We are looking to take a 3-4 day cruise with our 3 year old who is still napping for 2-3 hours a day and I was wondering if there are any thoughts or recommendations on:
1 - Cruise ships that are good for toddlers
2 - cabins arrangements
3 - nut allergies

We were thinking about Carnival or Norwegian out of Miami or Jacksonville but the reviews are mixed. We've cruised both lines and I like the open dining options on Norwegian but Carnival seems more kid friendly from the website (maybe, can't remember). Any recommendations? How are the kiddie pools and are the slides good for a tall 3 year old, if available? We went to a Beaches resort last year and he loved the water slides.

As far as cabins, we were thinking about either adjoining cabins or a cabin with a balcony so he can take a nap while I read a magazine. We've always done the inside room minimum for other cruises becasue we wouldn't spend any time in the room but now we will and we want it to be good for us and a child that goes to bed at 9pm. Thoughts?

I'm not sure that we'll feel comfortable leaving him in a kids club even for a quick meal but any thoughts or comments about kids club are appreciated.

Lastly, my son has a nut allergy. Are the ships equipt and trained to deal with this? Obviously we will bring the Epi with us but any other comments or experiences?

I really appreciate anyone who takes the time to respond with helpful comments. Thanks!

One recommendation only. You have to do yourself a favor and check out the Disney cruise line. It would be the most ideal situation for you although they maybe a bit more expensive than NCL and Carnival.

They do a great job with kids. That's their specialty. They also do a good job with adults, afterall, they are the one who pay the bills. You will find their staff better trained and more kid friendly.

One recommendation only. You have to do yourself a favor and check out the Disney cruise line.
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My thoughts exactly.

Go with the Disney Cruise. A bit more money but well worth it. Their kids clubs are great. We've done the 4 day Disney Cruise twice, the first time when our daughter was 3. She LOVED it. Plenty of activities for the kids both on-board and on Castaway Key.

Meant to add, not sure why you'd be apprehensive about the kid's clubs. The Disney one has numerous activities for them, a big dress up area for the girls, games, movies, and a "graduation ceremony" at the end.

The staff was very energetic and great with the kids. I was apprehensive the first time we put our kids in a club. But, then I saw how much fun they were having with kids their own age. As my wife said, it's their vacation to.

We would give our kids a choice, do they want to have dinner with us or would they prefer the kids club. Usually it's the latter. The Disney boats have plenty of fast food available on the pool deck. The two times we went on two of the nights our kids would eat something near the pool then head to the kids club for a bit. It gave my wife and I a chance to enjoy some time together before taking the kids to that night's show.

Out of curiousity, I googled the nut allergy issue in regards to Disney Cruise Line and found this thread:

http://allergy.hyperboards.com/index...topic_id=12386

Sorry, meant to add that one of the benefits you might want to consider is that you have the same waiter and assistant at everyone of the Disney Cruise restaurants. (With the exception of the supplement restaurant.)

If your son does have an allergy, having that consistency will certainly be helpful to you. The two times we went we had really great waiters that got to know our two kids favorites.