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cruise w/ a 3 yo?

KathrynMDKathrynMD member
in Pre-School and Daycare
We're thinking about taking a 4 night Carnival cruise w/ DD this winter. We've never done a cruise before but this seems like a good, easy choice for a short trip. Any advice or suggestions? DD will be 3 and fully PT'd. We're thinking of getting a suite w/ king bed and pull out Sofa bed for DD.
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Re: cruise w/ a 3 yo?

  • LDQAM516LDQAM516 member
    Get a balcony...that way...when you have to come to your stateroom for LO to go down for the night...you and DH can sit out with some alcoholic beverages and relax...they have nice child safe latches on them as well.
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  • SpenjaminsSpenjamins
    I don't know. Carnival cruises are kind of party boats and there are lines and I remember getting up at 5 to put a towel on a beach chair or you would not get one. If it were me I would go somewhere on land where your child could run around freely and have places to play. Something more relaxed?
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  • scrappingcatscrappingcat member

    We are frequent cruisers and I agree that a balcony will be best so you can have some alone time after DD goes to bed.  If your DD doesn't like showers you may want to get a larger room that has a tub, I think the Jr Suites have them. 

    We have talked a lot about when would be comfortable taking DS and our criteria include:  being able to walk in ports (we don't want to tote a stroller along), potty trained, comfortable in the shower, able to flex his schedule ok (staying up late right now is torture for everyone!).

    We've also thought about inviting a couple with kids or grandma/grandpa along so we can take turns watching kids or have someone to hang out with while the other parent stays behind in the room!

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  • schnappycatschnappycat member

    imagelasposa425:
    Sounds fun!  We've never done a cruise before though so I can't speak from experience.  I have heard good things about the Disney cruise line for families.

    This. I have heard fab things about Disney, both for kids and adults (they have separate activities for both so you can get some time apart), but very little good about Carnival. I have no personal experience, but when we have talked about taking a cruise in the future, we had already ruled out Carnival. 

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  • KathrynMDKathrynMD member
    I hadn't even thought about Disney - duh!  I am looking now - thanks for the ideas!
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  • LDQAM516LDQAM516 member
    We cruise through NCL and have had nothing but great experiences...but once our kids are a little older and fully know what Disney is about...we will definitely take one!  I remember whenever a Disney cruise would leave the port...the horn would always be some sort of Disney tune and they ALWAYS have Disney movies playing on their giant big screen on the top deck.  Looks like a lot of fun!
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  • Stacyc625Stacyc625 member

    I have cruised with DD when she was 21 mo old- and it was fine.

    we cruised carnival-

    we cruised out of baltimore and it was super easy.

    As for the balconies- it totally DEPENDS on what time of year  you are cruising esp in our area. We cruised in Feb- (to the bahamas) a balcony would have been a total waste of $ we skipped it.

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  • ellesmamaellesmama member
    We took a cruise this year for Mother's Day weekend. DD was 23 months at the time and LOVED it. It was Carnival and she had a great time. I was a little nervous at times because of the railing- it just freaked me out a little when she would get too close. She was too little for the Camp Carnival program (which was fine with me- I'm not sure how comfortable I would be just leaving her with people I don't know!) but we found plenty of kid-friendlt things to do. That being said- we parked next to 2 different Disney ships at both ports and I was super impressed. That will definitely be out next cruise. All of the railings had plexiglass in front of them, so I wouldn't have been SO freaked out about her walking around and such and obviously the ship has SO much to offer for kids of ALL ages. Either way, I think you'll be fine- especially considering she's a year + older thann DD was at the time.
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  • cmanmomcmanmom

    We did a cruise through Carnival in May 2010 and DS had just turned 4 in Feb.  IT was amazing.  We did a 7 day and their "Camp Carnival" program was amazing.  They give you a cell phone for the whole cruise so you can call them and vice versa, they have a huge schedule of projects, parties etc.  they will feed them too so you can have a nice dinner without them.  There's also a camera with live feed tv so you can go anytime and see little one without them seeing you.  You could even leave your kid on the ship and go ashore if you wanted to (the thought of that freaked me out in a major way but people did it!)

    We had a room with a pull down bed (from the wall) and it had a nice railing on it so DS wouldn't fall out and then a queen underneath it.

    I was impressed by Carnival cruise line and how they catered to the kids and had an amazing program so they could have fun while you enjoyed yourself.

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