To cruise or not to cruise

[20165]

My wife and I have been racking our brains for the last few weeks trying to figure out what to do for vacation. We have a 14 month old and we need to take a vacation, really really bad, but we can’t decide if a cruise or a resort would be the best for our son. We were avid cruisers before we had our son, 10+ cruises, but were not sure how the experience would be with our son since he can’t participate in any of the kids programs yet. On the other hand, we have been having a hard time finding a resort that has some kids activities or we can’t get a feel for how good those activities are. For example, most resorts say that kids activities are available, but that is a pretty vague statement and none really seem to cater to families with the exceptions of Beeches and that is about twice the price of a cruise.

 

Anyway, any suggestions on which route to go?

 

Thanks

[PattyW]

It sounds like you've got it exactly right - about the only vacation resort I know of that truly caters to children below 3 is Beaches - and those resorts are expensive. Ditto for a Disney cruise.

 

So, you've got a choice; spend the extra money to provide your toddler with outside entertainment or simply bring him along on a different cruise/resort vacation where you will be his entertainment.

 

In my mind, not having ever been to a Beaches resort, I can't imagine a 14 month old having THAT much fun at the organized activities that it is, hands down, worth the extra money. I think the child would like to spend time with his parents just as much as in a camp of some kind.

 

So, really, it comes down to you. Do you want to be free/able to spend a lot of time alone? Or are you content to spend your days (and nights) with your toddler? It will definitely change your cruise experience, but, of course, he won't know the difference.

 

That said, I definitely think either a resort or a cruise is the way to go, since you only have to unpack once and the child is not subjected to different "homes" and beds every night. You can build up some type of normalcy even in a week's time. I took my then 11 month old on a cruise last November and will take my almost 2 year old this November. She wasn't able to take advantage of the kids program before and still won't this time, but it really was not a problem. There were really only a few hours a day she could have utilized it anyway, between naps, being off the ship and an 8:00 bedtime. Toddlers can be amused by the smallest of things (cups with straws, crayons and paper, shells, the shimmer of the water, live music), so she enjoyed the cruise and we enjoyed the cruise just the same.

[mtd716]

Are there any local teens you trust that you could bring along as a kind of "mother's helper" to help entertain your son? It might be cheaper to add a person to your trip than to pay the higher prices at a resort like Beaches. My younger sister went along with a local family that she babysat for on a trip to Key West when she was in high school. She and the kids involved all had a great time, and the parents got some alone time, especially in the evenings. It was a win-win for all.

[kevinsmom]

i am going on my first cruise w/my 16 mo old son in two weeks. i am very excited but a little nervous b/c this will be my first cruise w/a child. we went on 3 previously. i think we will have a good time. as you know becoming a parent changes everything about your life and therefore my expectations of what a vacation will be like have changed as well. i know that it will be more work then before and that i won't be able to do everything that i would have done w/out my son. but i also know that i would not miss seeing the look in his eyes as he enjoys new sights and sounds. i think your child will have fun as long as he is w/you. you will make experiences for him and memories for yourself. so do the cruise and enjoy :)

[elaineo]

we cruised with 18 mth old twins---here's what I would say: have low expectations and then you'll be happy. we had the SAME thing about younger than 2 yrs old---NO KIDS clubs in carrib. except a few really$$ places and only disney has nursery for toddlers---that said, you CAN have a fun time, but if you NEED a vacation to regroup, be a couple, etc. this is NOT the thing to do. we did it with family and here are a few things we did: booked a cruise with lots of ports---so we could get off the ship and twins could walk/run around---we did no excursions---went for beach instead---twins shoveled sand and werew pretty happy. eating was tough--dining room forget it!!! we odd-manned out who stayed with kids each night and got room service---celebrity is the PITS for babies/toddlers b/c the don't have cafeteria style dinner and they don't allow diapered kids in kids clubs---carnival is better, and they have cafeteria style dinner, so you could eat in cafeteria--also, they are more lax about letting toddlers in kids area and most have little tykes gym equip. also, at night, one has to stay in cabin, or hire babysitter---unless you little one will sleep in stroller thru midnight buffet, etc. personally, if i had to do it over, I would have waited til 2 yrs lod and done carnival (kids club starts at 2). even better 3 yrs old---b/c most like the activities by then and can stay up a little later. in any even TAKE A HARNESS---toddlers can easily get away from you and climb under railings!!! if you child does well traveling and you don't need time alone, then go---but it will NOT be like your childless cruises---ps. my 4 yr old loves cruising and for kids 3+ it is a GREAT family vacation---so maybe think about saving the $ for a few years from now.

