NCL jewel with a toddler, enough to do?

[melika091900]

so me and hubby have been on 9 cruises as so our teenage daughter

but wanting to take our gonna be 3 year old on her first cruise,

I was debating either NCL jewel or carnival miracle from LA mexican riveria,

no flying for us etc

 

wondering if the Jewel has enough to keep lil one occupied, i see the waterslides etc...

anyone else with lil ones go on this ship before?

[Solararc]

We have been on other NCL ships with less than the jewel in terms of kids activities, and our 2 year old never ran out of new things to do and try, I understand the jewel has much more to offer than say the Sun, I'm sure you will have fun no matter which ship you choose but I vote for NCL

[cb at sea]

Just as much to do on either line as you do at home, I'm sure!!! It's an either/or choice....

Edited February 8, 2015 by cb at sea

[Solararc]

The purpose of a vacation is too have more fun than at home😆

[mjkacmom]

Can you wait until she turns 3, and can go to the kids club? And all children need to be potty trained before using any of the pools.

[gerry1.10]

so me and hubby have been on 9 cruises as so our teenage daughter

but wanting to take our gonna be 3 year old on her first cruise,

I was debating either NCL jewel or carnival miracle from LA mexican riveria,

no flying for us etc

 

wondering if the Jewel has enough to keep lil one occupied, i see the waterslides etc...

anyone else with lil ones go on this ship before?

 

no worries. Just got off the Jewel last week. The kids on that sailing had loads of fun. They had a full kids program with the Nickelodeon set of characters.

 

Yes rest assured the little one will be occupied. I also witnessed lots of parents join in their sing-a-long.

 

Go and have fun!

[amarvel]

we had a 4 year old and he had so much fun. there are lots of activities in both the kids area and the general daily schedule that he was kept quite busy the entire cruise.

[scubamargie]

We sailed with our two-year-old granddaughter last year and it was a struggle. There were so many kids in the kids area that she was intimidated so no time there. They won't keep kids under three, and even if they did she would have been lost in the masses. We did bring a suitcase full of activities (playdough, bubbles, sticker books, little animals, etc.) that were new to her so that worked for a while. The ipad was helpful for movies she liked, but of course she has a short attention span.

 

The toughest part was the meals. We ate mostly in the buffet, but she's a picky eater. Fortunately room service would bring down milk, PB & J sandwiches, bananas, grapes and some other things she liked. We went with her parents (my daughter and son-in-law) but it was a chore even passing her off between the four of us. I think she was just too young to enjoy it. They did provide a "pack n play" which fit in the closet for her to sleep in, but that meant when she went to bed mom and dad had to as well.

 

I guess in hind sight it would have been better to have left her with the other grandparents where she could stay more on her normal schedule and mom & dad could have enjoyed the adult stuff.

[Kingofwylietx]

We took our daughter on Pride Of America when she was 3......she a blast!

I would just book it and go have fun.

 

While you asked about the Jewel, POA is slightly smaller. Hence, I think it is comparable.

 

When I say she had a blast, I mean it. She really loved being on the ship.

 

I would tend to select NCL over Carnival, since I am under the impression that Carnival is more of a party ship rather than a more family oriented cruise line. Again, this is my impression, I've never been on one. We've done Princess, Disney, and Norwegian. If you really want the 3 year old to have fun....book a Disney cruise.

[chelle74]

We haven't been on the Jewel, but both of our youngest two kids sailed on ships with fewer amenities when they were around 18 months to 2 years old and they both had a great time (so did we... and Grandma!). I think your 3 year old will have a blast, especially since she'll be old enough for Splash. Have a great cruise!

[newmexicoNita]

how kids and parents handle cruises when kids are under 3 depends on how much time parents want to devote to being with their kids and giving up some of their free time. The biggest concern is things like the shows: there are few shows that a 2 year old can enjoy, little ones and sit quietly do not always go together.

 

I agree with the person who suggested you wait til she is 3 and potty trained, but if that isn't possible and you really want to go, have a good time, just remember there are 2000 plus other people on the ship and try to keep her entertained so the rest can enjoy the cruise. Our great granddaughter started cruising when she was 3, loves it. Now her cousins are almost ready for the same experience as is her little sister.

[melika091900]

yeah she will be 3 1/2 for this cruise if we book it around thanksgiving ..

 

im thinking she will love it,

 

 

thanks for all your info

[JMHAM1]

The Jewel is a Nick ship and there are lots of Nick activities and our 3y/o had a blast. That being said, we were counting on him spending at least some time in kids club but that did not happen.

 

We went on the tour the first day with him and he saw the inside and all of that but when it came time for drop off, they would not let a parent go inside, you could not see the inside where the 2-5 y/o's were and we had to sign and drop. That does NOT work for our little one. If we had been able to sit back there with him for about 10 mins until he felt comfortable a time or two, he would have been great. They won't take them if the child is hanging on the parent, etc. I was kind of hoping they would take him back and get him interested in something to facilitate that but no. We went in with low expectations not knowing how he would like it but overall he had a blast.

 

At preschool they had an opportunity to make a poster of their favorite things. To my surprise and delight, he cut out a pic of a cruise ship he found in a magazine and put it on his board. He is always asking when we can go back to the "big boat".

 

Also, I thought the staff around the ship could not have been better to our kids. They were always thinking about what the littles might need and offered suggestions. The waitstaff had no problems bringing lemonaid or something from the buffet into the pay restaurants for the kids.

 

Have fun!!

 

 

[riddle]

I took my DD and her family on the Gem in November (similar to the Jewel). The 3 year old did great - she still ask every week when she is going on the big ship with grandma again. The 1-1/2 year old was harder to keep occupied without disturbing others.

 

I often dined with the 3 year old in the main dining room. They swooned over her and she loved it.

 

The 1-1/2 year old mostly ate in the buffet with his parents or they did room service. He went to bed early each night anyway and the 3 of us adults would take turns being the one in the cabin so the other 2 could have some night life.

 

It is what you make of it. Like just adults travelling, definitely not. But worth it nonetheless.

[aquarianne11]

Jewel is our first NCL cruise. We went when my daughter was 3 yrs old and she had a great time. We picked the ship because it is a Nickelodeon ship and there are lots of activities.

 

We all had a blast.

 

Dora Dance Party

 

Nickelodeon activities