Never Knew Cruises Had Such A Following

[The Momma]

I'm the vacation planner for my family of 4, (me, The Papa, 13 yo daughter, and 10 yo son). We try to do something different every year: 2 years ago was a 3 week camping trip throughout the south, last year was a month backpacking across Europe, this year a house on a lake. Never thought of taking a cruise, but The Papa suggested it, so am researching. Will go end of July, first of August 2009 timeframe if we decide to go. (Road trip from Florida to NYC other option). Looking at Freedom of the Seas based on info from this site, and daughter wants to try the flowrider, other teen activities on ship. Have lots of questions, frankly not sold on cruising myself, but first question is, would my daughter even get a chance to try to learn to do the flowrider, or would it be so packed she'd never get a shot anyway?

[gkrnjlr]

I've never sailed on RCCL but I do think that even if she weren't able to get much time on the flowrider that your entire family would LOVE a cruise! We went on our first one thinking "it'll be neat to just take a cruise." We were addicted immediately and have been cruising every year now!

 

Have a great trip!

[tomko2]

Welcome to Cruise Critic. We have not yet been on a Freedom class ship so can't help with the flow rider question.

Just a word of caution: both cruising and this site can be really addicitive. :D

There are different sections of the boards so if your question is not answered here please don't give up; you could re-post it on the Cruise Line Section. There are 10 pages of questions and then the oldest question/comment/entry drops off as a new one is posted.

Kathy:)

[crusinmama06]

Yes she can get a chance on the flowrider. There are less busy times than others. The first day onboard, the flowrider isn't busy. When others are in port, the flowrider isn't busy.

 

The busiest time is on a Sea Day...so just avoid that and you'll be ok. ;)

 

Everyone always mentions Freedom, but Freedom has two twin sisters. ;) There is Liberty of the Seas (launched in 2007) and Independence of the Seas (launched in 2008). All three are exactly the same, with the exception of Independence pools are heated.

 

In the time frame you are looking at, Independence will probably be across the pond. But Indy comes back to the US for some special sailings in the Winter.

 

I have listings of the cruise kid activities...the link is always in my signature. You can see the activities for Freedom (and other Freedom class ships)

http://photobucket.com/cruisekidpages

 

Good luck. Most of us were hooked after our first cruise. Waking up in a new country every day keeps us coming back for more. :)

[The Momma]

Thanks all.

 

I am of course open to becoming a cruise fan, I guess it's just that I've always had an image of cruising that is a cross between "The Love Boat" and "The Poseidon Adventure (the 1972 version)." And now I think of it, that's quite embarrassing considering we live 30 minutes from a major cruise port.

 

When I plan a vacation I always first find the most reliable internet site to gather information and use that as a starting point and frequent source to try and know as much as possible before we go. Before going to Europe I was on the Rick Steves' site constantly, and after some research it seems this is the site to use as my base for cruise planning. I get a sense of genuine people trying to help others, without having agendas.

 

I will use your information, crusinmama06, thank you. I was looking at Freedom of the Seas primarily because it is the one that is the editor's pick on this site under the family cruises for first time cruisers. Am not tied to that of course but don't dismiss a recommendation unless I get better information that makes it seem like not a good fit. I showed my teen the RCCL site for that ship (she's probably the hardest to please), and she got pretty excited about the flow rider in particular, so have been looking at that particular ship. I'll check out the others too, and am open to any other suggestions on cruises from anyone who has kids this age, they'll be 14 and 11 by then.

 

The cruise is competing with a NYC trip, perhaps by train (sleeping on the train, etc.), so am open to pros of ship versus train...anyone?

[gtalum]

I am of course open to becoming a cruise fan, I guess it's just that I've always had an image of cruising that is a cross between "The Love Boat" and "The Poseidon Adventure (the 1972 version)."

 

It sounds like you've already figured it out, but dump any stereotypes you have of cruising. It's a fantastic way to spend a week. :)

 

Check out reviews and the boards on all the lines to choose the best one for your family. They all have their strengths and weaknesses.

