Cruising with Grandchildren

[texas greeneyes]

I would like to hear from those who have experience cruising with their grandchildren...because I just found out that I am going to be a Grandma for the first time!! :D :D :D :D

 

Tell me the good, the bad, the ugly and the pretty...:eek:

[Ehpride]

Congratulations!

[Patdmoose]

We have only cruised together once, and his Mom and Dad were there. But it was the BEST! Being a grandparent is the BEST job I have ever had!

 

Be prepared to take lots of walks to see 'stuff' to help divert his/her attention when behavior is not what you want it to be. This might be during a show or maybe even during dinner.

Also volunteer to stay in the room during nap time. (It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it)

If while in port, and the little guy gets worn out, and you carry him sleeping back to the ship. Do not forget his S&S ID. I had to talk my way back on the ship. Luckily, I must have looked like a Paw Paw. They did let me board with him and take one of those naps.

 

We have not taken a trip yet with just us and the (now) 2 boys, but I plan to work in a 4 day somewhere in the future and give that a shot.

[texas greeneyes]

Congratulations!

Thank you so much!

 

And may I take this opportunity to tell you that I have noticed that your posts indicate a sense of thoughtfulness not often exhibited. :)

[Ehpride]

Thank you so much!

 

And may I take this opportunity to tell you that I have noticed that your posts indicate a sense of thoughtfulness not often exhibited. :)

 

You're welcome :) Thanks so much for the compliment. I figure just because we're on a message board, there's no need to be mean to each other.

[klfrodo]

I would like to hear from those who have experience cruising with their grandchildren...because I just found out that I am going to be a Grandma for the first time!! :D :D :D :D

 

Tell me the good, the bad, the ugly and the pretty...:eek:

 

Congratulations also. I just became a Grandpa, so I understand your excitement. I also can't wait to take my new little princess on her first cruise.

[JerseyGirl97]

I would like to hear from those who have experience cruising with their grandchildren...because I just found out that I am going to be a Grandma for the first time!! :D :D

 

Tell me the good, the bad, the ugly and the pretty...:eek:

 

Wow! Congratulations-how exciting!!! When is the baby due?

 

I don't know about cruising yet, but I take a lot of family vacations with my parents and I can tell you they are thiefs!!! They are always "stealing" her for their own enjoyment! Not that I mind...;) Since Mom does need a break every now and then.

 

Also, bring your credit cards. Since Mom will say no to buying certain things, grandma and grandpa have to swoop in to get it when mom is not looking. :eek:

 

It will be so much fun. I think in 5 years my daughter has brought so much joy to my parents. My dad is smitten with her. She has him wrapped around her little finger...and she knows it!!!

[Ehpride]

Congratulations also. I just became a Grandpa, so I understand your excitement. I also can't wait to take my new little princess on her first cruise.

 

Aww! That makes me wish that my grandpas were still around. I bet you'll have a great time with her when she gets old enough to cruise!

[grampasgrumpy]

I sure can't tell you what it is like to take them on a cruise...yet...I do have 3 granddaughters and two step grand kids...and I am hoping to be able to take them on a cruise one day as soon as the baby is older...and we are going to leave the parents behind!:p

 

Congratulations...and you are in for the time of your life...there's nothing like it!:D

[texas greeneyes]

You're welcome :) Thanks so much for the compliment. I figure just because we're on a message board, there's no need to be mean to each other.

 

See what I mean everybody?

 

Your posts invariably show that you think of others...we can all learn from you.

[JudithEM]

Congratulations! I am not the grandparent - I am the parent. But, we've been on 3 Carnival Cruises with the grandparents, my DH and me, and our kids. On 2 of the cruises, my brother and SIL and their 2 kids were also there. So, the grandparents got to spend a whole week with all their grandchildren in the middle of the winter (a treat bc the grandparents live in Florida, I'm in NY and my bro is in Boston).

It works for our family because we don't insist on 100% togetherness. The grandparents can be with the kids as much as they want, and they can get away and be on their own when they need that. There are also plenty of opportunities for grandpa to spoil the grandchildren (and the granddaughters love taking him to look at the jewelry in port or on the ship).

In the ports, my bro and I like to take the kids to the beaches. The grandparents would rather go bird-watching and that sort of thing. So we are sometimes together in ports, sometimes not. On the past cruise (just got back 3 weeks ago), we were in Costa Maya, Costa Rica and Panama (latter 2 were definitely not beach places). Still, the grandparents went their own way on each of those days. However, we'd always meet up right afterwards and enjoy the evening together.

The grandparents also find it very easy to join us on the cruises we take out of Miami or FTL because they can just drive to the port. Beats flying to New York in the winter and spending time in the cold. (we always go in the winter bc summer here is great -- our beaches on Long Island compare to the Caribbean -- although nothing compares to Carib water!)

Of course, you'll have to wait a bit -- my children are now 13 and 10, my brother's are 7 and 5. First time we did this was 3 years ago. The youngest, who was only 2 at the time, was a challenge, especially on sea days.

Congratulations again. You have lots of fun to look forward to.

[JudithEM]

You Guys Are Going To Kill Me.

[JudithEM]

I have no idea how this went through again.

[JudithEM]

What Did I Do???

[JudithEM]

I Am So Sorry!!! I Did Not Mean To Post So Many Times! It Did Not Look Like It Went Through!!

