Mom Wanting to Take Her Toddler on a Cruise

I don't know anything about Disney but I know that Carnival Cruise Lines have a play area for the kids to go to all day and have babysitters that you can hire for the evening. I have never tried it because I wasn't a mom when I was on the cruise, but the kids I saw seemed to be having a ball.

Hi N.,
I mean no offense when I say this, but I think taking an 18 month old on a cruise is rather selfish. Have you really thought the whole thing through? Specifically what do YOU want to do on the cruise that carrying or pushing your daughter around all day isn't going to inhibit? She's too young to remember the trip to begin with. Dropping her off at the daycare or nannie service may be fun for her, but you can do that at home. I would suggest a day trip depending where you live, to Sesame Place, the Zoo or Seaworld, something specifically for her. If a cruise is what YOU want to do , then I say go for it, but leave her home with someone you trust.
Again I don't mean to offend you. This is just my opinion.

Hi N.,

My experiance taking my 14 month old on a Disney cruise was a mistake. What my husband and I quickly realized was that she was too young to really enjoy it.
They had childcare but she always cried for us, because the employess were strangers to her.
Hence my husband and I were not able to have any fun and found ourselves having to go to the room, and none of us was having any fun! So in a nutshell we paid to stay in the room for a week!
PS_ Terrified with the characters, save your money!

Take it from me (I worked for Disney before my son was born) You child is too young for the cruise. If you want to take a cruise then have a great time but leave you child with a grand parent. Some one who the child loves to spend time with. This would be better for your baby than to have such a big change as going on the ship, then you leaving her with a stranger. Wait until she is 3 or so. Then she will be just the right age for all the FUN STUFF. It always breaks my heart to see well meaning parents who want to give their child everything doing it at the wrong time. It is just wrong to take a small child to the theme parks to stroll around all day in the heat, when the child is too young to enjoy any of it. They can't ride the rides, they don't care about Mickey, and most of the time Mickey scares the pants off them. Its too much to put yourselves and your child through. Just hang off a few years and then everyone can have a great time. Don't rush your baby growing up, she will do that fast enough as it is.

I have not been on the Disney crusie line, so I can't comment on their services. I would not recommend however that you take your family on Carnival. While this is a good cruise line for adults (and even older kids), kids under 2 cannot use the "Camp Carnival" program, and NO swim diapers are allowed in the pools (so if your child isn't potty trained, they can't swim on the ship).

I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT I TOOK MY DAUGHTER WHO IS NOW 19 MONTHS OLD ON A CRUISE WHEN SHE WAS 16 MONTH OLD. WE WENT ON THE ROYAL CARRIBEAN CRUISE LINE THAT WENT TO COZUMEL AND KEY WEST. IT WAS A 5 DAY/ 4 NIGHT CRUISE. WE WERE AT SEA FOR ONE FULL DAY. I MUST SAY THAT SHE HAD THE GREATEST TIME OF HER LIFE. SHE SWAM IN THE POOL, WENT ON WALKS WITH ME ON THE DECK, SHE EVEN SAT THROUGH SHOWS AT NIGHT. I DID HAVE ALITTLE HELP FROM MY MOTHER WHO DID WATCH HER WHEN I WENT TO THE CASINO. BUT IF YOU DONT MIND PUSHING A STROLLER ON SHIP OR HOLDING HER HAND TAKE HER. SHE'LL ENJOY IT, SHE WONT REMEMBER IT BUT AT THE TIME SHE WILL HAVE FUN. I WENT OUT AND BOUGHT ONE OF THOSE KID "LEASHES" FOR HER FOR WHEN I LAID OUT BY THE POOL AS WELL. SO JUST GET CREATIVE AND HAVE FUN THATS WHAT THERE FOR RIGHT.

