4 Day Coastal over Thanksgiving

[lovevacadays]

I'm thinking of doing the 4 day cruise that includes Santa Barbara and Ensenada

 

Don't hate on me. will I be sorry due to hundreds of kids? I did a spring break cruise once and said never again.

 

I want to do this one because it's a really slow time of year in my industry so I could go footloose and fancy free.

 

Thoughts? Be nice to me. I like kids, just not sure about hundreds in a confined space.

[SadieN]

Well, most K-12 schools and many colleges/universities will be closed for the entire week............

 

The week after would be better if you don't want to sail with lots of kids.

Edited May 8, 2015 by SadieN

[Colo Cruiser]

There could be. You can call Princess and they will give you the number of children by age group.

[joeyancho]

I'm thinking of doing the 4 day cruise that includes Santa Barbara and Ensenada

 

Don't hate on me. will I be sorry due to hundreds of kids? I did a spring break cruise once and said never again.

 

I want to do this one because it's a really slow time of year in my industry so I could go footloose and fancy free.

 

Thoughts? Be nice to me. I like kids, just not sure about hundreds in a confined space.

 

Shame on you for not wanting to cruise with the sound of little feet pounding up and down the hallways at all hours of the day and night.

[shredie]

Shame on you for not wanting to cruise with the sound of little feet pounding up and down the hallways at all hours of the day and night.

 

 

LOL! I think any holiday cruise will be rich in kids.

[karatemom2]

We've done it twice now and there were a large number of kids. Lots of extended families onboard so a very mixed age group which we actually prefer. I think Princess manages the kids pretty well so I don't think it would negatively impact your cruise, but there are lots of families traveling with children during that particular cruise to answer your question.

[Miss Pat]

Seeing that it's a major holiday & all the schools are out on vacation and add in the fact that it a short 4 day cruise I'd say there would be a record number of kids all trying to get in a much fun time as possible in that amount of time.

Better you than me. :D

[tml1230]

We've done it twice now and there were a large number of kids. Lots of extended families onboard so a very mixed age group which we actually prefer. I think Princess manages the kids pretty well so I don't think it would negatively impact your cruise, but there are lots of families traveling with children during that particular cruise to answer your question.

 

it isn't Princess managing the kids that would concern me…it is the small but very obvious group of parents who do NOT manage the kids!

Edited May 8, 2015 by tml1230

[welldone60]

We did this cruises twice. Kids never bothered us.

Edited May 8, 2015 by welldone60

[Colo Cruiser]

A record number of children?

[JF - retired RRT]

There could be. You can call Princess and they will give you the number of children by age group.

That wouldn't be a very accurate count, unless you waited until a couple of days before you sail.:confused:

[EagleRockers]

I wouldn't get on that cruise just for the reason you mentioned. I plan my cruises when kids are in school.

[britestar]

My husband and I did this cruise last year with our son, his fiancé and her extended family as a way of spending the holiday together. This was our first Princess cruise,( long time Celebrity cruisers) we were surprised by the relatively low number of children and teenagers for a holiday sailing. We were very pleased with the cruise, the ports and the Princess experience.

[ppmanusa]

Sailed the week of TG once and the ship was packed with kids. Since then iv sailed the week after 2 times and didn't even notice if they were around.

[Miss Pat]

That wouldn't be a very accurate count, unless you waited until a couple of days before you sail.:confused:

 

It'll be within a 100 one way or the other....still to many for my tastes. :)

They seem to feed on each others rowdiness for some reason. One sees the other doing something & they all join in. Jumping in the pools, running down the halls, etc.

[waltd]

Michelle it is only 4 days. But that being said I would only do it if I could afford a suite. Then breakfast in Sabatini's and have my dinners delivered to the suite each night. :)

[centralcalicruzer]

My daughter and I did this cruise in 2013 and there were a lot of family groups, but I didn't notice the kids being particularly unruly. It seemed that because of the fact that it was a short cruise and a holiday the family groups mostly stayed together so I didn't really notice a lot of kids unattended like you start to see after a few days on a longer cruise. If it is a good time for you then go for it - there are lots of places kids can't go anyway, like the aft pool and jacuzzis, the spa pool, etc.

