Cruising with young children?

We've cruised once before, just my husband and I, but we're thinking of
taking our (by then) 3.5 year daughter and my mom late next year. Have any
of you cruised with kids that young? Is it safe? Should we go Disney? RCCL
looks more exciting in terms of ports etc, but Disney seems more
kid-friendly.

Also which is better for people with motion sickness? A Caribbean cruise or
a Mediterannean one?

Many thanks,

Bianca

PLEASE go Disney!
"Bianca Wright" wrote in message
...
We've cruised once before, just my husband and I, but we're thinking of
taking our (by then) 3.5 year daughter and my mom late next year. Have any
of you cruised with kids that young? Is it safe? Should we go Disney? RCCL
looks more exciting in terms of ports etc, but Disney seems more
kid-friendly.

Also which is better for people with motion sickness? A Caribbean cruise
or
a Mediterannean one?

Many thanks,

Bianca

we've cruised with our son since he was 2. as long as you are ok with
taking her out of the dining room when necessary, naps, etc and not doing
things that she is not good with you'll be fine. the caribbean works great
because we went to beaches. the med is a lot of sightseeing and is probably
too much for a young child
sheree

"Bianca Wright" wrote in message
...
We've cruised once before, just my husband and I, but we're thinking of
taking our (by then) 3.5 year daughter and my mom late next year. Have any
of you cruised with kids that young? Is it safe? Should we go Disney? RCCL
looks more exciting in terms of ports etc, but Disney seems more
kid-friendly.

Also which is better for people with motion sickness? A Caribbean cruise
or
a Mediterannean one?

Many thanks,

Bianca

My son greatly enjoyed the kids programs on Celebrity and NCL (he was
4 when we went on the Celebrity cruise). Disney, is of course, a dream
cruise as far as kids are concerned, and I have heard great things
about their service for adults, although there is no casino (I think).
Actually, to be honest, it's my dream cruise because I'm a Disney
nut. Be aware that some ships or cruise lines only have kids programs
during busy times (christmas, thanksgiving etc). For example, some of
the Princess ships have kids programs all year around and other ships
are only during the school vacation times. My friend's kids LOVED the
carnival program. Do however, be prepared to remove your child if she
is finding an activity, such as the dining room overwhelming. It's
unfair to the other diners if your kid is having a meltdown. I found
that Celebrity, although the food and service are wonderful, and their
kids program was a lot of fun, was not a good fit for my needs. My son
(a VERY active boy with some special needs) and a 4 course sit down
meal EVERY NIGHT is not a good fit. I spent a lot of time not eating
that trip (I actually lost weight on that cruise). I think both Disney
and Carnival have the kids eat with the counselors, but I'm not
entirely sure about that. I have found that for me, NCL fits the bill,
since I don't have to bring my kid for a sit down meal every night.
(buffet works great for us). Most nights, I pick him up at the kids
program when they close for dinner, give him dinner either in the room
or at the buffet, and bring him back when the program opens, then eat
dinner without my ankle biter. Last cruise we made the mistake of
pulling him out of the program 20 minutes early to see a magic show.
He has made me promise to keep him in the kids program EVERY SECOND
possible and not to pull him out for ANY REASON WHATSOEVER!!!! So, you
see, it doesn't have to be Disney for the kids to enjoy themselves.
Caribbean is probably better for kids though - swimming, snorkeling,
beaches and glass bottomed boats. Grand Cayman has a turtle farm and a
'feed the sting ray' type place.

On Sat, 13 Oct 2007 20:59:13 +0200, "Bianca Wright" wrote:

We've cruised once before, just my husband and I, but we're thinking of
taking our (by then) 3.5 year daughter and my mom late next year. Have any
of you cruised with kids that young? Is it safe? Should we go Disney? RCCL
looks more exciting in terms of ports etc, but Disney seems more
kid-friendly.

Also which is better for people with motion sickness? A Caribbean cruise or
a Mediterannean one?

Kids who annoy people often disappear on cruise ships, never to be seen again...

Bianca Wright wrote:
We've cruised once before, just my husband and I, but we're thinking of
taking our (by then) 3.5 year daughter and my mom late next year. Have any
of you cruised with kids that young? Is it safe? Should we go Disney? RCCL
looks more exciting in terms of ports etc, but Disney seems more
kid-friendly.

