Traveling with toddlers / babysitting / kids club

[LSquared87]

Hello! My best friend and I (and our families) are traveling on Anthem of the Seas in April. I will have a 1 and 3 year old and she will have a 1 and 2 year old. Only one child (the 3 YO) will be old enough for the kids club. Wondering what everyone’s experiences are with the nursery on board and also the in room babysitting? I know they have the program where they will take your kids 45 minutes into dinner...will they do that for the under 3 crowd as well (I know there is an hourly fee for the nursery). Just looking for any similar experiences/ feedback /advice!

 

Thanks!

[cyclone1414]

Hi! My wife and I travelled with our 1 and 3 year-olds this past Christmas on Independence. Our 'game plan' heading into the trip was to utilize the in-cabin babysitting services. The first day when we boarded, we headed to guest services immediately, only to be told that this wasn't being offered on our sailing (apparently the people certified to do it had disembarked for vacation)...we were very frustrated to hear this, but then turned to the Royal Babies & Tots/nursey and Adventure Ocean programs.

 

The 1-year-old would spend a few hours a day in the nursery- the staff were excellent and would call us on the phones they provided to us if there were any programs. The usually opened around 9am and would close when the last baby was picked up, and charged 6$/hr before 6pm, 8$/hr after 6pm. He would also occasionally sleep there at night- the cribs in the nursery were way more comfortable that the pack-and-plays provided in cabin, they had a separate 'quiet' area for sleeping babies, they would change the sheets for every child etc, and then we would usually transfer him to our stateroom while still sleeping. My advice, if you're thinking of using this service, is to choose a stateroom close to the nursery- if we had to carry our baby through any noisy/public areas, he probably would have woken up...but we were directly below it, 2 decks, and so it was an easy, quiet walk for us.

 

The 3-year-old LOVED Adventure Ocean- we couldn't pull him out of there! They tended to run programs from 9-12, 2-5, 7-10 (for free), and then from 10-2 (for a fee). His normal bedtime at home is around 7:30, but he was staying there until around 10 most nights, having the time of his life! Amazing programming and creative activities really kept the kids engaged (I heard a similar sentiment from all parents when picking up).

 

Overall, it was scary going into this trip with just DW and I and the kids, and while the in-room babysitting would have been nice, the programs they did offer ended up working out extremely well for us. Please let me know if you have any other questions!

[ArchMom]

we've been on cruises with varying ages from 9months up. I would not count on the babysitting in room - it's not always available, and could be booked. the adventure ocean is likely prime for the 3yo, provided they are used to going to some sort of daycare setting. Also, the nurseries usually have toys that you can 'check out' for your stateroom - super handy. The adventure ocean dining I don't think will apply to 3yo, but can't say for certain...We would just take them up ourselves and then return to the rest of the table who had kindly ordered dessert for us ;)

We tend to travel with family, and would have it so one night one couple would be in charge of the kids, while the other couple went 'out.' You could also have a girls nite out and a guys nite out. It'll save quite a bit of money on nursery fees ;) And if you're up for it, I'd recommend connecting cabins - it was handy for when kids were sleeping in one room so the adults in charge could sit in the other room talking and watching TV. We didn't close the connecting doors in that situation (the doors were only closed when families were in their respective rooms).

Also, I highly recommend getting an inflatable mini-tub - it's handy for bathing littles, or if it's hot using it on deck since they can't go in pools unless toilet trained.

As an aside, I don't believe all ships have a nursery - be sure to check! (I'm not familiar with Anthem itself)

Have fun, and set expectations accordingly and all should go well ;)

[Aggiebuttercup]

If you want to keep the kids with you at dinner, here are a few tips that worked for us.

 

We traveled with our friends' 1-year-old. A few weeks before the cruise, they emailed the dining staff and requested a table in the corner by the window. After the first night, the waiter had a plate of fruit waiting at the table when we sat down. Little one would snack while we ordered and waited for our food. When he finished eating and got bored, we'd let him play on the floor in the corner. He was out of the way of the wait staff and other passengers - locked in by us.

 

Most nights, he was fascinated looking out the window. There was only 1 night that he had to be taken out of the dining room because he was fussy.

[LSquared87]

Sorry for the seriously delayed reply but I have another question! What did you do for sleeping arrangements in your room? My 3 year old is in a bed and the 1 year old in a crib. We have a balcony room so I think we have a couch...so I figured pack n play and then the couch for the toddler? Any advice? Also, did you bring a stroller? I'm wondering if I should bring my normal stroller or if it's too big (Uppa baby vista with 2 seats) or get an umbrella just for the 1 year old. Thank you so much for your info!!

