Independence of the Seas with a toddler?

[tikcho]

We have an opportunity to take a cruise on the Independence of the Seas with our almsot 3 year old son and I have some questions. Previously, we have been on several Princess cruises and loved them

- Is there some form of Anytime Dining on the IOS or is it only fixed seating?

- What do you think of the water park/H2O - is it a great area for a little one or is it just so-so?

- What other restaurants are there besides the dining room and the buffet that have no surcharge? Basically we don't want to be tied to a dining room with a little one that does not always cooperate

- Is babysitting provided at night and has anyone ever hired a babysitter there?

- Do you think early December is a good time to go to the Western Caribbean? We've only gone in the Spring before and alsways had a great time, I've seen some mixed review about the fall and am worried it may be too cold (of course there's no way to predict the weather, just asking in general)

[guk]

Hi we went on the independence last aug with our DD just over the age of 2 and have booked again to go in nov when she will be 3 and half. brilliant ship my DD loved it and she couldn't use any of the kids clubs. In response to your questions:

There is my time dining available which i think you can book when you book your cruise as long as you pay all your tips up front, there is lots more about this on the royal carribean board.

 

The H20 is brilliant for little ones as long as they are toilet trained as otherwise the are not allowed in luckily we knew this beforehand so managed to get our DD dry before we went but so glad we had as many of the friends she made could not go in and could only use the tiny splash area next to it which I know she would not have been happy with.

 

I think there only the main dining room and the windjammer (buffet) which allow children as I don't think the speciality place allow children under age 13 in although you can get snacks from the coffee shop and sorrentos. Our DD amazed us as she never sits at a able for more than 10 mins at home yet every night without fail she had her main course when we had our starters then either coloured or watched a dvd keeping her happy until we had our deserts when she had icecream.

 

There is babysiting available on a prebookable basis at night although didn't use it personally have read multiple good reveiw on CC about them.

 

If you have any more questions don't hesitate to ask as I know how stressed I was about what there wouyld be for our DD to do when we went last year, but she had a fantastic time and can't wait to go again.

 

ps: I also heard that RCI have brought in toy lending where you can borrow toys to tak eback to your cabin, I wish they had this when we were there as when going to the royal tots sessions the cupboards were always crammed full with lot of new up to date toys.

[tikcho]

thanks! what about the pool water - was it cold? i read a few other reviews from the first few cruises that said the water was super cold. Princess pools have always had pleasant water temperature in March and since this is where we spend a lot of our time on the ship I want to make sure that we won't be freezing

[guk]

We went last year on a western med cruise and the H2O zone was definately heated as were the pools I think although I have read other review about them not being heated in the carribean although can't speak form experiance there.

[rebeccalouise]

H20 Zone was great. The ship is huge. You will have a wonderful time. The main shopping mall has two eatteries which are free for you- one is italian and the other is a coffee/ sandwich place. You can go there anytime and get a snack. The windjammer serves food round the clock- although the menu is the same everyday but there is a wide variety of foods to choose from. Also there is a diner but you pay to eat there and it is just ok. Nothing special. Was never very busy- except with kids from the youth program- they can eat there for dinner with the staff for a fee each night (3 and over).

 

The specialty restaurants are very formal and quiet- not appropriate for kids.

 

We never dined in the main diningroom the entire trip and were never tempted to- there was plenty of free food choices elsewhere.

 

I think your little one will love the ship- it has that "wow" factor. The ice show was really good and you get tickets for that at the front desk.

 

My eight year old loved the shops onboard. He got a haircut in the barber shop- that was fun.

 

Babysitting is subject to availability and I would go to the front desk upon arrival to make these arrangements. In Early December there won't be many kids because of school being in session. So I suspect you will have no problem arranging for babysitting. The sitters are staff member and not full time babysitters. I have heard mixed review on this but I used the sitting service on Celebrity and it was great (so hopefully Royal is just as good).

 

As for weather- Early December is ideal. The rainy season is over and the weather will be fantastic. Don't worry about that. Florida is still really nice in early December and the Caribbean is always warm, year round. Hurricane season is the bad time to visit the Caribbean (May-mid November).

[cb at sea]

The pools are "solar" heated---they are shallow and the sun will warm them quickly. Actually, if the water gets too warm, it's no longer refreshing! It can get mighty hot on deck!

[tikcho]

Well, I don't know about "solar heated" but several people who have been on this ship in the Caribbean have said the water was ice cold so I wanted to hear from people who have actually been onboard at some point in the winter time as this is rather important for me

[crusinmama06]

The pools are "solar" heated---they are shallow and the sun will warm them quickly.

 

Not 100% accurate. The pools on Indy actually have a heating system installed because of cruising in the Med. However, when the ship comes to the Caribbean, they do not always turn that heating unit on - or so they told me this past February because the pools were darn cold. :(

 

To answer your other questions....

--Anytime dining - YEP -- on RCCL they have My Time Dining and My Time Family Dining - you don't need a set dinner time if you request one of these.

 

--other places to eat - no surcharge - Windjammer Buffet, Sorrento's Pizza and Cafe Promenade (like a deli).

 

--Babysitting, yes there is in cabin babysitting provided. Cash paid to the babysitter directly. Reservations made at the purser's desk asap.

 

--H2o zone - love it. My kids love it. It is one of the best parts of the ship, for them.

 

My review plus pictures, kid menus and compasses here...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=923729

[rebeccalouise]

We spent all of our time at the H20 Zone because the other pools on the deck were ice cold. There were hundreds of people in deck chairs- the weather was warm (in January when we went) but the pools were frigid. Kids weren't even in there.

 

Fortuneately we enjoyed the above ground round pool in the H20 zone and spent alot of time making whirlpools- does anyone remember that game. you run in circles real fast and eventually you create a whirlpool. Was a good workout!

[crusinmama06]

Fortuneately we enjoyed the above ground round pool in the H20 zone and spent alot of time making whirlpools- does anyone remember that game. you run in circles real fast and eventually you create a whirlpool. Was a good workout!

 

The Lazy Donut? Is that the one you ran around? I LOVE the lazy donut. :D It's the closest thing to a lazy river that I have on a cruise ship.

 

This is the Lazy Donut for others that are reading this and thinking "What in the world????"......it's propelled by a current in a circle.

 

[rebeccalouise]

Yes- we spent alot of time in the "lazy donut". I am kind of a lazy donut come to think of it!