first time cruising w kids

[cruising_w_kids]

Hi. This will be my first time cruising w Princess and will be going w my family including my 2 yr old nephew and 10 & 7 yr old nieces (age by the time we cruise).

 

We are booked for the 12 Night Denali Explorer on May 10, 2014.

 

Few questions...

1) Is it advisable to use the pools? The kids are avid swimmers. Even the toddler.

2) on traveling on land.. Is it required that we have the 7 yr old use a booster seat?

 

Would appreciate input & advice. Thanks! :)

[1025cruise]

First, regarding the pools, they will be slightly heated, so they will be usable. However, unless the two year old is fully potty trained, he will not be able to use it (no swim diapers).

The on land transfers will be by bus or train, so I don't think its possible to install car seats in them.

 

Now, with all that being said, on land is going to be a lot of time in transport. You may wish to rethink this with a two year old.

[jean s]

I would think the toddler would be unhappy on that long.........train ride.

[skynight]

Also, you may wish to read here:

http://www.princess.com/learn/faq_answer/pre_cruise/before.jsp

[dorisis]

Princess would not be my choice for a cruise with young children,

[Pam in CA]

I agree that it'll probably be pretty darned cold. We arrived in Whittier on the Diamond on May 19th in the middle of a snowstorm.

 

As for the 2YO, they would have to be fully potty trained (no swim diapers) to use the pools or even stay in the kids area on the ship without out.

[nukesubsailor]

Hi. This will be my first time cruising w Princess and will be going w my family including my 2 yr old nephew and 10 & 7 yr old nieces (age by the time we cruise).

 

We are booked for the 12 Night Denali Explorer on May 10, 2014.

 

Few questions...

1) Is it advisable to use the pools? The kids are avid swimmers. Even the toddler.

2) on traveling on land.. Is it required that we have the 7 yr old use a booster seat?

 

Would appreciate input & advice. Thanks! :)

 

Having taken many Princess cruises as well as the Alaskan cruise/tour, and having raised two boys myself, it would be my advice to not take a 2 yr old child. The child will not enjoy it and will very likely keep you from enjoying it, not to mention everyone else on the bus or rail car. The older children would probably be happier on another cruise line. Not too many children on a Princess ship. Cruise/tours are too expensive to take any chance of having it ruined by an unhappy toddler.

[sherryf]

The older children would probably be happier on another cruise line. Not too many children on a Princess ship.

 

There are plenty of children on Princess ships in Alaska. There were nearly 400 on our cruise last week, and nearly 500 when we went last year. Early in May, when the OP is going, might have fewer because many schools are still in session, but there should be plenty. Princess has excellent youth programs to keep them occupied and happy.

[JimmyVWine]

Taking the two statements in reverse order:

Not too many children on a Princess ship.

In Alaska during summer vacation, this simply isn't true. In May and September? Sure.

 

The older children would probably be happier on another cruise line.

Generalizations such as this are really judgmental and over-simplified. Not all 10 and 7 year-olds would prefer Disney characters or state-of-the-art video arcades. Many kids are absolutely entralled with the idea of seeing whales, eagles, seals, and scenery. The Princess itinerary in AK is terrific. By saying that kids would prefer a different line, what you are really saying is that the kids will not want to be out on the deck looking at all that Mother Nature is throwing at you, and would not be interested in excursions to see whales and eagles, or glaciers or dog sleds and instead would perfer to hang out in a kid's club playing X-Box. This is simply too broad a conclusion to draw and only the parent can judge their kids' preferences.

Edited July 29, 2013 by JimmyVWine

[nukesubsailor]

Taking the two statements in reverse order:

 

In Alaska during summer vacation, this simply isn't true. In May and September? Sure.

