Transatlantic crossing in november with children 2 and 5 years old.

[Madshus]

We are a family planning our first cruise ever. The two children are now 3 and 1, but the cruise we are looking for will be in the autumn of 2012, so the children will be 5 ½ and 2 years and 10 months. The idea is celebrating my 50 years birthday on a transatlantic cruise in November. The cruise we want is not yet bookable, but looking at available cruises in the autumn of 2011 we would have chosen a cruise with Royal Caribbean Cruiseline from Malaga, Barcelona or Rome which is going to Puerto Rico, Florida, Texas or New Orleans. Then we would probably spend another 1-2 weeks in Puerto Rico and/or Florida probably visiting some of the theme parks in Orlando. The last leg will be taking an airplane back to Europe. We live in Norway.

 

When discussing this idea with others they cannot imagine me on a cruise lasting for 14 days. They think I will be bored. I am used to holidays with a bit more activity than cruising, like trekking in the mountains, skiing downhill and crosscountry, fishing etc. But the transatlantic cruise actually seems more exciting to me than a cruise to various ports in the Mediterranean – after all we have visited most of the places in Spain, France and Italy which is accessible from the ports. Travelling from one part of the world to another almost the old way on an ocean liner must be exciting. And I think the sport activities on the big RCCL ships can keep me occupied during the transatlantic part.

 

But it is the kids I am most concerned about, and would like to ask some questions to more experienced cruisers:

1. Can we keep the children occupied during 14 days at sea. They will only speak Norwegian – is there a chance they still can take part in the organized activities ?

2. We are thinking of an Owner’s suite which we think will give us enough space, and me and my wife can spend the evenings on the balcony or inside the suite without disturbing the children at sleep. The alternatives are the more expensive Royal Suite or two connecting balcony staterooms.

3. During the day we will get the sun on the balcony if we have a stateroom on the left side of the ship. But what about the evening: I think it could be very nice to see the sunset from the balcony: that would probably be possible on the right side of the ship on the first part of the ship, but what about the transatlantic crossing from Madeira or the Canary Islands to America ?

4. When the children are on the balcony is it possible for them to climb the fence and fall overboard ? I am most worried about the nearly 3 years old boy. Our 5 ½ years old girl already seems to be afraid of heights.

5. Weather is a major concern: Crossing the atlantic in November is in the hurricane season, although in the end of the hurricane season. Should we espect rough seas and much rain ? Will the ship roll so much that people often get sea-sick ? Is it more likely to be sea-sick in a suite which is on the upper decks and on the outside. I guess the best place on the ship is in the middle, low and in the back of the ship.

 

I am glad if I can get some advice. And the advice of trying a 1week cruise first is not an option because it will be done when the children are younger and will be quite expensive for just “trying a cruise”. The alternative is actually flying to Florida / the Carribean without cruising at all. Of course we could wait to have such a cruise when the children are older, but our daughter will go to school in the autumn of 2013 and I would not like to take her out of school for a month. Generally the month of November is also a month with bad weather in Norway, usually a mixture of snow, rain and fog, so it is a good time for leaving the country.

[Essiesmom]

First of all, I would not worry about the weather in Nov. You would be sailing the 'southern' route, temps will be moderate, probably 60's F. Sun will set we/southwest, so you should easily see it from your portside balcony. Since most lines have not yet released their fall 2012 TAs, you have a lot of time to research lines. One thing to consider is that if you want to take advantage of the kids programs, your youngest would only qualify for the programs on NCL and Carnival. Carnival does not generally have ships in Europe, but they are launching another ship in 2012, so there is a possibility. Balconies these days have plexiglas walls, with wood rail along the top. Unless the child pulls furniture over to climb on, there is nothing to climb up on. And of course, your child would not be on the balcony without you. The balcony doors are too heavy for a child to open. EM

[russianmom]

I've never done a TA but I can speak about kids club and the balcony.

The first cruise I took my son on he had just turned 4 the previous week. He is a little monkey and daredevil.

