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RC Granduer of the Seas with a 2 year old


mvanella
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My wife and I have both cruised a few times before on Carnival and RC. This will be our first cruise with a child. We are going for my sister's wedding which will be on the ship. It's also our first vacation in a while so we are excited.

 

I wanted to hear from other parents who have cruised with toddlers about their experience cruising, especially those who may have cruised on Grandeur or any of the other ships in the Vision class (Enchantment, Vision, Rhapsody, Legend, Splendour).

 

I know that RC offers the RC Royal Tots program, but that seems to be just a 45 minute thing with the parents involved. I also know they offer in room babysitting. Is there anything else they offer for a 2 year old that would allow my wife and I to get away for a few hours once in a while?

 

Here are a few questions:

 

-Was it easy?

-What safety precautions did you take (I have a morbid fear of him falling off the ship which is why I bought a child's leash backpack, he's extremely curious)?

-Do they allow toddlers to swim if they have swim diapers?

-How was childcare?

-Did you use in room baby sitting?

-Did you bring your own pack'n'play or did you use one provided by the ship?

-Were highchairs readily available at dinner?

-I have heard that on RC they will take your child after 30 minutes at dinner for childcare, is this true? Is there an age limit (3 and up)?

 

Anything I might not be considering?

 

My parents and both of my sisters who are also parents as well as my grandparents will be on this cruise so we will have a lot of child care options available, which is a blessing.

Edited by mvanella
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Can't help with most of your questions, but with regards to the swimming, that's something I do know about.

 

USPH regulations do not allow anyone in diapers (swim or otherwise) that is not completely potty trained in any pool onboard ships (this includes adults with incontinence issues). There are a few ships (RCI's Allure and Oasis, and a couple of the newer Disney) that have "infant only recreational water feature". This is a small splash area (just water jets spraying up) where infants in swim diapers can play. These "pools" have extra sanitizing features to the other pools, and must have an attendant there, and a supply of swim diapers.

 

Many people bring a very small blow up pool, blow it up next to their lounge chairs on the pool deck, fill it from the pool showers, and let the little ankle biter splash in it. You can dump it in the pool shower.

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Your child won't be able to "fall" off the ship....you'd have to throw them overboard! No worries!

 

High chairs and pack and plays are available on the ship..no need to bring your own. You should bring a stroller...there's a lot of walking on the ship and in ports!

 

There is really nothing for under 3, unless the ship has a "Royal Nursery", which I don't think Granduer has....so it will be up to you to entertain your little one. They do have toys for borrowing, tho....so you can change up the toy situation from time to time!

 

Babysitting (in cabin) should be booked as soon as you board. They don't guarantee there will be babysitters avail, so grab it while you can!

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My wife and I have both cruised a few times before on Carnival and RC. This will be our first cruise with a child. We are going for my sister's wedding which will be on the ship. It's also our first vacation in a while so we are excited.

 

I wanted to hear from other parents who have cruised with toddlers about their experience cruising, especially those who may have cruised on Grandeur or any of the other ships in the Vision class (Enchantment, Vision, Rhapsody, Legend, Splendour).

 

I know that RC offers the RC Royal Tots program, but that seems to be just a 45 minute thing with the parents involved. I also know they offer in room babysitting. Is there anything else they offer for a 2 year old that would allow my wife and I to get away for a few hours once in a while?

 

Here are a few questions:

 

-Was it easy?

-What safety precautions did you take (I have a morbid fear of him falling off the ship which is why I bought a child's leash backpack, he's extremely curious)?

-Do they allow toddlers to swim if they have swim diapers?

-How was childcare?

-Did you use in room baby sitting?

-Did you bring your own pack'n'play or did you use one provided by the ship?

-Were highchairs readily available at dinner?

-I have heard that on RC they will take your child after 30 minutes at dinner for childcare, is this true? Is there an age limit (3 and up)?

 

Anything I might not be considering?

 

My parents and both of my sisters who are also parents as well as my grandparents will be on this cruise so we will have a lot of child care options available, which is a blessing.

