Your family cruising tips

[jamandamn14]

Hey, this board needs pepping up a bit, everyone share your family cruising tips on this thread.

[crusinmama06]

Ok, I'll start :)

 

For families with young children who need naps, if at all possible get a balcony cabin. It's so nice to put the kids down and head outside on your own balcony for a little well deserved quiet time.

[Julienatul]

Tips for traveling with infant

 

Disposable bibs, a must!

Baby carrier, baby bjorn to free your hands while traveling or walking around

over the door shoe holder for more storage places in cabin

Dollar store/garage sale toys you can leave behind if you need room

Rayshade canopy extender, great for covering stroller for naps

blow up pool to play or use in shower as mini bathtub

 

Julie

[jerseyjk]

Traveling with teens (and tweens) ...

 

Set down the rules of curfew, behaviour, etc. BEFORE you go. It avoids the problem of selective hearing that most teens have.

[Macguyver]

We require check ins with us from our son at certain intervals throughout the day, (our daughter has never yet left "camp" on a cruise unless we make her) and all meals are always a family affair.

 

Keep toys to a minimum. For one, you really won't have room for much and two, the children's areas offer a ton of "new" toys for children to explore.

 

Make sure that each of the children that can, know how to reach you in case of an emergency while on board.

 

When our kids were younger (and even now with our daughter), we allowed one special thing from home to sleep with at night and our stewards have always made a big deal of including that thing when they make up the beds and do the towel animals each night. One even made an animal out of our son's blankie on his first cruise.

[Arubalisa]

I just found this forum today on CC...Money Saving Tips

[Nebr.cruiser]

A portable DVD player can be a lifesaver on plane rides and when the kids (or you) need downtime in the cabin. You can also use it at dinner if you plan on having very young kids sit through the whole meal.

 

As to dinner, you can bring the kids (I'm talking the younger ones here), have the waiters bring their food right away, then take them to the kid's program as soon as it's open, if they don't tolerate the loooong dinners very well.

 

On some nights the kids can eat at the kid's program too.

[junglejane]

I second both of Nebr.cruiser's tips. We went to Alaska with a 5 year old and 9 year old. The portable DVD player was very helpful, on the ship as well as the plane. There won't be many channels or selection on the TV in your cabin.

 

Also, we would ask the waiter to bring the 5 year old's dinner early and then run her up to the kids program between courses. That way she got to eat with us, but I didn't have to listen to endless questions of "Where's my dinner?" during the appetizer, soup and salad courses. And I could eat my entree in peace, knowing she was having a good time in the kid's program.

 

One more tip. There's often a kid's talent show during the cruise. If your kid is the kind who likes to participate in something like that, you might give some thought to something he/she might want to bring, e.g., sheet music if your kid plays the piano, or an outfit or prop. The ones I've seen are pretty low key, so no need to go crazy.

[Onessa]

Hey all good points! (I was going to mention the talent show one, and we never go anywhere without the portable DVD player!)

 

For school-aged kids, make a plan ahead of time to deal with any school work (we generally do math on the plane and then set aside at least 1/2 hour a day for homework). Make certain you pack anything you might need for schoolwork (once my DD handed in her social studies project written entirely on hotel stationary!)

 

Involve your kids in packing - it's a great learning experience for them and having another 'brain' involved in the task makes for fewer lapses.

 

Plan little things to make your vacation special - our DD (now 11) now LOVES our daily 'scavenger hunts' which we've been doing on vacations since she was 3. We come up with a daily list of things to look for and when we find them we check them off - if we get them all, we get a treat! Some pertain to the port of call for the day (a statue of a winged lion in Venice), while others are more mundane (someone with a Chicago Cubs baseball hat). It keeps everyone's eyes open.

[2IfByC]

WALKIE-TALKIES! Invest in good ones (we got the 16-mile range-powerful, lots of channels to avoid interference)... it's worth it. If you have older kids you can give them rules and then keep tabs on them via Walkie-Talkie. If you have younger kids and Mom and Dad go separate ways on board you can keep in touch and make plans to rendezvous-- for a little balcony quiet time together while the wee ones are napping.:cool: Some ships now rent walkie-talkies for the week but we prefer to have our own.

