Going on an RCCL Cruise with a 3 year old

[ManOfSnow]

It's been more than 4 years that I posted here and I am seeking some help. My wife and I have been avid cruisers from (almost literally) the day we got married when we had our honeymoon on the Tahitian Princess. Just about 9 months ;) after we went on our last cruise in 2012 on the Caribbean Princess we were blessed with a fantastic baby girl. Flash forward 3 years and our lifestyle of going on a cruise multiple times a year for nearly 8 years (I think we've been on 20+ cruises and we're Diamond RCCL) came to a grinding halt. I am pretty sure it's been almost all anxiousness on my end as to why we haven't gone back, but I am seeking some help! I am very seriously interested on going on a 7 day cruise on the Oasis in May. I've never been on a ship larger than the Voyager class, and the Oasis seems amazing.

 

So, here are my questions:

1) This will sound awful, but whatever: Is 7 days on a ship with a 3 year old a good idea? Maybe ridiculous, but I've spent like max 5 days consistently with her 24 hours a day because I work. Will she get bored? Will I get bored? Will I want to kill my wife? Lots of questions here....

 

2) Is the Oasis a good ship for a 3 year old? I understand that the purpose of this cruise is WAY different than previous cruises I've been on. We will not be waking up at 2am to drive to the top of Haleakala in Maui to bike down in freezing weather. I need things that can keep my wife and I having fun (I don't think that'll be a problem), but at the same time keep her entertained.

 

2a) I read about the Aquanauts program. Is 3 too young for this?? Is it good?

 

3) How do you handle shore excursions with driving around? Dumb question (maybe), and I am not one who needs to make sure my kid is also duct taped to the seat as well as firmly buckled into the car seat. Do I just hold on to her for dear life as a taxi driver whips around the mountains?

 

4) Logistically, is it like insane to get ready (shower, etc) with a small person? We've stayed in hotels since she's been born but they had large bathrooms with tubs. I am very familiar with the tiny showers on cruise ships. Do I just throw her in the pool and call her clean??

 

5) I know this is a family vacation, but I've loved cruising because it is so stress free. Every day between work and personal obligations I am making decisions: "what do we do today, what do we eat, etc". I always loved going on a cruise knowing that if I am hungry, food is there, no thinking about needing to drive some place. If we want to watch a show, we go. Will the same logic apply? I mean, I know the kid needs to eat and waiting until midnight because we forgot to eat that day because we were spelunking isn't a good excuse.

 

6) This kinda goes back to question 2a, but because she is so young does this mean activities between my wife and I are out of the question for now? I.E. can we put her in Aquanauts and go get a couples massage or go to the room for 10 minutes? ;)

 

I appreciate any and all help! It's not all bad. We do live in South Florida, so my paranoia associated with air travel and a small child isn't also factored into this. :D

[Overtyme]

So the short answer is that it depends on the child.

We went on Allure with our then 3 year old daughter.

She had a lot of exposure to restaurants since the time that she was born, so we weren't concerned about her behavior in public spaces, especially in restaurants.

We were concerned about other things like will this be a vacation for us or will she cling to us every second.

During the last 6 months, we were concerned about potty training and if she would be potty trained by the time we boarded.

We had an amazing time. She decided that she was ready to be potty trained just 2 months before sailing.

It was the perfect balance of family time and adult time.

She had a blast.

I should say that she was extremely mature for her age. We even had people coming up to us in the restaurant complimenting us on her behavior.

By contrast, we are now about to sail in June with our to be 3 year old daughter.

She is not nearly as mature as her sister was and most likely will not be potty trained.

We will still have a good time, but it's not going to be the same experience.

We will get a sitter for her so that we can do things like go to the spa or maybe enjoy a late night at a show.

As for our experience getting out in the AM, we never had an issue.

First, it's vacation. So for us, we never rushed getting up in the morning anyway.

But as for showering, typically one of us would get ready and the other would hang out on the balcony with the other one.

Then we'd switch.

