Help me convince my wife.....

[RGB426]

Alright guys and gals I need help convincing my wife that we can and should :) take our gonna be 2 yr old on his first cruise. Long story short I've been on 8 cruises and shes been on 5. We took a break last yr and this yr due to her being pregnant and having our son Oct. '18 . So now Im itching to get back on the boat and looking to plan one for October 2020 when he will be 2 and eligible for Camp Carnival. So for those of you whom have traveled with a toddler what advice can you give and/or suggestions? Thank you.

[Ak4n3]

I'd say yes!  I took my daughter about a month after her 2nd birthday because we can drop her off in Camp Ocean.  Just be prepared for the camp to call you on the camp cell phone in case your child gets cranky.  The counselors are good with children.  I think they called us a total of 2 times to get her, but other than that it was fine.  Just make sure she is nice and fed and had her nap before leaving her there.  🙂 

 

 

[beachbum6264]

Check out the Family Cruise board, lots of info about cruising with children. I say start 'em early!

[Homosassa]

Our daughter went on her first cruise when she was seventeen months old.

 

Before you book, decide if your child's personality is a match for cruising.  Is the child well disciplined with a good natured personality? Such a child can be a delight and will not be a holy terror to your fellow passengers. 

 

Also realize that traveling with a child that young will mean your daily schedule will revolve around his/her needs (nap, meal schedule, bed time).  Do not assume that your child will be happy in any day care facility on board ship and be prepared to actually have to be with your child 24 hours a day.

 

That being said, taking a cruise with my daughter at seventeen months was a wonderful experience. One doesn't realize how accustom one has become to the on board experience until you get to experience it again through the little one's eyes.

[grandmarnnurse]

We cruised back in 2007 with our daughter and 10 month old granddaughter while my son in law was deployed to Iraq. We shared a 4 person balcony cabin. My advice is to get a balcony, as it gives you a quiet place to escape to when the child is sleeping, so you can have private time, and converse. It kept us sane. Also, we brought a blow up baby bath tub to place in shower to bathe our granddaughter. You will be lucky if your child is old enough forCamp Carnival. We could only use it for babysitting services. We took advantage of that so that we all could do excursions. They would watch baby while we were ashore, doing excursions that a baby could not do (Dunn’s River Falls and swimming with dolphins) Keep in mind that a child that is not potty trained cannot use any pool or water splash area, all health Dept regulations for infection control. I know a lot of people will advise you to sail with a young child, and that’s fine, but remember it won’t be anything like your previous cruises. Discuss ahead of time who will be going back to cabin with child when naps or early bedtime are needed, because if one person alone is doing it, there could be some upsets. And I can’t stress enough, GET A BALCONY or you will be stuck in a cabin with a sleeping child and unable to relax and enjoy yourself. I know our situation is not like your own, as we are grandparents, and not the parents, but if I was faced with this again, I would have booked my daughter and granddaughter an inside cabin across the hall, just for the privacy. But as I said, that is related to our situation, not yours. 

[PhillyFan33579]

I am in the minority so far, but I wouldn’t take a 2 year old on a cruise. I would be too worried about my child to enjoy myself on the cruise. 

[tkportersat]

I mean, I wouldn't personally do it again.  We had the same intention at 2 because of Camp Carnival and ours refused to go - and he is a daycare kid.  We had previously cruised with him at 10 months with two sets of Grandparents and everyone had a great time except me.  Both times I probably went in with the wrong expectations.  As long as you realize that things will be different you should be ok... and your child might love the Camp Carnival - they are all different.  Just know that they want the kids happy, if they start crying for even a minute they will call you - in our case they did nothing at they age to try to make him interested in staying.   As others recommended, get a Balcony so at least if you are stuck in the room you can still feel like you are on vacation.  And pack snacks they like for the week.  

[Kerry's Girls]

One of mine didn't like Camp Carnival either (went the week after they turned 2), but I was able to take her in the stroller after she fell asleep and leave her for evening hours.  With mine they did make every effort to make them happy.  I would drop and run and sometimes she would stop crying and sometimes not, then I'd have to go back.  But even on cruises when they didn't have a kids' program to drop them, we had a great time.  

[Momken]

Yes go ahead it will make for great memories.  I have cruised many times and have always taken my child's. From infants till adulthood. Never regretted it. 

[kitkat343]

My kids were fine with the kids club starting at 3.  I wasn't impressed with the kids club staff at Cunard, and my 2 year old was very reluctant to stay despite the fact that he'd been in daycare since aged 4 months.  If his brother hadn't helped him through the transition, he wouldn't have made it.  So you do need to be prepared for the possibility that your child will not be able to handle Camp Carnival, and if you think you will still be able to enjoy your vacation without a kids club then you should go.  If you are completely dependent upon a kids club in order to enjoy a vacation (and that is the case for my family) you might want to wait until the age of 3.  

[Itchy&Scratchy]

we left our 2 yo home with the grandparents, and I still believe that was the right decision. He wasn't potty trained, he wouldn't be able to sleep in a pullman, he had separation anxiety and wouldn't do the kid's club anyway (still doesn't, he is 8 and has cruised quite a few times), and was super active, so no relaxation time for the parents at all. We took him on his first cruise when he was 3 - potty trained, easy eater, and he could go to most of the shows with us, and also use a tablet with cartoons and games during MDR dinners so we could eat in peace.

