Robinhill

I think the newer/bigger ships have more options for small kids, but in my experience on Voyager class ships...you're just gonna have to adapt your vacation like you do your regular life :( You're not going to be able to enjoy the same ammenities and freedoms as you did before you had kids or that you have with older children. I believe you can pay a babysitter on board, but 10 years ago the option required the babysitter to be in your stateroom, plus an additional fee. Kids in swim diapers are not allowed in ANY pools, even the kids pools (at least 10 years ago this was the case). I had to separate myself from the rest of our group and spent a lot of time in our stateroom during nap times watching tv and reading by myself, and had to go back to the ship instead of exploring islands because there's only so much small kids can take without naps and quiet time. I brought an umbrella stroller and was able to shop and stroll around the ports while everyone else was off having fun, but there was nothing on the ship offered for small kids at the time. I paid $1800 for her to go with us (including airfare) and there was absolutely nothing for her to do. It soured me on cruises for the next 10 years. I've since then been able to go with her as an older child and have a blast, but would never ever go with a kid under 3 again! The sacrifices of motherhood are no fair :)

also they do have like a fisherprice playtime -i forget whey they call it and yes a parent has to go too but they have a dedicated trained staff that does this playtime with the toddler with the parent present. Lasts about an hour and they have toys that they will loan you to take with you for the baby to play with. In the evening you can arrange for in-cabin babysitting at night and I can't remember but i think it is around $8 per hour so that you can go to a club or the casino or a show or whatever. They are very good with the kids and very dependable.

We were all set to book our family cruise on Serenade, until we realized there is no Splash pool for kids.

 

We'll have a 1 year old at the time.

 

No way she'll be potty trained.

 

But definitely too old to just sit around.

 

My wife asked me, "What is she supposed to do all day on that ship? She's too little for Adventure Ocean, she can't use the kids pool, There are no Dreamworks characters. I just don't want her having to sit with us and watch her sister and older cousins play."

 

Parents of little ones not potty trained, what did you do with your little one all day?

 

We've taken our older daughter on cruises at that age but it was on Oasis & Allure.

I took a small blow up baby pool so it goes flat in your luggage. You can fill that from the outside showers near the pool and drag it to where you want it for her to be able to play on the deck while you sit in a lounge chair. It also worked well to then dump when you are finished and take it to your cabin and use it in the shower as a "bathtub" since you will only have a shower. I hope this helps.

Does anyone know if there is a zipline on the Quantum or Anthem?

Hello, this is Royal Caribbean International. We would like to provide you with some important information regarding your Tuesday, February 3 sailing onboard Grandeur of the Seas out of Baltimore. During the ship's last sailing, a number of guests experienced a gastrointestinal illness. We will conduct enhanced sanitizing onboard the ship and within the terminal to help prevent any illness from affecting your cruise. Therefore, your check-in and boarding time has been revised. Please verify your check-in appointment that corresponds to your deck number. Any guests arriving before their appointed check-in time will be asked to return at their assigned time in order to avoid congestion in the terminal.

 

Guests on Deck 8 should arrive at 1:30 PM.

Guests on Deck 7 should arrive at 2:10 PM.

Guests on Deck 4 should arrive at 2:50 PM.

Guests on Deck 3 should arrive at 3:20 PM.

Guests on Deck 2 should arrive at 4:00 PM.

 

Suite, Pinnacle, Diamond Plus, Diamond, Emerald and Platinum Guests can check-in any time at their convenience between the hours of 1:30 PM and 4:00 PM. We appreciate your assistance and thank you for your understanding

 

bosco

this is actually good though because believe me, you really want them to do a good job sanitizing the ship top to bottom after a norovirus hits!

We sailed the Navigator back in September and had a Virtual Balcony. We didn’t pay extra… it was just in the room we chose. Good things - you could see what the weather was like in port before leaving your room and it was like a “night light” to navigate the room. There is a remote control so you can adjust the sound to your liking. You can also turn the picture off if you like. There are curtains that can be pulled to block the light at night and that is what we did. (My wife does not like ANY light when she is sleeping.) Overall impression was it’s a neat idea although I would not pay extra to have one. The picture “froze” on ours a few time (almost always in port). They basically are a huge TV turned on its side. I think if they take a lot of repairs that they will be removing them one by one and not replace them. They are really like anything else - to each his own! Some will love them and some will hate them!

Happy cruising whichever room you choose!

are these cabins what they call the panorama ones?

It's just a matter of time until somebody posts and insists that they got a great deal with the BOGOHO sale. That being said, aside from the few that got decent prices in May when the "sale" began, there are no good Royal Caribbean sales. Just pricing games.

Well i got an outside Panoramic cabin for 1643 for two of us back in March. That includes the port fees so i think that is pretty good.

We just got off the Grandeur of the Seas on January 16, 2015. It was a really great cruise. Here is my youtube photo review. We had snow and sun and sea and sand and food and friends and drinks and....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27VdbjIwdl4

I loved your video! Very well done! I am looking forward to going on the Grandeur April 10 with my 3 year old grandson! I love the grandeur and have sailed on her several times!