 

We never had an issues with the balcony. the doors had child prrof locks up high so there is no chance of the door being opened without you knowing. it is also very heavy. I made sure the chiars were pushed back away from the railing. It is made of glass or plexi-glass- a surface to smooth the climb on it's own.

 

We adopted our son when he was 3years old from Russia- he did not speak a single word of English and we knew about 10 words in Russian.

He had no problem pointing or gesturing for what he needed. I took him to some music and story time classes and he enjoyed it even though he had no idea what was being said.

 

Kids are very adaptable and I think that kid's club on sea days would be a great place for your children to partake in the activites despite not speaking the language. On NCL they had parades, treasure hunts, pj party etc.

 

I say go and enjoy yourselves... this sounds like a wonderful family vacation.

[Kerry's Girls]

I did a 15 day cruise with 11 sea days with my twin 4 year olds and it's still our favorite cruise. There is something so wonderful about being together out at sea and completely forgetting what day it is, BUT my girls were old enough for the kids club, so we were able to have breaks from each other, which I think is important on such a long trip. On RCCL you could have in-room babysitting for your 2 year old, but if it were me, I would only consider NCL or Carnival for a long cruise like that so the 2 year old could participate in the kids program.

 

We had a friend come along with us on the 15 day cruise who had never cruised before and the only problem is that now she never wants to do anything shorter.

 

One thought - if you got 2 connecting balcony rooms, is there anyone you could bring along for child care? The 3rd person fare would be probably be a fraction of the full fare and would provide someone who could take your 2 year old around the ship for adventures when everyone needs a break.

 

Best,

Mia

[russianmom]

I've never done a TA but I can speak about kids club and the balcony.

The first cruise I took my son on he had just turned 4 the previous week. He is a little monkey and daredevil.

 

We never had an issues with the balcony. the doors had child prrof locks up high so there is no chance of the door being opened without you knowing. it is also very heavy. I made sure the chiars were pushed back away from the railing. It is made of glass or plexi-glass- a surface to smooth the climb on it's own.

 

We adopted our son when he was 3years old from Russia- he did not speak a single word of English and we knew about 10 words in Russian.

He had no problem pointing or gesturing for what he needed. I took him to some music and story time classes and he enjoyed it even though he had no idea what was being said.

 

Kids are very adaptable and I think that kid's club on sea days would be a great place for your children to partake in the activites despite not speaking the language. On NCL they had parades, treasure hunts, pj party etc.

 

I say go and enjoy yourselves... this sounds like a wonderful family vacation.

 

 

Note to self... type first... drink wine second or use spell check... sorry for all the typos!!

[1025cruise]

One more thought, verify that your soon to be 10 month old will be allowed on the cruise. Though most cruiselines allow 6 month olds for "local" cruises, a lot have a 1 year age requirement for Europe and TAs.

[cb at sea]

I think it's 2 kids...one is almost 3.....

[Madshus]

...I would only consider NCL or Carnival for a long cruise like that so the 2 year old could participate in the kids program.

....

One thought - if you got 2 connecting balcony rooms' date=' is there anyone you could bring along for child care? The 3rd person fare would be probably be a fraction of the full fare and would provide someone who could take your 2 year old around the ship for adventures when everyone needs a break.

 

Best,

Mia[/quote']

I have looked at the Norwegian Epic departing Barcelona and arriving in Miami. That would be a very nice route, but they are not going to the Canary Islands, just to the Azores. To me that sounds like a much more northern route and the weather would be cooler. Or am I wrong ?

 

The courtyard Villa suite in Norwegian Epic which is 47 sq meters would be nice for us considering it has two bedrooms although the smallest bedroom perhaps not that suitable for children at 5 and nearly 3. It seems to me that this suite will cost almost 20.000 USD in 2011, which is a lot more than RCCL, and I am not sure I will spend that much on a holiday. The RCCL cruises we have been looking at will cost about 8 - 10.000 USD for all 4 persons. Is there a reason for the price difference ? Actually the autumn 2012 TA on Norwegian Epic will be bookable in the end of march so I will be watching the prices.

