Bring the Kids???

[invtime]

Its been over 3 years since our last cruise and we cant wait to get back out there. We have two girls who will be just over two and 1 years old when we plan to travel. We are planing on the Explorer of sea's or similar on RCCL as we have been on Princes 4x's now loved them all but just want something different, not to mention the ability to get private baby sitting which princess does not offer.

 

My basic question is, will the trip be more work then its worth? I know its a ruff age since they cannot participate in any of the organized kids programs on the ship as they woule need to be atleast 3. We are planning on taking grandma and grandpa who would help out, but we dont want it to be a big nuisance on them since it would be their first cruise.

 

Oh, looking to go in Novemver, 7 night caribbean, atleast mini-suite.

 

Any comments or sugestions from those who have traveled with 2+ kids on a cruise would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

[cruisinqt]

Our two girls were a little older than yours when they went on their first cruise. The youngest had just turned 3 and they're about 18 months apart in age. How well they do depends on their personalities and dispositions. Our two girls are inseparable and played happily together on the cruise. Plus they were old enough to be in the kids program. So being able to drop them off in the kids area for a couple hours several times a day was great!:D

 

But with your kids ages, it may be a little harder. Children that young that aren't potty trained are not allowed in any of the pools. So seeing the pools and not being able to swim in them might be hard on them. :( There's an arcade but they're probably too young for it. I'm trying to think of someplace where they could go play but all of the toys and kid stuff is in the kids area and your kids wouldn't be old enough to go there.

 

Carnival will let your 2 year old into Camp Carnival, so that could be an option. Our kids loved the Ocean Adventure Camp on the Rhapsody just as much as they did Camp Carnival on the Conquest. And I would rate both cruises at about equal. If you could put the 2 year old into the kids program then the 1 year old might not be too much to handle, especially since they sleep so much at that age. When mine were 1, they usually took a 2 or 3 hour nap every day.;)

 

I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help, but our kids didn't start cruising until they were old enough to be in the kids program. But they are as addicted to cruising as we are and are nagging me to death about how long they have to wait before their next cruise. :rolleyes: We will be trying out Princess for the first time next year and can't wait. I'm glad to see that you've sailed Princess so many times and loved it!

[the4ofusandallourfriends]

We've cruised since my son was 1 and daughter 5. They are now 6 and 10. We've gone every year or two, but always with a group of friends. We love it since it accomodates all our needs. We don't mind the cozy inside cabins.

 

Yes it's alot of work, but I assume any other family vacation would entail the same or more work (where to eat, driving around in cars,cabs,buses....ugh..). With cruising we know the ship will be clean,the food will be good even for the pickiest eater, we'll all be entertained....and you can have a nap whenever you want.

 

We took one cruise without kids. Although I got a chance to decknap alot (which was nice), we wished we had brought them and missed them too much.

 

Our kids have never been big on the clubs, they mostly want to hang with us. But each ship is different and offers clubs starting at different ages.

 

Bringing the kids along is never too much trouble. Leaving them home is not even an option for us....

Especially with all the info you can access today pre-cruise, it's easier than ever.

[Happy ks]

We only travelled locally when our kids were small. We waited until the youngest was almost 7 before we took them on their first cruise. We have never had grandparents to leave our kids with for the week, so they went everywhere with us. Our kids are now 13 and 16, we have only left them behind once with relatives and that was only two years ago. If we could do it all over again, I would certainly have tried harder to vacation without the kids a little more often.

 

If you have trusted grandparents, aunts, dear friends, someone that you know will lovingly care for your kids, leave them behind. Your little ones will have absolutely no memory of your cruise at that age. You owe it to your marriage to get away from the grind of child rearing once in a while. If you feel you must take them along, prepare yourself to be with them 24/7 and it will be constant work. For the money spent on a cruise, I cannot understand why people want to take along babies and toddlers. I can understand why you don't want to leave your babies behind, but if that is the case, perhaps a simpler vacation should be planned for the family.

 

Not always a popular opinion, but after observing people onboard with babies and toddlers, I can't imagine going through the experience. I'm not at all intolerant of people with babies and toddlers onboard, I just look at them and thank goodness it's not me.

[Andee]

We found that when our children were very young, they travelled the best when we could come close to duplicating their routine at home.

 

That meant being able to eat the type of foods they usually ate at their usual time, and being able to nap and sleep in a room separate from ours.

 

For us, a cruise just wouldn't have worked, and we generally vacationed by visiting friends and family or renting a lake cabin.

[Folgy]

Happy KS , Quote:Not always a popular opinion, but after observing people onboard with babies and toddlers, I can't imagine going through the experience. I'm not at all intolerant of people with babies and toddlers onboard, I just look at them and thank goodness it's not me.

__________________

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

I agree with this very wise statement. Enjoy yourself .

 

 

*plus ...give other pax a break that don.t want crumbcrunchers/poopers around :D

[Sun and Fun]

We always vacation with our children. My son went on his first cruise when he was 2-1/2 and had a ball. We are going this Jan. with our son (now 4-1/2) and our 19 month old daughter. I am all for giving children a wide variety of experiences. Sure, they may not have individual memories of everything that happened, but you'd be surprised at how much they DO remember. My son now has first hand knowledge of a volcano and being on a black sand beach (Martinique), the ocean, diversity/people from other countries, etc. etc. etc. He STILL talks about what he did on the "Big Big Ship".

 

I teach development at a University and I truly believe that we need to provide children with many and varied experiences. It enriches their understanding of the world around them. Also, family time is very important. The cruise my son was on was Carnival's Legend and he spent maybe 2 hours total at their children's program. We had more fun playing with him on the ship.

 

Now, don't get me wrong - I also believe that it is good for parents to do things alone (I should take my own advice :rolleyes: ) however, if all you would do is worry about and think about your children while you aren't with them, the trip may not be all that enjoyable. We traveled with friends who left their 1-year-old at home and the entire time kept saying, "I wish ___ could see this" and the like (including crying a lot because they missed him).

 

You need to do what you feel comfortable with, but I wouldn't hesitate bringing children along. The staff do a wonderful job with them and it is a great family adventure. You DO need patience and remember that you may not be able to do everything you'd like - kayaking, other strenuous shore excursions, staying out really late (unless you are traveling with others and your spouse can take turns with you going to late shows).

 

Good luck in your decision, whatever it is.:)