Katgoesonholiday

That is really helpful! Thank you!

We are cruising for 21 nights in Dec/Jan and plan to use the gym on sea days. I was wondering if there is a time that the gyms seem to be particularly busy and that we should avoid.

On weekends we like to have a relaxed start to the morning then go to the gym around 9:30am once all the gym bunnies have finished their early morning workout. I’m hoping we can follow a similar routine on board.

My middle son is high functioning autistic (Aspergers) and thus a little quirky. He also has a unique talent (we call it his super power) to be the living embodiment of Murphy's Law. If it can go wrong, it will go wrong!

Last year we were on the Celebrity Eclipse enjoying a fantastic show by Goronwy Thom when he called for volunteers. Hubby and I were slightly sozzled and didn't notice that our son's hand had shot into the air until Goronwy called him up onto the stage!

We were utterly horrified! We try to protect our son from judgement due to his quirkiness and protect those around him from his inevitable ability to screw everything up and cause absolute mortification for his family. But it was too late - he was already on bounding onto the stage with a grin from ear to ear!

The next fifteen minutes were possibly the most hilarious I have ever experienced! Our son was his normal quirky self and Goronwy played it like a maestro! The entire theatre was in fits of laughter at their antics and for the next week our son was stopped by other passengers and congratulated on his fantastic performance.

It gave our son a huge boost in confidence and it taught us to relax and let our son take risks. I'm hugely grateful to Goronwy for choosing our son and making such a fantastic performance out of it. It remains one of the best highlights of our cruising experience.

I am taking three kids on a 21 night cruise in South East Asia in Dec. I chose the cruise line based on the fact they have on board laundromats. There is no way that I won't be doing laundry!

We did a 14 night on Celebrity last year with the boys and it was actually quite annoying to not be able to wash our own clothes. I refuse to pay $$$ to wash undies and socks so I did quite a lot of hand washing, and they shrunk and lost some of the laundry we sent to get cleaned.

We did a food tour in Venice in 2014. One of the other couples from the tour was also from New Zealand. Turns out their nephew was classmates with our middle son!

I have a very picky eater (he’s high functioning autistic) and he’s very much looking forward to his fifth cruise in Dec.

The first time we took him on a month long holiday and cruise to an unfamiliar country, we took a suitcase of his familiar foods as back up. These were great for the land portion of the trip but we found that once we were on the ship he had a vast array of choices and we were usually able to cobble together something that vaguely resembled a balanced meal.

He’s now 11 and whilst he still acts instinctively with significant aversion to many foods, he is slowly extending his repertoire. Cruising has helped with that as the buffets and menus offer him a vast array of attractive choices that he can see and smell before selecting. He also knows he doesn’t have to eat something if he tries it and doesn’t like it - this has made him more adventurous since there is no penalty.

Right now we are working on extending his dinner time options and it’s stressful and there is a lot of wastage but it will eventually pay off - especially if we treat it as a big of an adventure and not as a battleground where lines are drawn. And you’ll find the same with yours - take a bunch of familiar snacks, encourage him/her to chose from the buffet, and don’t sweat the small stuff if they spend a week eating French fries and bananas washed down with lemonade. Both of you will have a much better holiday if you can be relaxed about the food.

My kids have cruised Disney, Cunard, Celebrity and P&O since 2014 (now 9, 11 & 16). They have loved them all for different reasons.

The places mentioned are not right next to the pier. You have to walk into town.

It's an easy walk though. We did it with suitcases and three kids at the end of our Baltic cruise

Thank you so much! I very much appreciate all the kind comments.

We absolutely love formal nights. We sail with our young children and they get very excited about dressing up in suits with bow ties - even our almost 16 year old.

When we first decided to sail on Cunard the teenager was very upset about the necessity to dress formally. He wanted to wear jeans and eat in the buffet. We never dress formally in day to day life so it was far far out of his comfort zone. However the formal nights became the highlight of the trip for him and his brothers. They looked so smart and attracted quite a few comments.

My perspective is that it is very healthy for kids to learn that there are times and places where you have to conform to a dress code, whether you want to or not. My husband has issues with otherwise very competent staff turning up to work in jeans and a tshirt because they think that since they don't see clients it's okay to dress in everyday stuff in the office. I want my kids to grow up with an understanding of appropriate attire for a variety of settings, and the ability to be confident and comfortable in doing so.

