Child under 2 - am I going to have fun?

[brendwal]

Wife and I are going on our first cruise from Vancouver to Los Angeles (NCL Star - 6 night repositioning cruise). Leaving on Sep.21. We have a 21 month old and EVERYTHING I see including any babysitting services are for children 2 and OVER. Are we hooped for childminding? Will we be able to drag her to any evening shows (is she even allowed?).

 

And are they very strict with that 2 year cutoff minimum as she is only 2 months short of 2 yrs old? :confused:

 

All you out there that have cruised NCL with children in that under 2 limbo?

Also, I've heard to avoid the free restaurant lineups to eat early? So dinner before 6:00, and what about breakfast? What is the crazy time?

Thanks in advance!

[cb at sea]

Except for any "adult" shows, of course you can bring her! (And I've seen children in the adult-oriented shows, but I wouldn't have brought mine, when they were little!)

[sunflower girl]

I cruised on the Sun when my dd was 10 months. I brought the stroller that she would sleep in. We took it on deck to get to sit out while she was covered up sleeping in the stroller. She took a long nap while we shopped in Cozumel.

 

She was great at dinner, but I do not think we ate before 6, but di dnot have a set time and NEVER waited. We sat in the back for shows and she fell asleep during the 2 we went to. She was a night owl and would take a long afternnoon nap and stay up until 9-10.

 

We asked for the same servers every night and they were wonderful to her.

 

We did beach type excursions and we had a blast. She is great - even 3 years later. We have gone on 1 adult vacation since she was born and it was terrible to be without her.

 

I do not think I could have left her with the kids program even if it was allowed.

 

The only thing we could not do is go diving. We do not gamble and enjoy a drink or two everyday, but don't "party harty"...wouldn't pay the prices to do that on board anyway.

[6rugrats]

Yes, they are usually very strict about age. You aren't in any kind of "limbo", your child is just not old enough apparently for any kind of childcare.

 

You can still have fun; it's just a different kind.

[beachchick]

Yes, they are firm on the age minimum. They have to be or every parent with an "almost" age child would insist, "But you made an exception for that child, I demand that you make the same exception for mine." (And they'd be right to expect it.) Then, there wouldn't actually be an age minimum/restriction; their liability insurer would be livid; and the kid's crew would be overwhelmed and unable to keep up. Being "just" 2 months shy of the minimum makes no difference.

 

I guess I don't see this as an issue of "childminding" your child or your child being "in limbo." (Parents shouldn't consider taking care of their own child to be "babysitting," IMO.) Did you check into what child care would available for that age before you booked? Believe me, I understand parents wanting and needing time just for themselves. I do sympathize. Bottom line is that, except for the late night-extra charge group babysitting, you and your wife will be responsible for your child at all times. (Remember that non-potty trained children are not allowed in the pools.)

 

The busiest times for dinner (both upcharge and dining room) tend to be between 6:30 and 8 pm. It depends on the itinerary, port times, and other factors, of course. I think the busiest breakfast times will depend on whether it's a port day (pax usually eat early and hustle off the ship) or sea day (many pax take advantage of that "nothing to do this morning" time to sleep late).

 

You can take her to shows, but it's best to sit near the back and by the aisle so that you can leave if necessary. Some shows aren't appropriate for children, but most are fine. You'll just need to play it by ear depending on how she is doing each evening.

 

Hope you have a fun time together.

 

beachchick

[sas80]

Wife and I are going on our first cruise from Vancouver to Los Angeles (NCL Star - 6 night repositioning cruise). Leaving on Sep.21. We have a 21 month old and EVERYTHING I see including any babysitting services are for children 2 and OVER. Are we hooped for childminding? Will we be able to drag her to any evening shows (is she even allowed?).

 

And are they very strict with that 2 year cutoff minimum as she is only 2 months short of 2 yrs old? :confused:

 

All you out there that have cruised NCL with children in that under 2 limbo?

Also, I've heard to avoid the free restaurant lineups to eat early? So dinner before 6:00, and what about breakfast? What is the crazy time?

Thanks in advance!

