How to AVOID children on cruises?

[Kidsx5]

I am FAR from rich, I just plan well and save well and am able to take my family on nice vacations. We are going on a cruise in April, and a 2 week Disney trip in August. Rich? Nope. Spoiled? Nope, I don't think so. It is just good planning and saving.

[ZeroTX]

I didn't mean to offend, folks. You work hard and deserve vacations, as do we. The term mass market I guess some feel doesn't make an RC or Carnival a luxury cruise. I disagree. Come on folks, a fancy dinner every night, room service, twice a day room attendant, etc? It's as luxurious as most people will ever see in their lifetime. Now, compared with some of the other $8k cruises out there, I guess it's fairly mass market, but it's still a luxury that only a small percentage of people will ever enjoy.

 

That said, I really loved our cruise, loved Royal Caribbean and absolutely will do it again. I will take to heart all of your advice and make a different choice about time, most likely... unless Spring Break is the only time I can do it... which is a good possibility :/ As an educator, I get a lot of break time compared with corporate, but I never get to choose when to be off and I'm always off at the same time as students, so vacations are crowded and the prices are at their highest.

 

Next trip? No idea! I'd really love to do a 14-15 day boat move trip to Europe, but I cannot find one in July, which is the only month in which I can do 14 days off in a row. Suggestions?

 

Z

[Kerry's Girls]

There also are more and more ships that offer adults-only areas on board (usually attached to the spa, often you can buy a pass for the entire cruise) and adult-only pools. If you spend your days there and have dinner at the late seating, you'll see far fewer children. I know when my husband and I cruised pre-kid, we rarely noticed children on board - and now with kids all we see are other families. I think the ships actually do a pretty good job of making room for everyone. Of course, during school holidays, that becomes more of a challenge.

 

The price I pay for cruises with my kids is about the same as I use to pay 15 years ago. Clearly, cruises are being marketed to attract the larger base of middle class customers. I agree, a cruise is luxurious - but it also costs about the same as a much less luxurious land-based vacation, so of course I'm going to choose a cruise!

 

Best,

Mia

[MrsZee]

Actually, yes! Here is a 12 day in Europe from Spain in July 2011. Best of all, it will be on the Carnival Magic, which will be Carnival's newest ship.

 

http://www.carnival.com/Itinerary.aspx?embkCode=BCN&itinCode=GMD&durDays=12&shipCode=MC&subRegionCode=E&sailDate=7/24/2011&sailingID=55900

 

Also, there are some pretty awesome ones in July 2011 on RCL, including the Mediterranean, the Holy Land, or Scandinavia/Russia. There are some pretty amazing cruises out there, and I imagine the number of children on those would be pretty low. (Although if I could ever afford such a cruise, my son would be with us on it)

[ZeroTX]

Actually, yes! Here is a 12 day in Europe from Spain in July 2011. Best of all, it will be on the Carnival Magic, which will be Carnival's newest ship.

 

http://www.carnival.com/Itinerary.aspx?embkCode=BCN&itinCode=GMD&durDays=12&shipCode=MC&subRegionCode=E&sailDate=7/24/2011&sailingID=55900

 

That's a pretty nice itinerary. My wife would love it, too. :) I doubt it's as inexpensive as a ship-move (it seems like just a Mediterranean tour), but it does look nice.

[Onessa]

That's a pretty nice itinerary. My wife would love it, too. :) I doubt it's as inexpensive as a ship-move (it seems like just a Mediterranean tour), but it does look nice.

 

ZeroTX - I'm thinking the term you are looking for is a "re-positioning" cruise -- yes, they tend to be bargins! Keep looking and maybe you'll find what you are looking for. We've been doing end-of-season cruises (November) in the Med, and just keep looking until some promo or other deal.

 

Keep hunting and maybe you'll find something that works for your schedule and budget.

 

BTW - my DD's teachers do have the opportunity to take days off during the school year - many combine days off with school breaks to take a trip. Our school district does not do a week-long spring break -- just a couple of long weekends.

[ZeroTX]

BTW - my DD's teachers do have the opportunity to take days off during the school year - many combine days off with school breaks to take a trip. Our school district does not do a week-long spring break -- just a couple of long weekends.

 

I'd love that!! Sounds great, unfortunately I've never heard of a school in Texas do it that way. No vacation days at all, just the fixed days-off, which align with the days when kids are off. There are a few "personal leave" days but it is highly frowned upon to use those days for vacation. Those are generally used for personal business that cannot be handled outside of the regular school day (appointments and such) and the maximum of consecutive days is 3, with principal approval (good luck on that one!). :)

 

So... my vacations have been (typically) less common trips. Last year we discovered that Europe isn't TOO overrun during Spring Break (as it's still cold there), and we love to go to Mexican locations AWAY from the beach, e.g. Mexico City, Cuernavaca, etc. Probably will do a couple of weeks in Guanajuato, Oaxaca or some other non-coastal cities in Latin America, where the vacationers will be limited to those like us, who are looking for culture, history, language and natura beauty more than beaches and margaritas.

[rgnok]

Probably will do a couple of weeks in Guanajuato, Oaxaca or some other non-coastal cities in Latin America, where the vacationers will be limited to those like us, who are looking for culture, history, language and natura beauty more than beaches and margaritas.

 

Michael -- If you enjoy Mexican travel, look into (if you're not already familiar with it) the Gulf side of the Yucatan peninsula; though it includes the cruise ship port town of Progeso, it is a MUCH less touristy area, especially if you arrive by car or fly into Merida, the state capital. You can find decent beaches and beach activity, so you still get a bit of that, but nothing CLOSE to the kinds of beach crowds you'll find around Cancun and Cozumel, and, if you go just 30 - 50 km outside of Progreso, you won't find any of the cruise passengers. You will, however, find TREMENDOUS value, great history (easy access to a number of Mayan ruins, etc., nice colonial towns, a vibrant, NON TOURISTY, big Mexican city (Merida metro area is well over 500,000), a world class symphony orchestra, bird sightings, and much, much, more.

 

Continental offers almost daily non-stop flights from Houston, usually very reasonably priced and on a great travelers schedule, leaving Houston late evening and arriving Merida around 9PM, and leaving Merida around 7AM and arriving Houston around 9AM. Merida airport, unlike some in Mexico, is very easy in and out, not a tourist trap, no timeshare sales (in fact, really no sales of any kind).

 

If I sound a bit like a tour guide, well . . . we own a home in Chelem, a few miles outside of Progreso and 30 minutes or so from Merida, and spend part of the year living there, so it is an area that we obviously love and like to tell (a few) others about :)

[ZeroTX]

If I sound a bit like a tour guide, well . . . we own a home in Chelem, a few miles outside of Progreso and 30 minutes or so from Merida, and spend part of the year living there, so it is an area that we obviously love and like to tell (a few) others about :)

 

Sounds like it's right up my alley :) We actually stayed for 4 weeks in Cuernavaca about 3 years ago and took Spanish classes there. It was a month-long vacation for less than most couples would spend on a 7-day trip. Housing was $20/day/person and included 3 daily home prepared meals and was a 1-block walk from the Spanish school. We had a private room w/ bathroom/shower and the home was an all adult home (couple in their 60's), so it was very peaceful! Taxi cabs in Cuernavaca are plentiful and cheap (never, ever paid over 40 pesos for an across-town ride and typically 25 pesos was all they cost... compared to the $50US we spent on taxis in Cozumel last week! They see the cruise passengers as suckers, but we had little choice.).

 

Anyhow, I will read up on it :) Thanks for the tip!

 

P.S., can I PM you regarding purchasing real estate in Mexico? Also related to this thread, my wife and I didn't plan on being childless, but it seems that may be God's plan, so as such we may look into expatriating for some period of time and/or retiring in Mexico and perhaps getting that set up in the next few years... I'd love to know more about the process for U.S. citizens and I'd like to buy before prices are run up too high once the 50-somethings figure out that their 401k will go a lot farther in Mexico...

[ZeroTX]

ZeroTX - I'm thinking the term you are looking for is a "re-positioning" cruise --

 

Yeah! That's the term I was looking for! The ones where they are relocating for the season and I guess they'd rather fill the boat for cheap than let it ride empty, as I'm quite sure the fuel to get across the Atlantic costs much more than the food to feed us.

[rgnok]

can I PM you regarding purchasing real estate in Mexico? Also related to this thread, my wife and I didn't plan on being childless, but it seems that may be God's plan, so as such we may look into expatriating for some period of time and/or retiring in Mexico and perhaps getting that set up in the next few years... I'd love to know more about the process for U.S. citizens and I'd like to buy before prices are run up too high once the 50-somethings figure out that their 401k will go a lot farther in Mexico...

 

Yes, shoot me a msg, I'm always happy to share. The area is already seeing a notable increase in both US and Canadian folks coming down for something between big part time and full time residency.

[joejo]

Michael -- If you enjoy Mexican travel, look into (if you're not already familiar with it) the Gulf side of the Yucatan peninsula; though it includes the cruise ship port town of Progeso, it is a MUCH less touristy area, especially if you arrive by car or fly into Merida, the state capital. You can find decent beaches and beach activity, so you still get a bit of that, but nothing CLOSE to the kinds of beach crowds you'll find around Cancun and Cozumel, and, if you go just 30 - 50 km outside of Progreso, you won't find any of the cruise passengers. You will, however, find TREMENDOUS value, great history (easy access to a number of Mayan ruins, etc., nice colonial towns, a vibrant, NON TOURISTY, big Mexican city (Merida metro area is well over 500,000), a world class symphony orchestra, bird sightings, and much, much, more.

 

Continental offers almost daily non-stop flights from Houston, usually very reasonably priced and on a great travelers schedule, leaving Houston late evening and arriving Merida around 9PM, and leaving Merida around 7AM and arriving Houston around 9AM. Merida airport, unlike some in Mexico, is very easy in and out, not a tourist trap, no timeshare sales (in fact, really no sales of any kind).

 

If I sound a bit like a tour guide, well . . . we own a home in Chelem, a few miles outside of Progreso and 30 minutes or so from Merida, and spend part of the year living there, so it is an area that we obviously love and like to tell (a few) others about :)

 

Sounds like it's right up my alley :) We actually stayed for 4 weeks in Cuernavaca about 3 years ago and took Spanish classes there. It was a month-long vacation for less than most couples would spend on a 7-day trip. Housing was $20/day/person and included 3 daily home prepared meals and was a 1-block walk from the Spanish school. We had a private room w/ bathroom/shower and the home was an all adult home (couple in their 60's), so it was very peaceful! Taxi cabs in Cuernavaca are plentiful and cheap (never, ever paid over 40 pesos for an across-town ride and typically 25 pesos was all they cost... compared to the $50US we spent on taxis in Cozumel last week! They see the cruise passengers as suckers, but we had little choice.).

 

Anyhow, I will read up on it :) Thanks for the tip!

 

P.S., can I PM you regarding purchasing real estate in Mexico? Also related to this thread, my wife and I didn't plan on being childless, but it seems that may be God's plan, so as such we may look into expatriating for some period of time and/or retiring in Mexico and perhaps getting that set up in the next few years... I'd love to know more about the process for U.S. citizens and I'd like to buy before prices are run up too high once the 50-somethings figure out that their 401k will go a lot farther in Mexico...

:D I'm so happy to have stumbled upon your posts :D

 

I spent 4 weeks last spring, in the height of the flu scare, studying Spanish in Merida! I spent a little bit of time in at the beach outside Progresso as it is VERY hot in the spring! I would love to return to Merida but it has spawned a desire to see many more areas as well!

[Mack2]

I agree with everyone here that Spring Break periods (the weeks following Presidents Day) is an expensive and harrowing time period to vacation.

 

Although, when it comes to the behavior of the kids anywhere, a lot of the "bad kids" experiences people have has a lot to do with poor parenting choices. Unfortunately, bad parenting is pandemic. As an educator, I'm sure ZeroTX has plenty of experiences with that.

 

While cruising, I've seen kids behaving badly on a lot of cruises. Even the more geriatric lines like Princess, there are bad parents who let their kids run around without supervision. If you want to avoid children altogether, it is hard to find a week long cruise vacation during the Spring Break time period that is affordable with fewer families traveling with kids.

 

The only solution I can recommend is the adult-only land based all-inclusives. Superclubs, Sandals, and other specialty all-inclusive resorts. Otherwise, you really should expect to see some kids behaving badly because of poor parenting... and that percentage goes up during Spring Break.

 

Land based all-inclusives tend to be a little bit cheaper in the summer.. because it's friggin' HOT in the Caribbean in the summer... but as more families are choosing affordable cruise escapes, the cruise prices have been going up during the summer.

 

I did notice that on our last cruise vacation aboard Carnival, there were more kids behaving badly than our previous experiences aboard other lines. Aboard Princess, fewer kids behaving badly, but more cranky geriatric passengers. RCI is usually a decent balance, but so far I've been able to avoid traveling during Spring Break (I hate waiting on lines).

 

Holland America may have good, affordable cruises... and they might be trying to attract the revenue that comes with cruising families, but they have a reputation for an older crowd. Maybe more cranky geriatrics in scooters but also more attentive parents/grandparents.

 

Since ZeroTx's schedule doesn't afford him the time away from the crush of Spring Break, he may want to either reconsider his choices or have an understanding of the compromises he must make when traveling during that time.

 

My eldest is 11; the youngest is 6. I know to avoid Cancun and other popular college areas during Spring Break... doesn't leave too many choices... but fortunately, in Jersey, we can escape during the tail end of Hurricane Season in November... which is another set of compromises (we've had two years in a row of following/being chased by a storm)

 

In the case of traveling in November, we've had a 60/40 spread of good/bad weather.

[joejo]

Sounds like it's right up my alley :) We actually stayed for 4 weeks in Cuernavaca about 3 years ago and took Spanish classes there. It was a month-long vacation for less than most couples would spend on a 7-day trip. Housing was $20/day/person and included 3 daily home prepared meals and was a 1-block walk from the Spanish school. We had a private room w/ bathroom/shower and the home was an all adult home (couple in their 60's), so it was very peaceful! Taxi cabs in Cuernavaca are plentiful and cheap (never, ever paid over 40 pesos for an across-town ride and typically 25 pesos was all they cost... compared to the $50US we spent on taxis in Cozumel last week! They see the cruise passengers as suckers, but we had little choice.).

 

Anyhow, I will read up on it :) Thanks for the tip!

 

P.S., can I PM you regarding purchasing real estate in Mexico? Also related to this thread, my wife and I didn't plan on being childless, but it seems that may be God's plan, so as such we may look into expatriating for some period of time and/or retiring in Mexico and perhaps getting that set up in the next few years... I'd love to know more about the process for U.S. citizens and I'd like to buy before prices are run up too high once the 50-somethings figure out that their 401k will go a lot farther in Mexico...

 

http://www.playa.info is a set of forum boards for Playa Del Carmen, Mexico (another favorite area of mine!) and there are many expats who are on the site. There is also a lot of information regarding purchasing in Mexico and visas and such.

[ZeroTX]

I think I must be missing the menu option somewhere, as I cannot figure out how to private message here... :/

 

Indeed the incidents of parents parenting badly seem to increase every year. It seems to cross all class and race barriers, too! All too often in my work I see 16-year-olds manipulating their parents and in some cases outright ruling the household. Too much "being a cool mom/dad" stuff going on... parents being friends instead of parents.

 

I guess with the cruiselines becoming more popular, it's inevitable that the bad parents will come... with their badly raised kids :)

 

Thankfully Voyager of the Seas, and I presume other ships, are big enough that even with 3,800 aboard it's possible to find a quiet place to read a book.

 

-Michael

[quincytoo]

There is no Private message option on CC. I have an account with Trip Advisor and I always get people from here to pm me there.

[rgnok]

P.S., can I PM you regarding purchasing real estate in Mexico?

 

Since you can't PM here on Cruise Critic, shoot me an e-mail at cc_junk@att.net in the next 24 hours (I'll kill the address after that:)) and we'll connect that way. Note the underscore (_) character between cc & junk in that address.

 

Roger

[Mack2]

Indeed the incidents of parents parenting badly seem to increase every year. It seems to cross all class and race barriers, too! All too often in my work I see 16-year-olds manipulating their parents and in some cases outright ruling the household. Too much "being a cool mom/dad" stuff going on... parents being friends instead of parents.

 

I guess with the cruiselines becoming more popular, it's inevitable that the bad parents will come... with their badly raised kids :)

 

That being said, I hope you would recognize that the parents who are using the CruiseCritic forum to share ideas and experiences don't necessarily like being lumped in with the folks who parent badly.

 

One of the reasons we frequent this particular forum is to help other parents make informed decisions. Another reason is that we are researching user based reviews of cruise options that we think would be best for our families (and our buck).

 

I don't think the parents who are drinking buddies with their teens are terribly worried about what engaging excursions are available in the Bahamas , or how to pack for formal nights.

I would guess that there aren't too many posters in this forum that are "bad parents".

Please understand that that was the reason why the board was visibly upset with you in the beginning.

[VegaSinclair]

Just as there are adult-only resorts throughout the world, there is also adult-only cruises. If you don't want to be around kids, then choose an adult-only cruise. Also if you have a family and want to experience a relaxed cruise without risking facing thousands of teens and college students, then I would avoid the Spring Break season. Even then, there are cruises that have less spring breakers. The discount cruises are the ones you tend to find the most spring breakers because it's cheap and college students and parents of teens are usually on a budget.

[Cruising Mom O'4]

P.S. we also found out the Royal Caribbean only has a ship in Galveston Nov. - April. Big, huge bummer. Summer cruises on RC are also not an option without flying somewhere else. I am checking into Carnival. Anyone know if they stay in Galveston all year? I guess summer is an option since the kid breaks are spread out over a few weeks.

 

How HOT is it in the Caribbean in summer?

 

Hey Zero TX - I looked it up today and the Western Caribbean cruises out of Galveston go to places that are NOT as hot as it is here in Texas (Austin).... however be fore warned - I'll be on one of those summer cruises with my 4 kids and they will likely push elevator buttons (at least once before I can stop them) and want to play hide and seek in the hallways. But I picked Carnival because it's kid friendly. Hope you find the cruise you are looking for!

[cde48]

I know how to avoid it, use personal days and go when school in not on break!

[beachchick]

I think I must be missing the menu option somewhere, as I cannot figure out how to private message here... :/

 

Indeed the incidents of parents parenting badly seem to increase every year. It seems to cross all class and race barriers, too! All too often in my work I see 16-year-olds manipulating their parents and in some cases outright ruling the household. Too much "being a cool mom/dad" stuff going on... parents being friends instead of parents.

 

I guess with the cruiselines becoming more popular, it's inevitable that the bad parents will come... with their badly raised kids :)

 

Thankfully Voyager of the Seas, and I presume other ships, are big enough that even with 3,800 aboard it's possible to find a quiet place to read a book.

 

-Michael

 

While we never, ever cruise during school breaks, we did cruise on Mariner of the Seas in early May one year. It was right around the time that some early start/early end schools were getting out for the year. The ship was full, so it could have been difficult because Voyager-class size ships are the absolute largest we care to do.

 

Anyway, we were always able to find a quiet place to read or relax. One of our favorite, if not the favorite, hangouts on sea days: The Solarium! It's an open air design on that class, which we love and prefer to the retractable roof Radiance/Vision-class (they seem kind of claustrophibic for our tastes). There are padded lounges with little tables clustered around the sides in the shade and padded lounges out in the sun around the small Solarium pool. Here's our usual MO: Take book, towel, snack, and beverage to Solarium; scout lounges in shade (with great view down to the ocean); snag said lounges when possible (we don't cotton to chair hogs and will get the assigned crew to take care of things if lounges are vacant more than 30 minutes and the so-called "users" aren't in the Solarium pool or hottubs); get settled; chat and relax; get out books; read three pages...zzzzzz; wake up 15 minutes later, repeat from "chat and relax." Fabulous.

 

The library is also good. There are a number of quieter lounges and deck areas, so you should have no trouble finding your special places.

 

That being said, I hope you would recognize that the parents who are using the CruiseCritic forum to share ideas and experiences don't necessarily like being lumped in with the folks who parent badly.

One of the reasons we frequent this particular forum is to help other parents make informed decisions. Another reason is that we are researching user based reviews of cruise options that we think would be best for our families (and our buck).

I don't think the parents who are drinking buddies with their teens are terribly worried about what engaging excursions are available in the Bahamas , or how to pack for formal nights.

I would guess that there aren't too many posters in this forum that are "bad parents".

Please understand that that was the reason why the board was visibly upset with you in the beginning.

 

As a matter of fact, there have been many threads over the years started by parents wanting to know if their 18 y/o can drink and, if it's not allowed, how can they sneak booze to their offspring. Others asking for the best places for parents and teens to go drink on various islands. There are numerous members who want to know how they can break the CDC rules and get their non-potty trained infant/toddler into the pools or who finds it wrong that their children can't go everywhere (say, the spa or adult disco) and do everything.

 

Granted almost every single parent here claims to have "very mature" children who are "extremely well behaved" and who "are great travelers" beause their parents are "strict" etc. Still, there are members who ask questions about how to break various restrictions on children's activities and behavior. I would never lump anyone in with any generalization because I do not believe sweeping generalizations are accurate in most cases. However, I do say that there are all kinds of parents who are members here, not just those who are the ideal example of parenting. (And yes, I'm a parent and now a grandparent. I believe we were and are good parents because we loved our daughter enough to "be the bad guy" and be in charge, even while maintaining a loving and friendly relationship with her--we were not her "friends" until she was an adult; OTOH, we were quite far from perfect and our daughter was not always a perfect angel either.)

 

Just as there are adult-only resorts throughout the world, there is also adult-only cruises. If you don't want to be around kids, then choose an adult-only cruise. Also if you have a family and want to experience a relaxed cruise without risking facing thousands of teens and college students, then I would avoid the Spring Break season. Even then, there are cruises that have less spring breakers. The discount cruises are the ones you tend to find the most spring breakers because it's cheap and college students and parents of teens are usually on a budget.

 

There really aren't that many options, unfortunately. Besides, why should we not be able to cruise with lines we like? We've never had any real problems with children onboard, but as I mentioned, we don't cruise during school breaks. I think that a lot of it boils down to respect and appropriate behavior on all sides.

 

beachchick

[UKBayern]

Zero TX, British cruise line P&O offers lots of child-free cruises, all over the world, at all times of the year on several of their ships. Click here for more details. I don't feel their prices are that outrageous, most leave from Southhampton (UK) though. So yes, there is a market for that kind of cruise.

 

For the poster who was wondering why there were 500+ kids on her European cruise in May: that is because in May in Europe everybody is off during the Christian festive days. All European kids have at least 2 weeks off between Ascension Day (13 May) and Whitsun (23/24 May), in Catholic countries the holiday streched out even longer until after Corpus Christi (3 June).

That can really be a pitfall sometimes if you don't know about local holidays: when we were booking a cruise in November, we could not figure why cruises out of the US were so expensive in that particular week. Turned out it was Thanksgiving, something we don't have here, so never thought about. I personally would have gotten caught up in Spring Break big time as well, since that does not exist in Europe. Before Spring Break constantly being mentioned by Tony and Kate on NCIS we had never even heared about it....

 

And another thought: the cruise line is referred to by posters as "mass market". This is absolutely not the case in large parts of Europe. Here a cruise, even with RCCL, is considered an extreme luxury. Not many people I know would consider taking their children on a cruise.

[Wavesprite]

Nonetheless, some parents spoil their kids and take them on cruises... lesson learned :)

 

This cracks me up. It's "spoiling" your children to take them on vacation on a cruise ship? Cruises aren't that expensive and offer a great way to see multiple places. We go about every other year and my kids LOVE it. I don't consider them spoiled.

 

When I was young, I wasn't on an airplane until I was 22. I went out of the country for the first time at 32. I wish I had been more travelled. It makes it easier. I hope that my children get a love for travel, and are able to do it!

[Shonna]

Definately agree...we have only one child. We did not travel much as children and want for him to see the world and appreciate other cultures. This by no means makes my child spoiled in any sense of the word!