Why Cruise With Kids

[DixieCaribe]

Traveling as a family growing up extended to everything, whether we were backpacking, cruising the Caribbean, or driving all along the Pan-American Highway. The big reason I can see people bringing kids along on Holland America has to do with the same reason my sister and I gave people who asked up why we wanted to go on HAL - we were young and they assumed we would have more fun in a Big Ship environment - the rock walls, kid oriented pools, casual dinners - but my sister and I loved Holland America because it is relaxed and a bit more refined. We enjoyed the idea that we could sit poolside all day while at sea, go to dinner in a tuxedo and cocktail dress, enjoy a show, or walk the promenade without being accosted by so many screaming urchins.

I guess the reason familes go on HAL is because without a lot of kids on board, families spend more time together - and that's what a family vacation really is all about.

[betonic]

I take my son because I love him and want him to experience everything!! To me it's not about the cruise line or the place, it's just being together.

 

Just wanted to add that I took my son on a 16 day transatlatic last year where he was one of 4 children on board. He had a great time and just yesterday was talking about places that we went and people that we met. To me that's priceless.....

[nurseblissful]

i think people with kids go for the same reason as everyone else. hal is a great line with great food, service, beds, etc, etc. and if you have kids they come too. you can't park the little boogers with others for a long cruise. at least i can't imagine doing that. we are 40ish adults that are not taking our kids. they are grown and can get their own cruise! lol. but i am sure the kids will be fine. and our cruise is in 3 days with 391 kids posted on board. i will let you know how it goes. as one post put it, there are plenty of obnoxious adults, so it doesn't have to be kids being bad. we will all have a great time. noordam, here we come!:D lauri

[CruiseQueen13]

Our daughter also has grown up on cruising. We've been taking her since she is 4 and she's now 13. She's been on several cruises and Celebrity & Princess are her favorites. Her least favorite - NCL Dawn. Kids program was horrible - requried parental supervision for my 11 y/o to make pizza, water balloon toss, etc. NCL not for us overall. We chose HAL to keep the upscale experience and still have fun things for her to do. No matter which cruise we've been on we have never gotten off for a tour and left my dghtr onboard. Just not our style. She loves the beach, tours, watersports, etc.

 

My dghtr is never left unsupervised or free to roam the ship w/ other kids. We do not get a "false sense of security" being on a ship at sea as some others do. What applies at home - applies at sea.

 

We've never had a problem.

[the2ofus]

In all my HAL cruises, I have never seen any kids running amok. I have seen a small child have a meltdown when kept up too late. A situation quickly rectified by the parents who took her off to bed. I have seen small groups of 8-13 year olds following their counsellors on various activities, looking like they all were enjoying themselves. I have never seen packs of children of any age roaming the ships unsupervised. I have never seen children playing in the elevators.

 

Yes, these horror stories reported occasionally on the HAL board may be isolated events on some HAL ships sometime, but they are not the norm.

 

If families truly want a family vacation filled with opportunities to spend time together in life-enhancing activities, they could not go wrong with HAL. In fact, I hope to do just that in the next year or so with two pre-teen grandkids.

[hammybee]

Those gimmicks cost extra too.

(the Video Games, Rock Climbing Walls, Bungee Trampoline, Ice Skating, Roller Blading & Onboard Surfing are anything but Free...)

 

Um, well most are indeed free. RCL tried to charge for the rock climbing wall when it was a fresh gimick and pax refused to pay. Now the wall, ice and in line skating, including the use of skates, are all included in the cost of the cruise as is the surfing thing on Princess. I am aware that NCL has a nomial $5 charge for bowling and again, pax are pushing back on it.

[2boyzmom]

My husband and son were almost killed in a horrrific car crash 10/05. My 5 year old was not breathing at the scene. After recovering miraculously from multiple injuries, we beleive in living life for now! The boys, now 5 and 7 adore cruising and meeting new friends and learning about new cultures. Would I ever leave them home ? NEVER!!!! Would I cruise on a line for a stupid surfing set up? Never! We cruise for us and for our special quality time together as a family. We don't need waterslides and rock walls. That is set aside for Disney every year!

