Cruising with twin toddlers

I just booked a Norwegian cruise for 2017 for my family. It will be myself, husband, and twin boys (three years old at time of sailing). We booked a Haven level suite to have added comforts and amenities to make the sailing enjoyable for all of us.

Now that we are booked my husband and I are going back and forth about maybe they are too young and we should re-book just for the two us. One one side, I'd really like to do a fun family vacation, but is cruising the way to go? If we re-book for just the two of us and do a second honeymoon we plan to stay in the Haven level suites.

Can anyone advise if travelling with two 3 year olds is a good idea? Lots to do for kiddos? Anyone been through travelling with toddlers before and really loved it or hated it? Should we leave the kids at home this time and book something when they are closer to 5 years old? We are booked on the Breakaway.

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To be honest with you, the only person that can decide what is best for you is YOU! Have you vacationed with your toddlers on land? Are they able to adjust to ever changing activities? What are your dining plans. Would you be dining just the four of you at a table? What about taking all their daily needs. You need to ask yourself these questions, then decide whats best for you. Good Luck.

I took my 3.5 year old on a Baltic cruise, and he absolutely loved it! The kids club saved us - after long days of supervising a toddler through the Hermitage and all the other museums in Europe we could drop him off at the kids club and rest. Whether or not your children will enjoy the trip honestly depends on your kids - my son loves to explore new things, so he can handle visiting Europe and was able to see all of the major museums in all of the Baltic cities.

So my questions to you are - how flexible are your kids (do they sleep easily on vacation and do they enjoy exploring new things)? And exactly what are the absolute highlights you want to explore in Norway - are they things that might be easy for a kid, like the Flam railway or are you hoping to hike to Pulpit Rock (this might be challenging with two toddlers). I would take the kids if you think they can handle the level of activities that you absolutely want to do.

The reason I was able to take my son on the Baltic cruise is that he did great on an easier cruise when he was two - we took him to Cartagena on a partial transit through the Panama Canal. He was able to tour the highlights of Cartagena, so we knew he could handle museums and churches. This was an easy flight for us, so if the Panama Canal cruise had been a disaster I wouldn't have been too disappointed. Thankfully, it went great and we were able to take our son on other cruises. Prior to paying for 4 airfares to Europe, you might want to see how your kids are as travelers if you haven't already traveled with them already.

I would not hesitate to take my kid on a vacation. She´s just shy of 2 years old and just spent two weeks with us on Ibiza, she tool her first cruise at age 9 month.

At age 3 your childen can take part in the kids club on NCL. Are they potty trained? Or do you believe they will be by then? If so, water activities in board are possible.

Who take care of your little ones at home? If you do yourself, you know their schedule and behavior. How are they when you go out to dinner? Is it a drama to miss bedtime because you are still on the road. Maybe test at home, how they are in a restaurant if you have not done that before.

A family vacation is different from an adult one, but at least our family vacation was well worth it.

I think 3 is a good age to travel. I'd take them. It will be a fun family vacation. In fact, I think if you left them at home and saw all the kids having a good time- you'd miss them. There will be kids I can assure you.

I agree that a family vacation can be great! Given the long trip/flights and what you may be interested in doing while in port and on the ship, you should carefully think about how they handle being hungry, being tired, sleeping on the go, needing to be with a parent/ability separating from you, likelihood of tantrum (which may change as you get closer to sail date!). My kids are older than 3, but the oldest was the worst combination of all of these when young (unable to handle hunger/tired/exponentially stubborn/a runner/a climber/you get the idea) so we would not have considered a trip like yours with that one. But another of our kids is very easy going, travels super well from birth, handles all sorts of usual travel stressors well. Good luck with whatever you decide -the trip does sound fun.

Thank you everyone!! I'm definitely leaning towards keeping it as a family vacation. I'm crossing my fingers in 16 months we will have potty training down and better table etiquette. Since the boys are only 22 months old now it's hard to say where they will be 16 months down the road. I deliberately booked so far in advance and a highest cabin level to get added perks. For example, NCL will allow us to embark and disembark first which I find to be a huge benefit with traveling with toddlers.

Since I am their primary caregiver I can say they aren't the most easy going kids but they do have each other as their parter in crime. It works as a pro and con. They always have a best friend but 2 minds are smarter than 1 and they can find trouble at any moment. We haven't vacationed before (well just one quick trip the beach at 9 months old), and we barely go to restaurants. Things are just a bit more difficult with multiples. These are all things we plan to work on (potty/restaurant etiquette) over the next 16 months. That way I'm not just throwing them into a cruise and expecting perfection. We can always plan a couple short getaways close to home before our 2017 cruise. Just to give them a warm up.

Our final payment is due the end of May 2017. We were told we can cancel at anytime and get our deposit back. In lieu of that, could we change the reservation to just my husband and I? I mean keep the price, perks, and same room just the two of us go. That is if at the end May 2017 we reaccess the boys and they are no where near potty trained, we have terrible table etiquette, mini vacations close to home have failed (just a few examples of what can happen). Comparing the price (we got a really good deal) it would only be about 200 bucks cheaper to rebook now for just the two of us. That is another reason I think all four should go (the price is right).

