Celebrity with Toddlers (twins!)

[Muushka]

Whenever I read threads about toddlers on cruise ships, I always look to see if MY main concern is being addressed. And....it usually isn't.

 

They are TODDLING. Can't walk steady; fall over easily.

 

To me it isn't a behavior thing, or a cranky thing, because parents deal with that anywhere and at anytime with children this age.

 

It's a SAFETY thing. You can't keep them in a crib or a stroller all the time; they need to move around. But, they are moving around on a moving object: the ship. Seems like an accident waiting to happen, twice.

 

I think children who can handle the physical challenges of cruising should start cruising. I think that's about age 3 or when they are plenty steady on their feet.

 

JMO

 

That TODDLING issue was covered on this thread, wasn't it? A few people brought it up.

[Drew B]

...I personally would MUCH rather spend the week chasing a toddler around on a cruise than leaving her at home. This is my week to spend time with her (my husband and I both work), and I don't care if I have to spend 24 hours a day reading her books in my cabin, I will be happier doing it on a cruise than at my house. I understand that many people would prefer to leave their children at home, but that is not necessarily the most desirable option for everyone.

 

Your post makes it sound like there are only three possible scenarios:

 

1. Take your kid on the cruise and live with the limitations (even if that means spending 24 hours a day reading her books in the cabin)

2. Leaving your daughter at home and taking the cruise without her.

3. Not taking the cruise at all.

 

What the rest of us are saying is that there are other possibilities that are likely to be more fun, relaxing, and (most importantly) SAFE for you and your daughter. You said that the beach is her favorite thing to do. Wouldn't an all-inclusive beach resort vacation be better for your family at this time? When your daughter gets a bit older, then you should introduce her to cruising and hopefully you will all have a wonderful time.

 

I agree 100% with what Bill said. I haven't had the experience, but that is EXACTLY how I would expect things to go...

[mapman_2004]

Whenever I read threads about toddlers on cruise ships, I always look to see if MY main concern is being addressed. And....it usually isn't.

 

They are TODDLING. Can't walk steady; fall over easily.

 

To me it isn't a behavior thing, or a cranky thing, because parents deal with that anywhere and at anytime with children this age.

 

It's a SAFETY thing. You can't keep them in a crib or a stroller all the time; they need to move around. But, they are moving around on a moving object: the ship. Seems like an accident waiting to happen, twice.

 

I think children who can handle the physical challenges of cruising should start cruising. I think that's about age 3 or when they are plenty steady on their feet.

 

JMO

 

A lot of the reasons given for toddlers being unsteady and an accident waiting to happen sound similiar to some old folks. But, I'm not going to ask that anyone that can not walk by themselves to not cruise. So let's all help watch out for those with walkers, wheelchairs, canes, and toddlers.

 

Sheesh. Don't give reasons for certain peoples not to go, give us examples to help us work together to help each other out.

[Drew B]

Sheesh. Don't give reasons for certain peoples not to go, give us examples to help us work together to help each other out.

 

If the effort necessary to make it work out (and I mean the effort for either the old people or the toddlers' parents or even the toddlers themselves) outweighs the benefit of the cruise, then what is the point? The reason we all go on cruises is to have a pleasurable and relaxing (and hopefully always safe) experience. If we get SO determined to make something work that doesn't naturally work out, we lose the pleasure and the relaxation (and worse, the safety). In that case, I don't see anything wrong with at least giving the WARNING of reasons not to go. They are welcome to ignore the warnings, but if they end up having an experience that is not pleasurable, not relaxing and not safe, at least it won't come as a surprise...

[bill turcotte]

I read a few concerns about the rocking of the ship and if it effects a baby . Our twins had no problem with the motion . Thier was not alot of motion on our ship , but the few times we did feel it , our kids did seem to even notice .

The exception was at the kids pool where the water in the pool spashed so hard little kids had a hard time standing up.

[floridamommy]

We just got off the March 11 Millennium cruise yesterday and had a great time with our two year old girl. She is definitely a celebrity-style toddler. We had a cabin in concierge class, and she asked for the "canapes" every night. She particularly enjoyed the caviar and smoked salmon canapes. She sat through the five course dinners every night and tried everything. In between courses we would help her with the sticker books she brought. It helped to have her grandparents there as well. She never left the table or attempted to run around and disturb people. In fact, after the week, all three surrounding tables complemented us on how well behaved she was.

