Hints/Tips? - Haven't Cruised in 6 Years - Now with Kids!

[Ggrrl1]

Hello all,

 

My husband and I are thinking of returning to cruising next fall after what will by then be a seven year break. We have always cruised with Royal and see no reason to change, Due to work and ill parents, we haven't found the time for a proper vacation. Oh yeah, we also added a set of twins, who will be joining us on our return to cruising. They will be two at the time.

 

I am thinking a September cruise on the Anthem (Royal Tots Nursery is a must!) to Bermuda. I am lookin at a Junior Suite Large Balcony for the extra room. I would splurge for a Grand Suite, but that is pretty pricey. Is it worth the upgrade? 

 

In my preliminary pricing, etc. some things seem to have changed. Non-refundable deposits seem to be the default (I finally figured out how to find refundable ones). I used to just book through an online travel agency, but I'm worried about getting hit with cancellation fees.

 

I was just wondering if anyone has any warnings or updates to help us in our planning. I'm very excited but am feeling a bit overwhelmed. Any advice would be appreciated.

[cb at sea]

A JS will give you extra space....so that's great!  You remember, I guess, how small standard cabins can be.  You will have a TUB for bathing your twins...always a good thing for tots!

 

Get insurance, and you won't have to worry about losing money if something should prevent your vacation.

[Ggrrl1]

Thanks CB. Travel insurance is a good idea that I hadn't thought of.

 

One thing I was wondering, which is more of a kid question: I always arrived early for boarding, but I'm wondering whether we should arrive a bit later so that we don't have to wait with two squirmy kids. We're Emerald, but I don't know how much of an advantage that is.

[Clarea]

10 hours ago, Ggrrl1 said:

Thanks CB. Travel insurance is a good idea that I hadn't thought of.

 

One thing I was wondering, which is more of a kid question: I always arrived early for boarding, but I'm wondering whether we should arrive a bit later so that we don't have to wait with two squirmy kids. We're Emerald, but I don't know how much of an advantage that is.

 

If you arrive after staterooms are ready (usually 1pm to 1:30pm), you might find it more convenient as you can drop off carry-ons in your stateroom.

[FionaMG]

12 hours ago, Ggrrl1 said:

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

If you haven't already done so, you might like to check out the dedicated family forum. There's a wealth of information on there from folks in similar situations to your own. Here's the link: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/28-family-cruises/

[Grandma Dazzles]

Definitely check out your insurance situation. Your medical insurance may not cover you on a cruise.

 

I agree that checking out the family boards would be very helpful.

 

As a general rule, I would make sure you take everything you need with you for the kids.    Diapers, sippy cups, any type of medication, favorite toys, blankets.  Items like this are not always available on board and if available are usually expensive.  Stroller would also be useful; you might prefer the "kids in line" rather than side by side - hard to maneuver because of the width.  

 

You our should also think about sleeping. RC provides pack and plays, not full size cribs; definitely order ahead of time.  Not sure if the kids might be too big for pack and play. You will need to check it out.

[PigsCanFly]

We traveled with our 8mo old son and packed jars of baby food, diapers, etc.  The most important thing we brought with us was his grandmother.  One of the things that allowed my wife and I a bit of relaxation without worries about child concerns.  Also, our son and his grandmother had very similar sleep schedules back then.  (now, he and his grandmother have opposite sleep schedules.  He is waking up about when she is falling asleep and vice-aversa.) Now our son is 25 and cruises with me (and us when wife has time off) regularly.   Just a warning, if you hook your twins early, you may be causing future cruise desires🤤

[matj2000]

 

 

Personally I would wait until the children are toiled trained before bringing them aboard a ship.

 

That way you can utilize the children's program.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jenjer]

Anthem is a amazing ship but much of its advancements: Rip cord, flow rider,  sports court, bumper cars, solarium will be not benefit you with 2 2 YO's. The hours of Royal Tot nursery are limited and I believe its a parent and child play time. If you want "babysitting" its at an additional cost and only allow for limited sign ups......I have read reviews with parents complaining about that.

 

I found Anthem's "promenade" to be more crowded than other ships and would be hard to maneuver with a stroller.

 

Personally we did not cruise until the kids where potty trained and could go into adventure ocean.