Side note: I should have clarified it is Norwegian cruise line out of NY just a four or five hour drive away from home.

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We took our son on his first cruise at 3. We cruised out of Baltimore so we could drive to port too. And we also booked suite (on Royal Caribbean) for the perks. It was an awesome family vacation - we loved every minute of it. One suggestion - we went to Bermuda for our first cruise, so we did not have to deal with several ports each day and dealing with trying to get our son back in time. I know that Breakaway does Bermuda, so would look into that itinerary. Plus, Bermuda is much nicer than Bahamas.

Thank you everyone!! I'm definitely leaning towards keeping it as a family vacation. I'm crossing my fingers in 16 months we will have potty training down and better table etiquette. Since the boys are only 22 months old now it's hard to say where they will be 16 months down the road. I deliberately booked so far in advance and a highest cabin level to get added perks. For example, NCL will allow us to embark and disembark first which I find to be a huge benefit with traveling with toddlers.

 

Since I am their primary caregiver I can say they aren't the most easy going kids but they do have each other as their parter in crime. It works as a pro and con. They always have a best friend but 2 minds are smarter than 1 and they can find trouble at any moment. We haven't vacationed before (well just one quick trip the beach at 9 months old), and we barely go to restaurants. Things are just a bit more difficult with multiples. These are all things we plan to work on (potty/restaurant etiquette) over the next 16 months. That way I'm not just throwing them into a cruise and expecting perfection. We can always plan a couple short getaways close to home before our 2017 cruise. Just to give them a warm up.

 

Our final payment is due the end of May 2017. We were told we can cancel at anytime and get our deposit back. In lieu of that, could we change the reservation to just my husband and I? I mean keep the price, perks, and same room just the two of us go. That is if at the end May 2017 we reaccess the boys and they are no where near potty trained, we have terrible table etiquette, mini vacations close to home have failed (just a few examples of what can happen). Comparing the price (we got a really good deal) it would only be about 200 bucks cheaper to rebook now for just the two of us. That is another reason I think all four should go (the price is right).

 

 

Side note: I should have clarified it is Norwegian cruise line out of NY just a four or five hour drive away from home.

 

 

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Since you are in a suite, it will be easier. Freestyle dining means you show up to eat when you want. And if things don't go well, your butler will be happy to serve you any meal on the ship in your cabin. Or, if you want a nice dinner for two, have their meal delivered to your suite, and then bring the kids to the kids club. My twins went on their first cruise when they were four (plus their 3 siblings), and it wa great.

Thank you everyone!! I'm definitely leaning towards keeping it as a family vacation.

 

Since I am their primary caregiver I can say they aren't the most easy going kids . . .

 

 

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Do you have legal custody of the twins? If so, it would be wise to carry the documentation for that with you.

If not, you should get a letter of authority to take the children on this cruise. The letter needs to be signed by both birth parents and witnessed by someone with a legal qualification.

You may not need to produce these documents, but if you are and you don't have them you could be denied boarding. Authorities are pretty keen on making sure that the children aren't being kidnapped.

Lol! Yes as primary care giver I meant I'm a stay at home mom. So I can attest to the fact they aren't the most easy going toddlers. But we are approaching the terrible twos. My twins just love routine that's all.

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There is a big difference between 2 and 3. Three is a great age. You'll see. It definitely gets easier.

Our son is almost 10, and we took him traveling with us (including cruising) since he was a toddler. This was because we didn't have grandparents or other family members who could take him if we went away. At 3, it's still "traveling with children" instead of vacationing, so don't expect it to be relaxing, but it's an individual decision. We always had a good (if not restful) time. Like I said, we had no choice, so we took him with us. It was hard when he was younger, but he adapted well to travel, and by age 5, there was nowhere we couldn't take him. That said, if we had g-rents or other family members willing to take him so we could go away alone for a short time, we would have gone for it! Sounds like the idea of going as a couple appeals to you, and if you have family whom you trust, go for it.

It was great to read the positive responses! We're taking our almost 4-year-old twins on NCL in February 2017. We've cruised as a couple before and are really excited to share it with the littles. It will certainly be a different experience than we've had before, but I think they will love it!

We are cruising with our 3 year old twins in September, who will be 3.75 at cruise time. This will be their 4th week long vacation, but first cruise. We've already learned that vacationing with children is VERY different from vacationing as a couple. However, we are nuts about our children and can't wait to share the fun with them!

I will say that 3 has been MUCH harder for us than 2, for what it's worth. Ours were angels at 2, even in restaurants. At 3, they test every boundary!

I hope to do a long trip report in hopes of helping families like us!