 

 

Hi! My wife and I travelled with our 1 and 3 year-olds this past Christmas on Independence. Our 'game plan' heading into the trip was to utilize the in-cabin babysitting services. The first day when we boarded, we headed to guest services immediately, only to be told that this wasn't being offered on our sailing (apparently the people certified to do it had disembarked for vacation)...we were very frustrated to hear this, but then turned to the Royal Babies & Tots/nursey and Adventure Ocean programs.

 

The 1-year-old would spend a few hours a day in the nursery- the staff were excellent and would call us on the phones they provided to us if there were any programs. The usually opened around 9am and would close when the last baby was picked up, and charged 6$/hr before 6pm, 8$/hr after 6pm. He would also occasionally sleep there at night- the cribs in the nursery were way more comfortable that the pack-and-plays provided in cabin, they had a separate 'quiet' area for sleeping babies, they would change the sheets for every child etc, and then we would usually transfer him to our stateroom while still sleeping. My advice, if you're thinking of using this service, is to choose a stateroom close to the nursery- if we had to carry our baby through any noisy/public areas, he probably would have woken up...but we were directly below it, 2 decks, and so it was an easy, quiet walk for us.

 

The 3-year-old LOVED Adventure Ocean- we couldn't pull him out of there! They tended to run programs from 9-12, 2-5, 7-10 (for free), and then from 10-2 (for a fee). His normal bedtime at home is around 7:30, but he was staying there until around 10 most nights, having the time of his life! Amazing programming and creative activities really kept the kids engaged (I heard a similar sentiment from all parents when picking up).

 

Overall, it was scary going into this trip with just DW and I and the kids, and while the in-room babysitting would have been nice, the programs they did offer ended up working out extremely well for us. Please let me know if you have any other questions!

[cb at sea]

If your 3 year old will sleep on the sofa (unopened) and you get a P&P for the 1 year old, you will have a bit of space in the cabin...not much, but enough.

 

Yes, you will want a stroller for both ON and OFF the ship...it's tons of walking, all the time! Especially, if the little one will nap in it, you can still be out and about. Remember, tho, that cabin doorways are much narrower than doors at home...and hallways are tight, so bring the skinniest stroller/s you have!

[Grandma Dazzles]

IN room babysitting on most ships is around $20 per hour and they send two sitters. They are crew members looking to earn extra money, not necessarily certified sitters from AO or other childcare programs. That's why they might not be available - no one was on the list looking for extra work.

 

Never heard of any complaints. Most staff miss their own children and enjoy the work. Table mates on one of my cruises had two cast members from the ice show and said they were very nice.

[TBone2K]

Sorry for the seriously delayed reply but I have another question! What did you do for sleeping arrangements in your room? My 3 year old is in a bed and the 1 year old in a crib. We have a balcony room so I think we have a couch...so I figured pack n play and then the couch for the toddler? Any advice? Also, did you bring a stroller? I'm wondering if I should bring my normal stroller or if it's too big (Uppa baby vista with 2 seats) or get an umbrella just for the 1 year old.

 

DS was 10 months when we went. We arranged ahead of time for a playpen and it was waiting for us when we arrived. At night our teen slept on the couch (not pulled out) and we put the playpen by the "foot" of the bed. So should work for you as well. During the day we had to move it around to access the balcony door.

 

Our umbrella stroller is big enough to hold the baby bag. You don't want a really big stroller because there isn't enough room to navigate the halls or get through the crowds with a bigger stroller.

 

We left DS at the royal tots for one dinner. It went fine, but it got noisy for his liking so was a bit upset when we got him. Be sure to go sign up and do your waiver as soon as you can when you board as the line can be long.

 

Anthem also has a great splash pool for just the little ones.

[topnole]

I don’t know how a pack and play would fit with the couch folded out in a regular balcony cabin. I wouldn’t trust that to work but I could be wrong. We were in a boardwalk balcony with a pack and play and that alone was very tight.

 

We inquired about in cabin sitting on two different cruises on oasis class but none was available either cruise. So dont count on that.

 

The nursery is great but if your lil ones are only used to you that could be an issue. Our daughter (about 1 at the time) was ok the first time but the second time she just starting crying after an hour or so b/c she had separation anxiety I guess. My wife is a stay at home mom now so she was a mommas girl to say the least. We choose not to use the service again for that reason.

 

Keep in mind to do kids club you have to be 3 and fully potty trained. If they have an accident they call you to pick them up from what I’ve read. And if they give you another try and there is an accident they aren’t allowed back. Our daughter will be 3 next time we bring her so hoping she is all good on that by then.

 

Hope this helps.

[cyclone1414]

Sorry for the seriously delayed reply but I have another question! What did you do for sleeping arrangements in your room? My 3 year old is in a bed and the 1 year old in a crib. We have a balcony room so I think we have a couch...so I figured pack n play and then the couch for the toddler? Any advice? Also, did you bring a stroller? I'm wondering if I should bring my normal stroller or if it's too big (Uppa baby vista with 2 seats) or get an umbrella just for the 1 year old. Thank you so much for your info!!

