Cruising with 4 1/2 year old & 2 1/2 year old - advice please!

[bergencruiser]

I am considering going on a cruise with my kids, 2 & 5 at time of sailing. We are thinking either Disney or RCI. We will be with another family with kids, so the kids can play together, but is this even worth it with a 2 year old?

 

Seems like on RCI he can't enjoy the camps or even swim in the pool.

 

I'd love some advice from anyone who's done this.

 

Also, what RCI ships are the best?

 

Thanks!

[CKEA_Cruising_Family]

We cruised last year with a 4 1/2 year old and a just turned 2 year old on the NCL Gem. We chose NCL so that my 2 year old could participate in the kids activities and also we could drive to port. Carnival also allows for 2 year olds in Camp. He was not potty trained and they would page us if he needed a change and it's true that he could not go in the pool - luckily he wasn't phased by that. Anyway, I think it's a great way to do a family vacation but if you want to take advantage of what the kids programs offer I'd suggest you look at Carnival or NCL.

 

I've never sailed RCI but I'm sure others can comment on that line. For some reason I think some of the ships have areas for non-potty trained kids but don't quote me on that.

[boulders]

I cruised RCI last year with my 2 year old. There really was not much for him to do except people watch. I would definitely choose Disney over RCI with a 2 year old. Carnival offers camps for 2 year olds too.

[wrp96]

It depends on the RCCL ships you are considering. On the Freedom class and on Enchantment of the Seas, there is a small portion of the H20 Zone called the Baby Zone specifically designed for non-potty trained children.

 

No, the 2.5 year old would not be allowed in Adventure Ocean but RCCL does offer in cabin babysitting and the Royal Babies and Tots program. If you look at posts by Crusinmama06, she has a schedule of the Royal Babies and Tots offerings.

 

That being said, if going to the camps is important to you, then you should look at Carnival as they do accept 2 year olds into Camp Carnival. I believe NCL does as well.

[guk]

Hi, we too went on a cruise with our DD who had just turned 2 and I too was aprehensive going knowing thatmy DD couldn't go to the kids clubs, that being said she had a fantastic time and still talks about the big boat (we went in august)!! Theres royal baby and royal tots sessions 3 times a day that your child could go to althugh an adult has to stay with them, there also the babysitting option which although we didn't use after reading revies on here wouldn't hesitate to on a future cruise. There is a splash pool that babies and toddlers who aren't potty trained can use, but would strongly advise attempting potty training before you go as that the reason we potty trained our DD so early so she could use the H2O zone onboard which she loved

[anitaau]

We did a Disney cruise with our 2 year old in Dec & I think Disney is the best cruiseline when it comes to cruising with kids. I've been on NCL and RCCL before & my daughter loves Disney the most. Fantastic shows, kids friendly restaurants etc.. I will recommend the cruise to anyone.

 

When I researched on the DCL cruise I used the Disney forum www.disboards.com a lot - tons of info there!

[anitaau]

o by the way, DCL charges taxes only for kids under 3 years old.

 

On the disney magic there is also a splash pool for kids in diapers. Disney also has nursery services (fee applies) for kids not going to the club. We didn't use the nursery services but we went to the kids club with my daughter a couple times during sea days and she had fun.

[Brennbob]

I was wondering if you could tell me how your 2 yr old did with the Kids Club. We are going to attempt to take my daughter to the club but am wondering how the counselors and such are with the children. I am more than ready to come and change diapers when needed, she is actually almost potty trained:D but I think I will put pull ups on her when she is in the camp. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks:)

 

 

We cruised last year with a 4 1/2 year old and a just turned 2 year old on the NCL Gem. We chose NCL so that my 2 year old could participate in the kids activities and also we could drive to port. Carnival also allows for 2 year olds in Camp. He was not potty trained and they would page us if he needed a change and it's true that he could not go in the pool - luckily he wasn't phased by that. Anyway, I think it's a great way to do a family vacation but if you want to take advantage of what the kids programs offer I'd suggest you look at Carnival or NCL.

 

I've never sailed RCI but I'm sure others can comment on that line. For some reason I think some of the ships have areas for non-potty trained kids but don't quote me on that.

[lamolesky]

The Kids Crew counselors are great on the NCL ships. Our kids did the club on the Dawn and the Gem and liked both. The counselors are very nice and great with kids. Our two year old went to the kids club too, no problems at all. We had more of a problem with our four year old!

 

The best thing to do is go on the first day when they are "closed" but registering kids. This will be the only time that adults are allowed in the club. Take your child in and walk them around, let them look at everything and find things that they would like to do when they come back. Introduce them to any of the counselors that are there so that they recognize a familiar face. Spend as much time as you can in there with them so they get comfortable. You can't play there but you can ask the counselors lots of questions and tell them about your kid. (I have the schedules for all ages of the kids club on my site. It gives you all the information about times and port play, etc.)

 

When you go the next day, they will be a bit familiar with it but don't push them. Our four year old cried and wouldn't go the first day, so we said ok and left. The next day we tried again and showed him a toy that he liked and told him that we would come back in ten minutes, we did, and he didn't want to leave. We just tried to make him comfortable and let him know that we will come back whenever he wants. They gave us a beeper on the first day just in case he wanted us (he never did :-) ). Our two year old was a different story, he walked in the first day, look around and waved and said "bye ma!". They gave me the beeper to change his diaper and we didn't mind that at all, because we had the chance for some alone time. We were happy with NCL and their Kids Club.