Need suggestions for taking 4.5 year old grandson on. Cruise

planning to take our 4.5 year old grandson on his first cruise 6/19

We are Princess cruisers and have cruised other lines previously-

Looking at Carribean Princess -

Any suggestions or advice?

Thanks

planning to take our 4.5 year old grandson on his first cruise 6/19

 

We are Princess cruisers and have cruised other lines previously-

 

Looking at Carribean Princess -

Any suggestions or advice?

Thanks

If you can afford it , a mini suite would be more spacious and have a tub.

a deluxe balcony would be nice for having extra space and a couch...

no tub, but is that really necessary for a 4 year old??

Caribbean Princess still has a fair-sized youth center with an outdoor play area and a paddle pool, which will be a plus. They will have a list of activities (and times) that are appropriate for different ages. The children are grouped by ages for their area of 'fun' in the youth center.

Think bout choosing early traditional dining as a hungry little one will have low tolerance for waiting to be seated for anytime dining. In addition, you might want to go for a small table so service will be quicker. (You didn't mention if it will just be the two of you or other relatives, too.) I know some kids think it is really great to eat at a table with the adults. If you go for a later seating, try the afternoon tea or a snack at the buffet to hold him over.

The MDR has a special children's menu and adults have said they have the best spaghetti and meatballs and something I think was called a volcano. As an alternative, a young boy might prefer to go to the buffet and pick out things he can see.

Don't know where the ship is at that time although it will be recently out of drydock to fix major propulsion issues.

Check out the link below as it has a lot of info about their children's program and is more up-to-date than my files from 2014.

https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/onboard-experience/kids-and-teens/

In case you weren't aware, if your grandson's parents aren't accompanying you make sure you have a permission letter detailing the trip and signed and notarized by both parents. To be better safe than sorry, it is recommended that you carry a note from the parents giving you permission to approve emergency medical care too. See https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2341253 and https://www.verywellfamily.com/documents-needed-for-traveling-with-grandchildren-1696241.

Sorry, the propulsion issues were not fixed--they are not scheduled for repair until the 2019 dry dock. Port times have been adjusted to compensate for the slightly slower speed.

If the issue is taking a 4 year old on a cruise, that's not a worry. Princess' kid programs are much better organized than some other lines--kids are encouraged to participate in the scheduled activities rather than left on their own to wander the area and participate if they wish. Also, Princess may have hundreds of kids on a given sailing, but they don't have thousands. They are strict about the age groups, so no worries of big kids in little kid programs or the reverse.

I agree with early traditional dining. If the time doesn't suit on some nights, there is always the buffet.

We were on the Caribbean Princess in April; I've done other ships during the summer and I'm sure the crowd in June will be different than our April "almost all adult" experience. There are plenty of areas of the ship that will be fun for a child.

If you get a "standard" cabin, you'll have twin beds and an upper bunk. How comfortable are you with the 4 year old in the bunk? (yes there are railings) It will be crowded, but most people don't spend much time in their room. If a mini fits in your budget, it would be a lot more space....the deluxe balcony would be some more space. Again, length of cruise is important. A small cabin may be fine for 4 days, but might get cramped for 10.

We don't know where you are cruising....Grand Cayman--turtle farm. This is half the price if done thru Captain Marvin's compared to thru Princess (or at least it was when I looked). Captain Marvin's storefront is directly across the street from the tender port and to your left. If you get to the Dairy Queen, you went too far. If we knew your ports, we'd have more suggestions for kid friendly excursions.

In case you weren't aware, if your grandson's parents aren't accompanying you make sure you have a permission letter detailing the trip and signed and notarized by both parents. To be better safe than sorry, it is recommended that you carry a note from the parents giving you permission to approve emergency medical care too. See https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2341253 and https://www.verywellfamily.com/documents-needed-for-traveling-with-grandchildren-1696241.

On two separate occasions and on two different ships, we took two grandchildren each time (different kids) on Princess cruises. We had all the notarized documents and nobody ever asked to see them. Perhaps other cruise lines are more strict, but Princess experience proved otherwise.

