Crusing with a kiddo

[aggie_gal]

We're going on our first cruise with our son (we've done 2 prior without him) in January. One set of grandparents is going too, so hopefully with 4 of us, we won't get burned out and will be able to enjoy a vacation. We've booked a cove balcony on the Magic and the grandparents are in the room next door (adjoining balconies, not adjoining rooms...we all wanted a little privacy still).

 

We're planning on low-key beach excursions (ports are Cozumel, Roatan, Belize) except in Belize. We're still on the fence for that one. My husband and I tend to be rather active while on vacation...the go-go-go type so we realize this will not work on this cruise. We did order FTTF since we have a big age range and Belize is a tender port.

 

So, I'm looking for any and all advice for cruising with our son who will be 3, almost 4 on our cruise. Any tricks of the trade? Should we bring any activities or toys with us or is that just totally useless? We're driving less than 3 hours to the port, so we can bring as much with us as we're willing to deal with. I just want to hear others' experiences with a pre-school aged kiddo to hopefully make this an enjoyable trip for all of us!

[bborgeson]

When is your cruise? I'm on the Magic on Aug 4th with the same itinerary. We have a pretty large roll call, and several have small children.

[loveJake]

We're going on our first cruise with our son (we've done 2 prior without him) in January. One set of grandparents is going too, so hopefully with 4 of us, we won't get burned out and will be able to enjoy a vacation. We've booked a cove balcony on the Magic and the grandparents are in the room next door (adjoining balconies, not adjoining rooms...we all wanted a little privacy still).

 

We're planning on low-key beach excursions (ports are Cozumel, Roatan, Belize) except in Belize. We're still on the fence for that one. My husband and I tend to be rather active while on vacation...the go-go-go type so we realize this will not work on this cruise. We did order FTTF since we have a big age range and Belize is a tender port.

 

So, I'm looking for any and all advice for cruising with our son who will be 3, almost 4 on our cruise. Any tricks of the trade? Should we bring any activities or toys with us or is that just totally useless? We're driving less than 3 hours to the port, so we can bring as much with us as we're willing to deal with. I just want to hear others' experiences with a pre-school aged kiddo to hopefully make this an enjoyable trip for all of us!

 

We were in a cove (2X's), even adjoining rooms, and the dividers do not open up, so you will have to use the hall to go between rooms, So you will have balconies next to each other, but not adjoining.

[quovadimis]

We traveled alot with young kids and here is what we found worked. I would definitely bring a few of his smaller favorite toys from home but I would bring them out one at a time on different days/nights.

My kids loved the sticky hands that stick on windows over and over. Bring a bag of balloons....find some empty room and let him play with a couple of them. Same goes with the foam ball that has a wrist strap. New hot wheel cars, packages of army men and coloring books with crayons were always popular. A new stuff animal became a best friend. Also, animals/ dinosaurs that grow when put in water. Work great in sinks. I usually just went to the dollar store and picked up toys, wrapped them and brought them out at different times.

Last but not least...aqua doodle....no matter where we went it could be pulled out, fun and no mess or noise.

[aggie_gal]

Not until January. I'm just very much a Type A, planner personality. :)

[emelvee]

One of the many aspects we love about cruising is that it gives my wife and I much more "alone" time than would a traditional land-based vacation. We started cruising when our daughter was 4.5 years old in 2005; she has been on all 8 of our cruises since then.

 

We were on Dream last week...already trying to figure out where we can go next. :) Enjoy!

[Neotericisis]

. We did order FTTF since we have a big age range and Belize is a tender port.

 

Did you get FTTF to have priority on returning to the ship while in port? I read somewhere on here that FTTF only applies to your initial embarkation and debarkation-not to ports. I would double check in case you got it to also have priority boarding at ports.

 

Your cruise sounds like it will be full of family memories! Enjoy!!

[DebJ14]

We were in a cove (2X's), even adjoining rooms, and the dividers do not open up, so you will have to use the hall to go between rooms, So you will have balconies next to each other, but not adjoining.