The little one showered every day, but typically after time in the pool or at the beach.

We didn't get off of the ship other than at Labadee.

This ship class is a destination unto itself and when everybody left the ship, we were able to take advantage.

I hope this is somewhat helpful!

 

 

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[BunkerVA]

We took our then 3yo on a nine night cruise for her first. It was wonderful and she had an amazing time! She loved the kids club. Everyone had a little time to themselves and it was fantastic. A great stress-free vacation. A lot of the staff went above and beyond for our little princess...it was wonderful. I can't say enough good things.

 

I can speak about the class of ship you are looking at as we sailed on Enchantment with her.

 

Sam :)

[Ashland]

We took our then 3yo on a nine night cruise for her first. It was wonderful and she had an amazing time! She loved the kids club. Everyone had a little time to themselves and it was fantastic. A great stress-free vacation. A lot of the staff went above and beyond for our little princess...it was wonderful. I can't say enough good things.

 

I can speak about the class of ship you are looking at as we sailed on Enchantment with her.

 

Sam :)

 

We've only cruised with a grandchild just under 3 and loved the Royal Tots Nursery...Are there drop off hours in the evening for the kids club those just over 3 similar to RTN ?...We sailed on the Radiance twice and will be sailing on Harmony.

Edited March 11, 2016 by Ashland

[BunkerVA]

We've only cruised with a grandchild just under 3 and loved the Royal Tots Nursery...Are there drop off hours in the evening for the kids club those just over 3 similar to RTN ?...We sailed on the Radiance twice and will be sailing on Harmony.

 

 

Yes! There are evening hours. We kept her bedtime not too long after it would have been at home, but she went to the kids club after dinner and they had an adorable pirate parade through the ship one night. I can't say enough wonderful things about the kids club and the staff. My daughter is 7 now (where did the time go?!) and we're headed onto Grandeur for 10 nights at the end of the month and she's very excited!

 

Sam :)

[Bound4Bermuda]

We brought my then 2.5 yo on a 5-night Explorer to Bermuda. We didn't use the kids' club because my then 11 and 14 year olds didn't want to go. However, since you just have the one, definitely take advantage for some adult time. I even recall you could leave your child onboard and go on excursions! That seemed crazy to me, but if you're not as paranoid as I am, you can leave her there and go spelunking--and they'll even feed her!

 

The cruise was a great bribe for potty training leading up to it to be able to go in the big girl pool on the ship! Though, I created a bit of a monster there because she LOVED checking out every fancy bathroom on board--including between every dinner course.

 

We only had one overnight in Bermuda so I did bring her on a bus, and then the next day we just stayed within walking distance of port.

 

As for the showers, I wished I had listened to the CC advice of bringing a small blow-up pool to stick in the shower as a make-shift tub. Instead I just brought her in the shower and it didn't go over very well!

 

But, aside from that, everything else was great and fun was had by all! I think you--and, more importantly, she--will love it.

 

 

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[ManOfSnow]

All of the feedback so far has been fantastic.

 

My daughter is pretty advanced for her age and I am not afraid to leave her alone. She started pre-school in August when she just turned 2.5 and she had been fully potty trained for about a month. She has no problem with other kids and she likes the school setting which is what I am kinda imagining Aquanauts to be (arts and crafts, games type of thing).

 

The idea of being stressed out while on vacation thinking that not everyone (myself included) is having a good time has quite honestly caused me to have such fear in going back to cruising. But, it definitely sounds like a lot of your experiences have been good.

[Ashland]

All of the feedback so far has been fantastic.

 

My daughter is pretty advanced for her age and I am not afraid to leave her alone. She started pre-school in August when she just turned 2.5 and she had been fully potty trained for about a month. She has no problem with other kids and she likes the school setting which is what I am kinda imagining Aquanauts to be (arts and crafts, games type of thing).

 

The idea of being stressed out while on vacation thinking that not everyone (myself included) is having a good time has quite honestly caused me to have such fear in going back to cruising. But, it definitely sounds like a lot of your experiences have been good.

