15 Month Old Twins

I have cruised twice, in '04 and '12. My BIL and future SIL want to go on a cruise for their wedding. The cruise will be 6/15. Our twins will be 15 months then, has anyone cruised with young twins? Was it any fun for you? On the plus side, my in laws will be going too, and don't leave their cabin much, they will be able to watch our boys every night so we can still have a bit of a night life.

I figured for sleeping, the boys and I can sleep in the bed and my husband can sleep on the couch. We will need to book soon if we're going. Just looking for advice from those who have done it!

You haven't mentioned cruise line, or ship. Just be aware that even though you don't plan on asking for cribs, you still must book a cabin that accommodates 4. And, not all cruise lines have a couch in the cabin. Your husband might find himself in an upper bunk. EM

Sorry! Carnival Pride. I've only ever sailed on RCCL, so it will all be new!

You will find that Carnival is more like RCI than not....the standar cabins will be larger on Carnival, so that's good with kids! The ship will provide cribs or P&Ps if you request it! You and hubby can sleep in the REAL bed, and put the kids in appropriate bedding!

And yes...you'll have family fun! After all, you're a family, and while it won't be like a "couples" cruise, it will be right for your stage of life!

I agree with CB. Ask for the pnps or cribs. If you don't like them, then go with your original plans. Our dd was 22 mo when she went on her first cruise and the pnp was good containment. If your 15 mo are anything like she was at that point, they will want to get down and run around. I think it would be hard sleep worrying if they are falling out of the bed or running about the cabin. Carnival rooms are larger than most other lines so you should be able to get two cribs in there.

There is a woman on this board that has sailed quite a bit alone with her twins. Maybe she'll chime in here too.

The Spirit class ships have some interesting cabin arrangements.

The OV are 220sqft.

Towards the front there are a few balcony cabins that connect to insides.

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Kids (and adults) are not allowed to be in the pools wearing diapers.

There are a number of us here who have cruised with twin toddlers. I took my girls the first time at 13 months and had such a great time we did a few more before they turned three. It takes a bit of planning and good packing, but once on board it's amazing to get to not have to worry about cooking or cleaning and just enjoy your kids.

As others have said, bring more than enough diapers and wipes, any meds you might need and a thermometer (the medical office is well prepared, but expensive), a tandem stroller (side by side will not work in the narrow corridors or crowded public areas), and little amusments for the dining room, along with take & toss cups (they only have glass goblets, nothing unbreakable for kids).

Carnival will watch under-twos after 10 pm, but it sounds like you have built in sitters. Your kids can't use the pools on board, but there is plenty to do and they can go to the beach in port if you want water play time. You can bring a blow up bathtub if yours won't tolerate showers.

Let me know if you have any other questions. Our cruises were my favorite times as a mom of twin toddlers. So nice to have no-stress time with my kids, and much better than any hotel or condo-rental vacations.

Best,

Mia

Ok, looks like we're going! Carnival Pride, we embark May 31st out of Baltimore.

I was hoping you'd respond Mia! I had seen your posts on other threads, but am new to the site and couldn't figure out how to message you. I'm also using my phone which makes things a little more difficult.

Has anyone cruised on the pride before? We're thinking of doing the interior room with French doors and obstructed view(lifeboats block the window). It's $84 more total than an interior room. From the picture it looks like it has a couch. Has anyone stayed in one? Are they much bigger than a normal interior room? Our last cruise we had a Grand Suite, I know this will be a rude awakening for my husband, our last one was his first cruise!

Thanks for all the tips! Anything else you can think of, throw at me! Did you got passport or passcard route for your little ones?

Also, does anyone know where to get the best price? Does 3k sound about right?

Also, does anyone know where to get the best price? Does 3k sound about right?

Have no idea about the price, but discussions about specific TAs isn't allowed on CC. Try googling and see what you pull up. Just be aware if you use a TA, all communications must go through them, and they may have additional fees if you cancel or change your booking to another TA or back to the cruiseline.

Passport cards were designed for land crossings really, so IMO, they are a total waste of money in your situation. Since you can travel on a closed loop cruise w/o them, not sure why you would purchase one. You can't use them to get back to the US by air if you are in a foreign country. You'll need a passport book. So if you don't want to just use a BC, get a passport for the children.

Advise with two small children that you purchase trip insurance.

Also, does anyone know where to get the best price? Does 3k sound about right?

Three thousand could be a decent fare, depending on date and itin. Book soon as there aren't that many quad cabins.

FWIW Ocean View cabins are larger than other cabins that are not suites.

Carnival doesn't allow TA's to discount their cruises. There are ways for them to offer incentives though.

We've done that as well, but with no "backup". You will get a fair amount of exercise, but with someone to watch the kids now and again you'll be fine. I would recommend a couple of things:

- Have a look a the deck map for lounges and such. The ship is very open, so it is tough to keep small kids contained. Most of those lounges are used infrequently during the day so you can take the kids and sit for a bit while they run without too much risk of escaping.

- Find out when the 'under 2' time is in Camp. You can't leave the LOs there alone, but this is still quite valuable as a safe time where the kids are contained. They'll also get to play with the toys in Camp, which will give them some variety.