Advice for cruising with a 2 year old

[MrsJones02]

Is it worth it? Will we still have fun?! We booked a cruise for 2017 from NYC (where we live) to Bermuda. My daughter will be 2 that same week. We do have the option of taking her with us or leaving her home with family. A huge part of me would love for this to be our first vacation with her as she'll be walking and talking by then. A small part of me wonders if we can enjoy a cruise with a 2 year old! Anyone have any advice?

[Sauer-kraut]

Your best bet to find information would be under the Specialty Cruising Board for Family Cruising. You will all kinds of information over there.

 

I don't know why you wouldn't have an enjoyable time. Pack her in an umbrella stroller and let her sleep if you want to see a show. Get a balcony cabin so you can at least sit out there during nap time.

 

She'll love running up and down the public decks, the crew will treat her well and I think the more and early exposure a child has to something out of routine the more they will grow up more well rounded. My family has been camping for 5 weeks every year since I was 5 and my brother who was born 7 years after me was only 5 months old when he experienced his first tent vacation.

 

Have a wonderful time. You might want to look into the Kids Sail Free offers otherwise she'll be full price.

[Beachgirl85]

My daughter is turning four and we will be celebrating her birthday on our cruise. This will be her 4th cruise. You will have a great time! Definitely bring the stroller and a few small toys, stickers and magnets to play with in the room.

[gymbomb]

We cruised with our son at 10 months and will be taking breakaway to Bermuda this summer when he is 27 months. As long as you go in with reasonable expectations and don't push her too far off her schedule it should be fine. Know her limitations and make your plans within those. For example, my son would never nap in a stroller and is awful without a nap, so I know we have to plan on being in our room for a couple of hours after lunch :). We have done Bermuda a couple of times before, so we are ok knowing we won't get to go everywhere we might want this time around.

 

 

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[Two Wheels Only]

My oldest was 19 months on her 1st cruise. She had a great time and was never a problem.

 

Just make sure that naptime is figured into any plans.

[cb at sea]

Depends what you want from your vacation! Family time...or couples time? You decide! You know having a child changes the dynamics....either you love it..or you don't!

 

Traveling with your kids is no different from living with your kids....so decide what kind of vacation you're looking for!

[Cammie83]

We sailed on the Dawn to Bermuda when my son was 6 months old, and most recently on the Disney Magic when he was 2.5 years old. We also have an older daughter. I think a cruise is the perfect vacation for those with kids, because you only have to unpack once and if things get too overwhelming, your room is close by. My husband and I have done several cruises with just the two of us, so it is a different experience. As long as you go into it with an open mind and a willingness to just go with the flow, you'll have an amazing vacation. The crew on both lines just loved to talk and interact with them.

 

Both of my kiddos LOVE cruising. :p Can't say that I blame them!

[Sawdec]

My youngest was 19 months when we started cruising with him. He loves it and has been on 3 cruises so far and 1 more in march. He is now 3.5. I couldn't imagine not cruising with him

[nanwel]

I took my family on many cruises over the years, with grandkids - take an older stroller, if is goes mia not a huge deal - we used it to go everywhere, even on the ship - kids like to look around and see things, but not always being held.

Had to park the stroller in the bath overnight - not allowed to leave on balc or in halls.

cruises lines provide a pak and play type bed if the child is not ready for a "real"bed. Maybe need an extra nap if you are going to be up later than normal - do not pay attention to people saying the little one should be in bed - you can hire someone to babysit, but up to you, kids love to be in the action of things going on - they may fall asleep - routine will go out the window.

go for dinner, order the food - one of you go for a walk so they do not have a long wait for food to arrive.

agree, a balcony allows you to be outside when the toddler sleeps, or, one of you stays in the room, the other does her/his thing for an hour.

We took snacks out of the buffet for light meals - ie fruit, boxes of cereal

Staff are always good with kids - think it reminds them of the of the little ones many of them had to leave behind to get work.

enjoy your little one when you can - time flies way to fast!!

[JAMESCC]

Our son was just over a year old, and we had a blast. He was flirting with the Jamaican waitress in the main dining room [Explorer of the seas] every night. She was so sweet this waitress, my son just loved her. Yeah we had fun. We are taking out first NCL cruise [breakaway] this Oct, where he'll be 3 and 3 months or so.

