are we nuts??

[MafiaMom3]

so we are about to book our family vaca on the spirit with our 3 boys ages 4 3 and 1. have i completely lost it? lol i want this to be a family vaca, i dont want to just drop them off the kids place and go for the day, which i know i dont have to. that said, if you have kids in those age ranges would you do it?? lol would you take them cruising or am i just bananas?? ive been cruising before on carnival and rc but never with kids and it was also before kids so i never noticed the kids on the boat. any advise is great! TIA!!!:D

[dexddd]

hard to say - but we took our kids on their first cruise when our son was 3 on POA (daughter is older). His biggest issue was keeping him busy on 8+ hour flight to Hawaii.

 

They generally like kids clubs although we do spend quite a bit of time together when on vacation.

 

The main reason I wanted to chime in is that we were on the Spirit when they were a bit older and the kids pool on the back is one of the best they've seen. We spent a lot of time out there.

 

It is difficult to see from the NCL pictures, but the bigger kids can play in the pool and then I believe there is a little kids pool right in same area. There are lounge chairs as well as a tiered viewing area so you can get out of the sun yet the food and bar is right there as well.

[Twickenham]

if you have kids in those age ranges would you do it??

 

Yes, I would. Kids need vacations too.

[McCutie]

We are doing it....but my kids will be 5yrs, 2yrs and 10 months old and we are bringing Grammy : )

I book the biggest cabin we can afford just for the extra added space : )

 

When are you looking to go?

[uppitycats]

If you go here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=49

you'll find a family cruising board where lots of families have taken their kids, and where you'll find all sorts of useful information and opinions about what you're doing.

[sparks1093]

so we are about to book our family vaca on the spirit with our 3 boys ages 4 3 and 1. have i completely lost it? lol i want this to be a family vaca, i dont want to just drop them off the kids place and go for the day, which i know i dont have to. that said, if you have kids in those age ranges would you do it?? lol would you take them cruising or am i just bananas?? ive been cruising before on carnival and rc but never with kids and it was also before kids so i never noticed the kids on the boat. any advise is great! TIA!!!:D

 

Nothing wrong with it but the youngest one won't be able to be in kid's crew, they have to be 2 and older. We waited until our 5 boys were teens/pre-teens, then they had the run of the boat and leave us alone:).

[cv322]

Like the sparks1096 (above) I waited until my 4 were young teens. But you have to do what you think is right for you.

[scorp111]

Our first family cruise, our kids were 2 and 5 and we had a blast! So much that we did one the next year (3 & 6), and have now added one in March (4&6). As long as you change what your expectations are of a cruise, you can have a great time with the entire family!

[CanadianTwosome]

Absolutely!! I didn't get to take my daughter on a cruise until she was 8, but that's not because I wouldn't, there were just factors that prevented us from travelling as a family at that point.

 

Keep in mind that you may find that your days are very similar to what they're like at home in terms of taking care of your kids... except for that one HUGE difference - you're on a cruise ship in a beautiful location enjoying someone else's cooking and cleaning!! :)

 

Also, don't think about Kid's Crew as 'just dropping them off' so much as allowing them to enjoy the programs that are geared towards them on their vacation. You don't have to feel guilty like you're ditching them; you may even have trouble getting them to leave when you go to pick them up! :p

[2xprincess]

The kids pool area is great......a good time will be had by all!

[goldmom]

I may be wrong here, but I believe that all of the kids pools (and regular pools) require that the child be toilet trained in order to go in, no diapers or swimmies. So, keep that in mind for the youngest one.

[bplazo]

Since you asked, no way!

[pengu1n]

You know your kids best, so you know what works for you. Some things to consider:

 

• Do you eat out frequently? Are the kids used to a meal taking over an hour?
  
• Will you eat in the buffet? How will you get time to eat, between carrying food back for the kids, getting drinks ready, taking turns with your spouse getting your/their food?
  
• Which kids are potty trained? Only they will get to swim - will that be an issue?
  
• Will you be nervous with your kids standing near the rails? I have a fear of heights & while the clear glass on the rails doesn't bother me for myself, I feel like my kids will fall through (rational thinking doesn't work in this case:D).
  
• Depending on what room you get, some have only a shower. Are your kids used to showering?
  

My kids are grown now, but started cruising with us at about 6 or 7, were good travelers and used to eating out.