 

Our daughter is not quite 3 and didn't have much interest in going to the kids program. So before we left - just in case - I went shopping and bought a new little toy (Dollar Store, Wal-Mart, etc. nothing over $5-$8) to surprise her with each night at dinner. That way she could eat (definitely order the youngest diner's food FIRST) then play with her new toy while we enjoyed our dinner. Just about the time the novelty wore off, we were finishing dessert and coffee!

 

As others have said, definitely bring a portable DVD player and your child's favorite DVD's! If you get a bad-weather day at sea or your little one needs a little time to wind down before a nap or bed... you'll have the option of letting them watch a show. The stations on ships don't often have toddler/preschool friendly viewing.

 

I've also found bringing a few familiar snacks from home is key. Our little girl isn't a particularly picky eater, but it was still nice to be able to have a snack for her after her nap when dinner was still a couple hours away or on days when she wasn't really in the mood for what was on the breakfast menu.

 

Just a few ideas...

[clarabell]

Great idea about a new surprise toy each night at dinner (from a dollar store)!! I'll do exactly that for our cruise with our DDs ages 18 mos and 3 yrs. We leave on RC Rhapsody to W. Car. in 26 days (our first cruise!).

 

I already knew a lot of this tips mentioned, but that one was one I hadn't thought of! Thanks!

[bp traveler]

Bring something comfortable and warm for them to wear at the kids clubs -on Carnival they keep the air conditioning blasting in there and our son was very cold and he is usually so warm!

[miami]

You don't mention how many people or the age groups. If this is more of a family reunion than just a family vacation, try to find at least one excursion that everyone will enjoy. Either the night before or at breakfast, decide what everyone is doing, so you don't waste time waiting around for everyone. Relax and be flexible.

 

About the DVD player at dinner.... someone got really blasted for asking about that on another thread. Most people thought that it was unacceptable to bring one to the dining room regardless of the age of the kids.

[maps]

I bring GLOW STICKS with me. Every night at dinner the kids would anticipate getting one right before dessert if they behaved for the whole meal.

 

Worked every night becuase they loved walking aound the ship with the glow stick.

 

Then we would use it as a night light next to their bed since the inside rooms were so dark.

 

I got my stash packed and ready to go as we speak!

[cruzindawgs]

We've traveled everywhere with our two boys now 8 and 13.

For cruises I put together 5 cheap bathing suits and 5 matching tshirts and zip each set into a zip lock baggie. The kids run around most of the cruise in bathing suits anyway. Each day I hand them a clothes baggie and at the end of the day the wet suit can go back in. Also about a week before setting sail we have fun having practice dinner at home. I would formally set the dining room table (even if we were having hot dogs) and let the boys practice and polish their manners. It saved any embarrasement wondering whose drink is whose or which fork to use or leaving linen napkins lying next to their plates. Also it seemed like a fun silly thing to do getting into cruise mode.

Melissa

[Kuffam]

Order rooms service for breakfast, the kids ( 2 % 5) found it a treat.

[shellie100]

About the DVD player at dinner.... someone got really blasted for asking about that on another thread. Most people thought that it was unacceptable to bring one to the dining room regardless of the age of the kids.

 

I guess I'd rather get blasted for the DVD player rather than a noisy toddler :p

 

Here's us on a recent cruise. We got tons of compliments on his behavior at dinner (he's usually VERY active, so the DVD was a lifesaver!).

 

 

 

[Tanker]

Just got back from a family cruise with a 2 yr old - for the adult folks going that are NOT the parents (grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc), pack your patience! This was unlike any cruise we have ever been on because it revolved around the baby. Some of the things we did that worked really well:

 

1. Since there were 5 adults and only one child we each had days that we were primary care giver - that way we knew up front what day we may have to leave dinner early and stay in for naps and a 9 PM bedtime. It worked quite well but Grandma took more nights just because she wanted too!

 

2. Take plenty of new inexpensive toys, new books, and new dvd's for entertaining in the room and at dinner.

 

3. Book short beach excursions or kid fun things - again, this needs to be centered around the child, not the adults. We separated so some did the kid stuff and the others did the adult stuff!

 

4. Keep to your schedule if possible. Naps and bedtime especially.

 

Again - don't expect this to be your usual relaxing cruise, especially if you are the grandparent - you worry about your little one all the time and it is exhausting, but well worth the family togetherness!

