Please tell me about cruising with a 3 year-old...

[buzzrelly]

Hi all! We have the Fantasy booked for an Eastern Caribbean cruise next April. Originally it was going to be me, my mom, and my 17 and 15 year-old kids. We are now thinking of bringing my niece who will be 3.5 years old on the cruise. I have actually already added her to the reservation, just in case.

We've done three cruises in the past but never with anyone this young. I don't even know which club she goes to and what the rules are, though she's already potty-trained, so no worries there. So for all of you who have cruised with toddlers, I'd love to hear all of your advice, tips, etc.

Thanks!

 

[DietCokeMommy]

I think that’s a great age for a cruise. We went this winter when my son was a couple months past 4. At 3 they’re old enough to use the pools, they can go to the shows or movies and be interested enough to watch, and they know who the characters are (if you have them watch the movies ahead of time). They’re also old enough for the clubs, not the nursery, and they go to Oceaneers. They can technically do the lab or the club, but the club skews to the younger kids.

My daughter was 18 months when we went and while we had a great time, there was a lot we couldn’t do. We’re going to wait until 2020 to do it again when she’s 3.5 and I can’t wait.

 

[Sunshine2U]

My question is why do you want to bring your niece? I would not do it just to do something for your niece - she won't really remember it. Don't get me wrong, we took our 5yo nephew but IMO that's the best time to start taking kids. With the 3 yo I feel like you will be compromising a lot of your own quality time.

 

[hcox31]

My question is why do you want to bring your niece? I would not do it just to do something for your niece - she won't really remember it. Don't get me wrong, we took our 5yo nephew but IMO that's the best time to start taking kids. With the 3 yo I feel like you will be compromising a lot of your own quality time.

My now 4 year old remembers her first cruise on the Dream, 2 months before she turned 3. Last time we went, 2 months before she turned 4 she most definitely remembers. She talks about it every dang day.

 

[TrishaK]

We went after our daughter turned 3 and was potty trained. Even though she grew up going to day care, she didn’t want to spend much time in the kids club. She wanted to swim and eat mac n cheese. And I spent a lot of time taking her to the bathroom.
We did have fun, but I was a bit disappointed. The things she wanted to do, we could have done at home. That was all I kept thinking. She had a fabulous time time meeting the characters, though.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

DD5 was just turned 3 on our Disney cruise. She has not ceased requesting to go on another.

That being said, she was uncomfortable in the kid's club (which is weird because she'd been in day care since she was 9 months), and that cut into a lot of our "grownup" time. But, she got to dance with Mickey, while dressed as Cinderella, as snow fell through the atrium. So, yeah. Magical.

 

[hpsalb]

We have cruised with small kiddos of various ages. At three and fully potty trained, she will be old enough to enjoy the clubs and pools. Kids are different in how they regard the clubs - some seem hesitant and others are ready to dump you and make new friends.

The only thing I would caution is that if you take your niece on the trip, prepare for the unfamiliar. We took our niece with us to WDW and we were quickly reminded how challenging it was to take a child not your own. And she was 6, not 3.

 

[Kate_45]

I can only tell you about my 3 year old. He loved it. It was magical. From the first morning walking to breakfast when he spotted someone, shouted "Gooooofy!" at the top of his voice and walked into breakfast holding hands with goofy himself, to meeting the princesses and other characters, to swimming, to making masks and playing games with the family, it was great. He really believed. Was captivated by all the shows.

He had been going to nursery school for just over a month at that point and was very keen to spend time in the kids club (oceaneers). We explored it together in open house, left him for an hour the first day and then increased it as they kept on asking if they could go. Most of the time he had his 4 year old sister in there with him, though they didn't always hang out together I think it helped with confidence. His high point was making a hammer and meeting Thor. He would not leave the hammer in the cabin after that so we have photos of lots of characters all dressed as pirates, with a hammer. We were more nervous about leaving him in there for long periods, but the team there were really reassuring.

He was exhausted by the long days though. We attempted a midday nap in the cabin which didn't work, but on other days he'd fall asleep on journeys back to the ship. On one day when he'd been in the club all day he fell asleep at dinner.

I would watch a film with your niece before you go so you can get an idea of her concentration span, which will help you to plan things like where to sit for shows. At the meals you can get the kids meals to arrive first if your niece won't wait or will take a while to eat, or you can order various courses off either menu to time it with the adults. Just let the server know what works best for your family.

My only advice is that even though she's potty trained do take her to the toilet often (maybe not even ask if she needs to, just announce that you're going) and not rely on her to tell you even if she generally does. I find when relatives are looking after our little one in an exciting place he forgets to say until it's too close and they aren't always noticing the clues especially if he's jiggling with excitement anyway (He'll often insist he doesn't need to go and is just dancing - fear of missing out). It's not a big thing, as you're so close to your cabin for a change of clothes, but they'll probably be drinking more than usual because of the heat.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I would be prepared to do a lot of babysitting. We took DS on his first DCL cruise and it would have been disastrous had we not had extended family with us who helped us watch him as he would not go to the kids club. He felt out of his element and did not enjoy the experience at all. He’s older now and enjoys DCL, but that first cruise was challenging. IMHO, when you are traveling with kids that age, it’s a trip, not a vacation. I would be prepared to give up a lot of your free time.

