Taking my 9yr old on on Caribbean Princess (March 2018) - Panama Canal

[suds74]

I am taking my wife, my 9yr old son and Grandma and Grandpa on the Caribbean Princess next year for a 10-day Panama Canal trip. We both have mini-suites on Deck 9, and we are really looking forward to the trip!

 

We typically cruise with Royal Caribbean (Diamond member), though Grandma and Grandpa and I have cruised Princess before and enjoyed it! My first ever cruise was on the Grand Princess back in 2006.

 

After telling other cruising friends about our choice of Princess, they all seem worried the line isn't kid friendly enough.

 

My son is super interested in the Panama Canal, is a total foodie, and is well traveled (this will be his 10th cruise). He prefers smoked duck over chicken fingers, likes all the stinky cheeses (and hates American cheese), tries everything on the menu and is a very well rounded eater and junior chef. He is an active Cub Scout, a military appreciation volunteer and part of the Gifted and Talented program at school.

 

So am I worrying about nothing?

 

I imagine so, but if I am making a mistake, I would need to correct it quickly due to scheduling and such.

 

Any thoughts are appreciated :)

[JimmyVWine]

Yes, you are worried for no reason. You obviously understand that your son is not "typical" (and I mean that in the best possible way), so just consider the advice that you are getting from others to be advice that might apply to a "typical" 9 year old. My daughter shares some of the same traits, especially in the food department. Foie Gras, Sweetbreads and Escargot were all "yes'es". Chicken nuggets, hot dogs and pbj were all "no's". She has always loved Princess, has met great friends on every cruise, loves the Specialty Restaurants as long as we make a point of going to the MDR on Escargot night, and doesn't miss climbing walls in the least. While I try not to let her get too judgmental, she simply does not consider the "Displacement of the Seas" (as she calls it) a "real" ship. And she lives for formal night.

[suds74]

Yes, you are worried for no reason. You obviously understand that your son is not "typical" (and I mean that in the best possible way), so just consider the advice that you are getting from others to be advice that might apply to a "typical" 9 year old. My daughter shares some of the same traits, especially in the food department. Foie Gras, Sweetbreads and Escargot were all "yes'es". Chicken nuggets, hot dogs and pbj were all "no's". She has always loved Princess, has met great friends on every cruise, loves the Specialty Restaurants as long as we make a point of going to the MDR on Escargot night, and doesn't miss climbing walls in the least. While I try not to let her get too judgmental, she simply does not consider the "Displacement of the Seas" (as she calls it) a "real" ship. And she lives for formal night.

 

That is greatness! She sounds like a great kid!

 

My son loves Escargot, Sea Bass, etc. And he loves specialty dining! He will order a cheese burger once on the cruise - but just because it is "his tradition" he says :)

 

I am not a huge fan of formal night, though we do dress up, but he has a history of dressing up and even owned multiple tuxedos when he was "younger".

 

 

 

[rnff2]

You have nothing to worry about. My DS is 11 and going on his 5th cruise. He has been on both Princess x3 and Carnival x1 and he prefers Princess. He is not a foodie, but isn't a picky eater and loves to try stuff off the "adult" menus. Strawberry soup is his favorite at sea, on land he loves calamari. He also enjoys the kids program on Princess. I think your DS will be very happy on Princess. BTW...he is so handsome all dressed up.

 

Happy Cruising!!!

 

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[jennypuccinelli]

I second the above post! We're taking our 10 year old daughter on a 15 night Panama Canal cruise next month. This will be her 3rd Princess cruise. The last 2 summers we've done 10 night cruises to Alaska.

 

We find lots to do…crafts, bingo, lectures, swimming, playing cards in one of the lounges, etc. She doesn't do kids club either.

 

On formal night we love to dress up and even go get our hair done at the salon.

 

There aren't too many kids on the ship but this is our "family time" so we just really spend time together. I'm sure your son will have an amazing time!

 

 

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[suds74]

You have nothing to worry about. My DS is 11 and going on his 5th cruise. He has been on both Princess x3 and Carnival x1 and he prefers Princess. He is not a foodie, but isn't a picky eater and loves to try stuff off the "adult" menus. Strawberry soup is his favorite at sea, on land he loves calamari. He also enjoys the kids program on Princess. I think your DS will be very happy on Princess. BTW...he is so handsome all dressed up.

 

Happy Cruising!!!

 

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Sounds great - thanks for the info! You are very kind :)

[suds74]

I second the above post! We're taking our 10 year old daughter on a 15 night Panama Canal cruise next month. This will be her 3rd Princess cruise. The last 2 summers we've done 10 night cruises to Alaska.

 

We find lots to do…crafts, bingo, lectures, swimming, playing cards in one of the lounges, etc. She doesn't do kids club either.

 

On formal night we love to dress up and even go get our hair done at the salon.

 

There aren't too many kids on the ship but this is our "family time" so we just really spend time together. I'm sure your son will have an amazing time!