 

I think you're going to be very surprised at just how many young children there will be on your cruise. Be sure to sign your child up as soon as you board and reserve any evenings you might want. There were 25 3 year olds and under on both our cruises and they can only take so many children...so glad we didn't have to be told there was no room as we heard a few parents/families ran in to this problem. Enjoy !!

[BunkerVA]

All of the feedback so far has been fantastic.

 

 

 

My daughter is pretty advanced for her age and I am not afraid to leave her alone. She started pre-school in August when she just turned 2.5 and she had been fully potty trained for about a month. She has no problem with other kids and she likes the school setting which is what I am kinda imagining Aquanauts to be (arts and crafts, games type of thing).

 

 

 

The idea of being stressed out while on vacation thinking that not everyone (myself included) is having a good time has quite honestly caused me to have such fear in going back to cruising. But, it definitely sounds like a lot of your experiences have been good.

 

 

Yes, Aquanauts will mirror her preschool experience pretty closely. (If it was anything like our daughter's experience) Crafts and games and group fun! Onboard, our daughter made a handprint calendar and it's still hangs in our kitchen. The staff are so attentive and I had no qualms about leaving our daughter in their hands. You can leave them aboard and do excursions, but I could never ever (ever) do that. Besides, half the fun is seeing all this great stuff through your children's eyes!

 

Try not to overthink it too much. You guys will have an amazing cruise together and get to create a lot of unique memories.

 

Sam :)

Edited March 12, 2016 by BunkerVA

[Ashland]

You leave you child at pre-school...so you can feel comfortable leaving them onboard if your child would have a better time than in port or on an excursion with you. We weren't sure how we would feel about this but it worked out great....not only for us but apparently all the other kids that were there during port time too....these times booked up quickly. The staff had our cell phone # but it was never needed. Make your own personal decision... regardless enjoy this cruise...all of you.

[Tapi]

We went on Allure when our son was 17 months old and had a FANTASTIC time! That was actually cruise #2 for him (first one being Carnival Fascination when he was 12 months old). He's now getting ready for cruise #6 and he's 6 years old. It will be cruise #3 for his 4 year old sister.

 

Will it be completely relaxing? Absolutely NOT. Anybody who tells you otherwise is sugar coating the experience. It will be exhausting at times and you may even have a few moments when you'll ask yourself what did you get yourself into. I know we did. But at the end of the day, it was completely worth it and the good times outweighed the bad ones.

 

Make the most of it. Definitely take advantage of the Adventure Ocean program. It will give you some time to recharge and unwind while your little one is having some fun of her own.

Edited March 12, 2016 by Tapi

[Amandah1987]

I recently took my 3 year old daughter on a ten day cruise to the South Pacific. It was just her and I, my partner/her dad didn't go.

She had a lot of fun, I signed her up for kids club but I didn't end up using it.

She enjoyed all the music and the atmosphere.

She is usually really shy but all the crew and guests made such a big fuss over her wherever we went, she was treated like a princess. She grew so much social confidence when we were away, would go up to people and start conversations. Her speech improved dramatically too.

Just be prepared for your child to get fairly tired a lot. My daughter does not usually have naps, but she would fall asleep anywhere and everywhere (once she even curled up under my deck chair and fell asleep lol)

She had her moments where she was naughty, and it was pretty stressful for me, but I think if I wasn't by myself with her, it wouldn't have been so bad.

The kids club is aged 3 and up, as long as they are toilet trained.

You sign your child up the first day, and they can go as little or as much as you want.

On sign up day my daughter didn't want to leave, so I'm sure the kids have lots of fun in kids club.

[ManOfSnow]

Yes, Aquanauts will mirror her preschool experience pretty closely. (If it was anything like our daughter's experience) Crafts and games and group fun! Onboard, our daughter made a handprint calendar and it's still hangs in our kitchen. The staff are so attentive and I had no qualms about leaving our daughter in their hands. You can leave them aboard and do excursions, but I could never ever (ever) do that. Besides, half the fun is seeing all this great stuff through your children's eyes!

