Princess or NCL with toddler

Looking ahead at an Alaskan cruise for next summer.

Our options seem to be:

Crown Princess or NCL Sun

The ports and schedule are nearly identical and price is not an issue.

If it were just me, I'd pick Princess. However, we have a toddler and aren't sure about the kid area on that ship.

Any opinions? Pros/cons of each?

I assume that when you say "toddler" you mean a child under 3 years old. Since the Princess kids clubs start at 3 years, your child would be too young for any of the organized programs. Also, unless fully potty trained, they wouldn't be allowed in any of the pools. There won't really be much specifically for a child that young. I've never been on NCL so can't speak for them. I love Princess, but that's my personal bias. ;)

Also, Alaska cruises are port intensive, so focus more on your port activities rather than the ship itself. Pick whichever one appeals more to you.

Out of curiosity I looked up the itineraries for these two ships next year, and I would NOT say that the itineraries are nearly identical. The NCL Sun includes Icy Strait Point on the southbound, which may be of interest. The glacier choices are also not the same, depending on north or south bound, for each ship. You don't mention which you are considering. I think it would be best to research the itineraries more closely.

I sailed Princess quite a few times with my twin toddlers and we loved it. Princess is the only line I know of where you can take your under-age kids into the kids' area to play during open hours, so we would go use the facility, join the art activities, play with the other kids, etc. Also, Princess tends to have fewer kids, so mine were always completely doted on by staff. The downside is that Princess offers no childcare at all, so you have to be ready to be with your kids 24/7. I don't know about NCL.

All the best,

Mia

I've been on both lines many times, but only NCL with a child. Neither has hourly childcare, drop off kids program for under 3, or a pool for kids in diapers. Even if NCL had drop off or childcare I'm not sure I would have done it with our then 22 month old. She would have screamed and it wouldn't have been worth it to me. On our next cruise she'll just have turned 3 and then we're going again three months later. We'll see if she's ready for that then.

Honestly, I'd choose the cruise based on the ports, not the line. It seems like you're probably looking at the northbound, since those are really similar. That being said, the Sun is one of NCL's older ships (if not the oldest) so it's not as big as the newer ones. That could be good or bad, depending on how you look at it. I've been on both the Crown and the Sun and the Crown is probably a nicer ship but the Sun is by no means bad. I would think the Sun is less expensive.

On NCL there is usually a little play area for kids 2 and under that you have to go with a parent but you adults can't be in the drop off area, so if what Kerry's Girls said about going in the play area is the case on the Crown, that would be a plus.

Joy of the internet is trying to be specific but not too wordy! Sorry if my first post was too vague or confusing. Thank you to to those who replied, I appreciate it.

He will be 3 years old and potty trained-so I guess that's a pre-schooler?

We have been to Alaska before and in fact this will be the second leg of a B2B so we aren't too concerned about the ports. The first leg for sure is on HAL.

Some things we are mainly looking at:

-how many kids onboard?

-How many kids under 5 onboard?

-Hours and programming in the kids' clubs?

-Other family friendly activities on board?

-Food selection and quality for both kids and adults?

-Entertainment for both kids and adults?

He will be 3 years old and potty trained-so I guess that's a pre-schooler?

 

We have been to Alaska before and in fact this will be the second leg of a B2B so we aren't too concerned about the ports. The first leg for sure is on HAL.

 

Some things we are mainly looking at:

-how many kids onboard?

-How many kids under 5 onboard?

-Hours and programming in the kids' clubs?

-Other family friendly activities on board?

-Food selection and quality for both kids and adults?

-Entertainment for both kids and adults?

Ah, that changes everything! That's why I asked! :)

At 3 years old and potty trained, he'll be able to use the pools and the kids club. Good luck with the potty training. Neither of my boys were potty trained until 3.5+ years. Maybe the cruise, kids club, pools, etc. will be incentive.

We've cruised Princess mid-summer, and there have always been quite a few kids on board. Not nearly the numbers I hear about on Caribbean cruises, but around 500, with a wide spread of ages.

You can find the kid's club "Patters" from our 2011 cruise here: http://s204.photobucket.com/user/cruisinmama06/library/Princess%20Patters?sort=3&page=1 These are for the Shockwaves group, 8-12 years old, but it will give you some idea of hours and activities. Obviously the younger ones are more likely to be doing coloring/crafts than fingernail painting. ;) Usually the evening activity (movie, party, etc.) was for all of the younger kids, ages 3 - 12, combined.

I love the food on Princess. The pizza and burgers on the pool deck are great. There's a good selection in the buffet, but I often end up with pizza at lunch. There is a children's menu in the MDR, with typical kid food, like spaghetti and chicken fingers, but kids can order off the regular menu as well. Even on their first cruise at ages 2, 5 & 8, my kids were much happier with the food on the regular menu than the kid menu. Why eat fish sticks if you can have broiled salmon at no extra charge?! Depends on the kids, but although mine can be picky, they'd rather have quality food over junk most of the time.

He will be 3 years old and potty trained-so I guess that's a pre-schooler?

I still call my son a toddler, and he is 3 years and 10 months :).

