Majesty of the Seas + 16 month old

Hoping to solicit the advice of any regular, family cruisers with very young children.

My wife and I have been RCCL regulars for years, but our family expanded to 3 this year. We have a booking set for Oasis in 2018 with the goal of getting the whole family with grandparents on board. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem feasible for their health to be on a 7-day cruise so the grandparents "bowed-out".

My solution was to jump on a quick 3 or 4-day cruise this December for what may be our only chance to have our last full family cruise. My concern is bringing our 16 month on board a smaller ship like Majesty and having enough to do keep her occupied on deck.

Have any of you experienced the same with a 1-2 year old and what were your feelings? Conversely, all of our previous cruises are during peak months so its plenty warm to swim. How are the pools for children during December/Jan months? I have heard once you hit the Caribbean it is plenty warm year round.

Before anyone tries to hate on the idea of young children on board. This was not my intent until after she hit 30 months old and we will have enough family on the boat that our dedicated "chaperone" will have the kids outside of the main dining halls each night. Just trying to deal with the cards I was dealt.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

With regard to temperature in the Caribbean, it is important to note that no Majesty itinerary reaches the Caribbean. However, it is typically warmer in the Bahamas than in Port Canaveral in January.

Majesty does have a kiddle splash area where swim diapers are allowed.

I hope you have a wonderful cruise with your little one..

Unfortunately your child will not be allowed in any of the pools, not even with a swim diaper. Some ships have a small wading area for these little ones, but I am not sure if the Majesty would have that, given it is the smallest and oldest ship in the fleet.

Hopefully others can help you with info on the children's program for one that young.

Have a great cruise!!

I hope you have a wonderful cruise with your little one..

 

Unfortunately your child will not be allowed in any of the pools, not even with a swim diaper. Some ships have a small wading area for these little ones, but I am not sure if the Majesty would have that, given it is the smallest and oldest ship in the fleet.

Hopefully others can help you with info on the children's program for one that young.

 

Have a great cruise!!

A kiddle splash area suitable for swim diapers was added during the recent dry dock.

I hope you have a wonderful cruise with your little one..

 

Unfortunately your child will not be allowed in any of the pools, not even with a swim diaper. Some ships have a small wading area for these little ones, but I am not sure if the Majesty would have that, given it is the smallest and oldest ship in the fleet.

 

Hopefully others can help you with info on the children's program for one that young.

 

Have a great cruise!!

Yea. I certainly would not place her in the general pools. I will inquire if majesty has the swim diaper wading area as the previous poster suggested. That is more than enough to keep her happy for 3-4 days. That is why we planned the Oasis when she would be nearly 4 and potty trained. This was certainly on a whim so I will have to confirm.

I don't think the activities on the ship would matter for that age group since they can't participate in much anyway. They'll basically do the same things they would do anywhere you took them (like a mall, a friend's house, the grocery store etc), they'll want to look around, pick stuff up, run in circles etc. The good thing is that kids that age are happy doing that anywhere and wouldn't really know the difference of whether they were stuck at the post office or on a cruise ship.

The bigger issue will be for you as parents; how much fun will you have being confined to smaller space with less stimulation going on around you to distract from the fact that you paid a couple thousand dollars to basically do the same thing you do at home with your kid, haha. I'd definitely go for the bigger ship, because even if you're walking around with a crying child, or a sleeping one in an umbrella stroller, at least you'll have entertainment around you. I've never been on majesty or oasis and neither appeal to me because of the small and large size, but I'd pick the oasis in your case.

I've taken a cruise with my daughter as a toddler and it wasn't as fun as I'd hoped. Very limited in adult activities and much more worried about letting her run around on the ship than I would be if there weren't railings that led to the ocean, or other people who would be bothered by her mischief. It isn't a trip I would recommend doing until your kids are about 4 or 5. But that's just my opinion.

If you're worried about the grandparents being able to participate in a family vacation, I'd look into a land vacation somewhere, that way they are closer to a hospital if needed, and the trip can be as long or short as you want it to be.

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A kiddle splash area suitable for swim diapers was added during the recent dry dock.

Excellent. That is a life-saver. Thanks for your prompt response!

cruises that are "booked in a whim" are the best!!!!

The ship will be decorated for Christmas which will be beautiful!

I hope you have a wonderful cruise!!!

Absolutely. I should have clarified. The pool/wading area for her .. something like the splashaway bay they have will easily keep her occupied for days. My concern was the absence of pools (understandable being a smaller vessel) or the temperature in December possibly discouraging her from swimming.

As for personal time or time concerning ourselves, our large family only has two small children (mine at 16 months at departure date and a 4 year old). All the uncles, grandparents, and cousins want time with the kids so I am not too concerned about being confined to the constant headache of chasing a kid around and/or potential boredom. While I certainly intend to spend a ton of time with the lil one, the wife and I will have our time away when the uncles/aunts get time with the lil one.

The Oasis is definitely on the radar for 2018, but I couldn't afford the 3,000 dollar bite twice in nearly 24 months. This cruise, if I recall, will only cost 1400 for the three of us on a short itinerary.

cruises that are "booked in a whim" are the best!!!!

 

The ship will be decorated for Christmas which will be beautiful!

 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise!!!

I am certainly excited about the Christmas decorations. Perhaps "Whim" isn't the right word because it is 4 months away, but I am the type that typically has the next 2 cruises planned out a 16-36 months in advance. lol

Thank you!

Absolutely. I should have clarified. The pool/wading area for her .. something like the splashaway bay they have will easily keep her occupied for days. My concern was the absence of pools (understandable being a smaller vessel) or the temperature in December possibly discouraging her from swimming.

 

 

 

As for personal time or time concerning ourselves, our large family only has two small children (mine at 16 months at departure date and a 4 year old). All the uncles, grandparents, and cousins want time with the kids so I am not too concerned about being confined to the constant headache of chasing a kid around and/or potential boredom. While I certainly intend to spend a ton of time with the lil one, the wife and I will have our time away when the uncles/aunts get time with the lil one.

 

 

 

The Oasis is definitely on the radar for 2018, but I couldn't afford the 3,000 dollar bite twice in nearly 24 months. This cruise, if I recall, will only cost 1400 for the three of us on a short itinerary.

In that case, sounds like you'll be fine on the Majesty, as it sounds like the splash pool is made for kids in diapers. All the other pools will be off limits. My 2 year old really struggled with not being allowed to play in the water (no swim diapers allowed, and if you take them off, be prepared for the entire ship to know that your kid was the one who made it so the pool got drained for the week if an accident happens). Cruises just aren't a lot of fun for anyone under the age of 4.

If your extended family is looking forward to helping babysit though, you'll have a fun time and the baby will be fine too. Have fun!!

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Not sure if the Majesty pool allows swim diapers but it would be fun for a little one who likes the water.

Lots of little splash play areas you could walk around in with a toddler

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A 16 month old can't use any of the "bells and whistles" of a larger ship, so this will be just fine! Toddlers are happy anytime the parents are happy!

Bring a blow up tub...useful for bathing in a shower...and can be used for "splashing" at the pool...just don't empty it into the pool..use a floor drain or shower drain!

Did you end up booking in December? We depart 5 Dec with our 3yo and 1yo. It's my 3yo's 3rd cruise and she's usually the most popular person on the ship by the second day. Maybe we've just been lucky but most people loved little ones- especially the crew who are missing their own children.

Good luck!! :)