Have You Taken Your Young Children on a Cruise? Which Cruise Line?

I just did Royal Caribean with my 4 year old and she LOVED it. The camp on RCL is fantastic. They are grouped separately by age so the little ones aren't with older kids. My daughter cried when we would come to take her back to the room.

Camp is open from 9am to 2am ($6/hour from 10pm to 2am) and there is in room sitting, too. There is plenty for kids to do on the ships. We were on the Oasis so there is a carousel there which was unreal.

We did have a balcomy - my hubby liked watching us pull in and out of port but for me - I could have done without the added expense and after all, you can just go outside if you want to look out and feel the fresh air.

Look into RCL - I highly recommend it.

We took our son on his first cruise when he was three. We have cruised every year since and he is now 7 1/2. We love cruising and have done Carnival and Royal Carribbean. Both have good kids programs and lots of activities for families. We would choose the early seating for dinner and then put our son in the kids club from about 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. He loved it as they keep them busy w/ crafts, movies and dance parties. Then my husband and I would hit the casino or catch a show or just hang out in the piano bar.
Get the balcony! I love to order room service for breakfast (its complimentary) and then enjoy my coffee and croissants/cereal on the balcony as the kids/husband slept. Then the kids eat their cereal, and we get ready for the day. The balcony is great at night too, after the kids fall asleep, you and your husband can sit out there w/ a glass of wine and have a little romance! :)
My son was a picky eater when he was three/four, so I would pack a duffel bag of snacks/juice/foods he would eat as you want some kind of snack for shore excursions as you won't know where/what you will be eating onshore.
Go to cruisecritic.com and register there. On it are seasoned, hard core, long time cruisers that you can ask questions of, any topic about cruising. It is very informative and sometimes people review (w/pictures) the cruise they were just on and you can get a feel of the ship, food, and activities.
I've never done a Disney cruise, have heard all good things about it. Tends to be more expensive and I Iike a deal. Plus no casino on Disney, so we would not like that.
I would suggest you try a 4 or 5 day cruise and see how it goes. That is what we did before we did the 7 day.
Good Luck and have fun!

I grew up near Ft. Lauderdale and have taken several cruises (before I had children). Honestly, I think they are horrible and have no desire to take one with my children. The last one I took was in 2001--a pre-wedding cruise with mom, sisters, aunt and cousin. We had 3 of the most expensive suites, which also entitled us to dinner with the Captain. I think it was on Norwegian. I would be WAY TOO paranoid to take kids that young. I would be afraid they would get hurt, fall overboard, or even get sea sick. Also, the cattle call of getting on and off the ship would be horrible. I know a lot of the ships do "kid programs", but I personally would never let my 3 or 4 year old out of my sight on a ship. I just couldn't trust a cruise employee to watch out for my child.

With that being said, if you wanted to go, I would suggest spending the money for a Disney cruise. I know they're not cheap, but they are probably the most kid friendly (no grouchy senior citizens would go on a Disney cruise) and have the most to offer kids/families. A friend of mine took one with her girls when they were 6 & 7 and loved it! Also, I know the rooms with balconies are nicer, but I would be afraid about what could happen to the kids (I'm normally not such a paranoid person--just when it comes to water and kids).

The Caribbean is beautiful. We honeymooned on St. Maarten and have traveled to other islands.

Did you ever consider just going to Disney? Many of the hotels offer babysitting so parents can have a night out. Or, maybe you can bring along Grandma, so you can go out at night. Just a thought...

We went on our first cruise last month with our 4 year old. We were with a group of other families with a 3 yr, 5 yr, 6 yr, 8 yr and 12 yr. It was on the Carnival Conquest to Jamaica, Caymans and Cozumel. My daughter loved it so much, she didn't even want to get off of the boat in Mexico, so we left the kids and had an adult day with our friends! She still talks about their mascot - Fun Ship Freddie. She loved the kids camp.
On Carnival, you do have to pick up your child for lunch and they do have some adult supervised events (which we opted out - I'd much rather hang out at the pool with her!).
We had a window cabin, which was perfect for viewing. Next time, though, we will be a balconcy and a babysitter at home :)

I am a pro at cruising with a little one. My daughter is 3.5 years old, and this Christmas, I will be taking her on her 6th cruise. Her first cruise was at 5 months old!

I will tell you up front, I am biased inthat I prefer Royal Caribbean over all other cruise lines. I have also taken her on several NCL cruises, as a gift from my parents. I would avoid Disney only because I have surveyed a lot of other families who had been on Disney, and while it's a great cruise line, they all complained that the only entertainment was Disney/child oriented. RCL has a fantastic "Ocean Adventure" program for ages 6 months and up. They segregate the children by age groups, and there is something going on all the time for them. All the costs are included with RCL, except for babysitting after 10pm. Also, with RCL you can get off the ship (when in port) and leave them in the kids' club. NCL's program is a little different. If you bring them for babysitting (during the daytime) and there is not a scheduled activity, they charge you by the hour and you must stay on the ship when it's in port (with a beeper). NCL's scheduled programs were very good too, but RCL's were really over the top great for the kids.

I have had balcony & interior rooms, so I think that is just your choice and budget as to what you can afford. I prefer to save a few dollars and get an interior room, but either is fine. BTW, the balconies are safe and almost 100% enclosed at the bottom, so no worries about falling out.

Just enjoy your trip! Cruising is the greatest and the best use of your travel dollar. Bon Voyage!!

I've done carnival with a 3 yr old and there's is a camp that she loved!! We just had to take her out for lunch and we either kept her for the afternoon or put her back. Also put her there for exersions, then would go get her and let her walk around the ship before it was time to leave. We did an inside cabin - wasnt' a big deal because we were hardly ever there.