Cruising with a toddler???

[Jeannie]

We've been on many cruises, several of them Disney, but this is our first with a toddler. We'll be with another couple who will have their just-turned 2 year old. Any tips, tricks, things you wish you had or hadn't done that I can pass along to the parents?

Thanks!

 

[Jess_S]

There are lots of threads on this topic, so definitely search for them. I took my son on his first DCL cruise when he was 22 months. He had a wonderful time. A 2 year old cannot be checked into the kids clubs, but there are open house hours where they can go with a parent. My son absolutely loved that. We didn't use the nursery at all, but many people here have and their kiddos seemed to enjoy it.

He also enjoyed the Wake Up with Disney Junior morning dance party, the live music and some of the stage shows. The cruise director on our trip did a long speech at the beginning of each show and it tried my son's attention span. Even though saving seats is discouraged, I would suggest coming in to find a spot and then having one parent take the 2 year old for a long "bathroom break" to run around until just before the actual show starts. Also, pick seats near the aisle so that you can leave if the little one gets fussy.

My other big tip is to bring am umbrella stroller. DCL is very stimulating for little ones and my son often passed out for a nap mid-day. Having the stroller meant that we could take him along with us and do activities, rather than remaining stuck in the room. The only "mistake" we made on our trip was trying to get my son to nap on an open deck one day. Asking him to go to sleep while Mickey and Goofy were walking around was just too much to ask and he wound up getting overtired. We should have brought him to our cabin for his nap and then gone back up on deck with the stroller once he was already asleep.

 

[Quellman]

Bring more diapers than you think you need. On our littles first cruise, we based diaper usage on historical need, then added more. After 2 days at sea and an upset digestive system, we had to get off the boat to grab more diapers!

You can still send a package to the ship in advance, this is a good way to save on excess baggage costs and luggage space.

 

[Kuzcotopia1]

I recently went on a 7-day EC cruise with my daughter. Feel free to message me with questions. We were on the Fantasy.

http://www.disboards.com/threads/fantasy-cruise-9-10-9-17-with-toddler.3548865/#post-56493303