 

If you were me, you would march up to the counter to reserve your babysitting immediately. when asked how old the child is, simply respond "2". Let them figure it out (bet they dont even have a record of the age at the desk!) The worst that can happen is they do know, and they decline you the babysitting service.

 

We did manage to get babysitting for our 6 month old on RCCL, when the policy says it is 1 year and older. At first they declined us but then I explained that we only wanted sitting for the hours of 8:30 to 10:30, so that we could go to dinner, and that DS would be asleep every night by 7:30, so all the sitter would have to do it "sit" with him. For some reason, that did the trick.

 

I say it's worth the try (lie)

 

Good luck

[crusinmama06]

Sas - when he says "babysitting" he means NCL kids crew. Which as we all know, they keep a pretty good record of who is 2 and who's not on those ships.

 

You can't really lie your way into a kids club. Babysitting yes, kids club, no. ;)

[brendwal]

Yes, we meant the "babysitting" as the group childminding in the evening....NOT the kids clubs. I totally understand the 2 yr minimum for the kids club. Just wondered if they were indeed strict on the babysitting for an hour or two max in the evening to see a bit of a show or a quiet (ha!) dinner.

 

It's really no biggie if we can't, as we are more than happy to cart her around EVERY minute of EVERY day! :p

[sas80]

ah!

 

I've nvere cruised this line before so.....:o

[6rugrats]

Yes, we meant the "babysitting" as the group childminding in the evening....NOT the kids clubs. I totally understand the 2 yr minimum for the kids club. Just wondered if they were indeed strict on the babysitting for an hour or two max in the evening to see a bit of a show or a quiet (ha!) dinner.

 

It's really no biggie if we can't, as we are more than happy to cart her around EVERY minute of EVERY day! :p

 

According to NCL's webpage, your child must be age two or above to particpate in the group child care in the evening - Late Night Party Zone. This is done in the Kid's Crew Facilities, which is the kid's club, and all the regular club rules apply, such as no diaper changing. They will indeed be well aware of your child's age. Check on the ship; I have no idea how strictly they adhere to their rules.

[kr1st1nm]

We sailed NCL to Bermuda last year when our son was 13 months old. We had a BLAST! Not quite the same cruise experience that we had before he was born, but still a lot of fun. We certainly got up earlier and went to bed earlier!

 

Although he didn't make the age cut-off for the kids camp, they did have a room set up during the day with toys and stuff for the little ones to play with. You had to stay with them, but it was something for them to do.

 

Our dinner times varied but we did almost always have to wait about 10-20 minutes. For the most part, we just got a table by ourselves and our son was good most of the time. One night we took him to the buffet early and then got his PJs on, walked him around in his stroller until he fell asleep and then went to a late (peaceful) dinner with him sound asleep at the table in the stroller. We always ate breakfast at the buffet which was a breeze.

 

Our son enjoyed the shows (he loves music) but we did always sit in the back and I don't think we ever stayed for the whole thing. We alternated trips to the Casino (the one thing I really missed the most!) and we took turns just walking the ship to keep him occupied.

 

We purposely picked an easy itinerary (with easy on and off) so it was all very convenient. You can ask your cabin steward to keep your room stocked with milk and juice (kept cold in the ice bucket). I brought some snacks for in the room and for trips ashore. Also pick up a few of the little boxes of cereal at breakfast - they come in handy. A little bottle of dish detergent comes in handy for washing out sippy cups/bottles in the bathroom.

 

One other note - we brought our Pack N Play for our son to sleep in but when we got there, one was already set up in our cabin. We ended up using our own, but it's nice to know that it's available.

 

We're cruising again next month with our just turned 2 year old. A busy itinerary but great ports. We splurged for a balcony so it will be a little more pleasant when we're trapped in the room for naps, etc. I can't wait!

[beachchick]

brendwal: I wanted to apologize for mis-remembering something. I thought I remembered that NCL had late night (10 pm to 1 am) group sitting for 6 months and older. Unfortunately, I think I was thinking of Carnvial.:o For NCL, you have no babysitting/child care options for an under 2 y/o. (I think I also misunderstood your reference to being "hooped" for childminding. You meant "hooped" as "out of luck" for having child care available onboard, rather than "are we stuck taking care of our DD the entire time," didn't you? Sorry to say that my Canadian-speak isn't as good as it could be. And shame on me! We love Vancouver and all of BC.)

