Cruising With Kids Tips

Santa bought our entire family a cruise! DH have been several times, but we never have cruised with the kids (8, 10, 11, 12)..... What cruise critic expert tips do you have?? Things that are readily known! Thanks!

Look on the Family board for more info.

Have them go the the first meeting of the kid's club and get the schedule.

Just go with the flow!!! Have fun and enjoy! Don't try to do it all but do some things you would not get to at home!

You are in for a WONDERFUL time. Your kids will fall in love with cruising! (Could be bad cuz they will always want to go with you!!)

* Check the family Board

* Go with the flow...they will emulate your behavior

* Discuss ahead of time expectations....

Can they check themselves out of club?

Can they go to the pool with their siblings?

Can they wander the ship by themselves?

How should they treat the staff?

Meal Expectations?

Have a wonderful time!! Our kids got hooked by Santa too!! :D

What a great Christmas present! We took our kids & spouses along with their kids (our grandkids) for the first time when the grandkids were 11 to 16--and it was on a cruise between Christmas and New Years. Well, they LOVED it! Their parents were a little worried at first about letting them move around the ship without them. But, as the kids became more familiar with the ship layout, they let them roam as long as they were not alone (that is, they were with siblings or cousins). It proved to be a good test of trust and responsibility. Since then, all our grandkids have been on other cruises. They make friends they would not otherwise have the opportunity to meet--some of whom they are still in contact with today. They enjoy the freedom to move around on the ship--a priviledge a few of them seldom get at home. Though they are older now (17 to 22), they still ask us about going again--for some reason, they don't ask their own parents this. And we know they will always have memories of all these great cruises.

Here's hoping you form great memories with your kids. Bon Voyage!

Biggest advice I have--Let things go. If the kids want to eat 8 ice cream cones a day...let them.

Thats why DS loves vaca so much, he gets to do things that he knows he can't do at home. He also loves trying things. We try to let go of most rules when cruising. (within reason--if they're allergic to milk, obviously the ice cream is a no!)

Santa bought our entire family a cruise! DH have been several times, but we never have cruised with the kids (8, 10, 11, 12)..... What cruise critic expert tips do you have?? Things that are readily known! Thanks!

I say this a lot on here, so I hope Its not repeat advice.

Buy your kids each their own camera, if you can. You can get cheaper ones, that are fine for outside photos. Bring extra storage for all the pics they will take. I say this for a few reasons, one, your child will take photos of things you never thought of. You will be amazed at what he/she thinks is photo worthy. ( we have 72 photos of alligators, one for each one we saw in the everglades, and one beetle on a sidewalk) two your child will love to show his or her friends and family "their" vacation, thru their eyes. Third, it could start them on a hobby for life.

It could be challenging to have 4 extra cameras and chargers along, but if they all have the same one, it would be easier. Bring extra batteries if the cameras take batteries and extra memory or something to download them on.

You can get cheap cameras at Target, im sure walmart, that are designed for kids. If you can get waterproof that much better. I also have seen cheap cameras at pawn shops but make sure they work well and come with their chargers.

You can make each child their own slide show when you get home to watch on the tv

I say this a lot on here, so I hope Its not repeat advice.

Buy your kids each their own camera, if you can. You can get cheaper ones, that are fine for outside photos. Bring extra storage for all the pics they will take. I say this for a few reasons, one, your child will take photos of things you never thought of. You will be amazed at what he/she thinks is photo worthy. ( we have 72 photos of alligators, one for each one we saw in the everglades, and one beetle on a sidewalk) two your child will love to show his or her friends and family "their" vacation, thru their eyes. Third, it could start them on a hobby for life.

It could be challenging to have 4 extra cameras and chargers along, but if they all have the same one, it would be easier. Bring extra batteries if the cameras take batteries and extra memory or something to download them on.

You can get cheap cameras at Target, im sure walmart, that are designed for kids. If you can get waterproof that much better. I also have seen cheap cameras at pawn shops but make sure they work well and come with their chargers.