[New2cruise1483]

I'm sure you all will have a great time :). May I make a suggestion though and maybe wait a few more years to take her when she will be able to remember and treasure it more? At that age it may not mean as much to her compared to when she is older. However, if your simply trying to make some wonderful family memories together. I say go for it!

[cincicruisers]

Lots to think about when planning your trip. One side says bring your child and have a family cruise. One could also have an adult only vacation time could be great and relaxing in a completely different way.

 

While your child is still too little to know or remember a trip at 2 years old you can enjoy alone time. I am probably on the other side of the norm as I would chose this trip as one of the only times you will have adult time while baby is at home with relative. You would go home relaxed and refreshed from your trip.

 

Either way, enjoy your cruise. Please don't flame me

[Quilting_Cruiser]

 

Please don't flame me

 

I hope you don't get flamed! Your opinion is as valid as anyone else's. :p

 

 

OP, my DD was 21 months old the first time we cruised and we had a great vacation! She's now almost 21 and has been on about a dozen cruises. It's a great family vacation. As others have said, if you decide to take her then set your expectations accordingly. You won't be doing everything you'd do if you were child free. You just need to decide what you want your vacation to be.

 

I'm a parent who never vacationed without my child until she was 19. Now she and I take a vacation or two each year and I go on a solo vacation. I wouldn't have enjoyed a vacation without her--it would have been difficult for me to ever vacation without her. But others feel it's important to go without kids and have time with their spouse/partner. When DD's father and I were married, we didn't feel that way; we vacationed as a family. It's just a matter of personal preference. I would never demonize a parent who wants a child-free vacation. :)

 

As some have said, she won't remember it. Personally, I think that's irrelevant. Whether she remembers it or not, you will. She won't remember the actual vacation but the family bond builds regardless.

[maxpower7979]

I follow these boards frequently without posting often but with direct and recent experience, I thought I'd give my 2 cents. Have cruised 3 times all in the Caribbean:

 

1 - as a couple pre-kids in 2013

2 - with our then 8 month old and 5 other adult extended family members in 2014

3 - as a couple in 2015 and left our 22 month old at home with (amazing) grandparents

 

My short answer is NO to cruising with a 2 year old. The long answer follows...

 

Cruise #2 was great. At 8 months our daughter (E) wasn't too mobile yet, barely crawling. Was happy to be in her stroller often and would happily sit on a lounger for an extended period or in a high chair in in the dining room for the duration of long MDR dinners. Napped easily in a pack n play in our room, or in our arms or her stroller out and about. After dinners we put noise cancelling earmuffs on her, she fell asleep in her stroller, and we brought her around wherever we went, even to the late night shows and dance parties.

 

No diapers or swim diapers in the pools, or splash areas but she didn't know what she was missing. Too young for the kids club but she was happy to just "hang out" with us and didn't really need to be entertained at that age.

 

We were limited on the kinds of port activities we could do, for example, the rest of the family climbed Dunns river falls but the 3 of us just went to a beach. No snorkelling, speed boat tours, snuba, zip lining, hiking, catamarans etc etc. Still, overall, a great family trip! But I realized then, that I wouldn't cruise with a toddler.

 

We are not very strictly scheduled and she's very well behaved and pretty easy going, but at 2 years old she's much too aware of her surroundings to sleep anywhere but a fairly quiet, dark room. Spending 2+ hours mid day in a cabin doesn't seem like much of a fun vacation to me.

 

The need for naps would severely limit shore excursion options or else you skip nap time and end up with an over tired little one and then everyone is unhappy. Plus still can't do the "adventure" type activities.

 

Still in diapers so the pools and even splash pads are off limits (some on here will claim otherwise, but posted signage on the ship was very clear). I don't know how we could possibly hold her back at this age. She'd be so upset not to be able to join the fun.

 

Too young for kids club so other than playing in a small toy room supervised by us, what else is she going to DO all day on a ship all day?!

 

Doesn't like to stay in stroller as long as she used to, so sitting through shows not possible. Plus most would be too late anyway. Not because we are strict with her bedtime, but because toddlers get very tired and she WANTS to go bed by 7-8pm. We could pay for baby sitting I guess, but then why go on this trip "as a family"? She'd be better off at home with loved ones.

 

She'd be fine at meals. She would enjoy walking indoors in uncrowded venues. Too many people and obstacles on pool deck for her to explore safely. Again, not much for her to actually DO.