[nurseblissful]

good for you. i would never have thought of leaving our child at home for a vacation. though we did not cruise (no money), we did take a couple of vacations. does everyone have memories of riding in a large car with pillows and coloring books (are we there yet????). these are family vacations. the things that make good memories. even the little mishaps, (did sisters pillow just get hit by a 16 wheeler? did dad really put that monkey in the bathroom at disney world, where it pooped everywhere?) kids belong on vacations with there parents. have a great cruise. lauri:)

[nurseblissful]

did i say "there" parents? oops. their parents. hooked on phonix. i need it. lol. lauri

[TonitheTiger]

I have no problems with families vacationing together. When the parents are in control of the children. I hate to see parents screaming or hitting there kids.:mad: I lived and worked in Las Vegas for many years. I have seen parents bring the kids on vacation and then let someone else watch them. Even let the teens run around unsupervised.

 

Yes I do have children and no I did not hit them. I could take them on vacation with us and never have a promble.:)

[fatcat04]

I take my son because I love him and want him to experience everything!! To me it's not about the cruise line or the place, it's just being together.

 

Just wanted to add that I took my son on a 16 day transatlatic last year where he was one of 4 children on board. He had a great time and just yesterday was talking about places that we went and people that we met. To me that's priceless.....

 

There ya go... for us, that is what it is all about. Spending time together. Priceless memories for everyone, including the kid!!

 

Our child has driven across the desert southwest with us, visted the Grand Canyon twice, and gone to Mexico with us. He has driven the entire Blue Ridge Parkway with us and we have taken many other land trips. He is only 5 years old and a better traveller than most adults. And you better believe he remembers every trip we have taken. He talks about our travels all the time. Why not cruise with him too?

 

We love him, he loves us, we love spending time together. If there is a kid's club, great. He can have some time with other kids but if not, we will do just fine. He is a great kid.

 

And like someone else said.. it is between HAL and the person paying. If they offer "kid cruise free" and they have offered an awful lot of that lately, then THEY must not object to kids even though apparently some of their passengers do.

[fllady61]

Children deserve a vacation too. I could not leave mine at home. did that once, and worried about her the whole cruise. called from every port, and emailed daily. so she goes with us now.

[kryos]

Rita, this assumes that all kids need to be entertained by gimicks to be happy and this is just not the case. The greater the gimick, the greater the liklihood the kid will be bored. Many, many children prefer arts/crafts, board games, creative activities, dressing up and making a few freinds to the gimicks offered on some cruise lines.

 

In this way, they are a lot like adults.

No, they don't necessarily have to be entertained 24/7 and there are certainly some kids who don't need the "gimmicks" either. All I'm saying is that the choice of a cruise line or an itinerary should take into account at least to some extent what the kids like. For example, if the parents really want to sail HAL, then perhaps they should try for an itinerary that has mostly "fun" ports ... with things the kids can do in port. They should stay away from any sailing that involves more than a couple of days at sea. But to take a couple of active kids on a cruise where there are gonna be a bunch of sea days, with little to do on the ship ... well, at least to me, that's asking for trouble. If the kids are bored and underfoot whining all day, then mom and dad ain't gonna have a very good vacation either.

 

Just my opinion ...

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[babyher]

No, they don't necessarily have to be entertained 24/7 and there are certainly some kids who don't need the "gimmicks" either. All I'm saying is that the choice of a cruise line or an itinerary should take into account at least to some extent what the kids like. For example, if the parents really want to sail HAL, then perhaps they should try for an itinerary that has mostly "fun" ports ... with things the kids can do in port. They should stay away from any sailing that involves more than a couple of days at sea. But to take a couple of active kids on a cruise where there are gonna be a bunch of sea days, with little to do on the ship ... well, at least to me, that's asking for trouble. If the kids are bored and underfoot whining all day, then mom and dad ain't gonna have a very good vacation either.

 

Just my opinion ...

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

Exactly Rita,

 

A family vacation should have something for every member of the family.

 

I can only speak for my three. 14, 15, and 18. Good kids , good students, well behaved . But they are kids.

 

They have yet to be on a cruise , but we are looking into one this year or early 2008 with them.

 

Give them 24 hour pizza, burgers and and hot dogs, a pool, a few kids their own age to hang with, plenty of beaches , a video arcade, an occasonal movie and you have three happy campers. I think their first time on a ship will be "cool" for them , just for the wow factor of being on a ship at sea.