 

Because she is almost two years old, she had no problems sleeping through the night, although we had one incident around 3pm in the afternoon where she didn't want to go to sleep and cried for 15 minutes. We brought lots of toys with us and she took her play doh out to the veranda every morning and played for awhile.

 

We were allowed to participate in some fun factory events such as the family bingo tournament and the musical instrument session with the band. She was allowed to run free in the fun factory, so long as we didn't disturb the other kids.

 

We obeyed all cruise rules and of course did not take her in the pool, although the pool was so crowded we didn't really want to spend time there anyway. We went to the beach in every destination except for San Juan and she had a blast.

 

Overall, I preferred taking her on a cruise over taking her to a week long condo, (because we got to visit different beaches and destinations) but our daughter is generally a very well behaved, calm girl. I knew she would do well on the cruise. Some kids will do fine on celebrity, others are better off on disney or RCL.

 

My biggest gripe about taking her on Celebrity was the attitude of some of the cruise ship passengers. This is not an adults only cruise. Kids are allowed. So deal with it! Don't get me wrong, 9 out of 10 people were very friendly towards her, but we got a few nasty stares when she stood on the side of the lounge dance floor every evening after dinner for 15 to 20 minutes before bedtime. The poor girl was OBSESSED with the music and begged to dance from morning til night, yet clearly a few adults didn't think she should be anywhere near a dance floor at 7:45 pm, despite the fact that she stood at the very edge of the floor and never got in anyone's way (and was only there for 15 minutes). However, like I said, 9 out of 10 people smiled and thought she was cute.

 

Overall, know what you are getting into when you take kids on this line and definitely bring LOTS of toys to entertain them on the days at sea! It helps to bring grandparents as well so you can get some time to yourself!

[floridamommy]

continuation from previous entry:

 

I should also say that we bought a small inflatable boat from walmart that fit perfectly in the shower, and that served as a bathtub for our toddler. It was very useful and we took it to the beach as well. Definitely useful since our daughter loves "bathtime" and we knew a shower would not work for her.

 

As for safety, the stateroom verandas are covered with a glass barrier so there is no serious danger unless your child is a climber, in which case he or she may climb on the deck chairs or tables and fall out. Many of the lounges (like the cova cafe, rendez vous lounges, nightclubs, etc.) are completely empty during the day, so your toddlers could run around in that area during the day. However, the outdoor decks have dangerous open railings and you really need to watch your kids carefully on those decks. We never really had a problem with people "tripping" over our daughter, and the buffet lines, etc. were not as crowded as people had insinuated. The waiters always helped me carry my tray when I had my daughter with me.

 

As for space, the veranda cabins were plenty big enough for our family - we had the option of our stateroom attendant taking apart the pack n play crib every day, but we didn't really feel it was necessary so we left it up. Our daughter most enjoyed sitting on the floor of the veranda playing with her toys.

 

Don't bring a car seat - most of the destinations we visited didn't have functioning seat belts so a car seat would have been a waste of time.

 

Last bit of advice - try to take a cruise with fewer sea days. The week long southern caribbean cruise out of san juan would be perfect since there is only one day at sea. The only time we felt uncomfortable on the cruise was during the two sea days where there is not much to do with a toddler on the ship. I think the southern caribbean route would be ideal for a family with kids.

 

As for non baby related tips - get delicious coffee in the cova cafe!!! One staff member told us he always drinks in the cova cafe b/c the coffee they make in the ocean grille and main restaurant is simply a syrup that they add hot water to. Nothing is ever brewed. YUCK!!!!

 

Last tip - if you happen to be pregnant or you don't drink alcohol, Celebrity has non-alcoholic drinks of the day that are delicious! i had virgin pina coladas every day and I loved the fact I could have a fruity drink with an umbrella despite my condition!! :)

 

Overall, I feel very sad for this mother who was discouraged from sailing with celebrity. Let's face it - people who like to travel on celebrity will not enjoy carnival or RCL as much. A vacation is for the WHOLE family - call me selfish, fine, but if you have a toddler who can handle celebrity and you prefer celebrity, go for it!!!!

[mapman_2004]

FloridaMommy - Thanks for that great writeup. It was a pleasure to read, especially as we (DW and 11 month old DD) get ready for our 11 night cruise next week. I will print this and show it to my wife who has had some trepidation over the whole thing.

[claud925]

FloridaMommy - Thanks for that great writeup. It was a pleasure to read, especially as we (DW and 11 month old DD) get ready for our 11 night cruise next week. I will print this and show it to my wife who has had some trepidation over the whole thing.