 

I certainly think cruising is a great family vacation with infants or when kids are older. We will definitely cruise as a family again when she's no longer napping, staying up later, out of diapers, old enough to enjoy the kids clubs and other activities (water slides etc) but for now I think a family trip with a toddler is much better as a land based vacation.

 

We stayed at a beach resort in Florida when she was 18 months. SO great to have the room ("home base") right at the beach so we could easily come and go as needed. No need to take a taxi, or bus just to get to the beach. She could use the pools and splash pad no problems. We did nice walks by the water. She played at the playground. They had a kids club for all ages where she could play with the toys if we needed a break from the heat. It was also less stressful planning as we didn't have to worry as much about running out of diapers, wipes, etc like we would on a ship.

 

As a bonus most land based vacations don't charge per person, or else don't charge for toddlers so no extra cost if it's 3 vs 2 of you. (Yes, cruises generally charge full price for all ages unless certain "kids sail free promotions" are on). Heck, even Disney World is free under 3!

 

I'm sure this makes me sound like I'm very strict with routines and schedules, but honestly, I'm not. Just go by what our daughter seems to do the best with. We want her to enjoy things as much as we do. We missed her greatly (more than we even thought we would) when we went by ourselves in 2015 but we made sure to do things we wouldn't have been able to do with a 2 years old (yay snorkelling with sea turtles and sting rays!). We hope to be fortunate enough to be able to take her to those places when she can experience them fully too!

[MrsJones02]

I follow these boards frequently without posting often but with direct and recent experience, I thought I'd give my 2 cents. Have cruised 3 times all in the Caribbean:

 

1 - as a couple pre-kids in 2013

2 - with our then 8 month old and 5 other adult extended family members in 2014

3 - as a couple in 2015 and left our 22 month old at home with (amazing) grandparents

 

My short answer is NO to cruising with a 2 year old. The long answer follows...

 

Cruise #2 was great. At 8 months our daughter (E) wasn't too mobile yet, barely crawling. Was happy to be in her stroller often and would happily sit on a lounger for an extended period or in a high chair in in the dining room for the duration of long MDR dinners. Napped easily in a pack n play in our room, or in our arms or her stroller out and about. After dinners we put noise cancelling earmuffs on her, she fell asleep in her stroller, and we brought her around wherever we went, even to the late night shows and dance parties.

 

No diapers or swim diapers in the pools, or splash areas but she didn't know what she was missing. Too young for the kids club but she was happy to just "hang out" with us and didn't really need to be entertained at that age.

 

We were limited on the kinds of port activities we could do, for example, the rest of the family climbed Dunns river falls but the 3 of us just went to a beach. No snorkelling, speed boat tours, snuba, zip lining, hiking, catamarans etc etc. Still, overall, a great family trip! But I realized then, that I wouldn't cruise with a toddler.

 

We are not very strictly scheduled and she's very well behaved and pretty easy going, but at 2 years old she's much too aware of her surroundings to sleep anywhere but a fairly quiet, dark room. Spending 2+ hours mid day in a cabin doesn't seem like much of a fun vacation to me.

 

The need for naps would severely limit shore excursion options or else you skip nap time and end up with an over tired little one and then everyone is unhappy. Plus still can't do the "adventure" type activities.

 

Still in diapers so the pools and even splash pads are off limits (some on here will claim otherwise, but posted signage on the ship was very clear). I don't know how we could possibly hold her back at this age. She'd be so upset not to be able to join the fun.

 

Too young for kids club so other than playing in a small toy room supervised by us, what else is she going to DO all day on a ship all day?!

 

Doesn't like to stay in stroller as long as she used to, so sitting through shows not possible. Plus most would be too late anyway. Not because we are strict with her bedtime, but because toddlers get very tired and she WANTS to go bed by 7-8pm. We could pay for baby sitting I guess, but then why go on this trip "as a family"? She'd be better off at home with loved ones.

 

She'd be fine at meals. She would enjoy walking indoors in uncrowded venues. Too many people and obstacles on pool deck for her to explore safely. Again, not much for her to actually DO.

 

I certainly think cruising is a great family vacation with infants or when kids are older. We will definitely cruise as a family again when she's no longer napping, staying up later, out of diapers, old enough to enjoy the kids clubs and other activities (water slides etc) but for now I think a family trip with a toddler is much better as a land based vacation.