 

 

Generalizations such as this are really judgmental and over-simplified. Not all 10 and 7 year-olds would prefer Disney characters or state-of-the-art video arcades. Many kids are absolutely entralled with the idea of seeing whales, eagles, seals, and scenery. The Princess itinerary in AK is terrific. By saying that kids would prefer a different line, what you are really saying is that the kids will not want to be out on the deck looking at all that Mother Nature is throwing at you, and would not be interested in excursions to see whales and eagles, or glaciers or dog sleds and instead would perfer to hang out in a kid's club playing X-Box. This is simply too broad a conclusion to draw and only the parent can judge their kids' preferences.

 

I was over-simplifying. To be more specific I should have pointed out that Princess has fewer shipboard activities for the young than some other cruise lines. Surfing, water slides, climbing walls, etc. To be more specific I should have pointed out that on a Princess land tour in August, there were very few children. Once we got to the ship after the land tour there were a lot of children. To be more specific I should have pointed that not all children misbehave but that the ones who do can ruin the fun for many passengers by tying up the ship elevators because that is more fun than participating in the ship sponsored childrens activities, or those who thought it was funny to hang a fake suicide note on the handrail so the ship could steam in circles for a couple of hours looking for them in the sea. That stunt cost every passenger on the ship some of their time in the next port. On a land tour there will be many hours spent on either a bus or train or both. That will prove much less entertaining to a 2 year old than it will to older children. I was not being judgemental in my previous response to the original poster. I was just sharing my experiences with a vacation like the poster is planning.

[notentirelynormal]

I was over-simplifying. To be more specific I should have pointed out that Princess has fewer shipboard activities for the young than some other cruise lines. Surfing, water slides, climbing walls, etc. To be more specific I should have pointed out that on a Princess land tour in August, there were very few children. Once we got to the ship after the land tour there were a lot of children. To be more specific I should have pointed that not all children misbehave but that the ones who do can ruin the fun for many passengers by tying up the ship elevators because that is more fun than participating in the ship sponsored childrens activities, or those who thought it was funny to hang a fake suicide note on the handrail so the ship could steam in circles for a couple of hours looking for them in the sea. That stunt cost every passenger on the ship some of their time in the next port. On a land tour there will be many hours spent on either a bus or train or both. That will prove much less entertaining to a 2 year old than it will to older children. I was not being judgemental in my previous response to the original poster. I was just sharing my experiences with a vacation like the poster is planning.

 

I too hate the generalization that people make on kids not enjoying Princess. My kids quite enjoy Princess and now their kids enjoy Princess. There is lots for them to do. Not everyone needs to have water slides, climbing walls and/or characters. Some kids can find entertain in their surroundings and enjoy a variety of things and speinding time together as a family.

 

You are blaming the bad things that a tiny fraction of a fraction of kids did on your cruise. The vast majority of kids don't write fake suicide notes so your vacation will likely not be impacted by this problem again.

 

The land base part of the trip with the long train ride it might be true that a 2 YO might not like the trip. On the otherhand, a portable DVD player (with headphones) could keep the kid happy.

 

Yes - you most certainly were being judgmental.

[JimmyVWine]

I was over-simplifying. To be more specific I should have pointed out that Princess has fewer shipboard activities for the young than some other cruise lines. Surfing, water slides, climbing walls, etc.

 

But why would these activities be the least bit appealing on an AK itinerary? Does any cruise line position its rock wall, surf simulator, water slide ships in AK? Disney puts the Magic in AK, not the Dream or Fantasy. And RCCL puts its Voyager class there, (I think), not the big girls. A trip to AK is not about fake surfing and the cruise lines know that. You either have kids who want to experience Alaska or you don't. Only the parents can make that call. But in the end, the only true "kid ship" plying those waters is the Magic which will raise your cost considerably and limit your options considerably. The rest of the ships in AK (HAL, RCCL, X) are similar to Princess.

[Cruisin' Chick]

I too hate the generalization that people make on kids not enjoying Princess. My kids quite enjoy Princess and now their kids enjoy Princess. There is lots for them to do. Not everyone needs to have water slides, climbing walls and/or characters. Some kids can find entertain in their surroundings and enjoy a variety of things and speinding time together as a family.