 

They could care less about tramping through 14th century ruins, and palaces and cathedrals. They will be more happy hanging on a beach or at least something active, like snorkleing or jet skiing, swimming with sting rays.

 

Like I said they are good kids and especially in public ,wouldn't give another pax a second of trouble. They ar respectful and know when its fun time and when its be serious and behave time. Maybe with a small reminder, but they do pretty good.

 

I see these posts from these people whose 9 year olds can't wait to wear a tux, love the escargot (my 15 year old hates ketchup on her fries , and only eats spaghetti with butter and cheese . YEA she'll go for the snails *LOL*).

 

I see these posts and say "WOW, how do you do it ?" Not just mine , but I don't know any kids like this.

 

Again make a family vacation a good mix and you will all have a great time. Not the kids being forced to sit through boring adult stuff, or the adults having to sit through mindless kid stuff all vacation long.

 

People always try to "make memories " with their kids. Memories aren't made in my opinion , they just happen, something happens and if it was great enough and wonderful enough , you will remember it all your life.

 

You can take your son on an around the world cruise , show him the palaces of Europe, the Eiffel Tower, Leaning Tower of Pisa , the Vatican etc etc etc. And the one thing he will remenber the most is the cute girl from Ohio in the red bathing suit that he shared pizza with and still e mails long after you come home.

[Scrumpy]

The BEST reason I've read for not taking very YOUNG children (infants and toddlers) on a cruise is the possibility of a health issue. While there are good health care facilities onboard, a baby can go downhill fast and you may find yourself in a situation where needed SERIOUS medical care is not available in a timely manner - and/or not up to US standards. I'd never considered that before I read it on another board. So sure, bring your children, but also think about any possible health concerns. Now that this has been brought to my attention, I'd think twice about bringing an extremely young child on board or bringing one with any potential health issues.

[jerseymax]

We prefer cruising on HAL with our young children as the guests tend to be more "refined". I really don't need my son observing the smoking, excessing drinking, puking, and jumping half-clothed into the pool that is more apt to happen on other cruiselines. (And I don't want to see it either.)

 

We keep our kids in control, so we don't want to be on the ships where there are hundreds of out of control kids. We like the service. We like the food. Heck, my son loves the escargot onboard. And, you can't beat the wonderful attention from the crew on HAL. They love kids since they don't see so many of them.

 

Just because we have kids, doesn't mean we don't have taste.

 

Could not have said it better! Just returned from Zuiderdam cruise with two children 14 and 10. We all had a good vacation. We always choose HAL when sailing with our children. We expect them to conduct themselves appropriately or they will not be afforded another opportunity to cruise with us - simple.

[fatcat04]

We are looking at HAL for a cruise next year. Thank goodness I read this post.

 

So those of us with well behaved children who thrive on educational experiences, those of us who crave a more refined atmosphere that will not only nuture our souls but those of our children as well... we are just out of luck. I will remember that.

[CruiseJude]

We are looking at HAL for a cruise next year. Thank goodness I read this post.

 

So those of us with well behaved children who thrive on educational experiences, those of us who crave a more refined atmosphere that will not only nuture our souls but those of our children as well... we are just out of luck. I will remember that.

 

 

FatKat:

 

By all means - go with HAL next year. Speaking from experience, you and your children will enjoy every bit of it and you will definitely not regret it! You and your children will have a wonderful cruise.

[fllady61]

but look at it this way. If you are going to be worrying about your child the whole time you are on vacation is that a vacation for you? I now it would not be for me. My daughter is 14. Well behaved, and went on her first cruise last fall. Loves it. We do not do excurshions because there is so much to do on board, and they are too expensive. Even the cheapest would cost a family of 3 who is on a limited budget nearly 100 or more. My daughter is content with playing in the arcade, or just watching people. She does not need rock walls, basket ball, to keep her occupied. Give her the pool/hot tub, Pizza, and the arcade, and she is set. Now that I have got her started working out, it will be off to the gym every morning. or stairs. Give her a good piano player, and she will listen to him/her all day.