 

Every shipboard activity has its busy times and slow times, and Cruise Critic is definitely the best place to find out those kinds of little details.

[Ula]

Oh Momma,

My husband and I camped the first 20 years of our marriage. I honestly was getting to old for pit toilets. When my folks talked us into a cruise, had the same fears. And we way over packed thinking it was going to be all fancy/dancy.

My folks were smart and we started with Alaska. Lots of nature and history. Doing a beach oriented port would not have sold us. We see that every day where we live.

Since the first have done Alaska again, and have gone to Cananda/New England twice. We love to visit historical places. For R&R we now do go to Mexico on a cruise but book the Sierra Madre tours for history.

From reading your post, you probably need to pick a cruise that will address what you want your kids to see and do. My husband and I had parents that during the family vacation besides offering activity also drug us to every historical place around. As adults we appreciate that more than as kids.

[mcfam5]

. . . for being able to take your family camping for THREE weeks! :eek: My family wouldn't have lasted three days. We are definitely not good at roughing it! Roughing it for us is when the hotel pool is outdoors. :)

 

Definitely consider giving cruising a try ~ we have yet to find a more adventurous AND relaxing vacation. Our kids actually choose cruising when we give other options (including WDW)!

 

Have fun researching your cruise and keep checking back in here for great info.

 

God Bless!

[crusinmama06]

Am not tied to that of course but don't dismiss a recommendation unless I get better information that makes it seem like not a good fit. I showed my teen the RCCL site for that ship (she's probably the hardest to please), and she got pretty excited about the flow rider in particular, so have been looking at that particular ship. I'll check out the others too, and am open to any other suggestions on cruises from anyone who has kids this age, they'll be 14 and 11 by then.

 

But like I said, don't tie yourself to just Freedom, especially when Liberty and Independence are the exact same ships, just a different bed spread color on the beds...lol...I kid you not. ;)

 

So when you search for prices, itinerary for the week you are planning to go, at least add Liberty of the Seas into your search. They alternate Western and Eastern Caribbean. So pending on the exact week you want, one will be doing eastern and the other western.

 

Yes we are doing NYC too. But we are just going for the weekend. ;)

 

Just some more food for thought...if you like adventure type excursions, then go with a Western itinerary. Then you will be able to climb a waterfall, go ziplining through tree top canopies, river tubing, swimming with stingrays, etc.

 

The Eastern carib, although my personal favorite cause it is beautiful, has more laid back excursions. The focus on those islands are beaches.

[crusinmama06]

. . . for being able to take your family camping for THREE weeks! :eek: My family wouldn't have lasted three days. We are definitely not good at roughing it! Roughing it for us is when the hotel pool is outdoors. :)

 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Same here!

 

My inlaws called today to say they bought an RV and we could take it anywhere. My 8 year old said "What is an RV for?" and I said "So we can sleep in it when we go away"

 

Her response..."Isn't that what a hotel room is for?" :rolleyes:

[mcfam5]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Same here!

 

My inlaws called today to say they bought an RV and we could take it anywhere. My 8 year old said "What is an RV for?" and I said "So we can sleep in it when we go away"

 

Her response..."Isn't that what a hotel room is for?" :rolleyes:

 

Last summer we TRIED :o to go camping with another family just overnight. We were only going to be there about 18 hours. The other family was so excited ~ they are true campers! They have all the gear and positive camping attitudes that my family obviously lacks. :rolleyes:

 

I am certain they will never ask to go again. (Thank God!) We brought Subway for dinner because I didn't want to deal with cooking on a campfire. All evening long my kids complained about the mosquitos. Once it was finally bedtime ~ my kids and I ended up sleeping in our van (Thank God for stow 'n go seating!) with the air conditioning on. It was horribly humid, the mosquitos had gotten in the tent and there was sand all over the place! Ugh! My husband stuck out in the tent, but I am certain that was only to preserve his image. He didn't want his friend to think he couldn't take it!

