Best NCL Ship for Toddlers

[Tennant]

What is the best NCL ship for a 2-3 yr. old and a 5 year old? Our kids will not be going to the kids club.  We like to do activities together as a family.

 

Thanks!

[1025cruise]

When are you planning to cruise? Right now NCL is only sailing at 100% vaccinated. 

[nhtravels]

We love the Escape for Guppies.  (Even if you don't use the kids program, the Guppies play area is a great place for you and your littles to just go and have fun with other families).  

[cruiserbear55]

4 minutes ago, Tennant said:

What is the best NCL ship for a 2-3 yr. old and a 5 year old? Our kids will not be going to the kids club.  We like to do activities together as a family.

 

Thanks!

You do realize that NCL  requires all guests to be fully vaccinated, and has extended that ruling indefinitely? As vaccines have not been approved for those children under age 5, your 2-3 year old child would be denied boarding.

[Darcy03231]

Assuming that you don't plan to cruise until NCL drops is requirement for everyone to be vaccinated or until your children are eligible to be vaccinated, here's another vote for the Escape.  We did a multigenerational cruise on the Escape and everyone had a wonderful time.

[mjkacmom]

I don’t think any NCL ship has splash areas for diapered children.

[Yesimapirate]

At the risk of being flamed I offer 2 answers:

Disney 

Any ship I'm not on

 

😉

[coastcat]

3 hours ago, Tennant said:

What is the best NCL ship for a 2-3 yr. old and a 5 year old? Our kids will not be going to the kids club.  We like to do activities together as a family.

 

Thanks!

At this time, NCL isn’t an option for children too young to be vaccinated. It seems very unlikely that this will change soon.
 

Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Disney are the logical choices as your young kids will be welcomed. 
 

Carnival just announced that they’re re-opening their kids clubs but only vaccinated children are allowed. That’s a moot point for you but just FYI. 

[Tennant]

Yes, we are fully aware of the vaccine requirements.  Our children are/will be fully potty trained when we cruise and we are also aware of all of the rules regarding pools.

 

This however was not a question about vaccines or pool rules.  Looking for recommendations on the best ship for young families.  Thanks! 

[vacation44]

59 minutes ago, Tennant said:

Yes, we are fully aware of the vaccine requirements.  Our children are/will be fully potty trained when we cruise and we are also aware of all of the rules regarding pools.

 

This however was not a question about vaccines or pool rules.  Looking for recommendations on the best ship for young families.  Thanks! 

May I ask why NCL?    We took our two children on the Disney Magic back when they were 5 & 6 years old.  Worth every penny.  And it was a lot of pennies.    

[mjkacmom]

31 minutes ago, vacation44 said:

May I ask why NCL?    We took our two children on the Disney Magic back when they were 5 & 6 years old.  Worth every penny.  And it was a lot of pennies.    

I’m guessing it’s because DCL is a lot of pennies? We did a DCL cruise, enjoyed it but it wasn’t worth the extra $ for us.

[SliderNc]

2 hours ago, Tennant said:

Yes, we are fully aware of the vaccine requirements.  Our children are/will be fully potty trained when we cruise and we are also aware of all of the rules regarding pools.

 

This however was not a question about vaccines or pool rules.  Looking for recommendations on the best ship for young families.  Thanks! 

Back in 2015, we had my daughter (2.5 at the time), and nieces (7 and 2.5) with us on Breakaway.  They had a blast in the splash pad area and just walking around the ship.  The toddler program was pretty good as well and we did a bunch of arts and crafts during certain times and events with them as well.  I think any of the Breakaway/Breakaway+ ships will be good fits for younger children.

[PTC DAWG]

6 hours ago, Yesimapirate said:

At the risk of being flamed I offer 2 answers:

Disney 

Any ship I'm not on

 

😉

LOL…I hear ya

[Tennant]

On 11/12/2021 at 1:16 PM, vacation44 said:

May I ask why NCL?    We took our two children on the Disney Magic back when they were 5 & 6 years old.  Worth every penny.  And it was a lot of pennies.    

We have cruised Disney 3 times and it is great for kids.  It also costs a small fortune so we are looking to try some other lines. 

[Tennant]

On 11/12/2021 at 9:39 AM, Yesimapirate said:

At the risk of being flamed I offer 2 answers:

Disney 

Any ship I'm not on

 

😉

I would think NCL probably has a lot of families so good luck! We've been on Disney several times and it is great for kids! 

[sparkygirlfamily]

On 11/12/2021 at 3:20 PM, SliderNc said:

Back in 2015, we had my daughter (2.5 at the time), and nieces (7 and 2.5) with us on Breakaway.  They had a blast in the splash pad area and just walking around the ship.  The toddler program was pretty good as well and we did a bunch of arts and crafts during certain times and events with them as well.  I think any of the Breakaway/Breakaway+ ships will be good fits for younger children.

Just as an FYI the splash pads and pools fleet wide have been redone particularly on Breakaway and Getaway have been completely redone to remove the palm tree slide.  Please watch a recent video 2019 or newer to see the current splash pad area.  If that is a critical piece of the cruise experience for your family.  

[BirdTravels]

On 11/12/2021 at 9:15 AM, Tennant said:

What is the best NCL ship for a 2-3 yr. old and a 5 year old? Our kids will not be going to the kids club.  We like to do activities together as a family.

 

Thanks!

The kids program starts at age 3 on all ships.... Except the Escape which has a program for 6 mo - 3 year old kids (drop off). If the question is which ship could you get some mommy and daddy time, then the answer is the Escape. 

[wampuscat7]

We looked at this a few years ago when my daughter was young, knowing that we would probably not use the kids club at all. (We both work full time, and while it is nice to have an adult dinner together, most of our vacation time we want to spend as a family.) We settled on one of the Royal Oasis-class ships because we thought she would really enjoy the carousel and splash pad as well as the diving and ice skating shows (we were correct). We did that ship when she was 2.

