Carib. Princess naptime and formal nights for kids questions

[lextanscruisemom]

I have 2 questions...

 

1. We are sailing on Caribbean Princess next weekend and I have searched all over for an answer to this question and haven't found an answer. Do the Princess kids' programs have nap time for the 3-5 year olds? I even called Princess and asked and they said I would have to wait until we get on the ship to find out. This is mine and my husband's second cruise on Princess, but our first time ever taking our 9 and 4 year old children with us. My youngest still takes naps most of the time, especially if she is up until 10 or 10:30 at night every night (otherwise she is not such a nice person :mad: ), so I was wondering if they have a "rest time" for the younger group in the afternoon, or do we need to plan some afternoon time in the cabin for her to rest? Just wondering if anyone else has had any experience with this.

 

2. Also, I don't know if we should plan to take them with us to Formal nights or not. We don't mind taking them with us and they both eat just about anything (love seafood, etc.), I just don't know if on Caribbean Princess they have other activities for the kids going on during formal night dinners or if most families take them with them to dinner. Just need to know whether or not to pick up dress clothes for them before we go. (My TA could not answer this question since her kids are grown.) I wouldn't mind having a formal night pic of all of us dressed up together, but don't want to waste money on clothes and drag them with us if they are going to want to do something else in the Kids' programs instead.

 

Thanks for your input in advance! :)

 

______________________

Grand Princess 04/04

 

Maui 7-day land trip 3/05

[ml64]

Sorry I can't answer your specific questions but I see you're on board now. Hope you are having a terrific cruise. We loved the Caribbean Princess.

 

I'm curious to hear how your children liked the kids program. We're booked on the Sapphire in October and bringing along DS (5yrs) for the first time. I'm hoping he'll love the kids program like alot of other posters I've seen.

[serene56]

Camp programs dont have a nap time per say= what they do have ais a quiet play time. If your daugheter needs a nap I suggest to go back to the cabin that way your child can rest. If things are going on around her she may not want to sleep.

[dosi]

If I remember correctly the kids program on Princess was open from around 10 til noon and then again from 2 til about 5 so maybe you can get the nap in between noon and 2. Plus it is not as though you have to be there right at 2 so if the kids are still sleeping they can just go to the program when they wake up. We were on the Star Princess and I don't think there was really an area that was set aside as a quiet area. We usually all rest together for a while each afternoon since we are often as pooped as our little boy.

 

As far as eating with you on formal nights, well the kids program isn't open til 7 I believe so if you are early diners then you could bring them. Some folks take their kids to the buffet, then to the kids program at 7 and then the adults go to eat after they drop the children off.

[sandyneck]

Just my two cents. I know sometimes it can be stressful to bring kids to formal night, but this is a great time to introduce them to proper manners and behavior in a formal setting. We have always done this with our children. They are now 8 & 10 and love the formal nights on the cruises. When I suggested to my son we leave his tux at home, he was quite upset. (we brought it) We also ate in one of the upscale restaurants on the ship and received a very nice compliment from an older gentleman. He said it was so nice to see parents who had taught there children how to behave in formal settings. It is never too young to start!

[MLAW]

My daughters also love formal nights. They have cruised since my oldest (now 10) was 22 months old. Even on her first cruise my oldest attended formal night. We always request our own table at dinner but they actually behave quite well. In regards to naptime, as someone already reported, there is no naptime in the kids program or even a quiet time. When my girls had to nap, which was rare because they have energizer bunny genes, they slept during that 12-2 time after eating lunch. We would take them to the kids program whenever they woke up (for mine 20 min. after falling asleep). If you have an inside cabin make sure you bring a book light or flashlight unless you plan to nap also. The cabins a pitch black even during the day. Absolutely no light gets through under the door. Have fun on your cruise!