I haven't cruised with kids, but have cruised on the Disney Magic. All
the parents there said that their kids were having a blast and didn't
want to leave the program. Disney does not have a casino and most if not
all the shows are Disney related. The biggest negative is that Disney
tends to be more expensive then other cruise lines.

I have read good things about the RCCL childrens programs, but have no
first hand information. I am sure others with first hand experience will
post soon.

Also which is better for people with motion sickness? A Caribbean cruise or
a Mediterannean one?

Traveling with your daughter, I think a Caribbean cruise would be
better. To do a Med. cruise you have long flight and a very port
intensive schedule. In the Caribbean you can do interesting things and
also get a little beach time and still have some sea days to relax on
the ship.

sue

On Sat, 13 Oct 2007 20:59:13 +0200, Bianca Wright wrote:

3.5 year daughter

Good age. Enjoy

On 10/13/2007 2:59 PM Bianca Wright consulted a Magic 8 Ball and declared:
We've cruised once before, just my husband and I, but we're thinking of
taking our (by then) 3.5 year daughter and my mom late next year. Have any
of you cruised with kids that young? Is it safe? Should we go Disney? RCCL
looks more exciting in terms of ports etc, but Disney seems more
kid-friendly.

Also which is better for people with motion sickness? A Caribbean cruise or
a Mediterannean one?

Many thanks,

Bianca




As to the sea sickness issue, most of the cruise ships are equipped with
stabilizing thrusters. Unless you are sailing through heavy seas you're
not likely to even be aware you are on a ship. It generally doesn't
matter where you sail. The ocean is the ocean and a cruise ship will
sail upon it pretty much the same everywhere. A consult with your
family doctor would be the most productive thing to do a week or two
before you sail.

--
________
To email me, Edit "blog" from my email address.
Brian M. Kochera
"Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once!"
View My Web Page: http://home.earthlink.net/~brian1951

Bianca,

From actual experience, I also vote for Disney Cruise Line. Yes, there is no
casino. And yes, it is a bit more expensive. But, believe me, it is well
worth in. Why not see for yourself. Last year my wife Deborah and I sailed
to the Eastern Caribbean on the Disney Magic for a 7-day cruise. We even
opted for another 6-days at Disney's Port Orleans - Riverside at Walt Disney
World itself. Surprisingly, we don't even have kids. However, we are kids at
heart. Disney Cruise Line is not only know for their excellent kids
programs, but let's face it - this is Disney. Who else does this better?

But as I said, see for yourself. Click on the following link for access to
our photo albums, detailing this very trip:
http://www1.snapfish.com:80/share/p=...=SYE/otsi=SALB.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so why not see for yourself?
Likewise, stick to the Caribbean vs. the Mediterranean for the kids.
Furthermore, even though we have personally been on many other cruise lines
to the Caribbean, it is our job to know what to recommend, and why. After
all, we have over 20-years of experience in this very business. While we may
not have kids, many of our client certainly do. And you won't find an
unhappy one in the bunch when sailing with Disney. In addition, in our
review, also posted on the newsgroup, we pointed out that there is also
plenty to do for adults as well - with or without kids

Take a look at our albums, then you decide for yourself.

Happy sailing,
John Sisker, SHIP-TO-SHORE CRUISE AGENCY®
(714) 536-3850 or toll free at (800) 724-6644 & (Agency No. 714.536.3850)
www.shiptoshorecruise.com

Bianca Wright wrote:
We've cruised once before, just my husband and I, but we're thinking of
taking our (by then) 3.5 year daughter and my mom late next year. Have any
of you cruised with kids that young? Is it safe? Should we go Disney? RCCL
looks more exciting in terms of ports etc, but Disney seems more
kid-friendly.

Also which is better for people with motion sickness? A Caribbean cruise or
a Mediterannean one?

Many thanks,

Bianca

Dear Bianca,


I would also recommend the Caribbean Disney Cruise.
Getting to the Mediterannean will involve a very
long airplance tri[,
and most 3.5 year olds do not fly well over a few
hours.

Also, the Med trips are full of neat sightseeing
events that a child of that age would find most
BORING.

Disney does a great job for this age group, and
the entire ship is kid friendly / tolerant.

Just make sure you plan some "US" time with your
husband.

Cheers,
John in LALALand (On the Left Coast)