 

We stayed at a beach resort in Florida when she was 18 months. SO great to have the room ("home base") right at the beach so we could easily come and go as needed. No need to take a taxi, or bus just to get to the beach. She could use the pools and splash pad no problems. We did nice walks by the water. She played at the playground. They had a kids club for all ages where she could play with the toys if we needed a break from the heat. It was also less stressful planning as we didn't have to worry as much about running out of diapers, wipes, etc like we would on a ship.

 

As a bonus most land based vacations don't charge per person, or else don't charge for toddlers so no extra cost if it's 3 vs 2 of you. (Yes, cruises generally charge full price for all ages unless certain "kids sail free promotions" are on). Heck, even Disney World is free under 3!

 

I'm sure this makes me sound like I'm very strict with routines and schedules, but honestly, I'm not. Just go by what our daughter seems to do the best with. We want her to enjoy things as much as we do. We missed her greatly (more than we even thought we would) when we went by ourselves in 2015 but we made sure to do things we wouldn't have been able to do with a 2 years old (yay snorkelling with sea turtles and sting rays!). We hope to be fortunate enough to be able to take her to those places when she can experience them fully too!

 

 

Thanks for that info. I am not very strict with scheduling but I also know that most toddlers really need to live by one to thrive! I would be worried about keeping her awake too late or missing naps and encountering meltdowns! We are planning bigger trips to Disney when she is older so maybe we will let her stay home this time. Still undecided but thankful for the recent experience you gave!

[MrsJones02]

I hope you don't get flamed! Your opinion is as valid as anyone else's. :p

 

 

 

 

 

OP, my DD was 21 months old the first time we cruised and we had a great vacation! She's now almost 21 and has been on about a dozen cruises. It's a great family vacation. As others have said, if you decide to take her then set your expectations accordingly. You won't be doing everything you'd do if you were child free. You just need to decide what you want your vacation to be.

 

 

 

I'm a parent who never vacationed without my child until she was 19. Now she and I take a vacation or two each year and I go on a solo vacation. I wouldn't have enjoyed a vacation without her--it would have been difficult for me to ever vacation without her. But others feel it's important to go without kids and have time with their spouse/partner. When DD's father and I were married, we didn't feel that way; we vacationed as a family. It's just a matter of personal preference. I would never demonize a parent who wants a child-free vacation. :)

 

 

 

As some have said, she won't remember it. Personally, I think that's irrelevant. Whether she remembers it or not, you will. She won't remember the actual vacation but the family bond builds regardless.

 

 

Yeah, I'm not too worried about her remembering it. It'd be a great memory for myself and DH! I definitely want to cruise with her every year - just debating starting at 2 or 3. At 3 she should be completely out of diapers and old enough for kids club so it may be a little easier then. Still undecided but thanks for your advice. I'm glad you and your daughter are still vacationing together!

[maxpower7979]

Thanks for that info. I am not very strict with scheduling but I also know that most toddlers really need to live by one to thrive! I would be worried about keeping her awake too late or missing naps and encountering meltdowns! We are planning bigger trips to Disney when she is older so maybe we will let her stay home this time. Still undecided but thankful for the recent experience you gave!

 

 

You're welcome! Enjoy your little one! It gets even better and having a 2 year old is truly SO much fun! Thinking we'll do our next cruise in late 2018 but heading to a place in Florida again this spring. If/when you cruise make sure to watch out for "kids" sail free promos!

[mjkacmom]

Yeah, I'm not too worried about her remembering it. It'd be a great memory for myself and DH! I definitely want to cruise with her every year - just debating starting at 2 or 3. At 3 she should be completely out of diapers and old enough for kids club so it may be a little easier then. Still undecided but thanks for your advice. I'm glad you and your daughter are still vacationing together!

 

I'd either leave her, or wait another year, so she could use the pools, splash areas, and club. I'm not anti-kid, I have 5, all of who have been left behingpd with grandma while some of the kids went away, or just DH and I.

 

I've taken toddlers on vacation. But a cruise would not work for me. We did take toddler twins to a family AI, but they were able to use the pools, and there was a nursery for them, so we could do things with our older kids.

[Freckle53]

We took our very first cruise with a just turned 2 year old and had a blast. We missed out on a lot of the ship activities, but we hadn't been on vacation in a long time so just getting away was great. He loved it. We strolled around the open decks a lot with the stroller.

 

We don't have anyone we could leave our kids with for even a night, never mind a week. If we did, at 2 I would probably take an adults vacation though.

