Cruising with a 3 year old on Celebrity Equinox

[FastN.Curious]

My husband and I are taking a 7 day cruise abroad the Celebrity Equinox later this year (Bimini, Grand Cayman & Mexico). Second time on a cruise, but first with our toddler. We booked a 1 bedroom suite so I understand that in room babysitting is available. But I wasn't able to find any discussion on who has actually used it and what their experience was like, hoping someone here can give me some insight. 

 

Aside from the babysitting these are some questions I have : 

 

1. Can I register my toddler to the Camp At Sea before the cruise or does it have to be done one while on board? I understand my child will fall under the 3-5 age category. I just wanted to make sure there's slots available. 

 

2. What excursions do families recommend we take with our toddler? I see that some of these excursions the cut off price starts at 4 year old. Does that means kids under 4 are not eligible to come along or does it mean there won't be a charge? I emailed Celebrity but have not heard back. 

 

3. What kind of small stroller (brand) do people use on a cruise with a  3 year old?  What about carseat to and from the port to the airport? Does Celebrity Cruise provide transportation services for families or should I just bring a carseat?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

[ColeThornton]

@FastN.Curious

 

Welcome to CC.   You'll want to post questions about Celebrity on the forum for that line.  Click on "Forums" at the top of the page, scroll down and you'll see forum links for all the lines plus many other things.

Edited January 10, 2023 by ColeThornton

[GeezerCouple]

Welcome to CruiseCritic!

 

You'll probably get better answers in you post in the Celebrity section of CC:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/16-celebrity-cruises/

 

And here is a link to the TOC/categories on CC:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com

 

You might want to look through those, but also note sections on Family cruising, and also Ports of Call (where the ship docks or tenders).

Also... the Roll Call for your specific ship and date, for discussions of activities/etc., on *your* particular cruise.

 

We took our 18 month old grand on a cruise about 9 years ago.  He was too young for any organized children's activities, but as one of the few children on board, he seemed to be a real hit and lots of people paid attention to him.  There was no babysitting, but we were doing a family reunion, so we had little desire for that on that cruise.

 

Enjoy!

GC

 

 

[Mum2Mercury]

You must wait until you're onboard to register your child for Camp.  In theory they have a spot for every kid onboard ... but I'd make it a priority to hurry and get him registered fast.  Then you can drop him off any time you please.  

 

No suggestions on excursions ... except to keep your plans realistic.  Beach days are always fun for kids.  

 

I'd bring a small umbrella stroller, which wouldn't take up much space in the corner of your closet.  You probably won't need it onboard, but it'll be great for boarding, excursions and disembarkation.

[ldubs]

Umbrella strollers are terrific for travel.  If you can manage it, I would bring the larger stroller you use at home.  Handy if a nap is needed when out and about on shore or ship.  If you have one that doubles as a car seat, even better (assuming they have those for 3 year olds).   

 

To be honest, all my kids are adults so I'm a little rusty on these things.  

Edited January 11, 2023 by ldubs

[capriccio]

Consider a lightweight, extremely compact travel stroller.

 

Before a family cruise to Alaska in 2018 when our first granddaughter was 3 1/2 years old her mom bought a gp-pockit travel stroller that collapses to a size to fit under the seat in front on a plane and takes up almost no space stored in a closet.  People stopped and asked for a demo whenever they opened or closed it. 

 

For the past year our son's daughter has been using it on trips involving 4 plane rides and other travels by train and car.  Next summer she'll use it on her first family cruise right before her 4th birthday. It's a marvel and makes traveling easier.

 

 

 

 

 

[FastN.Curious]

23 hours ago, capriccio said:

 

Edited January 12, 2023 by FastN.Curious

[FastN.Curious]

Thank you everyone for the tips! I'm still learning how to respond without quoting everyone's entire messages and the board doesn't seem to allow for me to delete messages either. 

 

I'll also look into posting on the other board suggested too! Happy cruising everyone! 

[Mum2Mercury]

On 1/10/2023 at 10:47 PM, ldubs said:

Umbrella strollers are terrific for travel.  If you can manage it, I would bring the larger stroller you use at home.  Handy if a nap is needed when out and about on shore or ship.  If you have one that doubles as a car seat, even better (assuming they have those for 3 year olds).   

 

To be honest, all my kids are adults so I'm a little rusty on these things.  

Respectfully, no.  The larger stroller needs to be stored in your (small) stateroom, and that's not always easy.  The three-year old won't use the stroller much onboard, as he can walk well -- and if he gets tired, his own stateroom is nearby, so napping in a stroller onboard isn't particularly realistic.  A three-year old who becomes tired during an island stop can nap sitting up in an umbrella stroller. 

 

No, only infant "bucket seats" work with stroller systems.  No three-year old could use those car seats. 

[capriccio]

On 1/10/2023 at 11:57 PM, capriccio said:

Consider a lightweight, extremely compact travel stroller.

 

 

29 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Respectfully, no.  The larger stroller needs to be stored in your (small) stateroom, and that's not always easy. 

 

I agree,  I found a video to demonstrate how small these compact travel strollers (I presume all brands are similar; this is the one used for my granddaughters) fold for storing:

 

https://www.amazon.com/vdp/5e5686b9e0254e12ab6d6b4fb3735e5c?ref=dp_vse_ibvc1

[ldubs]

23 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Respectfully, no.  The larger stroller needs to be stored in your (small) stateroom, and that's not always easy.  The three-year old won't use the stroller much onboard, as he can walk well -- and if he gets tired, his own stateroom is nearby, so napping in a stroller onboard isn't particularly realistic.  A three-year old who becomes tired during an island stop can nap sitting up in an umbrella stroller. 

 

They do fold up, you know.  But still, I fully understand they might be more bulky than some would want to deal with.    

 

23 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

 

No, only infant "bucket seats" work with stroller systems.  No three-year old could use those car seats. 

 

Thanks.  I was thinking they wouldn't have those for 3 year olds.  There is one of those combo car seat things in our car right now that we use for our 11 month old grandson.