 

When we got in the car to leave the next morning, my daughter said "Well, I am NEVER doing that again!" The rest of us quickly agreed with her. :D

[gkrnjlr]

I would've been in the van with you! Loooove the Subway for dinner though. Did the others say anything to you about it? :D

 

Our idea of camping is MOTEL 6!

:eek:

[mcfam5]

I would've been in the van with you! Loooove the Subway for dinner though. Did the others say anything to you about it? :D

 

Our idea of camping is MOTEL 6!

:eek:

 

We had brought enough Subway to share, but the other dad wouldn't allow it! His kids wanted the Subway and chips but he insisted that they were having "hobo pies" :confused: cooked over the fire. When my kids asked what a hobo pie was, the dad excitedly explained 'well, you mix together anything that you like, put between two slices of bread and it cooks in to a crispy pocket!' Ummm . . .okay. Unfortunately, since mixing food goes against the moral code of eating for my children (specifically my oldest), they were not interested in experimenting. When the dad asked if my daughter wanted to try it, she said "No thank you, I like my food seperate." Gotta love kids. I have absolutely no idea where they get their quirks from. :)

[gkrnjlr]

ROFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No thank you, I like my food separate!

 

At least they have manners!

 

I am with your kids though. I would've opted for the Subway.

 

I have friends who go camping regularly and they have a blast. I think I am just "made" differently and couldn't do it. Nothing wrong with it....it's just not my thing.

[crusinmama06]

Hobo pies are called "Mountain Pies" around here.

 

I have another seriously embarassing story. A few years ago (when the oldest was small) I got the idea in my head that I would LOVE to go camping. So I went out and bought all of the camping gear, INCLUDING mountain pie makers. Well the weather never worked out for us that year so the stuff remain IN storage.

 

Fast forward a few years, the hubby wanted to build a camp fire on our property...yes we live in the woods. My kids wanted to make smores on a camp fire but they didn't want to sit outside in the cold.

 

So I improvised and we roasted marshmellows in our FIREPLACE in our Livingroom! :D LOL!!!!!

 

Yep, this was OUR idea of roughing it. LOL!!!!!

 

[gkrnjlr]

LOL!!! She does look like she's really roughing it there! Bare feet (well, with socks...) and all! :p

 

Sounds like the fabulous idea I had for a fishing trip once. We went and bought lots of fishing gear and then it sat in a closet for many years! Eventually we gave it away - but the line had already dried up to where they'd have to replace it! :D

[CeleBrat]

I LOVE to camp! Worked at summer camp all through college, and just LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it.

 

Now that we have kids though, it's a little tougher. Lots of stuff to pack. The very first time we went camping, we booked a long weekend at Disney's Fort Wilderness, figuring that if it didn't work out, we could always quickly drive home. Even if it was the middle of the night. (We live very close to WDW).

 

Little did we know how useful the close proximity would be.

 

Fast forward to about 2 hours into the camping adventure, after we have eaten mac-n-cheese cooked over a portable stove. We decide to take a stroll through the area, and visit the playground. DD performs the ultimate kids-feat, and falls off the monkey bars....and breaks her arm.

 

AAAAAAGGHGHGHGHGH!!

 

We had only been there 2 hours!

 

So, the Disney paramedics arrive, pronounce it broken, so we speed off to the nearest hospital, and spend the remainder of the evening/night/morning at the hospital.

 

Good thing we lived close, right? My parents were able to meet us at the hospital and take our son. Then, finally, at 5am, DH, DD, and I stumbled home. DH and DS went back the next day, but DD and I "roughed it" at home, only visiting the boys for dinner. Her arm hurt BAD!

 

We have gone camping several times since then, SUCCESSFULLY. Although, not at Fort Wilderness....

 

CeleBrat

[nybumpkin]

Thanks all.

 

I am of course open to becoming a cruise fan, I guess it's just that I've always had an image of cruising that is a cross between "The Love Boat" and "The Poseidon Adventure (the 1972 version)." And now I think of it, that's quite embarrassing considering we live 30 minutes from a major cruise port.

