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Traveling With Toddlers

Cruisegirl70

By Cruisegirl70,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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Cruisegirl70

Cruisegirl70

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We have a cruise booked for September to Cozumel & Grand Cayman. Now some of my children and grandchildren are looking at traveling. The children will be 2 & 3 years old not potty trained at this time. I have read about the kids club programs but have a few questions.

1) Does the kids club let the kids stay on board if the kids are not potty-trained?

2) If we take them with us does anyone have some family-friendly suggestions for Cozumel & Grand Cayman

3) How does having car seats work when traveling to and from excursions, especially if ship sponsored or taxis? Do they require them? 

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Palmetto Pilot

Palmetto Pilot

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We took our son on the Magic last year when he was 3. He's was fully potty trained. I know the choices are limited for non-potty trained toddlers. I don't think they can stay on board if they are over 3 and not potty trained, the staff wont change kids over 3. They also can't use the pools or water parks if they are not potty trained. 

We debated on taking a car seat on board and we opted not to, we took a big jogging stroller and if we couldn't walk to what we wanted to do, we look a large van or bus. 

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mdsgu

mdsgu

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We took our son, who was 7 months at the time, to a beach-break-type excursion in Cozumel (I can't remember the name of it right now -- it was almost 10 years ago).  We took him, a collapsible pack-n-play, and some very helpful grandparents.  Turns out, he didn't like sand, so the pack-n-play, with a blanket over the top to block some sun, was perfect.  

 

No car seats.  Too much extra "stuff" to deal with.

 

Back then, kids under 2 couldn't even go to Camp Carnival or Camp Ocean, so he was with us the entire time.

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elcuchio24

elcuchio24

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9 hours ago, Cruisegirl70 said:

Does anyone have some good recommendations for family friendly excursions close to the ship and should they bring their car seats 

 

Car seats certainly are not required or that common in Mexico. I wouldnt worry about it on Coz. I agree on doing a beach day there. 

 

We travel with our kids, and have a 14+day TA cruise next year, when they will be 5 and 3, lots of fun!

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Palmetto Pilot

Palmetto Pilot

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12 hours ago, JaxsMama said:

Kids DO NOT have to be potty trained to go to camp ocean (kids club).

 

She said leave them on the ship. And based on those rules....staff wont change a 3 year old or older, then cannot leave him on the ship in Camp Ocean while they go to the island. 

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elcuchio24

elcuchio24

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4 minutes ago, Palmetto Pilot said:

She said leave them on the ship. And based on those rules....staff wont change a 3 year old or older, then cannot leave him on the ship in Camp Ocean while they go to the island. 

 

I believe its actually over 3, as in 4. Correct me if I'm wrong. 

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JaxsMama

JaxsMama

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23 minutes ago, Palmetto Pilot said:

She said leave them on the ship. And based on those rules....staff wont change a 3 year old or older, then cannot leave him on the ship in Camp Ocean while they go to the island. 

Based on the rules it says they will not change a diaper on a kid over the age of three, not three and up.  So the OP's 2 and 3 year old will have their diapers changed if need while the parent or grandparent is off the boat.  They just need to supply diapers and wipes.  

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Palmetto Pilot

Palmetto Pilot

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56 minutes ago, elcuchio24 said:

 

I believe its actually over 3, as in 4. Correct me if I'm wrong. 

 

33 minutes ago, JaxsMama said:

Based on the rules it says they will not change a diaper on a kid over the age of three, not three and up.  So the OP's 2 and 3 year old will have their diapers changed if need while the parent or grandparent is off the boat.  They just need to supply diapers and wipes.  

I can only go by what we were told on the ship. Our 3 year old was potty trained, so it was not an issue. When we registered him and signed him in we were told since he was 3 if he was not potty trained we'd have to carry a pager and be able to run up and change him if he needed it but again since he was potty trained was not an issue and once he got into the club and started playing he loved it. 

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elcuchio24

elcuchio24

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1 minute ago, Palmetto Pilot said:

 

I can only go by what we were told on the ship. Our 3 year old was potty trained, so it was not an issue. When we registered him and signed him in we were told since he was 3 if he was not potty trained we'd have to carry a pager and be able to run up and change him if he needed it but again since he was potty trained was not an issue and once he got into the club and started playing he loved it. 

 

It does say over 3....so that could be 3years and a day? or one more number than 3 which would be 4. Where are the lawyers to interpret for us!?

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Cruisegirl70

Cruisegirl70

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I think we are just going to plan to take the children with us when in port. I think the Mom's will also feel better to have the kids near them as not sure how well they will do with strangers and them being farther away. But thanks for some of the suggestions. Any help with suggested excursions in Grand Cayman now would be helpful. I like the idea of  Chankanaab Park in Cozumel 

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pyropoodle Great Review Rare

pyropoodle

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I don't know if this is still a thing (maybe someone who has cruised more recently can tell me, or maybe it was just the ship i was on), but when we cruised when my son was 2 1/2, they did change diapers, but said that they wouldn't change the poop diapers if he had any.  they gave us a cell phone and said they would call for any issues, including poops.   He never pooped in camp carnival, so we didn't have to worry about it, but wondering if that was still the case.  

 

and to stay on topic, i highly recommend Playa Mia in Cozumel if you have little ones.   My son LOVED Buccaneer's bay. it's like a pool that is just around a few inches to maybe a foot deep and filled with little kid sized slides.   He spent most of the day there. wore himself out.  We are going again the next time we are in Cozumel and taking our daughter.  She will be 3 when we visit and he will be 6. 

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pyropoodle Great Review Rare

pyropoodle

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... also, in Grand Cayman, there is a provider for the StingRay city tour that takes children under the age of 4 for free.  Moby Dick tours.  they are great. 

 

regarding car seats.  I live in NYC, so i invested in the Safe Rider.  It's like a little harness thingy that you use with the car's back seat seat belt.   I took it with us on our cruise out of miami and used it in the cab ride from the airport to the hotel, from the car rides on various islands and the car back to the airport from the cruise terminal.  it doesn't take up that much space and for me, it is peace of mind!   car accidents don't care if you are in Mexico, and i will choose safety over inconvenience every time.   

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Mediterranean_Honeymooner

Mediterranean_Honeymooner

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We took our 5 year old son and just-turned-2 year old daughter on their first cruise last August and it was great.  Kids do not have to be potty trained to use Camp Carnival and the counselors were great with the kids.  The kids really enjoyed going.  Kids do have to be potty trained to use the pools, though, so keep that in mind. 

 

For Cozumel, we booked the Isla Pasion by boat (not sure of the exact title).  Would highly recommend! Since we took a boat to the island, there was no need to take car seats (one reason I chose that excursion). We did use the child life jackets. They have servers on the island that come around to bring free drinks and ours was great with the kids and brought them Sprite and Shirley Temples.  They also have a free lunch buffet on the island. The kids loved swimming in the crystal clear water, playing in the sand, and lounging in the water hammocks. They even have a childcare area on the island where they will babysit for you but we did not utilize that.

 

Never been to Grand Cayman, so no advice on that one.

 

Overall, I highly recommend taking a Carnival Cruise with toddlers. Carnival gets a reputation as a party line, but they are also awesome with kids! From Camp Carnival to WaterWorks to Hasbro to Dr. Seuss breakfast, the kids LOVED our cruise!

Edited by Mediterranean_Honeymooner
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