My wife and I have been thinking of taking our first cruise. Have just started gathering information. Would like to get feedback from real people on what the best ships and time of year would be for a 3yr old boy.
We've been thinking about the Carnival Paradise (smoke-free). Possibly in May2002 which is right around the corner. Do you think there would be other 2-5 year olds on board during thart time?
Also would a 10 day cruise be too long for our first time with a toddler? Should we stick to a shorter cruise?
How do these kid's programs operate? Can the parents take a shore excursion during the time the child is at the Kid's program? Not sure if we'd be comfortable doing that the first time but would like to know all our options.
Also can you get a discounted fare for children?
Thanks in advance for all your feedback. I'm sure i'll have many more questions.
Thanks
I would say your son would be fine if he is used to going to daycare, friends, etc.... by himself. I am just saying that because there are some children that will not let their parents out of their sights for 2 minutes. My son is not one of them he is very independent he is 6. Carnival's children's program is great probably one of the best cruiselines for kid's. I have been taking my son on cruise since he was 1 1/2 my sister too has taken her son same age as my son. You can get personal babysitting or group baby sitting at night pending on ship $4-$10 hour after 10pm. I have not been on Carnival in a couple years but I believe you can leave your son with the children's group while in port if you are comfortable we did it on RCCL my son did not want to go with us. They probably have a children's dinner on the formal nights too like they did on RCCL my son would rather eat with other kid's than to dress and eat with us. My parents sailed on the Paradise they loved it. I am sure you will hear from others but I think it is a good choice.
I'm the family cruise editor here. Yes, Carnival does have a good youth program and they let kids as young as 2 years into the program. Carnival does not offer private babysitting. They do, however, have group babysitting during port days as well as after 10 p.m. Royal Caribbean, on the other hand, has private babysitting and group babysitting. There should be plenty of young children aboard ship in May; if you were taking an older child, I'd discourage you from going then since most are still in school. I'd try a 7 day cruise first -- 3 or 4 days doesn't give kids enough time to get familiar with the ship and youth counselors and 10 days may be too long for the first time. We've found 7 day cruises work best. We're about to take our 8 year old daughter on her tenth cruise and our six month old on his first!
Feel free to ask any additional questions.
Smooth sailing,
Luisa Frey Gaynor
Counselors: 7 to 9 per ship, depending on the season and size of ship.
Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. year-round. Activities also on port days are free of charge.
Cool Teen Stuff: Alaska cruises feature teens-only shore excursions. All ships have video/electronic arcades
Parent Savers: This is one of the few cruise lines where youth counselors do change little ones' diapers. Group babysitting available from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.; $5 per hour first child; $3/hour each additional child in the same family. Note that children under two years old can participate in group babysitting (cribs are set up in the youth room). In-cabin cribs available upon request.
Not available: Strollers
Kids' Shore Excursions: Teens-only shore excursions in Alaska are accompanied by a youth counselor and tour escort.
Rates: Special third and fourth passenger rates.
Noteworthy Features: Very spacious family cabins on most ships, many of which can hold up to five passengers. Water slides and wading pools for younger children on some ships. Parents can purchase a card for unlimited kids' fountain drinks during the cruise. The cost is based on length of cruise. While ships do not have dedicated teen rooms, all have video/electronic game rooms. Carnival Destiny, Spirit, Triumph and Victory have largest dedicated children's facilities.
Wow! Factor: All ships have a main pool with trademark Carnival 214-foot waterslide. Many fun family activities are offered throughout the cruise, such as Name that Tune, family craft night, and family deck games.
I know I am not on the "staff" but my sister and her husband has sailed on Carnival 4-5 times in the past couple of years and has been able to get private babysitting every time they have sailed. My brother in-law is very picky about the care of my nephew. They went to the pursers desk when they arrived and made arrangements with staff that was off duty and did this for extra money. They never had a problem so if this was something you would be interested in contact the pursers desk when you get on board.
I've been on the Paradise when my boys were 3 and 1 1/2 and we all had a great time. Private babysitting was not a big deal to us, and we actually preferred the group babysitting so that we could enjoy the cabin as well as the rest of the ship at night and feel that there is safety in numbers when leaving a child with a stranger. There were some ports we could have left the kids in the kids program (considered as paid babysitting in port, just like after 10pm) My oldest stayed in the children's program happilly only 1 night during that cruise and would not go back. This surprised us since he separated pretty well before going. He was also more than fine on his first cruise on the Ecstasy and couldn't wait to go play during the night babysitting time. On the whole though the program seemed very nice, play room was in a central, easy to get to location, and the counselors were friendly. My best advise is to go in with moderate expectations about how much free time your child will allow you to have. That way, if he decides that he would rather be with you, being that its a totally new environment, you won't feel very dissappointed. I like the fact that the Paradise is smoke free, and it is comfortable. The cabins are a nice size and the food is great. We did the Eastern run on that cruise and the ports were great. The staff on both Carnival and Princess, but I think esp Carnival really cater to the kids and give them lots of special attention. Will be trying RCI with the boys now 5 and 3 in a few weeks, so will be able to give an opinion on that soon.
On the other hand, on the Grand last year, we expected to HAVE a hard time with my youngest who was 2 1/2 and VERY shy and NOT willing to separate at the time. He surprised us and went into the room easily with his brother who also went in easily. Only time he cried was on the first beach at Princess Cays. In retrospect though, I think I put too much sunscreen on his face since he is very light skinned. I think some might have melted into his eyes and the strength of the sun was too much. He did manage to eventually calm down and enjoy the playground on that island. If your son will keep a hat on, that will help. You will be able to use less sunscreen and the top of his head will be protected.
We have pretty high expectations for this cruise since my youngest's shyness is improving and my older one is very social. They both love their preschools, so we are very hopeful they will love RCI's kids program. They now both have a lot of good memories of being on big ships so they are looking forward to it. Bring plenty of sand toys for the beach.
I just realized I didn't mention in my previous post that when my oldest chose not to really go to the Paradise's children's room, he had a brother that COULD not go during the day. I think Tommy was jealous of the time Mikey was spending with us, so that played a part in it. As I said, things improved when they BOTH qualified, and since you have one child, that shouldn't be an issue. Again though, it is good to keep moderate expectations for your child because you never know till you are there.
our son is 3 but will be 4 when we travel. We will be on the Carnival Spirit from May 15 for a 7 night cruise of Alaska.
We did a lot of research and felt most comfortable with the Carnival program for kids. I really hope there will be some young kids on the Alaska cruise, but thinking there probably wont be.
Since you're going on a cruise line that caters to kids, there should be plenty of kids on our Alaska cruise Therese. In fact, sometimes it's nicer to have a few less kids on board so that your little ones aren't overwhelmed by the large numbers that can be in the kids' program in the Caribbean.
Smooth sailing,
Luisa
New to cruising, have a 3yr old.
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