 

Try not to overthink it too much. You guys will have an amazing cruise together and get to create a lot of unique memories.

 

Sam :)

 

I have read some reviews that said that you get a phone or beeper if you leave your child in Aquanauts and others that said you didn't. Did they give you a phone/beeper?

[BunkerVA]

We did not get a phone or beeper, but we did not cruise on a newer ship. I think that's where the difference is--newer vs older ships.

 

I wanted a beeper because I'm a nervous nelly, but she was fine. I was worried she would want me, but she went in to play and never looked back!

[jmf123]

All of the feedback so far has been fantastic.

 

My daughter is pretty advanced for her age and I am not afraid to leave her alone. She started pre-school in August when she just turned 2.5 and she had been fully potty trained for about a month. She has no problem with other kids and she likes the school setting which is what I am kinda imagining Aquanauts to be (arts and crafts, games type of thing).

 

The idea of being stressed out while on vacation thinking that not everyone (myself included) is having a good time has quite honestly caused me to have such fear in going back to cruising. But, it definitely sounds like a lot of your experiences have been good.

 

It sounds as if RCI's My Family Time Dining may be a good option for you, with regard to MDR meals. From the cruiseline's website:

 

Opt for My Family Time Dining® in our main dining room, and your kids will be served right away before Adventure Ocean® staff pick them up for a night of fun. Parents stay behind to relax and continue their meal.

 

Details

 

My Family Time Dining is offered for the first seating time in our main dining room, for children ages three to 11. Kids enjoy their meal within 40 minutes of seating, before heading to the evening's Adventure Ocean activities. The program starts the second evening you're onboard. After that, you can use it each evening or whenever you wish.

 

Reservations

 

Already booked your cruise? You can easily pre-register online for My Family Time Dining right now. Or, visit the Adventure Ocean Youth Program area while onboard to sign up.

[Overtyme]

I have read some reviews that said that you get a phone or beeper if you leave your child in Aquanauts and others that said you didn't. Did they give you a phone/beeper?

 

 

When we were on Allure, we got a phone from Adventure Ocean. We did have to ask for one.

This was 5 years ago, so things have probably changed.

 

 

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[klepton]

Our 3 year old DS has been on 7 cruises, and will get his 8th before he turns 4. We sailed on the Allure when he was 15 months. I absolutely think you and your daughter will have a fantastic time! Especially since she's potty trained she'll be able to go in all the water areas. The dreamworks experience is great for kids!

[Ashland]

I have read some reviews that said that you get a phone or beeper if you leave your child in Aquanauts and others that said you didn't. Did they give you a phone/beeper?

 

We were given a phone when on Radiance (2014 &2015) but it only works onboard...when we were off ship in port (Alaska) they had our cell phone #.

[Sunkissed Mommy]

Your 3 year old and you will be fine. My son just turned 3 last week. In May he will be going on his 7th cruise. It's completely doable. I wrote a lot of "family friendly" reviews after my trips. Feel free to check out some of my past reviews found in my signature:

 

Carnival Glory

Enchantment of the Sea

Carnival Breeze

Brilliance of the Seas

Jewel of the Seas

And Disney Magic.

 

Those are in age order. Jewel and Magic were both within the last 6 months so may be of most help age wise. But my early reviews include a lot of tips for parents too!

 

I love Royal's kids programs. May will be his first time as an aquanaut, but my nieces who are a little older than my son refused to leave the kids club!!!!

Edited March 12, 2016 by Sunkissed Mommy

[Sunkissed Mommy]

We did not get a phone or beeper, but we did not cruise on a newer ship. I think that's where the difference is--newer vs older ships.

 

I wanted a beeper because I'm a nervous nelly, but she was fine. I was worried she would want me, but she went in to play and never looked back!

 

 

I received a beeper on the Enchantment and a phone on the Brilliance. Neither is newer. Maybe the staff forgot or didn't have enough?

