husband wants a cruise... I think it sounds awful

[Goscat]

My husband is convinced we should go on a cruise with our baby and 3year old. They look like my literal worst nightmare full of tacky entertainment and being stuck chasing a toddler round a ship with nothing to do for a baby and stuck together in the tiniest of rooms. Has anyone taken kids this age on one?

He had a great time on one to Alaska when he and his brother were in their 20s which is a very skewed view on what it will be like with kids I think!

P&O are amazing for kids if you do try it. We had such a brilliant holiday. I wished I'd done it when they were younger as only my youngest wanted to go in the kids club, not my tween or teen, but it was so fantastic. The nursery was so beautiful. There's kids swimming pools, splash plash areas, soft play, the entertainment was actually really good. They do a kids tea buffet with kid friendly foods. The entertainment was actually really good, the kids loved the circus acrobats and there was a dinosaur theatre show they loved too. There's so much to do you can't do all of it, there's no way you'll be bored. My DD begged to go to the evening kids club every day so we even felt like we had time to relax with our teens.

Most cruises won’t let kids use the pools unless they are toilet trained, though some will have a splash area for little ones, so that’s worth bearing in mind.

disney cruises are amazing with west end quality shows every night and the best food I’ve had on any cruise, and obviously the kids clubs are next level.

i think I’d be tempted to wait a couple of years so they can both get something out of it.

Just an observation that people saying it's great actually have experience, and people saying don't do it are doing so based on netflix. It's like saying you should never go on any holidays, because didn't you read about this hotel in Egypt where everyone got a stomach bug, and omg the sunbed wars..
There are a million different cruise options, choose it carefully depending on your needs and you'll have a fabulous time.

Exactly this.

DH and I are in to hiking here and overseas. So a cruise most definitely didn’t seem for us. But for some reason that’s lost we decided to go on a cruise and we loved it. Was to the Norwegian Fjords. DS was a teenager and he also loved it but all the small children seemed to go off to a children’s club each day. We then went on a 2 week med cruise a couple of years later.

cruising these days really isn’t like the perceptions of old.

There’s a cruise line to suit almost every taste, and on the big ships the entertainment now is really high quality, with loads to do. In many cases shows will be almost west end standard, and then you’ve got all sorts of other options depending on the ship, from escape rooms, to rock climbing walls to ice rinks.

A large cruise ship is like a floating resort - and generally much better than you might get on an all inclusive type resort - with more choice and variety of restaurants, bars, entertainment, lounges and activities. You also have the benefit that you’ll dock somewhere almost every day, so you can get off the ship and explore new places, but with no hassle.

The rooms may be smaller as standard than you might get in a beach hotel, but if that’s important to you then there are family suites and larger rooms with balconies.

I have no personal experience of cruising with kids but I’d generally have thought cruising is a very good option, as they’re a contained environment with lots of child friendly options as well as kids clubs etc.

As others have said, it’s worth doing some research as there’s a huge spectrum now in terms of cruise line and what they offer.

We’ve just come back from a cruise, it was pre school hols so there wasn’t loads of children on there, but the few that were made me wonder how easy it is to cruise and would I have chosen it when ours were little.

There’s kids clubs all day and the ship we were on (P&O Britannia) also had a splash pool, play area and apparently there was a small soft play. The ship also did a kids tea, which looked like finger sandwiches etc

They aren’t tacky if you choose a good company and pay enough! Celebrity, Holland America or Uniworld are upmarket.. It can be a pleasant and stress free way to visit a lot of different countries and places with no transport stresses. Your ship is just a five star hotel that travels with you in it to lovely destinations!

However, I personally don’t see the appeal with such little children. Good parents spend ages reviewing nurseries and good childcare providers at home - why do they suddenly entrust their tots to often under qualified staff when on holiday! Additionally you’ll be stuck in a stateroom with your kids - they can’t be in a cabin on their own with no adult present so limited adult time when they’re asleep - unlike if, for example, an apartment somewhere or adjoining hotel rooms. Of course, you may be able to book a suite or a two bedroom configuration on ship, or take granny or a nanny - but it will cost you.

Did a Norwegian cruise with DS(5) last year and it was great. He loved the kids club and we had some great trips at the ports. It helped that the grandparents came with us and they enjoy a slower pace of activity, so a couple of days they took him back on board in the afternoon so we could have some more exploring time.

We went with P&O and I would say it was really well geared up from kids.

