Bringing Toddler on Princess Cruise??? Help .

[JustaTrace]

the mother decided to calm the infant by breast feeding him at the dinner table while the rest of us were trying to eat, very poor manners.

 

poor manners? POOR MANNERS? Why? Since when is it against manners to breastfeed in public? It quieted the boy down didn't it? And, you didn't have to sit and stare at her.

 

It's a natural occurance and should not be looked upon as POOR manners. I think it's ignorant to think otherwise. She had EVERY right to sit there and feed her child as long as she and the boob were covered appropriately.

 

Wow...unbelievable!:mad:

[cruzin2paradise]

I was just trying to interject a little humor into the situation. Believe me, a sense of humor is mandatory to survive a trip with a toddler. I thought I was clear in defending the right of people to travel with toddlers if they so choose. Don't look so hard for ways to take offense.

 

--Junglejane

 

Didn't find it remotely amusing so whatever. Didn't have to look anyway to find offense -- wasn't offended -- just my opinion and making a statement.

[NYCityCruiser]

During dinner the infant began to fuss and instead of taking the infant back to the room the mother decided to calm the infant by breast feeding him at the dinner table while the rest of us were trying to eat, very poor manners.

 

Ahhh! I assume you felt it was more important for the mother to forgo her entire meal just so you were spared the sight of what? tiny feet poking out beneath her blouse?

 

I completely agree that "There will be times when that toddler or infant becomes disorderly and all to often the parents do not take the proper steps to correct the problem." It sounds like this mother immediately calmed a squirming child and stopped him from annoying all the other guests at the table. You should be congratulating her!! Rather than enduring a hungry, wailing child, you were all able to eat, converse and hopefully enjoy each other's company in peace and harmony. That is assuming your sour looks of disaproval did not spoil everyone else's meal!:rolleyes:

[jadejay2]

Hi

My husband and I are planning a cruise on Carribbean Princess in April and will be bringing our 2 year old daughter. Any advise for activities for her? Does princess have programs? Has anyone experienced their child getting sick on board? Any advise on travelling with your toddler would be much appreciated.

 

Before all the flame throwing started, let me get back to the original question with my own suggestions . . .

 

We took our daughter on her very first cruise a day after she turned 1 year old. It was almost 24/7 with our baby and it was one of the most enjoyable vacations we had. Many kind CC members here gave us information that was tremendously helpful. Here are some of my suggestions but take it for whatever they are worth:

 

1) If you have fly to get to the port, make sure to bring something for the child to chew on (sucking on a sippy cup works great) to ease the ear pressure during take-off and landing.

2) Do a search for guardrails for the bed for your child. There are portables ones that you can bring along to prevent him/her from falling off bed at night. A crib (probably too small for a 2-yr old) is available but advise your TA or Princess early if you want one.

3) Pack all the children medicine with you, children’s Tylenol, benedryl, etc. We never used them but they gave me the peace of mind.

4) We brought along disinfectant wipes and Purell hand sanitizers and wiped down the most of the surface areas in the cabin. We probably would do this even if our daughter didn’t come along. Washing hands (yours and the kids) often is a good practice

5) Scale down your ambitions and expectations. We went to ship functions when we can, but didn’t feel missing out at all when our daughter had to nap in the cabin. Honestly, can one possibly go to all the functions even if traveling without a child?

6) Generally, you will find ship staffs are great with kids (most will go out of their ways to please them), as are most fellow passengers. But from the replies here, you can probably figure out that some people are just . . . well, you know. Ignore them! That said, we try to raise a well-behaved kid with good manners at home and that doesn’t change when we are on the ship. Our daughter dined with us in the main dinning room and behaved exceptionally (a lot better manner than some of the ADULTS). She waved and blew kisses (couldn’t quite speak yet at her age) to everybody as she entered the dinning room, every night. We were prepared to take her out of the public rooms the moments she becomes fussy, but we never had to. Parenting does not stop just because you are on a boat, IMHO.

7) We saw a few other kids who were maybe a little older than ours and they were just as well behaved. I was more afraid of the rowdy teenagers but never saw any so maybe that was paranoid on my part.

