Cruising with very young children

[lrowe70]

Didn't vote because your poll didn't really have any options. Talk about skewing data!

 

We always cruise with our child and will continue to do so. It's a FAMILY vacation after all.

 

If he didn't cruise with us our options would be:

1) Stay home by himself. He's a toddler, so I'm sure no one would have a problem with that. :rolleyes:

2) Stay with extended family. Ummm...yeah...no for 100 reasons that I'm going to mention here.

3) We all stay home and never vacation again until he is 18 and moves out of the house.

 

To the OP I have 2 questions:

1) What do you suggest parents do with their child rather than cruising?

2) Since you seem to hate kids, why don't you check out a line where they are not allowed, such as Windstar?

 

This poll is strange *shaking head* *rolling eyes*

[platinum.wannabe]

I can't wait to cruise with my very young children! :D

 

As for 'costly' - that's a matter of perspective - cruising with very young children is not more costly than Disney... ;)

 

Unfair to the children? What children? If it's my children - they can't wait to go and I expect they'll LOVE it!!! (I'll try to remember to come back and confirm whether this was the case after our Magic cruise early next year :) )

 

Unfair to the adult passengers? Again, if this is referring to me - totally fair!!! LOL! There's camp where they can go play (my kids are pretty social and will probably love it), someone else is doing all the cooking & cleaning and the 24-hour ice cream machine and room service milk & cookies (hey, it's their vacation too!!! :p) should keep them happy as little clams aaaaallllllllllllllllll week long! If this refers to the other adult passengers - my kids are pretty well behaved and disturbances they might cause will be nipped in the bud by two attentive parents.

 

For me, personally---Give me a fussy kid over a crabby, curmudgeon of an adult any day. Just sayin'. :cool: I can fix the former with a nap, a distraction or a lollypop, the latter... *shudder*

[cruisenk]

Our first cruise was to Alaska with our then 16 month old. I know she doesn't remember the cruise, but I have the memories of a well-behaved child sitting through 6 dinners in the MDR and being carried through the dining room by our sommelier.

 

Our second cruise was with our then 4 year old and 9 month old. It was a family trip that my older child still talks about (I didn't pack shoes on the scavenger hunt day).

 

My children are well rounded, respectful, adventurous children and this didn't happen because they stayed at home. They have cruised 8 times in their short years and have seen different cultures and had life experiences many only dream of.

[luvsviola]

Waited til my youngest could go in kids club and my middle was medically stable enough for international travel.

 

But, we vacation as a family. A) there is no one to leave them with and B) we actually like having our kids around. One grandma is daycare during the week, so she needs her time away from the kids, and the other grandma has passed on. I want my kids to grow up with memories of amazing family vacations.

 

We got a suite so that we had lots of room as a family of 5 (kids 6, 4, and 2), and plan to have a fantastic time.

[askimdog]

As mentioned before, I waited until our daughter was 5. She has done 2 cruises now. She is 8 and hates Camp Carnival, so hangs with us all day. Her best memories are playing at an Orphanage in Roatan for hours with the kids, and handing out school supplies in Belize while visiting schools. We try to visit schools and get her in touch with local kids at every stop, avoiding beaches, ziplines etc..

 

Meals are not a bother since we don't do the MDR, and bedtime is only slightly odd. Bedtime we keep the same as home so 8:30/9 PM. IF get her to bed and then read in my bed for a 1/2 hour before I fall to sleep. My wife the night owl uses this time to go play with family we cruise with.

 

Best tip for cruising with kids: Keep the home routine, meals the same time, bedtime the same, homework hour the same etc... Makes life a lot simpler

[alreadypacked]

I have no children and do not care for poorly behaved children, but I have to agree that the poll is one-sided (obviously against bringing young children). There is not a single choice for opposing views.

[mrsd912]

We met a really nice couple in their late 30's who finally had their much wanted child. They brought their 1 year old with them KNOWING it would be different from their past cruises.

They ate in the buffet because it was more convenient for them.

Still, they were having a great time with the baby.

