Cruising with kids 101

Our kids had their first ever cruise last week.

 

3 yrs old, 5 yrs old, 16 yrs old.

 

The little guys absolutely loved it, but it was hard for us to relax while we spent the week worrying about them. It kind of went like this...

 

Are we bad parents for putting them in kids club? Better pull them out for family time. Are we bad parents for our kids annoying all these people in the pool? Better move them to the waterslide. Kids, stop running up the stairs. Dammit better take them to mini golf. Hey, play by the rules, don't butt in front of those people! Dammit, better take you back to kids club. Are we bad parents for putting our kids in kids club?. . . .But it certainly wasn't a relaxing vacation for either of the parents. If I did this again, I think I would aim for more use of the kids club and let the social consequences be damned. I'll never see these people again anyways.

I can understand the guilt feeling. I felt kinda guilty when I would bring my daughter to kids club and i dont even know why. Like i should be spending the whole vacation with her? But i know she enjoyed it so i tried not to let it bother me too much.

While my DH and I believe that we are the most fascinating, interesting, and fun people on earth; we understand that our kid does not want nor need to be with us 24/7. :D

DD is 18YO now so no kids club anymore, but she has been traveling with us since she was an infant. We've always looked for opportunities for her to meet and play with other kids -- socialization is an important part of development. DD still is "friends" on social media with several kids she has met over the years on cruises or other trips and even met up with one who is attending a different school in the Twin Cities while she was at an orientation session for college in Minneapolis.

While there are some parents who look at a cruise as an opportunity to absolve themselves of parental responsibilities, you can balance your kids activities with family time.

I am glad I read this thread. I was feeling guilty about putting my DS(7) & DN(6) in Camp Carnival but now I realize it is just as much a social outing for them as it is for us. And as much as they love hanging out with the 'rents they would probably want to hang with kids their own age even more. Thank you.

My BF and I will be cruising with my DD 13 and his DS 6. I want everybody to have the best vacation ever, and I suggested the kids both try the kids club the first night to see if it's something they will enjoy. The BF is all worried about his son being "shoved in a camp" and believes his DS will have a better time with him. I think this is based on that feeling of guilt. Personally, I think the 6yo would have a much better time doing activities geared toward his age. If he wants to hang out by the pool, we will gladly bring him. If he wants to go bowling with us, great! But let's be honest, do we, as adults, want to constantly entertain kids in an adult environment, out of our own guilt, or do we want everybody to truly have a great time?

I'm hoping to have a combination of family time and activity along with time for the kids to go have fun with other kids and for us to be able to relax or enjoy a show and not worry about the kids being bored. We plan on having phenomenal adventures on shore, between surfing lessons, Disney, AquaAdventure, and snorkeling. I know I for one won't feel guilty letting the kids enjoy their own fun.

Kids love the youth program and there is still plenty of family time on a cruise. For one thing- they can't go swimming with the youth staff- so that automatically becomes family time. Then you have three meals together, shows, etc. It's a great mix of things and obviously kids prefer to be with other people their own age than with adults all the time.

We homeschool, so the kids get PLENTY of time with Mommy (and a reasonable amount of time with me). And during the cruise they'll be with us all day on port days. So we are happy to let them use the clubs as much or as little as they darn well want. :)

I've raised kids for the past 27 years and I've seen some really caring parents on these boards. Most of the repeat cruisers know what they are getting into but I wanted to give you some cruising basics for kids.

 

Infants: This is a fairly easy age to travel. Babies are content to be held for the most part, haven't started throwing tantrums yet and are in the "oral" stage- meaning they derive satisfaction from eating and drinking. So they like being a high chair. They do have some teething issues and this can cause ear aches and irritability.

 

Toddlers (12months-2years): Worst stage to travel with. They have transcended the "oral" age and are now on the go. They can not communicate effectively with words and get easily frustrated. Many kids in this age group have separation anxiety and do not go readily with babysitters. Children also regress when they sleep with their parents and have difficulty sleeping in their own room when returning home.

 

3 and over: This is the ideal age to travel with. Most children are potty trained by this age, can speak clearly and don't have tantrums. They don't suffer from separation anxiety and like to play with other children. The youth programs are fun for them- freeing parents up.

 

This is just my two cents.

OP, I think you were spot on with regard to my daughter, although I agree with others that it depends on individual children and their parents. I hope you are right on the 3 and over. :D

First vacation we took our DD on she was 6 months old. We went to St. Pete's Beach in Florida. It involved a plane ride. She fussed a bit but nothing extraordinary. It was a lovely trip.

Second vacation was a cruise when she was 15 months. She was okay for the most part. It was not a miserable trip but she was crankier and did not nap as well. She was too young for kids program.

Last vacation was last year. 25 months old. Disaster comes to mind. There was crying, meltdowns, and tantrums. She did not stay at camp carnival.

Now, don't get me wrong. There were high points on those trips. We had a great time. I am not regretting having gone. But it was not as relaxing as I hoped.

This year she is 3 1/2. She is excited about camp. She promises she won't cry. She is potty trained. She loves playing with other kids and toys. I am hopeful it will be different this year.

So, while I would not say people should avoid traveling with a 1-3 year old, it can be an experience. I thought I was prepared for it, but I was not really prepared. And I get easily agitated. Now if I had a different personality and my DD had a different temperament, then it might have been different.

After last trip I SWORE I would not take DD on another trip until she was 5. But we have one planned in October, so we will see. But I already see a different person than last year.

I completely disagree about the toddlers 12 months - 2 years.

We took my son at 19 months. He had the best time and was an ANGEL. No sleeping issues either post vacation.

He also goes to day care so yeah, he cried a tad when we left him at the nursery but he was done in 5 minutes.

On the flip side, we traveled with a couple who had an 18 month old who screamed at every meal, threw up crying at night and was more harder to handle.

every. child. is. different.

My son is 2.5 right now. He has gone on many trips already (cruise/non cruise/weekend, etc) and he is an excellent traveler. I would NEVER say he is at the worst stage.

We've been on 2 cruises with our lo at 6 and 9 monthsand it went great. Our next one is scheduled for January when she'll be 18 months, you guys have me scared it's going to be a disaster, lol.

flcruiser, don't get too anxious. It sounds like, for one, that you are used to travelling with her, which makes a big difference! We took our DD on a cruise when she was 18 mos old...she couldn't do the kids club, because she was too young. She was fine. Most nights, i was back in the cabin fairly early almost every night (thankfully she is a night owl, so it wasn't like i had to head back at 7:30 every night, though!), but that was fine, because i like to sit & read a lot on vacation anyway. DH likes to check out the action in the casino, the shows, etc., so he did that. The one night i really wanted to participate in a p.m. activity, we traded places! :D

Now, granted, we haven't taken her on a cruise since, but that was because we just decided that a more adult-oriented, couples vacation sounded better, and we let her spend a week with grandma & grandpa while she was out of school and could do so! We did disney world with her last year, at age 5, and she was PERFECT! Seriously! Even with a 14-hr drive there, and back. Soooo....the whole fam is cruising in 2 weeks, and she is looking forward to trying the kids club now that she is old enough. We shall see how things go this time!

There are pros & cons to travelling with each age, so just go with the flow and have a good time!