 

I think you might be surprised at how well you do bringing your DD to some of the evening activities. Truly, almost all other pax have no problem with parents bringing their young children to shows and other venues, except some which are clearly only appropriate for adults. It's only when parents refuse to remove their children if/when they become fussy and disruptive that others get annoyed and upset. I'm certain that you are the considerate type of parents, so no worries.

 

Naturally, your cruise experience will be different from an adults only adventure. However, you can still have a wonderful time. And because it's likely to come up: Don't listen to the naysayers who spout the "She won't remember the cruise; leave her at home with relatives" line. Certainly that is a valid and reasonable option, but it's not the only option. We worked it out where some vacation time was for the whole family (our DD had been all over the country by the time she hit high school), as well as getaways for mom and dad to be husband and wife too. IMO, it's good for the parents and the kids to have that separation from time to time. I get annoyed with others who insist that parents who leave their youngsters with grandparents or other loving adults in order to have a "couple time to recharge and renew" cruise" are selfish and somehow "don't like" spending time with the kids.

 

I have to say that I strongly disagree with sas80's suggestion about trying to disregard (i.e., lie about age) the age restrictions for one-on-one babysitting (on ships where it's offered). Just because the exception has been made, doesn't make it right. There is, as always, the issue of liability underwriting. Every time they make that kind of exception, they open themselves up to potential problems. We don't think it's right to (try to) lie about such things. (BTW, I agree with sas80 on many, many issues and subjects. This is simply not one of them.)

 

Hope you have a fantastic time together on your first (of many, I'll bet) cruise.:)

 

beachchick

[crusinmama06]

Yes, we meant the "babysitting" as the group childminding in the evening....NOT the kids clubs. I totally understand the 2 yr minimum for the kids club. Just wondered if they were indeed strict on the babysitting for an hour or two max in the evening to see a bit of a show or a quiet (ha!) dinner.

 

It's really no biggie if we can't, as we are more than happy to cart her around EVERY minute of EVERY day! :p

 

But on NCL, the babysitting at night IS the kids crew. ;) Only on Carnival do they take Under 2's into their kids camp at night for "group babysitting".

 

But on NCL, the child must be 2 and it is part of their organized kid's crew.

 

So no Under 2 babysitting on NCL. Unless I am totally wrong...which has been known to happen. :p

[lucigo]

Plan on bringing your child's stroller and hopefully he will sleep in it and nap in it, but also bring at least a backpack full of their favorite toys. We even velcro'ed a DVD player to the stroller so he could watch baby einstein and wiggles.

[Shaylot]

 

Although he didn't make the age cut-off for the kids camp, they did have a room set up during the day with toys and stuff for the little ones to play with. You had to stay with them, but it was something for them to do.

 

 

I'm just wondering which NCL ship has this. We're going on the Sky - do they have anything set up for the under-two set (with parent supervision?)

[rebeccalouise]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I did an LA to Vancouver repositioning cruise in 1998 and it was really rough. This water is very rough and many passengers were ill. In fact, our cruise was a four nighter and the main diningroom was empty on two of the four nights.

 

We were fine (no seasickness) but it was hard to walk around the ship and I would never do another cruise on the Pacific coast for this reason.

 

With a toddler, this might be really hard.

[beachchick]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I did an LA to Vancouver repositioning cruise in 1998 and it was really rough. This water is very rough and many passengers were ill. In fact, our cruise was a four nighter and the main diningroom was empty on two of the four nights.

 

We were fine (no seasickness) but it was hard to walk around the ship and I would never do another cruise on the Pacific coast for this reason.

 

With a toddler, this might be really hard.

 

I don't doubt this one bit. However, every year, every season, and even every week will be different in terms of weather and ocean conditions. September can be one of the best and calmest times of year for the Pacific coast. Of course, there's always the risk that the cruise could be quite cool and rough.

 

I don't blame you at all for never taking one of the Pacific coastal cruises in the future. Even my cast-iron-stomach mom would probably have had a bit of a hard time on the cruise you took.

 

beachchick