Best cruise line for travel with 23 month old other than Disney

[webzila]

We are looking to go on a cruise with a 23 month in March 2014.

What is the best cruise line to accomodate a child this age other than Disney?

 

We just went on Disney Magic out of Galveston a month ago and loved it but it was expensive plus Disney wont be sailing out of Texas in 2014 so we are looking for other options.

 

I wanted to go on NCL but it seems their babysitting / day care is 2 yrs old and up. I don't want to go on Carnival. So I guess that leaves us with Royal Caribbean since their baby sitting is 1 yr and up.

 

Does RCCL offer any other amenities for babies and toddlers?

The pack n play crib on Disney was awesome! If RCCL does not provide that, where would the baby sleep? Does RCCL provide high chairs in the dining room? Diaper genie?

 

Any other info and/or recommendations is greatly appreciated.

[ChrisRN320]

We are looking to go on a cruise with a 23 month in March 2014.

What is the best cruise line to accomodate a child this age other than Disney?

 

We just went on Disney Magic out of Galveston a month ago and loved it but it was expensive plus Disney wont be sailing out of Texas in 2014 so we are looking for other options.

 

I wanted to go on NCL but it seems their babysitting / day care is 2 yrs old and up. I don't want to go on Carnival. So I guess that leaves us with Royal Caribbean since their baby sitting is 1 yr and up.

 

Does RCCL offer any other amenities for babies and toddlers?

The pack n play crib on Disney was awesome! If RCCL does not provide that, where would the baby sleep? Does RCCL provide high chairs in the dining room? Diaper genie?

 

Any other info and/or recommendations is greatly appreciated.

 

We went on RCL when our son was 18 months and had an awesome time. Make sure you choose a ship with the Royal Babies and Tots for their nursery, play groups, and special family activities. We had a pack n' play provided along with high chairs and was even able to borrow toys from the children's area to bring back to our cabin for free. The nursery was great for a small fee we were able leave him there to go to a show or relax by the pool and our son loved playing there too. No diaper genie so pack some plastic bags. Hope this helps!

[webzila]

Thanks for the info. That is really helpful.

I looked up the ship sailing out of Galveston - Navigator of the Seas and it says that it's due for the upgrades including the nursery in 2014-2015. So I guess the chances of it getting the upgrades by March 2014 are not good.

 

I did find Serenade of the Seas which is newly upgraded sailing out of New Orleans. So this is an option for us. Driving to N.O from the Houston area is not so bad.

 

Regarding the pack n play and high chairs. Is this something you reserved in advance or just something you ask for on board? I could not find any info about that on RCCL website. Also, regarding the nursery, how was the availability. Was it full and did you have to book in advance or could you just walk in and sign in your child?

[ChrisRN320]

Thanks for the info. That is really helpful.

I looked up the ship sailing out of Galveston - Navigator of the Seas and it says that it's due for the upgrades including the nursery in 2014-2015. So I guess the chances of it getting the upgrades by March 2014 are not good.

 

I did find Serenade of the Seas which is newly upgraded sailing out of New Orleans. So this is an option for us. Driving to N.O from the Houston area is not so bad.

 

Regarding the pack n play and high chairs. Is this something you reserved in advance or just something you ask for on board? I could not find any info about that on RCCL website. Also, regarding the nursery, how was the availability. Was it full and did you have to book in advance or could you just walk in and sign in your child?

 

We will be on Serenade in October for a Mediterranean cruise. I have read wonderful reviews of this ship! The pack n play we requested over the phone when booking and was in our stateroom shortly after first arriving in our cabin. The first night in MDR we requested a high chair but after that it was always waiting there for us. In the Windjammer we saw all the high chairs against a wall and my DH would go grab one but always a staff member would come running over to help him. The week we went there were children but not one of the busiest family travel weeks so getting spots in the nursery was not hard. We did set up once on the ship certain nights in advance but also during the day just went to inquire if they could take him and had no problems. Of course if there were more children on board like a spring break week this may be more of an issue Also canceling was not an issue either and we were not charged. The family play groups were great with a black light puppet show, arts an craft, and even power wheels on the basketball court! We really enjoyed all the family activities together as well as the nursery.