Week-long cruise with kids 2 & 5?
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Anonymous
My family is looking at a cruise during the week after Christmas to include a grandparent and aunt. (Disney Cruise is a bit too expensive for us and I don't want to force Disney on grandma and aunt). I'm looking at Emerald Princess or Navigator of the Seas (RCCL) which both do Eastern Caribbean routes out of Florida. Both ships claim to have kids' clubs and activities. Has anybody taken little kids on either of these cruises? Am I crazy to think I can keep a 2-year old and 5-year old entertained on a cruise, especially during sailing days? And would I be crazy to book an inside quad cabin to save money? Please share your cruising stories with little ones and recommend a cruise line that worked well for your young family! Or, vent with your horror stories and cautionary tales... 
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Anonymous
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Look carefully at the kids club ages. I think most cruise lines start at age 3/potty trained. And diapered kids can't use any of the ship's pool either.
I like rooms with balconies, bc at least the parents can sit out on the balcony and enjoy a drink/round of cards while the kids are sleeping. |
Anonymous
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I did a week long Disney Cruise with a 3 and 5 yr old. I can't speak to the other cruise lines but I will say that we thought it was too long. The kids can stay entertained in the kids club but we were still all sleeping in one room and trying to deal with overtired kids.
I think an inside no-windows canon would have made it worse for that amount of time. It would have felt Claustrophobic. I could see doing inside cabin for a shorter cruise though. |
Anonymous
| OP here. It does seem a bit limited for the 2 year old, given the restrictions in both the kids club and the swimming pools. Perhaps better to wait a year or two and save for a bigger cabin. |
Anonymous
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We did a 12 night Disney cruise when our kids were 3 and 5 and didn't want to leave! However I think if you aren't able to put both kids in the kids club I would wait. It makes a big difference.
Disney was awesome for our family and we all had a great time. We had a window room and there was a curtain to pull across to make for a separate area for the kids to sleep. Also we had a sound machine so we didn't have to be silent or worry about waking them. They slept fine! |
Anonymous
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I would have no doubts whatsoever! Just make sure you look and understand exactly, what each ship you are considering offers!
At that age group I would not worry about keeping them entertained AT ALL. The cruise is a real adventure and there is so much going on! You only have to worry about keeping them entertained through long dinners, and not trying to do too much, like on any other vacation with that age set. We have experience with Disney Cruises at age 2 and age 3 and it was great! I will say that we thought 4 nights is too short! Too much packing and too much prep and then it's already over! We thought 5 nights was great, but could have stayed longer! We will do a 7 night next year with a 4, almost 5 year old and a 1.5 year old. |
Anonymous
| I wouldn't do it |
Anonymous
| If I were going to sail on Royal Caribbean, I'd really want to go on the Oasis or Quantum class ships. These are the newest classes and largest class of ships from Royal Caribbean, and they have a lot more stuff for kids on them than the older ships like Navigator of the Seas. Better kids clubs, nurseries for young kids, splash areas that kids in diapers can use, and stuff like that. |
Anonymous
| we did RCCL w 2 and 5 y/o. Horrible. Two year old was bored and stir crazy in babysitting. Five year old hated kids club--mostly 3 y/o on this cruise--and refused to go back. beds in the ceiling scared all of us so the kids took one bed and parents sleptin separate twin "sky" beds which were miserable. nothing to do on sail days. never again. |
Anonymous
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We cruised disney with kids age 2, 4, 7 and 11. We never used the kids clubs. Kids had a blast (actually, we all had a blast). 5 nights were perfect for us, but we are considering a 6 or 7 night on another line (disney is very expensive).
We split up a few times to do various age appropriate activities, and that worked well for us. |
Anonymous
| The cabins are usually tiny. I shared a quad cabin (and ended up with a bed stored in the ceiling) with my mom and two adult siblings several years ago. I wouldn't recommend an interior quad cabin with a 2 year old. |
Anonymous
This, but we were afraid to have a balcony with a 3-year-old. Whatever you decide, I think a week is too long. |
Anonymous
The Disney balconies are covered with Plexiglass-- I wasn't worried for a second with my 3-year-old. |
Anonymous
| Just got back from a 7 day with my 3 and 7 yr olds. The kids club didn't have enough beepers to get a hold of us if there was an emergency. We had an inside quad and I had a panic attack the first night. My little one kept waking up and I wAs so scared that she would wake the whole ship. I'm still waking up in a panic every night. The family had fun but I wish we just went to a beach. |
Anonymous
Why there is absolutely no way a 3 year old could get over the balcony, I doubt they could ven open the door. |