[gymbomb]

Instead of leaving our toddler home with the grandparents, the grandparents come on the cruise with us so we can enjoy a family vacation and still have a little time on our own. They will watch him a couple of evenings so we can have adult dinners, and one port day so we can do something that wouldn't work if we had him with us. They live far away from us so if they are going to fly cross country and hang out with us they like to get a little vacation in too :)

 

 

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[Quilting_Cruiser]

Yeah, I'm not too worried about her remembering it. It'd be a great memory for myself and DH! I definitely want to cruise with her every year - just debating starting at 2 or 3. At 3 she should be completely out of diapers and old enough for kids club so it may be a little easier then. Still undecided but thanks for your advice. I'm glad you and your daughter are still vacationing together!

 

One thing to think about is how you'll do being away from her. Some people (maybe even most) do just fine with that knowing that their child is well taken care of by loving grandparents. For me, I couldn't be away from my girl for days at a time. We had regular date nights, and that was no problem, but days just weren't going to happen! It sounds like you're leaning toward an adults-only vacation, so just consider that. If you'd be fine with it, then I don't see a reason to not give the grandparents some time with their granddaughter. :D

 

Yes, DD and I travel well. She's a very well-traveled young woman--it's one of the benefits of being the only child (she has half-siblings who are all 10+ years older than she is) of a mother who loves to travel! When she graduated HS we spent five weeks traveling though 13 countries in Europe and had a fantastic time together. :p

 

 

Instead of leaving our toddler home with the grandparents, the grandparents come on the cruise with us so we can enjoy a family vacation and still have a little time on our own. They will watch him a couple of evenings so we can have adult dinners, and one port day so we can do something that wouldn't work if we had him with us. They live far away from us so if they are going to fly cross country and hang out with us they like to get a little vacation in too :)

 

 

Since I'll be a grandmother later this year, I love that idea! I may just have to throw that out there when the time is right. I'd be very happy to go on a cruise with them and take care of my grandson so they can have some couple time together. Definitely something to think about for the future. :D

[MrsJones02]

Instead of leaving our toddler home with the grandparents, the grandparents come on the cruise with us so we can enjoy a family vacation and still have a little time on our own. They will watch him a couple of evenings so we can have adult dinners, and one port day so we can do something that wouldn't work if we had him with us. They live far away from us so if they are going to fly cross country and hang out with us they like to get a little vacation in too :)

 

 

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We tried this but none of the grandparents enjoy cruising! I think that's an awesome idea and I wish we could do that as well. I'd much rather have everyone vacation together!

[MrsJones02]

One thing to think about is how you'll do being away from her. Some people (maybe even most) do just fine with that knowing that their child is well taken care of by loving grandparents. For me, I couldn't be away from my girl for days at a time. We had regular date nights, and that was no problem, but days just weren't going to happen! It sounds like you're leaning toward an adults-only vacation, so just consider that. If you'd be fine with it, then I don't see a reason to not give the grandparents some time with their granddaughter. :D

 

 

 

Yes, DD and I travel well. She's a very well-traveled young woman--it's one of the benefits of being the only child (she has half-siblings who are all 10+ years older than she is) of a mother who loves to travel! When she graduated HS we spent five weeks traveling though 13 countries in Europe and had a fantastic time together. :p

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since I'll be a grandmother later this year, I love that idea! I may just have to throw that out there when the time is right. I'd be very happy to go on a cruise with them and take care of my grandson so they can have some couple time together. Definitely something to think about for the future. :D

 

 

I would love to have our daughter with us but then I think of all the things we wouldn't get to do with her because she can't go in the pools or go to kids club while we see shows so maybe it would be better to start cruising with her when she is 3 and we can at least plan for a better cruise for all of us. I have awesome in laws who live 30 mins from us so I am comfortable leaving her with them while we go. I'm sure I will miss her like crazy but I also think it's important to get away with DH if we have the opportunity now before we have more kids! Congrats on becoming a grandmother! Wishing your daughter a wonderful and safe pregnancy.

[hunterjackson]

Do it!

 

We did a w Carib with an 18 month old. Alaska with a 3 and 18 month old. Just got off the star yesterday with a 4 and 2 yr old.

 

Wouldn't trade having my kids on a cruise for anything

 

My 2 yr old got a little pudgy though...loved that afternoon ice cream.