Aelsantokie

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I've had good luck with my shiseido eyelash curler. It's sold at Sephora.

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I have nothing new to add. We started cruising when my quad boys were 3 1/2 and my daughter was 5. We packed everything in 3 suitcases and we usually drove to the port so whatever you think you need and whatever you can fit in the luggage.

I want to emphasize bringing your own medicine. It's nice to have everything handy so you don't have to take the kids to the ship doctor. I usually took Motrin to take care of any fever they might have and some band aids.

Have fun and enjoy your cruise! I always prefer cruising over any other vacation with the kids.

I don't have any advice but just a story. Maybe it will help in decision making, maybe it won't. I know it helped me to understand that not all of the teachers are understanding or helpful. :rolleyes:

When my daughter was in 6th grade (currently she's in 8th), I took her out of school for a week in early on in the 9 week grading period. She didn't do very well on one quiz when she got back from the cruise because of missed class period. She was allowed to make up homework and other things.

She was .89% away from getting an "A" in that class but the teacher flat out refused told her no extra homework or retaking the quiz because she missed class due to "...a cruise". Meanwhile, this same teacher allowed other kids in the class to do "extra bonus work" to bring their grades to the next higher grade up when they were 2% away. That B caused her to not be able to get principal's honor roll for that year which is a big deal to my daughter.

So I learned the lesson the hard way. I haven't taken her out since and I most likely won't during the kids' HS years. They will be in school for the next 7-8 years and we will just suck up the extra money it takes to cruise during those vacation times when the prices are much higher.

I have different opinion on the kids while in elementary school though. As a matter of fact, my boys turn 12 on 1/20 and on the 18th I am taking them on a 5 day cruise and their teachers have been very helpful!:)

I spent three months in France last year and hardly bought any beauty products - except what I absolutely required as replacements - because I found them no better (and certainly not cheaper) than what we can buy here in Australia. I love perfume, so I checked out French perfume in many different shops and outlets and found them just as expensive as here, even 'tho we have to import them.

 

There is a beauty product chain of stores called Sephora which are everywhere. These shops have an enormous variety to choose from - more than any pharmacy that I saw.

 

I agree with Langley Cruisers about the soaps. They really are gorgeous and mostly made in Marseille (where we spent two months in 2013). They come in all shapes, sizes and perfumes. Some are sold "bare" and others are beautifully packaged. Great for gifts.

 

To the OP - Best wishes to your daughter for a wonderful (and safe) time.

I love going to France.

My family and I will be in Sydney in middle of June (our first time in Australia). Are there any specific product recommendations you can give me of unique items that I must look into?

Thank you so much to everyone for the suggestions, I'm going to make a list and send them with her, hopefully she can find some of them for me. :D:D

Thank you all for your replies. I am going to tuck this away until we get closer to my cruise which is in June and wait until my hotel is booked so I can look up where would the closest store be.

I know it's a ridiculous thing to worry about, but without it my body just doesn't feel right! :o

How many staterooms did you book? Have a great cruise!

Princess had a fabulous deal last week (maybe it's still going on?) where the 3rd and 4th passenger was only 10% of the first two so we got two OV with four people in it.

Brianna,

I seriously had thought about booking this cruise when you posted your last review to try out my first solo cruise. I have been playing around with the idea of a solo cruise for quite awhile now. Everytime I read gapearls reviews I want to do it, except I only have 1/3 of the energy that girl has!

I posted on your Facebook when your dad passed, but wanted to send my condolences but wanted to send my sympathies via cruise critic post. I've also been thinking a lot about you guys since (I hope this doesn't come across totally creepy, but you will see why at the end of my post).:o:o

I love/loved reading your reviews of the cruises you took with your dad. What a special relationship you guys have. My mother and I bonded a lot during our cruises together as well. It lets you get away from the everyday mundane and enjoy each others company, doesn't it? I was newly mourning the sudden loss of my mom when your dad passed, so I felt so much more raw emotion connected to your pain.

I look forward to the rest of your reviews.

We're not really 'beach people', so while the kids enjoy playing in the sand and swimming in the ocean briefly, we normally don't do that for more than a half day on a cruise. If the cruise goes to a private island, then that's the time we do it. Sometimes we'll spend a day snorkeling.