We started taking our son with us on a regular basis when he was 5. Have to agree with the recommendation to book a mini-suite if you can. The extra room, pull out bed instead of upper bunk and tub were a big help. Our son loved the kids program, had a hard time getting him to spend time with us when we were on the ship. We did do late dinner, but we've always been late eaters and would make sure he had a snack if needed. Plenty of kid friendly food available.

The best dinner time also depends on where he lives as he likely won't totally adjust to the time zone changes.

The OP said she was looking at 6/19 and posted today (which is 6/19) so I assumed she was looking at June 2019 for the cruise. If that's correct, the Caribbean Princess should be fixed by then. :confused:

On two separate occasions and on two different ships, we took two grandchildren each time (different kids) on Princess cruises. We had all the notarized documents and nobody ever asked to see them. Perhaps other cruise lines are more strict, but Princess experience proved otherwise.

International Airline flights are often where the problem arises, different last names and if the child is to young to speak for themselves. This was a "rule" 15 years ago when I traveled with my children abroad. In all the trips we made only once was my son..actually questioned by someone of authority..never was I asked for my "note." Never on a cruise. But I certainly would have the info with me....

I agree about the Medical release...that should be given to any grandparent watching grandchildren or for that matter anyone watching children, especially when parents might be out of touch for several days,

A GF who was just taking my son to San Diego zoo one time asked me for a release, I am thinking u are 2 hours away? But I was glad she was thinking ahead, I always had copies clipped to my fridge, that I could easily date and sign, as we did travel a lot when our kids were small. Technology and communication has improved since my kids were young, but having the release does save time, no GC for me yet....

The point in having such documents is the "what if" situations. I traveled with my daughter as a solo mom from a few months after birth, internationally beginning at age 4. Once, in all the trips we've done, was she ever questioned by an authority, and that was on return to the US. I was particularly concerned since much of her birth certificate is blank and most of what is filled in is a lie. A passport makes me feel much more secure on that front!

However, having the "just in case" documents will never hurt you and might be a huge help...just like taking a photo of your passport and e-mailing it to yourself. You now have 3 copies; hard copy, phone photo, and e-mail which can be accessed from anywhere. If your passport is never lost or stolen, you'll never think about the copies, but if you need them it can make your life much easier.

We always get anytime dinning with the understanding that we can go to the buffet for the kids when necessary and then return them to kids club and have a relaxing dinner for us if needed (they usually did just fine on anytime). Get the permission letter and have it notarized- you can be denied boarding at the airport without it (not usually on a domestic flight, but on an international flight for sure!)

Sign the grandchild up for the youth program. Visit the youth center on boarding day to get all the details.

The Caribbean Princess has a special wagon in the buffet area with cereals and sippy boxes of milk. The buffet also has PB&J all the time.

There is a splash pool on deck 17 aft outside the youth center. Children must be toilet trained to use any pool on the ship including the splash pool.

There is a golf putting area on deck 17 forward.

Make sure you don't miss Coffee & Cones on deck 15 by the Lido Pool. There is free soft ice cream from 11am until late evening every day.

You are permitted to bring on board as much non-alcoholic beverage as you wish. You may consider bringing on the child's favorite drinks. There is a fridge in each cabin.

The point in having such documents is the "what if" situations. I traveled with my daughter as a solo mom from a few months after birth' date=' internationally beginning at age 4. Once, in all the trips we've done, was she ever questioned by an authority, and that was on return to the US. I was particularly concerned since much of her birth certificate is blank and most of what is filled in is a lie. A passport makes me feel much more secure on that front!

 

However, having the "just in case" documents will never hurt you and might be a huge help...just like taking a photo of your passport and e-mailing it to yourself. You now have 3 copies; hard copy, phone photo, and e-mail which can be accessed from anywhere. If your passport is never lost or stolen, you'll never think about the copies, but if you need them it can make your life much easier.[/quote']

 

Maybe the same authority, questioned our kids:D;)..

 

But, I think from reading some of ur other informative posts your daughter is younger than my youngest.