 

We have been thinking of inviting friends or relatives to the cruise, but I think they will be afraid of the long transatlantic voyage. When we have decided I will ask grandparents or aunts an uncles, but I would like them to stay in their own staterooms. A little help from someone that knows the children some evenings or days would have been nice.

 

And yes: The children will be almost 3 and 5 1/2.

[Kerry's Girls]

I have looked at the Norwegian Epic departing Barcelona and arriving in Miami. That would be a very nice route, but they are not going to the Canary Islands, just to the Azores. To me that sounds like a much more northern route and the weather would be cooler. Or am I wrong ?

 

The courtyard Villa suite in Norwegian Epic which is 47 sq meters would be nice for us considering it has two bedrooms although the smallest bedroom perhaps not that suitable for children at 5 and nearly 3. It seems to me that this suite will cost almost 20.000 USD in 2011, which is a lot more than RCCL, and I am not sure I will spend that much on a holiday. The RCCL cruises we have been looking at will cost about 8 - 10.000 USD for all 4 persons. Is there a reason for the price difference ? Actually the autumn 2012 TA on Norwegian Epic will be bookable in the end of march so I will be watching the prices.

 

We have been thinking of inviting friends or relatives to the cruise, but I think they will be afraid of the long transatlantic voyage. When we have decided I will ask grandparents or aunts an uncles, but I would like them to stay in their own staterooms. A little help from someone that knows the children some evenings or days would have been nice.

 

And yes: The children will be almost 3 and 5 1/2.

 

The courtyard villas on NCL have a private courtyard with pool for a limited number of guests, plus all kinds of amenities (private butler, private dining room, etc.) which may account for the price differenc3. We had a regular penthouse suite which was the same room layout (one master bedroom, one small bedroom perfect for your kids, living room & dining area), but without the private courtyard (and at a fraction of the cost). I'm not a big NCL fan, but I would just want the kid program option for my two year old. Since you don't like their route, RCCL may be the best choice for you because you could hire babysitters some evenings when you want some grown-up time.

 

All the best,

Mia

[Nebr.cruiser]

We haven't done a TA with small children, but one thing I'd like to mention is that if you are planning to spend time on the balcony at night while the kids are asleep, it may be too cool while crossing the Atlantic to enjoy time out there at night.

 

Have you looked into any family suites? We recently took grandkids on on cruise and had a family OV suite on the Navigator of the Seas. It worked well for us and the kids loved the bunk room. Only flaw was that there was only one bath--we had either 5 or six (we had another cabin and sometimes the kids switched) in the room.

 

This was in the very front of the ship though, so it could be rockier if seas were high. We were in the Caribbean and had no problems.

[kitty9]

I've done at least 5 trans Atlantic cruises, and the number of kids on board were counted on one hand. Hence, the children's programs were virtually non-existent. That's something to take into consideration for a 14 day cruise. Those longer cruises, especially when kids are in school, tend to attract couples, retirees and not many kids. Also, the language barrier could be a problem, but if I were you, I would call the cruise line and speak to someone in special services to see if they would provide a counselor who speaks your language. I highly doubt this would happen, but it can't hurt to ask.

[Madshus]

Bookings for Norwegian Epic in the autumn of 2012 are no open, but the suites which I want are more expensive than I would like to pay for such a vacation. The itineraries of RCI cruises have been published and there are at least 3 cruises that I think looks interesting and are during my birthday, but as I can see; it is not open for bookings. When they are I will consider making a booking in a few days if it is not too expensive for our budget.

 

The question is: Is it usually adviceable to book very early ? Is it cheaper to book early ? Anyway we have to decide on making such a vacation this year because we must make arrangements and save our holiday for the autumn of 2012. So it is not an option to wait until the "last-minute-prices" are available.