[Grandma Dazzles]

3 hours ago, Jenjer said:

Anthem is a amazing ship but much of its advancements: Rip cord, flow rider,  sports court, bumper cars, solarium will be not benefit you with 2 2 YO's. The hours of Royal Tot nursery are limited and I believe its a parent and child play time. If you want "babysitting" its at an additional cost and only allow for limited sign ups......I have read reviews with parents complaining about that.

 

I found Anthem's "promenade" to be more crowded than other ships and would be hard to maneuver with a stroller.

 

Personally we did not cruise until the kids where potty trained and could go into adventure ocean.

If you are referring to in cabin private babysitting, which you used to be able to sign up for on a first come first served basis by staff seeking to earn extra cash, this is no longer offered on RC ships.  It was discontinued a few months ago.  

[Ggrrl1]

Thanks all. While I know it may not be an ideal time, we really need a vacation and the Royal Tots nursery seems like our best bet to actually have dinner just the two of us. Also, my husband is deploying January 2020, so we want to get in a family vacation before then. Unfortunately he will be gone for a year, so we're hoping to get some together time both as a couple and as a family. I thought about a Disney cruise, but they don't seem to offer as many adult options.

[arlodog]

Just realize that with a 2 year old you won't have dinner together as a couple.  Your kids won't be old enough to go to the Adventure Ocean program.  Children must be 3 years old and potty trained for you to drop them off.  I just don't want you to be surprised that you can't have your alone time.  There is no in cabin babysitting available.  The royal tots program is just a room that you can take your child and play with there but you can't leave them.  

 

I think that Carnival allows kids younger than 3 into their program.  Please read on the family cruising forum and they will be able to help you plan a cruise that you will enjoy and be able to have some alone time with your husband before he deploys.  Please thank him for his service! 

[ljmandelbaum]

My twin's first cruise was when they were 2 years old.  Even though we were rccl fans, we did carnival thinking they would use the kids club.  I think they went once.   

As of now our next cruise will be a disney one because my nephews will be 3.5, 3.5, 4 and 5.5.  My niece will be a year old.  My girls will be 14.  

[HOSKI]

Our oldest started cruising at 9 months and loved it but we cruised Carnival then and they offered evening and port day babysitting in their club for a fee.  This will be our first RCI cruise with kids but ours are older.  I say really research on the family forum to find out what is offered for your children's age range.  Your twins will probably love it.  We found it no harder than going on any other vacation with a child.

[Sapphire723]

14 hours ago, arlodog said:

Just realize that with a 2 year old you won't have dinner together as a couple.  Your kids won't be old enough to go to the Adventure Ocean program.  Children must be 3 years old and potty trained for you to drop them off.  I just don't want you to be surprised that you can't have your alone time.  There is no in cabin babysitting available.  The royal tots program is just a room that you can take your child and play with there but you can't leave them.  

 

This isn't true for Anthem.  Anthem has a nursery for 2 year olds.  You have to pay extra (like $6 or $6/hour), but it exists.  Not all RCCL ships have it, though. 

[Ggrrl1]

The drop off babysitting is why we chose Anthem. I know there are limited hours, but even one or two meals just the two of us somewhere other than the sofa? A miracle.!

[nyctravelerwithkids]

With 2 year olds you will get more relaxed and enjoyable vacation if you go to all-inclusive resort. Dominican or Mexico.

It will be easier for you and kids as well. Plus it would be much better value. Plus they do provide babysitting service for minimal price, so you could have a couple of evenings for themselves. 

[GarlicBread]

On 10/23/2018 at 5:25 PM, Ggrrl1 said:

The drop off babysitting is why we chose Anthem. I know there are limited hours, but even one or two meals just the two of us somewhere other than the sofa? A miracle.!

 

I personally don’t think the hours are limited.

The hours for most nurseries in the fleet is 9am (or port arrival time) till midnight on a port day. And 9-noon then 2-midnight on sea days (some ships 9-noon then 5-midnight), so you’ll def get chance for at least one meal together!

[GarlicBread]

On 10/23/2018 at 1:59 AM, arlodog said:

Just realize that with a 2 year old you won't have dinner together as a couple.  Your kids won't be old enough to go to the Adventure Ocean program.  Children must be 3 years old and potty trained for you to drop them off.  I just don't want you to be surprised that you can't have your alone time.  There is no in cabin babysitting available.  The royal tots program is just a room that you can take your child and play with there but you can't leave them.  

 

 

So wrong. 

