A toddler takes her parents cruising: Allure of the Seas June 24, 2012

[SarahGT]

Soooo? Anxiously awaiting more of the review (especially more surprises) :p

 

Okay, okay, :o first you have to wade my Day 5 ramblings to get to Day 6 - but I'm pulling together Day 6 - maybe I'll have it posted tomorrow?

[SarahGT]

Here's a copy of our cruise compass for Day 5, St. Maarten. I don't have the evening compass - sorry - I must have left that onboard.

 

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bxl8YO3Odzt4c2hqU3pfVko0czA

 

Here also is the shopping map for St. Maarten

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bxl8YO3Odzt4RVp2RkRWZ05sOEE

 

We had booked on the excursion Butterfly Farm and Marigot with my FIL and MIL. We thought that Samara would like the butterfly farm (I mean, what little girl doesn't like butterflies?) and we would be able to visit the other country on the island - a bonus for my map-head husband. I was also looking forward to seeing Marigot, hearing that it was a little bit of France in the Caribbean - hello pain au chocolat by a blue ocean.

 

It had been another bad night for sleep for the little one, and we decided to just turn off the alarm and let her sleep as long as she would. This was also the day that I felt the sickest all trip, so it was not an auspicious beginning at all. The excursion was scheduled to meet up at 8:30 am. My husband got up early and found his parents, told them that we were skipping out, and gave them our tickets to see if he could find anyone else to use them. It turns out that SIL-2's MIL had wanted to go on this excursion, but it was booked by the time she looked into it, so she got to use one of our tickets. She is a super nice lady and was really helpful on the cruise, so I'm really glad that she was able to use the ticket. Samara woke up (for good) around 8:20, so there would have been no way we would have made it from bed to gangplank in 10 minutes. Better to let a sleeping baby sleep.

 

Once everyone was up, we opened up the curtains and had some breakfast on the balcony - with a great view of St. Maarten. The island looked really green and lush from our vantage point.

 

 

t was a lazy morning - I really don't remember what we did. My SIL-2 and her husband graciously offered to watch Samara so my husband and I could have a short visit to St. Maarten. Samara was behaving much better and she loved spending time with her cousin, so we took them up on their offer. We left the ship shortly after lunch and headed to the nearest water taxi stand. We likely could have walked into Phillipsburg, but the taxi wasn't that expensive, so we bought two round trip tickets. It was an uneventful trip to the dock at Phillipsburg.

 

We had no real plan for what to do in Phillipsburg. We needed to find the Post Office to mail the postcards we had picked up in Cruz Bay and wanted to do a little souvenir shopping for friends back home, and figured we would stroll around Phillipsburg as well. There's a beach right at the water taxi dock that looked really nice. White sand and clear, turquoise water.

 

 

We had a small guidebook on St. Maarten which had a small map giving us the Post Office location. It took us a while to find the post office - not entirely our fault, as it the post office did not have an exterior sign at all. But find it we did, so we bought our post card stamps and sent our wish-you-were-here's off. They took 1.5-2 weeks to arrive at their destinations. In our wanders we also saw the Great Salt Pond. What was once a major economic engine in Phillipsburg is now surrounded by parking lots and a trash dump. Without knowing a little about it's history, I likely would have just assumed that it was a drainage basin or some minor water body. But we did spot a heron along the shore, so it mustn’t be that bad.

 

That's a landfill on the far shore. Lovely.

 

Here's a prettier view of the Great Salt Pond - check out the heron on the left shore.

 

We stopped by a big souvenir store and picked up some small gifts for friends at home. We had wandered west of the dock area and so decided to head back east. Along the major street there was a McDonald's and an escargot restaurant and lots of other shops. Tucked in among the shops were some older buildings, too.

 

Not something that I see advertised everyday

 

Souvenir market

 

Next up: more photos from Phillipsburg

[SarahGT]

More photos from our Phillipsburg wanderings

 

The courthouse - straight up from the water taxi dock.

 

A Gothic Revival church with palm trees - something else that I don't see every day.

 

 

ack in the dock area there was a more official looking market with tents for the vendors. My husband did some bargaining for license plates - he's a collector, and I enjoyed a shaved ice. The ice was so nice on such a hot day.

