Luxury World Cruising with one child

[cicirider]

I am interested in planning a 100+ day World Cruise with my husband and 9 year old daughter for 2012. Ideally we would leave in January and come back in May-June. We would travel with a tutor for her and would take either two cabins or one two bedroom suite depending on what made the best financial sense.

My travel agent recommended Residensea which does look great but the pricing seems much more than the other luxury lines for the same amount of time. Also, the schedule focuses on the Caribbean and Europe at that time of year. I would prefet to see Africa, the Middle East and Asia which are more tricky to see with a child doing the plane-hotel thing.

The next suggestions were in this order: Seabourn, Sliversea and last Regent.

I would love other input from people who've done the trips on these lines and who can comment on the food, relative value, itineraries, other traveler demographics.

I have read on other boards some very disparaging comments about children traveling on non-holiday times and how inopportune they are to retirees and people seeking peace and quiet on longer cruises. I am not interested in any of this sort of feedback. I have traveled extensively with all my children and feel confident that I know what is best for us in this regard and what constitutes acceptable behaviour.

Actual real experience/input on any or all of these lines would be very helpful.

I have previously only traveled on SeaDream and would go with them in a heartbeat but alas they don't do World Cruises.

[cruisincarly]

I don't know how helpful this will be since the situation is quite different, but my husband and I traveled on Regent (when it was Radisson) to Alaska on our honeymoon, pre-child in 2005. It was an amazing experience. Granted, we're not all that used to luxury travel, so I can't compare to other luxury-travel experiences. We would like to do another Regent cruise when we can afford it (the first trip was a gift).

 

The food was excellent (we do eat out at top notch fine dining restaurants as often as we can afford it), a true highlight of the trip -- destination-inspired food that was very well done with excellent wine pairings (included in the price of the cruise).

 

The service was efficient and friendly without being obsequious. They seemed to know just how much attention any one guest wanted. Regent is "tip-free," but the staff are reasonably well-paid. I think this helps with quality service. Again, a huge mark in their favor.

 

Demographics: At 23 & 24 we were, I think, close to the youngest adults on board. I don't think we saw anyone our age. Most seemed 40+, with a sizeable, but not overwhelming, number of retirees. There were a few children, but not many at all.

 

Atmosphere: Quiet and relaxed (which suits us). The onboard entertainment was nothing to write home about. We didn't frequent the nightclub or anything, though, so maybe it was a bit more animated in there.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to go on them again, and I would consider taking a mature child.

[Scrapchick]

We've been on Silversea, on the SilverWind (I think it was that...) We crossed the Indian Ocean on it quite a few years ago. it was lovely, very nice cabins, nothing not to like. It's a small ship, carrying 300 passengers maximum, and it's a very well heeled crowd because it's not a cheap cruise line.

 

The drawback was the size, or lack of it. The gym was tiny, there was no kids club, there was only one pool, one restaurant, one bar, one entertainment lounge etc... You could easily get very tired of people and not be able to get away from them, because there was nowhere to hide. You don't have the kind of anonymity on a small ship that you do on a big one. Sometimes you don't always want to be the life and soul of the party. There were some pretty wealthy and eccentric people on the ship and while it was amusing at first, it soon wore thin and we tired of their behavior.

 

Our very first cruise was part of a world voyage on the old Sea Princess back in 1993. 640 Brits going all the way around the world... We did a 2 week segment from Sydney to Honolulu. It was interesting that many passengers doing the entire voyage actually envied that we were getting off the ship and they were continuing on. Sometimes a world cruise SOUNDS like a good idea but a little can go a long way... I think it can get old after a while.... the same people, the same tasting food. It ceases to become a vacation and simply becomes another way of living but in a small cabin with few of the comforts of home.

 

The other thing to bear in mind is the age range... It tends to be a much, much older crowd that can afford to do a 4 month world voyage and there will likely be no children on board at all. Your situation as you described it is unusual, so there will not be much by way of playmates for your child. I know MY 9 year old DD is a highly social, friendly girl who craves being around other kids and she would not enjoy being without other young people for such a long period of time.

 

Having said that, it is a marvelous opportunity for your family. Only you can decide if your child is really going to appreciate it as much as you will and will get enough out of it to justify the expense and the disruption to the regular home routine.

