1st timers with a toddler!!!!

[mg947]

Hi All experienced cruisers!!!

Husband and I just booked our belated honeymoon!! :D travelling from Cork (Ireland) and 2 stops later will arrive in San Juan,Puerto Rico.. As the whole trip will take about 2weeks we have decided to bring out 2 1/2yr toddler!!! (Brave or stupid only time will tell)

Will be travelling on RC "serenade of the seas" have booked a balcony stateroom... but hubby wants to upgrade to a suite????

Has anybody been on this ship reciently with a toddler??? what is the group babysitting like??? (planning on taking full advantage of this service:p) Is there much for this age group to do on board??? What do other passangers make of toddlers??? my son is wonderful (most of the time) but im fully aware of what a monster he can be also.. is there anything like a designated family pool area where his noise will blend in with others???;)

looking for any suggestions and tips to make this trip as smooth as possible for all passangers on board!!!

mg947 ireland

[cb at sea]

There is no "group" babysitting on this ship. You'll have to arrange for an "in cabin" babysitter.

The staff will dote on your child and most of the passengers will either be nice or ignore him...just the way of the world! He won't be the only baby on the ship...and that's fine!

A JS is a lovely way to travel....if you can do a GS, you'll have even more room, but at a great extra cost.

If you don't book a suite, do bring a "blow up" tub/pool for your child....any cabin under the JS catagory has only showers.

[Fabula Docet]

My wife and I just got back from a trip with our two little ones, who are about to celebrate their respective second and third birthdays in a month or so. While we didn't take RC (we were on the QM2 going and the HAL Rotterdam coming back, both transatlantic), we did come away from the experience pleased and ready to go again soon.

 

Just a bit of general advice, if you're interested.

 

We decided to pack lightly (partly as a philosophy or travel, partly because we were going to be gone for almost six weeks and a bit of restraint was called for), and that paid off for us very well. Rather than taking a portable crib or playpen, I improvised by reversing the sofa so that it was snugly facing the wall in our cabin. I probably would not have felt comfortable doing this with small baby, but it worked out well with our 22 month old (his older sister slept with us). We also brought a single light umbrella stroller and skipped the kid's car seats. As a result of packing lightly, we were less stressed out keeping track of everything, we didn't feel too cluttered (just cozy) in our oceanview cabins, and we were able to disembark whenever we wanted with all of our belongings and suitcases, thus foregoing the logistical goat-rodeo of the number/color disembarkation.

 

The biggest bit of advice is that your first concern shouldn't be about your toddler adjusting; your primary concern is how you and your husband are going to do with everyone being together 24/7. It took me a few days to figure out that our optimal arrangement was for my wife and me to divide up and take turns with the babies, or with one baby, or with each other while we had an in room babysitter, or to all just hang out together at times. Everyone needs a little alone time, one on one time with their partner and one on one time with their children; and respecting these needs will help keep everyone happy. I only mention this because while we had a great time on the cruises, I noticed that some of the other families with toddlers seemed to be hating life for the duration of the trip. Traveling with toddlers isn't easy, but with the right attitude and plan, it can be a wonderful experience.

 

Some people will dote on you toddler, some will ignore you, and some will look at you like you've brought your pet wolverine on board. It's all good.

 

Best of luck and I hope that you guys have a great trip.

[jlrn366419]

pet wolverine, lmao. I wonder if those same people would give the same look if the child was wearing one of those child leashes?

[Marie51]

When you say group babysitting perhaps you mean the childrens program which is free. If you want a babysitter in your cabin there is a charge for that.

I have been on the Seranade in a jr suite. If you can afford that by all means upgrade yourself. It will give you more room, larger closet and a bathtub instead of just a shower.

[Camlott]

Hi All experienced cruisers!!!

 

Husband and I just booked our belated honeymoon!! :D travelling from Cork (Ireland) and 2 stops later will arrive in San Juan,Puerto Rico.. As the whole trip will take about 2weeks we have decided to bring out 2 1/2yr toddler!!! (Brave or stupid only time will tell)

Will be travelling on RC "serenade of the seas" have booked a balcony stateroom... but hubby wants to upgrade to a suite????

Has anybody been on this ship reciently with a toddler??? what is the group babysitting like??? (planning on taking full advantage of this service:p) Is there much for this age group to do on board??? What do other passangers make of toddlers??? my son is wonderful (most of the time) but im fully aware of what a monster he can be also.. is there anything like a designated family pool area where his noise will blend in with others???;)

looking for any suggestions and tips to make this trip as smooth as possible for all passangers on board!!!

mg947 ireland

 

Going on a transatlantic/extended cruise with a toddler will be challenging! If you are able to afford the suite I say go for it. You will enjoy the extra space and having a bathtub.

 

The serenade has not had the updates yet that include the nursery for those under 3 (scheduled for November 2012 on the Serenade). RC does not provide group babysitting for the under 3 crowd, but you MAY (as in no guarantee) be able to get in-room baby sitting while onboard. It is subject to availability and based on many posts to this forum, it is hit or miss if you can get this service.

 

As far as what there will be for your child at that age... they will have daily play group sessions and toys you can check out to take back to your cabin. The play groups are not babysitting and you will stay and play along with your child.

 

Being a transatlantic/long cruise, I would not expect a large amount of children onboard. That is not all bad though... the crew will likely give your son TONS of attention!

 

Don't worry about what other passengers think of toddlers, so long as you don't allow him to be out of control and ruin the enjoyment of fellow passengers vacation, it really doesn't matter what they think of toddlers in general!

 

I would bring an inflatable pool for him to play in if he is not fully potty trained so he can play out on deck or even on your own balcony. It is against the rules to bring a swim diapered baby into the pools.

[waterdave]

Hello, congrats on finally getting a honeymoon!

I did a repostioning trip from boston to the caribbean on the jewel, which is a sister ship to serenade, with my two year old son and pregnant wife.

 

Somehow he loved the dining room attention and food to sit down and eat, a rare thing.

 

Very few young children to play with, but in general he brought a lot of smiles to the older crowd.

 

My sons number one activity was running down the halls, and up and down the carpetted stairs, ans saying hi to people. It got to be tiring at times for us, because he didnt ever want to just relax in the room.

 

There is a kids pool, and the potty trained rule applies where they are not allowed to swim in pampers, only in swim suits with no pampers underneath. it also has a fun waterslide that your child slide down accompanied by you.

 

He sat through and enjoyed a broadway dance show- that was a first for him.

 

I would recommend a suite. I had an oceanview room, but it was too small for him to have any play area of his own.

 

We didnt use any in-room babysitter service. If they had a group babysitting environment we would have tried it, (he liked the royal tots playschool-type care on the oasis)

[RoadTripFanatic]

1. If your child is still in diapers take all of your supplies with you on the ship. Do not expect the ship to have the correct size because they usually don't. If your child is potty trained take a few just in case! DD was completely potty trained at that age and had a complete hissy fit over being flushed by the automatic flushing toilet on the ship. She refused (I'm not talking mildly I'm talking full blown terror over the toilet. Screaming, crying, the worst fit I'd ever seen from her) to use the toilets the rest of the trip.

2. Pack any medications for your child you might need on the trip.

3. Pack some of your child's favorite snacks. Yes, the ship is full of good foods but sometimes your favorite can be a nice treat!