My Daughter Doesn't Like To Cruise!!

[jbroons]

We just had our first cruise ever on Freedom.....GREAT time. I was just planning our second cruise and my oldest daughter tells me..."Dad, I don't really like to cruise...I just like to experience things...you know". I said..."No I don't know....I just spent $7,000 so that you could "experience" something.....?".

 

Maybe I will just plan a cruise with guys....or better yet, just a girl!!

[jessemon]

Don't take her the next time. Or if she is still a minor tell her tuff you're going anyways....

[falkcor]

suggest she look up the definition of the word experience and get back to you? :cool:

 

a cruise provides experiences in spades. that's part of what i love about it so much.

[jbroons]

Don't take her the next time. Or if she is still a minor tell her tuff you're going anyways....

 

 

Jesse...thanks! Only problem is we are going to Jupiter FL in June....where we have a home. I was going to surprise them (my two girls) with a short cruise down there. Now what!! I cannot leave her by herself....well, she is seventeen!!!???

[gtouch]

We just had our first cruise ever on Freedom.....GREAT time. I was just planning our second cruise and my oldest daughter tells me..."Dad, I don't really like to cruise...I just like to experience things...you know". I said..."No I don't know....I just spent $7,000 so that you could "experience" something.....?".

 

Maybe I will just plan a cruise with guys....or better yet, just a girl!!

 

I have 2 daughters and thankfully they loved cruising. But if they didn't they have a right to their opinions (even though they will or may change their opinions over time). As I tell my 93 year old father "the older I get the smarter you get" which means I now understand what he was saying when I was younger and didn't understand. Good luck and remember when they look back they may see that this really was a great time.

[jbroons]

suggest she look up the definition of the word experience and get back to you? :cool:

 

a cruise provides experiences in spades. that's part of what i love about it so much.

 

 

Me too after my very first "experience"....thanks falkcor!!;)

[falkcor]

Me too after my very first "experience"....thanks falkcor!!;)

 

no doubt. and just for the purposes of conversation (i'm sure you know what experience means, but here's a most objective analysis, from merriam webster): http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/experience

Main Entry: 1ex·pe·ri·ence [/url]

Pronunciation: \ik-ˈspir-ē-ən(t)s\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin experientia act of trying, from experient-, experiens, present participle of experiri to try, from ex- + -periri (akin to periculum attempt) — more at fear

Date: 14th century

1 a: direct observation of or participation in events as a basis of knowledge b: the fact or state of having been affected by or gained knowledge through direct observation or participation

2 a: practical knowledge, skill, or practice derived from direct observation of or participation in events or in a particular activity b: the length of such participation <has 10 years' experience in the job>

3 a: the conscious events that make up an individual life b: the events that make up the conscious past of a community or nation or humankind generally

4: something personally encountered, undergone, or lived through

5: the act or process of directly perceiving events or reality

 

if you take the interpretation literally - what better than a cruise for 'experience'! seriously, that is a big part of what i love - i can put pins in a few more countries on the map, say i've done things that most people wouldn't even dream of, and been pampered with fine service at every step.

 

here's an idea. if for some reason she wasn't keen on this last cruise 'experience' - leave it open ended. turn her on to doing her own independent research, or share what you find with her to get her excited about, and consider feedback toward what she's about to 'experience'.

 

maybe if she feels she's planning her own, or contributing (and getting a few excursions, etc. she'd like) to your larger group itinerary, she'd be more down with it. if she's totally off the course everyone else wants to travel, let her do her own thing. at least she still gets on, and stays on, the boat with you :D

 

seriously though, that's not a good excuse - one has total control over their own 'experience' - maybe it just wasn't planned to her liking for one reason or another.

 

i'd rather cruise than 'experience' a single resort for a week... how many times can you 'experience' the beach, or the swim up bar, and walk away with truly unique different 'experiences'. i'd rather visit 3 of each at different ports, personally.

