Luisa - Qs about Alaska with toddler

Ok..in 2 weeks we will be on Radiance of the Seas to Alaska. Couple of questions -- 1) I know my 15-month old is too young for the kids club, but can I bring her there and stay with her there so she can play? 2) Is there an indoor kids pool? Or are kids not allowed in the indoor pool? 3) Do kids have problems with sea sickness? neither my husband or I do, but don't know what we would do if she did, in terms of what we could give her... 4) Any tips for jet lag? We are coming from the east coast.

Thanks fora ny help!

[hb mom]

Hi MeganThe indoor pool has restrictions for kids under 10. No kids before 12 noon or after 6pm. Ridiculous. We were kicked out three times by three different staff members even though there were no adults waiting to use the pool.
Both my son and daughter, 2 and 5, got seasick the last full day of cruising (Saturday) I was told by some cruise vets that this is fairly typical . It came on so quick there was no time to take any precautionThat last day is in open seas that tend to be rough . Next time I'll give her some dramamine or bromine before she gets up then eat a light breakfast and take it easy in the room til the rough seas pass around 1 pm. My kids had never been sea sick on other cruises.
As for jet lag, they probably won't get it since you are traveling from east to west. My kids have traveled all over in every direction and they never feel the effects.

Hi Megan:
Glad to hear you're taking your kid(s) on a cruise. I wasn't sure if you have other children in addition to your toddler. Unfortunately, you can't take your 15 month old into the youth room even if you'll be there too. However, you can reserve a babysitter on Royal Caribbean and pay an hourly rate. We have done this in the past and the sitters are usually very lovely young ladies. (The last one got my toddler to sleep faster than we do!) As for seasickness, you may want to try seabands. You can buy them in the cruise ship's store and put them around your/your child's wrists. However, a toddler may try to pull them off... Luckily my toddler has been on 4 cruises and hasn't been seasick yet. My 10 year old has been on 14 cruises and only got sick once. Alaska is generally a pretty mellow sailing region.
As for jet lag, be prepared to get woken up early by your toddler. We just returned from Hawaii (and spent two days prior to that in San Francisco). We are from the East Coast and thus our toddler was up at 5 a.m. most days! At least on a ship, there are plenty of public areas to walk around at that hour. We bought a portable DVD player which helped out in the wee hours of the morning! Lastly, make sure you bring swim diapers so you can bring your toddler into the splash pool if the weather is warm enough. (All lines post a sign that diapers aren't allowed however I've never seen anyone enforcing this rule.)
Make sure you read my articles on this site about cruising with babies and toddlers, along with my article on Alaska for families.
Let me know how it was upon your return!
Smooth sailing,
Luisa Frey Gaynor
Family Cruise Editor