You can make each child their own slide show when you get home to watch on the tv

This is a great tip!! Just might have to buy my daughter her own camera for our upcoming trip--although she does have a cell phone, so maybe that is good enough...and keep it one airplane mode!!

Plan on going to the slides whenever the weather is good. You never know if it's going to rain the next day! They close up at six, but this climbing up the stairs and the water will wear them out every day. In the evening and on bad weather days, go to the arcade. Yes, it's expensive, but we make at least three or four stops there during the week, play air hockey and drive race cars, etc. Make a stop at the candy store once or twice, it's colorful and a treat. Take at least one super comfy sweat pant and top for lounging if it's chilly. Ours are 8; last two times we made bears during the first parent meet-up and our steward always incorporated the bears into the turn down at night. The kids loved that. Your youngest may still do this. In planning our upcoming cruise I think I am finally realizing to slow down and not plan so much, it's impossible to see everything in port in one day. Don't plan things that require sitting in sightseeing vans all day...make sure there are plenty of stops. Have fun!

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What wonderful ages for a cruise!

My #1 tip is to make the key rules explicit before you go. This is what our list looks like:

1. BUDDY SYSTEM: Always be with another person from our group, unless you are at a ship-sponsored event like Camp Carnival. No roaming around alone.

2. CABINS ARE FOR FAMILIES: Do not go into anyone’s cabin, and do not let anyone else into our cabin, ever. Even with the door open.

3. HANDS TO YOURSELF, FEET ON FLOOR: No roughhousing or horseplay. No running. No climbing on anything, ever. It’s a small ship in a big ocean and a long way to the nearest hospital.

4. RESPECT AND COURTESY: Maintain situational awareness, use common sense, and be courteous at all times. Hold doors open for people behind you. Allow elevators to empty before getting on them. Sanitize hands before eating. Watch where you walk; do not cut people off. Moderate your voice. Be pleasant and be kind.

5. EMERGENCY = MUSTER: In a shipwide emergency, go immediately to our muster station. Do not go back to the cabin for a life jacket, and do not try to find us… we will find you.

*******************************

I actually printed out a list of just the bolded words, laminated and hole-punched it, then hung it on their lanyards with their sail & sign card. No excuse for "forgetting" the rules. ;)

With that said... let them have fun! I agree with allowing extra privileges (later bedtime, otherwise verboten snacks, etc.) as long as they are holding up their end of the bargain by following the rules.

Other thoughts:

- They may or may not like the kids' clubs. Let them choose whether or not to go. Pick up a schedule of the week's activities on the first day and highlight the ones they want to be sure not to miss out on. My son would be in Camp Carnival 24/7 if it was allowed; my daughter likes to spend most of her time with me but always has certain activities she wants to attend in Camp Carnival.

- There will be photographers set up all over the place on formal night... TAKE PICTURES! You don't have to buy any if you don't want, but it's a great opportunity to get family pics taken with no hassle and no up-front fee. My 12yo son hates doing pictures, so I make a deal with him on longer cruises... if I get a Christmas card-worthy pic on the first formal night, he doesn't have to take pics or even dress up for the second. ;)

My wife and I have gone on several cruises with our girls (8 and 10). Here are some things that have worked for us in the past, but just keep in mind that your mileage may vary based on your kids' personalities & interests, parenting styles, etc...

Bring some toys from home - sandbuckets / shovels, goggles and snorkles, an inflatable beach ball, etc. These are hard to find or (where you can find them) very expensive at ports. They are worth it though - they keep our kids busy for hours during beach days! We usually end up discarding most of this (at least the cheap plastic stuff) before we come back to make room for souveniers, etc.

Bring tons of bathing suits, just as many if not more than the grown ups. Ours spend pretty much their entire daylight hours in them on every day of the cruise.

