Cruising with Young Kids

We went with a 1 year old and I thought it was a waste of money. I don't know about your cruise but children weren't allowed in the pool unless they were potty trained. Then the older people were not welcoming of our child. He would scream or something while someone was sleeping by the pool and some older woman yelled at us. It was just a really discouraging trip. I think some cruise lines are different than others. But I would check the rules carefully. My take when it was all over with was NEVER AGAIN...But I think when our children get old enough we would like a childrens cruise. Or one where at least they are suppose to be a priority to the cruise.

if the little one is too young for the kids programs it may not be such a good idea. unless you and your husband are very relaxed, i know my husband hates crowded places especially if our youngest is running around. it wouldn't work for us.

We went to Alaska with a 4 month old and a 2 1/2 year old. i would not do it again. We didn't get much enjoyment out of the cruise. Also, did you know you have to pay FULL PRICE for the kids for the cruise and for most excursions. Yes, full price for a 4 month old who was nursing. Also, the strollers are IMPOSSIBLE to navigate through the passageways on the way to your room and back. Another problem is dinner time. If you eat in the formal dining room at night (which I think is one of the best parts of a cruise), you might not get the first seating and be stuck eating at 8:00 pm. In addition, being served all the courses takes up to 2 hours (a long time for a little one to sit). Another problem is the railing overlooking the pool decks are not really designed with small ones in mind (my daughter could have easily fallen through). In addition, there are often crowds, making losing your little one a possibility. No bathtubs mean showers only for the little ones. The rooms are quite small, so think about where the baby will sleep.

We have been on many cruises, so I know how much fun they CAN be. If this were my only chance to take a cruise, I would DEFINITELY go, but if it can wait, I would DEFINITELY wait, especially considering that you are paying FULL price for the two kids.

If you decide to go, a suggestion - we made a heart shaped dog tag with our daughter's first and last name and our cell phone numbers on it and tied it into the laces on her shoe. We told her to show it to someone if she got lost, because that is a possibility on such a trip. Also, you can give Benadryl to children to prevent motion sickness. It really works. Just ask your doctor for dosage.

We cruise about every two years with Norwegian and when my daughter was 18 months old I left her at home, its just too hard, we brought her with us when she was 3 and potty trained, Norwegian's policy is the kids camp program is for kids 2 and up and have to be potty trained.
Here are some other issues to consider, traveling with a car seat! its alot of work, when mine was 3 we took a booster seat with our luggage and used it in Florida since we were riding in cabs and then on the islands they dont even expect car seats the kids sit on your lap. Also going on the islands for the day with a 15 month old can be tricky, not many public bathrooms to change diapers in, eating/drinking, you are not allowed to take anything food or drink into port except water, so take into the bigger picture of bringing her on a cruise not just the ship. Also remember lots go on at night on the boat and you will be in your room with a baby.
I just went again on one last year, my oldest daughter was 5 and my youngest was only 13 months, she stayed at home which was hard, I missed her but it was a very enjoyable trip
Have fun on your cruise!!

When my kids were 6, 4 and 2 we went on a cruise for my BIL's wedding. It was not nearly as fun as it was for the people with older kids. If your kids are open to the daycare Carnival has, it could be a fun in the daytime, but all the nightime fun we had to do separately because we weren't about to leave them alone in the room. My youngest was okay with the daycare until they tried to change her diaper. Then she screamed, they paged me and that was the end of it for her. The older 2 refused to be left alone there. They weren't particularly clingy kids, either. My 4 year old (Just turned) was pretty unhappy the whole trip. He didn't like the atmosphere. My 6 year old threw up all over the dining table the morning the boat was turning around. (that had all of us queasy) Now that they are 14, 12 and 10, I think they'd enjoy all that there is to offer but for my money, a cruise with babies is not well spent.

Hi M.,
My husband and I had talked about this at one point. We decided to wait until our kids were older. I didn't feel like I would be able to relax with my young kids there. There would be to many places for them to get into trouble. Plus, I'm nervous with my kids and water. They both do well swimming but when we are around water I get very anxious and can't relax. Anyway, that's just me and if you feel like you would have fun while your kids were there go for it.
Chris

Hi M., we were on Carnival with 4yr old, and 11 1/2 yr old, both had lots of activities, groups for both ages. Their were hidden dangers I noticed, a window on an open deck in dinning area, with ladder like bars, when open, she was small enough to fall off, and into the water. Another thing to concider if she were to get eather sea sick, or just plain sick, so many people, too many germs. She probally would not remember much, & you may have a better time leaving her home, you'll have time to catch up when you get back, 15mo requires lots of attention. On the trip you can focus on the 3yr old, and husband. I thought before the trip I would never use a day care with people I did not know, our daughter quickly fit write in and most days asked to go. We even went off board for 1 to 2 hours, with a monitor, for emergency, we felt very safe, everyone had fun. Enjoy your trip.