 

For them it a different but still a very good cruise! :)

 

LuLu

~~~~

 

DH and I are going to restart fertility treatments when we get back from our next cruise. We've already discussed cruising with young children/infants, and of course we plan on bringing ours with us when we have them.

 

I saw more misbehaving and screaming adults on our last cruise than I did children.:p

[MrPete]

We couldn't fathom paying for a child to cruise who would not remember or enjoy it. We cruised, had a child and waited 5 years or so to cruise again.

 

Why would you give up something they wouldn't remember? It's YOUR memories that make those trips. We cherish them all. And the pictures and videos help us smile when we look back.

[ShakyBeef]

Is this the most ridiculously one-sided "poll" you've ever seen? Please vote:

 

 

O It's very one sided.

 

O This is a stupid excuse for a poll and it's slanted.

 

O This isn't a poll. It's a not-so-cleverly-disguised rant against kids cruising.

 

O It's really, really one-sided.

 

O It's slanted and one-sided.

 

O The OP hates kids (and this poll is one-sided).

 

 

 

:rolleyes:

[vwrestler171]

I'm actually looking forward to taking my DD(4) and my DS(7) on our upcoming cruise. I have seen several children more behaved than a lot of adults on the cships.

[cruizinisthebest]

Well this thread should be a good one! :p

 

I didn't vote, because I didn't really agree with any of the options. We took our kids cruising for the first time this year. We waited until they were both at least five so that we wouldn't have to rely on "babysitting" services or anything like that. We also weren't down with having to lug all of the things babies and young toddlers require. Plus we wanted to be able to have at least some time to ourselves. It worked out wonderfully in every way and worth every dime. Didn't feel it was anymore dangerous than anything else they do. We schooled them in advance regarding safety. And we expected them to exhibit the same manners they've learned at home. They had a good time and weren't an ounce of trouble. And we enjoyed ourselves as well. We will cruise as a family or as a couple from now on depending on our plans.

 

It's a personal choice when and if you cruise with kids. It is a family style vacation and many cruise lines are continually evolving in that way.

[larkz]

Is this the most ridiculously one-sided "poll" you've ever seen? Please vote:

 

 

O It's very one sided.

 

O This is a stupid excuse for a poll and it's slanted.

 

O This isn't a poll. It's a not-so-cleverly-disguised rant against kids cruising.

 

O It's really, really one-sided.

 

O It's slanted and one-sided.

 

O The OP hates kids (and this poll is one-sided).

 

 

 

:rolleyes:

 

You left out "All of the above"

[ShakyBeef]

You left out "All of the above"

 

Yes, but so did the OP.:rolleyes::p

 

It didn't stop the real kid haters from voting for all or almost all of the options, anyway.:rolleyes::cool:

[4hunters]

You seriously call this a poll? Lame...

 

Edit: It must be hard, OP, being so old and so truly unhappy. ;)

[flyawayca]

I have no kids myself but have nothing against people who bring their children on cruises with them.

 

I have never had a child ruin my cruise experience. I don't even think I've heard a child cry in the MDR or during a show. If any did they must have been removed promptly.

 

If I do have kids you can bet they will be cruising with me.

 

Sorry, couldn't vote in your poll. No option choice for me.

[canuckgirl]

I don't often post, generally just lurk & take in all the info that these amazing forums have. We are booked on the Dream in Feb 2014 with 2 other couples. 2 of those couples, including ourselves, do not have kids but the third couple have 2 elementary school aged kids. They planned on coming on our trip knowing that it was an adults trip only. Obviously not an adult-only ship, but as an adult group of people who are intending on having adult discussions, jokes, drinking & staying out late without having to worry about kids overhearing something they should not & mimicking language that may not be appropriate for their ears by their parents or ourselves. My friends do not get drunk in front of their children as they want to be sober responsible parents who can fully be attentive to their children on vacation or at home.

 

I don't mind seeing other people's kids while I'm on vacation but I do have a problem with kids who are not well-behaved in public areas in general: restaurants (especially higher end ones), stores, movies, etc.. no matter what age they are. Appreciating a cruise can be a family vacation but in our case, it can also be considered an adult one as well.

 

I don't think the OP hates kids. I think the poll & the questions on it is his/her own opinion. I appreciate all opinions on these forums.

[flhokie]

None of the above in the poll! This board is for family cruising....not anti-family cruising.

 

We took DD on her first cruise in May at 2 years old. Was it the same experience we'd had before, no, but it was a wonderful vacation filled with many priceless memories we would not trade for anything! While DD might not remember he trip clearly when she gets older, she still talks about it all the time and we will have the memories to share with her.

 

Life is short, with no guarantees so it is important not to wait to make memories (vacation or other ways).

[jac1976]

I love cruising with kids. My son's first cruise was a transatlantic on Cunard's Queen Mary 2 the week before his second birthday. We did the crossing with my in-laws and had a fabulous time. Since then we've been on both Disney and Princess cruises and had equally amazing times. In fact, we just booked another cruise on Cunard next summer.

 