[Essiesmom]

I think you should start with the cruise ships that are doing world cruises, and go from there. If the experience/ports are important to the 'home schooling' of your daughter, then itinerary is important, perhaps moreso than the luxury. You can get luxury accommodations/service on larger ships, although you might sacrifice on your ambiance expectations. Consider Cunard, for one. I don't think there are many ships with suites that have two bedrooms, and those that do don't have many, so you need to book early. EM

[kitty9]

I've been on multiple segments of four world cruises on Crystal. There were never any children, of any age, on any of the world cruises. The average age for world cruises on luxury lines is over 70. While there is always some younger passengers, it's very few. Obviously, there are no kid's programs when there's only one child. I know you said you didn't want to hear the negative aspects, but I cannot give you a realistic idea of what a world cruise is like without injecting the total reality of the experience. It makes no difference whether your child is sophisticated, worldly, well-behaved or whatever. Those things make absolutely no difference to some of the curmudgeon-y types who take full world cruises.

 

One thing I realized is that those on world cruises are very, very protective of their "space" and get bent out of shape whenever something invades that space, including the thought of children. You need to be prepared for some not so nice attitudes. There's even a "nasty" attitude towards persons like myself, who were not "full worlders", despite the fact that I was on three of the seven segments. It's a very different atmosphere when you take a world cruise.

 

As far as activities, the lines that do world cruises, with the exception of Cunard, there are few that would interest a young child. These smaller ships have very little for them to do during the day or evening unless they like classical entertainment and can be kept happy with just a small pool. In all honesty, luxury ships are not really cut out for children, especially on long cruises. Your child would have to be happy with doing things like reading, seeing a movie and swimming. Depending on the ship, there may be a paddle tennis court and of course shuffleboard, but that's about it. If you would consider Cunard, with their larger ships, it might be a better fit with a child, as they do offer much more in the way of daily activities. I believe the Queen Victoria is doing a world cruise in 2011. If you book a Queen's Grill suite, you would dine in the QG, which is very upscale.

 

Of course, you'll have the touring in the different cities, so that's a plus with a child. Those are great opportunities for a child of any age, plus for us adults.

 

Now, as far as the World of ResidenSea, I would NOT recommend that ship at all. It's basically a condo cruise ship with the ship being run by the condo owners. It's also very much a "class system" ship with the condo owners not wanting to have anything to do with the "paying guests". You'd be lucky to even see other passengers on the ship as the condo owners tend to stick to themselves. There are no organized activities at all during the day, and very little at night. They may offer evening dinners in port, but this ship is probably the most child unfriendly ship you will find. There is a club for evening music, but it's almost always empty because the owners rarely venture out for that. ResidenSea is definitely not a regular cruise ship. It's really more exactly what it says, a residence.

 

I've also cruised Seabourn, Silversea and Regent, albeit not on world cruises, but on more extensive regular itineraries. The passengers on both Seabourn and Silversea are staunchly anti-child, sorry to say. At one point, Silversea was planning on offering a children sail free program on some of their itineraries, but there was practically a revolution of Silversea faithful and they were forced to abandon the program (I have no idea why they caved in, but they did, which I think stinks to high heaven). Seabourn's ships are even smaller than Crystal, so I'm not so sure what there will be available to keep a child interested for 100+ days. Regent is probably the most child friendly, but again, if they're offering a world cruise, you can pretty much bet there will be no other kids on board.

 

Now, don't get upset with me for what I've said. I'm just trying to alert you to the reality of a child cruising for 100 days on a world cruise on a luxury line. Will it work? Sure, anything is possible. You just have to be prepared for the negatives and the positives. Of course, the positives for you and your child will overcome the negatives. But like I said, you have to be prepared for a lot of little things that can be a pain. Traveling on land for a few weeks is very much different than being confined on a small cruise ship for three months.

 

Good luck with your planning and I hope you find something that works for your family.

[cicirider]

I have to thank all, especially Darcie, for their candid and thorough input. I am concerned about people being unpleasant about my child. I am not much concerned about the lack of social interaction I should expect as we are doing this as a family in order to explore a slew of places in the most convenient way possible (no going in and out of security at the airports!), and not to make shipboard friends.

I get what you mean, Darcie, about the Residensea being a floating condo and not a cruise and that may be just what we are looking for and perhaps more live and let live than a regular luxury cruise. I also like the idea that we can make a sandwich for our girl whenever we want in our own kitchen. 100 days is a long time to be eating out without stop!

