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cruising with grandchiildren


dbzillion
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I am about to move far away from my grandchildren, who are not yet old enough to fly alone.

 

The only one old enough to grasp the enormity of what this means is the 4 year old, so I thought it might be good to book a cruise for the 3 & 4 year old (the newborn cannot come! lol), and that way, when I leave I can give him a calendar to count down the days until the cruise,

 

Any suggestions? I've only taken teens on a Royal Carribean cruise once, so I am not an expert.

 

Shorter cruises probably better, as I still work full-time, and they are still quite young,

 

Dianne

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  • 2 weeks later...

Cruising with kids that young is a full time exhausting job. The kids will be bored to death if swimming all day tires you. You will be exhausted at the end of the cruise and the grandchildren will not really appreciate all your efforts. My eldest grandson asks me all the time, he's 8, "hey Grandpa, when will you take me on a cruise?" My response is when he learns better manners and develops a larger list of foods he'll eat. Maybe next year. I hope so ;).

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  • 4 months later...
  • 2 months later...

My Grandson started cruising at 4. He started cruising eating off the children's menu but quickly discovered he wanted to try the dishes on the adult menu. Prior to the cruise, we told him he would have to practice good manners. The waiters and asst waiter took extra care and he wanted to make sure to have his good manners on display. Most of the cruise lines have a kids club where you can get a few hours rest if you require it. There are lots of us Grandparents that are capable of taking care of these sweet little ones without it killing of from exhaustion. My Grandson is now 22 and still enjoys cruises. He's Diamond on his own standing, loves to try different foods wherever he travels, is well read, intelligent, is comfortable with people of all ages, has a deep appreciation and respect for people in the service industry and has impeccable manners. I think a lot of it has to do with the cruises he's been on, the people he has met, the different cultures, religions, and experiences that can't be replaced with anything other than travel and exposure. We were on a cruise with him in July and in December, he and a friend. She will be going with him to celebrate his graduation from college. I don't see any downside with taking your grandchildren on a cruise. My Grandson always counted down the days to the next cruise in anticipation. One suggestion would be to get them a map each of the ports. My Grandson has a map from all the places he has visited. It started out being something to hang over his bed but his entire room at home and at my house is now covered with maps and photos of all the islands and of European cities and ports. It's a GRAND tradition to start with them. I wouldn't trade it for anything. He and I both of memories that will last a lifetime.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I have 3 grandchildren. We took them on a cruise as pre-teens/teens.

 

I'm just not sure a cruise with a 3 and 4 yo would be the best choice for a vacation, in my opinion. I think there are better land-based choices for a vacation with the ages of your grandchildren.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Have you thought about doing a Disney cruise? They are more expensive than RCL or Carnival but they include a kid's program from age three that allows you to drop off your grandchildren from early morning to late at night, not that you would want to. But if you, or they, needed a break it would be there for you. My oldest grandchild, of four, is three, and we are waiting until the youngest one is three, then everyone will go on Disney. We have heard rave reviews from every grandparent who has ever done it.

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  • 1 month later...

Three and four year olds can change habits and like/dislikes frequently. I will be traveling with my 7 and 10 year old grandchildren this winter and have no worries. I know them very well as I take care of them frequently. They LOVE the kid's programs, so that gives me a bit of a break. I have a three year old that may cruise with us when she gets to the 6-7 year old range. The fussiness of a tired preschooler can be exhausting.

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  • 4 weeks later...
I recently cruised with my 4 & 6 y/o grandsons. I expected to be bonding with them but instead, spent less time with them while they enjoyed staying at the kids club with the other kids onboard.

 

We found the same thing with our 4 grandkids from the time the oldest was 8 years old and the youngest was 3. The oldest is now 21. We found, and I am sure everyone has their preference, that Carnival was best for the kids clubs. We haven't been on Disney, but RCCL has much shorter hours than CCL and NCL was between the 2. With CCL you can basically take the kids to the "camps" at about 8am and pick them up at midnight. They do ask you to pick them up for a couple of hours at dinner. All of them did not want to leave the camp when we would go to pick them up and half way through dinner were asking if it was time for them to go back. I was actually a little jealous of them. They got to go places on the ship that I couldn't do. Backstage in the theater and they actually put on a little performance before one of the shows one evening. They took a tour of the bridge and several other places that were "off limits" to the adults. So I would not hesitate a second to take them on a cruise, whether a 4 - 5 or 6 or 7 day cruise. It makes some terrific memories.

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Three and four year olds don't care about the cruise, they care about the grandparent. I don't think a cruise is a good idea at that age. They might miss mom and dad terribly, be scared outside their own home/bed, the list goes on.

 

Instead, fly to where they live regularly and give them your time that way. Take them to places close to home for special memories. The kids win't care that gram took them to Cozumel, they will care that gram took them to see the baby giraffe at the zoo.

 

When they get older, sure, take the, cruising. But for now, create memories that won't be stressful to them.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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  • 1 month later...

We have taken our grandchildren (ages 4 and 6) on two cruises. They love the kid's program. It helps to have extended family during a cruise ... to take turns helping with the grandkids. I remember cruising with my grandparents and want to pass it on....

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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  • 3 months later...

Did cruise with grand daughter last year when she was five....excellent manners and behaviour. She really enjoyed and asks when next one will be. We were a party of five though...husband, daughter, son in law, grandchild and myself so shared childcare . She spent an hour or so on two occasions at Ocean Adventure and whilst she enjoyed spending time there, preferred to be with us.

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If you are intending to travel with grandchildren in the absence of their parents certain legal documents are required in addition to what you typically need to sail with. Consents from parents etc. You did not clarify whether the parents were travelling too.

 

Regards John

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