I think your daughter is too young for a Cruise. I have heard horror stories from friends that took young children on cruises. Some of them were put on the 9pm dinner time schedule when their child eats dinner at 6pm- they had to eat in the cabin. Some of the cruises had so many children that they didn't have enough high chairs. On certain cruises children that aren't potty trained can't use the pool. I couldn't imagine having my daughter stare at the pool and not be able to swim in it. One of my other friends said that the child care area was only available for an hour or 2 a day. SHe said it was aweful because during nap time they would have to sit in the small cabin and just wait while their son took a 2 hr nap. If you want to do something fun with your daughter I would try going to a park or some place more oriented for young children. I took my 15 mth old daughter to Sea World and she loved it. We went at a time when it wasn't too busy and she was able to run around and look at things on her own (of course with me right next to her) but we didn;t have to worry about long lines or crowed people pushing her. She even got to pet a sting ray. It was an amazing day, a little hot but we were able to cool off by getting wet from the water ride (stood at the bottom of the ride and got soaked from the spray). It was a really fun day for my daughter maybe not a week long vacation but it definately was memoriable. I would definately never take my daughter on a cruise until she is 2 or 3. I would wait until she is older.

Let me tell you. I work for Disney and I have not been on a cruise yet but if I were to go on one I would go on a Disney cruise. They have a plce just for the kids to hang out while you go do your thing. And it is soooo fun for them.

I think Cruising is the best vacation.

My daughter who is now 15mths has been on 3 cruises.

The first one she was 4mths old. it was a short three night cruise.

Her next cruise was when she was 8mths old. She started crawling the day befor ewe left. She loved the beaches that we stop in. On this cruise my mom and dad went too so we had a babysitter if my husband and me wanted a break.

The final cruise was just a little while ago she was 13mths old. We went by ourselfs so no babysitter but we really did not miss it. We put her in her stroller at night for her to sleep so we could go to the midnight buffet.

All three time we went on RCL the crew treated her so special each time. We took a blow up pool so on at sea days she could splash around since they are not allowed in the pool not potty trained.

If you have any questions on what to bring or any other question feel free to email me at ____@____.com

you may want to try a three night cruise just to see if you guys lijke it

MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE TAKEN MANY CRUISES. I HAVE A 21 MONTH OLD AND WOULD NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT TAKING HIM ON OUR NEXT TRIP. TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, DROPPING THEM WITH A SITTER ON A SHIP IS NOT SPENDING TIME WITH THEM. WAIT 2 MORE YEARS BEFORE YOU TAKE HER ON A CRUISE. EVEN THE DISNEY CRUISE WOULD NOT BE A GOOD IDEA AT THIS AGE. THEY TEND TO HAVE A FEAR OF THE CHARACTERS AND BECOME FUSSY WHEN THEY ARE OFF SCHEDULE (NAPS, MEALS,ECT). YOU ALSO NEED TO CONSIDER THE SHORT ATTENTION SPAN AT 18 MONTHS. NOT WORTH IT FOR NOW. TRY A TRIP TO ORLANDO FIRST. SEE HOW SHE TOLERATES ALL OF THE ACTIVITIES. ENJOY A CRUISE WITHOUT HER, ITS THE BEST!!! GOOD LUCK, M.

We just came back from a Disney cruise (7 night) - our first cruise and first vacation with our two kids. My oldest was 2 wks shy of his 3rd birthday, and my youngest was 7 mo. It was wonderful. My nearly-3 year old was in the pool all of the time, and when we were ashore, we took them to the beach for the morning, and then would come back to the ship for lunch & naps. Then after nap we would go back to the pool, then dress and get ready for dinner at 5:30, bedtime at 8 (a little later than when we are home). The ship was gorgeous, very clean, and everything was terrific.

Ethan (my 3 yr old) went to the kids' club 3 times, and Jack went to the nursery the same. It was hard to get time at the nursery, and I didn't want to leave him for very long because he is so little. They are very good there but the nursery charges $6/hr and has limited hrs & room. Jack was just the right age because he wasn't crawling yet, but was sitting, so he would sit on my beach chair with me while I watched my older son play in the pool with Daddy (or play in the ocean). Ethan was freaked about most of the characters except Minnie whom he loved. A few times we took the kids in their jammies to see part of the show at night - you don't need tickets, just walk in and sit in the back - and that was fun.

I think 18 mo though is not a good age for a cruise. NONE of the cruise lines can permit swim diapers in the pools because of Coast Guard regulations. Disney does have a small splash pool for little ones but it's too windy when you are at sea for most of the kids - they like to be really in the water to stay warm.

If you can wait until she is 3 there are a lot more things for her and you to enjoy together and apart. Plus the beach is way more fun at 3 than at 18 mo. Also the *extras* add up quickly - we didn't have any shore excursions, and had maybe a glass of wine or a cocktail each day, but our total *extras* was about $500 for the week when you included all of the tipping. And that doesn't include what we spent when we were ashore on food, cabs, and a few small souveniers.