 

We then did one of the newer Carnival ships (family's choice, not ours), and honestly, it was a bit of a let down. She liked the splash pad, mini golf, the live music, and a couple of Dr. Seuss events. We had a great time, but the ship was only ok. 

 

We're scheduled for Bliss next year. I think Bliss will be fun for our family but maybe it's not our top choice. For your family, things like go-karts and laser tag don't add value for a 3-year-old, and the waterslides and arcade are aimed at big kids. If I were you I might consider Breakaway. It has a decent splash pad, a larger mini golf area, a sport court, a spider web climber, etc. 

 

I would also check what shows are on the ships. My kiddo loves to watch stage productions, but some people feel some of the shows are too mature for younger kids. 

[bluesea777]

Escape, hands down, of all the Breakaway Plus ships. You don't need the Go-Karts or Laser Tag, and Escape does have Ropes course (with zip-line) for kiddos - below the main Ropes Course.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[flaminog]

21 hours ago, wampuscat7 said:

We looked at this a few years ago when my daughter was young, knowing that we would probably not use the kids club at all. (We both work full time, and while it is nice to have an adult dinner together, most of our vacation time we want to spend as a family.) We settled on one of the Royal Oasis-class ships because we thought she would really enjoy the carousel and splash pad as well as the diving and ice skating shows (we were correct). We did that ship when she was 2.

 

We then did one of the newer Carnival ships (family's choice, not ours), and honestly, it was a bit of a let down. She liked the splash pad, mini golf, the live music, and a couple of Dr. Seuss events. We had a great time, but the ship was only ok. 

 

We're scheduled for Bliss next year. I think Bliss will be fun for our family but maybe it's not our top choice. For your family, things like go-karts and laser tag don't add value for a 3-year-old, and the waterslides and arcade are aimed at big kids. If I were you I might consider Breakaway. It has a decent splash pad, a larger mini golf area, a sport court, a spider web climber, etc. 

 

I would also check what shows are on the ships. My kiddo loves to watch stage productions, but some people feel some of the shows are too mature for younger kids. 

Breakaway when we went 2 years ago was doing Rock of Ages for the main show. DEFINITELY not kid friendly.

[flaminog]

21 hours ago, wampuscat7 said:

We looked at this a few years ago when my daughter was young, knowing that we would probably not use the kids club at all. (We both work full time, and while it is nice to have an adult dinner together, most of our vacation time we want to spend as a family.) We settled on one of the Royal Oasis-class ships because we thought she would really enjoy the carousel and splash pad as well as the diving and ice skating shows (we were correct). We did that ship when she was 2.

 

We then did one of the newer Carnival ships (family's choice, not ours), and honestly, it was a bit of a let down. She liked the splash pad, mini golf, the live music, and a couple of Dr. Seuss events. We had a great time, but the ship was only ok. 

 

We're scheduled for Bliss next year. I think Bliss will be fun for our family but maybe it's not our top choice. For your family, things like go-karts and laser tag don't add value for a 3-year-old, and the waterslides and arcade are aimed at big kids. If I were you I might consider Breakaway. It has a decent splash pad, a larger mini golf area, a sport court, a spider web climber, etc. 

 

I would also check what shows are on the ships. My kiddo loves to watch stage productions, but some people feel some of the shows are too mature for younger kids. 

Breakaway when we went 2 years ago was doing Rock of Ages for the main show. DEFINITELY not kid friendly.

[flaminog]

21 hours ago, wampuscat7 said:

We looked at this a few years ago when my daughter was young, knowing that we would probably not use the kids club at all. (We both work full time, and while it is nice to have an adult dinner together, most of our vacation time we want to spend as a family.) We settled on one of the Royal Oasis-class ships because we thought she would really enjoy the carousel and splash pad as well as the diving and ice skating shows (we were correct). We did that ship when she was 2.

 

We then did one of the newer Carnival ships (family's choice, not ours), and honestly, it was a bit of a let down. She liked the splash pad, mini golf, the live music, and a couple of Dr. Seuss events. We had a great time, but the ship was only ok. 

 

We're scheduled for Bliss next year. I think Bliss will be fun for our family but maybe it's not our top choice. For your family, things like go-karts and laser tag don't add value for a 3-year-old, and the waterslides and arcade are aimed at big kids. If I were you I might consider Breakaway. It has a decent splash pad, a larger mini golf area, a sport court, a spider web climber, etc. 

 

I would also check what shows are on the ships. My kiddo loves to watch stage productions, but some people feel some of the shows are too mature for younger kids. 

Breakaway when we went 2 years ago was doing Rock of Ages for the main show. DEFINITELY not kid friendly.

[SliderNc]

On 11/23/2021 at 11:15 PM, sparkygirlfamily said:

Just as an FYI the splash pads and pools fleet wide have been redone particularly on Breakaway and Getaway have been completely redone to remove the palm tree slide.  Please watch a recent video 2019 or newer to see the current splash pad area.  If that is a critical piece of the cruise experience for your family.  

My daughter is 9 now so I don't think this is an issue.

[Tt513]

On 11/26/2021 at 10:09 AM, SliderNc said:

My daughter is 9 now so I don't think this is an issue.

 

On 11/26/2021 at 10:09 AM, SliderNc said:

My daughter is 9 now so I don't think this is an issue.

Girls bending over in thongs, crude gestures by the men, it’s really not very wholesome.

[mjkacmom]

45 minutes ago, Tt513 said:

 

Girls bending over in thongs, crude gestures by the men, it’s really not very wholesome.

She was responding to the removal of pool slides not being an issue.