Is Seabourn appropriate for children?

I'm sure that this has been asked before, so please bear with me. My best friend's in-laws have only ever traveled on Seabourn. The mother-in-law passed away this past October and now the father-in-law would like to take the entire family on a cruise over Christmas. This includes 6 adults and 10 children between the ages of 10 and 23. Would Seabourn passengers mind having so many children on board and also, would these children be bored? What do you think?

Thanks so much!

ps - my friend asked me to post this as she has no clue about cruising, cruise critic, etc.

I will respond from two vantage points -- the other passengers and the children. It is not unusual over the some or Christmas holidays for there to be a few children on board. However, I can tell you that most Seabourn passengers would not be happy to be onboard with so many children in such a small space even if they were the most well behaved children in the world. Children need to be children and run and scream and laugh and frankly most passengers pick seabourn because it is not a loud Carnival ship. From the childrens point of view, eventhough they would have each other for company there is little for them to do -- no play areas, a small pool and no special childrens activities. You friend would make everyone happier by selecting a nice ship where they specifically cater to children.

I'm sure that this has been asked before, so please bear with me. My best friend's in-laws have only ever traveled on Seabourn. The mother-in-law passed away this past October and now the father-in-law would like to take the entire family on a cruise over Christmas. This includes 6 adults and 10 children between the ages of 10 and 23. Would Seabourn passengers mind having so many children on board and also, would these children be bored? What do you think?

Thanks so much!

ps - my friend asked me to post this as she has no clue about cruising, cruise critic, etc.

Chairsin is right on...however, the fact the the gentleman has traveled Seabourn a lot, he should know his family..as well, as the conditions and people aboard. If there are not but a couple of the 10 and up..and most were in the older category, I would think that the family would be somewhat contained, and it would work out. It would be a shame to deny such a marvelous oportunity to be family with this man who probably is hurting and lonely. That being said, I do not enjoy traveling with children aboard. But, that is just me. Lola

I think the ages of the grandchildren assumes they are not lively toddlers or fidgety pre-schoolers. If they can amuse themselves during the sea time, it will be fine. Also, if it's the Odyssey, it's larger with more to offer.

I am sure the Grandfather is well acquainted with the routines and general offerings for children. I like to have some teens on my trivia team, that's for sure. What a wonderful way to spend the holidays as a family.

Thank you so much for your helpful replies.

Do you have any suggestions for other lines, keeping in mind that the Grandfather and the family ONLY travel first class, five star or better. Their family land vacations have always been at Four Seasons around the world, so do not think Carnival is the ship for them either, as a previous poster suggested.

I am a Crystal devotee and I understand that Crystal has Junior Activities Directors on board when alot of children are on either Symphony or Serenity. I have not yet traveled on Seabourn but might in the future. My only comment is that while I am sure that Seabourn provides the same luxury cruise as does Crystal, you may find Crystal to be more child friendly while the adults will enjoy a luxury cruise. I have noted that our big time Crystal cruisers, Keith and Anne Marie are on your fabulous new ship, Oddessy!

You might look at RSSC. Last Christmas there was a good program for the younger children on the Voyager. They always seemed to be having fun and I found the experiences very similar to Seabourn. (There is a detailed review somewhere, posted in January, '09 if you search)

Thank you so much for your helpful replies.

Do you have any suggestions for other lines, keeping in mind that the Grandfather and the family ONLY travel first class, five star or better. Their family land vacations have always been at Four Seasons around the world, so do not think Carnival is the ship for them either, as a previous poster suggested.

I think that the Grandfather loves Seabourn and would not be happy with another venue. If the family has grown up with a "5 Star" way of life, I cannot imagine that all would not be well and appreciated by them. Our daughter was older when we took her on two SB trips..and we worried that she might not like it...she enjoyed the "oldest" people on board the most. The staff is always special to the young people aboard, and the ages of these youngsters would say that they do not need a lot of guidance. Now, toddlers are a different story. We have seen well behaved young people and those who were pains. Mostly, they have been fine.

Thank you so much for your helpful replies.

Do you have any suggestions for other lines, keeping in mind that the Grandfather and the family ONLY travel first class, five star or better. Their family land vacations have always been at Four Seasons around the world, so do not think Carnival is the ship for them either, as a previous poster suggested.

