soozles

Has anyone done le petit chef with kids? Do they charge you if they’re ordering from the kids menu, or can they order off the kids menu? I think they’d enjoy the experience, but probably not really eat any of the food…

My 4 yo is sleeping on he couch without complaint, but when he crawled into my bed and started kicking me, I went to lay on it and it was pretty hard. Also smaller than a typical twin bed.

what’s clear to me from reading this is there is no winning as a parent these days. None of the “older” generation have parented in a digital world. Screens are everywhere, the expectation that we are available to our jobs instantly is everywhere. Don’t like it? Good luck finding a job that pays enough where they don’t expect it. Own your own business? Even more demand to be constantly connected because if you’re not, your clients will go somewhere else. And then when you try to use something like an iPad to keep your kids quiet and not disturb other people, you get judged for being a lazy parent, or for not interacting with your kids. Yet if you don’t give them a tablet, heaven forbid they make a noise in the dining room! Then you’re judged because your kid is being loud. you get judged if you’re too much of a helicopter parent. And you get judged if you’re too laid back. Heck, I got judged on our cruise the other day cause I sat my almost 4 and almost 5 yo down at a table with their food and went back to the buffet for a couple minutes to get something. They were always in my sight line and they were totally fine. And then I got told from another passenger that I shouldn’t have left them alone. I’m sorry I don’t have 30 hands, and I’m not going to trust my kids to carry a plate in a crowded buffet without spilling when they’re too short to even be in most people’s sight lines.

I feel ya… I’m around the same age as you, I have 2 kids under 5, and im starting to feel like I will be some sort of piranha from reading these boards. And all these comments to stick with Royal or carnival? My kids are terrified of the deck parties and all the noise on carnival or Royal. It’s our choice where we choose to spend our money. My kids deserve to take up space just like anyone else. And if they really didn’t want to have kids on a cruise, they wouldn’t have a kids club or a kids menu.

But how many people really used it in the evening? Most people are going to dinner/shows in the evening. It’s not like it’s 7 hours in the middle of the day. It’s probably the time that it had the lowest usage which is why they chose those hours.

My kids are little fish, so I plan to make use of family swim time. 9 pm, they’re likely to be in bed, so I doubt we’ll be doing those events.

We’ll be on the next sailing with our kids (3.5 and 4.5), staying in an infinite verandah going to Iceland and Ireland. No clue how many kids their age will be on the trip, but I suspect it won’t be a lot… are they enjoying the kids club? My kids tend to get overwhelmed if the kids club becomes too loud and chaotic, so I’m hoping with what should be fewer kids their age on board, they might get some more attention and maybe actually stay and enjoy it. And no issues with kids ordering off the main menu? My 4 yo is a little gourmand and is looking forward to getting his lobster.

I’m glad your cruise is ending only cause it means mine is getting closer. Thanks for taking us along for the ride and giving me a glimpse of what to look forward to in a couple weeks.

My kids have been in daycare/preschool since they were a year old. They love going to school. They both refused to go to camp, would cry bloody murder until we picked them up. Wed try to leave them and then get a call 15 minutes later to pick them up. So I hope he’ll like it, but don’t assume… and that’s also why I’d be cautious leaving him onboard while you go on a shore excursion until you know how he’ll like it.

What are the times of the shuttle into the city center? Just thinking ahead how early would we need to get up to do a little sight seeing that second day.

Loving the photos

I’m on that cruise as well, and I keep trying to find other people who were in Iceland that time of year and looking at what they wore… even the weather forecast isn’t super helpful because sometimes 50 feels cool, and sometimes it feels warmer depending if it’s sunny, windy, humidity, etc.

If you remember, could you let me know if the you see the solarium pool open to families at any point? I’ll be on this cruise next month with 2 little fishies, and I heard if it’s cold or bad weather, they may allow kids in the solarium pool at certain times.

Following! I’ll be on this cruise in August

Maybe a random question, but we’re on a similar itinerary in august and have a tour booked with BS tours as well… did you tip the guides? And did you change currency before leaving home, or can you tip via venmo? I recall the wife saying we can pay via venmo or PayPal for the tour.

Not to be Ot, but we’re going on the Apex in August with an almost 4 and almost 5 year old. How many kids would you guess were on board? Was the kids club very noisy? My kids get very overwhelmed on other cruise lines when we would drop them off and they had the music blaring and kids running around, they’d just get too freaked out to stay. I’m sort of hoping if it’s fewer kids, it’ll be a calmer environment and maybe they’ll actually like it.

We’re doing a 12 night iceland/Ireland cruise this summer with our kids who will be almost 4 and 4.5 at the time we travel… we’ve done an 8 day and no one wanted to get off.

Which sailing are you on? We’re going aug 9.

So far no kids on our roll call. They’ll be ok even if it’s just the 2 of them, they are super close in age so they’re built in playmates. And we will take legos, magnatiles, and travel board games and puzzles to fill in the gaps. It’s a fairly port heavy cruise anyway, and I’m pretty sure they’ll burn off a lot of energy at the ports.

I’d look into a bubble bum (inflatable booster) or a ride safer travel vest.

I’m super excited, I always wanted to go, and I feel so fortunate that I can show the world to my kids.

Sounds great! My kids take a bit getting used to new places, so when they walked into the kids club on carnival with a bunch of other kids running and yelling around them, they just shut down. Actually, the older one shut down and the younger one follows. But when it’s just them getting all the attention? They’d love it.

Thanks for your reply… I suspect that my kids would probably be the among the youngest in this itinerary… luckily they’re super close, and have each other to play with in that youngest group.

I know… whenever anyone mentions bringing on a kid, lots of people jump in saying that the child won’t like celebrity because there’s no water park/zip line/ice rink/rock wall/etc. Trying to avoid getting those types of comments.

We’re taking our 3 and 4 year olds on an iceland/Ireland cruise over the summer. Please no comments to leave them at home. My kids hate the deck parties and loud noises and aren’t crazy about water dumping on their heads at the splash pads… they’re too short for water slides and zip lines and rock walls. I’m expecting that there won’t be many kids on board given the itinerary and that it’s a 12 night cruise. Do they still have the kids club open even if there are only a few kids?