going to take a three year old with us any advice

[sue gill]

we have been on 14 cruises 9 though princess. this time we get to take our three year old granddaughter.any advice from grandparents or parent that have taken their youngster with them .we are going to bermuda,st.thomas and antiga.we are leaving from san juan and ending up in new york.we know we want to take her to a beach. but not sure whitch port or beach will be best .

[dllyon]

My advise, DON"T DO IT. RUN as fast as you can the other way.

 

We took our 2 year old grandson and it was a nightmare. Never again that young.

 

Sorry, Just IMO

[Bowie MeMe]

You will have a blast! You are very brave -- do you have her often and are her parents going? Go to the children's forum here on CC for lots of ideas. Plan to take "walkies" through the long dinners. Do not worry they treat the youngest ones as royalty.

 

My SIL and DD have taken their now 2 year old on 3 seperate cruises. Philip will have elite status before he is 10:p. Actually was a little easier when he was 6 months 2 days old rather than 18 months and 23 months.

On his cruise in June they are looking forward to using the swim pool because he will be potty trained and does not need swim diapers. At 3 should be able to use the children's program (P goes to daycare so he is really comfortable in being there without parent -- but not old enough yet.)

 

If you are relaxed with the cruise the child will love it. P really did know most of the thousands of people on the ship. He thinks they are all there to tell him he is cute! A future cruise director maybe.

[Alessandrina]

We've always had positive experiences when travelling with our son whilst onboard and he's been on ships since he was six months old.

 

Since your grandchild will be of age to use the Fun Zone kid's club, make sure to sign her up on the first night at registration. She'll have lots of fun in there! They make crafts, play games, go for ice cream, etc.

 

As for Bermuda, there is a small sheltered beach very close to where the ship docks at the Royal Naval Dockyard. It's perfect for her and conveniently close, less than 10 minutes walk! I think it is called Snorkel Park beach - though I can't be certain.

 

In St. Thomas you could head to Megan's Bay Beach.

 

In the dining room there is a Kid's Menu with all the standard kid fare if she doesn't fancy the normal menu.

 

Enjoy!

[kruzinon]

Drink heavily!

[Cruisin' Chick]

We took our daughter on her second cruise when she was 3 (her first three were on Carnival). It was also her first plane flight. It just takes a bit of planning to make sure you pack everything necessary (if not leaving from your home port, go in at least a day ahead and you can buy necessities at a store in that city). Include any pullups (you can't count on the ship stocking these) and medicines (again, because the children's formulations are different).

 

Your gd can be in the kids' club, which will have appropriate activities for her age group. The crew will dote on her as many of them have little ones back home that they miss.

 

Make sure if the parents aren't going on the cruise that you have all the paperwork necessary (notarized okays from both parents for the cruise, as well as for any medical care, if necessary).

[4cats4me]

Advice: Watch 'em like a hawk around the pools. There was an unfortunate

incident on our sailing while the ship was ported in Puerto Vallarta

last week. A grandpa was SUPPOSED to be watching his 4-year-old granddaughter who was swimming in the pool without swimmies, but another child who was in the pool, a 9-year-old,

pulled the 4-year-old out of the water. We still don't know the outcome,

as she was taken off the ship in P.V.

[Richie2pies]

Leave the young one home. As much as you love your grandchild, it will ruin your cruise.The child probably won't appreciate it either.

[Musky Ike]

Leave the young one home. As much as you love your grandchild, it will ruin your cruise.The child probably won't appreciate it either.

 

I agree completely.

[dfields1814]

We are taking our three year old grandson to Alaska for a 10 day cruise. However his parents are going as well. So we will have 4 adults watching him. We will take turns. I doubt he will be anywhere near the pool area. We plan to take shifts for dinner. Also the kids clubs babysit for free until 10:00 pm. Our grandson will eat in the buffet and room service so he won't be a distraction in the MDR. Just to be safe he will not be allowed in our cabin which is a balcony. His parent's cabin is oceanview. He absolutely loves trains (Thomas the Train mainly) So we will take him on the train in Skagway. I hope he/we will be OK.

[sultan_sfo]

Please also be aware whether others are being annoyed by the kid's presence. Others have a right to expect an enjoyable cruise.

[whale-watcher]

Please also be aware whether others are being annoyed by the kid's presence. Others have a right to expect an enjoyable cruise.

 

I have had much more negative impact from adult behavior (smoking, drunk/noisy in hallways at night, pushing in buffet, chair hogs) than I have from kids.

 

When our kids were young we planned our dining and activities accordingly, eating dinner in the buffet, keeping our port days open or planning private excursions so we could be flexible and all have a relaxing and enjoyable vacation.

 

She will be old enough for the kids club to give you a few hours here and there. A minisuite is nice with a bit more room in the cabin, a tub for bathing, and a balcony for the adults to enjoy after the little one is down for the evening (railings are high and if you supervise her at all times she cannot accidentally fall; the only incidents I know of involve adults). DW and I still talk about those wonderful quiet moonlit evenings watching the water after the kids fell asleep; now we are in bed long before they are!

