Taking 2 year old son....Help

[ccmichaelson]

My wife and I are planning our first cruise and have no option but to bring my 26 month old son. I'm worried that either he will not have fun onboard for 7 days or he make it so we (my wife and I) don't have fun either.

Has anyone taken a 2 year old and if so any suggestions, ideas, etc.

Thanks a million!
Cameron

 

[shellgoodman]

Cameron, we are leaving 9/7/02 with a 4 & 2 (28 mos) yr old. I have heard that this is a great vacation for the kids so we're tagging along. We will be using Flounders nursery at night a few times and I hope my daughter will be okay with that. She just started daycare 2x a week for 4 hrs and she finally has adjusted to that without any crying. It took 3 wks for the crying to stop. WDW was great for both kids so we think that everyone will be happy on this trip. Only drawback for my husband is that there is no gambling onboard which he has complained about.

I'll let you know how it goes for us next week. I don't think any of us have anything to worry about.

 

[aprilgail2]

My daughter was 29 months when we went and she had a blast. She loved all the shows and we saw peter pan at the movies on the ship. She went to all the character meets and had a good time. She also loved castaway cay, we floated around on a float half the day! She did not like flounders reef though, she said all the toys were for babies and she wouldn't stay there. We went in the Mickey pool one morning around 7am but I would not venture there during the afternoon, it is just WAY to crowded and big kids go running though it not paying much attenton to the little ones they are knocking over. We have a pool at home anyway so it is no specal thing for her to be in a crowded pool. She did love the dinners though, she was very entertained by the servers there.

 

[Deniseibase]

We are going to be on the 9/29 Wonder with our 30 month old DD who has NEVER been left with anyone except people she knew VERY well (grandma, an aunt and two moms of friends of hers). We plan on using Flounder's Reef and will give a FULL report when we get back. A few general pieces of advice I have gotten from these boards -

- don't overbook and plan on being flexible. Plan on lots of free time and down time in your vacation. A two year old can be entertained for a long time just by something as simple as walking around the ship and seeing all the pretty things. This is NOT the trip to plan four hours of snorkeling in the morning and six hours of waterskiing in the afternoon Plan to be relaxed instead of commando-style.

- if your child is generally outgoing and likes new things and people you should be fine. If your child craves routine you will have more trouble. Remember, your schedule will be different every day of your vacation, if your toddler doesn't roll with the punches well at home, expect meltdowns on vacation!!

- per-trip preparation seems to help. Get the Disney Cruise Line Video and watch it several times. We also got one of the Sing Along Songs tapes that shows the characters interacting with the kids in live action. Ours is Walt Disney World Campout or something like that, there are several, just make sure it's one of the live action ones. Character fear is a big problem at this age & there will be characters on the ship, if you can prepare your little one beforehand it will be easier. If you plan to take your son to a movie or show, try to take him to a movie or show in your town before you go to see how he reacts to it.

- don't forget those favorite comfort toys and blankies!!

Good luck! I am only slightly nervous about our trip, I think DD will have a lot of fun checking out the ship, seeing the shows, splashing in the Mickey Pool and playing on the beach in port. I am looking forward to spending relaxed time with her MUCH more than I am worried about how she'll handle it!

Denise