Cruise versus fly/drive vacation?

[tnaallen519]

Hi - we have a toddler and are wondering if a "fly and stay at a hotel" type of vacation would be easier than a cruise? We love cruises but are worried it might be a bit sturctured to take a toddler. We want her with us so we wouldn't leave her at home or in the babysitting facilities offered on board. Has anyone cruised with a toddler before and recommends it?

 

Thanks!

Amy

[Onessa]

I've travelled quite a bit with my DD (now 9-and-a-half) from the time that she was a baby (first flight was at about 4 months). First cruise was at 21 months - we all enjoyed it.

 

Vacationing with a toddler has its challenges no matter where you go. Scale back your own expectations - no toddler is going to sit through an hour-and-a-half long multi-course dinner, you won't be taking excusions scaling any mountains. Work around your toddler's schedule and moods. Always be prepared to bail and retreat to a neutral space - a walk on deck, some quiet time in your cabin.

 

For us, the temptation with a fly-hotel vacation is to take that rental car and do some "little" road trips. Toddlers aren't thrilled by those.

 

Many of the cruise lines are catering to families and have facilities/programs for even the youngest kids. Research the lines' programs, research the iterneraries to find one that will match.

[suzerich]

We have a 3 year old son, and we were originally thinking of taking a driving trip with him to Chattanooga and the Smokey mountains. My husband was actually considering a Grand Canyon trip. I told him my son was just too young for the Grand Canyon. So we started looking into cruises. I think its going to be a lot easier on my son than having to stay in a different hotel every night after a long drive during the day. This way we can go to some beaches, get a little culture, but not have the stress of transportation.

 

Our ship sails on May 8th (Rhapsody) from Galveston. We have a five hour drive to Galveston from the DFW area, and then we are set. Hopefully, we'll be able to get there early enough to take in the Railroad Museum. My son is totally obsessed with trains.

 

Good luck in your choice.

 

Suze

[MNfamilycruiser]

Hi - we have a toddler and are wondering if a "fly and stay at a hotel" type of vacation would be easier than a cruise? We love cruises but are worried it might be a bit sturctured to take a toddler. We want her with us so we wouldn't leave her at home or in the babysitting facilities offered on board. Has anyone cruised with a toddler before and recommends it?

 

Thanks!

Amy

I cruised with 2 toddlers! Ok maybe an infant and toddler - 10 months and 30 months at the time of their first cruise. Scale back what you expect to do, don't think you are going to sit through a formal dinner. You won't be able to do the shows very easily. They love the beach and pools, they like to be with you! Look for a cruise line that has flexibility in dining, maybe one that has a splash pool for little kids.

Benefits over hotel - eating! You don't have to figure out where and when you are going to eat, what you are going to feed them.

[I&MsMom]

IMHO: cruising is A LOT easier than a fly/drive holiday. You get to experience several places without having to confine the child/children to a car seat for the ride, you only unpack/repack once, the where/when do we eat discussions are greatly streamlined, and the children's programs are amazing! I know you said you weren't interested in leaving your child in a program, but for example, Carnival permits the under-2 crowd to use the Camp facilities, accompanied by a parent, when the Camp itself is not in operation. There are climbing structures, games, blocks, playhouses, etc.

 

We took our first cruise in January when DS was 5 and DD 25 months and we're off on another in 12 days!! We think it's the perfect vacation for/with kids...