8) Having relatives to come along so they can baby sit is not a must, but helps. We paid for our sister and her husband to join us for the cruise. We took a couple of excursions (~ 3 hours each) while our daughter stayed with her aunt onboard. We still joked that it was the most expensive babysitting. But it made for good family time and fond memories.

9) The bottom line is you have to look at your own situation, your own expectation, and your capability. Can you tolerate (or enjoy) spending 24/7 with your child, or vise versa? Can you take the extra but necessary precautions? How flexible is everyone in the family? It’s your value and ultimately your decision.

[jadejay2]

Now, I do take offense to those who make blanket statements about us who travel with little kids. I understand a stay-home mom has a more-than-fulltime job and should be applauded. But in this day and age, a lot of us are busy professionals who choose to work fulltime outside of home. That doesn’t mean we are neglecting our children and let the daycare to raise them! There are people who vacation to get away from their kids and there are those of us who vacation to be with our kids, and damn it, we love it! On a plane or onboard a ship, I enjoy the company of a crying baby as much as a farting and burping dino (saw some of them in the dinning room, and they were definitely adults, but maybe not grown-ups . . . the worst part is, they kept on stuffing themselves with food! Sorry, can’t help bringing this up). But like I said, parenting does not stop just because you are traveling. After our daughter’s 1st cruise, we had since taken her to Hawaii and the Far East (13 hour flight and 16 hours time difference, and she had no problem at all!), and will be taking her on an Alaska cruise in May. We had realistic expectation and prepared accordingly. My daughter (proud parent speaking) behaved like a champ each time! More importantly, all three of us enjoy these experiences immensely and treasure our memories very much. Our daughter is 28 months now. When we show her pictures of our cruise and trips, she becomes very excited and keeps pointing out the people and places (“Daddy and me, eating on the big boat” “Mommy and me on the choochoo (train)!”, “Me playing sand in Hawaii!” “Me swimming in Hawaii!” “Me fly to ride the big boat!”).

I can’t ask for more from a family vacation!

[SusieQusie]

As someone who did breastfeed both of my kids for quite awhile (the first one until I got pregnant with the 2nd one 8 months later) I can safely say that I personally WOULD find it rude if someone breastfed at my cruise dinner table. There is a time and place for everything, and I really don't feel a public dinner table is the place for breast feeding. I have no "hang-ups" about it, but I think it is inconsiderate of the other people at your table. Just my opinion........

[SissasMomE]

Confuscius say, "Never argue about children on internet with anyone who has "mom" in her screen name."

 

:)

 

Good point :D

[Hanah481]

poor manners? POOR MANNERS? Why? Since when is it against manners to breastfeed in public? It quieted the boy down didn't it? And, you didn't have to sit and stare at her.

 

It's a natural occurance and should not be looked upon as POOR manners. I think it's ignorant to think otherwise. She had EVERY right to sit there and feed her child as long as she and the boob were covered appropriately.

 

Wow...unbelievable!:mad:

 

The breast feeder is the one that chose to have the child not everyone else. She should at the very least left the table and take care of her hungry child then returned. I agree it's very poor manners. Who wants to be subjected to that while their eating. I think it's ignorant to think that she had every right to do that. She did not....

 

WOW...... Your Unbelievable.....

[HurricaneSally]

The breast feeder is the one that chose to have the child not everyone else. She should at the very least left the table and take care of her hungry child then returned. I agree it's very poor manners. Who wants to be subjected to that while their eating. I think it's ignorant to think that she had every right to do that. She did not....

 

WOW...... Your Unbelievable.....

 

I have to agree here. I breast fed both of my children. But, I have to tell you, after about four months of age, this is not done discreetly. An 18 month old would be pulling the blanket off and kicking around. Not cute, or discreet. Take the toddler to the cabin to feed.

[Hanah481]

poor manners? POOR MANNERS? Why? Since when is it against manners to breastfeed in public? It quieted the boy down didn't it? And, you didn't have to sit and stare at her.

 

It's a natural occurance and should not be looked upon as POOR manners. I think it's ignorant to think otherwise. She had EVERY right to sit there and feed her child as long as she and the boob were covered appropriately.

 

Wow...unbelievable!:mad:

 

The breast feeder is the one that chose to have the child not everyone else. She should at the very least left the table and take care of her hungry child then returned. I agree it's very poor manners. Who wants to be subjected to that while their eating. I think it's ignorant to think that she had every right to do that. She did not....