 

We needed to be back on board by 4:30, so we headed to the dock area around 3:45. I'm glad we got in line when we did, because the line was super-long. There were actually two lines of people waiting on the dock. We got in the shorter of the two, but then realized that there was a problem with that. The other line (to the right as you were looking at the end of the dock) had two taxis coming and going, but our line only had one. Boo Hiss.

 

Line of people waiting to return to the Allure

 

We managed to be the last two on board the second or third water taxi that arrived at our line (Woo hoo!). On the ride over, the captain made sure to encourage us to tip the staff, but other than that it was a short, uneventful ride back to the Allure, where more really long lines awaited us. We were still in line to go through customs at 4:30 - when everyone was supposed to be back onboard. We eventually ditched our line (for aft cabins) for the other line, which still took a while to get through.

 

My SIL-1 and her family did the Butterfly Farm and Beach excursion which included a stop at Oriental Beach. Her girls really enjoyed the butterfly farm – she said that it was “Totally good for adults and kids!” They’ve even started growing milkweed in their garden to encourage butterflies at home. She also says that Orient Beach was the best beach they visited while on the cruise. So, two thumbs up for this excursion.

 

We had initially had dinner reservations for 5:30 at the Main Dining Room, which given that we weren't back on the ship until after 5:30, we were pretty sure that we'd missed. When we got back to our stateroom, however, we found a note saying that dinner reservations had been moved back, so we were good. We picked up Samara and headed down to the boardwalk for some carousel time.

 

 

The dress code for dinner was smart casual, but since my husband and I were going to the Prohibition Party that evening, we went ahead and changed into our party wear. My husband wore his tux for the second of three times that night - complete with top hat and spats. Dinner was fine – I don’t really remember any of the details of the food or servers, but it was all good – as was the company.

 

 

We dropped Samara off at the nursery after dinner and then headed down to the Jazz on 4 Club for the Prohibition Party. We’d booked the Prohibition Party before sailing. It’s a ticketed event in the Jazz Club – it was $35 / person, all-inclusive for drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and entertainment. It ran from 10:30 pm until 12:30. You receive a lapel pin and password before the party and need to have these to enter the “joint.” It’s Prohibition theme plays off the Chicago show and I’ve heard that some of the entertainers here are also in the Chicago show.

 

Here's a link to some drinks available during the party

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bxl8YO3Odzt4Q2RTR1RoNDhfdWc

 

Child care note: Given that the Prohibition party ended at 12:30 and the nursery closed at 12, I wasn’t sure what to do with the little one. This was the night that we’d wanted to book a baby sitter to get around this, but after submitting our request on the first day for a baby sitter, we heard nothing at all (after being told we would get a confirmation) and assumed that no Allure staff were available for babysitting (from what we were told, the babysitters are Allure staff – not necessarily child care staff – who can chose to accept or decline any babysitting request). It turns out that two staff did show up at my SIL-2’s room to babysit that night, but we didn’t use them as we’d made other arrangements, since we hadn’t heard anything at all. Grrr….

 

Plan B: we dropped Samara off at the nursery (with her stroller – so she could fall asleep in there, and then we could take her to our room without waking up until we put her in her crib – the nursery staff suggested this after she fell asleep in one of their strollers and then woke up when we picked her up [and did not want to go back to sleep] one earlier evening). My MIL would then pick Samara up from the nursery before it closed and then take her back to our room. At the nursery, on the first day when you fill out the registration forms, you also list who besides the child’s parents can pick up the child from the nursery – we listed most everybody we were traveling with – and this is an instance where it came in handy.

 

Now, back to the party: The Prohibition Party was a lot of fun. The Jazz Club is very intimate, with high-backed wing chairs in clusters. There was a singer and band playing – I think they were also regular performers on the ship as well. There were several other entertainers there – two girls and a gentleman who acted as an M.C.. There was dancing – my husband can cut quite the rug - betting on horse races, a dance auction, drinks in tea cups, and yummy munchies. A fabulously fun time. I’m glad that I was able to go despite feeling so under the weather earlier that day.

 

 

Coming up next: Day 6: another surprise for my MIL!