I love Cruises BUT not with small children! They’re only tacky if you choose a crap line. We pay a lot to cruise and use high end lines so there’s nothing cheap or tacky but we also no longer have young children, about to be one first time grandparents actually. I personally would not go with small children. But it’s up to you.

All holidays with a baby and 3 year old are tricky, but cruise would be a nightmare.
Absolutely brilliant for older kids and teens but not babies.

I will never go on a cruise, they look ghastly!

There are so many different cruise lines, you just need to choose the right one. There are ships of 300 or of 6,000. Some have tacky entertainment, some are very highbrow. Some you dress for dinner, others are very relaxed. Some are very well set up for families with kids clubs and lots to do onboard, plus you don't have the hassle of flying.
If it's your first time and you're not sure, try a short duration or go somewhere like the Norwegian fjords where the only way to visit is by boat.

I think this would be one of the main reasons for me on not going on a cruise with small children! The fact that I would find it stressful having to watch a child not looking over rails etc. I know it’s highly unlikely that nothing would happen but this would make me feel on edge.

Also, when out for the day, having to clock watch so you made sure you got back to the ship in time. Plus, I get sea sick too so it would be a no from me😀.

I hate 'entertainments' and tacky places and don't do all inclusive holidays, but I've thoroughly enjoyed both the cruises I've been on. One was a Baltic cruise for our honeymoon - low-key ship, cultural visits. The other was a med cruise with PIL, BIL, SIL and our early and mid teen dc. Not a posh company or a super fancy ship, but it was a really great holiday. We didn't go to any entertainments except cinema night on deck with blankets, which was nice! The dc loved being on the ship and the choice of food etc. Lovely visits, Rome being the highlight.

You’re joking right?

Been on lots of cruises with kids. Youngest would have been 2 years old first time. Kids loved it and loved the kids club as well as the pools and the general experience. Always had a balcony cabin - there isn’t a rule about age of kids for a balcony. The railings are chest height on an adult so clearly you would never ever have a child unsupervised on a balcony but they’re not going to fall over any railings. Agree it is easier as they get older but it can be a great holiday at all ages. We used the night nursery a few times also and my husband and I enjoyed a meal on our own a few times.

We were the first off the gang plank every time we docked, hot footing it to the local bus or whatever to do our own thing. Never had trouble getting on or off the ship. Never had to sit with anyone at dinner. The entertainment is not compulsory, do what you like. There's lots of misconceptions about cruising from those who haven't done it, you just need to do your research and choose carefully.

We went on a Norwegian cruise last April and despite our reservations found that it ticked many boxes except I came back about a stone heavier. I would take advice from people who have been rather than from people who just watch TV shows about cruises!

If you choose one of the more upmarket cruise lines and avoid times of year and the straits of water that are notoriously bumpy, you’re highly unlikely to get seasick. The good stabilisers on the good ships are very effective.

We did a few cruises when DC were young. DD was 2 and DS 5 on the first one.

I really didn't want to go but it was a big family holiday paid for by my in laws. I was actually dreading it.

It was amazing. Both DC loved the kids club so much they didn't ever want to leave it. We took them out of kids club to have a swim with us or to eat lunch and then they wanted to go back in.

We only ate at full table service restaurant on the evening. DC enjoyed dinner with us and then went back to kids club for the evening.

We don't go to any shows as not our thing but it meant we could enjoy the cocktail lounges without them being busy. We picked the kids up at midnight usually and carried them asleep back to our cabin.

Kids enjoyed days out at the various ports and then went to kids club when we got back on board.

We booked another cruise for the following year as soon as we got home.

Or Hi de Hi

I have only been on one cruise as exh really loved going on them as a child.

I wasn’t keen as I get sea sick on a canal boat.

It was everything I thought it would be. Which is probably why I have never repeated the experience

That’s what exh and his family said. Spent 5 days throwing up and feeling ill

I thought I would hate cruising, but about 15 years ago DP took one of our late-teen DC on one and came back raving about it. Since then we have done about six cruises. It's not my all-time favourite kind of holiday but there's nothing actually wrong or terrible about it. I do not have good sea legs either but the boats are very stable.

As PP said, choose your company carefully. There are YouTube channels like Emma Cruises (she claims to pay her own way) which will let you see what it's like on board. I'm told that TUI Marella is basically Butlin's at sea, but Cunard would be way too posh for us as we are not great at dressing up. We found a happy medium.