Cruise vacation with twins...any tips for me?

did a search and got 0 results.

Going on a cruise at the end of March on NCl Jewel With 2 1/2 year olds.
Requesting 2 cribs in cabin (space will be tight!)

Anyone been on this ship with twins? got any tips?

We'll be doing the Eastern Caribbean Itinerary
-San Juan
-Antigua
-St. Thomas
-Great Stirrup Cay

Thanks a lot!

 

did a search and got 0 results.

Going on a cruise at the end of March on NCl Jewel With 2 1/2 year olds.
Requesting 2 cribs in cabin (space will be tight!)

Anyone been on this ship with twins? got any tips?

We'll be doing the Eastern Caribbean Itinerary
-San Juan
-Antigua
-St. Thomas
-Great Stirrup Cay

Thanks a lot!

 

My two-year-old twins and I just took our third cruise together. I really don't think there is any better way to travel with kids. I have tons of advice and packing tips, all of which I learned at cruisecritics.com where there is a family cruising board. Someone there will be able to give you specific information about your cruise ship (I haven't done Norwegian), but in the meantime, I'll pull out my cruise file and post you all my tips this afternoon. As far as the two cribs - you should check with your travel agent or the cruiseline to see if they are full-size pack'nplays. I've seen other parents comment that their toddlers weren't comfortable in the small cribs on ships. Some parents bring a bed rail and let their toddlers sleep on the couch or on one of the beds. If you have any other specific questions, let me know.

Best,
Mia

 

I have not been on NCL, but I worked on and off for many years running children's programs on Princess.

First thing is to check the age requirement for kids programs. I think most cruise lines have upped it to 3. However, on Princess we allowed younger kids to come WITH a parent. Most of the ships had lots of toys, ball pits, showed kids movies, and had some good arts and crafts. Definitely check to see if they'll allow you to do that.

Are you traveling with a larger group (family/friends?) If so, you might be able to take turns eating dinner with them in one of the less formal places (on princess there is always a "bistro" and a pizzeria) or room service, while everyone else gets to eat in the dining room. The main dining rooms all have kids menus (and you can order as much as you want, so if they don't like what they get, ask for something else), but dinner is often a long, drawn out affair that small children aren't happy sitting through. And if there's something your kids really like that you don't see on the menu, just ask. If the waiters get a sense of what you like, they'll usually be very accomodating (such as bringing you chocolate chip cookies at EVERY meal without asking for them).

You've probably already thought of this, but remember that planning full day shore excursions might be too much for your twins. Again, if you have other folks to help out, you might take turns hanging out with them at different ports so everyone else can have a full day out. If it's just you, then plan accordingly. It can actually be fun to hang out on the ship while it's in port, because very few people are around. The pools aren't crowded (at least not until later in the day) and you have a little more space everywhere.

Let me know where you're going- if it's Caribbean, I might be able to give you suggestions for some specific ports (although I never had to plan for kids in the ports).

Have a fabulous time!

-Rachel

 

Oh wow, I'm glad I saw your post Dawn as I am in the planning stages of a Hawaii cruise this summer for our 20 year anniversary and of course the 3 kids will be with us I am looking at NCL too and trying to find others opinions on crusing this brand of ships with a 2 1/2 yr old. I too have visited the cruisecritic and started reading reviews from parents of toddlers to get an honest opinion.
On a good note we did the Disney cruise this past Oct and Emily did great! (she was 20 mths at the time) She just slept in the bed with us. She didn't do to great in the baby sitting room but did great in the kids club play area since we had to be with her there.
I love cruising with kids because there is always something to do no matter what time of the day it is. Also plenty of food and entertainment all wrapped up in 1 price.

ood luck on what you decide to do and if you go I hope your little ones have a fantastic time.
PS Make sure if you do go you video tape alot of it as your twins will love watching it months after it's over! (Emily is watching right now our video from the Disney cruise)

 

I've never been on the Jewel but our twins took their first cruise when they were 2 1/2 years old on Disney. We took two single umbrella strollers which we used not only around the ship but also in the ports. You definitely don't want a sbs stroller because you won't fit down the hallways on the ship. We also had two rooms and even with two rooms it was crowded with a pack n play in each room. A better option might be one of the sofa beds with a bed rail on it. I would also check the age of the kids club because as someone else said lots of them don't start until they're three and potty trained and it's nice to be able to drop them off even for an hour or two so you and your husband can get some kid free time, or go to the spa, or just relax! If you have any more specific questions I'd be happy to try to answer them.

