Today I’m sharing my essential tips and tricks for a smooth and enjoyable cruise with toddlers, ensuring both parents and tiny travelers find the high seas a delightful and stress-free experience!
Hey, friends! Today I’ve got a good one for y’all: cruising with toddlers! These are my essential top tips for how to have the most enjoyable cruise with your toddler. I think that cruising is one of the best ways to experience a family vacation with a toddler. There are so many benefits that cruising has over a traditional vacation when you are traveling with toddler:
While cruising with kids has its advantages, it’s essential to consider individual preferences and needs. Some families may prefer the flexibility and independence of traditional vacations, while others appreciate the convenience and amenities offered by cruise experiences. Let’s dive into my top tips for cruising with toddlers!
#1 Choose a family-friendly cruise line!
Not all cruise lines are created equally! Personally for my family we prefer Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean for ocean cruises, and so we stick to Royal Caribbean for our family cruises. Other family friend cruise lines include:
#2 Pack strategically!
I have come to absolutely rely on packing cubes since having kids! They are such an easy way to separate kids clothing. I like to fold and pack outfits in a row and place them in the order that they will be worn throughout the trip. That way I can easily grab the next outfit from the packing cube! I love the cubes because once we get into our room on the ship I just pop the cubes into a drawer and don’t need to worry about unpacking anything until its needed.
#3 Use the on-board childcare services.
Many cruise lines offer excellent on-board childcare services free of charge. Utilize them! The process for utilizing this will vary based on ship, but for Royal Caribbean it was important for us to book our infants childcare on day one of our sailing for availability reasons. Toddlers were able to just be dropped off with the toddler club. Sophie had so much fun creating projects and playing with the other kids, and it gave mom and dad some nice time in the adults only Solarium and in the spa! Here are some of the cruise lines that offer childcare currently:
- Royal Caribbean
- Carnival Cruises
- Disney Cruise Line
- Norwegian Cruise Line
- MSC Cruises
- Princess Cruises
- Holland America Line
#4 Establish a routine – but be flexible!
Establishing a routine for your family while aboard a cruise is crucial for maintaining a sense of order and comfort, especially for toddlers. It doesn’t mean the schedule has to be identical to home life – adjust the schedule to ship life and engage in a similar morning and evening ritual to provide a familiar structure. Keep in mind though, it is also important to embrace some flexibility. After all – you wouldn’t have brought the fam on a cruise if you wanted them to maintain their entire daily home life schedule 😀
#5 Leverage the all-inclusive nature of cruising!
Cruising can provide a strategic approach for vacationing with toddlers because of the meals, accommodations, and a plethora of entertainment options that are bundled into a cruise package. Parents can focus on fun and family and not stress about paying the bill and whether or not their kids will enjoy a show or eat a meal.
Is traveling with toddlers hectic? Heck yes. Is it worth it? Absolutely. At the end of the day, one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had as a parent is showing my kids new places and new experiences, and for that reason we will continue to vacation, vacation frequently, and cruise! I hope these tips will help you to start preparing for your next cruise with the family!