 

You are blaming the bad things that a tiny fraction of a fraction of kids did on your cruise. The vast majority of kids don't write fake suicide notes so your vacation will likely not be impacted by this problem again.

 

The land base part of the trip with the long train ride it might be true that a 2 YO might not like the trip. On the otherhand, a portable DVD player (with headphones) could keep the kid happy.

 

Yes - you most certainly were being judgmental.

 

But why would these activities be the least bit appealing on an AK itinerary? Does any cruise line position its rock wall, surf simulator, water slide ships in AK? Disney puts the Magic in AK, not the Dream or Fantasy. And RCCL puts its Voyager class there, (I think), not the big girls. A trip to AK is not about fake surfing and the cruise lines know that. You either have kids who want to experience Alaska or you don't. Only the parents can make that call. But in the end, the only true "kid ship" plying those waters is the Magic which will raise your cost considerably and limit your options considerably. The rest of the ships in AK (HAL, RCCL, X) are similar to Princess.

 

Thank you for your comments. Just as adults have different interests, so do kids. My kid would still like a water slide (and she's turning 16 next week), but a rocking climbing wall, ice rink and the other amenities talked about on RC and Carnival ships wouldn't hold her interest very long even if those ships were doing the Alaskan run.

 

Princess does have a full-fledged kids' program, especially if traveling when school is normally out. It's very misleading to make a blanket statement that Princess isn't for kids.

[Viv0828]

We took our kids and grand kids on a HAL cruise to Alaska when they were maybe 8 and 11. They loved the kid's clubs since they had relatively small groups like maybe 15 kids per group plus a couple of nice counselors. They really enjoyed hanging with their new friends. The next year we cruised RCCL to Mexico and there were hundreds of kids in each group and the grands hated it and refused to go. I think your older kids would enjoy the experience but the baby might like a week at grandma's more?

[cruising_w_kids]

Hi everyone. Thank you for your inputs / advice (good and bad). :)

 

Unfortunately, the decision to bring my nephew is up to the parents. And I don't believe they are comfortable leaving him for that long a period.

 

To 1025cruise: Thanks for letting me know that the pools are usable. And my sister is already planning to potty train my nephew. Also saves space for diapers. :)

 

About the travel time: We will be bringing our iPads to help keep my nephew occupied.

 

To nukesubsailor: I'm sorry that you had a bad experience with cruising with kids. But as said by others, not all kids are naughty. :) We will endeavor to teach the youngest to behave properly so as not to spoil the experience for other guests. Anyway, we ourselves don't tolerate bad behavior.

 

Thanks again!:)

[cruising_w_kids]

********edited reply.********

Edited July 30, 2013 by cruising_w_kids

[cruising_w_kids]

We took our kids and grand kids on a HAL cruise to Alaska when they were maybe 8 and 11. They loved the kid's clubs since they had relatively small groups like maybe 15 kids per group plus a couple of nice counselors. They really enjoyed hanging with their new friends. The next year we cruised RCCL to Mexico and there were hundreds of kids in each group and the grands hated it and refused to go. I think your older kids would enjoy the experience but the baby might like a week at grandma's more?

 

Grandma is coming too. :) And Granddad might not be able to handle my nephew on his own.

[cruising_w_kids]

I agree that it'll probably be pretty darned cold. We arrived in Whittier on the Diamond on May 19th in the middle of a snowstorm.

 

As for the 2YO, they would have to be fully potty trained (no swim diapers) to use the pools or even stay in the kids area on the ship without out.

 

Hi Pam. Is this May 19th of this year? Is it normal to encounter snowstorms in Alaska in May?

[cruising_w_kids]

First, regarding the pools, they will be slightly heated, so they will be usable. However, unless the two year old is fully potty trained, he will not be able to use it (no swim diapers).

The on land transfers will be by bus or train, so I don't think its possible to install car seats in them.