[miami]

I guess I'd rather get blasted for the DVD player rather than a noisy toddler :p My opinion is that it's the kids that these people actually have a problem with, not the DVD players!

 

Hey.... just mentioning what others said about it. Someone actually dragged the thread over to the HAL board and it got just as ugly over there.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=430905

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=431003

[Lesterbird]

I guess I'd rather get blasted for the DVD player rather than a noisy toddler :p

 

Here's us on a recent cruise. We got tons of compliments on his behavior at dinner (he's usually VERY active, so the DVD was a lifesaver!).

 

 

 

[ATTACH]31186[/ATTACH]

 

DVD players have headphones so junior can watch, listen, and be entertained while the adults get some peace. Same for game boys. A five year old who is listening and watching her DVD quietly for a few minutes between courses does not bother me.

[shellie100]

Hey.... just mentioning what others said about it. Someone actually dragged the thread over to the HAL board and it got just as ugly over there.

No worries, no offense taken! :D We were met with nothing but smiles and compliments on our cruise when we used our DVD player. Sometimes these boards get kind of rough, but in real life the people on the cruise are usually really nice! Anyway, having cruised both with and without a DVD player, I sooooooo wish I had brought one on the cruise when my son was 20-months-old.

[Twinsmomct]

WALKIE-TALKIES! Invest in good ones (we got the 16-mile range-powerful, lots of channels to avoid interference)... it's worth it. If you have older kids you can give them rules and then keep tabs on them via Walkie-Talkie. If you have younger kids and Mom and Dad go separate ways on board you can keep in touch and make plans to rendezvous-- for a little balcony quiet time together while the wee ones are napping.:cool: Some ships now rent walkie-talkies for the week but we prefer to have our own.

 

Question about the walkie-talkies. Did you bother about the FCC license? Does it matter if you don't? What happens if you're caught?

 

Thanks!

 

Patty

[katyjeka]

We were a little nervous traveling with our 3 DD's(2,4,10 at the time) on their first cruise. Now we are wondering why we didnt do it sooner. It was the easiest vacation we have ever taken, and the most relaxing. I agree with the person who said to get a balcony. We enjoyed ours and our girls did also. We would order room service, and our youngest two would serve us a tea party on the balcony. They still talk about it. We took them to as many shows as possible and they enjoyed them as much, if not more, than we did. Don't forget to take them on a walk around the deck, and show them the sunset, yes, it's late, probably pass bedtime, but ours really enjoyed it. I have a picture of my DH and the kids looking at the sunset, that is worth the entire price we paid to cruise. We left toys at home, and we really had no need for them. I did find I packed too many clothes. They ended up sleeping in the cheap t-shirts we bought on the islands, and used them for swimsuit coverups as well. One other thing, we found most of the locals very welcoming, and spent a lot of time talking to them. I was expecting to be harassed everywhere we went which wasnt the case. They are great story tellers and our kids enjoyed meeting such interesting people. Janice

[bensona]

don't forget batteries if you're bringing dvd players or gameboys!

 

we bring sippy cups and also a bottle to fill up and keep in our fridge. room service is great but sometimes you need to get kids started on drinks & snacks earlier than rs arrives.

 

the balcony is wonderful with kids. i can't imagine not having one.

 

we did bring new toys and old favorites but nothing too large. it's nice to fill a bottom drawer with things kids can get out to play with themselves.

 

we also brought umbrella strollers. they worked out great both on board and also in port.

 

we usually cruise with all my extended family and that is even better! bring grandma & grandpa to lend a hand!

[Eskwire]

don't forget batteries if you're bringing dvd players or gameboys!

 

we bring sippy cups and also a bottle to fill up and keep in our fridge. room service is great but sometimes you need to get kids started on drinks & snacks earlier than rs arrives.

 

the balcony is wonderful with kids. i can't imagine not having one.

 

we did bring new toys and old favorites but nothing too large. it's nice to fill a bottom drawer with things kids can get out to play with themselves.

 

we also brought umbrella strollers. they worked out great both on board and also in port.

we usually cruise with all my extended family and that is even better! bring grandma & grandpa to lend a hand!

 

Bring Joy or Dawn to clean out those sippys and bottles!!