Question about bringing kids...

[grosk063]

Hi folks,

First off, thanks again for all your support. We are crusining on Carnival Valor in February with a fairly young group mostly in our 30's. I have one particular couple that are considering bringing their kids, aged 4 and 5. I've seen the camp carnival programs, and they do look great. But the mom is a little worried that her son may actually climb the railing and jump off. (I am more worried about that happening to some of the other grown ups in our group, hehe). But what can we tell her to calm her nerves about this and bringing kids that age in general? We really want them to come with us!! :)

[pmoniz]

My own opinion - I'd suggest they leave their kids at home. If no one else in your group is bringing along kids how much fun will they have with you all? Especially if she's afraid her son will climb the railings? If it were a whole "family" cruise then that's one thing, but if it's just "couples" I'd ask them to stick to that. Again - just my opinion!

[figs]

Yeah, I also think it would be rough on a couple to be the only ones bringing kids along, of a big group of friends. It's never fun to be the odd ones out that can't BOTH go to late night events, 'cause someone has to stay in the cabin with the little ones. Totally different type of cruise! If other families were bringing kids, it'd be easier.:)

 

But if they want 'em, and you want 'em----I've never seen any kids having trouble, and I've never heard/seen any headed overboard. They're pretty well-monitored, and it's not like anyone leaves 4-5 y/os alone, so someone will always be with 'em. My little sis loved Camp Carnival stuff, although she's too old now and does her own thing.

[Mommy40]

Maybe the couple can't get a sitter for the kids. I say bring them, there are two of them close in age, they can go to the kids club together. My kids have been cruising since the youngest was 3 and never tried to climb over the railing. Maybe it's the mom's first cruise and she doesn't realize how high the railings are.

[islndtme]

We have a 5yr old. He started going with us when he was 2, and we are leaving Monday for his 7th, our 10th. Every single cruise he has been on, one sad Mommy or Daddy has slithered up to us and told us about how sad they are that she left her kid/s at home because they wanted to have an adult time or they didnt think the kids would have fun, or they was worried about something. And yes, there were plenty of people drinking, looking at us like why did we bring him along.

 

I want my child to travel and see places Ive been, and for us to see new places together. Yes, there are times when he was smaller, that I would go with him to nap, and my husband went off with other friends or by himself, but there are more times than not that we are trying to get our son, NOT to go to camp so he will come with us to go play miniture golf or something. At camp kids are in a room that they cant fall out of, and if the parents watch their kids when they are on the decks, then they wont climb over. Even my son was never that adventurous to start climbing on the railing! When he was always being carried, I wouldnt let anyone carry him close to the railing though, but as long as other people want the kids there, bring them. I would rather have my son on the ship, at camp when Im at the pool, than thousands of miles away, and worring about him there.

[kujobie]

It's been a few years since my kids were little but I think most of the camp activities are indoors, especially for the little ones...

[scubagolfer]

Surprising, My observations are that there is only one deck where a kid could actually climb with ease to get overboard, usually the open air decks, around the prominade decks, most lido decks have glass walls making getting out quite difficult, our last cruise, November on the Destiny, I noticed on the upper open air decks had been replaced with solid, no-gaps railings that made it impossible for kids to climb on. they were slanted toward the edge of the deck and even an adult would have a problem climbing because they were nearly belly button high with nothing to get a foot on. I say take the kids, good age. Plus if the night drags along and you are not as close or dislike someone in your group you can always use the excuse that you need to turn in early because of the kids.......remember though, camp carnival seems to work the best for us if we book early dining. My wife and I rarely leave our children at home anymore, we feel that we would worry about our kids more if they were at home without us, regardless of whos watching them, we have much more fun when they are with us

[Kurbanfan]

I personally would not bring them either. I knew how mine was at that age and I would worry too much and would not be able to relax.........

 

Aside from that alot of people on here seem to have no problem and rave about Camp Carnival........

Everyone is different, but if she is worried now, I'm not sure you would be able to calm her nerves......that's just a mom thing.......

[pungo3]

Personally, I believe the couple will have a much better time if they leave the children at home. It will allow them to do more without worrying about naps, eating on time, etc. That said, if they do choose to take their children, they will find Camp Carnival to be top notch and a fun alternative to the kids staying with them 24/7. I believe the children will be safer on the ship than they would be most other places. I can't ever remember hearing about a child falling overboard. That seems to be an 'adult only' occurrence.

[jff50]

Aside from the original concern regarding the kids jumping off, I'll leave it up to the parent to decide whether it is a good idea to bring their children--I don't know enough about their situation.

Regarding the concern about the kids jumping off, I've never heard of this happening to a kid on a cruise ship. A lot of kids have sailed on cruises, what is going to make these kids the first to jump off. Are these kids or parents so different than others that have cruised before? I guess I could understand if the kids were so much more active than any kids that had cruised before--but it is highly unlikely that they are that different/unique.