[grampasgrumpy]

grampasgrumpy------>reaching through the 'net and unplugging JudithEM's keyboard:D

[woodman]

Last year we took two cruises with our Grandsons. First one age 10. Western Caribbean on the Inspiration. Now you have touched our hearts. WE had such a good time. To allow a young boy to experience a cruise ship was wonderful. Just imagine what you would have thought at age 10 if you had the opportunity to go on a cruise. We enjoyed every moment from snorkeling on Grand Cayman to a beach resort in Cozumel to room service where he had to sign for the delivery and give the server a tip. He stills talks about it and want another cruise. What have we done? Our other Grandsons also on the Inspiration. They are a little older 13 and 16. They also had the time of their lives. What a joy it had been to introduce them all to cruising. I might add that their parents were not invited. LOL

[momof4boys]

Congratulations! I am not a grandma yet (4 boys---13, 16, 19, 23) but we have taken my mom on almost every vacation for the past 10 years. My mom loved being with the kids (I am an only child) plus they all walked about the same speed!!

 

Most importantly is the wonderful memories (in the mind and in picture formast) my boys have of their wonderful grandma and all the adventures they have experienced. I used to feel guilty thinking I was using my mom until she told me over and over how special those times are for her.

 

Enjoy every minute and remember you are hleping to make wonderful memories for those sweet babies!

[JerseyGirl97]

Most importantly is the wonderful memories (in the mind and in picture formast) my boys have of their wonderful grandma and all the adventures they have experienced. I used to feel guilty thinking I was using my mom until she told me over and over how special those times are for her.

 

This is so true. I lost all of my Grandparents when I was so young I can't even remember them. I am so happy that my daughter gets to have that bond I never did. She is lucky to have young grandparents though. I made my mom a grandma when she was 41! Yeap, by the time I was 23 I had a 2 year old. You might be closer to becoming a grandma than you think! :eek:

So now that my daughter is 5 she has my mom who is 47 and my dad who is 50.

They are loving every second of having her around. I can't even take her to the zoo without them wanting to come with us. Not that I mind of course. Hey, last year they even paid for all of us to go to Disney together because they wanted to be there for her first Disney trip. My dad took her on It's a Small World first since that was his first ride when he went as a kid. Kids with loving Grandparents are so lucky! I think the bond there is so special and unconditional.

[Patdmoose]

This is the best thread in a long time!

I love my grandsons and I love cruising. And we get to talk about both.

[texas greeneyes]

Thanks everybody for your good wishes. :)

It is my eldest DD that is expecting. She doesn't have a firm due date yet, but this very excited Grandma-to-be thinks probably around the first part of November. The baby will be the first grandchild on both sides.

I am so fantastically happy!!

I love hearing all of you describe the relationship between grandparent & child. Gotta love those involving cruise memories too! Keep'em coming...thanks! :D

[chasekenslee]

Along with everyone else I would like to say Congrats!! I am a mother with a 5 and almost 2 year old. I would not make it without both sets of grandparents. But I say this to tell you... Last year my husband and I decided to take a parents only trip- our first cruise together :D . Though we both wanted to go and enjoy time together alone, we were very concerned about leaving the kids for a week with the grandparents. And then, which grandparents?? When we discussed the issue with each set of grandparents they were so excited and worked the scenerio out for us. My parents took them for the first half of the week, then took them to his parents for the last part of the week. It was perfect. My kids had a blast and did not want us to come home! Each grandparent told us several times how they loved the time they got to spend with the kids without the parents!! As a matter of fact, the grandparents (and the kids) are asking when do we leave for the next trip!!! I am lucky to have such wonderful parents and in-laws but I am even more lucky that my kids will have such awesome memories of the time they have shared with gradma and grandpa!!

[chrly]

Texasgreeneyes...Congrads on being a grandma-to-be...you'll love it.

 

I have 2 DD's that are ages 4 and 10 and when we went on our cruise last year we went with my MIL, Step FIL, SIL and her SO as well as my 2 daughters. It was great seeing everyone's reaction to the "Big Ship" for the first time.

 

I am very lucky in the fact that I have wonderful parents and in-laws. A great example of "grandpa time or grandma time" is my father....he takes my 2 daughters and my neice every year during the spring to the zoo or aquarium in either Washington,DC or Baltimore. It is just him and "his girls"...he loves it. We recently had a new addition to the family. My sister had her second daughter on February 6th. Yep, all Girls....gotta love being the majority. Of course, all of the "girls" have gada wrapped around their little fingers. My dad started this yearly tradition when my oldest daugher was around 3.

 

Usually every weekend one set of grandparents wants a little time with the kids, even if it is just for the afternoon. Thank heavens we all live within 15 to 20 minutes from each other.

[txmomto1]

Congratulations! I am not a grandmother, but seeing my Mom with my 3 year old... I've got to say it looks like all the great parts of parenthood, minus the tantrums! In my son's eye's his granparents can do NO wrong.

We are taking a cruise with our son, his first, and my mom, and other family members to celebrate my mom's 60th on 5/1. She has already said she wants to have him sleep with her one night, and that she can't wait to build sandcastles with him.

I'll post after our cruise and let you know what it was like.

[Naismith]

When we discussed the issue with each set of grandparents they were so excited and worked the scenerio out for us. My parents took them for the first half of the week, then took them to his parents for the last part of the week. It was perfect. My kids had a blast and did not want us to come home!

 

This sounds really wonderful, and one advantage is that neither set of grandparents had to take a full week off work to be able to help.

 

I have two grandchildren, and we do a lot for our children and granchildren, but the reality is that I have to work until age 68 before I can retire. So I am not as flexible as the previous generation (both my mother and mother-in-law were at home full-time when we had our children).

 

And we can't quite make the grandkids our priority, because we have two of our younger children at home still (6 more years until the last is in college).

 

But splitting a week does sound workable--thanks for posting.