 

 

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Sounds a bit like us as well. It will be family time, but I don't want him to miss out on possible meeting new friends. But it sounds like he will have a blast, no matter what :)

 

Thanks for the response - it is truly appreciated!

[jennybenny]

I am taking my wife, my 9yr old son and Grandma and Grandpa on the Caribbean Princess next year for a 10-day Panama Canal trip. We both have mini-suites on Deck 9, and we are really looking forward to the trip!

 

We typically cruise with Royal Caribbean (Diamond member), though Grandma and Grandpa and I have cruised Princess before and enjoyed it! My first ever cruise was on the Grand Princess back in 2006.

 

After telling other cruising friends about our choice of Princess, they all seem worried the line isn't kid friendly enough.

 

My son is super interested in the Panama Canal, is a total foodie, and is well traveled (this will be his 10th cruise). He prefers smoked duck over chicken fingers, likes all the stinky cheeses (and hates American cheese), tries everything on the menu and is a very well rounded eater and junior chef. He is an active Cub Scout, a military appreciation volunteer and part of the Gifted and Talented program at school.

 

So am I worrying about nothing?

 

I imagine so, but if I am making a mistake, I would need to correct it quickly due to scheduling and such.

 

Any thoughts are appreciated :)

 

Don't worry! Your son will have a blast!! You might have less children on the cruise because it's a 10 day cruise, but it sounds like he will be fine. He's more of a foodie than my 9 year old and we're taking him on a 10 day panama canal cruise next year. I'm not worried. :) I think your son will have a great time, especially since he's interested in the history of the canal. Please share your experience after you return.

PS my son has only cruised princess.

 

Oh! My kids love to dress up as well! The photos are adorable!! Just an FYI, the burgers in the MDR are different than the burgers at the Grill. They are delicious and change nightly. So if you don't find something you like consider the burger in the MDR

[suds74]

Don't worry! Your son will have a blast!! You might have less children on the cruise because it's a 10 day cruise, but it sounds like he will be fine. He's more of a foodie than my 9 year old and we're taking him on a 10 day panama canal cruise next year. I'm not worried. :) I think your son will have a great time, especially since he's interested in the history of the canal. Please share your experience after you return.

PS my son has only cruised princess.

 

Oh! My kids love to dress up as well! The photos are adorable!! Just an FYI, the burgers in the MDR are different than the burgers at the Grill. They are delicious and change nightly. So if you don't find something you like consider the burger in the MDR

 

I will definitely share our experiences after the cruise. Thanks for the information, and I will be sure to tell him about the burgers :)

 

Thanks,

Bill S.

Frisco, TX

[NavyVeteran]

Based on your description, you son should have a great time.

 

I have a couple of suggestions.

 

Request early traditional dining so you would have the same table at the same time with the same waiter every night. That way the waiter will get to know your son and will quickly learn to treat him as an adult for his food selections. Most of the waiters I have seen will go out of their way for a child who appreciates the food. Many of the waiters have children at home they haven't seen for months.

 

Also, take a look at the Chef's Table if your budget permits it. You would need to book it as soon as you are onboard. Normally it would not be recommended for a 9-year old, but it sounds like your son would love it. You may not all five want to try it; in fact, you may want just one adult and your son to go (it depends on who the other foodies in the family are). The maître d' may want to talk with you and your son before signing him up, but I don't think there would be a problem. Assuming he doesn't mind spending a couple of hours on a fantastic meal, I think he would have a blast.

[suds74]

Based on your description, you son should have a great time.

 

I have a couple of suggestions.

 

Request early traditional dining so you would have the same table at the same time with the same waiter every night. That way the waiter will get to know your son and will quickly learn to treat him as an adult for his food selections. Most of the waiters I have seen will go out of their way for a child who appreciates the food. Many of the waiters have children at home they haven't seen for months.

 

Also, take a look at the Chef's Table if your budget permits it. You would need to book it as soon as you are onboard. Normally it would not be recommended for a 9-year old, but it sounds like your son would love it. You may not all five want to try it; in fact, you may want just one adult and your son to go (it depends on who the other foodies in the family are). The maître d' may want to talk with you and your son before signing him up, but I don't think there would be a problem. Assuming he doesn't mind spending a couple of hours on a fantastic meal, I think he would have a blast.

 

Thanks for the suggestions! We are already set with early dining, so all good there.

 

And the Chef's Table sounds great - we will certainly have to do it, as it sounds fun. We are hopefully doing something similar on our RC cruise this summer, so he will know exactly what to expect :)

 

Thanks!!

 

Bill S.

Frisco, TX

[kitkat343]

Our son loved this cruise when he was 2. We heard a lot about what a mistake it would be to take him to St. Petersburg prior to his Baltic cruise when he was 3 and he loved it and learned a lot on that trip.

 

A few years ago, there were only 9 kids on our 10 day round trip Panama Canal on the coral princess, but there had been 150 on the previous cruise, over the xmas holidays. So if you sail during the school holidays there may be other kids. The kids club staff was great - even with a 2 year old - and they helped my son and all the other kids play with anything they wanted.