 

No point in having adjoining cabins if you have cove balconies. We opted for Spa balcony cabins in 10 days on the Magic so that the kids can run back and forth between the rooms. It worked out very well on the Ecstasy when we had the adjoining balcony cabins with the dividers opened. That is what the kids remembered most about the cruise - waking up Grandma and Grandpa every morning by peering in the balcony windows and then climbing into bed with us to start their day.

 

Our kiddos were 4 and 6 the last time we cruised with them. Each child was allowed to bring 1 favorite toy. They never got played with the entire time since the kids spent so much time playing at Camp Carnival. They went to Camp from 9 or 10am until lunch and then from 2pm to 5pm and back to Camp at 7pm. They could not wait to go and really enjoyed all the activities. Now that they have seen pictures of Camp Carnival on the Magic they are even more excited about going.

 

The 2-5 age group did really fun things, so your kiddo should enjoy it while you get some adult time.

[aggie_gal]

I'm fairly certian our PVP said we could have the divider open on the balconies. We talked about this extensively with our PVP.

 

As for FTTF, we were told we have priority when getting off the ship in a tender port (if you're not booked on a Carnival excursion. If you are, you have to wait with that group and go on a specific tender). We're doing excursions with private companies in Belize, so we're planning on being one of the first off the ship. I'm not concerned getting back on the ship as we have plenty of time based on our excursion time (3-4 hours) and the time ship is scheduled to leave.

 

I've really tried to do my research, but some of you now have me worried!

[Froufie]

Also looking at a cruise on the Ecstasy with 2 adjoining balconies for us and kids - do all the dividers open? Trying to find out if there are any 'restrictions' as I know on some ships not ALL the dividers are allowed to be opened?

 

Any info greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

[MichelleChell]

Camp Carnival is your friend. We took a yr old in our group in March and she never wanted to leave?

[Green4me]

Sounds like you will have a fantasitic time with your 3yr old. It has been a long time for us since kids that small but I agree with post above on kid camp. Our three loved to participate when they were young.

 

As far as balcony and dividers go, the aft extended balconies on most ships do not have opening dividers like they do along each side of the ship. We have not done cove balconies but being they are steel wrapped like the aft balconies I can understand why they may not have dividers that open.

 

I would also bring a good swim flotation device for beach and pool use for your little tike plus lots of water proof sun screen, :)

 

Have a blast

[aggie_gal]

Depending on how your balcony door opens, this will delegate how your divider opens. I don't know how to explain it without pictures, but if your balcony door opens, the divider that can be opened will be the one that is opposite from the balcony door. If you have 2 adjacent cabins, and both doors are right next to each other, the divider can't be opened. However, if your door is on the right, the divider on the left side can be opened. Try to google search some balcony images to see what I'm talking about because I realize this is a horrible explanation! :eek:

 

 

As far as FTTF, we plan to utilize it when getting on the ship, at our tender port in Belize, and for debarkation. Oh, and for guest services. There is a chance my husband has to fly out for work on the Sunday that we return...so the earlier we can get off the ship and home, the better off we'll be. Of course, it never fails in Galveston in the winter, with our luck, we'll have fog and have to wait for it to lift.

 

We've decided on our excursions, and hopefully our son like Camp Carnival so everyone has a chance to enjoy some vacation time.

[Herbaltees]

I cruised with my 3 year old last year, actually he turned 3 on the cruise. My suggestions:

 

1. Lots of plastic baggies for diapers if not fully potty trained. The portable seat if still training. The room steward gave us hazmat bags, but seal able baggies helped a lot.

 

2. Ipad, Nook, Kindle for reading/keeping him quiet during dinner in MDR.

 

3. Umbrella Stroller for walking about on deck and in port. My son was pretty big for a stroller, but having the stroller helped me feel more secure with him "restrained" and not so free to roam.

