Winter Med cruise on Epic with a 2year old 👍👎

[Meadet]

Looking for some advice, considering taking our little girl on her first cruise next Jan when she will be 2 and a half, are we crazy? :confused: :eek:

The sailing is an 11 nighter and although I don't think she is old enough for their kids clubs I think there would be enough on to keep her and us sane!!!

Would appreciate any advice you could offer as we've only cruised RCCL before.

[Sauer-kraut]

If you go with knowledge that crusing with your toddler will be different and you will have to schedule down time/naps so that your port stops might be affected.

 

Otherwise I don't think you'll have any problems with finding things to do.

[Out to sea!]

I would never sail with a 2 year old but it seems many do. It's up to you and what you can handle.

[Viv0828]

I think I would prefer a summer cruise with a little one as they all seem to like pools and beaches. I think it would be far harder to find things to do with your toddler in cold weather.

[searoses]

Some of the med ports are some distance from the ship....if you book a tour with others you will be gone many hours.....if you book with just your family it will be terribly expensive ...get rick steeves' book cruise ports in the med to get an idea of how to get the most out of your time.....personally,I would take a small child to warmer weather with nice beaches.....not much to do on the ship for a tot in the cold....

[Granny DI]

Search Jade Med reviews for April and May. There is a detailed review written by a woman who took her 3 year old twins on the cruise. This woman is amazing. Her review is wonderful!

 

We took our kids all over Europe when they were ages 3 to 9. Kids don't remember the trips but we do...wonderful memories.

[bearette]

Search Jade Med reviews for April and May. There is a detailed review written by a woman who took her 3 year old twins on the cruise. This woman is amazing. Her review is wonderful!

 

We took our kids all over Europe when they were ages 3 to 9. Kids don't remember the trips but we do...wonderful memories.

 

Thanks! I am said twin mother whose twins turned three on board. I also did Spirit when they were 18 months. You will get a lot of negatives about traveling with your toddler here but check out the family boards for advice instead of "take them to Grandmas". For the record I also have a saying for Grandma: take her with you, when they were two we went to Paris with the kids and Grandma. That also was an amazing trip.

 

First rules. Your child's schedule will determine yours. A tired or hungry toddler is a nightmare whether on vacation or home. Feed them and nap them as you normally would. My children nap great in a stroller. If yours doesn't then don't do a long all day tour. Find time to let them run in a park or square because they get bored in a stroller or carrier.

Rule two: avoid group tours and guided tours at all costs. You won't hear 90% of the commentary anyway. I have done several and while most were fine if you find my Spirit review you will understand why. One word Alhambra. What happened there was why people don't want you take your child...I do it yourself and use local transport or rent a car. Rick Steve's guides are great and have been my favorite tour days.

Rule 3: it is a lot different then an adult vacation but watching my son chase birds at the Vatican or my daughter ask at Olympia's museum "His head gone! Where head go?" Will be worth more then any other vacation you ever did before. There will actually be more toddlers then any other age group because the other kids will be in school. There is also a play room just for this age group. You will love it. They rotate the toys and have some scheduled activities like story time or finger painting.

Rule 4: off season. Traveling off season is awesome because you have less crowds (toddlers have no patience for lines) and cold is easier to manage then hot. You did right here despite what all the people without children traveling have told you.

 

You know your child so research what your family will enjoy and have fun!

 

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[Fostelo]

I cruised last may with my 2 year old anf found that if it wasn't sunny there was very little for her to do. Taking her again next may and she will 4 so she can go to splash academy

[kerryincork]

My sister and I took here 2 year old cruise and had a great time. She loved the pool and slide. We took it in turns having nap time. I enjoyed my nap time as well;-) we took here to all the shows which she was fascinated with and wanted to be in the show too. Only trip that was a washout was to santirini too busy too crowded couldn't bring her stroller with us. The other stops we took public transport to beach that she loved.

[negn]

Dont think there is any problem traveling with a toddler, but would choose another cruise. The Med is so port intensive and you would not want to stay on the ship. Little one would probably be bored and may end up cranky. If you want to cruise try a Caribbean cruise or Bermuda

[OzCanuck]

We've done seven cruises with our now 3.75 year old, including a 12 day winter med when he was 18 months. It was a great time and we were active in all the ports - just not as active as we would have been without him. We also did the baltics when he was 2.75 and just got back from the Norwegian Fjords. All great trips, just a little different when you travel with a child.

[Love.NCL]

Never done a winter cruise but we did take our little man who was 14 month on a cruise in April. We also did a 5 weeks trip to Vietnam was he was 11 months.

We had a great time and he really enjoyed all the kids activities they offered onboard. I wouldn't worry too much.

