Cruising with Toddlers

[LamenLaur]

Hi all! Does anyone have any tips, tricks and thoughts who have cruised with their toddler previously? We are sailing early next year on the Vista and it will be our DS's first cruise. He will be nearing 3 at the time. Thanks in advance!

[Purvis1231]

We took our daughter when she was three, we all had a great time. Check out the children's activities. They will have a drop off camp and some parent and child activities. Our child loved them both. She love the 4 Peruvian ladies who ran Camp Carnival. A few times one of us had to stay in the cabin when our child napped or sleep. We did not bring a stroller but we did rent one from the ship.

 

HAve a good time.

[loganvillemommy]

We took our boys when they were 2/4 and again at 3/5. Camp Carnival was their favorite thing ever.

 

 

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[MistyRo76]

We took our daughter on her first cruise last fall; she was 14 months. We're going again on the Vista next fall when she will be just over three. If your son isn't potty trained when you cruise, he won't be able to go in any of the pools or the splash park as swim diapers are not allowed. It really limited what we could do on the ship with our LO during the day. Our goal is having our DD potty trained before our next cruise.

 

Once they turn two, they can go to Camp Carnival so that is a great option for the kiddos (and to give mom and dad some time alone)! The Seuss at Sea breakfast is awesome and the Seuss parade and story time is a lot of fun.

 

Not sure what kind of cabin you booked, but we found our balcony to be a great place to hang out when DD was napping or after she went to bed at night. Also, invest in a sturdy umbrella stroller. We bought the Summer Infant 3D Lite stroller and it was perfect. Easily folded up and stored in our cabin and very easy to use around the ship and in port.

 

And my biggest piece of advice...go with the flow and have fun!

[Mutumbojimbo]

There is a pretty good review by a woman who just cruised with her 2 little children. I think her name is Cassie, and the kids are about 4 and 1 1/2. It should be in the top 2 or 3 pages, They went on the Sunshine which should have similar facilities to the Vista. (at least closer than a Fantasy class ship for example)

[Quilcruisers]

my son was 3 or 4 when he first cruised, now he is 12. We had a blast and he never stopped talking about cruising. He loved everything about it, from the blue water at the beach, to the camp carnival. The ice cream, all the shops, the pool, and everything in between , he enjoyed and still does to this day. At first, we didn't do camp during the day, we mostly took him in the evening and for the night owls party. Here lately, he has wanted to go to the different activities through the day. Since they are free, this makes it even better. We live near Galveston so he is totally fascinated to see blue or green water as opposed to the water in Galveston. We took his best friend with us last year and they both enjoyed themselves immensely. The best advice I have is to take it easy, don't get discouraged if the kids get tired when you still want to go, and take plenty of down time. There are a lot of places on the ship that you can just sit and watch the waves and the water. Other times you can be more active, go with the flow and it will be fun.

[gtalum]

Hi all! Does anyone have any tips, tricks and thoughts who have cruised with their toddler previously? We are sailing early next year on the Vista and it will be our DS's first cruise. He will be nearing 3 at the time. Thanks in advance!

 

Don't be afraid to use Camp Carnival. They really are great.

 

Be flexible.

[SadieN]

Check out the Family Board. Lots of great info over there.

 

 

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[Tapi]

Bring about half of what you think you'll need. And the only toddler equipment that you need to bring is an umbrella stroller. Leave EVERYTHING else home.

 

Our now 6 year old and 4 year old started cruising at 13 months old and we've learned over the last 6 cruises that, if it doesn't fit in their one bag, it's not going.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

My son preferred Camp Carnival during the day more than in the evenings when it was more crowded.

 

Three is a great age to travel with- especially if diapers are a thing of the past.

 

Have a great time. Your child will love exploring the ship.

 

We had "rest time" every day when my kids were little. I would close the drapes and we would rest from 1-3 PM. No tv- no lights- just rest. A child gets over stimulated with all the activity and this can make them wired/and cranky by dinner time. Make sure to give them (and you) time to decompress.

 

If you get off the ship- get off in the AM when they are their most energetic and get back on the ship at noon for the free lunch and then take a nap. Otherwise evenings are going to be a disaster with a sleepy child in the cabin napping through dinner hours.

Edited May 13, 2016 by rebeccalouiseagain

[Freckle53]

My 3 1/2 year old son has been on 2 cruises so far. We haven't had great luck leaving him with the kid's clubs with Carnival or Norwegian. Not on any part of theirs, but he still has strong separation anxiety. Even so we always had a blast.

 

There is a plethora of food available so you can easily cater to a toddler's finicky, unpredictable appetite. An umbrella stroller is key. I love our Maclaren Volo for this age. Our son sleeps with a white noise machine at home so I make sure I bring that.