Best line for very young kids

[cruisinappy]

We would like to cruise this coming winter. At cruise time our kids will be 2 and 4. We would love disney but it is soooo pricey. What are the best lines for young kids besides disney? We have only cruised once and that was on carnival before kids. Our kids are pretty well behaved but they are little so we don't want to feel like we are wrecking another persons vacation by having kids with us? Suggests and tips? Good/bad experiences? Thanks!

 

 

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[RSLeesburg]

We took our first cruise last year with our young son. He was one month shy of 4. We had an absolute blast! You can read my review (link provided in signature).

 

My advice is this - all the lines have great kids clubs. I forget which ones accept two year olds - I know RCI has nurseries (for fee) for 6 month to 3, and the Adventure Ocean for 3 and up. I think Carnival may also have something for 2 and up. RCI has baby splash zones for diapered kids on Freedom and Oasis class ships.

 

In terms of ships, we sailed from Baltimore, so we could drive to the port. It saved on airfare, which was great. The ship was older with less bells and whistles, but our son was so young, he was happy with pool and kids club. If you can drive to a port, I would look at those ships first, if you need to fly to a port, look for one with shortest, most direct, and cheapest flights :). Once you narrow that down, look at the ships to see which itinerary, amenities, and prices are right for you. You don't have to go big for first cruise (e.g., Oasis), as you may be spoiled rotten...lol. But, you may not want to go too small either.

 

We booked a very big room, the biggest we could afford. I would look at that - with two little kids, do you want one big room, two connecting rooms (we met another couple on our cruise - they booked two OV rooms with connecting door. Kids slept in one room, parents in the other), or one smaller room with balcony (so you have place to sit during naps).

 

Based on your kids ages, I would say RCI on a ship with a nursery (they don't all have one, so need to research this carefully). Usually under each ship, it will call out "Royal Tots & Babies Nursery". If it just says "Royal Tots & Babies Program", then ship does not have nursery, they just have a play group for little kids once a day.

 

Hope this helps a little...

 

 

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[boulders]

Carnival is the only one with a kids club that takes 2 year olds. My recommendation would be Royal Caribbean. Disney's kids clubs and pools are too chaotic for little kids, imo, so I wouldn't go the Disney route unless your little one must have Disney characters.

[RSLeesburg]

Carnival is the only one with a kids club that takes 2 year olds. My recommendation would be Royal Caribbean. Disney's kids clubs and pools are too chaotic for little kids, imo, so I wouldn't go the Disney route unless your little one must have Disney characters.

 

 

This brings up another point - if at all possible, do not travel over school holidays. All ships will be packed with older kids. That could also be overwhelming for little ones.

 

 

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[cruisinappy]

Thank you for your replies. Looks like RCI is where I should start. We have a very expensive flight to get to any port coming from Canada so that's why costs can really add up. We would likely travel in late January so I assume no school holidays at that time right??

 

Thanks again.

 

 

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[Cruise a holic]

We would like to cruise this coming winter. At cruise time our kids will be 2 and 4. We would love disney but it is soooo pricey. What are the best lines for young kids besides disney? We have only cruised once and that was on carnival before kids. Our kids are pretty well behaved but they are little so we don't want to feel like we are wrecking another persons vacation by having kids with us? Suggests and tips? Good/bad experiences? Thanks!

 

 

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Excellent choice for both adults and kids is the Allure or Oasis of the seas- the kids camp is beautiful! It is well supervised. The adults will also love these ships. You have many great choices of cabins that can work with your budget. I also heard from my sister that the freedom class kids camp is also excellent.

 

Enjoy your cruise

[OCruisers]

You might also want to consider Princess. :)

LuLu

[RSLeesburg]

Thank you for your replies. Looks like RCI is where I should start. We have a very expensive flight to get to any port coming from Canada so that's why costs can really add up. We would likely travel in late January so I assume no school holidays at that time right??

 

Thanks again.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

End of January will be fine - Quantum will be sailing out of NJ in January, if that is within driving distance - however, it is likely to be expensive as it is a brand new ship. Therefore, I would second Allure, Oasis, or Freedom. Liberty and Independence are sister ships to Freedom, so you could look at these too. All are RCI ships. If you have to fly, you might as well look at the ships that offer the most activities...

[Trend]

My kids are taking there almost two year old to Alaska next mont on Royal C They have on most ships nursery areas and they lend out toy bags for your room.

[BreadsButter]

My husband and I are taking our week-away-from-2 year old DD on her first cruise in a few weeks on Freedom of the Seas. We chose the ship because it has the H2O Zone for little babies and the Dreamworks characters. Plus it is big has a lot of cool/new features, but it's not the newest/most popular ship so it's less expensive and feels less crowded compared to Oasis and Allure. There are 2 different itineraries to chose from so if you really like it, you can do it all over again and see different islands (which is a plus for me :) )!

 

The only "drawback" is that there is about a 50 minute travel distance between the Orlando (MCO) airport and Port Canaveral. We booked the RCCL shuttle - $75 per person (DD was free :D). Not a deal-breaker for us by far!