[troyandcarol]

Good job on not letting your ailments ruin your vacation!! I think a good attitude can make or brake a cruise or any vacation:) Great pics of St. Maarten too

[SarahGT]

Here's a link to the cruise compass from Day 6 - our second day at sea. I don't have the evening compass - just the daytime one, sorry!

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bxl8YO3Odzt4NEVkOXdYaHl2Z1U

 

Today was our second sea day. I began the day in fine form by heading back down to the medical center. This time, one of my ears was throbbing. I thought I’d gotten some water in it while swimming at St. John and needed some relief. Since it was an ear problem, I had to see the doctor; the nurse couldn’t help me. They have warning signs at the medical center giving a range of prices for a visit ($150-$200) and stating that they don’t deal with health insurers, but I needed some relief. The $183 diagnosis: earwax, take these drops and some prescription ibuprofen, then come back tomorrow to flush out the ear. Ummm, no thanks, I’ll see my doctor back home for the flushing-out part. I don’t need to spend another $183 for that. I’m glad that I went to the doctor, but ouch.

 

We ran into my MIL and FIL on the way to breakfast so we all headed down to the Main Dining Room. There was no line or wait to get a table. The food was good, arrived quickly, no complaints at all.

 

We didn’t have any plans for daytime activities (Chops Grille for dinner and Blue Planet in the evening), so we sauntered around the ship, meeting up with SIL-2 and family on the Boardwalk in time for the Belly Flop competition at 1 pm. Funny how it is such a big ship with so many passengers (more than in the county seat of my home county) and we still manage to find family members without pre-planning. Since the bleachers were full we watched the show from the port side below the rock climbing wall – it was shaded there and there was room for the little ones to play. (We tried this spot the next day for the Let You Entertain Me Show, but that show was earlier in the day and this spot was in the sun).

 

This is a view of the crowd gathered to watch the show.

 

Here we all are at the railing (and in the shade!)

 

The flops were a lot of fun to watch – especially the underwater cameras they had so that you could see the divers reactions as they hit the water.

 

One of the contestants preening before the show - with the cruise director Ken Rush in his belly flop get-up

 

Ouch!

 

While we were watching the show, we learned that there was another surprise coming. SIL-2 and BIL-2 had been on the Boardwalk earlier that day during the Make-A-Wish-Foundation charity auction. One of the items available was a vow renewal in the ship’s chapel, complete with photographer, champagne, and desserts. They put in a bid and won with their initial bid!

 

Here’s a bit of background: As part of the planning process for the cruise, my FIL had mentioned having a vow renewal, but it was one of those items that slipped away in the hurriedness of life and other planning priorities. So by winning this package, my BIL-2 and SIL-2 were fulfilling one of my FIL’s wishes for the trip. How serendipitous. They arranged for the vow renewal to be that evening, after we had our early dinner at Chops Grille (scheduled for 5:30).

 

 

Samara was getting tired so we left the contest earlier to settle her down for a nap. The other families saw the How to Train Your Dragon Ice show and really enjoyed it. We missed the 12:15 show and Samara was napping during the 2 pm show, so we missed this show entirely. Ooops.

 

This afternoon there was a sale extravaganza at the Coach store – 30% off selected items. My MIL and SIL-2 really like Coach products (and I’ve been the lucky recipient of some very nice Coach presents), and I went along, too. My husband stayed with Samara as she napped.

 

The Coach sale was a lot of fun – they have a good selection on board and there was a nice range of purses and wallets to choose from in the sale area. I was looking for a new wallet, and my super-generous MIL bought me a wallet and a new purse. I am really very lucky to have such fabulous in-laws.

 

Here is Samara outside the Coach store later this day. She also had fun trying out some of the smaller Coach purses – the larger ones were a bit too heavy for her. Samara is definitely a purse girl.

 

Next: Dinner at Chops, animal encounters, and more!