 

In Aruba your son might like Phillips animal garden, and he might like to eat at the club de Pesca in Cartagena and at scotchies in Jamaica. In Jamaica dolphins cove is near dunns river falls and if your son is capable of visiting the waterfall (it's wet and a little challenging) he might like both. There's more information about that trip in my signature line.

[suds74]

Our son loved this cruise when he was 2. We heard a lot about what a mistake it would be to take him to St. Petersburg prior to his Baltic cruise when he was 3 and he loved it and learned a lot on that trip.

 

A few years ago, there were only 9 kids on our 10 day round trip Panama Canal on the coral princess, but there had been 150 on the previous cruise, over the xmas holidays. So if you sail during the school holidays there may be other kids. The kids club staff was great - even with a 2 year old - and they helped my son and all the other kids play with anything they wanted.

 

In Aruba your son might like Phillips animal garden, and he might like to eat at the club de Pesca in Cartagena and at scotchies in Jamaica. In Jamaica dolphins cove is near dunns river falls and if your son is capable of visiting the waterfall (it's wet and a little challenging) he might like both. There's more information about that trip in my signature line.

 

Thanks for the info!! Much appreciated!

 

~Bill S.

[cheeseclan]

My son has been cruising with us since he was 3 years old and he is soon to be 19. Most of the cruises have been with Princess.

He has had a blast on every one of them whether there were other kids on board or not. We did this same cruise when he was 7 and there were about 10 kids total on the ship. He thought it was great since they had more staff to kids ratio and they did really great things. We even have a professional group photo of the staff and kids, which is not a norm. They did special baking projects, movie nights and special formal dinners etc.

Of course when my son got older he drifted away from the group things because he now is into more history then most kids. We have taken him all over the world and he has had a blast.

We are taking my son on his last Princess cruise to AK before he is off to college. This is a sad and happy time for sure.

 

Your son will be fine. Relax and treasure the moment because they grow up fast :')

[DrivesLikeMario]

Our sons LOVED Princess when they were young. They even liked it better than RCI which tends to have too many kids in the program and not enough space or leaders. You are definitely not making a bad decision by choosing Princess.

[suds74]

My son has been cruising with us since he was 3 years old and he is soon to be 19. Most of the cruises have been with Princess.

He has had a blast on every one of them whether there were other kids on board or not. We did this same cruise when he was 7 and there were about 10 kids total on the ship. He thought it was great since they had more staff to kids ratio and they did really great things. We even have a professional group photo of the staff and kids, which is not a norm. They did special baking projects, movie nights and special formal dinners etc.

Of course when my son got older he drifted away from the group things because he now is into more history then most kids. We have taken him all over the world and he has had a blast.

We are taking my son on his last Princess cruise to AK before he is off to college. This is a sad and happy time for sure.

 

Your son will be fine. Relax and treasure the moment because they grow up fast :')

 

Sounds fun - thanks for the info :)

[suds74]

Our sons LOVED Princess when they were young. They even liked it better than RCI which tends to have too many kids in the program and not enough space or leaders. You are definitely not making a bad decision by choosing Princess.

 

Thanks for the info! Sounds like my son is going to have a blast! Thanks!

[cb at sea]

You will have a fine time...no worries!

[Number6]

 

So my kid is about the same age as yours. On our last cruise on Princess, it was near Xmas time so Princess had a gingerbread house decorating contest.

 

Plus they offered something called "Junior Chef" through the kid's center where the kids learned how to bake and decorate cakes. Then not only did the kids decorate their own cakes, but those cakes were then served to the family in the MDR that night as dessert. (There was a modest up-charge for this. Maybe around $25.)

 

Your kid will be fine!

 

 

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[kmorg1234]

 

So my kid is about the same age as yours. On our last cruise on Princess, it was near Xmas time so Princess had a gingerbread house decorating contest.

 

Plus they offered something called "Junior Chef" through the kid's center where the kids learned how to bake and decorate cakes. Then not only did the kids decorate their own cakes, but those cakes were then served to the family in the MDR that night as dessert. (There was a modest up-charge for this. Maybe around $25.)

 

Your kid will be fine!

 

 

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This is so awesome! So happy to find this thread- we are heading to Scandinavia this summer on Princess with our 9 year old, and are so looking forward to it, esp after seeing the comments on this thread. We usually sail on RCI, but are so looking forward to this umber cruise on Princess. Thanks, all!

[suds74]

 

So my kid is about the same age as yours. On our last cruise on Princess, it was near Xmas time so Princess had a gingerbread house decorating contest.

 

Plus they offered something called "Junior Chef" through the kid's center where the kids learned how to bake and decorate cakes. Then not only did the kids decorate their own cakes, but those cakes were then served to the family in the MDR that night as dessert. (There was a modest up-charge for this. Maybe around $25.)

 

Your kid will be fine!

 

 

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Super awesome! He will love this!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Thanks!!