She will be attending 'school' for a good portion of every day with her tutor so I am not worried about the lack of things for her to do. I do think it's going to be quite difficult for her to be without a friend for a long trip but hopefully the new experiences will make up for that.

We want to do this before she hits teenage-hood and being away from friends becomes a huge deal.

Again, thanks to everyone for their very good feedback.

[Shaney3401]

I have to say I envy your daughter...she is very luckt to have parents that can do that for her. I do have to agree with you that the ResidentSea seems nice because you could make her something to eat other than fancy cruise food. And also as you said she will be in school a portion of the day. After that it would be cool get her excited about all the differant ports of call. Not really too much need for Broadway style shows these 100 days will be most educational, enjoyable and memorable days of her life. Happy Cruising!!

[RicardoC]

I am interested in planning a 100+ day World Cruise with my husband and 9 year old daughter for 2012. Ideally we would leave in January and come back in May-June. We would travel with a tutor for her and would take either two cabins or one two bedroom suite depending on what made the best financial sense.

My travel agent recommended Residensea which does look great but the pricing seems much more than the other luxury lines for the same amount of time. Also, the schedule focuses on the Caribbean and Europe at that time of year. I would prefet to see Africa, the Middle East and Asia which are more tricky to see with a child doing the plane-hotel thing.

The next suggestions were in this order: Seabourn, Sliversea and last Regent.

I would love other input from people who've done the trips on these lines and who can comment on the food, relative value, itineraries, other traveler demographics.

I have read on other boards some very disparaging comments about children traveling on non-holiday times and how inopportune they are to retirees and people seeking peace and quiet on longer cruises. I am not interested in any of this sort of feedback. I have traveled extensively with all my children and feel confident that I know what is best for us in this regard and what constitutes acceptable behaviour.

Actual real experience/input on any or all of these lines would be very helpful.

I have previously only traveled on SeaDream and would go with them in a heartbeat but alas they don't do World Cruises.

 

I don't think i can help you(unfortunately) with your choices since I haven't cruised with any of those lines or in such an amazing trip. However, I found this while searching for reviews on Cunard ships(which I think are luxurious,elegant, and comfortable but mega-ships at the same time) so I'd choose one of the Queens. i was just stunned when I read about your idea. Being 16 I'd love to do such trip, even If i had to stay away 100+ days from my friends....I had been to more than 30 countries and what you learn "out there", even in a month in Europe, for an example, is more than you would learn in your entire life in a history class...imagine around the world! I'm sure this will be a unique experience for you and your daughter and even being tutored in other subjects she will learn the most from the places, cultures, and people you visit. I wish I had done one of these when I was younger....now it's late....gotta wait till I retire :D I'd like to tell you and your husband are very fortunate to be able to do this kind of family trip and really modern since most parents would stick to the common everyday life...your idea is very open minded and I was just amazed by it! Have a great trip, take lots of pictures....and if you can I'd love to follow a blog about that :) Thanks

Ricardo :cool:

[Lizzie1213]

Go for it! What a wonderful experience to give your child!!

 

I haven't crused any of the lines you mentioned, so I cannot advise you on that, i just wanted to comment on what an amazing thing your family is doing. enjoy ayour voyage.

[cruisead]

All I can say is WOW. We looked at The World, just out of curiosity, and found the rates to be crazy high. For one of those two bedroom residences, ones with the kitchen, the cost was $2500 a day, per person. You're able to choose your own itinerary, so when we plugged in the dates, for the number of days we were interested in, the cost for just that cruise would have allowed us to cruise 10 different times on another ship. Considering you don't get much in the way of entertainment on that ship, it's just insanely high in cost.

[onthelake]

I agree with folks that say you need to look at those cruise lines that sail where you are interested in going - most likely Cunard. We homeschooled our son from grade 3 through 10 (he is now in grade 11 in a 'brick and mortar' school). We sailed from Seattle to Sydney, Vancouver to Bangkok and a number of European cruises. In one year, we spent 180 days on ships and loved every minute. But, we did not try to 'school' on board. The cruises were family time, vacation time, new experience time. My son is very focused and finished all school work within each school year even with all the time away. You seem very clear in your plans which I applaud. I think the world would be a different place if young people had more chances to see how other cultures live. And, yes, we had a lot of negative comments about our son not being in school as well as a lot of positive comments about the importance of travel and what a nicely mannered young man we raised. The tough thing about a cruise is that you are isolated in your accommodation - not like a hotel you don't like so you move. Hope you find the right combination for your family.