 

WOW...... Your Unbelievable.....

[Cruisin' Chick]

Not a criticism about always taking the kids on vacations, we have had many wonderful family vacations, but I am curious about the highlighted sentence. Will you never allow your child to go away to summer camp? I know I'm not entitled to the answer, was just curious if you don't mind answering.

 

She's been in day camp, just as I have. I don't think either one of us is the "wilderness" type. Some people aren't. I would imagine she'll be going to sleepover parties pretty soon but that doesn't count, does it?

 

As for: UK's "Never had a day away from your child?!! Get a life love! and give your child a break and yourself and partner - you will all benefit from it. It's nothing to be proud of deary to say stuff like that! Get a life NOW before it's too late!! - it really isn't healthy for any of you.:)":

 

Guess what, some of us do have an active love life when the kids are asleep or at school. And on a cruise, that's what the kids' program is for. :)

[Cruisin' Chick]

poor manners? POOR MANNERS? Why? Since when is it against manners to breastfeed in public? It quieted the boy down didn't it? And, you didn't have to sit and stare at her.

 

It's a natural occurance and should not be looked upon as POOR manners. I think it's ignorant to think otherwise. She had EVERY right to sit there and feed her child as long as she and the boob were covered appropriately.

 

Wow...unbelievable!:mad:

 

I was thinking the same thing. The only reason I never did in public is that I needed to put my feet up during the process...which would be kinda hard in many places such as a dining room. But it is a very natural thing. And legal.

[Hanah481]

How many 6 months to 3 or 4 year olds will actually even remember the wonderful time they had on a cruise?????

[momasita]

How many 6 months to 3 or 4 year olds will actually even remember the wonderful time they had on a cruise?????

 

Perhaps not, but they won't remember their Birthday's either, and we celebrate those:rolleyes:

[Hanah481]

Most parents don't shell out for a birthday, the amount of money that a cruise would cost to take a 2 year old on. I don't know though, maybe the cruise lines let 2 year olds on for free like the airlines do.....

[BarbMatt]

Well, I didn't think it would take me an hour to read thru all of these posts.

Firstly - thanks to all of you who provided feedback - even the negative feedback.

Many of you were able to respond to my original post. You're able to keep your eye on the ball and not wander away from the original question. Love it - and thank you.

 

I will say this though

1.) We are taking our daughter - she is 2

2.) She is very very well behaved - says please and thank you. She is very polite and doesn't have major tantrums. When she does get winey, we remove her from the situation so as to not disrupt others. We crusied on RCC Voyager in October on a Med. Cruise but did not take her - Now, Med cruise would be difficult with a small child if you are doing alot of your own excursions and walking 8-10 hours a day. This is why we chose to take her on this cruise because it would be just like being at home, but warmer, good food, no cooking and our very FIRST family vacation.

3.) My DH and I have no expectations of staying up until midnight and partying - we don't do that now - why would we start. We are going to relax - our Med Cruise was great but we did not relax.

4.) Our daughter goes to bed around 8:30PM right now, and we usually go to be at 10PM. We are going with the expectation that we won't be doing anything too "adventurous" for excursions and we won't be up late. We have decided to compromise on the sleeping and put our daughter to bed at 9 - 9:30 PM and this way she gets to stay up a bit longer and we could go to bed about 1/2 hour earlier than usual - NO BIG DEAL FOR US.

5.) Those that choose to travel without children - good for you.

6.) Those that travel with children - good for you.

7.) We've done both and enjoyed it.

8.) This is our FAMILY VACATION

9.) MED CRUISE was our 5 year wedding anniversary vacation without our daughter.

10.) I work full time and I LOVE spending time with my daughter. I know she won't remember it - but I will and it's something she could look back on in the photos we take.

Life is about balance. I believe our family has good balance and I like to raise my child that way.

So, if you are on my cruise and you think I'm crazy because I'm walking by you with my 2 year old. Don't turn and look the other way. My daughter will surely greet you and say "Hi" "How are you", "Ciao Bella" and "You're georgeous". I don't know how people could snarl at that cuteness. But oh well - whatever. She's sweet. She would even content herself with sitting on a lawn chair reading books since she is obsessed with books.