Some people can relax while chasing after an active 2 yo 24/7, but that's not us. So, "it's a no for me, dawg...." (c).

[RGB426]

Thank you all for the comments and advice. Definitely provided a different perspective then I had.  It's good to know. Guess we will discuss further especially if he doesn't enjoy and/or stay in Camp Carnival would we be ok the rest of the time. 

[fatcat04]

Go in with the assumption your child will spend exactly zero minutes in the kid's club. So if your little one does like it, gravy. If not, you are no worse off.  Every kid is different and at 2 they can go from the most adorable cherub Heaven ever made to future Hells Angel in 10 seconds flat.

 

Always have a plan and stay flexible. Keep to the baby's schedule as best you can. No matter what, get a balcony cabin. Our dd loved being outside on the balcony and playing with her toys. 

 

We are taking our dd, who will be 2 years and 2 months on her second cruise (first cruise mini review with lots of cruising with kid info ) on HAL in a few months. HALs kids club doesn't start until age 3 but it will be fine.

 

Cruising with a toddler is a different kind of cruise. But I thought it was a super easy way to travel with a little one. Wins hands down against Disney in terms of comfort and accomidation. I'm pretty easy to please and it sure beats the heck out of a day NOT on a cruise ship. 

[cb at sea]

Now that you're a "family", that's how you vacation!  Most kids enjoy the kid's club...all you can do is try.  2 is an "iffy" age, tho...some don't mind being away from parents...some do.  If your child is clingy, then you may want to wait a few months and give it a try.

[Rala]

15 minutes ago, cb at sea said:

Now that you're a "family", that's how you vacation!  Most kids enjoy the kid's club...all you can do is try.  2 is an "iffy" age, tho...some don't mind being away from parents...some do.  If your child is clingy, then you may want to wait a few months and give it a try.

Just because a couple has children doesn't mean they take said children on every getaway/vacation they take.  Why do you continue to repeat that inane statement "now that your a "family," that 's how you vacation"   As others above have said, how you vacation depends on what you want from the vacation, how adaptable(or not) your child is among many other factors.  UGH!!!

[chipmaster]

No longer have "kids" and cruise, but did cruise when they were young with 2 then 3 and youngest I think was 3 at the time. 

 

Very personal as kids and parents expectation and experience with and w/o kids and how the behave / react is very unpredictable.    I had two kids never liked the club, and one that loved it.  Funny maybe reverse correlation the two that didn't like it spent lots of time in day-care, the one that loved it never did day care in her life.   

 

As another wise poster said, assume that kid does NOT spend one minute in the club, still a vacation?   That answers all, LOL.

  

[Storm Monkey]

We went on a Carnival cruise last year for our 10th anniversary and left our then 2.5 year old at home with the grandmas. It was our first time both away since she was born. She loved it. We on the other hand, kept seeing things and saying how much our daughter would like this or that and we had much more separation anxiety than she did. LOL 

next year we are cruising on Princess for my birthday and taking our daughter (who will be 4 by then) and the grandmas along with us. I’m nervous about leaving her in the kids camp, even though she is in daycare. To me it’s different knowing who her daycare teachers are versus the kids camp people.

We do have connecting mini suites and plan to alternate babysitting nights. As long as I have a balcony to relax on I won’t mind staying returning to the cabin early at  night so she can get a reasonable bedtime. 

[HawaiiJohn]

On 9/19/2019 at 4:41 AM, PhillyFan33579 said:

I am in the minority so far, but I wouldn’t take a 2 year old on a cruise. I would be too worried about my child to enjoy myself on the cruise. 

Just curious... What is at the top of your worry list? 

[akeasley]

Honestly, if I had to do it over again- I would have waited till my kids were older before they started cruising. It's hard to have a relaxing time when you're worried about them having fun, staying safe, staying out of other peoples' way, etc.

 

I would make sure your child is old enough for kids club. On Princess they need to be 3 and potty trained.

[Tapi]

My kids started cruising at 12 months and 15 months respectively. Now, at 7 and 9 years of age, they have sailed over 10 times, across 5 different cruise lines, from the Caribbean to Alaska to the Mediterranean. I don’t regret for one moment starting them cruising so young, but I’d be lying if I said that it wasn’t challenging, specially those first few cruises when we were learning the ropes of traveling with little ones. Now it’s a total breeze and they know exactly what to expect. 

 

Even if your child will be old enough for the kids club, don’t assume that he will attend. Your child may completely refuse to go (like my son did on one particular cruise for no particular reason). Do go with the full understanding that cruising with kids will be a completely different experience, you’ll need to have a lot of patience and flexibility, and things may not go as planned more than once. There will be moments when you’ll question your sanity and your decision making skills, but there will also be many more moments that you’ll cherish, and when you’ll be thankful about your decision to start your kid cruising young. 

[Spunky946]

We waited until our kids were older, they were 10 and 6 on our first cruise to Alaska.  It was the best thing ever.  They both loved loved the kids club and were able to sit and enjoy meals and stay up late.  We didn’t have to worry about naps, or going back to the cabin early.  

 

We did travel with the kids when they were younger, but to other places where we could get suites and hang together while the kids slept.

 

our kids are now 15 and 11 and we are going on our 6th cruise this winter.  Personally I’d wait until he was older,