[ManOfSnow]

Our 3 year old DS has been on 7 cruises, and will get his 8th before he turns 4. We sailed on the Allure when he was 15 months. I absolutely think you and your daughter will have a fantastic time! Especially since she's potty trained she'll be able to go in all the water areas. The dreamworks experience is great for kids!

 

What is the DreamWorks experience? Is that on the Oasis? We stayed at the Gaylord Palms in Orlando and did breakfast with Shrek when she was almost 2. She loves the movie, but the idea of a giant green oger right next to her was less than awesome for her. Logistically how were things? Did you bring 10x more stuff than you actually needed during the first few cruises but now on cruise 8 it is just a bathing suit?

[NanciRDH]

My kids were raised on cruising lol, and they prefer it to any land based vacation, including Disney, and now my oldest DD has made a career of it, she's a performer on Liberty of the Seas. We started out with Carnival because they would take a 2 yo in diapers, but our preference has always been Royal, the kids said they liked Adventure Ocean better than any other kids program, even Disney's. The schedule is usually 9-12, closed for lunch until 2, then back open 2-5, closed until 7, then 7-10. After that starts the late night party zone, which you pay for. You can have the kids stay during lunch and dinner, but I think it's something you have to pay extra for on sea days, port days are free if you're going on an excursion. We never left them beyond the free hours when they were very young, but by the time our youngest was around 6, she was begging to stay lol. If given a choice, all of my kids would skip pool time for camp, they had that much fun. Here on CC there is a message board just for families, I found it to be lots of help.

[maalvarez18]

As for the showers, I wished I had listened to the CC advice of bringing a small blow-up pool to stick in the shower as a make-shift tub. Instead I just brought her in the shower and it didn't go over very well!

 

I took my son 3 years ago on the Oasis (he was then 6 mo) and this worked awesome. I'm taking him now on the Allure at the end of July (now 3 yrs) and I was wondering if I needed to bring it. I'm glad you brought this up.

[sunset785]

Depends on your kid. My 4 year old had been on two cruises, one at 2 yrs old and one at 3 yrs old. He was easier on the ship than at home because there was so much fun stuff for him to do. You have picked a great ship your child. It will be different than previous cruises but I would at least try it. Are you going eastern or western route? I would choose western. I think it's easier to get around with a young one at those ports.

 

 

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[klepton]

What is the DreamWorks experience? Is that on the Oasis? We stayed at the Gaylord Palms in Orlando and did breakfast with Shrek when she was almost 2. She loves the movie, but the idea of a giant green oger right next to her was less than awesome for her. Logistically how were things? Did you bring 10x more stuff than you actually needed during the first few cruises but now on cruise 8 it is just a bathing suit?

 

Dreamworks experience is the umbrella term for all the dreamworks activities on the ship(s). Oasis does have it, you can read more here:

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/contentSitelet.do?pagename=dreamworks_main

 

They do character breakfasts, parades (on Royal Promenade and the Boardwalk) that include dreamworks characters as well as others, character meeting times throughout the cruise (usually about 45 minutes on sea day mornings), etc. You'll also tend to find more dreamworks movies on your stateroom TV. My son loves dreamworks, particularly Madagascar, so he was super excited to see Alex the Lion on the LotS last summer.

 

The Allure actually does a bit more, they have a Madagascar aqua show and How to Train your Dragon ice show, but those are only on Allure, not Oasis.

 

We are somewhat heavy packers anyway, but we have definitely figured out by now what we really need to take. :D We took our own pack'n'play for the first 4 cruises, and now a small travel cot for our son. We also have an older daughter (10) so we had cruised with kids before.

 

It's funny... the last cruise before DS was born I was convinced we wouldn't cruise again for 5 years, couldn't imagine taking a kid under 5 years on a cruise. But having done it so many times now my fears were completely unfounded, we have a fantastic time on all our cruises.

 

The hardest part (for me) is actually figuring out what to do in port.