Cruising with very young children

[Lerin]

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:

I find it sad that your kids and grandkids feel they have been "stuck" on cruise ships. What in the world happened!? :confused:

My child LOVES cruising, loves anything family related for that matter.

Disney on the other hand, big YUCK.

Have you been there? My last trip to Disney World was the most crowded and hostile vacation ever. Everywhere I turned there was a crying child being chased by a screaming mother who was being followed by a stressed out looking dad...

Previous trips to Disneyland weren't much better. It is because of those trips that I won't even consider a Disney cruise.

As far as I'm concerned, Disney isn't family-friendly at all. Cruise ships however are very family friendly. :)

[Gardeneroflove]

We cruised with dd at 14 months. She did great. Good parents will plan downtime and understand the limits of a child (of any age). We'll cruise again in Dec. There is MORE value (time and money spent) with a cruise than land travel. YOU find a hotel (with balcony, room service and pools), food, entertainment (for kids and adults), and gas for 7 days for LESS than the cost of a cruise. Too much stress and time spend find food, figuring out what to do/where to go/eat. With a cruise, it's all included, way more time together, way more down time and we don't feel rushed or stressed. If dd needed a nap, nbd, back to the cabin. A snack? easy! If she was sleeping, dh and I actually watched a movie (and enjoyed a few mickey bars and cookies!)

 

AND no one was babysitting her, it's called being a parent.

 

Disney World for a small child? YOU'RE KIDDING ME? THAT would be HELL. Waiting in LONG lines. HOT LONG LINE. Way over stimulated... That is NOT child friendly. Water park? Nope, big slides she can't go on, that's a melt down. Oh, and they require swim diapers, so that's a no go since dd is potty trained and I'm NOT putting her in a baby's diaper. Plus again, hot freaking sun and long lines.

 

AND THEN, You have figure out what/where to eat, and drive. And driving with a kid who screamed 95% of trip? No thank you.

 

Now, we did the Disney Cruise and it was GREAT (and dd has no idea who mickey or princesses are). We had no issues with kids, and since it was the week before Christmas, no issues with drunk teens or college kids either.

 

At no point was she 'stuck' anywhere. It was all something new for her to explore. You don't have to do 3 hour dining or shows (we didn't, I don't really enjoy the shows, and honestly, I'd skip mdr if it wasn't for dh).

[jaclync324]

This is my older son's 4th cruise (6) and my little's 1st. My little is going to be 10 months when we sail. The mentality always amazes me. Norwegian and Royal are very family friendly. With the dreamworks experience and nickelodeon at see, one would think the cruise industry actually wants family to travel!

 

Seeing the advertisements should alert non-children friendly people to stay away or choose an adult oriented line.

 

With that being said, I love my kids but don't really like other people's children. I understand the frustration of others. We have a suite so I can enjoy my dinning in my own room if my kids don't feel like being polite. I am always vigilant to remove my crying baby from dinning areas, shows, etc. He is actually pretty great in crows. He loves to people watch. My 6 year old is the best little boy in the world. I would never vacation without my kids so to me it is not an inconvenience. It's just a part of life. We are a family going on a family vacation.

[griffy116]

Where's "none of the above..love cruising with my kids"...???

My Grandson has been cruising since he was a toddler and is now 19..still cruising and is Diamond on his own. We've had all ages of children on family vacations. We love having children on the cruises and now that all these children are grown up, I love seeing the young families with children on board. I can't imagine anyone preferring to be on a cruise ship with a bunch of cranky elderly passengers (I'm in my 60's), rather than watching the enjoyment the families are having and the memories they are creating. I've never had my feet run over by a stroller, but I can't tell you how many times I've been run over with a walker without even an apology. I love seeing the children on board.

[Blk_Amish]

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:

 

While we did many types of vacation I chose not to take babies and toddlers cruising. A matter of fact I waited until they were old enough to have some true appreciation of what the whole cruising experience was all about. Aside, the whole idea of being trapped in a small cabin with a whiny child would be definition of a true nightmare.

 

Traveling with my kids while very memorable have ranged from work to worry and a few times downright painful but looking back pretty funny and sometimes daring. . They have cliff jumped in Jamaica, cenote dive in Mexico, snorkeled in Hawaii, saw the glaciers in Alaska, visited ruins in Rome, explored castles in Austria, watched the changing of the guard in Denmark, cruised between the falls of Niagara, strolled down Las Rambals in Barcelona, plus visited National Parks, Museums and Amusement Park (Disney:D).They have done at a young age (by 13 and 16) what I have spent most of my life dreaming about. Oh yeah, they have cruised RCL (1x,) Princess (1x) and Carnival (4x). Was it expensive, yes, would I do it all over again, most of it but I would still wait to take them cruising:D When I see babies and toddlers, my first thought is thank God they are not mine. Ok, my youngest is 15, I think that about babies period:D

 

As much I love my kids, a vacation without them is another of my dream come true. Some years I would not need a vacation if I didn't spend most of the year catering to their needs.

