Emerald Princess with a 14-month old: A review

[Baxter]

We just returned from the Dec 6 - 16 sailing on the Emerald Princess and just wanted to report some of our child-related observations from this ship.

 

Our daughter was treated like an absolute Princess. It seemed by the second day both the staff and passengers knew her by name. We did run into very ignorant passengers who didn't want to be on a elevator with a stoller, so they would close it on us, but ignorant passengers was the theme of this particular cruise. We had no problems getting assistance in restaurants, the buffet, for the tenders, or any other time.

 

We were allowed to dine in the specialty restaurant with her...no restrictions on what time he had to eat. They said they were happy to have her.

 

There was only 1 changetable on the ship -- and that was in the kid's club. Now, the problem with that is that they are closed for chunks of the day. Sometimes it's just easier to use a change table. We're not expecting every washroom be equiped with change tables, but one on the Lido deck might be nice.

 

No diapers or swimmers allowed in the pools. Fine...we knew that going in, and we respect the rules. But others don't -- and the staff won't enforce it. Imagine my surprise to find a naked 6 month old swimming in one of the pools with her mother. This probably was a language issue since she did not speak English as a first language: she was told "no diapers in the pool". She interpreted that as "naked must be ok then". I politely shooed her away. In my mind I struggle with this: once my daughter is old enough to realize the ways of the world, how do I explain that while we follow the rules, others do not. And there are no consequences for that. Not looking forward to that conversation.

 

Our excursions were centred around beach days. She loved it and we loved it. We used a Baby Bjorn for the transportation rides, and all was well.

 

We had ordered baby food in case our little one was being a fussy fart with her meals (and she was). It was Gerber food, but they kept sending the same stuff -- good thing she liked Mac n Cheese because that (and Vegetable Chicken) was all they seemed to have. If you're worried about how well your little one will fare in the restaurant, you might want to bring your own back-up.

 

Those are the points that immediately come to mind...let me know if you have any questions...I'm happy to help!

[calikak]

Thanks, this is really helpful info! Were you able to use the children's facilities with her as long as you were with her the whole time? Did they have any toys appropriate for her age? I think I read there's no babysitting for kids under 3 on Princess, is this correct?

[Baxter]

There is no babysitting for the little ones (we knew that going in, so we weren't surprised). We were welcomed into the kid's area with open arms...they had a Little People's doll house that our daughter liked to play with, and a jungle gym area that she would crawl around in. They also had Mega Blocks tables to play at.

 

One thing I forgot to mention -- if you go into the kid's area on Princess Cays, there is a 2 foot swimming pool there that they will let swim diapers in. It was perfect!

[calikak]

Great tips, thanks Baxter!

[Keith1010]

I am glad to hear that your cruise went well and I am glad that you shared your review on this board so those with young ones who are considering a cruise can learn how well yours went.

 

Keith

[dforeigner]

Thank you for taking time to write a summary involving a toddler.

[OnTheBrink]

One thing I forgot to mention -- if you go into the kid's area on Princess Cays, there is a 2 foot swimming pool there that they will let swim diapers in. It was perfect!

 

Is this easy to find once at Princess Cays? What is in the kids' area? I didn't know about this!

[knitdiva]

First of all, thanks for the review!

My husband, 4 year old son and I might go on the Emerald Princess later this year. It would be our first time on Princess. I am trying to get as much info (and pictures) as possible on the kids activities/play area/pool. So if you have any onfo to share please let me know.

 

Thanks!