Blow up pool for 2-1/2 year old and 11 month old twins

[Courier5]

Obviously, my twins will not be potty trained. The toddler will hopefully be. Either way, all suggest bringing a very small pool for infants, like one that would fit in a tub. While this might work for most, 3 will not fit in one this small. What should we do? The twins will want to get in the water and the older will probably want to join in. Do you think bringing bigger, yet still small blow up pool will be acceptable? Thanks for any advice. We are not new to cruising, but we are new to cruising with so many small children. :confused:

[Julienatul]

Try a round blow-up one from the Walmart, target, Kmart pool/water toy dept. It will be a bit wider than blow-up bathtub but still fit in the shower of the cabin and fit all 3 kids. Your 2 twins would definitely fit in the duck together but not a third child at the same time.

[dmr19]

I got this one from Amazon. It worked great for my 2 year old and 4 year old out on the balcony. 4 year old was scared of the dinosaur pool.

(PS: I hope this attachment works.)

[momofdss]

beware of all the replies you might receive on this.... i posted a thread asking about pools and was bombarded with negative comments -- just ignore them!!

 

get a small pool that your children will all fit in.... and don't worry about anyone else.... there are plenty of places on the decks in "out of the way" areas that you can set it up and let them have the time of their lives.....

 

just remember to be conscious about emptying the water straight into a drain - hense try to set up near one.....

 

i'm told that the upper decks are usually less crowded, and you can even set up near the kiddie pool.....

 

anyway, regardless of the comments you get on here - take your pool, set up, and let your kids have fun!!

[crusinmama06]

beware of all the replies you might receive on this.... i posted a thread asking about pools and was bombarded with negative comments -- just ignore them!!!

 

Yeah but all of those comments were from one person and we set that person straight. ;)

 

You are exactly right in your advice. :D Look for a pool drain or a janitor's sink to dump it back into. All it takes is a few buckets of water to get a little water to splash in -- don't forget a bucket. :)

 

You are probably going to attract a few extra kids besides yours -- so be prepared. ;)

[Julienatul]

About attracting other kids, yes it happens:)!! When DD was 12 months we set the blow-up pool on the deck and attracted another little infant a few months older. A year later they ended up on another cruise with us (both were potty trained and using the big pool then) and come to find out we ran into them at a restaurant near our house, they live 15 minutes fom us!! Small world, you never know who you will meet on a cruise.

[dna1990]

I would be a negative reply. It just doesn't seem like a good idea. I suppose a balcony could be a possible, if you have a good plan for getting water in/out. But still, every place will be windy and making for a safety issue. Assuming Caribbean, the sun is also so intense, I would limit deck-time to shorter bursts for the younger ones, regardless of the SPF applied.

 

And public deck areas, are well public. I personally don't think folks should setup their own facilities, no matter how 'out of the way' they seem. Your not throwing down a beach towel and playing cards, you got a whole wet zone created.

 

Just seems there are so many other great land vacations to enjoy water, beach, play, etc - and are fully geared for toddlers. Cruises are alot of work for that age, IMO.

 

I know, I know - Family Section. I am only suggesting topics for the OP to consider.

[crusinmama06]

And public deck areas, are well public. I personally don't think folks should setup their own facilities, no matter how 'out of the way' they seem. Your not throwing down a beach towel and playing cards, you got a whole wet zone created.

 

On many Carnival, NCL and Royal Caribbean ships, there are already children's pool areas. They just don't allow non-potty trained children. These areas have enough space to put a blow up pool down. Some are actually built in shade (the Royal Caribbean Voyager class ships and Adventure Beach areas).

 

They are already "wet areas" so no worries about making a dry area a wet area. And some of them are in shade. So no worries about the child being in too much sun.

 

I applaud parents who want to keep their diapered tots out of the pools. Cruising is a great way to take a family vacation together. And if they aren't on a ship that doesn't have a baby splash zone like some of the RCI and Disney ships, then they have to improvise, not take a Land Vacation. ;)