 

i hope that made sense :cool:

[jbroons]

no doubt. and just for the purposes of conversation (i'm sure you know what experience means, but here's a most objective analysis, from merriam webster): http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/experience

 

Main Entry: 1ex·pe·ri·ence

Pronunciation: \ik-ˈspir-ē-ən(t)s\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin experientia act of trying, from experient-, experiens, present participle of experiri to try, from ex- + -periri (akin to periculum attempt) — more at fear

Date: 14th century

1 a: direct observation of or participation in events as a basis of knowledge b: the fact or state of having been affected by or gained knowledge through direct observation or participation

2 a: practical knowledge, skill, or practice derived from direct observation of or participation in events or in a particular activity b: the length of such participation <has 10 years' experience in the job>

3 a: the conscious events that make up an individual life b: the events that make up the conscious past of a community or nation or humankind generally

4: something personally encountered, undergone, or lived through

5: the act or process of directly perceiving events or reality

 

if you take the interpretation literally - what better than a cruise for 'experience'! seriously, that is a big part of what i love - i can put pins in a few more countries on the map, say i've done things that most people wouldn't even dream of, and been pampered with fine service at every step.

 

here's an idea. if for some reason she wasn't keen on this last cruise 'experience' - leave it open ended. turn her on to doing her own independent research, or share what you find with her to get her excited about, and consider feedback toward what she's about to 'experience'.

 

maybe if she feels she's planning her own, or contributing (and getting a few excursions, etc. she'd like) to your larger group itinerary, she'd be more down with it. if she's totally off the course everyone else wants to travel, let her do her own thing. at least she still gets on, and stays on, the boat with you :D

 

seriously though, that's not a good excuse - one has total control over their own 'experience' - maybe it just wasn't planned to her liking for one reason or another.

 

i'd rather cruise than 'experience' a single resort for a week... how many times can you 'experience' the beach, or the swim up bar, and walk away with truly unique different 'experiences'. i'd rather visit 3 of each at different ports, personally.

 

i hope that made sense :cool:

 

Thanks dude...MBA English major here....but I will pass this on to Shannon. Get some sleep night owl!;)

[jessemon]

Jesse...thanks! Only problem is we are going to Jupiter FL in June....where we have a home. I was going to surprise them (my two girls) with a short cruise down there. Now what!! I cannot leave her by herself....well, she is seventeen!!!???

Then I guess she is still a minor....Take her and tell here to get over it...LOL....Also try to find a few interesting things on shore that she would probably really find nteresting....Like a dolphin swin or stingrays and so on and so on......;)

[jbroons]

Then I guess she is still a minor....Take her and tell here to get over it...LOL....Also try to find a few interesting things on shore that she would probably really find nteresting....Like a dolphin swin or stingrays and so on and so on......;)

 

Understood...we just did parasailing in KW. Rays, Reef & Rum Pointe Beach in GC. Dunn's River Falls/Bamboo beach Club in Jamaica...OR. Maybe I just have a wonderful, spoiled 17 year old teenager.....I think that I have to stop trying Jesse.

[falkcor]

Thanks dude...MBA English major here....but I will pass this on to Shannon. Get some sleep night owl!;)

 

lol, i said that i posted only for purposes of conversation. and for the fact that so many of the literal definitions, are, well, rather apropros...

 

just trying to be helpful :D seriously though, maybe just help her see how many great things she can experience, and if she wasn't keen on the last, plan for the next something she can enjoy. i can't imagine disqualifying cruising, if one is well informed.

 

and a night owl, i am... but i suppose i could accuse you of the same ;)

 

best of luck... :)

[falconfan]

I was like her at that age, my parents went to Hawaii when I was about that age but I wanted to stay behind and hang out with my friends. I finally went to Hawaii for my honymoon and at that point regretted not going with my parents the first time.

 

Here's an idea, leave her at home and tell her to "experience" having a job and "experiencing" exactly how much work it takes to be able to pay for these vacations. ;)

[jbroons]

lol, i said that i posted only for purposes of conversation. and for the fact that so many of the literal definitions, are, well, rather apropros...

 

just trying to be helpful :D seriously though, maybe just help her see how many great things she can experience, and if she wasn't keen on the last, plan for the next something she can enjoy. i can't imagine disqualifying cruising, if one is well informed.