 

As for the little one's they are susceptiable to germs and disease the same as they are on a ship in a daycare, or school. I am not saying if I had a 3 mo old baby I would take it on a cruise, but i would not restrict my 4 yr old from going. That is what the kids clubs are for. As for dressing up, my child loves to dress up. (NOT till last cruise) She loves making up to have her picture taken.

 

She eats normal food with us, as we as a family do not go for exotic foods. For child to eat exotic food, they have to be rich enough to afford that kind of food. If you live on a moderate income and can only afford one family vacation a year, are you going to leave your children at home and go on a cruise? i don't think so. If i had kids I did not want to get sick, i would forgo cruise till they got old enough to enjoy it, and do things.

Which is what we did. we did not cruise till she was old enough to know how to say no to a stranger. She knows what to do if someone is bothering her, and knows not to go to the cabin if she feels someone is following her unless she can loose them by zig zagging the floors and throwing them of guard.

[fllady61]

I will stick with carnival.

[nurseblissful]

kari, you and your kids will love hal. i am leaving in 2 days on a cruise with 391 kids on board. i admit, i am a little daunted. but, we have cruised before with kids on board and there was never a problem they were charming and polite. just a couple of bad apples make others make sweeping judgements. take a chance on hal. you will love it. lauri noordam, here we come in two more days:D

[kryos]

I see these posts from these people whose 9 year olds can't wait to wear a tux, love the escargot (my 15 year old hates ketchup on her fries , and only eats spaghetti with butter and cheese . YEA she'll go for the snails *LOL*).

 

I see these posts and say "WOW, how do you do it ?" Not just mine , but I don't know any kids like this.

You'd be surprised ... some kids take a liking to those things.

 

It's funny ... but when I look back from my youth ... I would have cringed at the thought of being on a HAL ship based on what I know today. I was very active, and liked wild things. My ideal vacation was the bungee tower on the Wildwood boardwalk ... the Skycoaster on Steel Pier in Atlantic City ... well, you get the idea.

 

Now, my nieces ... they are the opposite. When they would come with our family down the shore, I would try to get them on the amusement piers and they wanted no parts of them. Rather, they were very happy playing mineature golf with their dad, or playing some of the ring toss type games of chance. But they wanted no part of going on rides ... especially the kinds of rides their Aunt Rita would want to take them on. I can well imagine my nieces having loved a HAL cruise when they were young, whereas I would have hated it. The only ship for me would have been an RCI one ... complete with rock wall and all that other good stuff.

 

But that's what I mean ... the vacation has to be planned with the child at least partially in mind. If your kids go for the HAL-like environment, then you'll all probably have a great vacation on a HAL ship. But if they are very, very active ... and like the wild stuff ... they will probably be miserable and a parent has to be prepared for that.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Smartcookie]

. For example, if the parents really want to sail HAL, then perhaps they should try for an itinerary that has mostly "fun" ports ... with things the kids can do in port. They should stay away from any sailing that involves more than a couple of days at sea.

--rita

 

Believe it or not, my kids LOVE sea days. Much more than me, I like a port intensive cruise, but they just love sea days. I have to drag them off at ports, and most of the time they keep asking when they can go back!

[AlohaPride]

I've gone from being very active on this board, to lurking for the past few months, to finding myself very irritated with this entire thread. Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones, but I doubt it.

 

I say to each his or her own. The OP mentioned the fact of why take your young kid on a cruise when they will be too young to even remember it. I ask, why sacrifice the service we love so dearly on HAL to go on a ship with the rock wall and ice rinks when the kid wont remember THAT either.

 

Further, for those who suggested leaving the kids at home, a child that age (remember, OP mentioned specifically 3-5 year olds) will most definitely NOT understand that mommy and daddy are coming back. This can be psychologically damaging.

 

Honestly, I don't even get the point of this thread. Those who choose NOT to take their kids (and those who chose not to have kids) aren't spending THEIR money on kids cruising. It's the families who make these decisions. The whole tone of this thread is anti-kid anti-family.

 

Honestly, I guess I just don't get it. Keaka and I had 2 amazing kids at our table over Christmas. I believe that dinners would not have been NEARLY as fun without them.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Hi ALoha (Mary):

 

Thrilled to "see" you here!!! How are you and Keaka doing? How is your little future HAL cruiser doing in there?

 

So nice to hear from you,

 

Aloha nui loa,:)

 

Karin

middle-aged mom