 

 

We traveled on Grandeur with our son. He was one month shy of 4, and he was potty trained, so our experience may be slightly different.

 

First, the ship is very easy, as it is small and beautiful - plenty of places where you can go and have beautiful views of the seas - both indoor and outside, which are also very safe for little ones. The staff is fantastic.

 

Second, you are in luck - Grandeur does have a nursery, so you can drop your child off. It does cost though - $6 an hour. Also, Grandeur has three specialty restaurants, which are great and much more intimate for a romantic dining experience (we celebrated our 10 year anniversary at Izumi). When you board, there will be open house in afternoon and evening - go and register, and they will give you all the details about the other activities they offer.

 

Third, we did use in-room babysitting. As PP mentioned, you need to book 24 hours in advance, but there is no guaranty that you can get it, so the nursery may be a better option.

 

Fourth, the early pickup is for Adventure Ocean, so that will not really be an option - but, the walk from MDR to Nursery is maybe 5-10 minutes, so one of you could run your child over to nursery during meal. Or, if you are doing MTD, you can drop off at 7pm and then head over the MDR. We ended up eating at WJ because our son hated MDR - it is very overwhelming with all the people in there. Not sure about high chairs, but believe they have them there.

 

We did not need PNP, but the ship will provide one. I think your TA can request this, or you can in advance. If not, ask your room steward as soon as you get into your room. One thing, I have seen other parents recommend bringing your own blankets and pillow, so kids have something familiar.

 

We also brought some toys, although RC has a toy lending program, so not totally necessary. We downloaded some videos on iPad and brought some DVD's (we had a DVD player in our room, which was a suite). But, our son loved that at night.

 

As mentioned, the children have to be potty-trained, so if possible work on this. Grandeur has a great little splash area that was perfect for our son, so if you can get yours trained before the cruise, this will be great option. If not, look at the ports you will be visiting, and plan for beach days.

 

Two last things - bring everything you need - diapers, medications, etc., as the ship does not carry many of these things. Second, depending on your room, you will only have a shower, so prepare your child for that as some do not like showers...lol

 

Hope this helps. I have a review posted with my signature and the AO daily planners, although I do not think they cover the nursery. We loved the Grandeur - great ship, very relaxing vacation with a little one.

 

 

 

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My wife and I have both cruised a few times before on Carnival and RC. This will be our first cruise with a child. We are going for my sister's wedding which will be on the ship. It's also our first vacation in a while so we are excited.

 

I wanted to hear from other parents who have cruised with toddlers about their experience cruising, especially those who may have cruised on Grandeur or any of the other ships in the Vision class (Enchantment, Vision, Rhapsody, Legend, Splendour).

 

I know that RC offers the RC Royal Tots program, but that seems to be just a 45 minute thing with the parents involved. I also know they offer in room babysitting. Is there anything else they offer for a 2 year old that would allow my wife and I to get away for a few hours once in a while?

 

Here are a few questions:

 

-Was it easy?

-What safety precautions did you take (I have a morbid fear of him falling off the ship which is why I bought a child's leash backpack, he's extremely curious)?

-Do they allow toddlers to swim if they have swim diapers?

-How was childcare?

-Did you use in room baby sitting?

-Did you bring your own pack'n'play or did you use one provided by the ship?

-Were highchairs readily available at dinner?

-I have heard that on RC they will take your child after 30 minutes at dinner for childcare, is this true? Is there an age limit (3 and up)?

 

Anything I might not be considering?

 

My parents and both of my sisters who are also parents as well as my grandparents will be on this cruise so we will have a lot of child care options available, which is a blessing.

 

We sailed On Allure with DD at 2. While it's a different ship, I'll share our experience.

 

- It wasn't difficult overall, but there were some challenging moments (1st night dining room ended with me leaving with DD before main course).

 

- Our main safety precaution was that DD was never on the balcony alone. I did have the leash, but we didn't end up using it. We only used the umbrella stroller when exploring the ship day 1 & in 1 port.