For those of you that have children - I hope to see more of you on the cruises. I love it.

This is our 3rd cruise and I must say that when we cruised Med - there were tonnes - and it's no exaggeration - tonnes of kids. I loved it! It didn't bother me at all. Many Europeans brought their children and they were all well behaved. Good for them. Maybe we could learn something from our European counterparts. Enjoy life, don't overanalyze, eat, drink and be merry - and enjoy your family time. Dolce Vita! Remember folks - life is short - ENJOY!!!

Thanks again everyone - I appreciate all of your feedback.

: )

[BarbMatt]

Well, I didn't think it would take me an hour to read thru all of these posts.

Firstly - thanks to all of you who provided feedback - even the negative feedback.

Many of you were able to respond to my original post. You're able to keep your eye on the ball and not wander away from the original question. Love it - and thank you.

 

I will say this though

1.) We are taking our daughter - she is 2

2.) She is very very well behaved - says please and thank you. She is very polite and doesn't have major tantrums. When she does get winey, we remove her from the situation so as to not disrupt others. We crusied on RCC Voyager in October on a Med. Cruise but did not take her - Now, Med cruise would be difficult with a small child if you are doing alot of your own excursions and walking 8-10 hours a day. This is why we chose to take her on this cruise because it would be just like being at home, but warmer, good food, no cooking and our very FIRST family vacation.

3.) My DH and I have no expectations of staying up until midnight and partying - we don't do that now - why would we start. We are going to relax - our Med Cruise was great but we did not relax.

4.) Our daughter goes to bed around 8:30PM right now, and we usually go to be at 10PM. We are going with the expectation that we won't be doing anything too "adventurous" for excursions and we won't be up late. We have decided to compromise on the sleeping and put our daughter to bed at 9 - 9:30 PM and this way she gets to stay up a bit longer and we could go to bed about 1/2 hour earlier than usual - NO BIG DEAL FOR US.

5.) Those that choose to travel without children - good for you.

6.) Those that travel with children - good for you.

7.) We've done both and enjoyed it.

8.) This is our FAMILY VACATION

9.) MED CRUISE was our 5 year wedding anniversary vacation without our daughter.

10.) I work full time and I LOVE spending time with my daughter. I know she won't remember it - but I will and it's something she could look back on in the photos we take.

Life is about balance. I believe our family has good balance and I like to raise my child that way.

So, if you are on my cruise and you think I'm crazy because I'm walking by you with my 2 year old. Don't turn and look the other way. My daughter will surely greet you and say "Hi" "How are you", "Ciao Bella" and "You're georgeous". I don't know how people could snarl at that cuteness. But oh well - whatever. She's sweet. She would even content herself with sitting on a lawn chair reading books since she is obsessed with books.

For those of you that have children - I hope to see more of you on the cruises. I love it.

This is our 3rd cruise and I must say that when we cruised Med - there were tonnes - and it's no exaggeration - tonnes of kids. I loved it! It didn't bother me at all. Many Europeans brought their children and they were all well behaved. Good for them. Maybe we could learn something from our European counterparts. Enjoy life, don't overanalyze, eat, drink and be merry - and enjoy your family time. Dolce Vita! Remember folks - life is short - ENJOY!!!

Thanks again everyone - I appreciate all of your feedback.

: )

[cruzin2paradise]

Well, I didn't think it would take me an hour to read thru all of these posts.

Firstly - thanks to all of you who provided feedback - even the negative feedback.

Many of you were able to respond to my original post. You're able to keep your eye on the ball and not wander away from the original question. Love it - and thank you.

 

I will say this though

1.) We are taking our daughter - she is 2

2.) She is very very well behaved - says please and thank you. She is very polite and doesn't have major tantrums. When she does get winey, we remove her from the situation so as to not disrupt others. We crusied on RCC Voyager in October on a Med. Cruise but did not take her - Now, Med cruise would be difficult with a small child if you are doing alot of your own excursions and walking 8-10 hours a day. This is why we chose to take her on this cruise because it would be just like being at home, but warmer, good food, no cooking and our very FIRST family vacation.

3.) My DH and I have no expectations of staying up until midnight and partying - we don't do that now - why would we start. We are going to relax - our Med Cruise was great but we did not relax.