[elaineo]

let them have 1 eve free and mornings free for pool time---trade for afternoon/dinner/eve babysitting--alternate it in 4 hr shifts--say am for excursion, then free thru dinner, then for dinner, then free that night.

[Matt's Mom]

Have been taking my son since he was @ 2. When he was little we utilized the in room babysitting at nite and took turns during the day. It was not as relaxing as it is now but better to cruise then not to.

[merela]

I was totally apprehensive about travelling with my 16M DD, but once you have done it once, there is no going back. It's better than staying home all the time. Now I travel with 2 kids under 5!

 

You'll have to pack a lot more stuff when you travel with a child. I think cruising is the easiest way to vacation, other than going to a beach resort that has food service (like Club Med or Hotel Mellia). There is a bonus with cruising that resorts don't provide....different ports of call makes cruising much more interesting.

 

When you cruise with a small child, you may have to give up scheduled excursion tours (which in my mind saves you money anyway). Just getting off the ship at each port of call and just walk around the area with my kids are fun enough for me.

 

So picking the right itinerary is important. If you live near a port, use that port for embarkation to avoid flying to a port. If you live on the west coast, I think the 7-day Mexican Riviera is fun for a toddler because there are only 3 ports of call and all three ports have resort hotels/beaches that a young child will enjoy. If you are on the East Coast, I'm sure any of the roundtrip Caribbean itineraries that bring you to beach cities would be fun too. Bring a stroller so your child can go sightseeing with you (so you don't have to carry him all the time).

 

If you are avid cruisers before you had children, you should continue to cruise even after you have children. You may have to take turns watching your child while the other spouse go to a movie, show, or activies--so the couple doing things together is out....unless you travel with your parents or friends/family who have agreed to help out. Even if the ship offers night-time babysitting, depending on your child, he may not take to the stranger-babysitter. So basically, you have to rely on yourselves to watch your child.

Just make sure you don't deviate too much from your child's daily routine. If he naps from 12-2, having him nap then. You can either have lunch in the dining room early or eat at the buffet after the baby wakes up. Also, if you know your child will sit in a highchair and eat while in a restaurant, then you can bring him to the dining room (as early as possible...5:30pm). My older child can sit in a high chair for 2 hours if we give her fun things to keep her occupied, but my younger child never wanted to sit in the highchair for long. He sat on my lap and played with ice and water the entire meal. As soon as they get a little impatient, I take them back to the cabin along with the food I ordered from the dining room.

 

I think the 24hr-dining service is great for people with young children. If a child is hungry, just bring him/her up to the buffet. No need to worry about what to eat for the next meal.

 

I know for NCL, children under 2 is free (you pay port charges and taxes), so that alone is worth trying it out. Disney cruises are overpriced and your child is too young to enjoy it. I think the Grand Class Princess ships have Kid's zones where you can take your toddler in to play. There is a ball pit, puzzles, legos, playdohs, tricycles, basketball court, etc.... The only thing is that you can't leave your child there, but he can certainly play in there if you stay there with him. Princess charges special 3rd and 4th person fares for kids. Princess will also provide Gerber's baby food if your TA let them know ahead of time.

 

For me, what to feed my kids during a vacation is such a headache for me. There are only so many times we can go to McDonald's. We can't go to expensive restaurants because they may not like what we order (and not eat anything) which is a waste. So cruising is great. In dining rooms, I can requests just french fries, steamed vegetables, rice, and grilled chicken breast for my kids (even though those items are not on the menu). They were just so accommodating. It's like having a short-order cook at our disposal!

 

I would encourage that you go cruising with your child. Give it a try. Once you have done it once, you'll find that it's the easiest vacation you'll have, all things being equal (having a child with you).

 

HTH.

 

 

Jennifer

[MERED1TH]

and we need to take a vacation, really really bad, but we can’t decide if a cruise or a resort would be the best for our son.

Anyway, any suggestions on which route to go?

 

Thanks

 

We took our dd to Club Med Ixtapa when she was 22 months old I believe they take them 4 months and up, she turned 10 two weeks ago so its been a while. We had a great time the staff took excellent care of her.

We were close enough to spy when we needed to reassure ourselves. We could take her out and put her in as little or as often as we wanted. When we were there they had a special dining area just for little ones, a small buffet with spagetti, Chix Nuggets etc.

 

We have great memories of this vacations.

 

There are not to many Club Med Baby (4 mo) and Petit (2-3) resorts. Its is worth looking into.