Advice for cruising w/a 2-year-old?

[daphne600]

I'm a first-time cruiser and will be embarking on the Serenade of the Seas on July 4th. Can't wait! We will be bringing our 2-year-old daughter with us. What advice do you have for me? What should I definitely bring, or think twice about packing?

 

We've requested a pack & play for the stateroom. I'm in the process of checking w/the overnight hotel in San Juan to see if they have a crib (fingers crossed...). I'll be investing in a cheap umbrella stroller.

 

I'm wondering about car seats. What do we do w/shore excursions? If it's a bus or shuttle, I'm not as worried about not having a car seat. But my hunch is there will be taxi and van rides. Thoughts on this?

 

We have a lot of family travelling with us (most have cruised before), so I'm not worried about what to do with her so much (although I am interested in play time, rules for swimming pools--potty training a necessity, etc.).

 

Please share! Thanks in advance!

[MyMoses]

We just went on the Carnival Splendor with our 2 year old. We did bring the car seat on the ship with us only because we parked our car at a hotel and needed it for the shuttle to/from the port. We stuck it in the closet on the ship and did not use it in port. We were in Mexican ports and took a few taxis and the public bus. None of them even had seatbelts, so the car seat would have been pointless. We took an open air taxi in Mazatlan and our dd had a blast. She kept screaming "fast car"!

 

A lightweight umbrella stroller is a must. We used our in port and during embarkation/debarkation. Unfortunately, on RC she won't be able to go to the kids activities. I have to say that Camp Carnival was wonderful for us. It gave us a few hours each day to relax and read a book without the kiddo.

 

One suggestion I have that worked really well for us is having a white noise machine. I brought one as I'm a really light sleeper and was worried about noise keeping me awake, but it turned out to be more useful for my dd. They would make announcements throughout the day and while it was in the hallway it was still very loudly heard in the room. Having the white noise during nap times allowed her to sleep through all the announcements. It worked really well at night too as the sound from people returning to their rooms at night was pretty loud. I was so glad that we had it.

[geegee1]

I'm a first-time cruiser and will be embarking on the Serenade of the Seas on July 4th. Can't wait! We will be bringing our 2-year-old daughter with us. What advice do you have for me? What should I definitely bring, or think twice about packing?

 

We've requested a pack & play for the stateroom. I'm in the process of checking w/the overnight hotel in San Juan to see if they have a crib (fingers crossed...). I'll be investing in a cheap umbrella stroller.

 

I'm wondering about car seats. What do we do w/shore excursions? If it's a bus or shuttle, I'm not as worried about not having a car seat. But my hunch is there will be taxi and van rides. Thoughts on this?

 

We have a lot of family travelling with us (most have cruised before), so I'm not worried about what to do with her so much (although I am interested in play time, rules for swimming pools--potty training a necessity, etc.).

 

Please share! Thanks in advance!

 

We did EOS last year and they had a play room where you could borrow toys for the kids to play with back in our room. See if they have that on your boat and it would be one less thing for you to pack. The stroller is key, we even used it to bring our daughters into the shows where they were able to pass out. Have fun

[Smithkids5521]

Be sure to bring a blanket from home (and a favorite bed time stuffed friend)... I have found that it makes the kids more comfortable when we travel to have familiar things from home. Also, maybe a night light- it's easier to make your way to the potty and helps scare away the monsters at night... LOL!;)

 

I can think of many general hints for traveling with a 2 year old, but nothing particularly geared towards cruising (I will be on my 1st cruise in August)...but I am sure you know anyway all of the things I would say (bring your kid tylenol, benadryl, etc...yadda yadda yadda...;))

 

Have a great time!!!

[bhcruise]

One thing I did when cruising with my 3 yr. old and 11 month old was to pack complete outfits in gallon ziplock containers. It was way easier to stay organized that way, also when they spent the night with thier Granparents, I was able to just send the bags with complete outfits. This was a 12 day cruise and I am not sure how long yours is but I still think it would be helpful even for short cruises.

[boulders]

Unless she is potty trained, she won't be allowed in pools. She is also too young for Adventure Ocean. They do have some playgroups once or twice a day for her age group.

 

RCCL has in cabin babysitting, first come first served at an additional cost. Sign up at guest services.

[WineDown17]

I would advise against a "cheap" umbrella stroller. Given the wear and tear a stroller endures on a trip like that invest in a good one that will do double duty.

 

If it breaks mid cruise- you will end up spending more, or not be able to find one and cursing yourself the whole time.

 

There are many excellent threads on this out there....

 

I love our Combi- great quality, lighweight, reclines, has cup holder, shoulder strap and many accessories for travel. Longer handles for DH. Made it through 2 weeks in Europe like a champ. Even in ports some folks said were impossible to take a stroller.

 

I use this for every occasion... A little more expensive that some, less than others, but an excellent investment.

 

 

Another tip- Be sure to remove any special blankets/animals etc from the crib each day. They have been known to inadvertantly get caught in the linens...end up in ship laundry and never be heard from again.:eek::(:eek:

[unatheo]

Don't forget the treats. We'll have to bring some fruities, koolaid packets(for the 20 oz bottles), and crunchies. We are going with our 1 and 4 y/o in April. And of course dinner time activites to keep them occuppied. We also have a lot of family going with us too! Enjoy the Cruise. Make memories.

[shellito1012]

I have to disagree about the cheap umbrella stroller....we purchased one because we didn't want to risk the airlines damaging our expensive one. We bought a Kolcraft (at the time it was about $30 on Amazon). It has been to Orlando (Disney) to California and even at homes tends to get more use than our expensive one....it is lightweight and easy. And, you do want something compact when dealing with space in your cabin. But that is just my two cents!

[JColquhoun]

I went on disney when my son was 2. It was great

[um5xno1]

Portable DVD player got us through dinners in the MDR with our 14 month old on the LOS....We will see how it works with a now 2 y/o in the CCL Freedom in a few months. We usually bring it to all restaurants to avoid meltdowns anyway, so I'm pretty sure it will be used again in a few days.

 

The beauty of it, is that we have trained DD to watch it on SILENT!!!! We can have dinner without hearing it, and I'm sure my neighbors in the MDR thank us as well!