As for having more fun without children, my husband is in the military. He has missed a rather large portion of their lives due to his military service, so he will not entertain the idea of going somewhere without them voluntarily. I can't say that I blame him.

 

As for the idea of "life is short", we experienced that first hand. We had been planning the Transatlantic crossing for a few years. My MIL was British and had originally come to the US on a Cunard ship. She loved sailing across the Atlantic. We wanted to share that experience with her. We even had a trip booked when my husband received his orders to deploy to Iraq. When he returned we looked into the available options, but the only one that would work with his schedule was a crossing in late April. We wavered a lot due to the time of year, but ended up deciding not to put it off. We went and had an incredible time. 6 months later, my MIL died from cancer (6 weeks from diagnosis to death.) While my DS does not remember the trip, we have lots of pictures that we show him on a regular basis, and my MIL had wonderful memories of sharing something special to her with her grandson. That was absolutely worth every penny we spent.

[cruisebunnies]

I don't often post, generally just lurk & take in all the info that these amazing forums have. We are booked on the Dream in Feb 2014 with 2 other couples. 2 of those couples, including ourselves, do not have kids but the third couple have 2 elementary school aged kids. They planned on coming on our trip knowing that it was an adults trip only. Obviously not an adult-only ship, but as an adult group of people who are intending on having adult discussions, jokes, drinking & staying out late without having to worry about kids overhearing something they should not & mimicking language that may not be appropriate for their ears by their parents or ourselves. My friends do not get drunk in front of their children as they want to be sober responsible parents who can fully be attentive to their children on vacation or at home.

 

I don't mind seeing other people's kids while I'm on vacation but I do have a problem with kids who are not well-behaved in public areas in general: restaurants (especially higher end ones), stores, movies, etc.. no matter what age they are. Appreciating a cruise can be a family vacation but in our case, it can also be considered an adult one as well.

 

I don't think the OP hates kids. I think the poll & the questions on it is his/her own opinion. I appreciate all opinions on these forums.

hae v

 

Thanks for your comments,I do not dislike kids,I have 11 grandchildren and several great grandkids who I adore.

My point is why spend hundreds of dollars for kids who will not enjoy being stuck on a cruise ship,do not enjoy the dining or other adult experiences.

Why not take small children to Disney or some other child friendly place?:cool:

[cruisebunnies]

We couldn't fathom paying for a child to cruise who would not remember or enjoy it. We cruised, had a child and waited 5 years or so to cruise again.

 

Thanks for your comments ,glad to see someone gets trhe point of my post.:cool:

[MrPete]

Thanks for your comments ,glad to see someone gets trhe point of my post.:cool:

 

Odd way to look at it, doncha think? Don't you want YOUR memories to include doing things with your kids at all ages?

 

Or should be be kept like veal in a box for 5 years, cause they won't remember a thing? Save some $$ along the way.

[kidsouttime2cruise]

Yes it is costly, but you would still pay for them on a land vacation as well. If you want to cruise with your family, then by all means do it. Do not leave anyone out. That's why they have kid programs and family cruises.

[cruisebunnies]

Odd way to look at it, doncha think? Don't you want YOUR memories to include doing things with your kids at all ages?

 

Or should be be kept like veal in a box for 5 years, cause they won't remember a thing? Save some $$ along the way.

 

I have wonderful memories of all my family vacations with my children.Every year we holidayed at resorts and other kid friendly venues.Cruising is in my opinion for older kids not toddlers.:cool:

[cruisebunnies]

Yes it is costly, but you would still pay for them on a land vacation as well. If you want to cruise with your family, then by all means do it. Do not leave anyone out. That's why they have kid programs and family cruises.

 

But on a land vacation kids can have fun.I don,t think toddlers enjoy the dining ,the casino ,the kareoke or the bars.:cool:

[askimdog]

We do have great memories from the time our child was 0-5 years old. Just not cruising memories. We still took a vacation every year or two, just not wasting money on an expensive cruise. Mostly just packing a tent and heading into the woods for a weekend, or driving a day to visit family. Dropping 200-300 or more for a 2 year old to cruise just seems so silly. That's ton's of money for a trip the kid won't remember.

 

If one has the extra dough to drop 200-300 bucks to bring a toddler cruising, fine. But for us, that's a lot of money, like a 1/10 of our total 7 day cruising budget for 3 of us these days. Our current plan with our 8 year old is: 3 in a cabin for under 1000, three of us fly to port and back under 750, so budget the trip for 2k. If our vacation fund hits 2k in 12-24 months of savings we pull the trigger for a year in advance. We missed the mark in January 2013, and January 2014 will not happen (dang Govt sequester hurt us financially). So January 2015, we should be set!!!!!