Sapphire Princess 2YO and 3YO

[aussiecruiser275]

Hello once again to all our fellow cruisers.

 

We were experienced cruisers up until having children. We will be cruising on the 15 Day Saphire Princess Asia cruise from Singapore with our 2YO and 3YO daughters (at time of travel).

 

We were cruising with some other family members who have now pulled out and we were going to take turn with minding to make things easier. However now it is only my lovely wife and i with our 2YO and 3YO daughters.

 

We are staying in a 4 berth mini suite but the girls will just sleep at opposite ends of the rolaway so we wont use the pullman (too young)

 

I know there is no private babysitting nor can our 2YO be left in the Kids club without out 100% presence - which presents a few issues.

 

Are there any tips on how we can enjoy ourselves but not disband the kids if you know what i mean.

Is there a nice kids area with a pool for them. Our current 2YO who will be three then is slightly toilet trained already.

 

Problem is we enjoy the nightly shows, MUTS and night time adult comedy, trivia etc, which we would still like to attend, but never alone.

 

Appreciate all the help in advance that can be afforded to make this an enjoyable cruise.

[kitkat343]

I travelled on the Coral Princess with my then two year old son. It really wasn't that difficult to supervise a child in the Kid Zone, since the Kids Club staff is very good at bringing toys and arts and craft projects to entertain under 3s. Also, check the area near the kid zone, as on the coral princess there was an outdoor playground that could be accessed 24/7 through the deck with a tiny wading pool, slides and bikes. We took our son there when the Kid Zone was closed, and it was nice having an enclosed safe space for him to run around and make noise in without disturbing the other cruisers. The other family traveling with a two year old brought a nanny, and the nanny was allowed to supervise their child in the KidZone. You can look into travel nanny services also. Otherwise, if you want free time, you will need to wait a year or consider Disney, Carnival or the Royal Caribbean ships that have been retrofitted with a nursery.

Edited April 28, 2014 by kitkat343

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I have sailed Sapphire Princess and it is a really nice ship.

 

While I have traveled with little ones, I think in your case the enjoyment of the cruise will be greatly impacted by the fact that the 3 year old will have lots of fun opportunities in Princess Pelicans and can go in the wonderful pools on board but a two year old (unless out of diapers) will not. I think this would be like torture for a two year old to see their 3 year old sibling swimming and they can't. 15 days on a ship is a long time and other than walking around, I don't think there would be much to entertain the 2 year old. I'd probably just pick a nice destination where they allow swim diapers in the pool and have babysitting in the evenings.

Edited April 28, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[Kerry's Girls]

Hello once again to all our fellow cruisers.

 

We were experienced cruisers up until having children. We will be cruising on the 15 Day Saphire Princess Asia cruise from Singapore with our 2YO and 3YO daughters (at time of travel).

 

We were cruising with some other family members who have now pulled out and we were going to take turn with minding to make things easier. However now it is only my lovely wife and i with our 2YO and 3YO daughters.

 

We are staying in a 4 berth mini suite but the girls will just sleep at opposite ends of the rolaway so we wont use the pullman (too young)

 

I know there is no private babysitting nor can our 2YO be left in the Kids club without out 100% presence - which presents a few issues.

 

Are there any tips on how we can enjoy ourselves but not disband the kids if you know what i mean.

Is there a nice kids area with a pool for them. Our current 2YO who will be three then is slightly toilet trained already.

 

Problem is we enjoy the nightly shows, MUTS and night time adult comedy, trivia etc, which we would still like to attend, but never alone.

 

Appreciate all the help in advance that can be afforded to make this an enjoyable cruise.

 

I cruised on Princess a number of times before my girls were old enough for the kids clubs (that's them on the Sapphire in the picture below). One nice thing about the kids club on Princess is you can take both girls there to play as long as one of you stays, so at least your 2 year old will have a place to play - my girls couldn't wait to get there each morning. Unless it's been redone since we sailed the Sapphire, it's a nice sized kids club with a little outdoor area with big wheels and a slide, and a little splash pool for potty trained toddlers that will be perfect for your girls. With meals, naps and the play area, our sea days were busy and fun.

 

We always did the early seating, went dancing in one of the lounges, then I would take the girls to get into jammies, put them in a stroller and take them back out with me to go see a show, have a drink in a bar, etc. I used a beach towel to cover the stroller when it was time to sleep - worked like a charm. If yours won't go to sleep in the stroller, then you can put them to sleep in the cabin, and once they're down, put them in the stroller and go out to enjoy the evening activities.

 

My girls were greeted warmly everywhere and I'm sure your children will also be treated like celebrities since there are fewer small children on Princess and especially on the longer cruises.

 

I suggest the ports of call board for suggestions for private tours you can arrange so you can make them kid-friendly.

 

I'm envious! I wish I had done that cruise before my girls started school - now it's so difficult to book the longer, more exotic itineraries.

 

Best,

Mia

Edited April 28, 2014 by Kerry's Girls

[aussiecruiser275]

thanks for all your help and assistance everybody

[cb at sea]

You will be going on a FAMILY vacation....it's totally different from a "couples cruise"....but in no way is it worse, or better...just different!

 

You know your kids and what they can and cannot tolerate...and you will do as you need to!

 

Kids in diapers aren't allowed in the ship's pools...but you can certainly take them to the beaches at your ports!