[lovevacadays]

Michelle it is only 4 days. But that being said I would only do it if I could afford a suite. Then breakfast in Sabatini's and have my dinners delivered to the suite each night. :)

 

I'm thinking I agree with you. If only I could book a suite! There are so few short cruise now. I liked that this one started mid-week and went through the weekend instead of using every week day to cruise.

 

Alas, I'm not going to go. I like peace and quiet when I cruise

[DrivesLikeMario]

Michelle, if you book it, you're going in with your eyes wide open so it won't be a surprise to you if service and food seem a little on the not-as-good-as-usual-side.

 

Pick a cabin that's at the END of hallway so you have less of a chance of kids running up & down the hallway and less adults being loud & boisterous when they return to the cabins drunk.

 

If you want to go, then GO! It's not like you'll be shocked. You're experienced and know what to expect. If you can, wait to book until about 5-8 wks. prior to the cruise for best pricing unless it starts to fill up quickly.

[karatemom2]

Michelle, if you book it, you're going in with your eyes wide open so it won't be a surprise to you if service and food seem a little on the not-as-good-as-usual-side.

 

Pick a cabin that's at the END of hallway so you have less of a chance of kids running up & down the hallway and less adults being loud & boisterous when they return to the cabins drunk.

 

If you want to go, then GO! It's not like you'll be shocked. You're experienced and know what to expect. If you can, wait to book until about 5-8 wks. prior to the cruise for best pricing unless it starts to fill up quickly.

 

I agree. You shouldn't let the fact there are a higher than usual number of kids onboard deter you. Honestly, my kids are older now so don't participate in the children's activities, but I remember when they were younger the clubs kept them very well occupied. I like to think most parents supervise their children and we didn't notice any problem kids on our Thanksgiving cruises. More often some bad behavior from inebriated adults! :rolleyes: But that's a whole other thread!!

[Colo Cruiser]

That wouldn't be a very accurate count, unless you waited until a couple of days before you sail.:confused:

 

Not confusing at all......I think one could get a very accurate count right before final. At least one that would give you an idea whether it was doable or not. ;)

[love2relax]

We had the same concerns last year for our Thanksgiving cruise. We opted for the 7 day instead of the 4 day with the hopes that there would be fewer children. The 7 day turned out to be packed with large family groups, but because it was a family holiday, it turned out to be a lovely vacation instead of what we feared it would be. So yes, there were LOTS of kids, but for the most part they stayed with their families instead of running around unsupervised. We ended up enjoying ourselves immensely.

[lupster1]

We're local to southern California and have visited Santa Barbara and Solvang many times but never during a holiday. For anyone who has been on this Thanksgiving coastal, what is Santa Barbara like on Black Friday? We're trying to determine whether we just go on our own into the downtown/funk zone area for some shopping and wine tasting or do an excursion off the beaten path to avoid crowds.

 

Thanks in advance for any insight any of you may have.

[CruiseQueenB]

I did this cruise last year on Golden with my family and I won't do it again. I am not a huge fan of kids, and to me it was a nightmare. There were a lot of instances of elevator foolery, running the hallways, etc. Not my idea of a relaxing vacation, but it was nice to spend the holiday with my family and friends. if you do decide to go here are my suggestions:

 

Anytime dining was a mess that cruise. We couldn't get a table for everyone unless we waited until after 8:30, and the lines were loooong. We waited over an hour every night and still had to split up into tables of four. They also wouldn't take reservations on Thanksgiving unless you dined very late.

 

Same for the tender to SB, make sure you go really early or late afternoon, we waited over two hours to get off the ship.

 

We still enjoyed ourselves, because hey we're on a cruise! :D But we all decided that was our last short thanksgiving cruise. We may do a seven day again, we took one on RCCL years ago and loved it. it was one of our favorite cruises ever!

[CruiseQueenB]

We're local to southern California and have visited Santa Barbara and Solvang many times but never during a holiday. For anyone who has been on this Thanksgiving coastal, what is Santa Barbara like on Black Friday? We're trying to determine whether we just go on our own into the downtown/funk zone area for some shopping and wine tasting or do an excursion off the beaten path to avoid crowds.

 

Thanks in advance for any insight any of you may have.

 

Hi! We did this last year and it was pretty crowded on State St, but nothing too crazy. Most of the crowds died down by about noon to 1pm. We went on our own too and had a great time. We walked to Andersen's bakery and got pastries, since you know we didn't have enough food onboard :p. It was a really beautiful day in SB too.