[Waterloomarc]

I've never had my feet run over by a stroller, but I can't tell you how many times I've been run over with a walker without even an apology. I love seeing the children on board.

 

Too funny and, sadly, sooo true!

 

 

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[cb at sea]

A cruise is simply a vacation. As far as I can tell, families vacation together! I have no problem with kids on the ship with me...If someone wants to be all alone, buy a yacht and have your own rules!

 

That said....we've taken trips (of all kinds) with AND without the kiddos....all were great!

[Athankfulheart]

I've cruised without children and with children from babies to teens. Cruising with just my husband is an entirely different vacation than cruising with our children. They are different types of fun whether we cruise or stay on land but they are always great. You can't beat cruising when you look at fun value for your dollar and that is especially true when traveling with children.

 

My children have little to no interest in a Disney vacay, but they are wholly non-commercialized. They have enjoyed many of the "adult" facets of a cruise and also the activities geared towards children their age. We choose cruises that have something to offer each member of our family and our family as a group. We do the same for a land vacay. My children eat in the dining room including formal nights and are dressed appropriately. They enjoy dressing up so there is no fuss. Even the youngest have some appreciation for visiting foreign lands and experiencing neat things. My 8yo has memories from Hawaii when he was 2!

 

As far as I'm concerned, for a family with children, cruising is a bargain when compared to Disney and comparably nice AI resorts.

[christa]

While we did many types of vacation I chose not to take babies and toddlers cruising. A matter of fact I waited until they were old enough to have some true appreciation of what the whole cruising experience was all about. Aside, the whole idea of being trapped in a small cabin with a whiny child would be definition of a true nightmare.

 

Traveling with my kids while very memorable have ranged from work to worry and a few times downright painful but looking back pretty funny and sometimes daring. . They have cliff jumped in Jamaica, cenote dive in Mexico, snorkeled in Hawaii, saw the glaciers in Alaska, visited ruins in Rome, explored castles in Austria, watched the changing of the guard in Denmark, cruised between the falls of Niagara, strolled down Las Rambals in Barcelona, plus visited National Parks, Museums and Amusement Park (Disney:D).They have done at a young age (by 13 and 16) what I have spent most of my life dreaming about. Oh yeah, they have cruised RCL (1x,) Princess (1x) and Carnival (4x). Was it expensive, yes, would I do it all over again, most of it but I would still wait to take them cruising:D When I see babies and toddlers, my first thought is thank God they are not mine. Ok, my youngest is 15, I think that about babies period:D

 

As much I love my kids, a vacation without them is another of my dream come true. Some years I would not need a vacation if I didn't spend most of the year catering to their needs.

 

For some, cruising with their children is a "nightmare," for some (like me) it is a dream come true. I love cruising and vacationing with my toddlers. If you don't like cruising with your children, it sounds like a personal problem. If you don't like me cruising with my well behaved children- tough! It's also YOUR personal problem and you should seek an adults only venue. Bon voyage!

[Blk_Amish]

For some, cruising with their children is a "nightmare," for some (like me) it is a dream come true. I love cruising and vacationing with my toddlers. If you don't like cruising with your children, it sounds like a personal problem. If you don't like me cruising with my well behaved children- tough! It's also YOUR personal problem and you should seek an adults only venue. Bon voyage!

 

And for others giving birth is a very enjoyable wonderful experience....ouchee!

 

I said I waited because I wanted my children to be able to appreciate the cruising experience. This experience, a long time ago was about formality and elegance. I wanted them to be able to sit through a long meal patiently and politely. Forgive me, for wanting MY children to have a taste of cruising before the decline to what it is, another trip taken by a big boat. No more pretty frock because dress up in a good bra takes too long. No more waiting on the food because the little 'angel' needs to be fed or go and play. No more pleasant conversation with your table mates because everyone is on their own schedule. My poor kids, they don't have 15 cruises under their belt because I waited. They have resorts and land vacations in Jamaica, Mexico, Hawaii, across the US, Canada, and Europe. As for cost, I could have gotten a lot more cheap cruises but I wanted each sailing to mean something.

 

Yes, having 2 small kids in a tiny cabin/coffin would not be easy and unfair to them. We chose hotels and resorts with bigger rooms or suites to better accommodate their routine. We did many types of vacations (some adult only) but waited to cruise with kids. This is not a problem but a simply choice.