NCI: Dawn or Pearl with a 2 yr old?

[joybob]

Hello,

We are looking to book a 7 day Caribbean cruise on NCL. The options are The Dawn and The Pearl. Though the Pearl is newer, I get the impression that the Dawn has more space and facilities designated for youngsters. Our daughter is 2 (and not yet potty trained) and I am really not sure from the info I get from the NCL website which ship would be better for her. For instance, the kids pool on the Pearl seems to be indoors only.

The Pearl does not seem to have some features that the Dawn does:

From the NCL website:

 

' ---Cannon balls welcome here. Just for our Junior cruisers, we offer splash pools on Norwegian DAWN, STAR and SPIRIT. Each ship has its own children's themed wet and wild fun areas-slides, water squirters, and splash areas far away from mom and dad's main pool area.

 

Move over Tarzan, we got kids coming in! NORWEGIAN DAWN, STAR, SPIRIT, JEWEL, PRIDE OF AMERICA, and PRIDE OF HAWAII offer jungle gyms ------'

 

does this mean that the Pearl does not offer all these features? Are these features for 2 yr olds or older kids only??

 

ALSO: Does NCL have pool for kids in diapers???

 

Thanks!

[crusinmama06]

ALSO: Does NCL have pool for kids in diapers???

 

Thanks!

 

No, they don't. When they say childrens' pool, they mean potty trained children's pool. So don't base your choice on the pools offered.

 

Unless NCL has made a change. But I am not aware of any non-potty trained pools outside of Disney and Royal Caribbean.

[cb at sea]

And not all RCI ships have "splash zones" for the "un-potty-trained"! Check carefully, if this is important to you!

[joybob]

Thanks.

I have been looking around, and I think we are going with the Pearl. At any rate, I am not sure how much she will participate, given that she will be on the younger side of most kids (she is 2 and the age group goes from 2-5). Some activities are really late for a 2 yr old, and some are too elaborate. I wonder if they subdivide the kids if they have enough of them.

[rossbabsy]

Hello,

We are looking to book a 7 day Caribbean cruise on NCL. The options are The Dawn and The Pearl. Though the Pearl is newer, I get the impression that the Dawn has more space and facilities designated for youngsters. Our daughter is 2 (and not yet potty trained) and I am really not sure from the info I get from the NCL website which ship would be better for her. For instance, the kids pool on the Pearl seems to be indoors only.

The Pearl does not seem to have some features that the Dawn does:

From the NCL website:

 

' ---Cannon balls welcome here. Just for our Junior cruisers, we offer splash pools on Norwegian DAWN, STAR and SPIRIT. Each ship has its own children's themed wet and wild fun areas-slides, water squirters, and splash areas far away from mom and dad's main pool area.

 

Move over Tarzan, we got kids coming in! NORWEGIAN DAWN, STAR, SPIRIT, JEWEL, PRIDE OF AMERICA, and PRIDE OF HAWAII offer jungle gyms ------'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

does this mean that the Pearl does not offer all these features? Are these features for 2 yr olds or older kids only??

 

ALSO: Does NCL have pool for kids in diapers???

 

Thanks!

 

NO DIAPERS IN ANY POOL ON ANY CRUISE LINE. I think it is a health department issue. Both ships are probably comparable. DAWN has a great kids program and ai'm sure the other NCL ships are similar. If your 2 year old wears diapers, you will be given a beeper and will be pagd if baby needs a diaper change. They do not change diapers

[crusinmama06]

NO DIAPERS IN ANY POOL ON ANY CRUISE LINE.

 

Did you mean on any NCL ship? Because there are 2 cruise lines that have baby pools for kids in diapers. ;)

[joybob]

Thanks.

I mean, apart from the diaper issue (I am crossing my fingers that she might get trained in the next couple of months) I am wondering which of the 2 ships would be better suited for the 2 yr old. I mean, I am not even sure she will want to participate (she goes to day care and all, but to arrive there and drop her is another story) also, she is a terrible napper, so evening activities are out of the question...

I am also concerned about the ports - i always look for baby friendly ones -- ie ports that require no car transport to get to a beach. cus the no car seat thing freaks me out a bit.

[siestakim]

Hi. I was on the Pearl last November with my 5 year old Stepson and 2 year old Niece. They do have a little pool area on the side of the bar on the main pool deck for kids in diapers. It has a little elephant slide and some other toys for them to use. Our kids loved it and spent half their day in there. It was perfect for them and never very busy. I don't know anything about the Dawn though. But I can guarantee a good time had by all on the Pearl.

[joybob]

Thank you so much. You just made my decision easy. How were the stops on the Pearl for the kids? (The NCL website seems really out of date!!!)

Another question for the mommies: Do they have beach toys we can borrow at the clubs or should I bring my own?

Thanks again!

[siestakim]

Where are you going on yours? They are always changing the itineraries and I'm not sure where it goes anymore. Ours went to cozumel and grand cayman and one other place. I forget. Anyway, in Cozumel my parents took the kids to a beach/resort with a pool. They had alot of fun. In grand cayman we did the turtle farm and stingray city. Again they had fun. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.

[joybob]

it is going to roatan, belize and cozumel. i worry about crazy roads and no car seats....

[siestakim]

Well I haven't yet been to Roatan so I can't give you any advice on that one. Belize we did a Land Rover expedition thing which was alot of fun. Had a boat ride and a few caves to go through along with the jungle ride. Might be a little much if you have really young ones. But our 6 year old loved it! But I also hear great things about the zoo there. The roads aren't horrible so I wouldn't worry t much about that. Enjoy your trip!

[14ersco]

We chose the Dawn over the Pearl for next spring because of the ports. The Pearl goes to places more towards history and culture. For the Dawn 2 of the ports have beaches that only require a tender ride: Samana (Cayo Levantado beach break excursion) and Great Stirrup Cay. For St Thomas and Tortola we will use taxi rides, but check the Ports of Call threads for close to port beaches. The Dawn does have a separate pool/water slide/hot tub area on the aft and the ball pit room, the Pearl has neither. There is someone on our cruise who has a 2 y/o child.

[siestakim]

Actually the Pearl does have a giant ball pit and jungle gym thing located in the kids club. It was the highlight of our 2 year olds day playing it that. But which ever ship you choose will be a great choice. There's no such thing as a wrong cruise.

[Silverspoon]

The Dawns's kids pool area is A LOT better than the Pearl's. But there are different issues to consider.

 

The Pearl's is confined and enclosed--not ideal--but good enough, for the 1-5 yr old set, very good for little ones. The Dawn's probably appeals to the 2-8 yr old range.

 

One important thing about the Dawn's kids pool, that many don't like, is that it is separate from the main pool area--this doesn't work very well if you also have older children that would like to use the big pool. Also, we, as adults, prefer to sit around the big pool.

 

The Pearl has the advantage of the kids pool being tucked along the back corner of the main pool area. It's easy to keep an eye on the little ones because it's completely enclosed. No splitting up the family to make everyone happy!