 

we've been on the Carnival Legend twice with my boys. they are the only cruise line that i know of that lets kids 2+ into their kids programs. the others are not approved to do diaper changing (from what i've heard).

it was great fun but we always travel with extended family so that really helped us a lot.

my quick recommendations:

1) go to cruisecritics.com it's a great resource!
2) book a balcony cabin so that if you need to put the kids down and have them cry it out you can sit on your balcony with a book (and tiny book light) or a mp3, ipod whatever as they fall to sleep. i've spent more than one vacation hiding in the bathroom until the kids fall asleep.
3) ask about the cribs. carnival had the mini cribs but my boys slept fine in them.
4) look into what they offer as a rental. carnival rents strollers but we brought ours with us. it was very handy to have the boys sitting in the strollers as we went through the embarkation process.

i hope you have a great time. i've never been to any of the ports that you are visiting but as the PP said you need to be aware of the length the excursions take and also what kind of babysitting is available.

have fun!

 

I've found the best excursions at that age are the "beach breaks", and often there is no charge for chilren under 3 if they're going to sit on your lap. Keep in mind that you'll have to ride the buses or taxis without car seats. I bring blow up beach balls and blow up floaties for them to use at the kids pools at resorts in ports, or bring some lightweight sand toys. Some of my favorite days are those we spent playing together at a resort - so much more relaxing than running around sightseeing. There is an area on cruisecritics.com for ports where you can ask about kid friendly activities or resorts for each of your ports.

Unfortunately, ships' pools don't allow children in swim diapers, but we're always so busy on board, it never matters that they only swim at the hotels in ports. I bring a little blow up pool to use in the shower (as there are no tubs), and you can use that on deck as your own private splash pool for the twins if you want.

Our first cruise, I just planned to take the girls to the casual buffet every night for dinner, but when the maitre d' learned my plans, he insisted that of any passenger, a mother of twins needed to be served. I'm SO glad he did, and we now go to every meal in the dining room rather than the buffet. It's so nice to sit and have a proper meal and be taken care of, rather than juggling trays at the buffet. I pack lots of new little inexpensive toys to amuse the twins at meals (crayons, stickers, etc.) and the waiters are always good about being a little more speedy for us. The benefit of going to the dining room for dinner is that it's all set up exactly how I want it when we arrive each night (booster seats/no knives or glasses for the twins).

Since I travel alone with my girls, I have to take my duo glider stroller rather than two singles, but it's never a problem because ships are set up to be wheelchair friendly.

For diapers, I just tape a luggage tag onto a box of diapers and check it with my luggage. One thing I've found helpful is a little hamper that folds flat and pops out - I use it as a toy box to toss all their toys, dolls, books in so the cabin isn't a disaster area all the time. I also bring a portable DVD player for them to watch a movie before bed or while I'm in the shower.


I have one warning about cruisecritic, you can get the idea that children are not welcome on cruise ships because some fuddy duddies wish they were adults-only and are crabby to those going with children. On the ships though, my girls are always treated like princesses by crew and passengers alike. Cruiselines are extremely kid friendly these days.

Have a great trip!

Best,
Mia

 

quote:
I have one warning about cruisecritic, you can get the idea that children are not welcome on cruise ships because some fuddy duddies wish they were adults-only and are crabby to those going with children


That is so true! If you would have posted this question over there, there would have been several people to tell you to just leave the kids at home!! But besides some of the anti-kid members, you can get a lot of helpful information over there! Find the thread specific to the date of your cruise and I'm sure the people cruising with you (roll call ) will be more than happy to help you out. Have fun!!

 

Make sure you give us a full report when you get back.
We are thinking of going on a Carnival cruise this summer since they take kids 2 years old in their kids club.

 

My hubby and I cruised on the Jewel in Sept and had an absolute blast. There were several families there w/little ones. We asked several of them how it was working out for the kids and they all spoke highly of the cruise line, the staff and the events they had planned for the children. We were so impressed w/their comments that we're planning on taking our children and grandbabies on NCL w/us next time. Good luck and have a ball!!

 

that is very true about cruisecritic.com and i second the suggestion to look for you your ships "roll call". we had a blast chatting with people that were going to be sailing with us. once we were on board we were able to actually meet in real life. it was fun.

we were lucky b/c my mom had a suite so we were able to use the tub in her cabin.

it's funny how so many adults-only types crab about kids but from a parents perspective everyone was really nice.

you have to be careful to keep the kids out of any adult-only areas. on the Legend they have an adult pool and some other adult areas (the topless deck!)

but the kids programs are so much fun that the kids were mostly at camp!

 

Thanks for taking the time to post all the great tips!

I also looked at cruise critic as you all suggested, and it has been very helpful.

 

I think that taking a cruise vacation with twins can be an amazing experience with some planning. Make sure to pack plenty of snacks and activities to keep them entertained. From what I read in super.com reviews , it’s helpful to choose a cruise line that offers family-friendly amenities and services. Look for ones with kids' clubs and babysitting options to give yourself some downtime. Don't forget to bring any important items like medications or comfort toys to keep your twins comfortable. Enjoy your trip!