Cruising on X with BEHAVED children

[Aussie Cruisers]

Hi everyone,

 

I want to know if anyone has travelled with children (yes, our DS is well BEHAVED and as parents we do not allow him to run wild, and we like others to see him, and not hear him). What is X like? Are there tips we need to know to help us enjoy the cruise? Are table mates offended if we have room service if he gets fussy?

 

We have cruised as a couple before, this will be our first with a toddler.

 

Be kind with your remarks! :o

 

Mark. :D

[Pontius Navigator]

Mark,

 

Constellation, 245 children. We saw 6-8 teenagers in the pool, 10-20 tots on a treasure hunt, 6 playing table tennis, 4 playing X-box on the stairs, and several babies in prams.

 

There were lots of nannies and supervisors.

 

No worries mate.

[greeneg]

We would welcome a well behaved child at our table. On the other hand, I sedate obnoxious ones.........parents, too....:)

[Boo's Mom]

Hi Mark ~

Every Celebrity cruise we have been on...we have had our children with us.

Celebrity does a GREAT job in their children's program. Your child must be 3 years of age in order to be in the Children's Program.

 

And, Celebrity is also my children's favorite cruiseline !

 

No matter the age, the wait staff in the dining room (and everywhere else) will cater to your child's every wish. It's amazing.

 

[Ships R Great]

So many of the crew have children at home. They miss them. They tend to dote on all children, the younger the more-so. Your son will be spoiled by the end of the cruise---"good spoiled, not bad". Go and enjoy. If there are curmudgeons who do not like children, just ignore them.

[GORDONCHICK]

Our DS was 3 1/2 the first time we cruised, and it was on Celebrity Galaxy. He had a great time and the crew really doted on him! He loved the Fun Factory and is looking forward to going again in just days (he's now 6)!

 

You didn't say how old your toddler is, so that would be important info for me to help more. They do have to be 3 AND potty trained in order to be dropped off in the Fun Factory. However, if your DS is younger &/or not potty trained, you and your DS can go in and play there - he just cannot be in there without a parent.

 

As far as dinner is concerned, there are many factors and the age of your son is needed to answer more.

[ssolomon56]

We have been on several cruises with couples just about the age of my husband and I (51 and 57 respectively) with a very young child (3-4 years old). We'd later learn that this was NOT their grandchild, but a surprize "change of life" baby. :D It's really interesting to witness the interaction between the parents and child. In every situation of this sort, the child was VERY well behaved, and mature far beyond his/her years. Just the thought of starting over raising a new child is daunting to say the least. :eek:

[dkjretired]

Having taken my children on a number of cruises, I agree with the sentiments of the others and Celebrity does have great children's programs. You should however be aware that you may run into those few individuals with very limited ideas on who should or should not be on cruise ships.

[Aussie Cruisers]

Thanks everyone, I was feeling confident, but now more so. We decided to get a CC room on deck six (we are on the milli) amongst the suites.... so it has a larger balcony in-case we need to stay in the cabin, at least we will have room to move about.

 

GREENEG - I had to laugh about you sedating the parents.... what is your preferred method??? Grog? :rolleyes:

 

Oh, my parents are coming on the cruise too (I convinced them to come) so it will be good to have a set of trusted adults around too... not that we plan to leave DS with them often, but the odd time, so we can go to the speciality restaurant, drop by the spa etc etc.

 

Thanks again friends!@!@!@!@!

 

Mark.

[greeneg]

Mark, as a Pediatrician, there are a number of sedative "cocktails" that can be used.

 

The parents get a "knock up against the side of the head"....:)

 

Ed

[candelle]

We have cruised half a dozen times before and our daughter and son in law are now thinking about joining us. Their children would be almost four and almost one when we embark (they are well behaved children).

 

I have looked into the Fun Factory on our cruises and it was always practically deserted, although it looked great, well, fun!

 

I realise that the older child could play in the Fun Factory during the day and the younger one too, if with parents, but what happens at mealtimes? We have always taken the later seating and have never seen children in the dining room.

 

If travelling with small children, is it possible for them to eat in the dining room? Would this be generally acceptable (obviously, this would have to be at the first sitting).

 

If children are not accepted in the dining room, would parents always be able to arrange babysitting in cabin?

 

Any advice would be welcome and would reassure my daughter that cruising with small children is possible!

[Destin dreamer]

We would take our son to the fun factory about 1 hour before dinner so my husband and I could go have a drink before dinner, we would then go to dinner and enjoy our dinner alone.My husband would go get our son right after we ordered our dessert and one for our son. Our son would then join us for dessert in the dining room!! This worked out great for us, giving us time alone and together as a family each evening in the dining room! We would order room service for our son while we dressed for dinner so he would eat before we took him to the fun factory. He loved the kid's program.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We do not have children but do have a lot of nieces & nephews. We have been on many cruises with children onboard and except for one cruise all have been well behaved. We always have late seating so there are not many children in the dining room when we are there. Those that we have seen seem to be either seated with their family/extended family, or with other families with children. We have often commented on their manners at dinner. However, since we do not have children, we would prefer to be seated at a table without children so would hope you would not take offense if we asked to change tables.

Mary Lou

[flagger]

First off.

 

We never knew you had a toddler. Congrats Mark. We missed the big announcement.

 

Secondly, you saw what it was like with our then 2.5 year old back in 2005. Remember X has in-cabin babysitting if your toddler is not old enough for the kid's programs (which start at 3 and potty trained).