 

and a night owl, i am... but i suppose i could accuse you of the same ;)

 

best of luck... :)

 

I am a night owl as well...but wish that I wasn't. Good night. BTW, I must be a jerk, but they LOVE rollercoasters...like @ six flags. Only an hour away...Superman...The Ride Of Steel...YAY.

[jbroons]

lol, i said that i posted only for purposes of conversation. and for the fact that so many of the literal definitions, are, well, rather apropros...

 

just trying to be helpful :D seriously though, maybe just help her see how many great things she can experience, and if she wasn't keen on the last, plan for the next something she can enjoy. i can't imagine disqualifying cruising, if one is well informed.

 

and a night owl, i am... but i suppose i could accuse you of the same ;)

 

best of luck... :)

 

BTW, your review of your last trip was soo great. Thanks!!

[bubbles1209]

My daughter doesn't care for cruising much either. I have to say when she told me that I couldn't figure it out for the life of me because at her age I would have absolutely loved it! I just didn't understand why and at first was a little hurt & disappointed, but after she explained why I understood. She went on our 1st one back in '06, then we did #2 without her (she stayed at her friend's house to stay in school), we did # 3 & 4 without her (she had moved to her dad's), and she did #5 with us after her & her brother had moved back home with me because it was a big family thing with relatives coming down from up north & the whole 9 yards.) We're leaving Saturday for #6 without her (she's staying at her friend's house for a week again) and yes, I'll miss her, but I understand why she isn't crazy about it. She just turned 17 in May, and she said that if she had a friend her age to go with her and to share things with, she may enjoy it better. That I understand. That's why she didn't enjoy the 1st one, and she didn't enjoy her 2nd one so much because she was thrown meeting 2 teen-age boys that had just graduated high school and they didn't have much in common. Add to the mix her brother who is a year and a half older, that she would really like to be away from for a minute (she is now, he moved out). So, I understand why she didn't enjoy the big family one so much. She is interested in cruising to Alaska with us for her high school graduation gift next year. She said she would enjoy this one more because it's somewhere she's always wanted to see. I can live with that. I think that she may enjoy it more when she's old enough to do some of the things that us adults can do, but like on her 1st, I can understand where she may have felt like she was getting in the way (which trust me, she wasn't by any means) because she couldn't go with us everywhere....and DH does love his casino. She felt like because 1 or both of us was with her, she was holding us back from what we wanted to do. That wasn't the case at all, we love DD to pieces and would rather be with her than anyone, and she knows that, but she also wanted us to get out and go play like adults without feeling guilty about leaving her. So I get without a friend her age that she knows instead of a stranger that she just met and will only see & know for a week's time why she wouldn't enjoy it as much as we do. We're lucky she has such close friends at home that we know so well and feel comfortable leaviing her in their care. They treat DD like she was their DD, they love her dearly just like I do, and all I can say is what's not to love? I couldn't ask for a better daughter, and they couldn't make a better one.......of course my opinion is biased.:)

Hopefully when she's a little older, she'll go with us and enjoy it more when she can go and do more things that us adults do, and we can do them all together. I understand & respect her position on it, and look forward to when she is older and can do everything with us. If not, I'll understand, with cruising, some like it, some don't. That's what makes us all individuals. I don't know if it was just you & your daughters that went, or if it was your whole family, or if you took friends as well, but maybe she'll appreciate it a little more when she's older.........and can win more than you do in the casino :D

[falkcor]

I am a night owl as well...but wish that I wasn't. Good night. BTW, I must be a jerk, but they LOVE rollercoasters...like @ six flags. Only an hour away...Superman...The Ride Of Steel...YAY.

 

i wouldn't have it any other way. i even schedule work around it... because, well, i make my own schedule. :D

 

and i LOVE roller coasters too. don't know which six flags is 1 hr away from you, but i grew up 20 mins from six flags great adventure (which was just great adventure before six flags)... some of the best coasters in the world, and often the groundbreaking of the biggest bestest six flags coasters... always bought season passes. but i'd trade a season pass for a cruise any day.

