Cruising With Kids

[Kidsfirsttimecrusin]

Hi Everyone,

We have a cruise booked on the Breakaway in May, and are taking our kids for the first time. (12-18 year olds) Any advise you can give would be great!

In May, will the pool be open when we leave NYC? Will the trip down be rough? We have upper deck rooms, and any information you have would be appreciated. Do they need passports to visit Bermuda, or will birth certificates be enough? Should we trust our twelve year old to play basketball with other kids while we are at the pool? Someone told us walkie talkies work on the ship?

 

I am going on and on, so I will end it with one last question? Is the parking way overpriced?

 

Thank you in advance!

[A2Mich]

Can't answer the questions about NY - don't live in that area, so don't know for sure. Whether or not you trust your 12 year old is your decision, but think you need to lay down some ground rules from the get go. Walkie talkies MAY work ok on open decks, they will not work too well in enclosed areas - the entire ship is made of steel, and will severely limit radio range. They may work between one deck to another, but likely not much further. Not to mention that you may end up irritating a lot of other guests with using them.

[Bonnie J.]

We did one cruise from THE CITY and yes felt the parking fee was WAY too much. Back then it was like $50 a night! But as you probably know hotels in NYC do not have parking. We'll probably never do a cruise from NYC again as we drive to SC & FL ports from NC. We never park at the port. Check Google for parking garages in THE CITY.

(My husband was born in THE CITY and lived there until we got married. His parents kept one car in a garage, the other they parked on the street- but had to move it every other day for street cleaning.)

[cb at sea]

Yes..the pools will be open...whether it's warm enough or not!

 

There is NO WAY to predict the seas....could be rough..could be mirror calm!

 

No ONE needs a passport for a closed loop cruise. BC is fine for those under 16. Over 16, you'l need a photo ID...like your DL.

 

You should make daily plans with your kids....have MEET UP times....do NOT rely on walkie-talkies or texts.....you want to SEE those children! Have them find you between activities....tell them where you'll be. Find out where THEY will be...so you can check up on them. WANDERING is a bad, bad thing. Physical confirmation is the way to go.

Yes,..letting your 12 year old go to the sports deck is fine...just make sure he checks in with you before going elsewhere!

[Lerin]

Your 18 year old is not a kid and will not be able to participate in the teen clubs. also can't do several of the adult activities. 18-20 are difficult ages for cruising.

 

The pools will be open and it may be too cold at first. Our last cruise out of NYC we packed our suits in our carry ons and were able to use the hot tubs at sail away.

 

We had smooth seas to the Bahamas, but you never know. Take precautions if you are prone to sickness.

 

Do you normally let your 12-year-old play basketball with kids at the park while you are a little ways away? Only you can decide if that is safe. I personally would after observing the other children first, however I do not know your child or your parenting style.

 

Walkie Talkies are hit or miss. They tend to bother other passengers. When we travel in family groups we simply arrange certain meeting times and places and use post its or whiteboards on our cabin doors for missed communications.

[Nebr.cruiser]

With certain rules in place, I'd let a 12 year old play on the sports court--we let our 11 year old grandson do that. Be sure he understands what you expect; for us, when DGS was done playing basketball, he had to check in with us; we were at the pool area.

 

I also would go up once or twice just to be sure he was where he said he would be; he always was. Of course, every kid is different, so go with what you are comfortable with.

 

We had 7 grandkids with us on that cruise, ages 5-11. They were mostly with us except for small excursions (with their cousins) to get ice cream, snacks, etc., with a certain time period they had to check in. We often split up girls and boys, with one of us with each group.

[pseudoware]

At 12-ish, we let our kids check themselves in/out of the kids club. We know what time it would close in the afternoon, and they are instructed to come to the cabin at that time so we can get ready for dinner. Same deal in the evening.

 

Also, we always instruct our kids to go from one end of the ship to the other through public areas in the middle of the ship, and not down stateroom corridors. We just felt more comfortable with that.

[LOVINCRUIZIN]

Parking in NY is expensive. period. However you can't beat the convenience of parking at the pier and taking an elevator down and checking in. For me, it's worth it not to park elsewhere, save a few bucks, pay a taxi or shuttle and lug luggage around NY.

[Beachdude]

May should be warm enough for the pools.

 

You don't really need walky-talkys if you meet up for meals and have a general idea of what each other is doing. Everyone seems to have a routine by they 3rd day. Also, kids tend to over use them driving parents nuts. Seems they disappear by the 3rd day. ;)

 

We were told when we did the Bermuda cruise that it is typically a rougher ride, but it's the luck of the draw as it was one of our smoothest.

 

Are you staying in NYC a couple days? It's a great bonus to a family trip.

 

Have a great trip, the Bermuda sail is one of our favorite cruises. The Bermuda locals are by far the friendliest we have ever met.

 

Burt

[spookwife]

Hi Everyone,

We have a cruise booked on the Breakaway in May, and are taking our kids for the first time. (12-18 year olds) Any advise you can give would be great!

In May, will the pool be open when we leave NYC? Will the trip down be rough? We have upper deck rooms, and any information you have would be appreciated. Do they need passports to visit Bermuda, or will birth certificates be enough? Should we trust our twelve year old to play basketball with other kids while we are at the pool? Someone told us walkie talkies work on the ship?

 

I am going on and on, so I will end it with one last question? Is the parking way overpriced?

 

Thank you in advance!

 

the pool is only closed overnight. whether it will be WARM enough to use is anyone's guess.

 

the seas will either be rough, or glass. or anything in between

 

passports are preferred, but not a requirement for closed loop cruises

 

would you trust your kid to play basketball at the park alone?

 

DO NOT BRING WALKIE TALKIES. they are a PITA and do not work on board well enough to actually get any use out of them.

 

overpriced is relevant. it's cheaper to park on site at Galveston as it was in Baltimore. no idea what Bayonne charges