Two adults plus two toddlers

[whiterose]

A friend is planning her first cruise. She plans to take her grandmother on a HAL Caribbean cruise. Her two daughters age 1 and 3 will be going too. She is nervous about a balcony with two toddlers. Which cabins do you recommend? Does HAL have larger family cabins?

[cantw8togo]

Generally balconies are not a problem with small children provided you use common sense; drunken adults on balconies on the other hand, are another issue :eek:.

 

Never leave them out there alone and don't have any furniture next to the railing (most railings are now glass so they can see through it and kids won't be so tempted to look over the railing.) The doors leading to the balcony are often very heavy and won't be able to be opened by a toddler and many have a lock higher up on the door out of the reach young children, although I don't know if this is the case with HAL.

 

I don't know if HAL has larger family cabins, but if you look at a deck plan, you can often get a sense of how big one cabin is compared to another. On other ships, we have been able to book slightly bigger balconies within the same category by paying attention to the deck plans and noticing that where there was a bump out or hump along the side of the ship, the balconies became progressively bigger just before the larger, (and more expensive) cabins.

 

Perhaps others who have sailed on HAL with young kids will have more insights. Our kids were older and in an ocean view cabin when we were on HAL, but it was one of our kids favourite cruises.

[cb at sea]

With toddlers, I WOULD recommend a balcony...it's someplace for the adults "to be" while the kids are napping or in bed early! There is NO WAY a 1 or 3 year old can open that door by themselves. It's not a danger, it's a sanity saver!

[Mom2B&Z]

With toddlers, I WOULD recommend a balcony...it's someplace for the adults "to be" while the kids are napping or in bed early! There is NO WAY a 1 or 3 year old can open that door by themselves. It's not a danger, it's a sanity saver!

I would agree that a space to relax when small children nap is a sanity saver :) We have only been on NCL, but even our 6yo has a hard time opening the balcony door, and we still have the rule that the boys are only on the balcony with an adult.

[luvhubandbabys]

I have never had a balcony but I don't see how young kids could be strong enough to open doors like that. It should have a lock. I understand your concern. I get nervous when my kids are out on my balcony at my apt and I live on the third floor. They just are never allowed out there by their selves obviously. I keep the chairs away from the side and they have never really tried to go near it because we always talk about the danger or that no climbing on chairs because its (hot=code word for dont touch) or you will get an ouchy. Things like that that even a small toddler can understand. I say if you prep your kids beforehand as well as keep it locked should be ok.

[Keith1010]

I would not worry about having a verandah. I agree it would provide a place to sit or stand while the children are going to sleep. The doors are very hard to open even for an adult.

 

Keith

[Megsie1000]

What ship are they sailing on?

 

We are going on the Eurodam (sister ship to the Nieuw Amsterdam) in January to the Caribbean. We are getting an inside cabin on the main deck (a "J" category). Those are the biggest cabins on the ship until you get to the Superior Suite category.

 

To make up for the lack of outdoor space, we are renting a cabin by the Lido pool for the week.

 

We like the combo of the indoor cabin and the cabana b/c it offers us the best of both worlds. The cabin will be nice & dark for naps with the kids (we have one 3-year old) and dark early in the morning so we don't have to worry about the sun waking them up. The Lido cabana will give us a spot for the older ones to go if they don't want/need to nap and will give Mom or Dad an outdoor space to relax in while the other one naps with the toddler.

 

Not all the ships have the cabanas, though, so it depends on what ship they are thinking about. Also, keep in mind that the "J" category cabins are only large on the MAIN DECK, not on the upper decks. If they are sailing on the NA or the Eurodam, tell them to check out the deck plans for the J cabins on the main deck. They are a lot larger than the regular verandah cabins. Those ships both have the cabanas, too.

[Megsie1000]

Forgot to add that if they can swing it financially, a Superior Verandah Suite might be a good option for them, too. They are 50% larger than the verandah cabins. None of them are quads, but I have heard of HAL allowing 4 in one of those cabins as long as one of the passengers is in a crib and under 2. You have to call up HAL directly (or through your travel agent) to get a waiver to have 4 in the cabin. But any of those would be a nice, comfy cabin for them.

 

They cost a lot more than the inside cabins, though, which is why we did what we did. LOL :D Our lido cabana was only $199 for the week, and that was a *lot* less than the difference between our inside and a verandah or a Superior Verandah.