HELP! ?'s about cruising w/a 3 yo

[luv2cruz73]

This is the first time my husband and I will be cruising with our daughter (who will be 3 at the time of sailing) and I had a few questions...PLEASE HELP!

 

1) How good are the children's programs on Royal Caribbean? We will be on the Explorer of the Seas

 

2) What do I need to bring for her? She is too big for a crib or pack-n-play, but too small to sleep on a bunk bed. Also, do they have booster seats or do we need to bring one.

 

3) What if there is an excursion my husband and I want to do, but isn't child friendly (i.e. snorkeling). I don't want to risk leaving my child on the ship...any guidance here would be MUCH appreciated! :(

 

We would appreciate any tips/advice/guidance you are willing to give so please, open up and don't be shy!

[brenderlou]

We recently were on the Majesty with our 4 yr old and she loved Adventure Ocean (kids program). The first day they will have a meet & greet so you can meet all the counselors and they will tell you about their qualifications and show you around the kids area. You will get a kids compass that will have all the activities for the day. You can sign in and out when ever you want.

Depending on the port, camp may or may not be open. At Coco Cay, they had the camp on the beach but at other ports the camp on the ship was open. They told me the days at a city port, the camp is busy since the parents want to go off and do a non-kid friendly excersion. As far as snorkeling, the only option would be leaving your child in camp....

One time, we brought a small blow up mattress for our daughter but she ended up sleeping between us (tight but enough room). If you are getting a room that has two lower berths and one upper, have your daughter sleep in one of the lower berths and either your husband or yourself take the upper berth (we did this on our last cruise).

Last cruise we brought coloring books, puzzles, etc but honestly, we were NEVER in the cabin unless it was to have our daughter take a nap, go to bed or change. The coloring book did come in handy at dinner because the do kinda drag.......

Yes, they do have high chairs and booster seats so you are all set!!!!

[luv2cruz73]

As far as snorkeling, the only option would be leaving your child in camp....

but honestly, we were NEVER in the cabin unless it was to have our daughter take a nap, go to bed or change. The coloring book did come in handy at dinner because the do kinda drag.......

Yes, they do have high chairs and booster seats so you are all set!!!!

 

Thank you for the information...? 4 u...did you ever leave the 4 yo to go off into port and what if during the day they need to nap? Do they have places for that?

[guk]

Hi we took our daughters ready bed (inflatable bed with built in sleeping bag) with us and it was ideal I think it also helped her to settle at night as she sleeps in it everywhere she goes back home.

[brenderlou]

Thank you for the information...? 4 u...did you ever leave the 4 yo to go off into port and what if during the day they need to nap? Do they have places for that?

 

I'm just speaking for myself but I wouldn't leave the ship for an excursion without our daughter. They tend to be more than a couple of hours and not sure how or if they could contact you...especially if you are out snorkeling.

The only thing I could think of is maybe you go snorkeling at one port and your hubby goes at another port (most offer a snorkeling tour) or maybe it's more important for one of you than the other. You can also get a feel from the counselors as well. Talk to them and explain what you want to do and what your worries are. They really are great and they will guide you based on your child's age, etc.

We basically did the camp for a couple of hours at a time. Just enough time to go and enjoy a cocktail together and relax and they do not have a nap time since the camp runs a span of ages. You will see they have activities planned for the entire day.

[boulders]

Another option to AO would be in cabin babysitting. It's about $12/hour.

 

I left my ds on the ship to do a snuba excursion. I was very antsy about getting back and was on the bus about an hour before it left. I wouldn't recommend it.

[ShelbysMom]

We took our then not quite 2 year old to Tahiti last year. There was no kids club on the ship, and he wouldn't have been eligible age-wise anyway. We planned on splitting the excursions so that we could each do something that we wanted. We ended up doing three excursions with the three of us (two boat rides and a bus tour), one where DH went snorkeling and one where I did a helmet dive. It worked out great.

 

While we didn't have an option to leave our son on the ship, we wouldn't have done it anyway. We were willing to trade off so that we could all have fun.

[rebeccalouise]

I wouldn't plan any excursions in advance in case your daughter isn't happy with the youth program. My son loved going to the youth program at age 3 3/4 but I didn't leave him onboard. I think that you'll have to play it by ear. If you daughter is happy to go and healthy- then get off the ship for a while but I wouldn't plan a lengthy excursion.

 

I left my son (7) on the ship in Europe for about three hours at a time and it was fine but I just winged it. I didn't have any laid out plans.

 

I wasn't thrilled with Adventure Ocean in comparison to some of my other cruising experiences. The parents are pretty much rushed out of the facility, which isn't the case on Holland America, Princess or Celebrity. My son didn't have any complaints- except that they didn't always do the activities planned. I was luke warm about Adventure Ocean.

 

Having said that, it was Easter when I went and there are maybe too many kids. I am doing Independence of the Seas in January and hope to have a better experience.

