? Cruiser in Training ?

[mlmmdjm]

I have to admit that I have yet to step foot on a cruiseship. However my parents and brother recently came back from their first time ready to plan the next. So in planning a cruise for my husband me and our 2 small children (2&5) as well as my parents and brother (9). I am asking for any input from veteran cruisers. I have heard that aside from Disney, Royal Caribbean would be the most "family friendly" cruiseline. Any suggestions, reviews, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks...

[jrjac]

I read this post earlier because the title caught my eye...just did not take note who it was from! I agree with your last e-mail-the ppl on RCCL are much friendlier than the "other" cruiseline we posted on. Can you believe the difference??!! am most definitely looking forward to RCCL-not just for the ship -but for the ppl who choose RCCL!:)

[mlmmdjm]

Yes I am looking as are you for the perfect cruise to go on for my first time. I hope we have fun jrjac aka Mom. Looks like we will choose an Eastern Caribbean trip since the posts are positive. I am still asking any veteran cruisers to give me any input. My children will be 2 and 5 at the time of our trip so any information on family activities would be greatly appreciated, I'd hate to miss out on a great experience by choosing the wrong ship. That's all for now happy cruising all.

[beachchick]

mlmmdjm: The most important thing you might need to know is that RCI's Adventure Ocean children's program is for age 3 through 17. No exceptions. Your 2 year old will not be able to be in the program. Also, all pools on RCI ships (including kiddie pools) do not allow swim diapers. All children must be completely trained.

 

I do not mention these things to discourage you from cruising RCI; not at all. RCI is quite family friendly. But it's important for you to know these things now so as not to be unhappily surprised later.

 

I believe that both Disney and Carnival allow 2 year olds in their children's programs (but I'm not 100% sure).

 

Whichever cruise line and ship you choose, have a great time! :)

 

beachchick

[mlmmdjm]

I thought that RCCL had an aquatots program that my son could take part in, however you know more than I. As for the pool I totally understand while my son wouldn't bother me it may if it were another child. I would not want anyone else to feel uncomfortable and since there is so much to do I won't mind missing a few dips in the pool to sit with him. Thank you for your input. :rolleyes:

[wrp96]

I think the aquatots program may be new as I've only heard about it in the last few months. From the number of families with kids on my cruises, I would say RCCI is great for families. I've done Bahamas, Western, and Eastern and all were beautiful but Eastern was my favorite. I don't have kids, but with young kids like yours I would recommend taking excursions in the morning so that you can get the kids out of the hot sun in the afternoon (also take naps if they or you need them). If your oldest can swim, I would recommend seeing if there is a dolphin or stingray excursion that you can take so that they can actually touch the animals.

[PVDCruiser]

I swear I saw something for babies on their site the other day - not something to leave the kids at, but for parents to do with their kids.

[mom2kids]

The aquatots program is a mom and me class. We cruised with our DD9 and DS7. Our tablemates at dinner had cruised with a 2 y/o. They did say the aquatot program is great. However, it was not a relaxing cruise for the mom. It was definetly a "working" vacation.

[mlmmdjm]

OK I thought when looking at the Voyager of the Sea I found that program for my son. Has anyone been on the Voyager? If so, was it the most "family friendly" of the RC ships? I am just trying to gather as much information as I can before I book my trip.

[beachchick]

The Aquatots (as has been described by others) consists of some 45 minute sessions where the parent(s) must stay with the child (like the mommy and me programs). I believe that there are toys and possibly some group activities, but I'm not sure. I didn't mention it because it's limited and is not a program where you can leave your child. I was talking about programs where you leave your child because I thought you should know that unless you do in-cabin babysitting (which has a charge), you will need to be taking care of your 2 year old 24 hours a day. I am not saying there's anything wrong with this, but many parents enjoy having adult time to relax.

 

I think the Voyager class, closely followed by the Radiance class, are the most "family friendly" RCI ships. They have more space devoted to the children's program than some of the others.

 

beachchick

[Onessa]

The aquatots program is a mom and me class. We cruised with our DD9 and DS7. Our tablemates at dinner had cruised with a 2 y/o. They did say the aquatot program is great. However, it was not a relaxing cruise for the mom. It was definetly a "working" vacation.

 

My family just cruised with my BIL's family which includes a just 1YO DD (emphsis on first "D"). Aquatots is a parent-and-child play session -- not just Mommy-and-me but also, as my BIL proved, an excellent Daddy-and-me program. My niece and her daddy enjoyed themselves immensely.

 

Travelling with a 1YO (even though it wasn't "mine") was a bit less relaxing than travelling with just my DH and DD (now nearly 10) - but it was still great. There were five of "us" and only one of "her" which helped!

 

My DH and BIL are both equal partner kind of parents, which really helps when travelling with any age kids.

[mlmmdjm]

Yes thankfully on our trip there will be at least 4 adults. So we can take turns watching the children (2,5,9). Thank you for the input, based on the friendly nature of your responses I beleive we will choose RCI for our trip.

[kathi29]

My DD took her first cruise with us at age 3; she is 6 now and we will be leaving on Mariner in a few weeks. DH and I went on Voyager and marveled at the kids spaces - we were a little bit sorry we had left her at home!

 

When she was 3, she chose not to attend all of the kids program sessions, so she was with us pretty often (although she did attend a lot of them, and she had a blast every time). Yes, it was a bit of a working vacation but it was still a great vacation - I didn't have to cook or clean :)

The ship staff was wonderful with her - everyone from the Adventure Ocean staff to the waiters in the Windjammer. Seriously, they paid her an incredible amount of attention, took care of her special requests (read: 3 year-old demands) like finding a certain cereal that she wanted for lunch, carrying our trays or more often carrying HER to the table, cutting her food at dinner. It was an all around great experience for the whole family.

[emcemt]

We have cruised both Disney, NCL and RCCI with our DD. Our DD was 5 when we did Disney and she loved it, but enjoyed RCCI's Kids program much more...not sure if it was because she was older at that time. She wasn't crazy about NCL's program. In her opinion (she is now 9) RCCI has the best kids program afloat. The voyager class has a lot of room devoted to the kids clubs and i'm sure your kids will have a blast!!