I cannot wait to take my boys back to the Disney cruise - but I'm going to wait now until Jack is 3 and potty trained. Ethan will be 5 - it's only 2 yrs away! - and we'll have enough saved up to do it again. Wonderful place!

Hello, the Disney cruise is GREAT!! We have been twice, can't say enough great things about them. We took our daughter last year. She was 3. They have a whole deck for kids. You can drop them off and they play with other children on a great plyground and do lots of fun things, like a slumber party with Goofy where they all color pillow cases with fabric markers (they get to keep these, a great souvenir, says Disney Cruise Line on it) They even have a little graduation at the end of the cruise where they all get little Mickey ears graduation caps, and a t-shirt that says Disney Cruise University Alumni, also free (I guess it is included in the cost for the kids to go) They do have to potty trained to go to the kid's club though. The cruise line offers "day care" too, but you pay by the hour for this. I forget how much since we didn't need it. The kids can stay at the kids club as late as 11Pm and even midnight on some nights, so plenty of time for parents to do some grown up stuff. They take the kids to lunch and dinner and movies and some of the shows too. Let me know if I can tell you any more.

I took my daughter on the Disney Cruise Line when she was 3 and she had a great time, but your child is much younger and will be in the nursery. There is a charge for this service and I know that they fill up fast.

A girlfriend of mine and her husband took their 22 month daughter on a Disney cruise and had a fabulous time. Evidently they have a childrens area that you can drop the kids off at. They have lots of toys and things to do. You carry a beeper so that if the staff needs to get a hold of you for any reason at all they can beep you so that you can see what your child needs.

My friend has actually taken her daughter on a couple of cruises but she did say that the Disney cruise is the most family/kid friendly and they had a really good time.

Good luck

M. N.

My question is WHY are you wanting to take her on a cruise?! A child at 18months is not going to enjoy a cruise per say, so don't do it for her. If you want to give her a Disney experience, there are cheaper ways to do it at the parks. If you are looking for childcare while you cruise, why not leave your daughter at home with family. There are so many other ways to enjoy your time with your daughter that are appropriate for this age. Why not rent a cabin at the beach for the weekend and play in the sand all day.

Personally, I would feel guilty taking a cruise with my children (5/3/20months) and then leaving them to be occupied by someone else. But, that's just me.

Hi N.,
My husband took our son on a Disney cruise when he was 23 months old. I really wish that we had waited because for the most part, we did not have a good time! He was terrified of the characters that are seen thoughout the ship...in fact, Goofy passed him us on the stairs once and tried to get my son to give him five - well, my son screamed for the next 10 minutes! Also, they do not allow children who are not potty trained in ANY of their pools. He was too young to be dropped off with the children's group - however, we could have paid extra to put him in daycare (we never did that because we didn't have the extra money). There were many things that my husband and I would have enjoyed doing but were just impossible for us to do with a child that young. There just isn't very much of anything that is geared to a child younger than 3. He is now 6 and I would LOVE to take him again because I think we would have a blast! SO, I highly recommend the Disney cruises, but I would just wait another year or two before you did it. That's a lot of money to spend to not be able to take full advantage of the experience!
Hope that helps and if you want any additional info, feel free to contact me! =)

The disney cruise is fantastic!! Is your daughter friendly and willing to go with other people? Other than that, they entertain the kids in a grand manner and it is really wonderful. Mine was four when we went. What a great experience for the whole family. Call disney direct and talk to them. It might be better to wait till she is closer to three years of age. But talk to them and see what they say.

Deb

We have been on Disney and several other cruises. They don't assign a nanny. There is child care most of the time in the kids area and they give you a beeper and page you if necessary. Disney is rather exp so we are waiting until our daughter is about 3 before we take her so that she will get the most out of it. I do think its the most "child friendly" ship line and we've done Carnival, RCL and others. have fun!!

We took my 1 yr old on Royal Carribean and had a great time. They had sitters, baby time classes. The kids could play with little ones their age with toys on the ship. They set up his crib everynight and took it down every morning. The waitter at dinner was great with him too. We enjoyed ourselves very much. I would invest in an unbrella stroller, they are smaller and easier to get around the ship.