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What I did on my summer vacation


Ritabob
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Are there any parents or grandparents out there who are river cruising with their children or grandchildren this summer?

I'd love to read some reviews from their perspective. (The kids, not the adults )

RB

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I think young children would be extremely bored on a river cruise. And there would be virutally nothing on the menu for them to eat. Not a chicken nugget, or mac and cheese in sight for two weeks. I've never seen any on our three cruises and would never have taken our sons when they were young. Or our young granddaughters now. We did just have a group (four adults, six teenagers) on our recent cruise. The kids were absolutely amazing. Well behaved and polite. Interacted appropriately with, and respected the adults (most of whom were "seniors." One night, they even had most of us doing Greek dances including a conga line. (They were Greek-Americans.) They were a real blessing to all of us.

 

 

 

But I would hate to have fussy youngsters spoiling the tranquility. Don't get me wrong. We love children and do things with our granddaughters. (Taking them to a Texas dude ranch in a couple of weeks.) But you have to choose appropriate places for them. We took our sons to Europe a few time when they were growing up but we traveled independently.

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Both Tauck and Uniworld have special sailings geared to families with children. I might be dreaming this but I thought there was talk of Disney getting into the game also. Look for these specific sailings and everyone will be happy.

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Both Tauck and Uniworld have special sailings geared to families with children. I might be dreaming this but I thought there was talk of Disney getting into the game also. Look for these specific sailings and everyone will be happy.

 

Disney does have river cruises now on the Danube, Rhine and Seine that are very family-focused. They're under the Adventures by Disney program.

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And there would be virutally nothing on the menu for them to eat. Not a chicken nugget, or mac and cheese in sight for two weeks

 

You have a very narrow view of what children eat. My favorite foods at age 7 were crab and pate. By age 11 I also loved caviar and escargots.

 

Not all kids are raised eating just nuggets and pasta. What kind of vacation to bring your family on (my in-laws are MUCH pickier eaters than some of my young nieces & nephew!) is a decision based on LOTS of variables that are specific to each family.

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I think it all depends on the individual child. Some are more inquisitive and are interested in history, geography, different customs, etc.

 

As far as kid's menus, with 6 children, my mother didn't have time to prepare separate meals for us. If Mom made pork chops, baked potatoes, green beans, and a salad for she and my Dad, that's what we ate too. When we went out to a restaurant, we were encouraged to try things we didn't get at home. I think the trend towards having separate food for children is fairly recent, but I could be wrong about that.

 

Roz

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Mom to 4 well travelled kids here, ages 12-19 currently, who also love to eat any and everything.

 

The food issues have been covered. Choices are frequently limited so if you do have picky eaters, that can be a problem. There is usually just one dining room with either a set menu or just a few choices. I believe some lines have a cafe/bistro type casual food location as well.

 

More importantly, IMHO, is the lack of multiple public spaces or activities for most lines. There’s just no where for young kids to let off steam. A few lines have pools, but most have one main lounge and the rooftop. Older kids, that can entertain themselves, would most likely be fine.

 

In light of that, I’d look for itineraries that give you time in port in the evenings.

 

There is also no room for a third person in the room for most lines, so sleeping arrangements must be creative. Either way, there needs to be an adult booked in each room. Who actually sleeps where is at your discretion.

 

Tauck Bridges is their family centered line, which includes river cruises. Uniworld has a few family cruises. ABD (Disney) sails on AMA, which designed ships with families in mind. There are a few adjoining rooms, a few 3 person rooms, and a rooftop pool I believe. ABD sailings are exclusive to ABD and booked through them. Or you can book through AMA and not pay the ABD premium but not get the extra bells and whistles.

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Out of curiosity I just checked AMA. In Europe, no kids under 4, and 4-7 discouraged. Ages 4-10 can share a room with two adults but must sleep in their bed and pay a supplement. There are a select few ships with true triple rooms (a separate bed for the third person), and a small number of these connect to double rooms. I’m guessing those book fast.

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Uniworld and Crystal both allow down to age 4. We had the misfortune of traveling with two, unrelated young girls on our most recent Uniworld cruise. probably 5/6 yr and 8 yrs......running up and down the halls, running around the dining room, doing cartwheels on the dance floor......Dad could have cared less. It wasn't pleasant, or enjoyable, and I did make my feelings known on my end of cruise survey.

 

Robin

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Hello, All.

When I posted the original question all I wanted was some cruise reviews by the younger generation.

Back in December 2017, Los_Pepes' daughters did a review while aboard the River Queen and it was most enjoyable to read.

RB

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A minor, of any age, mature enough to post an enjoyable river cruise trip report would most likely be a decent candidate for a river cruise, so that might be a self selecting group (and unlikely to run the dining room unattended.) :)

 

Perhaps google it, as I’ve seen very few kid trip reports period here.

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