 

The cruise is competing with a NYC trip, perhaps by train (sleeping on the train, etc.), so am open to pros of ship versus train...anyone?

 

On the train - I'm an Amtrak frequent traveler, although I've never done an overnight, and the main concern with train travel is that you have to be flexible in your schedule. The New York-Florida trains frequently run late, so you need to build that into your plans.

 

On the cruise - your family sounds a lot like where my family was 4+ years ago, when we started this whole cruising thing. (Eight cruises taken, two booked.) We did lots of camping trips - on an island in Lake George, on an island in the St. Lawrence Seaway, the Catskills, South Jersey, the Delaware Seashore. At least most of the time we had running water and showers.;) We also did some other trips like the Grand Canyon and Colonial Williamsburg. In 2004, we were looking for something different, and I saw an ad for 5-day cruises right from New York, a 2-hour drive from our house. And I have to admit that "Love Boat" actually played a role in my decision. You see, I was in the doctor's office waiting to get an x-ray for our youngest son and "Love Boat" was playing on the TV in the waiting room. Forget the hokey characters - the boat looked neat. I came home and announced to DH that I wanted to do a cruise. Now, DH's idea of a cruise was also somewhere between "Love Boat" and Poseidon Adventure," and right up until we drove to NYC the day of the cruise he kept saying, "I'm not sure if I'm going to like this." That lasted until we crossed the George Washington Bridge, looked down the river and saw our ship at the dock. By the end of the cruise, he was hooked. When we returned, he booked our next cruise with very little input from me.

 

As for camping - we haven't camped in 2 years now.:o We probably will again at some point, since youngest son is a Cub Scout. But the last few years we've cruised twice each year.

 

If you're close to a cruise port, I'd give cruising a try. You don't need to fly, don't need a hotel - just drive, park, get on the ship and enjoy!

[The Momma]

Ha! You all crack me up!

 

I wouldn't say that we are exactly the "roughing it" type, but I am lucky that my kids are willing to try anything. They have pretty much learned to trust that I will plan a good time. There were "interesting" times on our trip, like the night it rained and was cold to boot (we were in the mountains). Did I mention we were in a tent? But we were dry inside and just all snuggled up together to keep warm.

 

Or the time that my son hung his towel (one of those with a sewn in pocket that you can stuff the rest the towel in and it becomes it's own bag) over a clothes line I brought and hung between 2 trees. When he woke up in the morning and took it down off the line, he discovered that a mouse had climbed in the pocket part and gave birth to about 5 baby mice during the night!

 

My kids still talk about that trip, fondly, however.

 

I really appreciate everyone's advice as I begin researching a cruise. As I pass on what I learn to the family, they seem to be getting more and more set on doing the cruise instead of the road trip. I will continue to read this board and the other areas of this site to become as informed as I can.

 

Thanks again.

[tomko2]

Momma, you just seem so cool and happy, I think you and your family would have an awesome time together on a cruise. One way to get a better "picture" of cruising is to look at some cruise photos with real people in them; Webshots is a good place to search for photos, e.g. type in Freedom of the Seas and watch the photos come up! We have our cruise photos on Webshots thru the link below.

Another good resource are the cruise reviews, just use the link above in the top banner and then narrow the search to Freedom of the Seas (or sister ships Liberty of the Seas or Independence of the Seas).

Planning is definitely part of the fun and it is great your family is so engaged in the process.

Kathy:)

[NanciRDH]

we always called them campers pies, but only made them from the bread and canned fruit pie filling. They were good but I remember always burning my mouth on them because I was too impatient for them to cool down!

 

DH has never been camping, not even in a backyard tent. His idea of roughing it is staying in a hotel with no room service. ;)

[The Momma]

TOMKO2- thanks for the link, I loved viewing your pics, and those posted by Crusinmama06. They do give a better idea of what things actually look like. And you can tell size a lot better with actual people in them.

 

Thanks also nybumpkin for the info about Amtrak. Things I hadn't considered.

 

I'm really enjoying researching and learning about this vacation style that I'd never given much thought to. I'm amazed at how many cruises some of you have been on!