[SarahGT]

We changed into party gear again – third time’s a charm for my husband’s tux and headed down to Chops with the stroller – for use in chilling Samara out and to drop her off at the nursery while we were at Blue Planet. We arrived at Chops after the rest of the family, only to find them moving to a different table. Hmmm. It seems that Chops had our reservation as being a party of 8, when we paid for 11 (the two toddlers were freebies). The staff at Chops just seemed to be really disorganized – I’m glad we arrived late or I would have been really furious, since I had made the reservation. This was also where one of the people with a wine package went four bottles into the “red” and weren’t told about it until they tried to use their wine package the next night at Giovanni’s.

 

Samara escorted to dinner by her father

 

Some of the interior decoration at Chops

 

I appreciated the fact that Chops and Giovanni's were located in Central Park, as this gave us a good place to take the littlest ones when they got a little antsy. Their older cousins were also big help in keeping them amused.

 

Off and running!

 

I knew that Puss in Boots would be making an appearance in Central Park while we were at dinner and I was hoping that would be a good distraction for Samara. We saw Puss and Boots soon before he left Central Park. There was no line to visit with him, which was good because Samara was a little leary of him at first. Samara loves our cats at home (sometimes a bit too much) and she interacted really well with the Penguins from Madagascar earlier in the cruise, so I was a little surprised at her reaction with Puss. One of the Allure staff offered to take pictures and captured the whole meeting process:

 

 

 

Puss in Boots was so patient and kind to Samara – it was a splendid experience.

 

Next installment - more animals!

[SarahGT]

Since Samara did so well with Puss in Boots, we also visited with King Julien on another excursion through Central Park. Then she also met Gloria and Alex on trips to the park with her grandpa, aunt, and cousins. The character visits in Central Park were great. There wasn’t much of a line to visit with them and the setting was fabulous as well. I was sorry they weren’t there when we dined at Giovanni’s the following night.

 

 

Samara, her grandpa, her cousin, and Alex

 

A hippo! Samara, her cousins, aunt, and grandpa meet up with Gloria.

 

I don’t remember much about the food at Chops – I think I was distracted by a little girl in a purple dress. I had a steak, it was tasty – Samara thought so, too.

 

What a wonderful family.

 

My SIL-2 came up with a ruse to get my MIL up to the church on time and we were able to convince my MIL to skip dessert. That was okay, as we would have dessert later!

 

Coming up: All you need is love

[SarahGT]

The chapel is at the top of the ship on Deck 18a and very nicely decorated, with exposed rock walls, warm wood paneling, and large windows overlooking the ocean. It’s a rather small, intimate area. There’s a vestibule/hallway where we met up with a photographer and the wedding coordinator. I think that my MIL suspected that something was up, but she was still surprised when SIL-2 told her what was next.

 

Now she knows why we all trooped up to the chapel.

 

I’m now sorry that I didn’t take any pictures of the chapel interior without family members to share with you all, so look past the people to see the interior.

 

The ceremony was short and very sweet. It was an honor to be there and see the love that my in-laws have for each other. Happy early 39th anniversary! I don’t have any pictures from during the ceremony, either, but here are some snapshots of family members afterwards. There was champagne, sparkling juice, and desserts set out after the ceremony. The only problem was that all the desserts was that they all included chocolate. This wasn’t a problem for me, Samara, or most of the family, but my MIL and SIL-2 DO NOT LIKE CHOCOLATE (despite the fact that my MIL has been known to eat brownies). That just meant that there were more chocolate-covered strawberries for Samara to eat.

 

SIL-1 and BIL-1

 

SIL-2 and BIL-2

 

My husband and I - this also is good view of the altar area and the flower arrangements that were there at the time. The pedestals the flowers sit on are not firmly attached to the floor.

 

A view of the chapel's chairs - and two cousins.

 

If you look past the too-cool husband, you'll see the rock walls and floral decoration on the doors.

 

And there was still more to come that evening. We went back to our room, got Samara ready for bed, then dropped her off at the nursery. Blue Planet here we come! We had reservations for the 11 pm show. It was another fantastic production. My husband and I both agreed on the walk back to the nursery afterwards that the shows on the Allure were one of the best things about the ship.

 

Whew. That was a lot of fun packed into one day. Thanks for slogging through it.