 

-Swim diapers are not allowed & they are very strict. We got DD potty trained before our cruise (we knew there would vibe meltdowns if she couldn't explore the entire kids pool area--Allure does have an area for diapered ones, but it is small). Pool attendants questioned the parents of any children under 3 in the pool area (easy to identify b/c under 3 don't get the wristbands those over 3 get).

 

-Childcare was great! We used the nursery one night & DD didn't want go leave. She loved it. They were extremely professional!

 

- With the nursery being so great, we didn't even consider in room babysitting.

 

- DD was way too big for a pack n play (we would have used theirs if she still could have slept in one). The original plan was for her to sleep on the sofa bed, but in the end, the cabin steward made her a bed on the floor each evening with the bedding. It worked out great (no worries about falling out & it took up a lot less room).

 

-I remember seeing highchairs in the dining room. DD was too large for one, but they did offer a booster seat.

 

- picking them up from the dining room is for those in Adventure Ocean (3+).

 

As others have said, take everything you might need (diapers, wipes, all children's medicines, etc) and be flexible.

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My wife and I have both cruised a few times before on Carnival and RC. This will be our first cruise with a child. We are going for my sister's wedding which will be on the ship. It's also our first vacation in a while so we are excited.

 

I wanted to hear from other parents who have cruised with toddlers about their experience cruising, especially those who may have cruised on Grandeur or any of the other ships in the Vision class (Enchantment, Vision, Rhapsody, Legend, Splendour).

 

I know that RC offers the RC Royal Tots program, but that seems to be just a 45 minute thing with the parents involved. I also know they offer in room babysitting. Is there anything else they offer for a 2 year old that would allow my wife and I to get away for a few hours once in a while?

 

Here are a few questions:

 

-Was it easy?

-What safety precautions did you take (I have a morbid fear of him falling off the ship which is why I bought a child's leash backpack, he's extremely curious)?

-Do they allow toddlers to swim if they have swim diapers?

-How was childcare?

-Did you use in room baby sitting?

-Did you bring your own pack'n'play or did you use one provided by the ship?

-Were highchairs readily available at dinner?

-I have heard that on RC they will take your child after 30 minutes at dinner for childcare, is this true? Is there an age limit (3 and up)?

 

Anything I might not be considering?

 

My parents and both of my sisters who are also parents as well as my grandparents will be on this cruise so we will have a lot of child care options available, which is a blessing

.

 

 

Just got off Grandeur of the Seas, my DH and I travelled with our DDs age 5 and 13 months. Had a wonderful experience from the crew having kids. Was very easy to get around the ship with a stroller. We took our own pack n play so have no experience using the ships. We requested a highchair in the MDR on the first night and every other night it was there waiting for us at our table when we arrived, can be used with or without the tray. Did have one day for breakfast in the Windjammer that there were no more high chairs available as they were all in use. There is a Royal Tots Nursery on Grandeur, didn't use at all. Did look in the door of it one night while picking our 5 yr old up from Adventure Ocean. There was one staff member and 2 infants, both in their own stroller sleeping. Toddlers in swim diapers are not allowed in the pool, however we did see other kids in them and the pool attendant didn't say anything to the parents.

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Just got off Grandeur of the Seas, my DH and I travelled with our DDs age 5 and 13 months. Had a wonderful experience from the crew having kids. Was very easy to get around the ship with a stroller. We took our own pack n play so have no experience using the ships. We requested a highchair in the MDR on the first night and every other night it was there waiting for us at our table when we arrived, can be used with or without the tray. Did have one day for breakfast in the Windjammer that there were no more high chairs available as they were all in use. There is a Royal Tots Nursery on Grandeur, didn't use at all. Did look in the door of it one night while picking our 5 yr old up from Adventure Ocean. There was one staff member and 2 infants, both in their own stroller sleeping. Toddlers in swim diapers are not allowed in the pool, however we did see other kids in them and the pool attendant didn't say anything to the parents.