We did a cruise (Royal Carribbean) with our son last May when he was 22 months old. We cruised with my Aunt and Uncle and all of us had a blast. We had no problems WHATSOEVER with anything really. We ate at the Windjammer (buffet style) every night because after eating at the main dining room, we didn't want to go back. (Not only food but service wise...) The waiters at the Windjammer were SOOOOOO nice and we kept sitting in the same waiter's section night after night because he was so kind to my child. (He actually hijacked some raspberries after lunch just so he could give them to my son for dinner -- as most people know you can't get those berries simply by themselves.) All of the stateroom attendants knew my child on a first name basis and he loved to wave and say hi to them all the time. The ports of call were great and we even took him with us to Stingray City in the Cayman Islands. He had a blast! We did however bring the large full-sized stroller, and although it made the stateroom quite tight, it was great for our excursions off the boat because we could tilt the seat back and he would fall asleep. (Plus, we got to go to the front of the line when we tendered!) The one night where my husband and I wanted a night out, we got the in room babysitter and went out for a few hours. My son was even able to meet with the Captain of the boat and had his picture taken with him! Overall, it was great for us and we would cruise again with small children. I'm sorry most people don't agree with that, though..... OH... and yes, we has a balcony room.

Hi M.,
We just did the Disney Cruise last year. My son was 4 and my daughter was 2. Let's just say the Disney boats have the largest staterooms and it was still a pain with the stroller. The balcony freaked me out because there are going to be at least one chair and a table, very easy for toddlers that like to explore to climb up on, not safe. So I had them remove the table and chairs ASAP!!
The elevators are not made for strollers, so many times when the doors open and there are people already in the elevators you have to wait for an empty one to show up and you can imagine that might take a while.
I'm not saying it can't be done, we did it. But we won't be going on a cruise again till the kids are older.
I'd like to try the new Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas that comes out next year, but I think I'll give it one more year, lol.
I do not want to detour you from going on a cruise, I've done 3 so far and love cruising for one reason, going to different islands. Don't go for the food, the food is massed produced. Sometimes you'll get lucky and get a good meal, but it's not 4 star by any means and if someone tells you it is, they must be eating in the cafeteria everyday :) JMOP Unless you go to the restaurants on the ship that are extra money, which normally you can not bring kids into, those are usually very good!
My suggestion to you would be to wait until your little ones are a bit older, but if you don't good luck and have a ton of fun :)
J. in Macomb

Hi M.,

We took our 2 1/2 yr old on a Royal Caribbean cruise last spring and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. My son still talks about it now. As far as the stroller issue that some people have mentioned, we took an umbrella stroller instead of the full size one because we knew space would be limited and the umbrella stroller was no problem getting around the ship with. I can see where a full size stroller would be. The ship we were on had a splash pad for the little one's on the pool deck and I never feared that I would lose my child for one second. I just simply did what any parent should and kept my eye on him. We took him to all of the shows with us and he usually fell asleep during them so we still got to enjoy them. The staff on the ship was very accommodating to having a little one with us in the dining room and elsewhere. There were still some playtime programs for the younger children to go to also. We also used the babysitting service on the ship one night so that we could go to the deck party that was a little later at night and it worked out wonderfully. The babysitter showed up with a bag of age appropriate toys and we were only gone from the room for a few hours. I would not have been comfortable using the babysitting service to leave the ship at port as I've heard some people say they have done. I knew I could go to the room and check on things at any given moment. As far as the balcony off your room, I agree with another mom that the table and chair would make me very nervous. We opted to go with a non-balcony oceanview room because I had the same fear. I think having the table and chairs removed is a good idea if you have a balcony. I have no idea if a little one could open the balcony doors or not on their own. We have another baby on the way and we definitely plan on going on another cruise and taking her with us. Sorry the post is so long but after the negative responses I felt you deserved another that was positive because we really enjoyed ourselves. You go in knowing that your activities are limited with the little ones but there is still tons to do!

If you decide to go....have fun!

M.,
We went on a Carnival cruise last year when our kids were 2 and 3.5, and we had a great time, but both kids were able to go to Camp Carnival and they were in the same age group. If it were not for this, we probably would not have done it. It will not be a lot of fun for you to have a 15 month old with you for the entire time without a break unless you hire a babysitting service. If you waited just another year, both of your kids could be in the camp together in the same age group. We are doing another cruise this Easter, but once again, the kids will be 3 and 4.5 and they'll still be in the same age group for the camp. As for a balcony, I wouldn't do that either, as I would worry too much. We did an oceanview and this is what we're doing again.

Also, your profile says that you work full-time, and I do too, so you are not used to being with your kids 24/7. This would be a rude awakening on a cruise when your baby couldn't go to the camp, and you'd basically be with her 24/7. I think for any working parent, vacations can be a difficult time because you're not used to being with your kids full-time. Lately, we've been choosing vacations that offer some type of kids camp or children't programs. A lot of all-inclusives offer programs for kids too.

I'm not trying to discourage you, but I think you'd have a lot more fun if you waited a year (or even just 9 months).