[luv2cruz73]

Wow, this is a lot of information to soak in and all great, thank you! I have decided NOT to leave our dd on the ship and take her wherever we go and maybe even split up the days (we have two days in Bermuda) where my folks can watch her one day and we can do an excursion and then vice versa. Thank you all for all of this wonderful information, it has truly been helpful!

[Dr_DNA]

This is the first time my husband and I will be cruising with our daughter (who will be 3 at the time of sailing) and I had a few questions...PLEASE HELP!

 

1) How good are the children's programs on Royal Caribbean? We will be on the Explorer of the Seas

 

2) What do I need to bring for her? She is too big for a crib or pack-n-play, but too small to sleep on a bunk bed. Also, do they have booster seats or do we need to bring one.

 

3) What if there is an excursion my husband and I want to do, but isn't child friendly (i.e. snorkeling). I don't want to risk leaving my child on the ship...any guidance here would be MUCH appreciated! :(

 

We would appreciate any tips/advice/guidance you are willing to give so please, open up and don't be shy!

 

Our 3 year old LOVED the kids program on RC's Explorer. The counselors were great with him and there were many things that he was really excited about doing there. They were also fairly adaptable so all around, it was a really good thing. Being a girl, your daughter is probably completely potty trained, but just to warn you, there may be issues if she is not. Our son was completely potty trained (or at least in our minds he was) but needed help with his snap on his pants. According to their policy, if he needed any help whatsoever, including his snap, he was not potty trained. We circumvented this by letting him wear sweat pants and making frequent trips to AO to check on him (and make him go to the bathroom). However, I can see if you don't do this, there could be an issue.

 

We too used an inflatable mattress and he slept there at the foot of the bed. It easily slid under the bed during the day so we didn't have to deflate/inflate every day.

 

I felt comfortable leaving him in the kids club on the ship, but due to a cancelation of our excursion, this didn't happen. Some will curse you for doing this, but after seeing how great the counselors were, I was completely comfortable with their care. That is a personal thing, though. I think that as you suggest, a swap may be what you feel most comfortable with.

 

One more piece of advice. Our son likes having hot milk every night before bed. At the Cafe Promenade, they will steam milk for you and we took advantage of this every night. In fact, they would see us coming at 7 and start making it without us even asking. The whole staff on the Explorer were just great with our son and I'm sure that you'll have the same experience with your daughter. Many of them had kids at home that they were missing.

 

There may be a negative consequense of taking her on a cruise though. You may create a cruiseaholic and she'll be begging to go on another. Our son is obsessed- just like his dad. :D Have a great time!

[Host Walt]

...There may be a negative consequense of taking her on a cruise though. You may create a cruiseaholic and she'll be begging to go on another. Our son is obsessed- just like his dad...

 

Check this thread:

 

You know your kids are CRUISERS when....

[luv2cruz73]

We too used an inflatable mattress and he slept there at the foot of the bed. It easily slid under the bed during the day so we didn't have to deflate/inflate every day.

 

There may be a negative consequense of taking her on a cruise though. You may create a cruiseaholic and she'll be begging to go on another. Our son is obsessed- just like his dad. :D Have a great time!

 

My husband and I are both cruisaholics, but our wallet doesn't permit us to travel that extravagantly but once every two years...I hope she enjoys it as much as we do!

 

Thank you for the great advice and sharing your experience. I feel much better about it now!

[Dr_DNA]

Check this thread:

 

You know your kids are CRUISERS when....

 

 

Yep. All of the drawings in my office from my son are cruise ships! :D Go figure.

[luv2cruz73]

I keep telling her that we are going on a BIG boat and we will see lots of really cool things, but I don't think she understands yet.

[ljtee]

Hi Lisa,

Another suggestion that has saved us many times (we have 2 boys who have cruised since they were 2).... bring small colouring books, those water paint books, books with magnetic pieces that make a story.... things that are small, fit into a small bag and will keep your little one busy at the table while you wait for service. This way, you are more likely to enjoy the dining room if you decide to venture there. Lacing cards are good, colouring books, photo albums of people he knows....

 

You also had asked about napping.... we found that until our oldest hit about 5 the boys were totally exhausted from swimming, camp and the change in routine and if we take them for a good, long, tiring swim around 1:30 and then wrap them in towels to dry off (wrap them so you can open the towels easily) on deck they will always fall asleep for a long nap right on deck. Once asleep, we unwrap them so they don't get too hot, use the towels to keep them out of the direct sun and sit back for a few hours of quiet reading, relaxing and people watching. Works every time :).

 

Lisa

 

Have a great trip!

[awaldo]

One trick we used for our cruises with our DD when she was 2 and 3 was an Ipod. We got a video iPod with some of those portable speakers and loaded it up with whatever she liked at the time: Dora, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Disney Movies, whatever. The speakers were loud enough she could hear but no one else could over the din of the dining room. I know that may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it has worked in the past, and will work again for us in a month!

[kimmimom]

she was potty trained before we went, but the change in environment threw her off and she had many accidents. Carnival Club was GREAT (they do diapers for 2yo). When we returned she went back to no accidents. I think she got too busy in camp and forgot to go.

