NCL Kid's Club for two year old

[dinkydog]

Hi, my husband and I are planning our first cruise (Seattle to Alaska) with his parents and our two year old son. I have been researching myself silly and based on our criteria, we have narrowed our search down to NCL, in particular the Norwegian Pearl. One of the things we like is the Kid's Club so our little guy can get in some play time. I read a review on CC from a woman who took her one year old aboard the Norwegian Sun (I think it was that one) and said the "2Zoo" was just a bucket of toys. I'm wondering if that was just that particular ship, or if the "Kid's Club" for 2 year olds is just a bunch of hype. I'm not interested in leaving him with anyone, I'm just hoping for a fun play area so he can burn up some energy and have some fun too, since he can't play in any of the water areas.

 

And while we're here, does anyone have any advice on picking a cabin on this ship? Not only are there are bewildering array of choices, I am also hoping to avoid seasickness, as I am very prone to motion problems.

 

Thank you!

[Kerry's Girls]

Can't help with anything but the cabin choice. Crusing with my toddlers, I prefer a cabin as close to the elevator as possible. The walks down those narrow corridors can be long, and sometimes it feels like we're going back and forth to the cabin 50 times a day. Also, with a stroller, it makes it easier to not have to go all the way up the narrow corridor which is often blocked by a room stewards cart. Also, center of ship is better motion-wise.

 

Best,

Mia

[beachchick]

Actually it's not the "2Zoo"; it's the "Under 2 Zoo" only for children younger than 2 (and not allowed in the program). I know that they have a bunch of toys and sometimes other things, the facility is limited, and it's not part of the regular children's program. I believe that parents must remain with the children in the Under 2 Zoo.

 

For the regular children's program, the 2-5 age group is listed as having storytelling, painting, arts and crafts, age-targeted activities, a treasure hunt, and some family activities.

 

No worries.

 

beachchick

[CanadianTwosome]

The 2-5 group on the Star had an absolute blast! On the Pearl, there were hardly any toddlers, so I didn't get a chance to see them. The Pearl does have a beautiful Kid's Crew facility, though. Here are some pictures my daughter took:

 

http://family.webshots.com/album/572915896mVJRIz

 

I'm sorry I can't tell you more about the program for the smaller ones, but we've always been very happy with everything they've done with ours, and as I said, the little ones I have seen were always happy. You should consider leaving her sometimes - at least for a while - since you can. She may not like it and they might call you on the phone (which they give out to parents whose kids might need changing) within five minutes. On the other hand, though, she might love it and you might love a few moments of adult time. :)

 

I also look for cabins near elevators. I've never had a noise problem and not only does it mean shorter walks down corridors, but I like having an 'easy to find' cabin. If I can get the very first cabin in some direction from a bank of elevators, I always do. My understanding regarding seasickness is that lower and closer to the midsection are the way to go, since you'll have less motion there. Definitely take meds if you're prone to seasickness, also. Better an ounce of prevention than a pound of cure... not to mention the queasiness and possible other 'discomforts'... :eek:

[OCMomof1]

Just got back from a Seattle/Alaska cruise on the NCL Pearl. We had our son -- who just turned 3 with us... Here is some advice:

 

** BEDS -- We stayed in an inside stateroom (due to cost -- we just couldn't justify spending double for a balcony). Our room came with two twin beds and a fold down bunk. On the first afternoon we pushed our two twin beds together so our son could take a nap. Well, the room stewart came that night for the turn down service -- and fitted our beds with a pad and king size sheets. It was so much better than flipping a coin and deciding who was going to sleep in a bunk. With the pad, there was no seam in the middle of the bed and our little guy just slept between us. Do the free/turn-down service each night. They will convert your bed into a king, turn down your bed (with a chocolate on the pillows) and best of all they would fold a towel into a fun animal each night. Our son loved that! (Not to mention they will give you new towels, etc.) We actually liked having an inside room. We thought we would hate it, but it doesn't get dark in Alaska until 11 p.m. and it helped having a dark room for our son's naps and bed time. The light from the balcony would have been a distraction.

 

** The two year old play area has a mini-pool -- (but it's kind of sad) and a few things to sit on that bounce. It is outside near the big pool (but it is enclosed). We went in there a few times, but it wasn't very interesting. Like you, we were not wanting anyone to watch our child -- but we enrolled in the 2-5 kids club on the first day (just in case). It is free and it is a pretty cool area. They have large sized legos, blocks, time in the bounce area (apart from the other age groups), movies, etc. We took our son to it during the day that we were cruising glacier bay -- since he was just not into looking at icebergs. It is very safe and well-run. They give you a phone so that they can reach you for diaper changes, etc. Unfortunately our little guy has major separation anxiety and cried for 20 minutes. They tried everything with him, but he wanted to be with us instead. If he would have liked it, I would have had no problems with dropping him off for an hour or two a day... He needed to PLAY -- and that was the hardest part on the cruise ship. I wish the Pearl would let parents have an open play time with their kids in that area. If that were the case we would have gone their everyday.