There are a number of twin parents on the boards, and (I assume) we all highly recommend it. Our kids our 6.5 and have been on a number of cruises. Some ages better than other, but the really tough age was 13 months until about age 3. This was the time when they were mobile but not yet realizing how dangerous the environment can be. Ships are not designed to safely contain a child: there are stairs and other dangerous things everywhere. However, by age 3 I don't think we had much difficulty with that.

Note that you need the kids to be age 3 at sailing. They will not make an exception and let them into the kids club because they are nearly 3 and 'mature for their age'. You definitely want that relief, even if you only drop them off for a short while once in awhile.

Most of the issues traveling with kids/twins are the same issues you face at home or traveling on land. The one big thing with cruising is the limited availability of kid medicines and some other supplies. Aside from that, there are huge benefits: no cooking or cleaning, no dishes, free entertainment and child care, and some great exposure to people from other cultures.

As others have said, this isn't the same as cruising w/o kids (but then nothing else is the same either.) We pretty much stopped doing excursions when the kids were born (other than the beach or a short city tour), and have just gotten back into that over the last couple of cruises. Alternately, when everybody else is off the ship is actually a great time to wander the ship with the kids or have the pool all to yourselves.

There are a number of us here who have cruised with young twins. I took mine on their first at 13 months and it was such a great vacation, we pretty much only cruised until they were about 10. I had done resorts and condo vacations and cruising easily had them both beat.

The suites on NCL are an amazing way to go. The butler makes things so easy because you can order in any time. But I do hope you'll try the dining room as much as possible - we eat all our meals there because it's SUCH a treat to get to sit and be served and enjoy the company of my family. The key to success for us is to make sure no one is tired or starving. My girls napped before dinner which gave us a nice evening.

If your boys end up potty-trained, we used the pottette portable potty for port days - nothing worse than having to suddenly search for a bathroom or finding one that's icky.

Even if your boys are out of strollers at that time, you may want to consider bringing one. The ships are huge and kids are heavy. Nice to be able to put a tired, whining kid in a stroller and keep going - or if they fall asleep in the kids club, you don't have to carry them all the way back. Also, it's a great place to hold all your stuff.

All the best,

Mia

If your boys end up potty-trained' date=' we used the pottette portable potty for port days - nothing worse than having to suddenly search for a bathroom or finding one that's icky.

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My husband and I each have a Pottette in our vehicles, but our children hate them because they sit so low. Have you found ways to make that better, or do your girls just not mind?

 

We aren't planning to bring a stroller for our 3.5 year olds, but now you have me questioning our plan! We are travelling via Honda Odyssey with my parents (4 adults and twins), so I'm not sure we can reasonably pack a stroller. At what age did you quit bringing them?

 

And btw...I've been reading your posts for years! When I first started, I was just looking for ideas for family members as we were not even planning to have children. Fast forward about 7 years and we are now in the twin club as well!

I have four year old twins now and I have done several cruises with them in all styles of rooms, insides,ocean views, family suite, mini suite, and a balcony since they were four months old . So I know from what I preach.

I highly recommend a cruise with your kids. At three they can use the kids club and that frees you up for some adult time. While traveling with kids means you put there needs before your wants, you can still have a great time. I list my favorite vacations as the ones I took with my kids. Especially in a suite because they have their own room separate from yours. ( That makes going to bed so much easier.)

Search my name and you will find the trips and mini reviews I did with my twins. One was during their third bday in Europe a year ago and a cruise in December on the Jewel when they were still three. Have fun!

My kiddo loves cruising- he is 2 1/2 and has done 6. With that being said, cruising with a toddler is work. You don't check them into a kid area and relax- you entertain them. So it really depends on what your ideal vacation entails : )

Just realized you said they were 3- as long as they're potty trained they can go in the kids area if they will : )

I also wanted to let you know that NCL will take them in a pull up to the kids club. They will call you for a change as they will not do it with a special cruise phone. Just no pool if they are not trained.

My twin girls have been on ten cruise with us . Your kids will love the kids buffet . You will love meeting all the other parents at the kids buffet ..The only problem we ever had was one of my girls { age 3 at the time } unlocked the door and when for a walk at 4am . She was found when she was banging on other door down the hall . In staff was great , they called our room and played with her till we arrived . In the end she was safe. After that we put chairs and other items in front of the door so she could not get out . P.

S. - We did not know it then but she was a sleep walker until she was 8 .

We cruised on Breakaway a few years ago with my then 3 and 5 year old boys. They did awesome and absolutely loved it! Camp was a huge hit, but they had prior experience being "dropped off". I do think it helps to have a "friend" in camp. The pools and watersides were perfect for them and there were quite a few "family activities" they enjoyed. We barely spent any time off the ships because they were having so much fun. They enjoyed the buffet and Osheehans, but the dining room meals were too long for them ( we utilized camp to enjoy quiet meals). We spilled quite a few glasses of water, so definitely bring sippy cups if they aren't used to drinking from glasses.

i know this is quite an old thread but i found it through a search.  I currently have 2.5 year old twin boys that would be over 3 for a summer 2020 sailing.  Can you please let me know how the trip went?