What comes to mind reading this is possibly Cunard in Grill Class suites. The food and service in the Grill Suites is very good and there is lots for the younger set to do on QM2. I agree, the smaller luxury ships have no facilities for children so the children can be irritating to some adults looking for adult time. I have been on SeaDream with children on board and it really does change the experience for the other passengers.

All the best,

Jim.

As others have noted you will find some children on Seabourn on the Holiday Cruises.

It would be great to know the breakout of the ages of the children as there is a wide difference between a 10 year old and a 23 year old.

Assuming that a few of the younger ones are relative close to the ten year old that would probably help.

If this was me and I considered Seabourn I would take a hard look at the Odyssey over the existing three ships. I just think the Odyssey being over double the size and more modern might be better for the children.

Just like all adults are different all children are different too. Seabourn is great for some adults but not all adults. Some adults would be bored.

Same goes for the children. If the children are mature for their ages and can interact well with others including adults in a refined manner than Seabourn might work out well.

However, if the children like to run around, are looking for activities such as basketball, and some of the other activities that are offered on some of the other cruise lines and can't sit still then Seabourn is not for them.

I would study the deck plan so that the family can see exactly what is available on the ships so that they can make an informed decisoin.

John, you are correct that Anne Marie and I were originally booked on the Inaugural Cruise of the Odyssey but due to scheduling conflicts we canceled this cruise.

Keith

I have a 12 year old and a 16 year old. They are well travelled and used to upscale restaurants and hotels. We sail on Seabourn without them and on RCCL with them because they would not be happy without other kids their age and lots of activities. Yes, RCCL is a bit of a shock for us after Seabourn but they are so well entertained that we get lots of adult time, which makes everyone happy!

I am a Crystal devotee and I understand that Crystal has Junior Activities Directors on board when alot of children are on either Symphony or Serenity. I have not yet traveled on Seabourn but might in the future. My only comment is that while I am sure that Seabourn provides the same luxury cruise as does Crystal, you may find Crystal to be more child friendly while the adults will enjoy a luxury cruise. I have noted that our big time Crystal cruisers, Keith and Anne Marie are on your fabulous new ship, Oddessy!

I'm also new to Seabourn but have had the good fortune of cruising on Crystal. Crystal, while not having the "facilities" that mass market lines offer for kids, does provide a wonderful experience for children due to their kids program. Depending on the number of children expected on board Crystal will have an appropriate number of counsellors. There are also dedicated children and teen areas. The size of the Crystal ships is also a plus as there is ample space for the children on board to go about their activities without interfering with the adults' enjoyment. I would suggest that the OP do a search on the Crystal board where this type of information is available.

We have not traveled SB, but have sailed on other luxury lines including Silverseas.

Guess there are two questions I would ask:

• What is the proposed itinerary?
  

• Have the grandkids been exposed to other grande luxe experiences?
  

My wife and I are part of the Metamucil set. We love having kids (not toddlers, which these aren't) on cruise ships, even as small as the triplets. They give balance to our lives. They entertain us with their energy. We've even learned more than a thing or two by interacting with them. I would dare say that some of them might have learned a thing or two from being around us.

Having said that, although I understand where the naysayers on this thread are coming from, I would hope that they, too, would ask the kind of questions posed above without being presumptively dismissive.

I was just on the Spirit for one week beginning 6/6. We had 3 teens, two small children (4 and 5 maybe?) and one infant on the ship. Seriously.

We hardly ever saw the teens, the little'uns we frequently saw at the Restaurant, by the pool and in the sky bar, and the infant was everywhere.

THey were all so exceptionally well-behaved that we never gave them a thought, except to smile at them having fun with their families. The infant was the belle of the ball - no child was EVER more fawned and fussed over, by both the staff and particularly the passengers.

Having spent many Christmas/New Year on Crystal Cruises I would recommend it.

They do cater for children and have a marvellous Christmas Day party after the

arrival of Santa Claus complete with sackful of presents. They have a playroom and

a special daily programme as well.

Seabourn is the only cruise ship we now wish to sail with but Crystal would be our number two choice and we would recommend it to anyone.

Thank you again for your kind replies. I will pass along to my friend to look into Crystal for their family holiday cruise! It sounds as if it may be a close second to Seabourn!