Require them to go to their respective kids' club on the ship after dinner early on the cruise (for us it's always been our first sea day), and enjoy the time with you and your significant other. Ours typically are very reluctant to go by themselves at first, since they don't know what to expect. But it's a good way for them to meet other kids on the ship, which they'll tend to meet and play with again throughout the cruise. However, because kids club can be hit or miss depending on the staff they assign, after that don't push it - if they want to go after the first day let them, but if they don't want to go than dont make them. Most (but not all) of the time, the kids are begging us to let them go back to kids' club after dinner to hang out with their friends and play. If that happens, enjoy the alone time! But if not, enjoy the extra time with the family :-)

Concentrate on making the trip a great memory for them! Try to do at least one "super-special" thing that they wont get a chance to do elsewhere. Our girls' favorites were the excursions like the typical "dolphin encounter" and the horseback ride / swim - kind of expensive, but even though those happened years ago (not on the same cruise) the girls still talk about it like it happened yesterday and they brag about it to their friends. Worth every penny :-)

Also, we allow our girls to do things on ship that they don't normally get to do at home. DW & I tend to parent very conservatively, but on ship we let everyone bend the rules. For example, at home we encourage them to eat healthy, but on ship we pretty much let them eat whatever they want, as often as they want. They LOVE the ability to eat as much ice cream as they'd like, so it's pretty special for them. We also get the "all you can drink" soda cards for them which they like - they can go to the pool bars and order soda "just like the grown ups". And surprisingly, after the first day or so they actually dont overdo it. All that parenting has had some impact I guess LOL...

Safety is important. Make sure the kids know what to do in an emergency (muster drill, etc). Also make sure they know where you are at any given moment - this will force them to do frequent check-ins with you between activities, which helps you keep a closer eye on them.

Obviously get tons of pictures. Alo make sure you bring a camera - we forgot that one small detail one year. had to get disposable cameras which were a pain and took lousy pictures (and were very expensive to develop).

Decide in advance what your policy will be on spending money and souveniers, and communicate it to your kids and - most importantly - STICK TO IT! Otherwise they'll be bugging you to purchase every single overpriced thing they see at every port! We usually allocate a fixed amount of money each kid can spend for the cruise on trinkets, and we absolutely refuse to increase it on ship....this forces them to budget their money and come back only with things they truly want.

Schedule downtime at some point during the day, since a) they will likely be much more active than they would be at home and b) they will likely be up way past their normal bedtimes. Otherwise the late evenings will be miserable for everyone. For example, during port days we usually have a 1-2 hour rest period in our cabins before dinner to shower and relax.

Have fun!!! Steve

Just like anything else, your experience will vary from mine.

1. We have only sailed on small ships & we only do 7 night or longer cruises.

2. We have only sailed in the off season, so if you are sailing in the summer...

3. Our son is an only child who attends day care.

4. Our son took his first cruise when he was 2, Camp Carnival is available for 2year olds & they change diapers.

5. Our son has been on 5 cruises.

6. Our son isn't clingy, he regularly entertains himself.

With all of that & the previous good advice, trust yourself & your family. You parent those 4 kids, you know what they are like, what they need.

Many of our family dynamics are different, so I can't give advice on many aspects. (I haven't even figured out the sleeping arrangements for a family of 6 or the stowage of that many suitcases.)

Also if you are going on a short cruise on a big ship then what we do on small ships with long itineraries is different too.

Oh MY! These are so wonderful! Thank you all so much! I love the "rules" to be laid out before hand ... but yet let them splurge (they will LOVE the 24 hour access to food)!

Great idea about the cameras!

We love the smaller boats and off season! So much more relaxing!

Love the after dinner kids club, so dh and I can have some quality time!

I think my biggest fear is NOT having my eye on them 24-7 (I'm over protective of my babies!). The buddy system is a MUST ... and to stay away from the cabins!

Thank you all again!

