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Cruising with a 2 yr. old?


chrcruiser
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Go for it. We cruised when ours were 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years. As with any holiday with children, it is what you make it. We have lots of great memories of cruising when our kids were that age. 
Some people on here will probably tell you not to do it. In my opinion, mainly motivated by the fact they don’t want to share ‘their’ ship with children. 

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Others will remember better than me. Cruise now. I think the kids sail free is either 12 and under or 8 and under. Use a TA or call if you want all 3 in one cabin for 5. It's not shown on their website but rcl unlike some will allow a 5th small child to share the beds. 

 

I read there is babysitting, maybe age 2 and up. 

 

I'm sure others have all the ages memorized. The other 2 can go to kids camp. They are so cute. I've seen the counsellors parading them around or taking them to lunch. At xmas they are in a children's show I've gone to. I sat in the theater with a mature 3 and 7 year old their parents sent early to save seats for shows. I sat with them, seemed a little young to be walking alone, but they assured me they both had cruised a lot and their parents even let them eat alone. Lol. So we sat every night together before the shows. Cute little boys.

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Our granddaughter did her 1st cruise for her 2nd birthday.  There was stuff for her and babysitting.  Dining room staff was great.   Waiters always immediately brought her something to eat while the rest of us us were still thinking.  We did get her a tablet. Her mother got her headphones and loaded it with stuff.   Kept her occupied while we ate.    No one had to leave to occupy her.  She's 7 and lives to cruise. 

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Sure you can do it, but do you really think this is the best family vacation at this time?  It seems to me that a land based vacation could be a better option now.  Exactly what do expect the kids to get out of the vacation?  What are the sleeping arrangements? Each spouse, stays with 2 kids?  I don't think it would be much relaxation for the adults, so would the kids really benefit from the cruise?

 

Enjoy your vacation, no matter which option you choose.

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43 minutes ago, Billy Baltic said:

.......Some people on here will probably tell you not to do it. In my opinion, mainly motivated by the fact they don’t want to share ‘their’ ship with children. 

There's nothing wrong with kids starting their travels early. It's just the parents who haven't taught them how to behave, or the parents who think whatever obnoxious thing little Johnny is do is so cute. 🙄

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We have done several extended family cruises with toddlers. The under 3's we've made sure to sail on the RCI ships that have the Royal Babies & Tots nursery and the over 3's Adventure Ocean. Our grandkid's are experienced cruiser's now at ages 4 to 8.

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1 hour ago, ipeeinthepool said:

Sure you can do it, but do you really think this is the best family vacation at this time?  It seems to me that a land based vacation could be a better option now.  Exactly what do expect the kids to get out of the vacation?  What are the sleeping arrangements? Each spouse, stays with 2 kids?  I don't think it would be much relaxation for the adults, so would the kids really benefit from the cruise?

 

Enjoy your vacation, no matter which option you choose.

 

I would like to think by 2022,  when the OP is planning the cruise,  things will be back to normal for the most part.    Outside of that, I expect the kids to get the same thing they would out of a land vacation,  same for the parents as well.  Some fun times, good food, enjoyment and time together.   I'm not sure why it would be so different on a cruise vs a land vacation.

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10 minutes ago, FLSteve11 said:

  I'm not sure why it would be so different on a cruise vs a land vacation.

 

From my standpoint there are lot more dangerous things on a cruise ship, that require more attention.  Options to entertain the kids are more limited onboard.

I also understand that all kids are different, but I really don't believe the younger kids will really enjoy the cruise.  Stick with a land vacation.

 

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2 hours ago, chrcruiser said:

Would like to book a cruise for 2022 for our family - 2 Children their spouse and kids ages at the time 12, 9, 7 and 2. Should I wait until the two year old is older or book it? Just need advise for those that have cruised with one that age. Thanks!

Started taking kids with me on Cruises in 20yrs ago when youngest was 2, others were 4 and 8. We'd go once every yr after. This back when was less for them to do on ships. Do it, I would again in a minute...

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A couple years ago we brought our then 6 month and 1 day old on our cruise (6 months is the minimum age) and had no issues other then having to make sure we allowed her to nap in the afternoon.  Would do it again in a heartbeat.  And yes, she was well behaved as to not disturb other cruisers.  Hate it when other people let there kids run amuck on a cruise regardless of their age.

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Do it! I wouldn't hesitate for a second. Our daughter's first cruise was when she was 22 months. She had a blast and although she doesn't remember it, we made create memories and had so much fun in the moment. She loved dressing up, wearing her fancy red shoes, and being a big girl at dinner. We went to the dining room every night. She's nine now and has been on 11 cruises. The year we stayed at the Marriott in St. Thomas that overlooks the Port she was 4. After a couple days she asked when we were getting on the ship. When I said we were staying at the hotel the whole time she was confused. How is it vacation without getting on a ship?