 

So that being said, our kids are used to doing other things while onshore. On our last Caribbean cruise, we visited Mayan ruins in 2 of the ports. We've also done zip-lining and 4X4/mud driving, etc. Our kids have enjoyed all of these things. Generally they don't complain unless the day is filled with museums and it's mid-afternoon, or if the weather is extremely uncomfortable.

 

On the Panama Canal cruise, the only 'beach' day we had was in Cabo. In Acapulco we took a tour that went to the turtle sanctuary, Fort San Diego, and the cliff divers. In Costa Rica we spent the day at volcanic hot springs. We took a private tour in Panama City which drove us into the rainforest for a wildlife tour and to Fort San Lorenzo. As part of this, we got to drive across the canal (on the bridge at the extreme eastern side of the canal) and we stopped at the canal visitor's center. Then there was an entire day going through the canal. This was probably the least interesting day for the kids, as they only watched for about 20 minutes at a time, but since we were onboard, they dropped in and out of the kids' facilities in between.

 

In Cartagena we took a private tour to Fort San Felippe and explored the catacombs/escape tunnel underneath, and walked on the city walls. through Old Town and to the Palace of Inquisition (a torture museum, but our kids loved it). Our last stop before disembarking was Aruba, where we spent a day snorkeling.

 

So you can see, we did a lot of things, and didn't have much 'beach time' at all. And with the exception of the actual crossing through the canal (where the kids watched for about 90 minutes, broken up into segments throughout the day) they enjoyed all of it.

 

You may already know this, but with such a large group, I would definitely recommend private tours. For 8 people, a private tour will be cheaper than ship-sponsored excursions, plus you can customise the itinerary to the things you want to see, and avoid the lengthy bathroom stops, forced shopping stops, etc. that occur on the big bus tours. This is especially useful if you have small children and/or elderly grandparents with you, as they can rest in the car and the tour guide can change things if necessary to make sure everything is working for you.

 

I know you'll have a terrific cruise!

Your activities are all varied and exciting. I assume you were on a 14 day roundtrip panama canal starting on the west coast?

Since we have been to the same ports over and over again, having done Caribbean cruising only, it has become rather redundant and dare I say boring for the kids? Even when we book a private excursion just for the family, I can see the kids eyes glazing over...but I digress

Thank you for your information!

I always wondered if the travel sized stuff is the same quality as the original sized stuff?

My daughter is going to France during spring break with her French class. I have never been there myself...yet:rolleyes::rolleyes:

BUT I did some googling what products I should have her pick up for me while she's there and it came up with stuff like Dior, etc.

I don't necessarily want her picking out color cosmetics for me, but if she can go to the "drug store" what are some good products thats like a hidden gem that you can only get in France?

I think the key to this is what your clothing personality is at home. Some people just don't wear a lot of different clothes...others find joy in the variety. Your weekly laundry burden should be an indication of whether or not the carry on only method would well for you.

 

Our biggest challenge is usually toiletry related, but we have since collected a variety of appropriate travel sized containers that literally hold one week's worth of product.

 

I'm one of those people that doesn't wear a variety of clothing. I enjoy wearing my favorites over and over again, I'm not inspired to wear something different all the time. I have since reduced my wardrobe in general and so packing what others would call a more minimalist wardrobe is very natural and in keeping with who I am.

 

Packing method can also make all the difference in the success of your endeavor. We started using packing cubes, which made it very easy to pack things that can withstand being packed TIGHT packed very tight and to the max (underwear, sleeping wear, exercise/tech fabric clothing, most swim wear, socks, etc.) and then to pack those things that would benefit from a bit more breathing room more loosely.

 

If you were to google the KonMari Method and relate that to packing cubes, you will find yourself slightly amazed at how much clothing you are able to fit into a carry on.

 

I caution against packing too few shoes...minimalist that I am, shoes are one thing that I find necessarily to have in a variety. My feet can swell and change and I have other issues that benefit from changing my shoe style during the day and from day to day. Generally, I find that having happy feet more than makes up for the fact that I might be rewearing something else somewhere else on my body.