[CanadianMommyof2]

We take our children with us on cruises and will continue to. Our first family cruise our DD was 3.5 and DS was 18 months. They both had a great time and can't wait for our upcoming cruise in February on the Valor. As for the parents having to stay back with their kids that is totally untrue. After regular camp carnival hours they do offer babysitting services. It is a great time for the parents to see the evening shows with just their friends and not worry about the kids. They provide parents with cell phones so you can be in contact with the camp and they can also contact the parents. As for falling over, I would just mention your concerns with the camp carnival staff and I'm sure that they will put your mind at ease...most of the activities are in the camp carnival area not in the general deck area.

[pmoniz]

I don't think anyone is saying bringing kids on a cruise isn't fun for them and their family and that there are plenty of things for them to do. Yeah, no kidding. But the poster is saying this a "Family" cruise it's a "couples" cruise. So in that case is it really going to be fun for them? Probably not!

[JoeSmooga]

To take the kids or not to take the kids... it's the age old arguement on Cruise Critic.

 

OP.. the best advice for your friends that you can give them is that they need to decide for themselves, and if you support them bringing the kids tell 'em. Like another poster said, it's a mom thing... and that poster was absolutely right. It's their call. We can sit here all day and sell them on how safe the ship is, the age appropriate activites in Camp Carnival, etc., but only the parents will know what they are comfortable with.

 

As for me, I'll keep taking my kids with me. We're in our 30's as well and cruise with a large group of 30-somethings every January. Like your friends we are the only couple with kids in our group (7 y/o girl and 6 y/o boy), and have never felt as if we weren't able to do things because the kids we're with us. The best part... there are some in our group who want our kids assigned to their cabins... but I am thinking that this may have to do with both of the kids being Platnum cruisers. :) You want to talk about kids getting funny looks... you should see the looks when the kids flash those Platinum cards when on board!

 

Joe

[jff50]

You want to talk about kids getting funny looks... you should see the looks when the kids flash those Platinum cards when on board!

 

Joe

Nice to know that Carnival gives kids the appropriate cards. My 8 year old has been on at least 10 Princess cruises, but still gets the blue card that indicates a first time cruiser with Princess. Princess does this until the passenger is 18 YO. We are about to take our second Carnival cruise (first was a transatlantic and we loved it) and are looking forward to seeing what a 7 day is like.

[scubagolfer]

certainly the choice is yours OP, however are you committed to being with the group 24/7? Some of the excursions might be age restricted, and not children appropriate. If you feel that YOUR enjoyment might be decreased with having the children around, would you long to go on that super duper power snorkel excursion with tiger sharks? or could you let the kidless couples go without you? if you can't have fun without the whole group around then leave the children at home but we have traveled with large groups and couples who are kid..less if you will, and found that at times we go our seperate ways, and we have also sensed that the kid..less couples had at times, went on their own to get away from our children....fine. if you can handle the group at times going their own way then I say take the kids. remember you paid for your cruise too and no two couples cruise the same way.....have you asked the kid..less couples what they think about you bringing your kids? Lastly if the children stay at home I would suggest sometime in the same year I would plan a cruise or trip to include the children

[CanadianMommyof2]

I don't think anyone is saying bringing kids on a cruise isn't fun for them and their family and that there are plenty of things for them to do. Yeah, no kidding. But the poster is saying this a "Family" cruise it's a "couples" cruise. So in that case is it really going to be fun for them? Probably not!

 

 

Actually she was asking how she could calm the mother's fears of he son falling off of the ship, and any tips on travelling with children of that age. :rolleyes:

 

 

But what can we tell her to calm her nerves about this and bringing kids that age in general? We really want them to come with us!!

[CanadianMommyof2]

certainly the choice is yours OP, however are you committed to being with the group 24/7? Some of the excursions might be age restricted, and not children appropriate. If you feel that YOUR enjoyment might be decreased with having the children around, would you long to go on that super duper power snorkel excursion with tiger sharks? or could you let the kidless couples go without you? if you can't have fun without the whole group around then leave the children at home but we have traveled with large groups and couples who are kid..less if you will, and found that at times we go our seperate ways, and we have also sensed that the kid..less couples had at times, went on their own to get away from our children....fine. if you can handle the group at times going their own way then I say take the kids. remember you paid for your cruise too and no two couples cruise the same way.....have you asked the kid..less couples what they think about you bringing your kids? Lastly if the children stay at home I would suggest sometime in the same year I would plan a cruise or trip to include the children

 

I agree, for us we do not do excursions that our children can't do but at the same time we are not angry if the group decides to go their own way for a couple of hours to do the excursion that they want to do. You do have the option of leaving your child on the ship at camp carnival but for me personally I don't feel comfortable doing that. Just because you go as a large group doesn't mean you have to always be together...all people have different interests so you are bound to have people go their seperate ways at certain points in the trip. JMO

