Questions on cruising with a 2yr old

[alikat99]

I just have a couple of questions regarding cruising with a 2 yr old. DH, DD and I will be taking a cruise in Oct 2003. We are planning on taking the Oct 4, 2003 sailing of the Magic and my DD will be turning 2 on 10/5. First of all, will DCL do anything special for my DD's 2nd birthday? And next, what kinds of things are available for a 2 yr old? I know that they have the nursery if we want to have some adult-time, but what else is available? This is going to be our first cruise, so I'm very new to all of this.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Amy

 

[wovenwonder]

Let your servers know of your daughters birthday and they will bring out a cake that evening at dinner. I believe that you may accompany your daughter in to the Oceaneer Club for some play and activities -- she just cannot go there without you. I'm sure that she will enjoy the interaction with the characters throughout the day as well as swimming with other little one's in the Mickey Pool.

 

[diznynut]

We took our son when he was 18 months on the Wonder for 4 days. Our servers actually were more attentive to him than the rest of our party( 14 in all). I am sure if you let them know in advance they will treat her like a princess. We did not take advantage of flounder's reef while on board. There were movies to see, mickey's pool, and lots of character encounters. We had no problem entertaining him or ourselves. Remember room service is 24 hours, so if you can't make it to the buffets late at night because someone wants to sleep youcan always have it delivered. We didn't know that on our last cruise. We are going on the 7 day in Octber and can't wait. Our son is now old enough to partake in the club, so maybe we will see some of what we missed on our last cruise. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

 

[Partridge4ever]

Have you actually called to book the cruise? We planned to cruise that date as well but were told by a TA and by calling the Disney Cruise Line directly that the Magic is in dry dock that week. I'm so sad! Now I'm reading up on the 4 day, which leaves Oct. 5.
Leah

 

[alikat99]

Actually, I found out yesterday that it's going to be dry-docked. So, now we are thinking about the Oct 11th, western itinerary.

 

[mommy2taylor]

We took a 3day land/4 day sea vacation when our daughter was 2 years 2 months old, and I really wished we had waited until she was 3 to take this vacation. We all know this is not an inexpensive vacation!!
Our daughter had a very difficult time sitting through dinner. Picture eating at a restaraunt 3 meals a day with your child, not a quick McDonalds trip either, full course meals. Our daughter could only make it through half the meal (approx 35-45 min), and then we ended up bringing her to Flounders for the rest of our meal. Yes there are other dining options, but for the cost, you want to eat the nice food!! Our server was great about bringing her dinner with our appitizers.
The activities are geared for 3 years old and up. We would be allowed to go into the activities with her, but they were above her level. We did not get to see the shows because she said they were too loud (and also too long to hold her attention).
Our daughter enjoyed the land part of the vacation much more (WDW & the water park). She did like the beach at Castaway Cay. So, you need to evaluate whether you think you will get your money's worth out of the vacation, for what you will be able to enjoy. I would suggest to hold off another year or year & a half, and you will have a better time. If you have any questions feel free to contact me!! You can make adjustments to make it more fun for them, you will just get more out of it in another year or so!!

 

[akasleepingbeauty]

I think a lot of your experience on the cruise with a 2 year old will depend on the individual child. Our dd had a great time on the cruise - loved the nursery, did fine at all the sit-down meals (although we only did dinners and 1 lunch in the restaurants), and enjoyed the island activities.

We used the nursery every night after dinner for a couple of hours (she goes to bed very early so she spent most of her time in the nursery asleep) so we did not take her to the shows. She did very well overall and we are planning on taking another cruise when she has a sibling about the same age.

I think you just have to evaluate how your child does away from home, at restaurant etc. If your child adapts well, then you will probaby be fine. If not, then you may want to reconsider.

One more thing to think about is that the price for an under-3 child is only about $120 whereas the price for an over-3 child is several hundreds of dollars more. Oh yes, and one last thing is that all kids who participate in the kids clubs (3+) must be completely potty-trained (able to go and clean up without any assistance) so that may also be a factor to consider.

Happy cruising!!

 

[peg2001]

If your child is under 3-years-old on the day the cruise sets sail, you pay the infant rate, even if they turn 3 the next day. If your child is within a month of turning 3 AND potty-trained, they can use the kids clubs, even if you've paid the infant rate!

We are doing this the week my DD2 turns 3 in January. I was up front and honest when I made the reservation as she turns 3 the day after we sail. However, I was told that YES, I just needed to pay the infant rate and YES she would be eligble to take part in the kids club. (Now if we can just get the potty training down pat by Jan!)

 

[onemichelle]

Speaking of travelling with a two year old I have a question. How long does dinner usually take? Is it two long for two and three year olds to sit still? Thanks.

 

[wovenwonder]

Dinner generally takes about 1 1/2 hours on average. BUT there is so much going on in the dining rooms and the servers are so attentive to the children that the time actually flies by. If your small child simply cannot last that long -- you can request to have dessert to go -- and take it back to your stateroom to enjoy in a more relaxed setting.

 

[opsomyo]

I never thought about it before, my DD will be 3 in Sept. & we sail in Nov. I am not sure if she will be completely potty trained. She is a little behind & on Lasix which makes her pee all the time! If she isn't all the way trained, could she be in with her sister who will be 6 & her help her? ( they are quite the pair). I read they give no help, what about with snaps & stuff? She is so little! My first daughter seemed much older at 3 than Maddy does now. Otherwise, will I be able to put her in the nursery if we want a few hours of freedom? I guess need to really work on training her, our goal before the cruise I guess.

 

[wovenwonder]

3 and 4 year olds are grouped together -- and 5 to 7 year olds in a different group.
Therefore your 6 year old would not be with your 3 year old in the clubs. They may not assist with toileting in any way -- including zips, snaps, etc. -- If you would want to stop in on a regular basis and help your child in the bathroom that would be accepted. BUT if she has more than one accident she will be asked to not come to the clubs. If she is NOT fully trained you may have her go to flounders nursery. Flounders is by reservation only and has a small fee.

 

[peg2001]

opsomyo,

My back-up plan if my just-turned-3 DD can not manage the potty by herself by our January cruise is to attend the Club with her during the activities that she is interested in. This way, she can enjoy the club and I can enjoy spending some fun time with her. We are making some potty progress so all hope is not yet lost.

Peg

 

[RIDISNEYLOVERS]

This is a very helpful and informative thread. My sister and I are going on the 4 day wonder in November and we both have a 2 1/2 yo DD (she also has a DS who is going to be 8 months old). We are in the process right now of potty training and hopefully it will be complete by the time we go - we have about 3 more months!! I was planning on going with my DD to the Oceaneers Club for some time to "play" and also putting her in the nursery when DH and I go to Palo and the spa (gotta try the surial).

I am not expecting to be able to do everything (eat my whole meal with no problems, go and watch the whole show, leave her in the nursery the whole time we are at Palo or the spa), and if I am able to than great, but I don't want to set myself up for dissapointment - we are going with an open mind and just to be able to enjoy each others company for 10 days!! We don't have any shore excursions booked just because I wanted to limit the amount of time that she spends in the nursery.

My mom and dad are also coming on this cruise and they told us (and my sister) that they will babysit and I said NO WAY because they are there to enjoy each others company too.

What do you do for night life with your little ones? My DD will be up so is there much for all of us to do then? The clubs are only open for Adults (18 and over - right?) Is Studio Sea open late? That is the family place - right?

Thanks for your input and ideas!!

Lisa