Advice on cruising with a toddler

[Gisser]

Hi folks. My wife and I are Diamond Level cruisers on RCCL so we are not new to the experience, but we are new to bringing a toddler on board. I just booked a seven day cruise on Symphony next summer, and for the first time we'll be sailing with a grandchild  . We're on the ship with our son/daughter in law (who have sailed before they had a baby) and their little boy who will be 2-years old, and our daughter/son in law. Any thoughts/advice/insight on what the child programs on the RCCL ships can offer? Our son and his wife are rightfully nervous as new parents but I can't help but think the kids programs are pretty solid. Thanks for your wisdom and opinions. 

[wstephensi]

Two words,  Adventure Ocean.

My children were about 6 and 4 on their first cruise.   They loved Adventure Ocean.

[Boneric]

There is a lot for a 2 year old to do outside of Adventure Ocean on Symphony. We sailed this past August, she is 2 and I have a 4 year old son. Didn’t do AO because they would have been split up and we wanted to spend time with them. (They also have play areas for kids in AO that isn’t drop off you can take advantage of)

They have 2 splash pads. One of them allows for swim diapers in case they are not potty trained. It’s right next to a soft serve machine so perfect location. The boardwalk is also a great spot for them. They have the carrousel and a large climbing area next to Johnny rockets. Also an Arcade in playmakers. Also there is a candy store there. Note the arcade and candy store are extra charges. 
The ice skating shows and aqua theatre shows are fun for 2 year olds as well.  Note some shows are vaccinated only and obviously that takes a 2 year old out of the equation. Just make sure you check before you walk all the way to one of the shows.

Another good thing to note is that any restaurant on the ship can get you pizza or anything else for the kids so don’t worry about heading to a sit down and worrying if it will have food for the kids.