Single parent cruise experiences?

[Fireflymkz76]

Would love to hear them. My 8 year old son and I will be cruising june18 on the fascination

[djmess]

I love the experience. My son gets some of his own time in the kids programs, I get some alone or adult time with fellow cruisers and we get "family" time.

 

The experience is what you make it.

 

Definitely join the rollcall for your cruise.

[Fireflymkz76]

My 8 year old is looking forward to playing at the kids club for a day while I do my own thing. Everything else will be family time with the excursions. Just a little scared to do it all by myself kwim? Joined the roll call, no one there besides me yet :rolleyes:

[SuzanneH]

I have cruised a couple of times when it was just me and one of my children. It really was great, and you will handle it beautifully, I am sure! I am actually doing it again soon-- this time with my 8 yr old son :). I am truly looking forward to it. My daughter, however, isn't exactly thrilled that she is getting left behind!

[Ellanora]

Would love to hear them. My 8 year old son and I will be cruising june18 on the fascination

Hi Fireflymkz76! Thought I would chime in, I've done three cruises just me and my son, and about to go on a fourth. My son is 15 now, but we started cruising together when he was 9.

 

Single parent cruising is definitely different, and I do occasionally miss having an adult to talk to while my son is out and about. But I still love the experience. Go in with the mindset that you are going to get plenty of quiet relaxation time, and look forward to it! Take an ereader or books, an mp3 player if you use one. Budget some $$ for the casino and/or spa if you can, and also for some drinks of the day or nonalcholic island drinks to sip by the poolside or in Serenity (the adult area.)

 

Your son will still be 8 when you cruise? So he will be in Camp Carnival and you will have to sign him in and out, so you probably don't need to worry about taking walkie talkies to keep in touch with him. (Unless you were going to let him walk about alone, which - I wouldn't, personally.) Make sure you pick up a schedule from Camp Carnival the first day; you and your son can sit down together and highlight (take a highlighter!) all the activities he has an interest in and plan accordingly. On sea days, I pretty much let my son participate in all the activities he wants, but on port days, we generally get off the ship together for excursions or shopping. One exception is Nassau, where we've been enough times that we now stay on the ship and enjoy the pools and waterslides with fewer people on board. Once you have a general idea of when and how long he will be in Camp Carnival, you will be able to use the Funtimes each night to see what you want to do during those times. Trivia, listen to bands, Serenity, shows, spa treatments, etc.

 

Usually after dinner my son and I still watch the big shows together, then he heads off to the kids clubs until they close and I will hit the casino or the comedy shows or listen to music. Then we order room service sandwiches (he thinks room service is one of the greatest inventions ever :D ) and head to bed.

 

Of course, if he doesn't go to the camps a lot or there is a lot of time you have onboard together, that's great! Pools, waterslides, towel animal class, family trivia, movies on the big screen, family karaoke, peruse the shops, eat, eat, eat, lol. :p Plenty to do together.

 

Have a great time! I haven't been on Fascination yet (oddly enough, since Jax is the closest port to me :rolleyes: ) but I have done sister ships Sensation and Inspiration. They're smaller ships, but I really enjoy them, especially with the new waterslide additions and prettier pool area.

[cb at sea]

I would definitely request a large table at dinner, so you will have some adults to talk with at dinner! There may be times when your child is itching to go to some nighttime activity, and it would be sad to be all alone!

[lilislandgirl]

My daughter and I cruised together on Carnival in 2003. As one other poster mentioned you may want to take some things to occupy your time. Awesome experience. Such great memories. I will say that my daughter was 13 when we cruised and she immediately met many kids her age to hang out with. Many nights I would find myself relaxing by myself and just waiting for her to get back to the cabin. It was obviously her vacation too and she was enjoying the new people that she met but I did require that we ate meals together and all excursions were done together as well!! Have fun. I think it's really nice to travel with your kids. I am actually leaving for NCL cruise tomorrow with my husband and 3 year old son. New experience, very excited.

[Kerry's Girls]

I find cruising the best way to vacation as a single parent because it's much easier to join others in activities and excursions than any other kind of travel. I'm very shy by nature, but have no problem socializing with others on board. If you like to play the games, there is also a group or two looking for an extra player. Also, eat your meals in the main dining room where you will be seated with others at breakfast and lunch and have a chance to meet new people that way. There are always people wandering around by themselves - even those with spouses on board do things alone on a ship, and people are very friendly. Also, I feel very safe wandering the ship alone or with my kids at night.

 

Have a great time!

 

Best,

Mia

[vavasmom]

I agree with Kerry's Girl - a cruise is the best single parent vacation. My DD is now 16 - we have cruised together since my divorce 4 years ago (we had also cruised before the divorce). I agree with the advice above - eat meals in the dining room so you meet people, join a trivia team that is short a player, etc.

 

While on the ship, DD and I spend time together and apart. On non-port days, We both sleep in and have a late breakfast together. Many afternoons she is at the pool with other teens. I relax, read, watch the sea go by, and attend a few activities. We sometimes meet-up in the late afternoon for the pool or an event.

 

We always do excursions together along with dinner. After dinner she prefers hanging out with other teens to the show - which is normal for her age. I go to the shows or just relax reading a book. On one cruise, I met some fun people in the piano bar - we became almost like a little "club" - seeing each other every night.

 

I will also admit it is fun when I take a friend along so I have an adult to hang with but it is not necessary.

[ondeegoh]

You're not alone (no pun intended). I will also be cruising as a single parent with my THREE kids this August on the Dream - DD13, DD11 and DS6. My DH had a bad first cruise experience and will not step on a ship again for maybe another year or so :(:rolleyes:...but I, on the other hand, liked cruising a lot (no cooking, cleaning, working..) and my kids all want to try it out after seeing the pictures and hearing the stories of mommy and daddy's cruise. So I decided to go solo with the kids.

Like you, I'm a bit nervous myself - will the little one act out, will I have some time alone, too much time alone, will the kids like/love Camp Carnival, will they get sick, will I get bored out of my mind without a close adult friend with me, will we find A chair on the pool deck during sea days or do I need to resort to becoming a chair hog (:D) ...yadiyadiya... Yet aside from all that, what I am hoping for most is that the children would love the ship, Camp Carnival, and cruising. Maybe they would like Camp Carnival enough that I can get some/plenty of "me" time with the weekly Spa pass.

 

Go with the flow. Participate in the activities. Act silly. Let loose and enjoy your vacation. I am quite certain you and your son will have a fabulous time!