Single Parents

[hlsess]

Jut curious how many single parents go on cruises? I am taking my kids on their 2nd cruise-ages 10 and 12 on Conquest. We went on Disney 3 years ago.

[tntcruise]

I go twice a year with my 10 year old daughter. For spring break we are going with 2 other single mom's & daughter's. So don't worry about it, just have fun & treat yourself to a vacation

[bostonlass]

I went last year on the Disney Wonder and am going this year on the Enchantment of the Seas. Both times are just with myself and my two daughters, ages 8 and 9.

 

The Disney was fun for the kids and great for me as it was the first time I had a vacation where I could relax! This time around though I'm hoping that there will be some other single moms that I can hang with since I"m a bit shy at going to activities by myself. I really wish there were some way to know ahead of time if there were single parents on the ship. I know that they have singles meetings every so often but to be honest on the Caribbean Princess cruise that I went on with my sister this past October it was pretty lame and consisted of just about 3 people. I tried doing a roll call but no one here has posted on it.

 

That all being said, I really feel it's the best way to travel if you're a single parent. Where else for that price would you get a hotel room, all food included, not have to worry about where to go for dinner, not have to worry about what you're gonna do next to entertain the lil dumplings AND free childcare!!! You could of course go to Beaches or a similar all inclusive resort but I"ve done that math and it's a lot more expensive than a cruise!

[dad son team]

I try to cruise twice a year with my 7yo DS. I agree that it is a great way for single parents to travel. On most of the cruises that I have gone on, the singles event is scheduled at a time when the kids program is usually closed which makes it hard to go. It would be nice if they could schedule a couple of get togethers and not just one on the first night.

[wdw1972]

My son & I cruised almost every year, from when he was 10 until his last cruise at 17. We did Disney once, when he was 13 - and he asked for all of his future cruises to be back on HAL (Holland America Line). HAL is my favorite line, so I was certainly agreeable.

 

I concur that cruising is an excellent choice for single parents & kids. Of course, I think cruising is a great way to vacation, PERIOD!

[SuntanD]

I am a single mom taking my 14 year old son on his 3rd cruise. My son will take a cruise ship over Disney World any day, and me being the social butterfly I am, never have a problem meeting new people. I think it's a great vacation to go on with your family! :)

 

"D"

[mcvalette]

Hello, Im on single mom and have been taking my girls on cruises for X-Mas presents for the last several years. I love it and so do they. Do IT! You wont regret it!

[shelly111265]

hello.......this will be our 8th cruise..........my girls are 19-16-12 now......only the 16-12 yr old travel with me now.........we will be going april 3-10 on the destiny........i have noticed that more and more single parents are taking their kids on cruises.......have u noticed this also..........?

[graycottag]

Jut curious how many single parents go on cruises? I am taking my kids on their 2nd cruise-ages 10 and 12 on Conquest. We went on Disney 3 years ago.

 

My daughter and I leave on our third cruise next week. I have travelled with both of my children since my youngest was 12 - they are now 21 and 18. After my son left for college my daughter and I continued the tradition. It is somewhat different, though, that as a single father, one is open to more questionning about why you are there, where is the mother, and immigration can get dicey. However, I have learned to carry the custody agreement showing I was granted full custody, plus have been luckly to have their mother sign a notarized statement each time we leave the country that I have permission to do so.

[cruzbabe]

My 9 year old son and I are going on our second cruise aboard Grand Princess on 3/5/05 and prior to that we did Caribbean Princess during Thanksgiving holidays. However, during the Thanksgiving week, we were the only small family (2 people)... the rest were huge families but it was ok.

We're hooked on cruising.

 

The only bummer is having to get a permission letter from his dad everytime.

[ShowSkiMom]

My 14 year old son and I will be taking our first cruise together in May. I'm sure it won't be the last either. I'd also love to know if there are any other solo moms or dads on the ship.

 

I didn't even think about the custody issue. His father has been non-existent for most of his life and I don't even know where to find him. Should I bring my custody papers with me in case there are any questions?

[dad son team]

My daughter and I leave on our third cruise next week. I have travelled with both of my children since my youngest was 12 - they are now 21 and 18. After my son left for college my daughter and I continued the tradition. It is somewhat different, though, that as a single father, one is open to more questionning about why you are there, where is the mother, and immigration can get dicey. However, I have learned to carry the custody agreement showing I was granted full custody, plus have been luckly to have their mother sign a notarized statement each time we leave the country that I have permission to do so.

 

I do think that single dads like us are looked at a little differently than the single moms. I am in a little bit of a different situation because I am a widower not divorced, but people just assume that I am divorced. Even though I do not wear a wedding ring, alot of the staff, especially the dining staff, always ask my son if his mom is back in the cabin having the day off. You should see the look on their faces when he tells them about his mom.

 

On another note, I have never be asked to provide anything concerning his custody to immigration. I carry it with me just in case, but never needed it. I think it is because we travel with passports and not birth certs. Just my thought.

[CCJack]

I am also a single Dad. Divorced but with sole custody of my 11 and 8 YO boys. Been on 3 cruises and booking a 4th. The boys love it. I agree with Dad son Team. People treat single Dads differently than single Moms. People assume that Dads are married if they are with kids, but with Moms they don't always put their foot in their mouth as regularly! Sometimes it drives me crazy when waiters say things like "so you are taking the kids out to dinner to give Mom a day off!" Happens all the time.