 

Next up: Day 7: Zipline and tears

[SarahGT]

Here's a link to the Day 7 cruise compass:

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bxl8YO3Odzt4dzRsalM4SlowSTg

 

So we had lots that we wanted to do today: character breakfast, zip line, ice skating, and ending the evening with a family dinner at Giovanni's. Oh, and we needed to pack too.

 

We had booked the character breakfast for 8 am, but Samara was still sleeping at 8, so we just let her sleep. My SIL-2 and her family did go to this character breakfast and really enjoyed it. I'm sure that Samara would have liked it as well (who wouldn't like a milkshake for breakfast?), but it was better for us to let her sleep as long as she wanted.

 

So instead of a character breakfast, my husband waited in line! He wanted to ride the zip line today, so once Samara was up, he headed up to Deck 16. I think a lot of other cruisers had the same idea as he was in line before 9 (when the zip line opened), so he only had to wait 30-45 minutes for his 7 seconds of fun. In his words: it wasn't worth it. But here are some photos of him, not enjoying himself:

 

 

We'll call this an "action shot" not a "bad shot", okay?

 

 

Here’s the route of the zip line over the Boardwalk area

 

Next up: chills and spills

[SarahGT]

After that thrilling adventure, we all put on some long pants and headed down to the ice skating rink in Studio B. My husband and I took turns sitting with Samara at the edge of the rink so we each could have a turn on the ice. We also ran into SIL-2 and her family at the ice rink – without previously arranging anything. Samara really didn’t enjoy herself here. She would scream and cry whenever either my husband or I skated by. So I think that we’ll wait a little bit before having her try ice skating

 

Here's my SIL-1 and her eldest daughter ice skating

 

A more general view of the ice rink and Studio B

 

Then it was off to the Let You Entertain Me! show. We found my MIL and FIL, who had graciously saved some space for any random family members who might show up. Samara had a blast. This was a really fun show – with water fountains, diving, and song-and-dance routines. I say this despite having never seen any of the Madagascar movies (should I just turn in my Mom card now, after making that admission?).

 

After the show we stayed on the Boardwalk and Samara and her cousins played all over the playground near Rita’s Cantina and getting some balloon animals from the artist near the candy shop. I know that I’ve written this before in this review, but it was really great to see all the cousins getting along so well and enjoying each others’ company.

 

 

Photos of the playground

 

Samara had a little play time in the nursery this afternoon – I forget what we did with our time “off” – maybe we started to pack? I know that some time this day was the first time I’d turned on the news. What was that they were saying about a massive storm hitting the eastern US? And extensive power outages in the DC area? Nothing we could do about that from the ship, so we'll just deal with that when we get back. Something to look forward to.

 

After picking Samara up at the nursery, it was back down to the Boardwalk for more carousel time – this time with SIL-2 and her family. I think my nephew might have enjoyed the carousel even more than Samara.

 

 

Next installment: Gnocchi

[SarahGT]

Our farewell dinner was at Giovanni’s. I think this was my favorite dinner of the week. The staff was really friendly and helpful and the food was so yummy. Because we had such a large party they let us order family style dishes, so we got a lot of variety.

 

We had a large table along one of the side walls, so this is a view of the width of the restaurant

 

Someone is looking forward to his pasta!

 

Yum!

 

The little ones liked playing in Central Park during courses - playing follow-the-leader on the planter walls (while holding on to mama's hands if need be).

 

After dinner, there was more packing, including a last-minute run up to the pool deck to return our towels. From our balcony we saw several other cruise ships passing in the night – one likely was the Oasis, but I’m not sure as to the others.

 

 

Day 8: Departure and returning home

 

I don’t have any pictures from this last day, so I’ll just post a picture of what we had at home waiting for us:

 

 

We were flying back to Washington, D.C. this evening and planned to spend the day hanging out with SIL-2 and her family, who were staying in Ft. Lauderdale for one night before heading off to the Outer Banks for some more vacationing.

 

We woke up to find ourselves in port. And we had some texts from our friend who was checking on our cats that yes, we had no power, and yes, the cats were fine – and missing us. We grabbed some breakfast at the Windjammer and then finished up packing.

