Caribbean with a 1 year old

Our daughter has just turned 1 and we have been thinking about a Caribbean cruise in December, on Britannia maybe.

For children under 2 you need to call to book but I'm wondering anyone has done the trip with a 1 year old? How did it go?

I took my 2 and 4 year old on an Ocean Village cruise in the Caribbean for two weeks and it was great but that was 14 years ago and things may have changed.

I realise being under 2 we couldn't put her in the children's club. Many thanks.

Hi there,

We did our first p&o cruise with our then 20 month old daughter (now six and a seasoned cruiser). We did the Caribbean on the Ventura back in 2013. She absolutely loved it, and as a result, we had a brilliant holiday.

I could write reams but I will try and keep it succinct.

The youth staff are amazing; even though you can't leave an under 2 in the day, you can still use a designated toddler room ( I can't remember what it looks like on Britannia as my daughter and then son are now both over two) and the staff are so friendly and helpful, and put out different activities for you to enjoy with your little one (painting, puzzles, etc). You can also join in with the group activities (magic show, disco etc), on quieter cruises, provided you stay with your child. You will be given a programme of events for the kids clubs at the beginning of the cruise.

The Night Nursery is such a fantastic facility, and we've used it the past 4 cruises we've taken with our kids. You can leave your baby/toddler to sleep in one of the cots/toddler beds that they provide in the kids club night nursery room. The room is totally black and quiet, and the youth staff remain in a corner of the room at a desk, monitoring the little ones. The staff give you a pager so that you can then go and enjoy your night, any problems, they will buzz you. At home, we don't have the luxury of family or close friends who are able to babysit, so for us, this facility gave us our date nights back. Worth its weight in gold!

Cabin-A cot will be provided for you, it might be worth asking for extra towels to pad out the base as it's only a travel cot, and can be a bit hard.

Mine have all slept well at night (motion helped I think), despite four of us being in one cabin.

On the Britannia there is a small water splash play area on one side of the ship, next to the little outdoor play ground. This is great for cooling off on hot days after exploring ashore.

Disabled loos generally from memory were the loos with the changing tables, but the kids club also had a full changing facility.

Both my kids (we most recently did Britannia Caribbean with a six and three year old) absolutely love being at sea, and exploring new places. Beaches in the Caribbean are great for building sand castles, and locals love to see the little ones.

Flights were fine - mine slept really well, a bit fidgety outbound but mostly due to excitement. If yours love milk (as mine do), remember to buy some in departures at your departure airport for the flight; charter airlines don't generally carry fresh milk for drinking, only for tea and coffee. Milk in the departures area in BGI was expensive but helped my daughter nod off (milk before bed routine applied to the flight home!)

We have rarely had bad experiences with those who don't consider that children should be on a ship, and actually only had positive remarks about bringing them - we have met some really lovely people, all different ages.

Finally - IMHO P&O are 100% the best cruise line for younger families. I look forward to trying others in the few years as my family grows up, but P&O really have it nailed with the youth teams and the night nursery.

Sorry for such a long post...!! 😀

Thanks Charlie

That is really helpful information. Being so long ago since mine were that age I'd forgotten a lot. We've just done Navigator of the Seas and the night nursery there was very good. We just did a couple of hours each night so we could have a meal. Sounds like P&O are better for this though. Once again many thanks :cool: