Looking for input on taking kids on port-intensive sailings...

[MamaParrotHead]

A friend of mine is looking to book an 8 day Southern Caribbean sailing, looks to have 1 port per day. She has a 7 year old kiddo. Wondering if anyone out there has any tips/warnings for her as she makes her decision to book it or not.

 

Thanks!:)

[Warm Breezes]

I would make sure to plan some beach days in there. The child would probably need some down time and not big excursions at every stop.

[gerif]

I would make sure to plan some beach days in there. The child would probably need some down time and not big excursions at every stop.

 

Exactly - and there is no rule that says you must get off the ship at every port - sometimes just staying on board and enjoying the pool and other ship activities is more fun than dragging around a boring port.

[Kerry's Girls]

I took my younger kids (5 years old) on a port intensive cruise and it went wonderfully. We planned one or two things to see each day, rather than trying to cover everything in every place. I also either arranged private tours or hired a cab on arrival, so we could go at our own pace and see only what we wanted to see. We also got lots of sleep at night, didn't fight to be among the first off the ship, brought snacks and drinks, and ended up really having a great time in each port. Even with all that, my girls were DONE by the time we got to our last port - I was too to tell the truth. They stayed on board while I toured the last port a little and everyone was happy.

 

Best,

Mia

[RoadTripFanatic]

I would tell them to have fun! I wouldn't worry about it too much. My 9 year old survived our 11 day cruise with 9 days in European ports where we were on the go all.day.long. :) The Caribbean is easy because if you want you just take a beach break day.

[ljtee]

We've done similar port intensive trips with our 2 young boys. I find that trying to stick to a routine is most helpful. What I mean is, the kids do better when their day is fairly predictable - they are in a strange place with none of their usual stuff, none of their friends and all kinds of new expectations on behaviour, etc. It helps make sense of what's going on and they are more relaxed and easygoing. By routine, I mean that we try to book excursions for around the same part of the day... so while we might be getting off the ship everyday and doing something different (and exhausting!), they can count on their day being something like this:

 

Wake up

Breakfast

Pack bags for the day

Get off the ship (usually pretty early - by 9am)

Fun, great, excursion

Lunch back on board (usually by 12 or 1 any excursion is over - once or twice we've eaten as part of the excursion)

Afternoon at the pool/basketball court/with friends

Relax in the room

Dress for dinner

Dinner

Camp or show

Bed

 

It could just be our kids - but I find if they know what comes next things work out great. Of course, we change things around if something really cool is happening or if it just won't work - but we also recognize that if we change things up too much they get less comfortable (especially my youngest who wants to know exactly how long until we go home on any trip we take :))

[Onessa]

We've always done port intensive cruises with our DD (now 14, but she's been traveling with us since she was born). She's not a lay out in the sun or spend 10 hours straight in the pool kind of kid. We may do a port a day, but she's always had plenty of time to meet other kids, do the kids clubs, etc.

 

And, as others have indicated, there is no rule that says you have to get off of the ship at each port -- those are some of the nicest times to be on board - pool almost to yourselves, deals in the spa, and no lines in the buffet!