Wow, are you my twin? I feel like I could have written everything you wrote, except for the shoes. I am not that particular about my shoes but I don't have feet swelling issues. It's my stomach that does LOL ( I love my leggings and elastic waist!) I take one tennis shoes for working out, two pairs of flip flops (since they hardly take up any space, one old one for beach, and other for the ship) and one pair of high heels that matches my evening dress. I stick to one color family. Or, cool tones or warm tones.

I too find that it's my makeup and toiletries that restrict me from doing just a carry on. I just don't want to skimp on bad quality hair products and my favorite lotions and potions for my face. For my last overnight trip with my daughter, our toiletry took half of our luggage.

I incorporated the KonMarie method of decluttering in Dec after months of thinking about it. In short, I was never happier having less things in my house!

I have a question that may sound rather ridiculous.

We plan on flying into Sydney few days before embarkation date (on our 50 day cruise).

Where we will stay isn't confirmed yet, still doing research on that. I'm pretty sure we won't venture too far from touristy areas.

My family and I take apple cider vinegar for health reasons, especially during cruising when I get really bloated. I purchase mine at Whole Foods here in FL, is there a health store something similar to this someone can direct me to pick up some organic apple cider vinegar for the cruise? Also, I would like to pick up my toiletry there as well but that's not as important as the vinegar.

I posted this in my roll call so hopefully I will be able to find an answer.

I am very jealous! I would love to cruise for 50 days at a time!

 

Regarding the kids, you can call up Princess and they will tell you how many kids are booked on this sailing. They won't give you a breakdown, but they can give you a number of passengers between ages 3 and 17. AT least that will give you some idea of what to expect!

 

FWIW, we once did a Panama Canal cruise on Coral Princess over New Year's/first 2 weeks of January. There were only 15 kids onboard, and the older teens pretty much amused themselves. The kids' club staff opened up only one room, and it was pretty much just drop in. My kids loved it, because they could go whenever they wanted, and the counsellors would do whatever activities they requested. So if they wanted to do crafts all day, or play video games or board games or watch movies... the counsellors would provide. There was no official activity schedule, but my kids loved it just the same, because of all of the personalized attention. The counsellors enjoyed it too, and they were clearly happier and more relaxed without armies of kids around (which I gather there had been the previous cruise over the Christmas holiday).

 

So even with only a few kids onboard, your children can still have a good time.

I had forgotten about asking Princess how many kids will be on the cruise. Thanks for the reminder! Luckily for me, my kids know how to entertain themselves (otherwise Dad will whip out the math book and take care of their "boredom" and let me tell you, they don't find mathematics fun, especially while cruising).

I want to take the kids on the Panama Cruise. We had one booked for December, but my dear mother passed in August and I lost all zest for planning a trip, not to mention it didn't feel right for our family at least. So far all we ever do/have done is Caribbean cruising and I want to change that. Did your kids like the more educational aspect of seeing the Panama Canal versus going to beach related excursions?

You are a special mum, all the best for your cruise.:D

Thank you :)

I would love to leave a day earlier or even leave earlier in the day to spend somewhere overnight. The earliest we can leave is 5Pm the night before the cruise. Even if we drive till midnight that would be close to VA spend 6 hours sleeping in a hotel get in car by 6am then drive another 6 hours, I just feel like thats cutting it too close. Ugh I think we have to suck it up and drive straight through like we did 2 years ago.

When we (and we had five kids ages 5 and under on our first cruise) lived in Ohio, we often did this for our cruise. I've done both, drive straight through from Ohio to Miami or Fort Lauderdale, or Tamps (depending on where my cruise was leaving from). Stopping midway to sleep was obviously more restful, but driving through in night traffic was much easier as well. I know I used to scare my mom doing this.

Make sure either you or your husband get some sleep while the other is driving. My husband can fall asleep anywhere, anytime so this helped. He would get some sleep while I start off the trip. When 11 PM hits, I start getting super sleepy and that's when he would take over.

Make sure you stop in a busy, well lighted rest stops (preferably with security). You didn't say how old your kids were but my boys were 3 when we started cruising so we had emergency potty ready in the car for when they HAD to go but there is no rest area for few miles yet.

I love driving, and road trips so it was fun times for us. Not last summer, but the summer before, we drove from south florida to Ohio, to Toronto, to Las Vegas and then back home. It's fun and the kids really get to see a lot of America!