 

L:Dri

The point in having such documents is the "what if" situations. I traveled with my daughter as a solo mom from a few months after birth' date=' internationally beginning at age 4. Once, in all the trips we've done, was she ever questioned by an authority, and that was on return to the US. I was particularly concerned since much of her birth certificate is blank and most of what is filled in is a lie. A passport makes me feel much more secure on that front!

 

However, having the "just in case" documents will never hurt you and might be a huge help...just like taking a photo of your passport and e-mailing it to yourself. You now have 3 copies; hard copy, phone photo, and e-mail which can be accessed from anywhere. If your passport is never lost or stolen, you'll never think about the copies, but if you need them it can make your life much easier.[/quote']

 

birth certificate mostly blank and the rest is mostly a lie ???

 

come on, you can't post something like that and at least expound on it a little - without revealing any personal information, of course...:cool:

birth certificate mostly blank and the rest is mostly a lie ???

 

come on, you can't post something like that and at least expound on it a little - without revealing any personal information, of course...:cool:

My daughter joined our family thru adoption and I am single. All of the "father" information is blank as she has no legal father. All potentially identifying data on the birth mother is blank. The "mother" information lists me as having given birth to her, which we all know is not true. The only true and filled in stuff on the document is the time, date, and place of birth.

I was far more worried about all the blanks than the false info!

wow, just wow - that's just so sad...

have you had any trouble trying to get her a social security number and being able to take the adoption credit expenses on your tax return(s)?

wow, just wow - that's just so sad...

 

have you had any trouble trying to get her a social security number and being able to take the adoption credit expenses on your tax return(s)?

She is now a legal adult and at the time of the adoption, there was no adoption tax break (I know pretty much when it started because my sister was able to claim it when she and her husband adopted). No trouble at all with the SSN. The really funny thing is that all the "secrecy" is just legal. I know (and now daughter knows" all the info that would have been filled in on the mother's side. The father legally lost his parental rights due to legal "desertion" which isn't quite as awful as the term makes it sound. It basically means that he showed no interest in the pregnancy or the child and that his rights were terminated on that basis after the appropriate period of time.

So...I'm the lucky one as I got a great kid...but the birth certificate did scare me and we got a passport as soon as practical.

excellent - congrats...:cool:

excellent - congrats...:cool:

Like button needed

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions !

Looks like we are going for the mini suite-

It’s a 7 day Eastern on Carribean Princess

I think the 3 of us will be much happier with the space-

I’m sure I’ll have more questions later on!!!

a deluxe balcony would be nice for having extra space and a couch...

 

no tub, but is that really necessary for a 4 year old??

No deluxe Balcony cabins in Caribbean Princess. They are only in Royal class ships...

And reallt, is a tub really necessary for anyone?

Do get the signed and notarized permission letter and medical permission as well. It is not worth missing the cruise in case they ask for it.

It wasn't on Princess, but we took 7 grandkids on RCI. We had all the permission letters, and in a couple of cases (absent fathers, blended families) it was difficult.

They very carefully scrutinized and matched up each child with their letter. Before that they did ask me, "Are these your children?" I have always wondered, if I had said yes, would that have been the end of it? At that time I was often mistaken for the kids' mother.

Did they really think we were going to abscond with 7 kids! Ha! Anyway, they also checked the docs when we left the ship in immigration/customs.

On the first breakfast, take a large bag to the buffet and get boxed cereals, fruit and yogurt to bring back to your cabin (there's a fridge). That way, you'll always have a snack on hand if your kids start to whine. You can take boxed cereal - not fruit - with you on excursions off the ship.

We liked early fixed dining, and requested a table just for ourselves. The buffet also worked well in terms of exposing our kids to new foods.

The kids club on Princess is great with younger children, and I'm sure your grandchild will love it there. We were extremely impressed with the staff (and this was 5 years ago when parents could accompany their children to the kids club when they were under the age of three so we had a lot of opportunity to watch them interact with the kids).

Let us know where you are going, and we can help with excursions. We have found private excursions for just our family to be invaluable to helping our kids enjoy their vacations. That way, we can control the itinerary and stop whenever our kids get whiny or bored and stay longer when they are interested in something.