One more tip to add about the cameras. For your first photo take a picture of your name and phone number, but NOT your address. That way, if someone loses a camera, and an honest person finds it, they can return it. It's a good tip for mom and dads cameras too. :)

One other thing I thought of today while prepping for our LONG Hawaii cruise (certainly our longest ever!) is to bring some small journals along and have the kids write one paragraph a night about what their day was like, the good and/or bad. Our children keep journals at school and every month the teacher adds to it to show how they are improving, for us, this would allow the children to document their adventures while meeting a writing requirement! It also helps the kids wind down at night.

CCL should implement some learning activities on board, similar to the Junior Ranger programs at National Parks. Teach the kids something about each port's natural history, not necessarily political history- we can save for that High School and later.

Also loved the "rules" posted here, will definitely use those now that my boys are older and almost able to sign themselves out of camp.

As she got older and could be a bit more independent, first thing on the ship, we generally did a tour with my DD to all the places she could go -- made it easier to enforce the rules.

We had running "in line" games. The visual scavenger hunt -- come up with a list of things to find each day (orange baseball cap, leaning tower, etc.) with a promise of a littlle treat to everyone who gets everything on their list. We'd look for and count American flags or buildings with red brick or whatever might be just a little scarce but not unheard of. I-spy and we'd also do kind of an I-spy list game - I spy an apple, I spy and apple and a ball, I spy and apple, a ball, and a cannon, etc. Keeps the kids looking around and interested.

What a great way to make this a wonderful learning experience for them. Get them involved in the planning part of the trip...like what shore tours you should all take & what to see in port. Let them look over the deck plans so they know where their cabin is, the dining room, pools, kids club, etc. If they have a stake in the vacation planning they will appreciate it more. Otherwise, it become more "your" vacation vs "our" vacation. Let them do the things they like (within reason) to do. Clearly set up the rules & expectations. Yes, manners count. Don't use the ship as a babysitter and let them roam the ship freely. It too easy for them to get in trouble. No running in the halls or playing on the elevators. Kids are better in a structure environment anyway at that age. Set up a time where your DH and you have some a lone time for one nights. Make dinner a special time for the entire family to get together and discuss what they did during the day. Your kids are going to time of their lives. Yes, let them eat all the ice cream and pizza they want. It's a vacation. It's a great way to make family memories. Lastly, never ever take your eyes off your kids when they are in the pool; not even for a moment.

One other thing I thought of today while prepping for our LONG Hawaii cruise (certainly our longest ever!) is to bring some small journals along and have the kids write one paragraph a night about what their day was like, the good and/or bad. Our children keep journals at school and every month the teacher adds to it to show how they are improving, for us, this would allow the children to document their adventures while meeting a writing requirement! It also helps the kids wind down at night.

CCL should implement some learning activities on board, similar to the Junior Ranger programs at National Parks. Teach the kids something about each port's natural history, not necessarily political history- we can save for that High School and later.

Also loved the "rules" posted here, will definitely use those now that my boys are older and almost able to sign themselves out of camp.

I love the journaling idea. I did that for my kids on a Yellowstone trip, they hated it but I loved it and I still have the journals. I made a habit of asking my kids every day, (on vacation or at home) what was your favorite thing you did today. I was surprised a lot at their answers. What I love is, now that they are 16 and 18, sometimes at night when we are all reading or watching tv or whatever, they will just all of a sudden say without being asked, " you know my favorite thing I did today was...." I realized I had taught them to think about the good in the day, and it became a life thought for them.

Awesome! :) thank you!

With the waterslide... our 5 yr old recruited six or so thirty-somethings to see who could go down the waterslide best.

Every trip to the top he would goad another guy into joining the contest.

It was the funniest thing you ever saw.

Started off with one guy complimenting him on how good he was at the waterslide, after that every guy in that row of seats was recruited.

You never know just what your kids might get up to, so keep an eye on them, but hold on loosely, its their vacation too.

This was my sons favorite thing on his first cruise @ 7 & he STILL gets a kick out of it now @ 16. I always leave a stack of $1's in a drawer so he can tip if I'm not there. Kids LOVE opening the door and PRESTO! There is FOOD!