[falkcor]

BTW, your review of your last trip was soo great. Thanks!!

 

you're more than welcome and thanks for your comments. i tried to write a review that i'd want to read - with cognizance of what everybody else would want to read, too.

 

i've been toying with the idea recently - it was disrupted by some pretty rough stough (typo on purpose) things in my life - think i should finish it? it's still nagging me on the back burner that i left it incomplete - however robust it is (imo)...?

 

fine showing on yours, too, btw.

[jbroons]

Thank you bubbles. Great insight!!

 

And you as well falkcor....good ;)night owls!

[bubbles1209]

Thank you bubbles. Great insight!!

 

And you as well falkcor....good ;)night owls!

 

You are most welcome, hope it helped. :) good night. :)

[jbroons]

You are most welcome, hope it helped. :) good night. :)

 

It truly did. Thanks.

[falkcor]

And you as well falkcor....good ;)night owls!

 

good call and good night. :cool:

[mom2girls]

That's a shame about your daughter. I think that it is her age. Like some of the others have said she may enjoy it more if she were to bring a friend her age. When she gets older she will appreciate the fact that you gave her this wonderful "experience"!

[Vanessa L]

Don't take it personally, jbroons. At that age I was 100% enmeshed with my friends and I can remember resenting the hell out of my parents for "dragging me along" to family reunions and the like. I did NOT want to be away from my friends, "because, like, anything could happen while I was gone and I'd miss it." At that age most girls are social butterflies and the idea of spending time with their parents (ewww) who are typically "old fashioned" and way "not cool" in their eyes is like having a root canal.

 

When I was 10 years old I'd lived my entire life in Hawaii. My dad was stationed there in the Air Force. He retired in 1973 when I was 10 and decided to retire in all places, South Alabama. We left Hawaii and landed in Portland, Oregon where at the time it was about 50 degrees. I thought I was going to die of frostbite or something!! We picked up a new car and spent the next 3 months driving through every state in the continental US, stopping at all major attractions in each one, before finally settling at our new home in Alabama. I saw snow for the first time in my life at age 10 in Yellowstone National Park on the 4th of July, 1973. There were a zillion other highlights, most of which I can recall like it was yesterday. Point is, I absolutely hated my parents for "dragging me out of Hawaii and away from my friends" and whined, what I'm sure was 90% of the way.

 

However, around 25 or so when I finally began to grow up and realize that the world was SOOOOO much bigger than the bubble called "Vanessa's life" I became unbelievably grateful that my parents had offered me all the opportunities that they had. As others have pointed out, they suddenly became much smarter and much more cool than I realized from ages 10-24. Many of the folks that I had been "dragged to see" are now gone, as is my father. Would I take infinity dollars to replace any of those "experiences" today? Not in a million years.

 

Just remember, that it is a perfectly normal phase of life to be 100% enmeshed with friends at that age and really, think that parents are so not cool and would rather be with their friends than anything.

 

My daughter who is now 22 is at that place where she is realizing that maybe, just maybe there is something outside of the "Jennifer bubble" and it honors me watching her come out of childhood and into adulthood. She is at that place where she is realizing that maybe I wasn't "such an idiot" after all for setting all the rules I did for her when she was young. We are cruising together with her 12 year old brother in November and she is so looking forward to it. It will be her first cruise since she was 6 years old.

 

This is a REALLY long way of saying that, if it was me, I'd take her, whining and all, offer her the experiences you did before and know, that in a few short years she will grow into adulthood and be ever so grateful that you did "drag" her along. She will be able to fully appreciate everything she was seeing and doing and will also begin to realize how selfish life was at 17. Of course, I can't guarantee that in your child, but based on my own experiences in growing up, and watching others go through this (also knowing a little something about child psychology), I think that you are on the right path taking her along.

[spleenstomper]

I would book the cruise and make her go. It isn't just about "experiencing things"; it is also about making family memories.

[tef43]

I would book the cruise and make her go. It isn't just about "experiencing things"; it is also about making family memories.

It's also about shutting up and doing what your parents tell you to do.