 

[lorimay]

My grandson was 3.5 on his first ride on "Mickey's Boat" and he loved it! We had a hard time getting him out of the club, and he did remember it he asked grandpa all the time "when are we going back on Mickey's Boat?"
He's going to be 10 next month and still loves it.

Our granddaughter was not quite 2 on that trip and didn't like being away from mommy so she was with one of us all 99% of the time, that was a bit young, but she went along with her brother asking to go back, now at 8 she goes to the club but not like her brother does.

 

[xQuizx]

It all depends on your child.

When we took our daughter when she was 3.5, we had a hard time getting her out of the club she loved it. Now at 6 she still can recall things she did in the club when she was 3.5.

When we too our son when he was 3.5 he loved it as well. He did have an accident in the club and the CM's called us to pick him up. He spent most of his time just playing video games and watching movies. We did use the nursery once as well since his older sister wouldn't be in the club, and he loved the nursery too. When we went to pick him up at the nursery he was playing with a bunch of kids. But he preferred the kids club overall.

 

[Travel60]

Having just spent 12 days (5 without parents, 7 with) with my dear granddaughter, not quite 4, here is what you will likely experience:
She will have to go to the bathroom 12 times a day. Even if you ask, read "insist", before leaving cabin, she will have to go, often at an inconvenient time - waiting in line for dinner, etc.
She will likely not get her afternoon nap - cabin noise, too light, too much excitement. This means she will become a bear late afternoon or dinner time.
She will need to be in bed by 8-8:30 meaning one adult will have to sit in cabin with her, missing all the adult fun. The cabin will need to be dark, no tv, etc. At best, you can read on your nook or Ipad.
She will be too young to go on some of the excursions, limiting what you can do as a family. If you opt for a bus excursion, she will hate being cooped up, fuss, cry, and make all other participants miserable. Likely have to go potty, too.

While I take my grandchildren to WDW, to Florida beaches, to the mountains, and keep her for days at my home, there is no way I would take an under 6-yeyar old on a cruise without mother. Even with mother, I'd make sure we understood the parenting duties .....I love the evening entertainment on Disney ships!

 

[eva2015]

Why do you want to bring your niece? Is she very familiar with you and your family? I can't imagine taking someone else's 3yr old on a week long vacation. As the mother of a 3.5yr old, I can't imagine allowing someone to take her on a week long vacation.

 

[DietCokeMommy]

Having just spent 12 days (5 without parents, 7 with) with my dear granddaughter, not quite 4, here is what you will likely experience:
She will have to go to the bathroom 12 times a day. Even if you ask, read "insist", before leaving cabin, she will have to go, often at an inconvenient time - waiting in line for dinner, etc.
She will likely not get her afternoon nap - cabin noise, too light, too much excitement. This means she will become a bear late afternoon or dinner time.
She will need to be in bed by 8-8:30 meaning one adult will have to sit in cabin with her, missing all the adult fun. The cabin will need to be dark, no tv, etc. At best, you can read on your nook or Ipad.
She will be too young to go on some of the excursions, limiting what you can do as a family. If you opt for a bus excursion, she will hate being cooped up, fuss, cry, and make all other participants miserable. Likely have to go potty, too.

While I take my grandchildren to WDW, to Florida beaches, to the mountains, and keep her for days at my home, there is no way I would take an under 6-yeyar old on a cruise without mother. Even with mother, I'd make sure we understood the parenting duties .....I love the evening entertainment on Disney ships!

I agree with some of this, but not all of it.
- Not all kids have to go 12 times a day, mine definitely doesn't, but yes when they do it may be inconvenient at times. That's the nature of kids.
- My kids both took afternoon naps pretty much every day on the ship. We closed all the curtains and turned on a noise machine.
- Yes, little kids go to bed early but our cabin did not need to be dark. The curtain in between the kids and our bed was very efficient at blocking light. I would read, watch shows on my laptop with headphones, and even go out to the verandah after they fell asleep and listen to audio books out there. Both my kids sleep like rocks.
- Yes, Disney has high age restrictions on some excursions. We chose other providers so this wasn't an issue. And I agree with the bus thing, I would not take either of my kids on any kind of bus sight seeing tour. Even at almost 5, my oldest would not enjoy that.