 

We left the ship later than our allotted departure time, so it was our fault that we ended up in the huge, confusing line in the Royal Promenade. It did move fairly fast, but getting off the elevators into this teaming mass of humanity wasn’t that fun. We waited more once we got to customs, but no problems, just waiting.

 

Since we still were travelling with seven people, we took two taxis to the W Hotel (where SIL-2 and family were staying). We got there around 10:30 – 11 am. They actually had one of the rooms ready. Yeah! We watched a childhood favorite of my husband’s “The Last Unicorn” (which will not be making a repeat appearance at our house until our daughter is older) and the little ones fell asleep.

 

After they awoke we got lunch at Bubba Gump’s (which was a little bit of a walk from the hotel). The food was fine, but lunch was several hours long and the kids were having none of it. For several weeks afterward, we avoided eating out as Samara generally threw a fit if we even dared.

 

By then it was mid-afternoon and we headed off to the airport. We re-shuffled some of our luggage to make the 50-pound weight limits and hung out at the airport. The plane ride back was delayed a bit, so we were even later than expected getting back home. We finally pulled into our driveway at 11:30 to no power. Oh joy. We crashed in the basement where it was cool enough to be tolerable and took off the next day for my in-law’s Pocono house, which did have power. We stayed there a few days, giving us a chance to recuperate from our vacation and finally kick our colds to the curb.

 

Here are some thoughts on the overall cruise experience from my SIL-2:

"As for the ship itself, the baby nursery was a lifesaver! We used it almost every night. If I vacationed with another infant, I would definitely use this service again. The staff was very professional and they were very sweet to my son.

 

Be prepared on the Allure of the Seas to see people everywhere and there will be some waiting time for elevators. On other cruises, I always felt that by the second day, there were not a lot of people around. However, since this is the biggest ship in the world, be prepared that there will always be people around. The Windjammer was always busy and it could be difficult to locate a table right away. The staff is always helpful.

 

The character breakfast and parade are awesome! My 13 month old son loved it! We met lots of characters by walking around and checking out random activities.

 

Overall it was an amazing experience and I am glad we went! Definitely an excellent option for parents with an infant, as long as you use the children amenities and activities (i.e. nursery)."

 

I’d agree with her assessment – it was a great ship and lots of fun (with some hiccups). I’m glad that we went with the flow for the most part and adapt as circumstances changed. It was a wonderful trip and awesome to spend so much quality time with my in-laws.

 

Thanks for reading along and happy travels.

Sarah

[troyandcarol]

Awesome review Sarah!! I loved it. We are leaving in less than 24 hours, looking forward to seeing what Isaac will bring, who knows but I would rather cruise during a hurricane than not cruise at all, right?? Haha we will make the best of it. Thanks again for your review, I know it takes some time and some work and I appreciate it.

 

Troy

[SarahGT]

I would rather cruise during a hurricane than not cruise at all, right??

 

Most definitely. Have a fabulous time and I hope that Isaac isn't too much trouble. Thanks for reading along.

 

Sarah

[newbiecruiser09]

Thanks for posting such a wonderful review. It was great to "experience" a mega ship (since I don't think our budget will allow it for some time here). It was also nice to read how you navigated traveling with such a large group since we are looking at doing some sort of family trip for my parents' 50th next year (although I don't think I will be able to convince my sis to cruise) Thanks again!

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Thank you for the nice review. I enjoyed reading your experiences, even though traveling with children is beyond me anymore. I think a ship with child care facilities would be essential with children as young as your daughter, who is precious, btw.:)

 

When we were young parents we could not even consider a trip such as this. We were dead broke!:eek: Our first real vacation that did not involve going to visit (and stay with) family members was our first cruise on the Big Red Boat combined with a Disney World stay when our daughter was 10. That ship would have been a dingy to the Allure, but for us it was magical. Our DD was at an age where she could participate in the children's program and remember it for years to come. She is now 29 yo and she still talks about it! Since then she has cruised with us a couple of more times (our next cruse was for her college graduation) and once with her friends, but that trip remains a highlight in her memory.

 

I see young parents on ships today and I wonder how they do it. Also, since you do have to pay full extra person fares for even an infant I wonder why you would want to spend that kind of money when they would not appreciate it at all and would not remember a thing. When my DD was a baby and toddler her regular home routine made her happiest and dictated all of our activities. I appreciate your advise to other parents to wait until their kids are a bit older. However, with a family celebration such as yours you would not want to leave the little ones behind, so your case is certainly an exception. You do have very generous in-laws & you chose the right ship for a multi-generational reunion.

 

Congratulations to your MIL on her birthday and your in-laws on their vow renewal. It was certainly a special time for them as well. You have a beautiful family.

[SarahGT]

It was also nice to read how you navigated traveling with such a large group since we are looking at doing some sort of family trip for my parents' 50th next year (although I don't think I will be able to convince my sis to cruise) Thanks again!

 

Thanks for reading along and for your kind words. Good luck planning your family trip - it's a lot of work, but oh-so-worth it.

 

Sarah

[SarahGT]

Thank you for the nice review. I enjoyed reading your experiences, even though traveling with children is beyond me anymore.

 

I'm so glad you enjoyed the review. Thanks for sharing your travel experiences - I hope that we'll be able to continue travelling with Samara and have good memories, as you do.

 

Sarah

[christygobar]

I loved your review. We are traveling with our just-turned-2 DD in November, so it gave me a taste of what our experience may be like. We are on the Adventure, so we don't quite have all the family-friendly activities available to us that the Allure does, but we will make the best of it :) Thank you for posting everything!!

[sunset785]

We are on the Oasis in June with our then 18 month old son. Is your LO in daycare? If not, how did the nursery go? Our son is not in daycare but we would possibly like to use the nursery while onboard. I'm not sure how it will go though without him being use to those type settings.

[candy4msu]

Sarah- You are an awesome writer and you have helped me so much with our upcoming cruise next April. I am a psychologist in MI with twin teenagers who will be traveling with me. I am kind of new to Cruise Critic, even tho I made an account last year I am starting to read alot about the ports and some important things to know before sailing. If you get a friend request from Candy4msu that is me, just making sure I don't miss any of your posts! I love your family shots and port/ship photos and thanks so much for sharing your family and experiences with all of us trying to have the best trip possible! Take care and I will watch your posts as I have learned alot so far, may even have a question for you once the trip gets closer (April 14, 2013). Take care! Candice

[SarahGT]

We are on the Oasis in June with our then 18 month old son. Is your LO in daycare? If not, how did the nursery go? Our son is not in daycare but we would possibly like to use the nursery while onboard. I'm not sure how it will go though without him being use to those type settings.

 

Samara's in full-time day care and has been for a bit. But for a while now, she's been having problems being dropped off (think throwing-herself-on-the-floor screaming fits - and she really likes her teachers and her friends at school). I know that these fits don't last long at all, so it's okay, and the day care staff are good with her. I'm saying this because she would cry when we dropped her off at the ship's nursery as well. The staff were awesome and didn't let this phase them (or let it show that it bothered them).

 

When Samara was in the onboard nursery, there were never very many kids (I thing three other kids at the most) and at least two staff, often times she was the only one or there was only one other child. So the staff were able to provide a lot of one-on-one attention.

 

I'm sure that the staff are used to kids with a variety of experience with day care or nursery settings. They also ask for any routines you have (they asked what Samara's naptime and bedtime routines were) so that they can keep to your child's normal routines. You could always call the nursery to check on how your son was doing after you drop him off. If it is too bad they might call you? But I don't think they would - I think the nursery staff are baby-whisperers.

 

I hope that's a little helpful and that you have a fabulous trip.

Sarah

[SarahGT]

you have helped me so much with our upcoming cruise next April.

 

I'm so glad that my review was helpful. I know that I learned a lot from other reviewers when I was planning our trip. I hope that you and your children have a fabulous time on the Allure next spring. She's a fabulous ship.

 

Sarah

[Lady_Gamecock]

I really enjoyed your week through your writings and photos. At the same time, I relived when we took our 6-yr old (was 3 at the time) on a Med Cruise, including a stop in Egypt.

 

Safe travels to you and your lovely family!

 

Lady_G

[KatieMcG]

Great review, Sarah, thanks for taking the time to put it together. Any tips on flying with a little one? What worked and what didn't with Samara?