Which cruiseline has the best care for younger kids?

[BeachMartini]

Hello All,

 

I've been given a research assignment by some of my friends. They want our group to take a cruise together with all the kids.

 

So I'm the only one without kids or without one on the way. If it happens, it won't be for a few years. They proposed going on a Disney cruise together, and while I love Disney World, I'm hoping there is something else out there that will be equally entertaining for adults as well as children. But if Disney offers the best for what we're looking for then I would endure it.

 

Ideally they (we!) are looking to have family fun but also time without the kids. They are young parents. Do any of the cruise lines offer day care/night care for kids as young as 1 years old? I realize that it's probably not all included in the cost of the cruise.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Kidless at Sea

[Gatrcruzer]

Hi Ally,

For those with such young children who are looking to put their kids in care, the two main options are Disney and some of the RCI ships. I believe that Liberty, Freedom, Oasis, and Allure have nurseries for young kids on board, and they have plans in the works for adding them to more ships. On both Disney and RCI children under age 3 go to a nursery that you have to pay extra for and reserve times, whereas age 3 and up have free organized childcare available. Cunard has nannies for young children, but not sure if their routes will work for you. NCL and Carnival have organized care beginning at age 2 (although there is some concern on the boards that NCL is planning on dropping 2 year olds from the program in future).Some ships MIGHT have in cabin babysitting available, but from personal experience I can tell you that this can be a really unreliable option, so wouldn't cruise expecting that.

 

RCI is a great option for those traveling with kids of all ages, as well as adults. If you like Disney, you might enjoy a Disney cruise more than you imagine. There is a recent review put up by a guy named Chris who went on the 2nd week of the Disney Fantasy you might want to check out on the Disney board: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1620565

 

I will say that Disney cruises tend to be pricier (although it varies by date, and sometimes they are comparable), and they do not have casinos onboard.

 

Good luck with the cruise planning!

[Gatrcruzer]

One more thing I forgot to mention...I believe that some of the RCI ships and all the Disney ships have pool facilities for those still in diapers. None of the other lines currently have that capability (although plenty of people put their diapered kids in pools where they don't belong - yuck!), and if you have little ones it is a nice option, even if it is only a small area. Disney allows you to bring your own beverages onboard, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, but RCI doesn't even allow you to bring on any beverages, not even bottled water. Just some other things to consider.

[resistk]

Not Cunard! Their children's program supervisor is a serial pedophile who admitted to molesting at least 13 kids on board Cunard ships over a period of 5 years! Cunard has not made a public announcement to past passengers either.

 

http://www.cruiselawnews.com/2012/04/articles/sexual-assault-of-minors/cruise-child-predator-did-paul-trotter-molest-more-than-13-children-on-cunard-cruise-ships/

 

Not sure I would trust any cruise line now that employs young men in the child care program.

[chipmaster]

A very tragic situation and sad for the children exposed.

 

I think you have gone a bit overboard categorizing all young men as predators ... that kind of ridiculous judgement can often become the basis of many biases and prejudices intentional or not in society these days!

 

Not Cunard! Their children's program supervisor is a serial pedophile who admitted to molesting at least 13 kids on board Cunard ships over a period of 5 years! Cunard has not made a public announcement to past passengers either.

 

http://www.cruiselawnews.com/2012/04/articles/sexual-assault-of-minors/cruise-child-predator-did-paul-trotter-molest-more-than-13-children-on-cunard-cruise-ships/

 

Not sure I would trust any cruise line now that employs young men in the child care program.

[Jenner9]

A very tragic situation and sad for the children exposed.

 

I think you have gone a bit overboard categorizing all young men as predators ... that kind of ridiculous judgement can often become the basis of many biases and prejudices intentional or not in society these days!

 

I agree with you. While I think it is a tragic situation, lumping all young men as sex offenders just because they are child care counselors is a bit extreme. There are some fine young men that are excellent with children and believe it or not there are also sex offenders that are females!

[resistk]

The problem isn't the young men, I don't trust the cruise lines to monitor or do a proper background check on their employees. If you look at the Cunard situation, the perpetrator was the supervisor and the this went on for years without being noticed.

[mymollysue]

The Disney Dream employed a very nice young man in their nursery and he was fantastic.....very energetic and the kids loved him!!!!!

 

That is a very sad situation with Cunard. This should be a wake-up call to all cruise lines. Extensive background checks should be done on EVERY counselor that is going to be working with children.