Tips On Toddlers!

[gabtic]

Thanks mruhaak!

 

I've been a mom for almost 3 years now and I would have never thought of the blow up tubs. That's an awesome idea! I'm getting one!

[wishtdream]

Dh and I have taken our DD on two cruises Explorer in 04 @ 17months and Voyager in 05 @ Just 3 yrs

 

room service is Essential you can get yogurt and cheerios from them anytime all you have to do is call they are not offered on the tv system.

 

the stroller is a must you will get alot of use out of it. on our first cruise DD slept in it @ the shows, in the ports and on the pool deck on the second we used it mainly in the ports but it came in handy on the ship a couple of times as well.

 

Use the in cabin sitting services so you can have some grown up time. We have used them on both our cruises and the staff were wonderful.

 

Take your childs favorite snacks, drink boxes and bottled water onboard with you. Kids tend to get dehydrated quickly on a cruise.

 

most important have fun

[shirleygr]

They had a segment on the news here recently about how important it is to teach your toddlers their first and last names. There was a situation where a child was picked up by police and it took a little while to find the parent. Don't they make the kids where ID bracelets on some cruises? Or is that just if they are in the kids programs?

Children wear id bands with their muster stations, not their names. My kids have always participated in the programs, so I'm not certain if that if for all children or just those signed up for Adventure Ocean.

[merrysunshine320]

All this talk of identification reminded me of something happened when we arrived in Vancouver for our Alaska cruise last year. While trying to clear Canadian immigration (I was traveling with my mother, her boyfriend, and my son), the agent asked me if I had a letter from my husband to give permission to allow my son into Canada. I drew a blank, because of course the TA never mentioned this when she booked our tickets! I had passports and nothing else. I just about freaked out on the inside, b/c the agent was very suspicious and just looked like he didn't believe me.

 

I offered to use my cell phone to call my husband's office to obtain verbal confirmation, and the agent said, "You could be calling anyone, how do I know you're calling your husband?" (And at the time I was thinking, yes, and I could have brought a LETTER written by anyone too!!)

 

So the immigration agent tells my son (age 4 at the time), "I'm going to ask you a few questions, and I don't want you to look at your Mommy when you answer." So my son nods and shrugs. The agent asks my son a bunch of questions about what his name is, how old he is, etc. Then comes the loaded question, "Where is your Daddy right now?" My son looked at him like he was crazy and said, "AT WORK!!" like it was the dumbest question he ever heard.

 

I breathed a sigh of relief because it was obvious that the customs agent was just trying to confirm what I'd said earlier, and he was satisfied with my son's answer. As a treat, he gave my son a special Canada immigration stamp on his hand and waved us through.

 

Bottom line, the reason I shared this is that although many of you will travel with your spouses, if you ever travel out of the U.S. without your spouse, make sure you CHECK, and then double-check, before you go what kind of documentation you will need to prove that your are your child's parent and that you're not trying to kidnap your own children! I was on the verge of being denied admission to Canada, and thank goodness my son didn't come out with some wacky answer, like kids will do sometimes. :) The entire trip could have ended before it started!

[GabrielaNG]

I am making my packing list as I'm reading the posts. I can't believe how many things I didn't think of. The shower would be a disaster, my daughter hates it, so tomorrow I'm off to get an inflatable tub. We are bringing the buggy, since our 3 ysr old won't sleep otherwise. Love the nametag idea.

 

Is there a place to warm up the milk in the evening? She drinks warm milk before bed.

 

Any suggestions as to which excursions are best with small kids? We will be on Navigator, eastern caribbean, Nov. 25 departure. The ports are St. Juan, St.Thomas, St.Maarten, Nassau.

 

Thank you!

[SusieQT]

Children wear id bands with their muster stations, not their names. My kids have always participated in the programs, so I'm not certain if that if for all children or just those signed up for Adventure Ocean.

 

On Celebrity, I used a fine tip sharpie to write our cabin number on the muster station band when DD was 3.

[margaritasalt]

Is there a place to warm up the milk in the evening? She drinks warm milk before bed.

 

Any suggestions as to which excursions are best with small kids? We will be on Navigator, eastern caribbean, Nov. 25 departure. The ports are St. Juan, St.Thomas, St.Maarten, Nassau.

 

Thank you!

 

 

St. Thomas has an aquarium that is great for small kids. My daughter enjoyed it when we took here there.

 

As for warm milk, you can either call room service and ask for warm milk. They will deliver it to you at no charge. Just remember to tip the person who brings it a buck. :)

[Leejnd4]

Regarding the stroller, I'd strongly suggest bringing an umbrella stroller rather than the big bulky one. Umbrella strollers fold up small and are light for carrying, and set up quickly. And they are MUCH more maneuverable among crowds and along passages. :)

 

LeeAnne

[larkwind]

A little bit of walking, a little bit of strolling, the beach!, maybe a quick museum. They can't take much and you don't want to pay too much and then have to leave (or find your way back from an official excursion that you need to leave early).

 

In Nassau--the crowds were horrendous and we soon realized our 3yo was crying because of all the street noise and confusion. We headed back to the ship and had a wonderfully peaceful afternoon playing in the hot tub/pool with no one else around (it wasn't warm enough to go to a beach that day). So don't think you have to get off the ship to have a good time.

 

He loved Coki Beach (right next to the aquarium on St Thomas) and walking up to and around Ft Morro in San Juan (take the path on the far left of the old city wall for a beautiful, shaded walk, and not too steep). We took the ferry boat to Catalina Island in Dominican Republic for a beach day--very enjoyable.

 

He went snorkeling w/the stingrays this year (4yo) in Grand Cayman and took the Costa Maya mayan ruins tour with us (but played off to the side instead of listening :eek: --he loved it).

 

Kid cruising is different from adult cruising, but totally relaxing if you adjust to their little needs and skip the adult expectations.

Enjoy!

[jrm9999]

Just got back from a cruise with a 9 month old. Here are my tips:

 

1. There is an 'Aqua Babies' and Aqua Tots' program for about 45 minutes each morning geared for the little ones. Its not much, but they lay out a bunch of toys for the little ones and let them meet any others their age. Parents need to stay with, but it is nice for play time.

 

2. Adventure Ocean has toys that you can check out and take to your room.

 

3. In port, find a hotel that will let you pay to use pool/beach facilities. They usually allow babies in the pools (babies not allowed in the pool on the ship).

 

4. Find open empty spaces, like the Viking Crown during the day or an empty theatre. Let them crawl around and explore things.

[Dawniepoo]

My 19 month old refused to sleep in the crib that was set up for him when we went on the Carnival Glory. It was very odd. He insisted on sleeping with me.

 

I know the cruise line makes children wear a bracelet with your muster station on it, but it doesnt have any other info on it. Maybe they should.

 

That was a great idea about the blow up pool!

[jrm9999]

One other tip:

 

If you have formula or milk to cool, you might want to ask the room steward (or call room service) to bring you a big bucket of ice twice a day (like the buckets they give you at the bar with a bucket of beer). On our Sovereign cruise, the 'fridge' was really just designed to chill drinks a bit. At first we thought it did not work right, but they switched it our with a new one and had the same results. It was not anywhere near cold enough to store formula safely.