[Julienatul]

Tell them to bring them along!! We have been cruising with our DD since she was 7 months old and she just completed her 6th cruise before the age of 3. It is actually very difficult to climb and fall overboard. Most areas are glassed in or have rails that are solid, 4-5 feet high and non-climbable and you have to go out separate heavy doors to get to a deck that is open and even then there is usually a larger deck underneath it. Our DD has never come close to being in an unsafe situation. Even the balcony staterooms have 5ft plexiglass on them. The kids clubs are wonderful, there is minature golf, the pool, slides, music, pool games to watch, shows for the entire family. The kids clubs are open from 9am -3am on Carnival (after 10pm charges apply) so really the adults could still have plenty of alone time. We have traveled with larger groups a few times and have been the only ones with small children and we have never felt "saddled" or wished our child was left at home. If it wasnt enjoyable, we wouldnt have cruised with her 6 times in the last 2.5 years. You should show your friend photos of the decks on the ship with all the glassed in areas, that might make her feel safer. I think that is every parents fear until they get onboard and see for themselves how safe the ships actually are.

 

Julie

[pmoniz]

Actually she was asking how she could calm the mother's fears of he son falling off of the ship, and any tips on travelling with children of that age. :rolleyes:

 

I wasn't talking about her post. But nice try!

[JenSDCA]

I had the same jitters...my younger son seems to be part monkey and still climbs anything he can. He was fine on the ship, never even tried anything since he was always supervised. I still won't book a balcony cabin yet....

[CanadianMommyof2]

I wasn't talking about her post. But nice try!

 

I don't see where she put that it wasn't a "family" cruise but a "couples" cruise....she said that no one else had children but they really want the couple that has children to join them but the mother is worried about her child. Believe it or not, some people do enjoy including their children when they go on trips. It comes down to that parents personal choice, if they want it to be a family trip or some alone time. What if she decides to leave her children at home and then is upset with that decision, is she going to have fun then....probably not. That's JMO, either way it is up to them.

[pmoniz]

I don't see where she put that it wasn't a "family" cruise but a "couples" cruise....she said that no one else had children but they really want the couple that has children to join them but the mother is worried about her child. Believe it or not, some people do enjoy including their children when they go on trips. It comes down to that parents personal choice, if they want it to be a family trip or some alone time. What if she decides to leave her children at home and then is upset with that decision, is she going to have fun then....probably not. That's JMO, either way it is up to them.

 

Yes, you're right! To me it sounded like she was basically saying it was "couples" except for them. Maybe I misunderstood and since the poster has decided not to chime back in and fill us in on some details, I guess we'll never know. But anyway, like you said it's up to them. Either way they could regret their decision. Taking them along or leaving them home. I guess it really depends on their own situation. Sorry for the misunderstanding!

[grosk063]

Thanks folks for quick and awesome replies. Sorry it took me a few hours to get back to you. This will mostly be a couples trip. However we are leaving it up to everyone to make that decision on their own. Like you said, only they know what will work for them. This is good feedback though, keep'em coming.

[cltcruiser]

We just got back off of the Fantasy earlier this month. My wife's nagging fear was one of the children falling or climbing overboard. They are 2, 4, and 5. While they are in Camp Carnival, that age group does not go outside on any open decks (at least on the Fantasy). The only time they were on open decks was with us. So, unless the parents are not careful, I cannot see a problem.

 

As for the issue of the kids being with a larger group of mainly adults, Camp Carnival runs until 10pm, and like someone else said, there is babysitting available for a fairly reasonable rate.

 

My wife and I cruised by ourselves in April, and we obviously brought the kids this month. Both vacations were a blast...they were different, but both were a blast.

[PhoenixDawgCruising]

My sons, now 4 & 12, are both Diamond members (10+ cruises) on RCCL, they cruise with us every year, this year will be their first Carnival cruise.

 

What we do is take gramma, she ges her own cabin with the 12 year old who is completely self-sufficient, we stay next door with the 4 year old. A few nights during the cruise the kids got to the kid center, or we can get in room babysitting, so the 3 adults can go out together. Then once or twice gramma stays with the kids so mom an dad can hit the casino.

 

It always works, and I have never worried about a kid falling over, and both my kids are climbers. The only way something like that would happen is if the parent was drunk or stupid, or if there was some freak accident. I worry more in land hotels with high balconies...at least the ship balconies have steel or plexiglass!!

 

But I would think twice about going with a big childless group-I would be annoyed if any one of my "childless" friends had anything negative to say about me bringing my kids...they might not remain my friends for too long after that. Guess it depends on the group and how they feel about the couple bringing the kids. If they are for it, shouldn't be an issue.