How old do cruise lines require?

I would not suggest a cruise with little ones that age. I am a young grandmother of 4 (age 47) and the few very little ones we saw on the cruise May 10th were bored out of their precious little skulls.

Do some research. Is there anywhere you and family have wanted to go and if so, check to see what types of children-friendly activities are available.

I grew up in Indiana and there are some great opportunities there for the children as well. You have the Children's Museum, the Zoo, etc.

If you want to use the tickets and get away, check out Philadelphia. It is near impossible to get bored in Philly and they have an entire museum dedicated to children called the "Please Touch Museum" It is a regular size museum with 3 whole floors dedicated to children of all ages including the little ones. There is an excellent Alice In Wonderland area especially with cubby's and tea parties in abundance. There are oppotunities for the kids to learn and explore as well. I promise you won't be disappointed. We took our granddaughter there at Christmastime (she was 14 months) and she had a blast. We were there for 3 hours and we had a hard time getting her to leave.

Good luck and have a great time no matter where you go.

Royal Caribbean (and most other cruise lines) has a policy where the infant must be at least 6 months on the day of the cruise. Disney Cruise Line has a nursery for 3 months-36 months, but it's $6 and hour for the first child, and $5 an hour for the second. There's a max of 10 hours for a 3-7 day cruise.

No cruise line allows children that young in the "camps" during the day for free. Usually, they must be at least 3 years old. Also, they are not allowed in the pools until they are potty trained unless there is a designated baby pool/splash zone. And the inside staterooms are often too small for a pack and play or portable crib.

Personally, I'd wait until the youngest was 3 before going on a cruise.

There are many things to do in Orlando, FL without doing the Disney thing. It has some of the best interactive museums, shows, food, hotels and fun for every age! This website can maybe give you some ideas: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g34515-Acti...

Congrats on free tickets! WOW! About vacationing with the two little ones -- travel is a huge disruption to their schedules, which can easily result in digestive issues, bathroom issues, sleep issues, and general crankiness. It is also a huge issue for the adults, who basically have no vacation at all -- just more difficult work in a different place. And you should know in case you have not travelled with such little ones before -- lots of the people who will be around you and the children will not be the least bit happy about there being children, and some will be unkind and catty and rude. All that being said, how about leaving the little ones at home with a grandparent/relative/babysitter/etc.? The kids will be happier, and you will have a chance to really enjoy some carefree time as a couple. By the way, I am NOT anti-kid! I am, however, very upset when I see parents drag little kids here and there with little if any regard for the children's meals, hours, sleep, and appropriate places to be (bars and hot tubs are NOT for kids). The kids act up, which is the parents' fault, and other people can get plain old nasty. Now -- on ships there are indeed special programs for children, and they all seem to have a wonderful time. Some ships even have evening babysitting available. If you really want to take the little ones anyway, do talk carefully with a travel agent who books a lot of cruises and choose the cruise line that has the best programming for kids, including the evening babysitting so you can have an evening off now and then! And whatever you choose to do with those free tickets, have a blast!

You say your kids are "too young" for Disney, but if you can afford it, that's the best line for kids that age. Disney truly caters to kids. The other mass-market lines have varying degrees of kids' programs and facilities, but some won't allow kids that young to travel or won't allow them in the kids' programs [usually have to be potty-trained].

I don't think I would take two infants on a cruise, but that's only my opinion. If you have tickets for free airfare, why not try to find a land-based vacation that might be all-inclusive or have family suites with kitchens or kitchenettes?

Depends on the line. Most cruise lines will not allow a 5 mo old to travel.

Disney allows infants 12 wks old to travel. Carnival, Celebrity, Costa, Holland, NCL, Princess, Royal- infants must be 6 months. MSC has no min age.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art33033.asp

http://www.familytravelnetwork.com/articles/cruise...