Family Caribbean cruises departing from NY??

I was hoping someone could recommend a Caribbean cruise departing from NY (RI even better but think thats a bit hopeful!). We hope to go around Jan 2015, somewhere between 7-14 days and it will be my parents, my husband and I plus our 15 month old daughter. I have read quite a few threads in this forum that recommend Allure or Oasis cruises but they seem to only depart from Florida.

All ideas are welcome :D

Royal Caribbean is bringing a brand new ship, the Quantum, into Bayonne, NJ this fall. As a new ship, the Quantum will include a nursery that can watch a 15 month old for a small fee. Here are the January cruises on the Quantum: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/search/vacationSearchResult.do?cruiseType=CO&includeAdjascentPorts=Y&actionType=&eventSource=date&dest=&date=201501&port=&ship=QN&experience=&submit=Find+Cruises&state=NA

The other option you might want to look into is the Breakaway, a new ship by NCL, which is docked in NYC. There are some mommy and me programs on NCL that require parental participation for children under 3, but I don't know how often they are offered.

The NCL kids clubs are closed from 12-2 and 5-7 on sea days, and therefore parents with children who nap may find the hours difficult (this won't affect your family since your child isn't old enough for the kids club, but I wanted to post it since others may be looking at this thread).

Royal is the best one for your and your family. They have a nursery for the baby and that will come in handy.

Go on the Quantum by RCL..

Here are your choices from NYC area in Jan of 2015:

http://www.cruisetimetables.com/fromnewyorkcitynewyork-jan2015.html

Thank you very much for your responses :D

Can anyone recommend the Norwegian Cruises (with a toddler)? I'm not familiar with this company.

NCL is a fun line but there are no baby pools on NCL- there is the Baby H2O Zone on Royal Caribbean, which is a place they can splash and play. There is babysitting on Royal for 15 month olds and it is reasonable. There is no babysitting on NCL for 15 month olds. Go Royal for sure.

Our dd is three and has been on three NCL cruises so far and we have two more booked with her. It's true that they cannot go in the pool unless they are potty trained. (Not that you won't see the "baby" pool filled with almost all diapered kids, but that's another conversation.) If going in the pool is really important to you, pick RCCL. Her first cruise was at 22 months and then she wasn't trained and we just went in the ocean at the beaches. There were only two sea days and we just avoided the pool area on those days. Her next cruise she was potty trained and we didn't have that restraint.

The big upside for us on NCL is the dining. There are so many options and they are all open seating. Specialty restaurants usually need reservations, but we just started doing those with her on our last trip in June. I know other lines have anytime dining, but we've found that NCL does it the best.

The kids club is 3+ AND potty trained. She started going a couple times on our last two cruises and liked it, but really preferred staying with us. We've never used a babysitter on board because NCL doesn't offer that. Honestly, I'm not sure I would have done it anyway. They do have something called "The Under 2 Zoo" which is child and parent play times. We did that a couple of times when she was 22 months and it was fun. They usually have one or two activities each day such as painting, music activities, etc. There is also a play area with toys for them that you can go in any time - you just have to be with them.

So, it depends on what you want out of the cruise. At 15 months, your daily routine probably won't be that different - it will just be in a smaller room with someone cooking your meals and cleaning your room while you're off playing at the beach. All in all, not a bad deal. :)

We sailed Allure with DD at 2 & I'd highly recommend Royal Caribbean (Quantum will be new, but will have the baby & toddler nursery, etc)! We got her potty trained for the cruise, but we knew if that didn't work out there would still be an option with the baby splash area. Also, the Royal Tots Nursery was awesome!! She spent 1 evening there while we went to CHOPS & loved it (didn't want to leave). The staff members there were so professional & great with the kids! In addition to the parent/child activities they had for that age, there was a large room with mats & all kinds of toys where you could take them to play pretty much any time.

Both the Gem and the Breakaway have baby pools and/or a splash pad. It's a very laid back cruising style, which is also family friendly. As far as the kids club, for kids that age, I have no personal experience.

We were on the Breakaway in June and although they have a "baby" pool, diapers are not technically allowed. That said, it was almost all diapers in there and even one naked baby! I felt like I was letting my three year old swim in a toilet.

Both the Gem and the Breakaway have baby pools and/or a splash pad. It's a very laid back cruising style, which is also family friendly. As far as the kids club, for kids that age, I have no personal experience.

The pools on the Gem and Breakaway are NOT for babies and toddlers - swim diapers are not allowed. Just because staff chooses to not enforce the rules (a pet peeve of mine) does not make it right.

NCL has no clubs (except for a parent/child drop in session) for under 3's.

I have yet to cruise with children, and mine are older, but if they don't want babies and toddlers in their pools, perhaps they should design one more appropriate for the age group they are aiming for. I know the 6 year old I'll be cruising with shortly wouldn't have much interest in playing in what looks like a "baby pool" as he just called it.

Obviously, I agree to follow the rules. Maybe NCL should consider an option for young ones. I think they should consider allowing swim diapers in the kids pools.

It's a CDC regulation for the cruise ships not to allow swim diapers in any of the pools. The dreaded "noro virus" is spread by fecal matter, so it isn't just the pee pee that is the problem. That is why it is prohibited. There are cruise ships that have a little cooling off pool with circulating water (these are the the Baby H20 on Royal and the little Mickey pools on Disney). It may be tempting to allow younger children in the pool but it isn't healthy for your child or others to swim with diapers in the small cruise ship pools. There are accidents with non-diapered humans too!

I have yet to cruise with children, and mine are older, but if they don't want babies and toddlers in their pools, perhaps they should design one more appropriate for the age group they are aiming for. I know the 6 year old I'll be cruising with shortly wouldn't have much interest in playing in what looks like a "baby pool" as he just called it. [ATTACH]321121[/ATTACH]

 

Obviously, I agree to follow the rules. Maybe NCL should consider an option for young ones. I think they should consider allowing swim diapers in the kids pools.

I'm guessing pools like that are designed for the preschool set. On our first cruise, my youngest were 4, 4, and 6, and did spend some time on a similar pool on the Jewel, before some kids in swim diapers decided to pollute it.

If NCL decides on a pool option for the little ones, they will have to build it so it meets the industry standard.