Cruising - hints and tips

We're off on a family cruise in a few weeks time. Little miss 5 should be in her element in the kids club but we also have a nearly 3 year old who's too young for kids club.

Has anyone taken a toddler on a cruise? Was there much for them to do?

For my child free time, what was your fave thing to do/see?

Cruising in general, any hints on what to pack or anything to organize pre cruise?
 
Went for a cruise once, enjoyed it, but didn't expect hubby to get sea sick!
1. If you think you will get sea sick, get the tablets and take them prior to boarding ship.
2. Bring bottled water -- I am fussy about those. There will be free flowing water around the area, but, if you want water in the room, then, probably bring some.
3. I saw people bringing fizzy drinks.
4. We pre-organized our tours, that's just the way hubby rocks.
5. Lanyards -- you might think, what? Well, you need a place to hold your room key, they sell them on the boat, but, if you got some at home, just bring it. ( A penny saved is a penny earned )

Enjoy!
 
Just arrived back from our cruise. We were provided with a 1 ltr bottle of water (3euro) each day. I ordered 4 large glasses of water which arrived with each covered in glad wrap & I'd store these in the fridge. There are extra charges for some things so try to claw back money where we can. We also no longer bother buying the many photos that are taken by the ships photographer, another way of keeping costs down. Many of the shire excursions are expensive so try to source your own or go onto cruise critic website and find your role call as people have sourced cheaper trips & maybe looking for others to fill spots.
 
Let us know how did your cruise go when you get back, we are planning one next year and I'll have 1.5 year old one with me...
 
Hi Beachgirl

We took our son on a 2 week cruise last year when he was 3 yrs & 3 months. He had an absolute ball and loved the kid's club, loved it!

The club had 3 sessions, I think about 9-12, 2-5 and 7-10pm but you could also have the kids minded & fed during lunch and dinner so the parents could eat without chasing after them.

The downside was the meals for the kids are usually sausages, pizza and chips :(

We did not use all the sessions for the kid's club and spent heaps of time with him and made sure he had a sleep in the afternoon, we usually skipped the kids club in the 2-5 session.

He wanted to go there every second of the trip!

Kids must be toilet trained for the club and no nappies in the pool.

The trip was a hoot.

I am happy to answer questions you may have.

Disclosure: Off in November for 3 weeks incl 2 week cruise on the same ship - we can't wait. The little one is counting the sleeps till then :)

regards
 
Took our son on a 3 day cruise when he was about 6 from L.A to Meh-hee-co.

Had a ball in the kids club, but he was only in there for a few hours at a time

There were other activities on the decks to do throughout the day, plus the pools.

The boat stopped so we could get off and tour around each day as well.

It was a great trip.
 
Cruising is fantastic. My tips:
1) Only do organised shore excursions where there is a specific thing you really want to see/do. The organised excursions are expensive, so if you just want to have a look around, grab a local taxi instead.
2) If you get free room service (many cruiselines do this, especially for suites), order a bunch of sandwiches, and wrap them up in bags to take with you in case you can't find food you or your kids like on shore.
3) Look at the drinks packages, but bear in mind the cruise line still makes money.
4) Explore the ship. It's easy just to hang in your area, the restuarant, pool, etc, but there are all sorts of things hidden away on board.
5) Sunscreen. Use it. Being burnt will bugger your cruise.
6) It's tempting to eat like a maniac, but moderation will mean you have the energy to do some of the fun stuff available.

I'm taking the family for a cruise in the western Caribbean in January. Should be great fun!
 
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