Edited June 2, 2015 by Love.NCL

[luvtheships]

The med isn't exactly warm in January

 

So even though the baby is probably free on ncl excursions do remember you will still have diapers and food to deal with

 

I personally wouldn't give a child that young a new diet even though the food is safe you never know about car sickness etc

 

A private excursion is the best bet even though quite costly but they will provide a new car seat (rome cabs) if you request and a private driver will be able to cater to your families needs with a baby and yes a 2 yo is most certainly a baby in this situation

 

I also would never look to share a private driver with others as you have a different situation and cannot expect another couple to abide by your needs

 

So bottom line as an addicted traveler myself would wait a few years but if I were hell bent on going now I would just pay thru the nose for private drivers....we did that when we did the med with 18 14 12 and 7 yo and were glad we did

 

4 years later we did more DIY and ship stuff depending on port and less private

 

Also I never did leave a kid that young at home. Either they joined us or we didn't go

 

Now that they are 14 19 21 25 I look for reasons to leave some behind. Lol

 

 

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[hansolosmom]

I see you're in Ireland so you may have the opportunity to do this trip more than once (or at least visit the cities via a land trip) so I'd say 'go for it'

For us the Med was a trip of a lifetime so when we went our boys were 15 & 17 - I wanted them to remember the trip.

 

Our youngest was 6 the first time we sailed, but I would have gone earlier had I discovered cruising sooner. The key when they're little is treat them almost like you're at home. Keep the schedule as much as you can because there's nothing worse than a crabby child (which any mom knows :)) I really think the Freestyle cruising helps with kids because you don't have a set dinner time.

 

When they were little we did short excursions, usually self directed rather than big group. Even when we did the Med, we did all our own tours using either Rick Steve's guidebooks or local companies.

Edited June 2, 2015 by hansolosmom

[Laszlo]

I would never sail with a child that young, I also would never take a two year old to Disney World either

[Meadet]

Thanks for all your comments, some great advice, particularly from those who have travelled with a toddler.

The reason for considering this sailing is

a) it's a 2 hr flight to Barcelona versus 4.5hr flight for winter sun in one of Canary islands where we have gone on previous hols with our explorer. Just can't see her sitting still now for a long flight

b) its an 11 nighter with a sea day between most port days so its not so intensive as a 7 night sailing

c) I've a feeling that nana could be persuaded to join us 😃

[4774Papa]

We traveled with my three year old Grandaughter on the same cruise. It wasn't pretty. Every meal we had together, she disrupted.

Also, trying to take in sites you will be seriously slowed down.

 

If you take her with you on a cruise, suggest not getting a balcony. My Daughter had an ocean view cabin. My granddaughter would be climbing on the balcony railing if they had one.

[RuthlessBoss]

We traveled with my three year old Grandaughter on the same cruise. It wasn't pretty. Every meal we had together, she disrupted.

Also, trying to take in sites you will be seriously slowed down.

 

If you take her with you on a cruise, suggest not getting a balcony. My Daughter had an ocean view cabin. My granddaughter would be climbing on the balcony railing if they had one.

 

Thank you for being so honest. :)

[OzCanuck]

Thanks for all your comments, some great advice, particularly from those who have travelled with a toddler.

The reason for considering this sailing is

a) it's a 2 hr flight to Barcelona versus 4.5hr flight for winter sun in one of Canary islands where we have gone on previous hols with our explorer. Just can't see her sitting still now for a long flight

b) its an 11 nighter with a sea day between most port days so its not so intensive as a 7 night sailing

c) I've a feeling that nana could be persuaded to join us

 

If you can afford the two bedroom suite on any of NCL's ships, then I highly, highly, highly recommend it. Perfect when you've got a little one and you can shut the door to their room after bed time and have the butler bring in dinner.. Well worth it.

 

Traveling with a toddler is challenging - but I have found the rewards far outweight the challenges; and it will create memories for YOU and your spouse. And after all, as we get older the memories are the most important things.

[Meadet]

Thank you all for your comments, alot to consider😩

[cclarke12]

You'll be fine cruising with a two year old, and you're only in Ireland so you're hardly traveling across the globe. However, I do think Jan is a bleak time of year for a Med cruise and bad weather etc. may make it a bit more of a chore with a toddler - especially as some of the ports require quite a lot of travel to get to the main destination.

 

One of the Canaries itineraries from Barcelona might be better weather-wise or even western Med a bit later in the year (we're going in April which won't be scrorching but should be bright and hopefully drier)

 

For toddler friendly cruises I think P&O are better by a mile, although you have to go from Southampton. They have toddler pools, you can use clubs from age 2, they have a night nursery (free of charge) and they have special children's tea.

[koalagurl]

We did the epic a few years ago (summer) and it was flippin hot! I would love to go in the winter! :)

 

We had 4 kids under 6 in our party and we had a blast. Yes we moved at a slower pace but we used Rome in Limo for the port excursions and it was worth every penny.

[Mercury]

We took our daughter on a cruise for the first time when she was 20 months old. We had both grannies with us and we all had a great time. I will say however, that it helped immensely having the extra help. My DH and I were able to go out for dinner on our own a couple of evenings and on a shore excursion on our own. Also during the day we were all able to have some "me time". We were able to visit the kids section and we stayed with her and played there which helped with not having to pack a variety of toys.

 

We took her again when she was 5 years old and her brother was 3 years old. It was absolutely fantastic. If I compare it to the first cruise it really helped to be able to go to the Splash Academy and they had the most wonderful time there.

 

We went again last year when my DD was 7 and her brother 5. Once again fantastic cruise and great to have the Splash Academy.

 

I would say that if your mom can't come with, rather wait until your daughter is old enough (3 years) and you will all have a much better experience.