 

We had the 3 year old sleep between us in the bed in one room, and the baby in the pack-n-play provided in the second room. Our 3 year-old isn't in a bed yet at home, so while in theory he could have been in the bed in the other room, it didn't bother us to have him between us.

 

Stroller, for us at least, was a MUST- we used a Baby Trend Sit and Stand Double- it a) was a front-back double, so a bit easier to navigate through the halls, and b) gave the older boy the option to sit or stand with the removable seat. Our regular double at home is much heavier and side-by-side (Bugaboo Donkey) and we had no interest in bringing that. We used the stroller every time we got on/off the boat.

[TBone2K]

I don’t know how a pack and play would fit with the couch folded out in a regular balcony cabin. I wouldn’t trust that to work but I could be wrong. We were in a boardwalk balcony with a pack and play and that alone was very tight.

 

We didn't pull the couch out for that reason. I suppose depending on the room layout the other option is to put the PnP/playpen on the washroom side of the king bed. It might block access to the washroom door though. Our room on Anthem had the couch and desk by the balcony door. Other rooms might be laid out different.

[ceejay3377]

Thank you to the OP for starting this thread. I hope you don't mind me resurrecting it and asking a couple of related questions ...

 

We are sailing on Explorer in two weeks and have a three year old. This is my second cruise with RCL and his first, so we are new to the "travelling with kids" thing. He is not toilet trained (we've tried!) so he is automatically ineligible for AO. There is no Royal Tots on this ship. We would love the opportunity to eat a hot meal undisturbed, so I hope to be able to use the in-room babysitting a couple of nights if any staff are available. I plan on going straight to guest services on boarding and putting in a request for every night, in the hope that we can score one or two nights! So my questions are these:

 

1. If no babysitting is available, is there any chance that he could go to a short session in AO in a nappy and they call us if it needs changing? (I think I already know the answer to this one, lol)

 

2. If we are lucky enough to get in-room babysitting, we will be charged $20/hour. Are we also expected to tip the baby sitters at the end of the night, and if so, what would be an appropriate amount? (We are Aussies and tipping is not something that is common place in our culture, but we are seasoned cruisers and are bringing $US with us for this purpose)

 

3. He is a typical 3yo boy and can sometimes be a bit rambunctious. Must the babysitting take place ONLY in the cabin, or can they take him for a walk around the ship if he gets restless?

 

4. I am chatting on Facebook with another family who are also going on this cruise and have a 2yo. Can we combine forces and share the babysitting with another family?

 

Thank you for taking the time to read and resond :)

[BearBear12]

On Allure we were able to move the bed and fold out sofa away from each other and put the pack and play in between n the balcony room. Tight fit but 5 year old likes to roll around and sofa was just too small.

[Grandma Dazzles]

Thank you to the OP for starting this thread. I hope you don't mind me resurrecting it and asking a couple of related questions ...

 

We are sailing on Explorer in two weeks and have a three year old. This is my second cruise with RCL and his first, so we are new to the "travelling with kids" thing. He is not toilet trained (we've tried!) so he is automatically ineligible for AO. There is no Royal Tots on this ship. We would love the opportunity to eat a hot meal undisturbed, so I hope to be able to use the in-room babysitting a couple of nights if any staff are available. I plan on going straight to guest services on boarding and putting in a request for every night, in the hope that we can score one or two nights! So my questions are these:

 

1. If no babysitting is available, is there any chance that he could go to a short session in AO in a nappy and they call us if it needs changing? (I think I already know the answer to this one, lol)

 

2. If we are lucky enough to get in-room babysitting, we will be charged $20/hour. Are we also expected to tip the baby sitters at the end of the night, and if so, what would be an appropriate amount? (We are Aussies and tipping is not something that is common place in our culture, but we are seasoned cruisers and are bringing $US with us for this purpose)

 

3. He is a typical 3yo boy and can sometimes be a bit rambunctious. Must the babysitting take place ONLY in the cabin, or can they take him for a walk around the ship if he gets restless?

 

4. I am chatting on Facebook with another family who are also going on this cruise and have a 2yo. Can we combine forces and share the babysitting with another family?

 

Thank you for taking the time to read and resond :)

 

You might want to start a new thread with a specific title, like in-cabin babysitting. You might get more responses, otherwise unless someone reads this post in response to original title, you are not going to get a lot of answers. Also would suggest posting on family boards.

 

Not honestly sure of answers to your specific questions, but wanted to try to get you more responses. I do know he cannot go to AO in a diaper - they don't allow pull-ups either, so that's out.

 

A lot evolves around insurance so I am thinking sitting has to be in cabin, but not sure.