 

The upside of a cruise for your wide range of ages is that there will be something interesting and age appropriate for each kid without even leaving the ship.

 

The cons at that age are all of the "stuff" you have to bring, especially if the two year old is not potty trained. There is no easy trip to a store like a land trip, so you end up overpacking somethings. Also no pool for the untrained. However, if you pick a ship with a splash pad that allows swim diapers, that's a huge plus.

 

There will always be people that tell you not to do it, but if your kids can be patient in long lines and go with the flow, you'll have a great time.

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3 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

From my standpoint there are lot more dangerous things on a cruise ship, that require more attention.  Options to entertain the kids are more limited onboard.

I also understand that all kids are different, but I really don't believe the younger kids will really enjoy the cruise.  Stick with a land vacation.

 

 

I don't know about that.  No cars and roads to worry about,  limited amount of people in a more enclosed area,   activities are basically as safe as on land if not more so.   And it doesn't take a lot to entertain a young kid,  have some games and activities,  some water time and most are good.   I've seen plenty of bored kids on land vacations.   And a lot less kids only activities to give the parents a chance on their own for a bit on those.  

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We have cruises with our kids since they were 9 months and 15 months old respectively and have traveled extensively around the world with them since they were very young (precovid).  You will get many opinions on here regarding traveling with infants and toddlers.  You know your family best.  
 

We started a non monetized blog (there are no ads) for family travel for a short bit with several articles regarding traveling with babies and kids.

 

http://www.thesmallworldfamily.com

 

Haven’t updated it in a while but the articles are still highly relevant to traveling and cruising with young ones.

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5 hours ago, FLSteve11 said:

 

I don't know about that.  No cars and roads to worry about,  limited amount of people in a more enclosed area,   activities are basically as safe as on land if not more so.   And it doesn't take a lot to entertain a young kid,  have some games and activities,  some water time and most are good.   I've seen plenty of bored kids on land vacations.   And a lot less kids only activities to give the parents a chance on their own for a bit on those.  

 

If you need to take games and activities with you on a cruise to occupy the kids, maybe that should tell you something.  As far as danger is concerned, perhaps my perspective is different because I been on a cruise when a young child went un-noticed for a moment and drown in a crowded kiddie pool.

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I would agree to pick a ship with a splash pad that allows swim diapers. We considered bringing a small blow-up pool when our daughter was young but decided it would be a pain to fill and empty it.

 

Nap times can be tough since we would put our daughter to sleep in the afternoon in the cabin with the drapes pulled for darkness, no TV on, etc. What's the supervising grown-up to do besides also take a nap? I would suggest (if you can) to get connecting rooms so that the grown-up can have a bit of space while still being able to supervise the little one during nap time.

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2 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

  Also, camp not available for that child-  I would wait.

Depends on the ship.  Most have a nursery these days for 6mo-3years.  It’s 6-8 dollars an hour depending on the time but we’ll worth it.

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19 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

There's nothing wrong with kids starting their travels early. It's just the parents who haven't taught them how to behave, or the parents who think whatever obnoxious thing little Johnny is do is so cute. 🙄

I got seated at dinner with a family like this. I should have just asked to move. My roommate was mad I didnt ask, but didnt tell me until the last night. She could have asked too imo.

 

We were seated with a 3 year old who used his silverware to drum on the table for us nightly. I said something to the parents who proudly told me they bought him a drum set at home 

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10 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

If you need to take games and activities with you on a cruise to occupy the kids, maybe that should tell you something.  As far as danger is concerned, perhaps my perspective is different because I been on a cruise when a young child went un-noticed for a moment and drown in a crowded kiddie pool.

 

I didn't say anything about taking games and activities with you.   I was saying the cruise itself has plenty of games and activities to keep them occupied.     And yes, you're obviously biased based on a very unlikely incident.    An incident which happens on land vacations as well.   Sadly kids drown in pools regularly on land,  and hotel pools are even larger and give more room for kids to go unnoticed.   Drownings are one of the leading causes of death for kids,  and they happen far more often on land pools then cruise pools.  

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1 hour ago, firefly333 said:

I got seated at dinner with a family like this. I should have just asked to move. My roommate was mad I didnt ask, but didnt tell me until the last night. She could have asked too imo.

 

We were seated with a 3 year old who used his silverware to drum on the table for us nightly. I said something to the parents who proudly told me they bought him a drum set at home 

 

Nothing wrong with asking to move if you don't like being with a kid,  or anyone for that matter.   Not everyone is compatible with everyone else.     

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