This will be my husband's and my first cruise, and had I read up on Nassau before booking, I would have chosen another port/cruise. So, after reading not great things about Nassau beaches, I was looking at a day pass at Sandals. It seems to be more expensive than the others @ 110/pp, but getting the all-inclusive resort amenities (unlimited alcoholic drinks) seem worth it. Please let me know your experience with Sandals, as well as any recommendations for alternatives. Thanks!

i have never done sandals but honestly, for my money i loved the British Colonial Hilton Day Pass. It is $60 and includes use of beach chairs, floating mats at both the beach and beach chairs cabanas at their lovely pool, and $40 food/drink vouchers each, use of kayaks and non-motorized water toys. It was not crowded but very, very nice and the food and alcoholic beverages were great! It is $30 for children 6-12 years with a $15 food voucher for them and free for under 6. Google Nassau Hilton Resort Pass.

aww given the awful year that you have had i wish that the other folks had just come to you and said here is one idea but what do YOU think. I am sorry about your mom and that you were sick this year. Yes i think the carribean cruise is infinitely more relaxing then walking all over Disney with lots and lots of kids during Christmas week! I think you will need to speak up and let others know your thoughts on this. :)

There are several companies that do dog sledding in Juneau. coastal is a bit cheaper as it does not go through the cruise ships. It is an excellent company and the only company that I would let my sled dogs go to. Blue Kennels with Sebastian Schunelle is at the helm. He has won the Yukon Quest and all of his employees are experience sled dog racers. It is on the Herbert Glacier. There are lots of videos on fb...and yes, a person of 60 or 70 can easily ride a sled.....

I too went on the Coastal one and Loved the Blue Kennels and the dogs! It was something that my grandson and I will never forget! I was 54 at the time and it was a very comfortable Helicopter ride and the dogsledding was great fun! Not hard on the body at all!

I just don't think sailing from Baltimore has been that successful, I would say that once the agreement with the port expires they are out,

Surely you must be joking- Baltimore has a huge following and is very well-organized and everyone LOVES sailing out of Baltimore that I have talked to! :)

I am wanting to plan an Alaska cruise and land tour for late May 2015. I want to go on Princess or HAL. After researching these boards I have decided it might be best to book it on my own as opposed to a cruisetour. Looking at current prices we would probably book an OV, balcony too much of a premium price.

 

Here are the stats. 2 adults from Atlanta. Northbound 7 day to Alaska. Would like to take train to Denali, at least 2 full days in Denali, train back to Anchorage, maybe one day in Anchorage

 

The component costs are the cruise plus tips plus cruise extras, airfare, train or transport to and from Denali, hotel rooms, excursions, and insurance.

 

My question is what would you ballpark a total for this trip to be? I am guessing $5000. Can it be done for closer to $3000? I know that you do not know what our excursion or OB spending will be but just average that. We will do some stuff but nothing extremely expensive. I am not opposed to a cruisetour if it goes where we want to go long enough and is truly a better price than booking seperate. Thanks for any insight.

it will cost close to $2000 for your airfare alone, another $1900 maybe for the cruise then you have hotels, trains etc. I would guess another 2500-3000 for a total of maybe $7000.

I recently called to reserve the pack n play crib for our room and was told that you can call room service for milk any time of day with no charge if you have a toddler with you.

 

 

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actually you can call room service anytime for anything with no charge- not just if you have a toddler with you. You can call from early am (for instance for coffee first thing, eggs, toast etc) until i think 11pm for anything. Just make sure you give them a tip

Have a few Questions so please bear with me

 

How available will drinks be for our 14 month old when we cruise. are things like milk and juice (for a child) included or extra, If we do need to purchase a package does the soda package have offerings like HI C.and what level package would have apple juice and milk?

 

Will they come down on us for filling a sippy cup up with a juice drink or bottled water from a higher package(that me or my wife purchased)?

 

Have people encountered a lot of trouble with bringing on board a case of water or a bottle of juicy juice. from the Baltimore port?

 

We are sailing on the Grandeur in November and are trying to figure out what is what as we are a first time cruising family of five.

 

Thank you

I always travel with my grandsons and there is no problem getting apple juice, orange juice, milk, fruit punch etc. if you want to put it in a sippy cup please get it in a glass first and then pour from the glass into the sippy cup. They will not like you to hold it up to the fountain as that is considered unsanitary.

We will be in Ketchikan on May 30th. Will most of the shops be open for business? Thanks.

yes always on cruise ship days! And this is the best place to shop for all souvenirs IMHO. I have done a five day land and then 7 day cruise two times and i always found things to be the most reasonable and the best selection in Ketchikan and they will give you a coupon book when you board the ship initially for check in- make sure each person with you in your group takes one so that you have all of those extra coupons for trinkets and souvenirs- it is really worth it. Also if you shop at all four of the Tongrass Trading Company stores there in Ketchikan (close to each other within a couple of blocks) and then take all of your purchases and the receipts with you to the last Tongrass Trading Company they will ship all of your purchases from all four stores home for 14.99 regardless of how many bags of stuff or how big they are so that you don't have to pack them (also you cannot carry ulu knives on board which are great for the cooks out there so they confiscate them and give them to you on the last day on the ship). So you can buy them and have them shipped with all of your other purchases.