4.) Our daughter goes to bed around 8:30PM right now, and we usually go to be at 10PM. We are going with the expectation that we won't be doing anything too "adventurous" for excursions and we won't be up late. We have decided to compromise on the sleeping and put our daughter to bed at 9 - 9:30 PM and this way she gets to stay up a bit longer and we could go to bed about 1/2 hour earlier than usual - NO BIG DEAL FOR US.

5.) Those that choose to travel without children - good for you.

6.) Those that travel with children - good for you.

7.) We've done both and enjoyed it.

8.) This is our FAMILY VACATION

9.) MED CRUISE was our 5 year wedding anniversary vacation without our daughter.

10.) I work full time and I LOVE spending time with my daughter. I know she won't remember it - but I will and it's something she could look back on in the photos we take.

Life is about balance. I believe our family has good balance and I like to raise my child that way.

So, if you are on my cruise and you think I'm crazy because I'm walking by you with my 2 year old. Don't turn and look the other way. My daughter will surely greet you and say "Hi" "How are you", "Ciao Bella" and "You're georgeous". I don't know how people could snarl at that cuteness. But oh well - whatever. She's sweet. She would even content herself with sitting on a lawn chair reading books since she is obsessed with books.

For those of you that have children - I hope to see more of you on the cruises. I love it.

This is our 3rd cruise and I must say that when we cruised Med - there were tonnes - and it's no exaggeration - tonnes of kids. I loved it! It didn't bother me at all. Many Europeans brought their children and they were all well behaved. Good for them. Maybe we could learn something from our European counterparts. Enjoy life, don't overanalyze, eat, drink and be merry - and enjoy your family time. Dolce Vita! Remember folks - life is short - ENJOY!!!

Thanks again everyone - I appreciate all of your feedback.

: )

 

 

Bravo to you -- it is a shame, however, you had to justify your choice. Enjoy your cruise with your FAMILY -- I'm all for it!!

 

How many 6 months to 3 or 4 year olds will actually even remember the wonderful time they had on a cruise?????

 

Ok - a 6 month old? That's stretching it a bit to make a point. Three to 4-year olds could remember bits and pieces. My 11-year old remembers Disneyland very well and we took her when she was just a little over 2. So, quit being such a negative nellie and move on. The op is bringing her child and anyone else here who chooses to will as well. There are lines that do not cater to families or children and that is clearly where you should be looking instead of criticizing those of us who choose to be with the families we created!!!!

 

It's pretty sad that someone can't post a question for opinion without ending up having to justify their decision -- it's pretty disgusting if you ask me (even if you don't ask me -- it's my opinion).

[jadejay2]

Most parents don't shell out for a birthday, the amount of money that a cruise would cost to take a 2 year old on. I don't know though, maybe the cruise lines let 2 year olds on for free like the airlines do.....

 

We paid the standard price for a 3rd person for our daughter when she was 1. I believe that is the policy for most if not all cruise lines.

 

Years from now, our daughter may not remember everything about her first cruise, but we will. All three of us had a fabulous time together with lots of pcitures and videos for memories. Plus, our daughter gets to see and interact with a bigger world than the one she is used to everyday. The excitement and the twinkles in her eyes were well worth the price we paid.

 

By the way, airlines do not exactly give free ride to children under 2 year old. They don't give you a seat if you don't pay. I wouldn't put my child in the car without a car seat, and wouldn't do things differently on an airplane.

[Casshew]

Hi BarbMatt, your little girl sounds adorable, have a great cruise and enjoy making those family memories to cherish forever :)

[momasita]

We paid the standard price for a 3rd person for our daughter when she was 1. I believe that is the policy for most if not all cruise lines.

 

Years from now, our daughter may not remember everything about her first cruise, but we will. All three of us had a fabulous time together with lots of pcitures and videos for memories. Plus, our daughter gets to see and interact with a bigger world than the one she is used to everyday. The excitement and the twinkles in her eyes were well worth the price we paid.

 

By the way, airlines do not exactly give free ride to children under 2 year old. They don't give you a seat if you don't pay. I wouldn't put my child in the car without a car seat, and wouldn't do things differently on an airplane.

 

I am not sure about ALL cruise lines, but Disney only charges port fees for children under 3....

