Crusing with a toddler ??'s

[katyb405]

We have brought our daughter Ava to 2 all-inclusives and had a wonderful time.

 

My husband's 30th b-day is coming up and he would like to go on a trip to celebrate. We have been on a carnival cruise together (before Ava) and really loved it. We were thinking about a cruise as an option this time.

 

When my husband looked into it before he said they told him that you have to pay for a child even if they are under 2. Is that true for all cruise lines? I know that AI's you don't have to pay.

 

Has anyone been on a cruise with a toddler? The other thing I remember from our cruise is that kids in swim diapers arent allowed in the pools. Is this all cruiselines? When we were at the AI's Ava was in the pool a lot, so that would be a definite negative.

 

Just looking to hear about others experiences.

[ColeandAbby]

I'm leaving for a cruise with my 3 yr old in three days. My understanding is no diaper/pull up babies/toddlers in the pools. Must be potty trained. I believe you would also have to pay for Ava. There are discounts (sometimes) when you book through RCI. It's like after the first 2 paying in a cabin, then discounts may apply to other members that share a room. If you want to take your sweety on a cruise, then I say go for it! What a wonderful family time you will have together!

[bmgaritty]

I believe NCL is the cruiseline that doesn't charge for children under two.

 

Disney is the only cruise line that has a small pool (one of Mickey's ears) that can be utilized by children in swim diapers.

[katyf]

Yes, we are taking my 12mo daughter on an NCL cruise and all we had to pay for her was port taxes (about $55). That is up until age 2...then they pay the 3rd person rate (which is still a lot less than the first 2 people)

 

HTH!

 

PS its true...no diapers in the pools b/c they are salt water. But we are bringing a small inflatable pool to use on ship...and planning a lot of beach days...so I think we'll be OK

[Jenrose]

We're on Zenith with our 22 month old next month. We're paying $600 for her to stay in our room as the third person and $225 (same as the rest of us) so she will have her own seat on the plane... worth every penny to me as we're 8 people flying together, 3 of us are overweight and since we're travelling with a baby, two skinny teens and a tiny little old lady, it should all balance out comfort-wise.

 

I'm bringing a little inflatable tubby for her to splash in--she's not wild about big pools anyway.

[crusinmama06]

Both of my children started cruising when they were babies. My 2 year old is set to go on her 3rd in April, my 6 year old her 4th.

 

Different cruiselines offer different prices for children. Royal and Carnival use 3rd and 4th person rates (so kids would pay as much as a 3rd or 4th adult in the cabin).

 

Disney offers a kids discount, but the price for the adults would more than make up for it enough not to be worth it unless you really wanted to do Disney.

 

Nowegian offers a "port fee and taxes only" charge for infants but your child is too old to take advantage of that.

 

On Disney and Carnival, I was able to take children and infants on MANY excursions. I could even take my 2 year old on a dolphin close encounter.

 

On Disney, you could pay for your daughter to stay in Flounder's nursery if you wanted some alone time. On NCL and Carnival, their kid's club starts at age 2. On RCCL, it starts at 3.

 

Only potty trained children allowed in ANY pool. The only cruiseline that has a toddler water area is Disney (Mickey's left ear is a water spray area that completly drains away)

 

You can take a blow up pool or some buckets and allow your child to play on the deck. Frankly the pools are always so darn cold and so deep that my children (even my potty trained 2 year old) refuse to go in. They prefer going to the beach.

 

I wouldn't let the charge for your child deter you from going on a cruise. I have to drag my children, even the 2 year old, out of the kid's club to spend time with me. You and your husband would have a great time together.

 

Cruises are priced in so many different ways that the add on charge for a child is affordable. It REALLY depends on the ship/cruiseline. The last cruise I went on in December was Carnival Elation, 5 days. We paid only $199 per adult and less than that per child for an ocean view. I booked the trip last minute and couldn't say no to the deal and it ended up being one of the best cruises yet. Our Disney cruise cost us almost $10,000 with the kids being $899 each. :eek: Was it the best cruise ever....not at all.

 

So keep looking for prices. Look for a great deal. And take your toddler. You will be so glad you did.