Toddler on Voyager Class Ship

[Winesnob]

Hello All,

 

My wife and I need a vacation and by the time we are able to go we will have a 20 month toddler. We have cruised before but never on Royal (3 with Princess) or with our son. We are looking for advice on what ship, is Royal a good choice for a little guy and is it worth the $$$. Any advice would be a great help.

 

Thanks

[finnegan14]

Check out the family cruising board on Cruise Critic. There are tons of tips and they're very friendly over there! Good luck and have fun! We cruise with our two under two quite often. You'll have a blast!

[mediator]

Check out the family cruising board on Cruise Critic. There are tons of tips and they're very friendly over there! Good luck and have fun! We cruise with our two under two quite often. You'll have a blast!

 

We started cruising when our son was 2. We did it on the Big Red Boat, which was "the Disney Cruise" way back when. I certainly would start there. However, six months after that positive experience we went on

RCL's Song of Norway (now retired) and continued cruising with him into high school. It was very positive experience for parents and son. Our son is now 23. Unfortunately for him, he is unable to cruise due to his own complicated schedule (aka job!)in spite of the fact that a "free" cruise is still offered to him. So, enjoy every opportunity you can, it goes very quickly!!

[andnickali]

I am always surprised at the number of kids on the cruises (mine included :) ). When I was young a "big" trip was a car drive to the beach- I'm not sure I even knew there were really cruise ships, except for the Love Boat on TV. But, now pepole view this as a land vacation and the cruise ships cater to that fact.

 

I would not hesitate to take your toddler- just be prepared to be in close living conditions- which can be hard on someone that likes to run around. I know RC does not allow under 3's to go to Adventure Ocean, which may be a break for both parents and kid (especially if you are limited on the amount of toys you can bring). Also, the pools are suppose to be off limits to diaper wearing kids- but that has not been enforced on the cruises I've been on.

 

We love to cruise both with the kids- having the AO program allows us to have a few hours to ourselves throughout the week and the kids get to travel to places I would have never thought of at thier age.

[goldensfurever]

Last year our daughter was 3 and we took her on NAvigator, and she loved it! We are going on freedom next week, so she is estatic. She has been talking about it all the time, and she will be able to do some of the kids activities this time, so she is so happy! A cruise is a great vacation for a toddler, because they don't have to be old to enjoy playing in the sun and sand, and all the other things. One thing my daughter loved was walking down on the promenade in her stroller and stopping to listen to whatever live band or singer was playing. And the comics she thought were hilarious. Its a great vacation for little ones!

 

AmBuer

 

Hello All,

 

My wife and I need a vacation and by the time we are able to go we will have a 20 month toddler. We have cruised before but never on Royal (3 with Princess) or with our son. We are looking for advice on what ship, is Royal a good choice for a little guy and is it worth the $$$. Any advice would be a great help.

 

Thanks

[katiel53]

I think sailing with a child under 3 is difficult at best. I know the child will have fun, but it isn't that great for the parents. My niece just took her 29 month old on a cruise and it was a lot of work. RCI has only a 45 minute period daily that is for parents and children. So, the rest of the day would be parent involved.

 

As far as the swimming pools, I think the line is getting more strict on the full potty training before kids are allowed in the them. There have been so many complaints by others that RCI is following up more closely. I have heard, but haven't been on Liberty, that there is supposed to be an area where babies with swimmies on can go. It's water is filtered separately from the other pools and its just for the young ones.

 

If you really need a vacation, I'm not sure that this will be the vacation for you to really enjoy with a tot so young. Before I get flamed, I plan to take my granddaughter on a cruise next year, but she will be 3 and be able to enjoy AO. I really didn't think she would get that much out of a cruise this year. She loves the water and I know it would have been hard for her to be around it and not be able to go in the pool. When we made plans for this year, we didn't know about the babies/toddlers area on Liberty or maybe we would have chosen that ship.

 

I do think you will get a lot more info on the family board. I hope you enjoy whatever you choose to do.

[crusinmama06]

If you take him on a FREEDOM class (Freedom of the Seas/Liberty of the Seas) then you would have the "Baby Zone" to let him splash around in. Unless he is already potty trained at 20 months. Then he could go into any pool on any ship.

 

 

They have the Aqua Tots program for 36 months and under, created by Fisher Price. It is a 45 minute activity for you and him.

 

I started cruising with my kids when each one was 7-8 months old. So it is possible to do it and have a great time. :)

 

And I agree about the Family board, come on over and see what other parents have to say.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=49

[crusinmama06]

And to Katie - you won't get flamed. :) I just wanna say that my cruise last week proved to me that it ALL depends on the parent and the child's personality type. We went with friends of ours last week on a cruise. By the end of the week, the other mom kept saying "I don't know how you do this all of the time with kids!" And her kids were 6 and 7 years old, far from the toddler years. But she just expected too much out of her kids. She wanted to keep them in the kid's camp till 1am every night (not going to happen unless you want some very whiny kids the next morning)

 

The kids ended up being very high maintenance because they were so tired and overwhelmed.

 

My kids had the time of the lives. They love cruising. And to me, any day on a ship is 1000 times better than being at home. :D

[Dollingdoc]

Hi ,

 

I just got back from a Carnival glory cruise with my 18month old and we had a BLAST. We have 2 14 yr olds and 11 and the baby it was wonderful. I love your attitude. I see your cruise regularly. I am planning to book a disney cruise, or liberty by RCCL. But, we had so much fun on the glory that we did not want to be dissappointed by the other lines, any suggestions or input?

 

Thanks,

Laney

[crusinmama06]

Hi ,

 

I just got back from a Carnival glory cruise with my 18month old and we had a BLAST. We have 2 14 yr olds and 11 and the baby it was wonderful. I love your attitude. I see your cruise regularly. I am planning to book a disney cruise, or liberty by RCCL. But, we had so much fun on the glory that we did not want to be dissappointed by the other lines, any suggestions or input?

 

Thanks,

Laney

 

You will no doubt NOT be disappointed by Disney or RCCL. Those ships have many more activities than Glory. How long are you planning on waiting till you book your next cruise? Will the baby be 2 or 3?

 

The only reason I ask is that you *may* want to book a Carnival if you are going while he is 2 because they accept 2 year olds at Camp Carnival. Then waiting till he is 3 to do RCCL or Disney. :)

 

But, if you don't wanna wait to do one of those ships, my personal fav for families if Freedom class, so my choice would be Liberty. You can price it out but the price of a Cat 6 on Disney can get you a grand suite with all of the ammenities on Liberty. And if you don't wanna go that high, you will still get a higher cabin category on Liberty for the same price on Disney.

 

The kid's clubs are comparable. My kids actually liked RCCL and CCL better.

 

The shows on Disney were better than RCCL.

 

RCCL has better service (in my opinion).

 

And RCCL has more onboard shopping, special extras like H20 zone, a casino, ice skating, more food choices and more special activities like the Parade inside of the ship. RCCL just has more WOW factor.