 

If you cannot utilise your parents as babysitters or want to have a meal with them, be sure and see guest relations when you board and make your appointment for a babysitter. Ask for the same person if you do multiple nights.

 

Cheers Mate from your fellow Infinity cruisers.

[martodd]

We have taken a number of cruises with our three children. The first one they went on they were 7, 3 and 6 months. Since then they have been on Celebrity twice and it is definatly their favorite and they are now 14, 10 and 7.

They have always been in the dining room with us. We have always had early seating with the exception of this year because we figured in Europe we would be touring later and did not want to miss too many dinners.

The younger two usually pick one or two nights a cruise to have dinner with the kids club. It's not that they don't like the dining room, but they feel it is a treat to go to the cafe with the staff and have dinner with a bunch of other children.

When they were a bit smaller we would have a little bag that we would bring to dinner with us. It would have a few colorform like toys, and things like a coloring book and crayons. It did help many times.

I agree with the others about the staff and children, too. Our asst. waiter on the Milli this summer had a daughter the same age as my 10 year old. She really took to my daughter. She called her princess, and really doted on her, showing her pictures of her daughter and all. The night before we left my daughter was crying because she was going to miss her so much.

Bring your child and enjoy every second of the pampering you and they will receive.

[Destin dreamer]

We would take our son to the fun factory about 1 hour before dinner so my husband and I could go have a drink before dinner, we would then go to dinner and enjoy our dinner alone.My husband would go get our son right after we ordered our dessert and one for our son. Our son would then join us for dessert in the dining room!! This worked out great for us, giving us time alone and together as a family each evening in the dining room! We would order room service for our son while we dressed for dinner so he would eat before we took him to the fun factory. He loved the kid's program.

[Conrycol]

Mark:

 

We traveled with our 3 children on a Thanksgiving cruise (november 2006) kids were 10 months, 2 and 6. We had a great time with the kids, they had a great time with us and the older one could go to the kids club. It was on the Costa though so the crowd was a little younger. We sat at a table for 8 for dinner and was joined by another couple and their young daughter. I would not hesitate to take kids on a cruise. We're all going to be on the summit this February. With a bigger group consisting of Grandma,aunts, uncles, and other cousins. So go on the cruise and have a great time with your toddler.

[GORDONCHICK]

Our DS has always eaten with us in the dining room without any problems. Actually, quite the contrary. We always received great comments from other passengers on how well-mannered and well-behaved he was (and dress like Daddy). The assistant waiter would sprint to the table with DS's chocolate milk every evening when we arrived (I was afraid he'd expect this level of service to continue at home!). They are happy to bring the children's food out early and do have a children's menu. They always made him a special dessert with ice cream if he ate good (my stipulation, not theirs).

[Aussie Cruisers]

Thanks everyone! Great ideas!

 

Flagger - stop being a stranger and email me mark dot mcguire at det dot nsw dot edu dot au.

 

Take care everyone.

 

Mark.

[2theship]

The dining room staff on Celebrity was always delightful with our kids when they were little. Celebrity does a very nice kids menu that changes every night - it usually features simpler versions of the adult foods. The kids are free to order from either menu. Cruise dining is a wonderful way to introduce your kids to new foods. If they don't like something, there's always an alternate choice quickly available.

 

The only problem is the occasional adult cruiser who looks at your child and assumes that he or she will misbehave. But, that doesn't happen often and you can always get away from those people. The staff however, always treats kids with courtesy and grace. You'll love it.

[candelle]

Am I correct in thinking that even the baby (she'll be 10 months old) will be welcome in the dining room too?

 

I can undestand how the three year old could play in the children's club during dinner, but wondered if the baby would be unwelcome in the dining room - you can't make a baby behave - threat of withdrawal of ice cream just won't do it at that age! We would, of course take in toys to keep the baby occupied but if she blows.........?

[Drew B]

Am I correct in thinking that even the baby (she'll be 10 months old) will be welcome in the dining room too?

 

I can undestand how the three year old could play in the children's club during dinner, but wondered if the baby would be unwelcome in the dining room - you can't make a baby behave - threat of withdrawal of ice cream just won't do it at that age! We would, of course take in toys to keep the baby occupied but if she blows.........?

 

I think you just need to be prepared to have your own meal disrupted. If the baby blows, you've got to take her out of there until she settles down in order not to ruin other people's pleasant meal. If that means you miss a course, it is definitely a shame, but you can always go back to the room and order the same thing in room service. Hopefully the baby will be good all or nearly all of the time, and you and she can both have a wonderful time.

[2theship]

If that means you miss a course, it is definitely a shame, but you can always go back to the room and order the same thing in room service. Hopefully the baby will be good all or nearly all of the time, and you and she can both have a wonderful time.

 

That's the beauty of it. If you manage to sort out the baby's sleep/eat/play cycyle, there's a good chance of having a nice dinner with her there. If a problem arises, you can slip out easily and quietly. In a restaurant at home you'd be waiting for the check, to-go boxes, etc., etc.

[candelle]

OK, I get it. The three year old to the children's club and the baby into the dining room for supper with parents whilst subdued with a quick brandy........

 

Thanks for your replies.:)

[GORDONCHICK]

OK, I get it. The three year old to the children's club and the baby into the dining room for supper with parents whilst subdued with a quick brandy........

 

Thanks for your replies.:)

 

I don't necessarily agree with always putting the 3yo in the fun factory for dinner (and there is usually a charge for that on Celebrity, but not on Princess and Carnival ). The dining room is a great place to put into public practice the manners that are taught at home. And it is usually amazing how they understand that "this" is the place for all those manners. Try it at least once.