Do YOU cruise with children??

[cruisinfever]

My 15 y.o and 11 y.o sons will be on the third cruise with us this February. They are just as excited as going for the first time. We don't have them with us for long so I want to do as much as I can with them now. My husband and I have plenty of time to take vacations on our own.

[PelicanBill]

We did not even think about cruising without our 5 year old on Carnival Glory in January, and next on Voyager of the Seas in October.

 

We did our research to make sure the Kid's programs were good, so she would not be bored after a few days.

 

Minutes after we boarded the Glory, we were having our lunch at some outside seating, and watched as a multi-family group of children roamed the deck unsupervised. They climbed all around the closed pool, walking balance-beam style along hand rails, threw a ball around and in between many people walking by and seated nearby.

 

Our daughter behaved like a little lady at all times when out in public... nothing less is acceptable.

 

We see the same syndrome at campgrounds... children turned loose as if such a place is a soft foam playground with no dangers.

 

I wanted to throw some parents overboard so badly!

[cruzbabe]

I vacation/cruise with my 10 year old son. He is a great travel companion.

[deaconess]

I am single w/out kids of my own...I have 24 of them! (I am a teacher) and I am happy to give them back in the summer and go sit on a ship with my umbrella decorated drink and watch the kids with their parents and know that I have no responsibility to them whatsoever!:p

[gigibeans1]

I will be on the VOS 6/12/05. I will be bringing my 3 small children ages 2, 4 and 5. They behave as well as they can for their ages. I will do my best not to allow them to disturb other passengers. If they misbehave, they will be removed from the situation.

 

Yes, we ALL pay a good amount of money to cruise. But my children are no cheaper than anyone else. They deserve as much respect as we will be giving other paying passengers...right?

[Grayce]

Last year me and my DH went alone but this year the kids are joining us. They are 8 and 13 and really looking forward to it.:D

[kelleigh229]

I don't have kids yet, but will definatley take them on cruises when we have them.

 

My parents took my sister and I everywhere when we were younger and I'm thrilled to have had all of the experiences that I had when I was growing up. I realize now how lucky we were - many of my friends and my husband did not take many vacations as a family growing up.

 

Of course we were VERY good kids (so my parents say)....

[PhinsAndGills]

No kids, so voted no.

[Casshew]

I take my daughter with me everywhere... I would miss her! We have had a lot of fun together on Caribbean Holidays, cruises, Disney & this summer we are going on a Ranch Holiday... having said that, I certainly don't judge parents for deciding to get away on their own.

 

I have had very few experiences with badly behaved children in my travels, it seems to me there is no such thing as a bad child, only bad parents. ;)

[Zimomiller]

We cruise with our children.

 

They have been cruising with us since they were 3 years old.

 

My oldest has been on 13 cruises, my twins have been on 11.

 

( The first child was a souvenir of a cruise on the MS Seaward. The twins were souvenirs of a cruise on the Majesty of the Seas. We like to believe that they were born to cruise)

 

Editorial note: We have taken our kids on every cruise since the Majesty as a form of birth control........

 

Nothing has made us prouder when unsolicited fellow cruisers have come up to us and complimented us on the fact that they are amazed at the wonderful behavior of our children. ( The first time this happened, we were dumbfounded. Why would anyone take the time to compliment us?)

 

I am not kidding.

 

We have had people come up to us and point out that they have observed our family at dinner and elsewhere on the ship and that we should be proud of our children and there manners on board.

 

Trust me, we were humbled every time that this happened. And we are proud of our children. Those compliments are the ones that warm a parents heart and endear us to the cruising lifestyle.

 

Cruising is a lifestyle. Focus on your enjoyment is important, but not at the sacrifice of your fellow cruisers.

 

Parents need to pay ettention, educate and direct their children to understand those facts.

[Folgy]

We cruise with our children.

 

They have been cruising with us since they were 3 years old.

 

My oldest has been on 13 cruises, my twins have been on 11.

 

( The first child was a souvenir of a cruise on the MS Seaward. The twins were souvenirs of a cruise on the Majesty of the Seas. We like to believe that they were born to cruise)

 

Editorial note: We have taken our kids on every cruise since the Majesty as a form of birth control........

 

Nothing has made us prouder when unsolicited fellow cruisers have come up to us and complimented us on the fact that they are amazed at the wonderful behavior of our children. ( The first time this happened, we were dumbfounded. Why would anyone take the time to compliment us?)

 

I am not kidding.

 

We have had people come up to us and point out that they have observed our family at dinner and elsewhere on the ship and that we should be proud of our children and there manners on board.

 

Trust me, we were humbled every time that this happened. And we are proud of our children. Those compliments are the ones that warm a parents heart and endear us to the cruising lifestyle.

 

Cruising is a lifestyle. Focus on your enjoyment is important, but not at the sacrifice of your fellow cruisers.

 

Parents need to pay ettention, educate and direct their children to understand those facts.

 

People DO OBSERVE other peoples children. You obviously are a good parent and are conciderate of others.

Unforetunately many parents take their kids and let the ship be the babysitter at the expense of the serenity of other passengers.

[hstrybuf]

I DO notice well behaved children and like to compliment both the parents and children. Not only is it a pleasant experience for all but it encourages future good behavior.

[sunshine 229]

To answer the original question I've cruised with one of my sons but I've also gone on cruises and left the kids at home. My kids are getting older now and often have their own schedule which makes planning vacations together difficult.

 

I know this is a cruise board but I wonder why the question is about taking your kids on cruises. Shouldn't it be do you take your kids on vacation with you? I don't know why a cruise would be that different from any other vacation.

The people who don't want to cruise with any children on the ship, do they also avoid resorts with any children registered? I'm just wondering on the one hand if there is something which they think makes a cruise so different from other vacations or if they just think that no parents should take kids on any vacations.

[hstrybuf]

I know this is a cruise board but I wonder why the question is about taking your kids on cruises. Shouldn't it be do you take your kids on vacation with you? I don't know why a cruise would be that different from any other vacation.

The people who don't want to cruise with any children on the ship, do they also avoid resorts with any children registered? I'm just wondering on the one hand if there is something which they think makes a cruise so different from other vacations or if they just think that no parents should take kids on any vacations.

 

Best guess, because a cruiseship is a much more confining environment than most other types of vacations. It's a closed community at sea plus going to foreign ports in many cases. Then there is the possiblity of seasickness, something you don't get on a land vacation.

 

We took our kids on land vacations where other children were always in abundance until they got too old to want to go with Mom and Dad. Now that they're grown, cruising sounds interesting. They want to try it. My answer: if you can pay for it, you're welcome to come along! :D