I still call my son a toddler, and he is 3 years and 10 months :).

That's fine, but in places like this, it does cause confusion, since there's a big difference in what's available on many ships for "under 3" vs. "over 3". My first reply was based on the assumption that the OP was referring to a child under 3, which is not the case.

No worries. I hope the info I was able to provide in the end will be helpful. :)

That's fine, but in places like this, it does cause confusion, since there's a big difference in what's available on many ships for "under 3" vs. "over 3". My first reply was based on the assumption that the OP was referring to a child under 3, which is not the case.

I agree - I posted my answer based on a child under 3/not potty trained. The facilities, etc. make a big difference when it's a 3 year old who can use them. The OP asked about the kid area for a toddler so wasn't bound to get the answers they were looking for. However, the information will be helpful for someone who does a search for information on cruising with a toddler.

Best,

Mia

The kid's club will offer play time and arts & crafts. My grandson brought me back a picture of the solar system. I think they used play dough to make each planet. We always ordered a bowl of strawberries to be on the table when we arrived at dinner so they had munchies while we ordered dinner.

Ah, that changes everything!

 

You can find the kid's club "Patters" from our 2011 cruise here: http://s204.photobucket.com/user/cruisinmama06/library/Princess%20Patters?sort=3&page=1 These are for the Shockwaves group, 8-12 years old, but it will give you some idea of hours and activities. Obviously the younger ones are more likely to be doing coloring/crafts than fingernail painting. ;) Usually the evening activity (movie, party, etc.) was for all of the younger kids, ages 3 - 12, combined.

 

.

Thank you, that was very helpful.

I'm certainly leaning Princess anyway, but a few others are wanting NCL. Of course, any cruise is a good cruise!

What kind of room are you looking at? If you're looking at an interior on the Sun, check out the sideways rooms like 9330. There are a few others with this layout. We had looked at the Sun for next March and this layout is HUGE for an inside room and with a couch off to the side it would be great sleeping area for a three year old. Someone has a video posted showing it. If you're thinking balcony then disregard. :)

I can't speak for Princess, but I did not care for NCL with my young child. The kids club did not offer any type of babysitting so we had no free time. Any tour we did we had to take her on them and it limited us on what we could do. Dinner was a mess, she did not want to sit through a LONG dinner and we couldn't get into the specialty restaurants without a long wait besides the length of dinner. We ended up eating at their diner for most meals because that was the only place that was not busy and we could get in and out quickly. I paid quite a bit of money to eat hamburgers on that cruise (it was the Hawaii one). Disney and Carnival have babysitting for under 3. I have had way more fun on Disney and Carnival cruises with kids under three because it was fun getting some adult time and getting to do an adult excursion and leave the young one (s) on the ship in good hands for an adult tour like jet skiing or something.

NCL's Splash academy starts at 6 months. So I don't know what the previous posters are talking about, when they say there isn't a kids club or they couldn't leave their kids there alone. We are taking all of our kids on NCL in October. Not only do they have a kids club while at sea that is complimentary, they also have kids club activities on port days for a fee. They also have late night babysitting for a fee. I believe the kids club closes at 1030, then the fee based babysitting starts and is available until 1:30am. All of this information is on the NCL website.

No one can tell you which ship. But I have too researched both lines as we have 3 kids. Just on paper NCL seems more equipped to handle kids, especially on a port intensive cruise like Alaska. Some on the NCL Ships have Nickelodeon themes for the kids. I didn't check the Sun, but our ship Jewel, has character meet and greets (Dora, Diego, Spongebob...) and Nicks famed Slime Time Live.

We leave in 29 days. I'll let you know my actual experience when I get back October 20!

I took ds6 on an Alaskan cruise on Princess two years ago. It was probably his favourite kids club experience. The staff were kindergarten teachers on school break. They gave out prizes almost every day. DS cried on the last day because he didn't want to leave.

We were on Diamond Princess for 2 weeks. They listed the numbers and age groups of kids on board. The first week (first week of August) there were 200 and the second week there were 100 (second week of August). This was for all under 18's. The lower the age went, the fewer the number of kids there were. For the second week, in the 3-7 age group, there were only 2 or 3 kids per year, so maybe 12-15 total in the 3-7 age group.

Wow, thanks for all the information, this is going to be tough.

They both sound great, honestly if it were just us we'd do NCL one direction and Princess the other. But because we have several family members joining us on the b2b, the first leg is set. We have to do HAL. Not that I'm anti-HAL, just of the 3 it is my third choice.

We still have time to research it all. Any suggestions on good rooms? We'll probably do a regular balcony.

NCL's Splash academy starts at 6 months. So I don't know what the previous posters are talking about, when they say there isn't a kids club or they couldn't leave their kids there alone. We are taking all of our kids on NCL in October. Not only do they have a kids club while at sea that is complimentary, they also have kids club activities on port days for a fee. They also have late night babysitting for a fee. I believe the kids club closes at 1030, then the fee based babysitting starts and is available until 1:30am. All of this information is on the NCL website.