[S.S. Cruisers]

I keep telling her that we are going on a BIG boat and we will see lots of really cool things, but I don't think she understands yet.

If you haven't yet, which you probably have, show her pictures of the brochures. Maybe she can see how big the boat is compared to the people walking by. Also, I think most cruise lines now have DVD's for advertising purposes. Carnival sent us one for free. Grandson has it in his video box and every once in awhile DH and I hear it playing. That might help her to understand and I kinda enjoy reviewing them myself. :o

Grandson was absolutely dumb founded on his first cruise. He couldn't even speak when he saw the "the big boat" for the first time.

[smile1234]

Hi

I traveled with my DD in sept 07 on EOS and she was 2 1/2 at the time. Too young for the Adventure Ocean so i am super excited about our upcoming cruise bc she will almost be 4. Anyhow back in 07, we had a JS and brought a blow up bed which we stuck between the couch and a chair. This was perfect bc if she rolled out she was already on the floor. Our biggest issue was she was almost potty trained but not 100% and they did not let swim diapers in the pool. So i had to make sure she went potty b4 we got to the pool and would pull off her pullup and then she went swimming. Then after swimming wuld put it back on. She never had any accidents but i think i was overly afraid that she might. She loved the kids pool, especially the slide. Other things we did was bring a portable dvd player for her shows, we also brought toys and colring books,we requested a table for just the 3 of us bc there was no way she would sit through a 2 hr dinner, also brought one new toy to dinner each night (ie a polly pocket, a little tiny doll, a my litle pony) had daily nap times back at the room. We had a great time and are so looking forward to the next one. Actually once we told her that we booked...she attempted to pack her bag and now asks everyday if we r going on the boat today.

[PattyW]

I think you've gotten some great advice about 3 year olds and cruising. I've never left my child on the ship while in port, but when she was 4, we went on a cruise on the Radiance with her little brother (not yet 2). We were off the ship in the morning, but made sure we were back on by lunch time, so we could eat and then the little one could nap.

 

My husband loves to nap and so he would stay in the room with the little guy and my daughter would go to AO. She loved AO on port days (we were in the pacific northwest in May - it was too cold to swim); there weren't that many kids and the counselors did a lot of ad hoc activities, almost whatever the kids asked for. For example, every single time, she would come back with her face painted - I think the counselors were simply like - why not?

 

I would spend the time reading or in the solarium (since there's not much going on activity wise when the ship's in port). The first day I checked on her every 30 minutes to see if she wanted to spend time with me - Nope. She wanted to be in AO. Until that point, I'd never had so much time to myself; it was wonderful!

[zellers]

We are thinking of taking the whole family next year including two grandchildren, for a week of cruising somewhere warm. Part of thier inheritance that we get to enjoy:D!

 

What are the ages for the kids club, and is there a cost for it?

 

What if they get sea sick?

 

What is the best cruise line to go with, for 4 & 5 year olds?

 

Thanks, for all your help :)

[rebeccalouise]

First of all talk with a travel agent about cancellations. Some trip insurance can be cancelled for any reason- other insurance can only be cancelled for members of the party staying in the same stateroom and is limited to medical cancellations. So look before you leap.

 

As for cruise lines- you are going to get many opinions. I personally like Princess or Celebrity. Both have wonderful children's programs but are still grown up ships- instead of floating amusement parks. My son pretty much likes whatever cruise we are on. So kids will have fun on any ship.

 

My first choice for a family vacation would be Princess or Celebrity. My son likes both of these cruise lines better than Royal Caribbean or Holland America.

 

Of course Disney is his favorite but it isn't mine.

[karenem]

That's one of the best things about cruising, IMHO: the kids clubs are FREEEEE!

 

IIRC, Carnival will take kids 2 and over and change diapers, but most other lines start at 3, and don't change diapers. They divide out the ages (3-6, 7-12, 13-17, or some such) unless there are very few children onboard, in which case they might combine groups. All kids MUST be completely potty trained to go in the pools.

 

The clubs are open most of the day, but sometimes close during meals or charge a babysitting fee during those times. Late-night babysitting is offered for a fee on some lines, but not others.

 

Most small children tend not to get very seasick, but there are kid-strength remedies of the standard OTC seasick meds, and many people swear by the old standby benedryl. Ginger is also very well recommended.

[zellers]

Thanks very much for the info!

 

Cheers!

[fisherhum]

We did our first cruise when dd was just about 4 and ds was 6. She loved AO on Rhapsody of the Seas. The comment about never having so much time to myself was soooo true. I never saw them as they always wanted to go to camp. We took the kids on a snorkel excursion and just took turns being in the water. We always bring along their life jackets so they could go in the water if they wanted.

Neither one did as they got a bit scared by all the fish, but they really liked watching mom and dad in the water. Might have been a bit expensive since we each only got to snorkel half the time, but it was worth it.

We also did a semi submersible submarine excursion which the kids loved as they got to see the fish from the "safety" of inside the sub