awwwww come on. ;) You know I would have to disagree with you. :D:p

[Kerry's Girls]

I have cruised with an infant and in general I don't think cruising with infants is all that great on any of the cruise lines.

 

Cruises are best for kids 3 and up.

 

It certainly is easier after they're 3, but I never did find a better vacation for under 3s than a cruise - and I wasn't willing to wait three years for a holiday :).

[eloisesmom]

Hi! OP here to clarify a few things.

 

We have not sailed the Crown (Saphhire' date=' Diamond, Golden), but have found all the ships (and their crew) to be similar.

 

The deck area near the kiddie pool can only be accessed through the kids' program (which is good - not just anyone can wander in). [/quote']

 

This is NOT true on the Crown. The kiddie pool was not accessible from the Princess Pelican room at all (there was a door, but it was locked always). You access the kiddie pool area from one of 3 doorways, one from an open deck area, another from stairs that lead to the Terrace pool area, or a third that leads to the teen pool and hot tob. And people often did just wander through, some while smoking stinky cigars!

 

 

Wow…. We experienced non of these problems on Princess. We’ve cruised when my GS was 1, 2 and 3 and my GD was 6 months. I can’t speak for Anytime Dining but we had no problem with getting high chairs in the DR.

 

We also never had a problem getting a high chair in the buffet, which is where my DD ate quite a few times and since the majority spoke good enough English, I find this interesting.

Part of our problem might have been that we had 2 toddlers in our group, but there were times when it was just DD and it was hard to get a highchair - even when the buffet area was pretty empty.

 

We did ask for Traditional dining but got waitlisted. We made standing reservations at 6pm for anytime dining and had the same waiter every night. Only on the last night did he have highchairs waiting. We ordered the same stuff for DD and her cousin every night, their food was never waiting, in fact it was often delivered after the adult food. Our waiters basically sucked.

 

Did you bring any toys yourself? I think it would be hard for them to stock a variety of toys when you have (sometimes) over a 600 kids on board. Personally, we brought his favorite toy. We found that the activities kept him quite happy and the staff was very attentive. You can hardly blame the staff because they didn’t have enough toys because your child didn’t want to do the activities. I didn’t even know you COULD “borrow” the toys. It would never occur to me to go to a daycare area and take the toys out of the facility.

Of course we brought some toys! But there's only so much luggage room when you're flying and DD flew as a lap infant so we had even less luggage room than normal. It wasn't that DD didn't like the activities, she was not allowed to do any youth activities because she is too young. I knew that she could not do the activities, I just thought they'd have more toys. I think my expectations were higher because my BIL, SIL and their 2yo (who were with us on Princess) had such a great experience cruising with a toddler on NCL. Where they did have toys and let babies play in the teen disco during the day. I don't know where I got the idea that you could check the toys out, but I would have been happy if they just had some toys.

 

Ok, I agree there should be some diaper changing areas BUT “on the sidewalk”? You couldn’t have had someone traveling with you help you to change your child’s diaper, rather then laying him on the ground? We’ve been lots of places (like the county fair or a park) where there are no changing tables. Someone holds the kid, while the other one changes him in mid air.

Ok, I did put a pool towel on the sidewalk, but yes, I did it on the ground and it felt awkward. Sorry, I don't have mid-air-diaper-changing skills! I'm impressed! At a fair or park I would change her in the car. And yes, there were people travelling with me, but DH had gone off with SS and the in-laws were all at the playground with the other toddler.