[seamagic]

After I became a single Mom, I started taking all 3 of my boys on cruises. It turned out to be the perfect family vacation, because there's always something to do for our different ages and interests. We've done 2 Disney cruises. Last year my oldest and youngest went with me on the Mariner. This year, unless something changes, it looks like it will just be me and my youngest (16) on the Mariner in May.

 

I do wish there was a really good way to meet other single parents onboard, so we could enjoy some of the speciality restaurants or just have dancing partners. I'm not all that interested in finding romance...just some fun friends to hang out with during the week.

[Host Caroline]

You are welcome to start a "roll call" on any of the cruise line "roll call" boards for single parents on your sailing OR you can post it here! I think it's a great idea...

[pootsien2]

QUOTE I do wish there was a really good way to meet other single parents onboard, so we could enjoy some of the speciality restaurants or just have dancing partners. I'm not all that interested in finding romance...just some fun friends to hang out with during the week.QUOTE[/]

This will be my first cruise as a single ,(widowed) traveling with my two 15 yo sons. It would be fun to meet other single parents to hang out with or meet with in the evening entertainment when my teenagers will want to do things w/o mom!:)

[seamagic]

QUOTE I do wish there was a really good way to meet other single parents onboard, so we could enjoy some of the speciality restaurants or just have dancing partners. I'm not all that interested in finding romance...just some fun friends to hang out with during the week.QUOTE[/]

This will be my first cruise as a single ,(widowed) traveling with my two 15 yo sons. It would be fun to meet other single parents to hang out with or meet with in the evening entertainment when my teenagers will want to do things w/o mom!:)

 

Same thing for me Pootsien. I am widowed and have a 16 year old to hang out with on a cruise ship. We do lots of fun, adventure type excursions. In the evening we see the shows, but I never get to go out to any purely adult activities. Hopefully, I'll meet some people in similar sitations, at the Meet and Mingle and we will be able to get together around the pool and stuff.

[cruzbabe]

Title says it all!

[LizaMM]

After I became a single Mom, I started taking all 3 of my boys on cruises. It turned out to be the perfect family vacation, because there's always something to do for our different ages and interests. We've done 2 Disney cruises. Last year my oldest and youngest went with me on the Mariner. This year, unless something changes, it looks like it will just be me and my youngest (16) on the Mariner in May.

 

I do wish there was a really good way to meet other single parents onboard, so we could enjoy some of the speciality restaurants or just have dancing partners. I'm not all that interested in finding romance...just some fun friends to hang out with during the week.

 

 

I could not agree more! I think that a cruise is a fabulous vacation for a single parent! I have 4 children and when we cruise as a family I am confidant that everyone will have a good time.

 

I enjoy my "single woman" time on a cruise as well. I once cruised with another single mom friend of mine and that was such a blast! We had the best time hanging out at night and meeting other people....not romance, just fun! I wold love to do that again! On my last voyage I did have a single dad at our dinner table but we werenot interested in the same things at night. I was only with my 12 year old DD and really had lots of time to play but wound up mostly with couples or giving "woman" advice to the 20 somethings I hung with in the piano bar.

 

I have also cruised solo. I found this to be a great vacation for a single woman traveling alone and I highly recommend it if you have the opportunity.

 

I am starting look into a family cruise for next year. It would be wonderful to go with some other single parents! I did find a travel site that books single parent vacations but it seems that their school breaks (with the exception of XMas time) are different than ours.

[SouthFLNiceGuy]

I'm curious what do you do with your children after 10 pmish?

[LizaMM]

I'm curious what do you do with your children after 10 pmish?

 

For me it depends on who I am traveling with. On my last cruise I only had my 12 year old DD with me so she was either out with friends or when she was tired I would tuck her into bed and then go back out.

 

I have used the night group babysitting and I have also had my oldest daughter babysit (with room service, a movie and a friend) in the cabin. My kids enjoyed the night group stuff on Carnival.

[Starspangle1]

How come when I'm cruising I never meet any of these single dads :(

[LizaMM]

How come when I'm cruising I never meet any of these single dads :(

 

Yeah....I KNOW what you mean! I don't usually meet single dads either!

 

I can name only 2 that I met while on a cruise and interesting but I just realized both times were on the Triumph in April.

 

First time was 2 years ago. I was with another single mom friend of mine and we were out on Lido deck the night of the deck party sitting at the bar and we talked to a man who was a single dad with his kids. He went off with his teenage DD and we never bumped into him again.

 

On my recent sailing there was a single dad at my dinner table actually. We had a nice time chatting at dinner and had a glass of wine together dinner after a couple of nights but we were into different stuff. He liked to go off to the casino and I really wanted to hit the piano bar.

 

Where ARE those single dads (or ANY single men who are NOT 20 something :eek: ) to hang out with and dance with on a cruise??? LOL :)

[cruzbabe]

How come when I'm cruising I never meet any of these single dads :(

Same here... although I wonder if they say the same thing about meeting the single moms:D Obviously, we're all missing each other while cruising.:p

[fireofficer5]

Right here with the big smile. And I can dance.