 

** MEALS -- Don't feel like you have to eat at the Garden Buffet just because you have a child. (That place is so crowded and makes you feel like a cow going to graze). We ate at both the free sit-down restaurants for our meals which had great quality. We also ate at the specialty restaurants -- Mambos, Sushi, and Teppanaki -- my son loved the Teppan since the guy would throw food into his hat and put on a cooking show.

 

** We had lots of family on our cruise, so we had some time to go out as adults. But we did take our son to a few shows and he loved them.

 

You will have a great time.... I will definitely go back to Alaska on a cruise though when my son is older (at least in his mid-teens). We did have to miss a lot of the fun night activities that are part of the fun of being on a cruise ship -- since we were usually back in our room by 9:30 p.m.

 

Hope this helps.

[bbcruiser]

Got back from the Pearl with 3 y.o. and 6 y.o. about 2 weeks ago. Kids Crew was our kids' favorite part of the entire cruise. My 6 y.o. was asking at 5 AM the second day to go to Kids Crew (that is one thing about balcony cabins on Alaska cruises, late sunset and early sunrise). One time my 3 y.o. was having so much fun that she told me she wasn't going to leave when I came to pick her up. My kids don't have separation anxiety, in fact, my kids wanted to go to Kids Crew more than just hanging out with boring Mom and Dad. We loved the down time :)

 

I can't say enough about the Kids Crew staff. My son has some language delays and prefers his own agenda to structured activities sometimes. The staff tried to encourage him to play the games (he was in 6-9 y.o. group), but when they realized he was happier playing on his own, they were flexible and let him play alone when he preferred. They still kept an eye on him and engaged him even if he wasn't participating in the group activities. They were great. When we got our card to give someone extra praise, hands down it was for the Kids Crew staff.

 

There is one night when they feed the kids and you can have dinner alone, without worrying about feeding the kids as well. But, don't worry about just eating in the buffet. In fact, I think we got better service and more attention because we had kids dining with us. The staff love to dote on the kids and treat them like royalty. We usually ask them to bring the kids' meals even if ours aren't ready yet. That way, they're occupied with eating early (and my kids are the 40 minute, one entree type kids though).

 

As far as cabins, we stayed in a mini-suite and enjoyed the extra space. The pull-out sofa bed is full size (at least looks like it is) and both kids slept on it no problem. We got towel animals every night (probably because we had kids). I think a balcony room will work if you have just one (pull-out sofa has smaller bed I think). We haven't stayed in an inside room, but guess an earlier poster talked about it.

 

Hope you enjoy your trip.

[bbcruiser]

We stayed in a forward cabin. Definitely recommend a cabin more aft (probably the back portion of mid-ship if you're worried about sea sickness). The restaurants, Kids Crew, and buffet are all located there. Every time I had to go back to the cabin for something forgotten (or once, my 3 y.o. spilled milk all over her clothes), it seemed an eternity going back to the cabin. Also, if you're 2 y.o. decides to start potty training, it won't be such a long haul back to the cabin and then back to aft if you plan to bring him/her back to the dining area or Kids Crew. My 3 y.o. is 80% potty trained, and once, we were running down that long narrow hallway because she needed to go potty right after we ate:eek: Next time, we'll opt for a cabin closer to the part of the ship Kids Crew and the restaraunts/buffet are located.

 

BTW, we really enjoyed the scenery with the balcony and did some of the glacier viewing from our balcony with the kids (easier than fighting the crowds with little ones that can't see over other people's heads).

 

Hope this helps.

 

The balcony cabins do have a blackout curtain if the light bothers you. My kids only woke up if I accidentally left part of the curtain open after peeking out the room after they had fallen asleep.

[dinkydog]

All the replies have been so helpful, thank you so much!! Just to be a pain, I'll now have to ask the same questions of the Norwegian Star, as the gang is undecided about which itinerary they want. I know it's an older ship, so I'm wondering if the Kid's Club is as good, etc. I have read many member reviews and some love the Star, some hate the Star, so I don't know what to think!!

 

To everyone who has (and will) reply, thank you again!

[CeleBrat]

We sailed the Star Alaskan route a few years ago, and had a good time. We especially liked the kids pool/playground area, in the aft of the ship.

 

Our DD was 2-ish at the time, and was able to participate in the Kids Club. They did the normal things: face painting, games, crafts, free play, etc. At the time, the Kids Club on the Star had a ball pit, but a recent poster said it is no longer there.

 

Either way, you'll have fun on the NCL ships.

 

CeleBrat

[bbcruiser]

We've been on both Star and Pearl. We were on the Star in May 2006, and there were fewer kids, so they did a lot more crafts. My son has been to both and loved both of them.

 

Our experience with both ships is the Kids Crew staff are great and that's what makes the difference in the kids' experience. They try hard to keep them happy.

 

Both ships have a jungle gym that the kids love. DH thinks the one on the Star may have been a little bigger. Both ships have a Kids Cafe in the buffet area, with kid sized chairs, which is nice.

 

The one thing about the Pearl was the 2-5 y.o. sign in is right by the teenagers' lounge, down a narrow hallway, and it's hard to navigate with teens everywhere when you've got a little one with you.