 

2 year olds (and under) are old enough to be dropped off. Yes an extra charge, but there is drop off care available for them. 

 

Royal babies and tots, for he majority of the time is a drop off service! (The company wants its money) 

On certain ships the nurseries are just for free play with parents for a couple of hours a day (but not all day), but all the bigger ships are drop off for 13 hours a day or more...

[krispi]

If you're open to other lines, Carnival allows 2 year olds in the kids club for no extra fee, and they don't have to be potty trained.

 

We did a Carnival cruise a couple of months ago, and my daughter, neice, and nephew really liked their kids program. What worked for us is for my daughter to eat dinner with us, then we'd drop her off at the kids club when she was done eating (usually between main course and dessert for us). We could then enjoy the evening entertainment until 10:00. If we wanted her to stay after 10:00, we would've had to pay a fee. My neice and nephew ate dinner with the kids camp, and they enjoyed that as well - an option if you wanted to try a specialty restaurant.

I had only cruised Royal Caribbean prior to that trip and was a bit skeptical of Carnival. There are things that Royal does better, but other things I enjoyed more on Carnival. Overall, we had a great trip.

[dwayneb236]

Looks like a few people don't want your kids on the ship. I'm sure it will work out. And thanks for your Husband's service. 

[Kerry's Girls]

Cruising is a wonderful way to travel with toddlers.  I started cruising with my twins at 13 months and it was so spectacular that we did many more cruises before they were old enough for kids programs.   Please head on over to the family boards where you'll find lots of tips and supportive responses.   But having others doing all your cooking and cleaning and leaving you to just enjoy time with your family is priceless.  Choose traditional, early dining so you have the same waiters and they'll have high chairs waiting, keep your meals going and kids happy.    A good tandem stroller is your best bet, especially for boarding and moving around the ship since distances can be long.  My girls would also sleep in the stroller, allowing me to wander around the ship in the evening.  Have a great time and thank you for your service.  

[akolasz]

I have travelled on a cruise with both my children at younger ages. My daughter first cruised when she was 1 1/2 and my son first cruised when he was 9 months old. We went on Oasis and Allure and used the Royal Nursery both times and loved it specifically for having a kids free dinner and maybe to see a show. You need to make a reservation the first day on the ship as it is first come first serve for reservations and you neve know if it will fill up. I had an idea of which dates and times I wanted ahead of time. They charge, can't remember how much but around $8 per hour. They would do dinner time in the nursery and feed the toddlers/babies if wanted. They also had cribs and would put them to sleep if you brought pajamas. I highly recommend it. Also, the staff all over the ship just love babies and children. From my experience they were always coming up to us and wanting to hold the baby. For the meals in the dining room that we took our children with us the staff went above and beyond to get their drinks and orders our right away. Every night my daughter's favorite juice would be waiting for her on the table as we sat down. I made sure to let our servers know the night before if we were bringing the kids or not. Sometimes we would bring them and feed them quickly and then one of us would drop them off at the nursery in the middle of dinner since dinner can last a while. Then we wouldn't rush through our dinner/dessert and then go see a show.

 

Bring diapers, wipes and children's medicines. Those you won't be able to buy on the ship. They do have children's medication in the medical facility but now sure how much they would charge for it so better to bring your own. My daughter got hurt on an elevator on the ship when she was 4 and they had to take her to the medical facility for an Xray and they provided us with children's ibuprofen and Tylenol free of charge so I know they at least have it. 

 

I think a cruise vacations is just wonderful for families! We are going on our next one, Cruise to Cuba in April with our 8 & 4 year old!

[Andy C]

We've been travelling with our children on Celebrity and RCI since the first one was 6 months old.  You will be fine and you will have a great time.  They do not offer cribs for your cabin - only pack and plays.  

[Ggrrl1]

Thanks all. We are looking forward to it. We are pretty mindful parents and do our best to ensure that our little ones aren't disruptive to staff or our fellow guests. In fact, I can tell you where they keep the broom and dustpan in all of our breakfast places because we clean up after our kids (and leave an extra tip for the extra time we take up the table.) I'm surprised that RCCL being a family cruise line that there are so many folks who seem to have an issue with others bringing children on a cruise, but I guess they might have had some bad experiences. I was reading a thread by a woman with a 15 month old and it was somehow derailed into a tirade against swim diapers. I think that we'll have a good time. And if you want to avoid us, don't sail on Anthem to Bermuda in September 2019!