 

You saw other toddlers in swim diapers and the pool attendants didn't say anything?

 

What about splash area, do they have that for toddlers?

 

Where did you go? Bermuda? How was it with a toddler?

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You saw other toddlers in swim diapers and the pool attendants didn't say anything?

 

What about splash area, do they have that for toddlers?

 

Where did you go? Bermuda? How was it with a toddler?

 

 

There is no splash area for toddlers on GOS. We did the Bahamas cruise - Port Canaveral went to the beach, Nassau - went to straw market, Coco Cay - weren't able to go to due to high seas and being a tendered port.

Edited by cruise2snorkel
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There is no splash area for toddlers on GOS. We did the Bahamas cruise - Port Canaveral went to the beach, Nassau - went to straw market, Coco Cay - weren't able to go to due to high seas and being a tendered port.

 

 

We are on the same itinerary. Which beaches did you visit for PC? The one at Jetty Park or Coco?

 

 

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We are on the same itinerary. Which beaches did you visit for PC? The one at Jetty Park or Coco?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

 

 

We went to Jetty Park. Decided to take a taxi there having 2 kids and it being 90+ degrees. Used the cab company that has a taxi stand when you get off at the pier, was $8 each way and well worth it. Rented a beach setup at Jetty Park that included an umbrella and 2 lounger beach chairs, $15 for the day. The beach was very nice and clean, nice flat walk into the water with no sand ridge or anything. There is a building with bathrooms, and a small concession area.

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We went to Jetty Park. Decided to take a taxi there having 2 kids and it being 90+ degrees. Used the cab company that has a taxi stand when you get off at the pier, was $8 each way and well worth it. Rented a beach setup at Jetty Park that included an umbrella and 2 lounger beach chairs, $15 for the day. The beach was very nice and clean, nice flat walk into the water with no sand ridge or anything. There is a building with bathrooms, and a small concession area.

 

 

Thanks. We are debating on taking shuttle to Ron Jon's or head over to Jetty Park. This helps.

 

 

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Thanks. We are debating on taking shuttle to Ron Jon's or head over to Jetty Park. This helps.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

 

 

Ron Jon is much further down and a much busier beach. Jetty Park was busy but didn't seem overcrowded. I also feel like the waves weren't as large at Jetty park because the Jetty makes a little cove and it's at the opening of the channel.

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My wife and I have both cruised a few times before on Carnival and RC. This will be our first cruise with a child. We are going for my sister's wedding which will be on the ship. It's also our first vacation in a while so we are excited.

 

I wanted to hear from other parents who have cruised with toddlers about their experience cruising, especially those who may have cruised on Grandeur or any of the other ships in the Vision class (Enchantment, Vision, Rhapsody, Legend, Splendour).

 

I know that RC offers the RC Royal Tots program, but that seems to be just a 45 minute thing with the parents involved. I also know they offer in room babysitting. Is there anything else they offer for a 2 year old that would allow my wife and I to get away for a few hours once in a while?

 

Here are a few questions:

 

-Was it easy?

-What safety precautions did you take (I have a morbid fear of him falling off the ship which is why I bought a child's leash backpack, he's extremely curious)?

-Do they allow toddlers to swim if they have swim diapers?

-How was childcare?

-Did you use in room baby sitting?

-Did you bring your own pack'n'play or did you use one provided by the ship?

-Were highchairs readily available at dinner?

-I have heard that on RC they will take your child after 30 minutes at dinner for childcare, is this true? Is there an age limit (3 and up)?

 

Anything I might not be considering?

 

My parents and both of my sisters who are also parents as well as my grandparents will be on this cruise so we will have a lot of child care options available, which is a blessing.

 

Since they are talking about grandeur of the seas pool and kids programs how is this a hijack? This is part of your orginal question about the ship and activities correct? We are all here to help and trying to answer your questions please think of that

mvanella

 

 

 

 

Thread hijack...

 

 

 

sent from my galaxy s4 please excuse any error's thanks

Edited by luv2cruiserccl
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