 

[gotomu212]

We first took our son at 2.5 years old and our daughter went the day after she turned 6 months and we’ve loved all our trips....BUT that being said we took them because they are our kids and we take them along when we travel. I wouldn’t take my young nieces or nephews with us at that age. The trips when they are this age are really centered around them and their needs and when they’re your kids that’s just expected but your own son’s might get a little annoyed at having to move at her pace instead of theirs.

I think the biggest adjustment for you being used to travel with older kids is that your time is really going to be driven by her. With our older son we can split up more and everyone can do what they want. Adding the little one suddenly means someone has to stay with her unless she’s in the Club and it seems like a lot of the really small kids, even if they like the clubs, don’t want to stay in them as long as the 6 and older crowd.

The other big thing was nighttime. Once she’s asleep someone will need to,stay with her and then everyone else in the cabin needs to be a little quieter when they come in. With older kids we forgot how early some of the little ones go to sleep so that was an adjustment when my daughter came along.

My only other caution is that 3 year olds can get really homesick if they aren’t around their parents so it would be hard for me to take a niece or nephew for more than a night or two and definitely to a place it would be hard to call short if she was really miserable.

 

[ElenaRN]

We were on the 3 day Merrytime Cruise back in Nov. ODD was 6.5 and YDD 3.5. They both had a blast. YDD really enjoyed the kids club. They never had to call us to pick her up, though she was in full day preK. YDD and ODD weren't always together either. They did separate at times and do different things.

Also, I have come up with a rule when we are on vacation- if one person has to go to the BR we all have to try. Cuts down on BR trips for sure.

 

[lorenni]

Our son also would not go to the kids clubs at that age though he was already in preschool. The one time he went we literally watched him get run over by a herd of older children - the biggest failing of the clubs is that they gave in and allowed the integration of such a wide age range. 3 year olds can not safely play unsupervised with other unsupervised 12 year olds. And there is no real supervision in the clubs. Organized activities, yes. But someone actually making sure kids are kind, gentle, not running or shoving the little ones? Nope.

Otherwise he enjoyed the stage shows, though they were late for him as we had early dining. He enjoyed the splash pad though here again I ended up with a baseball sized black and blue when I stepped in front of him to block a running 12 year old (not supposed to be in there but no one enforces that either).

Given the ages of the other children I would not add a 3 year old unless I had to. It will slow the group, limit your excursion choices, limit ability to enjoy evening activities, etc.

 

[Kate_45]

But it will also add hugely to your experiences in other ways. Seeing it through fresh eyes again, watching someone feel the magic for the first time and getting to spend time playing with a little one who you love.

I think what this thread highlights is that there are so many approaches to a family holiday/holidaying with little ones, same as there are so many approaches to bringing up children in general. If nothing else it will help you think back to when yours were that age and what it was like for you then, so you can adjust it to cater for the differences in personality between your niece and your kids.

 

[hubbard53]

we took our boy on his first cruise at teh age of 1.25 - THAT was more of a trip than a vacation. However, he loved it. We've taken him back annually. Seeing "the magic" through a child's joy from the experience is an experience in itself and "worth it" (however you assign worth). 3 year olds remember - they definitely do - even if they don't remember specifics, it affects their development and they benefit from the unique experience and joy.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

we took our boy on his first cruise at teh age of 1.25 - THAT was more of a trip than a vacation. However, he loved it. We've taken him back annually. Seeing "the magic" through a child's joy from the experience is an experience in itself and "worth it" (however you assign worth). 3 year olds remember - they definitely do - even if they don't remember specifics, it affects their development and they benefit from the unique experience and joy.

Both of these are right on. It will take extra "work" as others have mentioned, and you need to be prepared for that, but there is nothing better than watching them enjoy things. You think you enjoy seeing Crush swim up to you on the screen? Wait until you watch them enjoy it! And although others are probably right that they won't remember it forever, they will remember it for a LONG time, and it will effect their opinions of themselves for their whole lives.

When I was 4, I went to WDW for the first time. I don't remember that trip any more. But when I was 16 I went back to Disney for the first time since then, and I remember that trip clearly. I also remember how clearly, at that time, I could remember the trip when I was 4. I rode all the same rides and did many of the same things, and it made me feel like a kid again. It was priceless.

My own sons went with us to Hawaii when they were 2 and 3.5. They are 16 and 17 and don't clearly remember that trip any more. But their whole lives they have known they went. They consider themselves travelers and explorers, and have gone on many trips since (some without us) confident that they can handle it because they have always been travelers. I tell a story about my one son climbing Banyan Trees when he was three. He doesn't remember the event itself, but he knows the story, and what it says about his confidence, and my willingness to let him climb it. I have since seen him climb any number of things. His confidence started early and was fueled by stories of trips like these, whether he remembers the actual trip or not.

Later today they leave for a school trip to Europe. 2 weeks without us. Sometimes without the teacher chaperones. A lifetime of preparation. And college on the horizon, so confidence without us around is a must.

This is a great gift to give anyone, including your niece. Whatever you decide, enjoy!