 

Now, with all that being said, on land is going to be a lot of time in transport. You may wish to rethink this with a two year old.

 

About the car seats ... If it is true that it's not possible to install them, then why does Princess say on their website and Cruise / Cruisetour answer books that we are required to bring a car seat or a booster seat when traveling with a child?

 

Is there someone out there who has traveled on the trains & buses with a toddler? What is the protocol?

[nukesubsailor]

Hi everyone. Thank you for your inputs / advice (good and bad). :)

 

Unfortunately, the decision to bring my nephew is up to the parents. And I don't believe they are comfortable leaving him for that long a period.

 

To 1025cruise: Thanks for letting me know that the pools are usable. And my sister is already planning to potty train my nephew. Also saves space for diapers. :)

 

About the travel time: We will be bringing our iPads to help keep my nephew occupied.

 

To nukesubsailor: I'm sorry that you had a bad experience with cruising with kids. But as said by others, not all kids are naughty. :) We will endeavor to teach the youngest to behave properly so as not to spoil the experience for other guests. Anyway, we ourselves don't tolerate bad behavior.

 

Thanks again!:)

 

I am sorry if anyone mistakenly thought I was implying that all or most children misbehave. The few that do I don't blame them as much as I do their parents. I absolutely agree that a 7-10 year old will be awestruck by the nature they will witness in Alaska. I also maintain that a 2 year old will be oblivious to the natural beauty of the place. I also maintain that the toddler's parents are responsible to do all they can to make sure the child doesn't create disturbances and detract from the enjoyment of the vacation for the other passengers. A crying child in a church can be quickly carried outside. Not possible on a bus or train car. Again, I am not implying your nephew will be a problem. Have a great trip. Alaska is awesome and you will want to go back again and again in the future I am sure.

And to you other posters who have chastised me for giving my opinon in response to the original poster------thank you for giving your opinions. That is what makes these forums interesting and educational.

[caribill]

I also maintain that a 2 year old will be oblivious to the natural beauty of the place.

 

On our last cruise we met a three year old who was on her 12th cruise. So not all two year olds are not up to the cruise experience.

[cboyle]

I also maintain that a 2 year old will be oblivious to the natural beauty of the place.

I disagree with this statement, based on my personal experience (May 20 cruise to Alaska on the Grand Princess with my 1-1/2 and 3 year old granddaughters). Perhaps you will find some helpful suggestions for cruising with toddlers in my review:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=223953

 

I do think that your nephew will probably sleep through most of the train ride.

[Julia’s Journey’s]

There are plenty of children on Princess ships in Alaska. There were nearly 400 on our cruise last week, and nearly 500 when we went last year. Early in May, when the OP is going, might have fewer because many schools are still in session, but there should be plenty. Princess has excellent youth programs to keep them occupied and happy.

 

My kids love Princess, they were 7 and 11 for our Transpacific cruise and there were only 8 kids on board and they loved it, were not bored and were kept busy. People forget they were once kids too and not all kids are rude and unruly.

My kids are teens now in high school and college and still keep in touch with the councelors from that cruise (2007) on FB.

[centralcalicruzer]

I can't speak to the issue of the 2 year old on a train or bus, and I haven't been on a Princess land tour, but don't those land tours stop every once in a while, um, on LAND, which would give the toddler time to run around a bit?

As to kids and pools on Princess, we had over 350 kids on our cruise in July, and were fortunate to have awesome weather. I saw people in both the indoor (Conservatory) and outdoor (MUTTS) pools every single day, even the days that weren't super warm. I know it can be cooler in May, so that could make a difference.

[caribill]

I can't speak to the issue of the 2 year old on a train or bus, and I haven't been on a Princess land tour, but don't those land tours stop every once in a while, um, on LAND, which would give the toddler time to run around a bit?

 

On a several hour bus ride between lodges, there might be a rest stop along the way. On a multi-hour train ride, no rest stop.