Crown Princess w/3 year old

[live4vacation]

Hello,

We are thinking of taking our 3 year old on the Crown Princess out of San Juan the end of Nov/early Dec. I was wondering if anyone has taken their kids on this ship and if you had any experience with the kids club. We will be leaving from Detroit and wondering if we need to leave a day early. If so, does anyone have any hotels they can recommend that are kid friendly?

Any advice on shore excursions for St. Kitts & Bonaire would be helpful. This will be our first family cruise vacation and any advice is much appreciated.....:) Thank you in advance!!

[rebeccalouise]

Stay at the Sheraton Old San Juan. Get a one bedroom suite. It has a pullout sofa in the livingroom. The hotel is great- it is right across the street from where the ship docks and you can stroll around San Juan and visit the fort and the governor's mansion (highlights of my trip). There is a gyser fountain on the way to the Fort and the kids can run around and get wet- great if it is hot. They'll dry off quickly. Bring bottled water in the stroller- you'll need it. I really like San Juan and it is a great idea to fly in a day early.

 

As for the Crown... I have not sailed her but was on Sapphire Princess with my then four year old son. He loved being a Princess Pelican. It is a nice clean room with arts and crafts tables, a little lounge are to watch movies and a playyard outside. There is also a kids pool. The hot tubs in the aft part of the ship are great- they are huge and my son loved swimming in them without the bubbles on. Really relaxing. Have a great time- you 3 year old will be in good hands.

[TropicalSnowflake]

Hi there!

 

We are booked on the Crown for the 12/8 sailing with a then-to-be 3.5 y/o and 14 m/o. We are staying at the Hilton Resort the night before. I would recommend going a day early that time of year. We are coming from Vermont.

 

We did the Serenade in Dec. 05 with our son, then 21 m/o. We stayed at the Sheraton OSJ hotel because is was right in OSJ, but we decided to do the Hilton Resort this time because of the extensive pool and beach. We did it this way because the kids like the water, not necessarily the sights. We also used Priceline to book Hilton so the price was great (we bid $80 and got our bid).

 

Sorry I can not answer about kids club, but I have researched a bit and it seems like the Princess kids club is a lot of arts and crafts. My son is not into that too much so we intend to keep him with us and stay at the pools or near music (our 3 y/o LOVES to dance). This ship only has one day at sea anyway, so it would only be one day we'd have to worry about "what to do" with the kids.

 

It will be our first time to St. Kitts and Bonaire so I can not offer any info. But, I have heard that Bonaire is a great snorkeling destination so we'll probably do something where we can snorkel at a beach so we can take turns staying on shore with the kids.

 

 

And, if you DO book the Crown for 12/8, stay in touch with us on our roll call!

[merela]

If your 3YO has never had any preschool experience prior to you board the ship, he/she will have a hard time adapting to be left alone at the kids' club.

 

So whe it comes down to it, it's not whether the kids' club will keep your child happy, but whether your child will let you leave him or her alone. If your 3YO child can stand being away from you, then he/she will have a great time at the kids' club. It'll be like a regular daycare or preschool with arts and crafts and activities.

 

My 3.5YO son was not ready. He only had 6 weeks of preschool before we boarded the ship. He screamed when we were leaving him, but the camp counsellors told us just to leave. When we returned 3 hours later, he was still weeping and one of the camp counsellor held him the entire 3 hours. Although I appreciated the work these camp counsellors do, I chose not to put my son at the kids' club because he was so upset. After all, it was his vacation too.

 

BTW, your 3YO will need to be potty trained OR you can tell the club counsellors to beep you (they give you a beeper) whenever they smell a diaper. These counsellors will not change diapers for you.

[rebeccalouise]

I took a break from cruising from the time my son was 13 months until he was nearly 4. He loved the kids club at that point but I agree that bearly 3 might be a bit young if your child is clingy.

 

There was the cutest little two year old boy on Disney. He just didn't want to go to the babysitting. He screamed bloody murder and when the parents picked him up- he was so happy and wiped out from all the crying.

I would never do that to a kid on vacation. It should be fun for the entire family. Something the kids look forward to in the future.

 

My older son NEVER went to the kids club. He started cruising at age 8 and just didn't want to go. He had a great time just exploring the ship and hanging by the pool with Mom. He watched movies in the cabin at night- while I enjoyed some nightlife. It works, just be flexible. Every kid is different. Now, having said that I talked my tablemate's daughter into trying the kids club on Constellation and she LOVED it and wished she hadn't waited so long to join in. So I would encourage them to try it and not force them if they don't like it.

[live4vacation]

Thanks everyone for all the great info---we just booked the Crown for the Nov 24th sailing. :D

[helenb]

We took our (then) 3 y.o. and 5 y.o. on Sapphire Princess and they both loved the Kids Club. True, the 3 y.. wasn't so interested in the arts and crafts, but there were lots of other activities and toys to keep him busy. None of the activities are mandatory, and as long as the kids aren't getting in each others' way, they can do what they want (unlike on RCCL, where they seemed to rais a stink about the fact that my son didn't want to sit in the group time but instead preferred to play with the toys).

 

I think your 3 y.o. will have a great time! Enjoy your cruise!