No one can tell you which ship. But I have too researched both lines as we have 3 kids. Just on paper NCL seems more equipped to handle kids, especially on a port intensive cruise like Alaska. Some on the NCL Ships have Nickelodeon themes for the kids. I didn't check the Sun, but our ship Jewel, has character meet and greets (Dora, Diego, Spongebob...) and Nicks famed Slime Time Live.

 

We leave in 29 days. I'll let you know my actual experience when I get back October 20!

I don't know how old your kids are, but you can't leave your kids in the club unless they are over 3 (110% sure on this). Until about a year ago, the cutoff was 2, but it has changed. Yes, parents can sometimes take their under 2's there to play, during certain times. I'm also pretty sure they don't have babysitting service. Only a few ships have Nick activities.

As for a PP, we've found dining on NCL a breeze. You can eat when you want, and if you are in a hurry, just let the server know. We've also always have had reservations for specialty restaurants, and have been seated immediately. And there is also the buffet, in addition to the 24/7 restaurant.

Wow, thanks for all the information, this is going to be tough.

 

They both sound great, honestly if it were just us we'd do NCL one direction and Princess the other. But because we have several family members joining us on the b2b, the first leg is set. We have to do HAL. Not that I'm anti-HAL, just of the 3 it is my third choice.

 

We still have time to research it all. Any suggestions on good rooms? We'll probably do a regular balcony.

I did HAL for 24 days last summer, in one inside stateroom with 3 kids. :eek: We had a great time. It's dd15's favourite cruise line now. We're going again for 21 days over Christmas.

HAL ships do have a VF category which has a teensy tiny balcony, so I'd recommend anything other than that.

Alaska's waters have been very calm both times we went. So, location on the ship shouldn't matter for seasickness. HAL ships also don't have aft balconies which are favoured by many. Their ships are small enough that it's easy to walk any where on the ship. So, pretty much any cabin other than a VF should be great! You can check the deck plans - just to make sure you're not getting a handicapped stateroom or one of the few cabins that has a shower only.

I don't know how old your kids are, but you can't leave your kids in the club unless they are over 3 (110% sure on this). Until about a year ago, the cutoff was 2, but it has changed. Yes, parents can sometimes take their under 2's there to play, during certain times. I'm also pretty sure they don't have babysitting service. Only a few ships have Nick activities.

 

As for a PP, we've found dining on NCL a breeze. You can eat when you want, and if you are in a hurry, just let the server know. We've also always have had reservations for specialty restaurants, and have been seated immediately. And there is also the buffet, in addition to the 24/7 restaurant.

True mjkacmom - you cannot leave them there without a parent under age 3, however I believe original poster indicated her child was 4. So pretty much everything in NCL Splash Academy would apply to her cruise. But for those with toddlers under age 3, they still do offer Splash Academy activities, the child just has to be accompanied with 1 adult/parent. Also, group babysitting is available from 10:30pm -1:30am. I have checked, double and triple checked on this. Even on ships that do not offer Nickelodeon activities, group babysitting is available.

But just to be sure, lets go to the source: http://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/freestyle-family-fun/youth-programs/faq#6

I have also heard good things about Princess. That might be our next cruise if this one goes well with my 3 monsters. As for right now, I am going to go with what I know. I think the Freestyle dining is going to work great with kids and not being required to be dressed in formal attire is a win/win for any parent.

True mjkacmom - you cannot leave them there without a parent under age 3, however I believe original poster indicated her child was 4. So pretty much everything in NCL Splash Academy would apply to her cruise. But for those with toddlers under age 3, they still do offer Splash Academy activities, the child just has to be accompanied with 1 adult/parent. Also, group babysitting is available from 10:30pm -1:30am. I have checked, double and triple checked on this. Even on ships that do not offer Nickelodeon activities, group babysitting is available.

 

But just to be sure, lets go to the source: http://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/freestyle-family-fun/youth-programs/faq#6

 

I have also heard good things about Princess. That might be our next cruise if this one goes well with my 3 monsters. As for right now, I am going to go with what I know. I think the Freestyle dining is going to work great with kids and not being required to be dressed in formal attire is a win/win for any parent.

I think you will have a great time! We have only cruised DCL and NCL, and actually prefer NCL for the freestyle dining! I think it works very well, especially with young kids - you eat when they are hungry. Plus, if for whatever reason you have to bail, you can come back and try again. I just don't want anyone to think that the babysitting is for babies/toddlers. I know many passengers of toddlers were caught unaware that NCL changed the minimum age from 2 to 3, even though they grandfathered kids in for about 6 months.

Princess does have "Anytime dining" which allows you to eat at whatever time you want and not be tied down to a traditional set dining time. As for the formal nights, it is possible to dress nicely for formal night without messing with tuxedos and ball gowns. It can be really nice to get dressed up and have some family photos taken.

Princess does have "Anytime dining" which allows you to eat at whatever time you want and not be tied down to a traditional set dining time. As for the formal nights, it is possible to dress nicely for formal night without messing with tuxedos and ball gowns. It can be really nice to get dressed up and have some family photos taken.

Lots of folks dressed up on NCL. My gf made an appointment with the photographers, and had lovely Christmas pictures. My family opts out of dressing up. I like the choice!