Hello,
We are going on our first cruise Feb 09 on the Solstice with our 2 year old daughter. I have read many reviews about the pool situations for children in diapers and they are not good, as in I think I may need to cancel my trip A friend had a bad experience with the kiddie pool not being in use and I have read other reviews that the kiddie pools are not filled-I am not sure how it is on solstice, I still need to give them a call. As well as children not potty trained are not allowed in the main pools. She is also too young to be in the kids center, as they have to be 3 years of age and potty trained. Any input would be greatly appreciated and advise...am I crazy for taking her????? Thank you!

Hi bendwilliams, and welcome to cruise-chat.com.

No, you are not crazy for taking your daughter, but be prepared to spend a lot of time with her. I speak from experience, as our son had already been on four cruises with us by the time he turned three.

You're correct in that she won't be able to use the pools. This is actually a policy of the U.S. Public Health Department.

Yet Celebrity offers what it calls Toddler Time, where you can accompany your daughter to the Kids Program. Information will be in the separate Kids Club (or Fun Factory) daily program. If you do not receive one automatically, you can find these in the Kids' Room up on "The Lawn Club" Deck.

Happy to answer any further questions based on our experience.

Thanks for your response. I read about the toddler time, but it seams that it is only for a short time during the day. It just seems like you are very limited when you are on the boat with toddlers-now if she was over 3 it would be a different story.
The reason we are going is my husband has a convention on the cruise...very cool, but that means it will just be me and her most of the time during the day. I just don't think I can do it without the pool-its an eastern caribbean cruise. When I imagined our week cruise, I figured her and I would be in the pool or hanging out near it the whole time. And that means that my husband and I will not be able to swim together. I'm super bummed.

quote:

I still need to give them a call

The problem with calling and asking about pools is there is usually a big disconnect between the customer service center and the ships. The person on the phone might tell you the kiddie pool will be open, but really, they haven't a clue as to what will actually happen aboard the ship.

I ended up calling Celebrity today and they do not have a kiddie pool on the Solstice and children wearing diapers are not allowed in the pool.......I'm canceling our reservations on Tuesday

Sorry to hear that a pool is so vital to your cruise expectations, and that the pool rules alone will cause you to cancel. There is more to a cruise than the pool deck, so I hope you'll reconsider your choice.

As Lisa noted, the pool rules are a public health requirement and not something the cruise lines decided to implement.

I understand there is a lot to do on a cruise to keep you busy, but I have yet to find anything that will keep my 2 year old daughter entertained except for toddler time. We love the water and in order for us, as in my husband and I to be in the pool, one of us has to stay behind with our daughter. If she was three we would be in a much better situation. We are not even able to use the babysitting. Thankfully a friend went on a celebrity cruise with her daughter who is the same age as mine and told me how she enjoyed it.....which was not at all-They felt very limited. This would have been our 1st cruise, but we will try it again at a later time, when she is over three and there will be lots of activity options for her. Thanks!

Just remember that cruise ship pools are not particularly large and are more about a quick dip to cool off than they are about swimming - especially on the at-sea days when it can be standing room only in the water.

We took our son on his first cruise - aboard the Celebrity Century - when he was 20 months old. I'll agree we were limited. At that time, they took kids at 24 months in the youth program, not that it mattered. It definitely is a better experience when the kids are older.

Sorry to hear you're going to cancel. Is there someone that you could leave your daughter with? If not, are you sure you couldn't keep her entertained? The sea days will be a little more difficult than port days. It just seems such a shame to miss out on a great opportunity to experience a brand new ship. Best wishes!