Mother / Daughter (Age 8) Cruise

[mickeycrz03]

Tossing around the idea of taking DD on a cruise later this year or early next year. I have been on two cruises with her Dad before we divorced a couple of years ago and loved cruising. DD will be 8 in October so a fun age to travel with. She has been to Disney World once and would really like to go back for her birthday. I would love to go on a Disney Cruise but know that I could never afford it. What are your thoughts? Single parent traveling with a child? Good idea? Bad idea?

 

Would love to hear your thoughts.

[cb at sea]

I think it's a fine idea! Something she'll remember for a lifetime! Disney is expensive, but either RCi or Carnival have lots for kids to do, and no matter which line or ship, you'll have a great time!

[rebeccalouise]

Ok- I am in the same boat (pun intended). I am divorced and travel all the time with my son, now 8. We've been to Europe together (just the two of us)- you name it.

 

Cruising is a fantastic vacation for a single parent. I go to trivia the first day and have friends for the whole cruise. Go with your interests- dance classes or whatever and you'll meet lots of people.

 

Meanwhile your 8 year old will love the youth program and get very involved with that.

 

There are doctors on every cruise ship and this is also reasuring, especially when you are traveling alone. Cruising is my favorite form of travel as you can see from the list of cruises I've been on.

 

My son said Disney was his favorite (he has also sailed NCL, Celebrity, Princess, Holland America, Cunard and Carnival) until our recent cruise on Independence of the Seas. I had fun but he LOVED it even more than Disney. So there you have it.

 

Now, for my choices... I really like Princess the best. I like the vibe better there. I like the outdoor movie theatre and the pools. It is a more relaxing experience but I think you will both have fun on Royal Caribbean. It is a good alternative to Disney- very family friendly. Take a look at their ships online.

 

If it comes down to chosing a Royal Caribbean cruise though- go with the larger- Freedom Class ships. Also the Oasis of the Seas looks awesome.

[CanadianTwosome]

ABSOLUTELY!!! My daughter would love to cruise alone with me... or alone with her dad... or alone, probably!! ha ha ha She's only been on NCL at this point, and we're booked on another one as of last night. (been home three weeks from the last one - it was either that or suffer the withdrawals!)

 

From our experience, NCL's Freestyle concept works really well for our family. There are no set dining times, so we get to go eat when we're ready, not before or after - or while we're still having fun at the pool. :) Depending on when you sail (and how full the ship is) there can be waits for the non-reservation dining rooms, but we've never experienced one. The children's programs have all been great. My daughter's favourite was the Star, but when I ask her why, it was pretty clear that the most important factor was the staff, so you can really only count on a good kids' area and a generally good schedule of organized events and hope that the staff will be great. They're pretty much all good, but I have to agree with her that the staff on the Star was exceptional. We even ran into some of them in port one day and even the ones from the other age groups knew our daughter's name and took the time to stop and talk to her.

 

I think that realistically these days pretty much all lines have good programs. Just like anywhere else, staff may or may not be the best around, but even if they're not, you've still got a whole cruise ship to enjoy with your child. I have to admit I would love to try an outdoor movie theatre, and I know my daughter would love it (as long as they movie was good). I'm sure we'll check out other lines someday, but for now, NCL seems to have what we're looking for every time I go looking. Like I said, though, you'll have a good time no matter what line you choose.

 

The planning can be a big part of the fun, also. Talk to your daughter about when and where you'd like to go. Once that's decided, check out what lines go there, where they leave from, and do some research on the ships, the amenities, and port activities. Find the perfect cruise for you. :)

[CeleBrat]

I took my DD (age 5) on a DIsney cruise last year--and also invited my Mom along. My best friend, and her DD also 5) and mother also went.

 

So, it was an all-girls trip. No boys allowed!

 

Are you able to do something like that? The girls had fun times in the Oceaneer's Club, while us grown-up girls had a good time on deck and in the spa.

 

CeleBrat

[Quincella]

I took my daughters (11 and 5 at the time) on the NCL Jewel last year for Spring Break. We had a fantastic time! They both loved the kids club and that left me plenty of time to enjoy some more adult things, like the spa. Since I wasn't traveling with another adult, I did spend more time than usual alone on my balcony with a book, but that was like heaven for me. This wasn't their first cruise, but it was their first cruise with just mom.

 

We have another cruise booked just for the three of us in November of this year. It was a great way to spend some time together, but also for each of us to enjoy some individual, age-appropriate fun without anyone else having to be dragged along.

[Eeyoregon]

My boys are 13 and 16 and I have been a single parent since they were 2 and 5 and I have alwayss traveled with them.

 

I would never dream of missing out on the great memories that we have made just because I am a singleton.

 

My youngest son was 8 on his 1st cruise and he had an absolute blast!!

 

Cruising is the best of both worlds for a single parent. You can have together time as well as alone time if you child participates in any of the childrens programs.

 

Regarding safety, when in port I only do ship sponsored excursions or I stick with a group of fellow passengers (some that I have met in my CC roll calls) and I avoid isolated taxi rides in favor of mass transit buses/shuttles.

 

Don't give up on the Disney Cruise idea. They often have as good if not better prices than RCCL out of Port Canaveral, depending on the season. Our Disney cruise was hands down my kids MOST favorite to date. They were 10 and 13 at the time and still talk about that cruise!

 

Happy traveling!!

 

Gina

[rebeccalouise]

My son loved Disney and held that to a higher standard than any of our other cruises (see list below) until he traveled on Independence of the Seas. He said it was "paradise" and he was in kid heaven. Much more interesting for older kids than Disney. Better pool. He didn't even miss the waterslide that we had on Disney.

 

So give Freedom Class ships a try as an alternative to Disney. I do think Disney is magical for the really little ones 3-5

[azbaby8062]

I have been on three cruises all since my separation and now divorce. Granted the first one was on Celebrity and with the rest of my family. The next cruise, my son was 6 and we sailed on Princess to Mexico, we had a great time and he had a blast. He loved the kids program. Our last cruise was on Carnival to San Juan, Tortola, and St. Thomas; again he had a great time. He loved the kids program even more than Princess. We will be sailing again on another Carnival ship (Splendor) in June. I think you will have a blast. Having the kids programs allows you to do some alone (adult) activities if you want and still spend time with your child.