[momasita]

I am glad you have such a great attitude...I do agree that it is sad we have to justify ourselves, even breast feeding...Sadly, some people have become so cynical we feel we have to do this..

 

Personally, so long as my children are respectful, obey by the rules, they will continue to cruise with us, be at the pools, at family events, and so on...There will always be complainers, but there will also always be HAPPY people..

 

We were all born as babies, let us not forget..

 

Enjoy cruising.

[jadejay2]

Well, I didn't think it would take me an hour to read thru all of these posts.

Firstly - thanks to all of you who provided feedback - even the negative feedback.

Many of you were able to respond to my original post. You're able to keep your eye on the ball and not wander away from the original question. Love it - and thank you.

 

I will say this though

1.) We are taking our daughter - she is 2

2.) She is very very well behaved - says please and thank you. She is very polite and doesn't have major tantrums. When she does get winey, we remove her from the situation so as to not disrupt others. We crusied on RCC Voyager in October on a Med. Cruise but did not take her - Now, Med cruise would be difficult with a small child if you are doing alot of your own excursions and walking 8-10 hours a day. This is why we chose to take her on this cruise because it would be just like being at home, but warmer, good food, no cooking and our very FIRST family vacation.

3.) My DH and I have no expectations of staying up until midnight and partying - we don't do that now - why would we start. We are going to relax - our Med Cruise was great but we did not relax.

4.) Our daughter goes to bed around 8:30PM right now, and we usually go to be at 10PM. We are going with the expectation that we won't be doing anything too "adventurous" for excursions and we won't be up late. We have decided to compromise on the sleeping and put our daughter to bed at 9 - 9:30 PM and this way she gets to stay up a bit longer and we could go to bed about 1/2 hour earlier than usual - NO BIG DEAL FOR US.

5.) Those that choose to travel without children - good for you.

6.) Those that travel with children - good for you.

7.) We've done both and enjoyed it.

8.) This is our FAMILY VACATION

9.) MED CRUISE was our 5 year wedding anniversary vacation without our daughter.

10.) I work full time and I LOVE spending time with my daughter. I know she won't remember it - but I will and it's something she could look back on in the photos we take.

Life is about balance. I believe our family has good balance and I like to raise my child that way.

So, if you are on my cruise and you think I'm crazy because I'm walking by you with my 2 year old. Don't turn and look the other way. My daughter will surely greet you and say "Hi" "How are you", "Ciao Bella" and "You're georgeous". I don't know how people could snarl at that cuteness. But oh well - whatever. She's sweet. She would even content herself with sitting on a lawn chair reading books since she is obsessed with books.

For those of you that have children - I hope to see more of you on the cruises. I love it.

This is our 3rd cruise and I must say that when we cruised Med - there were tonnes - and it's no exaggeration - tonnes of kids. I loved it! It didn't bother me at all. Many Europeans brought their children and they were all well behaved. Good for them. Maybe we could learn something from our European counterparts. Enjoy life, don't overanalyze, eat, drink and be merry - and enjoy your family time. Dolce Vita! Remember folks - life is short - ENJOY!!!

Thanks again everyone - I appreciate all of your feedback.

: )

 

Can't say it any better!

 

Not sure if it's already been posted here in this long thread, but on Princess, you can take your 2-year old to the Kids Zone (or whatever it's called) and play there as long as one parent is staying with her. We are planning to do that with our 2-year old on her upcoming Alaska cruise.

 

Enjoy your vacation!

[nrdsb4]

The OP makes some good points:

 

- Her child probably won't remember this trip, but Mom and Dad WILL and that's a perfectly good reason to take the dd on the cruise.

 

-There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with bringing one's child along on a cruise.

 

-There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with leaving one's child home with loving relatives in order to enjoy a husband/wife bonding trip.

 

It's interesting that some people feel only their way is the "right" one. I can't imagine telling someone to leave their child at home if they want to bring them on a cruise. But then some who are so defensive of their right to bring their children along seem to display the same judgmental attitude towards those who might make a different choice. You know, the "anyone who leaves their child alone for a few days to work on their marriage should never have children" types. They are just as sanctimonious as the people who declare that cruises are not for children if they are not old enough to remember it later. Just MHO.