Thanks for the suggestions and links. Mendenhall Glacier looks lovely; it's just the kind of thing my family would like to do. As it is with cruise tours, I see that many are not appropriate for young children, anyway. We love to hike and check out small towns. :)

 

I ended up finding two adjacent fives on an NCL ship, for those who were wondering. :) And a kids sail free promo, so I'm pretty happy. :)

We had really good luck with booking with NCL on our spring break cruise. Their rates were cheaper for my family (2 adults and 6 kids) to book four interior than two. Good to hear you got a good promo! We will be in Alaska end of July! What kind of excursions are you looking at with the kids? Alaska excursion prices make me a bit nervous for a bigger family.

Let your 4 y.o. be a little rambunctious! Children are life fountains! Anyone who is bothered by a little life, really has no life left in them!

 

You're so going to have a great time!

We try not to be that family...although we sometimes are

Service on formal nights tends to take longer.

 

We cruise as a couple. We gave up on formal nights in the MDR quite some time ago. They lost their attraction to us. So now we only take casual clothes on a cruise. On formal evenings we dine in an alternate restaurant or in the buffet.

 

I would not spend too much time worrying about this. Just go and have a good time with your children.

I've had surprisingly good luck with MDR on princess. We completely give up trying to eat together on Carnival or NCL as a family, but I love how the table on Princess is shaped, so even when we are all together its still close enough we can have conversation with all the kids, and nobody feels left out.

We can get through dinner in 1 1/2 hours on Princess as opposed to 2-2 1/4 hour on Carnival or NCL at which point the kids are restless, and they are just miserable. I try to take advantage of sit down dinner when cruising because it's a rarity for me to eat with my kids, seems like my boys are finished eating by the time I get to my meal after feeding the 4 year old!

Clothing choices aside... You are a very brave person to do a 50 day cruise with 6 kids! :D

My husband is very brave to pay for 50 day cruise for a family of 8! :eek:

My kids love to cruise and they have already been warned that there may not be a lot of kids on this sailing but they are ok with that. They know how to entertain themselves without annoying others or making too much noise so it should be a great summer! Only one I can't guarantee is the four year old...:o

Sounds like it's the Circle Pacific cruise ex Sydney - that's a great cruise you have coming up. What I would do is to organise 2 sets of clothing to last you 5 days (5 casual day wear outfits + 5 evening). When one set is being laundered, you have the 2nd set to fall back on and break the routine.

Take mix n' match items so it won't appear your are wearing the same clothes each day (if that bothers you). Even by changing your top to wear with your black evening slacks, you create a new outfit (pack a few sparkly ones for formal nights if you plan to participate).

If you are elite, then laundry will not be a concern - even if it takes 3 days for the turnaround. Otherwise you'll need to have several laundry days over the course of the cruise.

Have a wonderful cruise!

That's a great advice. Yes, you have the correct cruise. I have never done such a long cruise and didn't want to offend anyone by under-dressing too much.

Even among 7 day Caribbean versus Alaskan cruise on the same cruise line I saw quite a bit of difference. Also, this cruise has passengers who are older and I didn't know if that meant they would be more dressed up than we normally do.

My kids are 14, 12, 12, 12, 12 and 4 and with flying, I didn't want to take an extra luggage just for their suits/dresses so that's why I posted this question. I think nice khaki with white shirt, and some vest will make it dress enough (assuming the older kids will even join us for dinner ;) )

Thank you to everyone who answered.

So based on the answers in that thread, I would assume the answer is the same for a 50 day cruise as it is for a 10 day cruise?

We will be going on our first long cruise (50 days).

(DH and I, and our 6 kids) and we are flying from Fort Lauderdale to Sydney. Packing for my family is daunting enough without having to factor in super dressy suits for the boys and DH.

How dressed up will everyone be?

We were on Ruby last Nov. for Thanksgiving cruise and my then 13 year old and then 10 year old boys went to the kids club and they absolutely loved it. It was a cruise over the holiday so there were a lot of kids onboard. My then 2 year old refused to go to the kids club offered in his age group so we didn't utlize it.

I live in Wellington, Fl in Palm Beach County.

Spring break is March 21-25. Coincidentally, that week you will see prices spiked up in most cruise lines. I miss living in Ohio when (if memory serves correctly) spring break was almost always different than palm beach county and we could cruise cheaper.