 

Happy sailing - do come back to this thread upon your return and let us know how everything went.

[Ma Bell]

Thanks for the nice review. It sounds like you had a wonderful time.

The OP had a completely different situation than you did. She has twins that are 11 months old and no Grandparents going. I didn't see anyone calling parents selfish on this thread in fact it was the other way around which I think you might see if you read all the posts. She asked for opinions and for the most part the posters who discouraged her were concerned about she and her husband being able to enjoy themselves. One 2 year old child with two parents and two grandparents is definitely manageable. 11 month old twins with no grandparents is a completely different story.

[hcat]

Disney Line seems like it would certainly be a better choice. They would not only be better equipped & have toys for kids but the other cruisers would also be more in tune with your family's needs. Just my opinion...

[burlingtoncruiser]

someone mentioned 'the motion of the ship' - how would one know if the little ones are seasick or not? If a child gets grumpy, it could be hungry, overtired, or possibly, if that child likes routine - that much of a change in routine -eg - a cruise - could certainly put them off. I would worry about the seasickness issue as children not speaking in sentences yet could not really let you know what was wrong.

 

you are the mom, you know your kids so you know what they are ready for, if that is a cruise, go and enjoy. If you don't think they are quite ready, they will grow very fast and you will be able to take them in no time at all.

 

Enjoy your holidays - whatever you choose :D

[Desertbelle]

someone mentioned 'the motion of the ship' - how would one know if the little ones are seasick or not? If a child gets grumpy, it could be hungry, overtired, or possibly, if that child likes routine - that much of a change in routine -eg - a cruise - could certainly put them off. I would worry about the seasickness issue as children not speaking in sentences yet could not really let you know what was wrong.

 

According to our pediatrician, it's very unlikely that a young child should get motion sickness as they are used to being carried around still. It's not until children are older, like 6 or so that they might become vulnerable to motion sickness.

 

And just as with adults, the motion of the ship is very different from the motion of a car, so some might be affected but most don't. I get very, very car sick, if I am in the back seat of a car, yet I don't get seasick only very rarely, and never throw up or have any serious problems, even when I do.

 

I think children are better travelers than some people give them credit for. We have cruised on numerous occasions with children between 3 months old and 5 year old and never had a problem of any sort....and I think that anyone who has traveled with us would tell you our children are well taken care of, and not of any distraction to those around us.

[rebeccalouise]

Contrast in babies. I sailed on Zenith in 2001 with my extended family. My son was a chubby content six month old. By contrast, my cousin's 9 month old baby wanted to crawl and pull himself up everywhere. So he wasn't content to sit for long periods in a high chair or stroller. My 6 month old didn't mind taking showers with his Dad. My cousin's 9 month old screamed bloody murder. My cousin was wiped out and in a bad mood the entire cruise.

 

I had a great time, as did my infant. On my next cruise my son was 13 months. He had a great time on that one too. I, on the other hand, felt exhausted and stressed out. Everyone's experience is different depending on the age of the child.

 

Best ages for cruises are when they can participate in the youth program.

[floridamommy]

FloridaMommy - Thanks for that great writeup. It was a pleasure to read, especially as we (DW and 11 month old DD) get ready for our 11 night cruise next week. I will print this and show it to my wife who has had some trepidation over the whole thing.

 

Mapman - good luck with your trip. Like your family, I read this thread before I went on my cruise, and i was totally put off as well. I would normally not have given a second thought to bringing my toddler on a cruise, but the discouraging comments made me think twice and I became somewhat paranoid!!! However, after I loosened up on the cruise, everything went smoothly and there was no reason to be worried. Not to say that every family will enjoy the experience with young kids, but it's a shame to have your experience tainted before you step foot on the boat!

 

I don't think you will have any problem at all during the days you are in port, but again, I can't emphasize enough that the sea days can be a little boring for the young kids. Bring lots of toys and books, and you will be fine!!!

 

PS, not sure how your ship is configured, but we had our dining table on the second level (which is much smaller because it overlooks the main dining area), and our table was against a window. (we could literally block our child into that area by sitting on either side of her, so she could play on the floor and not get in anyone's way). It was nice because there were fewer people, and it would not have been as difficult to make a quiet exit if our toddler acted up during dinner. I assume your table assignments have already been made, but I would certainly encourage you to sit on the second level, perhaps closer to the door so you can leave if necessary.

 

Good luck and happy travels!