 

4. Camp Carnival for an hour a day helped him feel like he was still going to daycare and kept him on his schedule.

 

5. I packed a few toys and a few of his favorite snacks (Fruit snacks, cheese and crackers) to ward of a meltdown.

[scooterpopsnana]

Camp Carnival is your friend. We took a yr old in our group in March and she never wanted to leave?

 

 

I agree. Please consider Camp Carnival. My granddaughter loved it. Also, they give you a phone when you enroll and they will call you if they need you, or you can call them if you feel the need to check in. The kids love the activities. The first day we carried her, we encountered a boy, about 3, who was crying in his mom's arm as we were leaving. I asked if he was upset about staying there, she said no he was upset because she was taking him out of the club. There will be plenty of time to have quality time with your child, but this gives them some time with other children and with fun toys and games.

 

If you plan on dining in the formal dining room I do suggest a small toy. The dinner can be long for a little one. But, the waiters do try to make it fun for them.

[Laurin612]

My son is almost 12 now, but took his first cruise when he was not quite 3. That was the Dawn Princess, but he (and my daughter who is 4 years older) LOVED the kids club! And they liked Camp Carnival much better than Princess' kids program. He will have a blast!

[BellaBee]

Hi there,

 

We cruised on the Magic when our son was 3, almost 4 too. We went in June, a year ago.

 

What I brought:

 

- His small bed pillow and favorite blanket along with some of his favorite toys and books. I put all of it in a small rolling duffle he could roll on his own. It made him feel like he was a "big boy".

- children's meds

- life jacket (puddle jumper)

- color books for times in the cabin and at dinner

- several changes of clothes and swimsuits. He was potty trained so no swim diaper needed

 

What I learned:

 

- although we had him signed up for Camp Carnival, he was not going, no way, no how. He had been in school for three years so I thought this part would have been easy. Prepare yourself in case he does not go. We had no mommy/daddy time and were with him 24/7.

- he was a lot more brave than I ever thought he would be. We went to Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. He had never been to the ocean. We did a beach day in Jamaica that was amazing. I snapped his puddle jumper on and he ran right into the ocean. Laughing and giggling the entire time. In Grand Cayman, we swam with the sting rays, held them, kissed them, everything. Again, no fear. My most favorite moment of all was while we were in Cozumel. We did a ride/swim with dolphins. They let him ride on my back. He and I swam out to the middle waiting for the dolphin. I told my son to hang on to my life jacket and don't let go. We have the most amazing shot of him doing that. It still brings tears to my eyes when I talk about it. I think the shot attached.

- the staff loved out little one. He was a very big hit everywhere he went. Don't be afraid to take him to the MDR. I dressed ours for formal nights. He was in suits each night. We did 6:00 early dining. I had only ever done Any Time. Assigned worked great for us. They had his booster ready along with his favorite drink. He was a trooper.

- we did go to some shows. He sat through them and enjoyed. We were very surprised.

 

Although our trip turned out much different than we expected, we had a great time just enjoying each other. It was magical because we were able to see all of the wonder through his eyes. We had a balcony and enjoyed it a lot. We got in naps, watched movies under the stars to which our son said he always wanted to watch movies that way. He tried new foods and experienced things some adults won't do or perhaps are afraid to do. The Waterworks area is fantastic and even my husband and I enjoyed.

 

Prepare yourself for anything. Lower your expectations for time you will have alone. This will be a much different cruise than what you had before. But, with that said, we still had an amazing time.

 

We are cruising in two weeks with our son who is now 5 and one of his grandmothers. We are going to the same places you are. We are doing Maya Key Private Island snorkel/beach excursion in Honduras, a swim with sharks and sting rays in Belize and just doing a beach day at Chankanaab in Cozumel. They do have the dolphin swim/ride and they will let you take your son in.

 

We can't wait for our child to snorkel. He has been practicing and does a great job in the pool. I am looking more forward to seeing his face when he sees all of the fish than anything else. We are going to try Camp Carnival again but if he chooses not to participate, we will still have an amazing time.

 

Good luck, have fun, don't stress. Your son will surprise you!!

 

Let me know if I can answer any questions for you.