Also it means that we have the right clothes immediately available for a variety of occasions. Recently my brother in law died. Within hours I flew to my sister, leaving my husband to pack the kids into the car and follow. He was able to just grab their cruise suits and our three sons looked very smart and respectful at their uncle's funeral mass a few days later.

Our next cruise is 21 nights over Christmas and New Year. This time we will be taking our teenaged niece who now lives with us. She's immediately caught the formal bug from us and is bringing two long gowns (from her last two school balls) and is very excited to be dressing up.

For us, dressing up formally for a multicourse dinner in the main dining room is part of the rich experience of cruising and helps our children to learn to be confident and capable in a variety of different settings. We really enjoy it and see it as a highlight!

My teenaged son was horrified at the idea of having to dress up for dinner when we spent three weeks on cruises last July - but this became a favorite part of the experience for him and he really enjoyed dressing up in his suit.

We got him a dark blue suit with a couple of different shirts and ties and a pair of khaki pants that he could wear with the suit jacket. This gave him a range of different options.

I was also glad that we had done this when he had to attend the funeral of a close family member at very short notice. :(

We were first time cruisers and pretty ordinary when we stayed in the Yacht Club. We had a lovely time and I'm sure you will too!

It's in hospitals, theatres, offices, train stations, buses, and even cruise ships.

I work at a preschool and our infant center is closed for the next two days due to a norovirus outbreak and the need for a professional team to come in and do a deep clean. It's definitely not just a cruise ship thing!

Anyone know if there are exercise bikes on the Pacific Pearl? Hubby NEEDS to know right now! Lol!

We have cancelled our US trip, we love the States and have visited 36 states previously but can't visit knowing our friends and neighbours are unable to visit due to the colour of their skin or the religion they follow or where they happen to be born.

We are the same. We have holidayed in America in 2014 and 2016 and we were planning a holiday in 2018 (rafting/camping in the Grand Canyon, four days in Yosemite, an Alaska cruise and Universal Studios). Last night we decided that we can't justify spending our holiday dollars in America whilst this is going on. Thankfully we are at an early stage of the planning however we may lose our deposit on a Celebrity cruise.

There were some tables and chairs on deck 8 on The Pool Terrace. They are also on deck plan.

Think poster meant Kings Court.

QM2 was not built for outside dining.

Though it would be interesting on a rough trans Atlantic.:eek:

Yes, I meant king court. Apologies for the confusion. We are not particularly loyal to any one line at this point so tend to get a bit confused as to what is which ship.

Princess methinks. ;)

Don't think so. I haven't been on princess yet, though we have one booked. We were on QM2 last July.

Not sure which ship you are talking about:confused:

QM2 - that is the topic of this thread, correct? *looks confused*

We'll be jumping on in Auckland on Friday. The kids still don't know about the planned treat but hubby and I are looking forward to spending four nights onboard!

I seem to recall tables and chairs on the aft terrace on deck 8. There is a small bar there and it's only one deck up from Horizon Court if you want to schlep up some food from the buffet. We didn't spend much time there but it had a fabulous view!

Hello: This may work as I am traveling with a 19 year old son and it is hard to have a spot for changing clothes. I think this may work as a place to hide behind when getting dressed. Thanks for the tips! :)

We had three in a cabin last July and dealt with this very simply:

Son 1 got changed in the bathroom

Son 2 got changed by the beds facing in one direction

I got changed by the closets facing in the other direction.

OP: OzKiwiJJ is correct. No problem for bag drop at Queens Wharf where you are scheduled to board.

 

Drive into the wharf area, go just past the ferries, there will be a person at the little roundabout, they will direct you slightly to the left , so you will drive to the end of the wharf then double back to the cruise terminal.

 

Stop there, deliver your bags to the handlers, and drive off.

 

Should be no drama.

Thanks for the detailed info. I'll pass it on to my husband. He's going to drive down with the bags whilst I collect the kids from school for their 'specialist appointment' in the city.

Thanks! That sounds like it will be perfect!

We would order milk from room service or bring down a glass of milk from Kings Court in the evening so that we had more than the meagre amount given in the tiny UHT capsules. Our steward replenished all the supplies daily and I am sure that if there was a lack, a polite note would see it remedied promptly.