[cruisinreunion]

Sue Gill, you should hop on over to our roll call for this week

 

I have cruised with my young children-you should check out the family cruising section because there is tons of great advice on traveling with young kids. I would definitely sign your grandchild up for the kids club-I dont know how many kids will be on this cruise but there will be the camp counselors who have games, toys, crafts, songs, etc that will be geared to the appropriate age. My kids loved it but you have to make sure to have her go the first night=even if only for a short time.

 

One thing we would do is bring the kids to eat dinner at the buffet and then sign them into kids camp and then we would go to dinner alone. (Sometimes the dinners are too long for kids) Some people are known to bring on those blow up pools instead of worrying about the deep pools but bring a life jacket for the pools and beaches. I would also bring a pail and shovel with you if you are going to any of the beaches. I have even brought those blow up tubes from the dollar store, then just leave at the beach for others. just make sure you bring plenty of her toys and favorite blankies/pillow or stuffed animal. Our doctor had us give our kids Benadryl one half hour prior to flying-helps with the ears and calmed them down a bit also. Bring more clothes than you think you would need, or plan on doing laundry. Plan on going to bed earlier than you would normally go, although my kids did enjoy most of the musical productions. (in that case, try to get a good nap in earlier in the day)

 

 

Bermuda has a nice beach for small kids right near the ship -Snorkelpark. The were no big waves or undertow, like at some of the other beaches. My kids enjoyed the aquarium and zoo also and there was a small playground at the zoo, too.n I would definitely go here with her.

 

Not sure of the other islands, never been there before, will be my first time also :)

 

I am sure you will have a great time and will make wonderful memories

[BoPippy]

That is why the word BABY SITTER was invented or a family member at home,so u can relax and enjoy yourself away from the everyday stuff.

[whale-watcher]

That is why the word BABY SITTER was invented or a family member at home,so u can relax and enjoy yourself away from the everyday stuff.

My everyday stuff does not include spending a lot of time with loved ones; so I personally find vacations more enjoyable when I spend them with the people I most want to be with...my family. I would imagine that this is the case for the OP as well :-)

 

Another worthwhile thing to pack...an iPad/pod or PSP loaded with her favorite movies and some games; so much easier than when we used to bring the DVD player and a stack of movies when our kids were young. This will buy hours of entertainment when other options just won't work as well...such as in the plane.

[cruisinreunion]

whale watcher, the dvd player is great idea!! I forgot about that. One other thing that we have brought along was playdough. We had problem getting it through airport security but our neighbors brought some last time they flew with their kids and brought it through fine one way on the plane, but not on the way home. But they agreed playdough kept the kids busy for hours!

[Akheila]

Leave the young one home. As much as you love your grandchild, it will ruin your cruise.The child probably won't appreciate it either.

 

I beg to differ. We took our daughter on her first cruise when she was 3. She is now 6 and has been on 4 cruises. To date she has done Alaska and 3 caribbean cruises and is asking when we are going again.

She still remembers the first one, because each time we talk about booking a cruise she says "remember the first time we stopped in St. Thomas and I got my hair braided?" and yes that was on the first cruise. Her only requirement for a cruise is that it has a kids club. She loves the activities that they provide. We have open seating, so she can choose to dine with us OR we take her to the buffet and then to the club and we have a dinner without her. For the younger ones they offer a beeper so that if something happens they can page you and you don't have to worry. I would recommend bringing activity pages and colouring supplies for dinners, even the most patient get bored at times. For our daughter we put it in a little purse ans she wanders around proud as a peacock with her purse.

I don't have the heart to tell her the next one booked is just for mom and dad :o

[stoneharborlady]

We took our 3 yr old nephew to the Caribbean. He loved it, was well behaved in the DR, and really enjoyed the kids club. No problems whatsoever.

[jff50]

My youngest daughter is 10, and has been on about 25 cruises (she is elite with Princess, but won't get the perqs for 8 more years).

 

Assuming your granddaughter is potty trained, she can be in the kid's club as long is she has turned 3 as of the start of the cruise.

 

I'd strongly suggest anytime dining. 3 YOs aren't always up to sitting at dinner every night. Anytime dining allows you to determine her mood on a day to day basis. If she's up to eating in the dining room, you can go early with her. If she's not up to it, and you'd like to eat in the dining room, you can feed her (buffet, room service, pizza, grill) and take her to the kids program when it opens--then you can eat in the dining room.

 

Keep in mind that they don't allow kids that aren't potty trained in the pools, even in swim diapers.

 

Meagans Bay in St Thomas is a great beach for kids. So is the beach at Princess Cays. You may want to bring one or two blow up float toys (i.e. rings)--they don't take up much room until the are blown up, you can blow them up, use them at the beach and leave them behind.

 

Unless you are also traveling with both parents of your granddaughter, I'd suggest getting a letter (signed by both parents and notarized) that gives you permission to take her on the trip (be specific about dates, destination, etc.). You may need it, and it's better to be safe than sorry.