[MafiaMom3]

thanks so much everyone!!!! =) the boys are really good when we go out to eat so thats a good thing!

 

i have the nonrational fear of them falling off the side of the boat too... but i think thats more me letting myself get into my head than anything.

 

its good to know that im not totally bananas =)

[newmexicoNita]

so we are about to book our family vaca on the spirit with our 3 boys ages 4 3 and 1. have i completely lost it? lol i want this to be a family vaca, i dont want to just drop them off the kids place and go for the day, which i know i dont have to. that said, if you have kids in those age ranges would you do it?? lol would you take them cruising or am i just bananas?? ive been cruising before on carnival and rc but never with kids and it was also before kids so i never noticed the kids on the boat. any advise is great! TIA!!!:D

 

No one can make the choice for you on this one, and everyone has his/her opinion. The only thing I will mention, with 3 that young you will have absolutely no time to yourself and will spend most of the time, after dinner in the cabin as there is no baby sitting for the youngest one. Of course you can still go to the show with all three, but they will not enjoy them, thus may get very antsy.. If it were me, I would wait for about 2 more years to choose cruising as a vacation. Again, this is just my opinion.

 

Nita

[newmexicoNita]

I may be wrong here, but I believe that all of the kids pools (and regular pools) require that the child be toilet trained in order to go in, no diapers or swimmies. So, keep that in mind for the youngest one.

 

Yes, I was going to remark about that. Even swimmy diapers are not allowed and usually the cruise lines (all lines) are very strict about this..for those who say they would do it, have you done it with kids quite as young as 1? now if grandma comes along that is a totally different story..

 

Anyway, again, my opinion. As a travel agent, mommy and grandma I would advise any family that asked, not to cruise with kids that are too young to use the kids club, unless there is someone else to help..

 

Nita

[mkad1109]

I don't think you are nuts. We have never vacationed without our children (about to now however) and are very glad we did it that way! They are older now, less interested in their parents then their friends and it's such a short time they are little. We did not cruise with them when they were that little mostly because I knew nothing about cruising!

 

Having three so small you already know it's a handful, but now someone ELSE will be cooking and cleaning while you just get to enjoy. Hope you have a great time!

 

Also to reiterate-kids club is not a cop out. My son absolutely adored and would beg to go there.... my daughters not so much, as long as you are open then try it, and see if they like it, if not keep them with you!

[McCutie]

Regarding the no diapers/swimmies etc etc...We were on the Spirit in Aug of 2007 and my daughter was 1 month shy of 3 years old and she was potty trained so we let her use the little kiddie pool in the back and once I saw a kid about the same age with a diaper under his suit, I brought it to the attention of the crew member watching the area since there were signs posted. He said what is the alternative? Let him in without the diaper and take a chance of him having an accident? ewwww,,,,gross,,,,, anywho, we didn't let her go in again since the kid was in there all the time.....People just do not want to follow the rules and it is a health issue....

[McCutie]

Having three so small you already know it's a handful, but now someone ELSE will be cooking and cleaning while you just get to enjoy. Hope you have a great time!

 

Awesome! I am so thinking this too

[Kidsgoneletscruise]

I'd go in a heart beat! Just try to keep your sense of humor and remember it's vacation. What doesn't get done or tended to like normal is okay. Pack the kids up and try to roll with the punches. ;)

[amistad]

We travel with our grown kids and their children about twice a year on cruises and really enjoy it. I (Grandma) and my daughter and D-I-L try to take turns each night with the littleones so the adults each get a little time to go to the casino or the show, we even traded out so each of us could use the spa. The last cruise the 3 boy's were between a year old and 2 1/2. We did introduce them to the kids club, but they did not want to stay. The oldest was potty trained and he loved using the kids jacuzzi and the wading pool, he was too little to go in the bigger kids pool. I would like to add the itenerary on the Spirit is good for a family, lots of beach ports and the 3 boy's all loved that. The food was no problem, we fed the kids in the buffet and the adults took turns eating in the MDR and Cagney's each night. I would suggest not trying to do any long excursions, the kids get board and antsy on the tenders and long bus rides. If you have another couple with kids or another family member to help you it really does make it a little easier, but I am sure you will do just fine.

[loopylou]

Just my 2 cents, but we took our kids and grandkids recently on a cruise. My grandkids could not wait to go to the kids club! They loved it! we were kind of disappointed when they wanted to rush off and leave us, but hey, it was their cruise also!

 

:)