Cruise to Alaska with 14mo old and 3yo...any tips?

[CCH828]

We're planning an Aug 2012 Seattle to Alaska cruise on the Carnival Spirit with one (possibly two) sets of grandparents. Any tips are welcome, as this is our first cruise with TWO kids, and it's a bit daunting, particularly the cabin choices.

 

We're planning to bring one single stroller and a baby carrier. The 14mo old will still be nursing and doesn't take bottles. If he's anything like my oldest was, he will not be sleeping through the night (LOL) at that point. We're not planning to use babysitting services for him, and are not sure if our 3yo will be interested or okay with being left at Camp Carnival. She'll probably want to hang out with her grammy. :)

 

We're trying to find adjoining rooms so the kids sleep better and we can have lights on, hang out, in the other room, with the grandparents room close by.

 

Any advice for us? Any kind of tips or thoughts are welcome, because I'm sure I will forget to think of everything. :rolleyes:

[TheCalicoCat]

book as soon as possible so that you can get the rooms that you want/need. We booked out Alaska cruise as soon as the itinerary came out...

 

On the Pride (similar to Spirit) we had a room on the 4th floor that was the size of a blacony room, but only had the wall of glass - the life boats were where the balconies would have been. The price for us was the same as an inside - but we had natural sunlight. On this class of ship there is the highest proportion of balconies to other rooms - so if you want a balcony, you should be able to get one. If you end up with two balcony rooms, the divider can be opened - creating an adjoining room - if you can't get one with a door between the two rooms.