Cruising with a 2 year old

[HMommy0129]

Hello! New to Cruise Critic. Looking to book between a Disney ship (either Fantasy or Dream) or RCI; (one of the smaller ships). We sailed on the Allure in Feb 2016 with our then 12 mo. Which do you think is best for kids that age? I know she can't swim in big pools as she won't be potty trained. Thanks for any insight! :)

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I'd do Disney given the ships you are talking about. There are baby pools on Disney. Small but fun for them. The cabins are large on Disney and have tubs for the two year old.

[cb at sea]

Yeah,,Disney is great, if you can afford it. Otherwise, pick the line you can afford, bring a blow-up tub for the pool deck..and have a nice cruise!

[MommaBear55]

The larger Royal ships have pools for non toilet trained kids, as do some Disney ships.

[HMommy0129]

Thank you all!! I will start my research between Disney and RCI.

[kitkat343]

You may already know this, but newer (or refurbished) RCI ships will have a nursery, where you can pay to leave your two year old. All Disney ships have a nursery. You can book hours on a Disney nursery prior to sailing, and RCI on the ship. Carnival and Cunard will allow a two year old to use their free drop off kids club. We took our two year old on a partial transit Panama Canal cruise on Princess since we really loved the destinations, and were able to bring our son to the kids club under parental supervision. This wasn't as relaxing as later cruises where he was eligible for drop off care, but it was a really nice benefit and an amazing cruise since the destinations were spectacular.

Edited June 17, 2016 by kitkat343

[IsanTom]

So sorry! I recommend Disney!

[DkswartzFamily]

Disney and royals bigger ships have small swim areas for non potty trained kids. Royals smaller ships do not. If you did allure you saw all the great perks (including the awesome indoor toddler play area with the slides and all the great toys). The classes etc that royal offers are good and allure has a nursery... However most smaller ships do not. I believe disney and royal your kiddo has to be 3 and potty trained for kids club but I may be wrong. My kiddos tend to stay with us. If I had the choice (and money was no object) i would pick disney over a small royal ship. But I'd pick oasis class (like allure) over anything so it is def personal preference : )

[klepton]

I would definitely pick DCL Fantasy or Dream over any of the smaller RCI ships, no question. If you add in the bigger RCI ships the gap is closed a bit, but I'd still give the nod to Disney.

 

Choosing between Dream/Fantasy will mostly be a question of itinerary as the Dream does the 3/4 day Bahama runs, the Fantasy mainly sails the East/West Caribbean routes.

 

I can't speak specifically to the Dream, but we did sail the Fantasy when my son was almost 2. They have a much larger splash park for diapered kids than the tiny baby pool on the Allure of the Seas. The nursery on the Fantasy was also nicer than the Allure IMHO. And there was plenty for adults to do as well (good entertainment, different tastings, etc). Don't get me wrong, I loved our Allure cruise and I think that's my favorite class of ship, but when talking about a 2-year old I think the Disney Fantasy has the most to offer.

 

I would also consider ports, as some ports are easier with little ones than others. Ports where you can walk to a beach might be preferable to lugging car seats around, for instance.

 

Good luck and enjoy your cruise!