I will be on the Miracle the first week of June going to Alaska. Do people use the pools? I know this is a silly question, but I have never been there and I don't know how cold it may be.

 

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Absolutely- there is the indoor one in the Solarium and also they heat the water in the outside ones and my grandson and i had great fun swimming in the outside one last June on RCCL while watching a Shrek movie on the big outside screen. Great fun!

We are staying in Seward at the Holiday Inn Express before our July 4 cruise.

I am looking at the Seavey's Real Alaska tour the day of the cruise, but it departs from the train station at 1130, can we check in by 11?

 

Does anyone has experience with this?

I checked in at 11:30 am both times. You cannot go to your cabin until 1pm but you can check your luggage through and go to the windjammer for lunch! :)) Enjoy!

We have booked a South Pacific cruise on Rhapsody in February 2014, and we will be on the bottom deck, inside cabins, 2537 and 2539. I know the cabins will be small, they are basically the cheapest cabins on the ship.

 

But I would really love to know if I'm the only one who actually likes the idea of an inside cabin: no sunshine streaming in during the early hours, a bit quieter (hopefully), and no looking at the swell (I'm very prone to sea-sickness).

 

Love to hear what others think.

 

:)

 

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I have been on 15 cruises and have booked inside, outside, balconies and suites. I couldn't care less if i have an inside because I don't spend much time inside the cabin. I would rather put my money into some fabulous excursions!

i think i win... 694.. yes six hungred and ninty four days... not a typo...lol QUANTUM!

LOL! That's funny- but what a great time you will have- it will be amazing! I have 16 more days until my 5 day land portion of my alaska adventure with my 6 year old grandson and 21 more days until the actual cruise we are doing in Alaska. We are doing a DIY by renting a car in Fairbanks and then traveling to Denali, Talkeetna and ending in Anchorage then turning in the rental and taking the train from Anchorage to Seward to board the ship! Can't wait! ;)

Please share your favorite Alaskan souvenir ? I would love to get an idea before I get there. We will also be inland for several days in addition to the cruise ports.

 

Thanks

Ulu knife and I use mine every day- they will confiscate it on the ship though and give it to you on the last day. Also make sure you pack in your checked baggage or better yet- ship it home with all of your other souvenirs so you dont have to pay the overage on your baggage for the extra weight of everything! LOL

38!

bumping and updated itinerary:

 

July 24, arriving 1:15am to ANC

July 23/24 overnight anchorage Comfort Inn Ship's Creek

July 24, pick up Enterprise rental, drive to Seward enjoying many stops enroute

overnight at Sunshine House B&B

July 25, 10am departure on Major Marine Kenai Fjords trip (coupon)

drive to Girdwood or Anchorage, overnight TBD

July 26, Drive GirdwoodAnchorage - Denali Area, scenic stops enroute; Shopping stop in Wasilla

overnight Denali Lakeview in Healy

July 27, Full Day - Eileson or Wonderlake Shuttle in Denali

overnight Denali Lakeview in Healy

July 28, Healy - Anchorage... stop in Talkteena enroute

11:00am summit flight with Talkeetna Aero Services, Inc. (coupon)

overnight Susitna Place

July 29, train anchorage - whittier

12:15pm Major Marine glacier trip (coupon)

Board Island Princess

 

July 30 HUBBARD GLACIER, ALASKA (SCENIC CRUISING)

July 31 GLACIER BAY NATIONAL PARK, ALASKA (SCENIC CRUISING)

Aug 1 SKAGWAY, ALASKA ARRIVE 7:00AM DEPART 8:30PM - Avis rental car up to Yukon

Aug 2 JUNEAU, ALASKA ARRIVE 6:30AM DEPART 4:00PM - Harv & Marv, whalewatch & Glacier stop

Aug 3 KETCHIKAN, ALASKA ARRIVE 10:00AM DEPART 6:00PM - Family Air excursion to Anan booked

Aug 4 AT SEA

Aug 5 VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA ARRIVE 7:30AM - Hotel Sunset Inn & Suites

Rental Car booked

Aug 6 Vancouver- Hotel TBD

Aug 7 Vancouver- Hotel TBD

Aug 8 Vancouver, depart on red eye 10:30pm

Wow! What a fantastic trip you have planned! Have a wonderful time!

130 days

1 day! and 64 days!

One!

Oh you are so lucky! I have 12 more and then 64 more! LOL

Five days. And I am just finishing up the flu.

 

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Art- i hope you are as good as new when you embark on this cruise!

16 more days for the caribbean and 64 until Alaska for me! woo-hoo