What cruiseline/destination?

[Sparkygirl]

DH and I are looking at taking our first cruise together. We want to take our toddler with us she is currently 18 months old. We have no expectations on where we want to go, what cruiseline or when. DH is a stay at home dad and I am on active duty and have a bunch of leave to use this year. We would like to keep costs down and are leaning toward east coast departure ports.

 

What would you recommend?

[rebeccalouiseagain]

18 months is really a tough age. Most cruise lines don't allow babies in the pool even with swim diapers. An 18 month old really won't be interested in the youth program even if one is available to them. I believe Disney, Norwegian and Carnival do allow 18 months old in the youth program and Cunard has a nursery for little ones- but I call them the "crying" room.

 

Personally I wouldn't travel with an 18 month on a cruise. The cabins will be very confining and there really isn't much you can do with them. You would probably be better off going to a resort.

 

I just came back from the Hotel Hershey in PA and it is pricey but fantastic! Another one that is great is the Homestead in Virginia. Or you can do the Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg or the Poconos. Let them know you are a Veteran and you probably will get a discount of some sort.

Also- Orlando is a fantastic destination. You can't miss there.

[Essiesmom]

There is some incorrect information in the above post. Carnival does not allow under 2's to participate in the kids programs, although there are times you can come to the club and play with them, and times you can leave them in group babysitting for a fee.

Royal Caribbean has royal Babies & Tots nursery on Oasis class and another class...the Royal experts can help you with this. Disney has a waterworks area for non-potty trained kids, and the previously mentioned Royal ships also (but not all Royal ships). EM

[lrowe70]

Personally I wouldn't travel with an 18 month on a cruise. The cabins will be very confining and there really isn't much you can do with them. You would probably be better off going to a resort.

 

.

Oh my goodness, isn't this the family cruise board?

 

There is nothing wrong with cruising with an 18 month old, it's like most any other family vacation, but on a boat. There are tons of activities you can do, with or without a kid club.

What sorts of activities and ports are you interested in? Pick a cruise based on that.

Haven't been myself but I hear the boats that go to the Bahamas are quite good for families. Some people really like Disney for all the shows and whatnot, but the kid club seems to get mixed reviews.

Have fun on your first cruise.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

My son now 11 has been on something like 24 cruises. He started at age 6 months and that worked great. So we did another at 13 months. It was a cruise to Bermuda with husband and my parents. Thankfully the threes night we were docked in Bermuda- my Dad made arrangements for us to stay at the Reef's Resort.

 

I was so glad to get off the ship and onto dry land and a huge hotel room with luxurious bathroom and an infinity pool that my 13 month old was allowed in and babysitting available. We had an absolute ball at the Reef's but the cruise part was hard on me because we were limited to hall chasing and stair climbing.

 

I stopped cruising with him until he was 3, almost 4 and it was awesome! We love cruises and they are ideal for young children- just from my experience the toddler age they are in no man's land.

[Friend100]

Disney Magic has a few 5-days itineraries out of New York going to Halifax and Saint John in September. I think they have reduced their prices recently for these sailings on Sep7 and Sep12. Toddlers 2 years of age or less pay a very low fare on Disney cruise. Price for an inside stateroom for 3 people starts at $1900. Price-wise I am sure you can find better deal elsewhere but IMO no bad for a Disney cruise going out of New York. On the other hand, the same itinerary in August will cost you over $4k :eek: and way too $$.

[constansl]

I recommend a port intensive cruise. The days at sea are hard. I went on a cruise when my dd was 18 months and it was hard because there was not much room for her to walk. And thats what she wanted to do It was exhausting really. But the days at port were all wonderful. I cruised carnival and there wasn't anything for my dd on ship they had play dates from 8-10 but I missed them. The time just wasn't convenient. Look at royal Caribbean. The last cruise I went on with them, they had a toddler play station. That would have been a blessing. I enjoyed my cruise so I hate to paint it poorly but i wish I had done some more research on the specifics of the ships. Pay a bit more for the best fit.