Anyone been on NCL Dawn ? Going w/ 2 yr old?Advice/comments

I'm a first time cruiser! Have a 2 yr old and need any advice

Dear Seline:
I have a toddler (18 month old son) so I know your concern about taking a little one on a cruise. My son went on two cruises last year as an infant and we all had a great time, especially his nine year old sister!
NCL is a good choice for you since they (and Carnival) are the only lines accepting two year olds into their free youth programs. The Dawn is a very family friendly ship -- there is a huge water play area for kids including small water slides, splash pool, a few park like toys to ride/climb on. The youth room is very large too and even has a separate nap area for toddlers. There is some soft equipment for kids to play with too. And the Lido Cafe even has a kid-sized buffet area. Also, NCL offers FreeStyle cruising, meaning you can eat whenever and wherever you want. This is handy since little ones don't always last until the official dinner seating time that most ships still have.
I hope this is helpful. Please let me know if you have other questions.
When are you sailing? Please let me know how the cruise went upon your return.
Smooth sailing,
Luisa Frey Gaynor

[Angela]

Hi Seline:

I have not been on the Dawn before but we are sailing on 04/12/03 with a nearly 3 year old and an 8 year old.. I have only heard great things about cruising NCL with kids and we are sooo excited. I think you made a great choice with the Dawn.

Angela

Hi Selene,
My family just got back from a March 8 Eastern Carribean cruise on the Dawn. We have two small children (ages 5.5 and 2.5).
The Dawn is a beautiful ship with very nice cabins (the regular cabins are a bit small with the kids, but liveable) and lots of fun stuff for the kids. My five year old LOVED the kids camp and counselors. In fact, during the hours that the camp wasn't open, he continually asked when he could go back. Unfortunately, my two year old was not as impressed. He refused to stay (even tho his brother was there). This was a bit of a disappointment since my husband and I had hoped for some "us" time while both kids were at camp, but we adjusted and had a great time anyway.
The kids really enjoyed the kid-sized buffet in the Garden Cafe. They always had good "kid friendly" stuff to eat. (All the food on board was quite good . . . and I'm at least 5 pounds heavier to prove it!!
Whether your baby goes to the "camp" or not, I'm sure you will love the Dawn. It is a beautiful and immaculate ship. The staff is quite nice and helpful and good with kids.
A couple suggestions: take several swimsuits and cover-ups (this was all we wore on at-sea days), don't worry so much about taking dressy things (meals in the Garden Cafe are always casual -even swimsuits are ok during the day) - a few nice pants and shirts (for men/boys) and sundresses (for girls/ladies) is all you really need (for the dressier restaurants). We really over-packed, tho I wish I had taken more t-shirts for the kids (they showed the dirt and looked rough by the end of the day!)
Anyway, if you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them. You will love the Dawn. I'd go back tomorrow if possible (. . . and my 5 year old asked if we could live there . . . I figure that's a pretty good endorsement).
Camille

[Nanatravel]

The only recommendation that I can think of is for you to bring along an Umbrella style stroller for walks on deck (think nap) and your excursions on shore. You & your child will be so much happier when he is being driven around rather than carried.
Bon Voyage

when are you going on the dawn cruise..i'm going in may on the 18th i will also have a child but she will be 13 months at the time. i was worried about bringing her ..but after all of you comments on the dawn i'm now very excited

Last year I went on a cruise with my 2 yr. old and the hardest part was getting him to sleep at night. Being in the same room with us was difficult and I usually laid with him every night until he fell asleep. Also not being allowed in the pool as he was not potty trained was hard as he wanted to be where his sister was. We were on Disney and their kid program started at 3 yrs. old so we could only drop him occassionally in group babysitting which I always felt guilty about. All in all we all had a great time and I do not regret going with him.