 

Bring things that make it easy to keep her entertained. Makes sure you are willing to devote enough attention/energy to keep her entertained. Be willing to leave a venue (dining room, theatre, etc) if she becomes disruptive.

 

As far as those that tell you to leave your granddaughter behind--I think that many/most of them think that Princess cruises are not for kids, and would like Princess to be an adults only cruise line. That is their issue, you don't have to make it yours. Personally, we've been very happy to have our daughter with us on all our cruises. We've had great experiences together, and we've had relaxing alone time when she's been in the kid's program. She's been exposed to many foreign countries (Turkey, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Croatia, various Caribbean islands, etc) seen some fabulous sights (Panama Canal, Glacier Bay, Denali, the Parthenon, Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Sagrada Familia (and other sites in Barcelona), the Coliseum, the Vatican, the Pantheon, Pompeii, climbed Vesuvius, etc. All because we've taken her on cruises. And we've enjoyed those cruises more because she was with us.

[Iamcruzin]

With the exception of all of the paraphernalia you have to bring for a three year old (car seat, stroller, diapers) looking back I think it would have been less stressful traveling with a toddler than with the teens I travel with now. It doesn’t take much to amuse a 3 year old; they go where ever you go without complaining, they don’t ask you to buy them things at every port of call and they sleep a lot. I guess this is why over the years people always told us to enjoy them while they are young. Bigger kids bigger problems.

[sue gill]

my daughter wont be able to come with us.betty,our three year old grandaughter has been potty trained for a year and goes to preschool.betty and her mother lived with us for a year and just moved out in jan. so we want to spend us much time with her as we can with her.she loves to dress up and go out to eat.i think the buffet will be mostly where we eat.thank you for the great advice. please keep it coming. i will check the family cc threads. and i know she will love the

kids club on the ship.will i need a stroller.snorkel park in bermunda sound like just what want

[Cras108er]

I think the key here is that she is the OP's grandchild. Depending on how much time the OP spends with the child at home, there is a HUGE difference between taking your own child (who you spend time with daily) on a cruise and taking your grandhild (who you may only spend time with once a week - or more infrequently) on a cruise. If you're not used to the daily grind, I think it could make for a stressful week. If on the other hand, you spend as much time (if not more) with her than her own parents, then you pretty much know the child. I just remember when my grandson was three. He was a wonderful child , but it was not fun times for anyone. I'm conviced that babies come here as infants so that you'll so fall in love with them that you can't possibly sell them when they reach the terrible two's and three's. :) Thankfully he has outgrown that stage. Good luck.

 

Oops, just saw that your grandhild lived with you for a year.

[DrivesLikeMario]

I encourage you to travel with your child! Just be prepared. I would never leave our kids at home and because of this, they experienced some wonderful things and expanded their horizons. Albeit 3 yrs. is a little young, it's still fun to see things through their eyes.

 

My advice:

 

1. Bring toys from home - there will be plenty of "down time" when kids need something familiar from home that they can play with while you're showering, etc.

2. Bring a favorite blanket or teddy

3. Be prepared to spend a lot of time with them - coloring, walking around, playing games, touching & feeling the new environment

4. Bring a good umbrella stroller - great for shore excursions and for the large ships

5. If you're at all particular, bring your own Pack-n-Play. (I always wonder how meticulously those cribs are actually cleaned.)

 

Bring lots of patience and have a fabulous time! :)

[junglejane]

To the OP, I think that it's wonderful that you plan to take your 3 year old granddaughter on a cruise. We have taken our kids on 10 cruises, of which 7 have been on Princess and they have had a great time. May I suggest that you post your question on the Family Cruises board? http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=49 There I think you will get some genuinely helpful advice, as opposed to snarky comments. For example, if you are traveling without the parents, you will probably need to bring a signed, notarized letter from both parents giving you permission to take the child with you.

 

Best wishes for a fun cruise with your lucky granddaughter.:)

[Tralynn]

This past July we brought our beautiful 3 year old granddaughter with us on her first cruise. For those that think a 3 year old can't enjoy themselves on a cruise, this wasn't Ava's case. She loved it and still talks about when she'll get to go on the big boat again.

 

Definitely take the time to get your grandchild involved in the children's activities. Will it be a different type of cruise for you? Yes, but the memories and fun you will have with that angel are well worth it.

 

I also recommend bringing prepackaged snacks with you. Ex. fruit chews, granola bars, individual bags of gold fish crackers, etc. This really comes in handy in port. Also, we had with us a small pouch that had "Go fish cards", crayolas, and her favorite Barbie. That really comes in handy at dinner or in the cabin for quiet time. I also brought with me a small pack of juice boxes. Although the ship will have all that you need, sometimes just having a few things the little ones love at your fingertips really helps. Oh, and if you plan to go to a beach, bring one of those blow up rings you can get for a $1. You can pitch it at the end of the cruise, but you'll be happy you had it on the beach.

 

Also, remember that unless you have a minisuite or higher, you won't have a bath tub. Be sure to let your little one get used to showering. That will be a fun, wet experience for sure!

 

Enjoy your time with your precious angel!