bubba83

My 2 and 4 year old shower with me sometimes so they are used to it.... They will be 5.5 and 3 at the time of their first cruise so I just planned on them showering with me every day.....I might have my husband soap them up outside of the shower first while they are standing on a towel or something, and then have him throw him in with me quick one at a time to rinse off and wash their hair....that way we aren't wasting too much water and since the showers are tiny, it will only be crowded in their briefly.....

I will just prepare ahead of time and ask our cabin steward for plenty of towels daily so we can clean up our mess...

That's great that you tell them all right away. I so want to and let them share in the excitement, but we're not even at the year mark. When we went to Disney World mid October last year, we booked in February, and told them end August (so about 6-7 weeks before). We then got my DD a calendar so she could count down the days (my older one had one and he understood time better).

 

Another thing I should have asked...for those that told right away, how old are your kids? And how much in advance do you book?

Well we booked in October 2014 for our April 2016 cruise, lol.....it will be our daughters(2) first cruise as well. They are 4 and 2 (will be 5.5 and 3 at the time of sailing)....but we told them as soon as week booked. I showed them pictures of the ship and YouTube videos of the ship because they had no idea what a cruise was. And explained that we are on big ship, that we will eat, sleep, swim, play on the ship and visit different islands/countries....... they are absolutely ecstatic, my 4 year old is more talkative about it than the 2 year old but that's because she understands more.... the only down fall, she doesn't understand time as far as days, months, or years yet....she knows we will cruise when she is 5 and sissy is 3, but when she talks about it she says we are going on our cruise tomorrow or yesterday, HAHA....

You say its the worst ship in the fleet but you have sailed on it 14 times and have another trip planned on it.

pretty sure their post was sarcastic...

Looking forward to your review...safe travels and happy cruising :D

I would always make sure to pack some sea sickness remedies just incase.... your doctor can also write a script for a patch that goes behind your ear if you need it.

rock climbing, shuffle board, and possibly ping pong....

Use the Cruise Planner section of Royal's website. You will need your Royal (not your travel agent's) booking number.

Thanks!

How does one go about pre purchasing the drink packages? We booked through an outside travel agent....

Does anyone know if breastfeeding is allowed everywhere on board ship or are they picky about it?

 

Sent from the Island with a Chocolate Martini in my hand :)

It is your right to breastfeed wherever you want!

enjoying your review so much! The anticipation continues to build in our home for our children's first cruise in April 2016. they will be 3 and 5.5 at the time! I love hearing how much children really enjoy Adventure Ocean, gives me hope that my husband and I can have some grownup time while the kids are still having a blast!

so I heard on the radio this morning that both this ship and the carnival ship are getting their full cleanings today at the same port?

I would assume then that this was spread around at the port somehow and taken onto both the ships that caused the outbreaks...

random thought....

I would be thankful though that the deep clean is happening right before I board.

Question for you....are you using an umbrella stroller for your 6 year old? My kiddos will be 3 and 5.5 on the cruise next year and I am wondering what we should use to walk around the ports....

Excited to follow your review with kiddos...were doing a vision class with two kiddos next year

Hang them on a hanger and hang the hanger from the air vent! Stuff will dry in a snap with the AC blowing across it! There is very little air in the bathroom....they will take longer to dry in there!

 

And make sure they're not "wet"...towel dry them...squeeze out any excess water first!

 

I rinse off in the shower by the pool, then let the suit dry for a bit on me....no further need to rinse again. By the time I get back to the cabin, it's barely damp!

thats a good ide about drying in the sun on deck:) a nice beverage could make that even more enjoyable :)

Pack a few swimsuits...like 3, that way you can hang the wet ones in the shower when not in use.....if your really desperate I suppose you could use your hair dryer to finish it off

Were in PV 8037 in April 2016. I was told the bed is near the window on the end PV rooms (which would be our room)...so other than bed placement I don't believe there is much of a difference in the 7th or 8th floor, and from reviews I have read in the past there isn't much of a noise issue either. I can not wait to wake up to a wonderful view!!

What is it she didn't like about cruising?

I don't have a specific answer on the rooms. But maybe a suggestion of having the two sleep together on the sofa bed? I know 1/5 years old may be a little young...but our two kiddos will be sharing a sofa bed on our cruise.

It is interesting to read the perspective of parents who take their kids out of school for a cruise. I am wondering if any of the students mentioned are in high school with 8 classes and missing 5-10 days of school. That is a LOT of work to make up in a short amount of time. As a teacher who has to deal with those absences (late work) and also the students who are overwhelmed with the make up workload, I wonder if it is in the best interest of the child. Give the student a choice - a wonderful cruise or staying in school - you know which one they will choose. ;)

I am not referring to elementary or middle school students who won't miss much while they are gone, but high school students who will. I think of the one young lady who was in tears because her parents took her on two cruises in the first semester and couldn't catch up in any of her classes and so her grade suffered. Her parents called a meeting with all the teachers and wanted to know why their daughter's grades were so low when in middle school she was a straight A student. Gee, I wonder why...:rolleyes:

It's a parent's choice to take them out of school but they should consider how they can handle the workload when they return.

 

As for me, someone asked if I ever take a vacation. LOL Well, yes, but only in the summer. I am a rule follower and in my school district we only get 3 personal days per school year so that would preclude me from taking a week long cruise during the school year. Plus I HAVE to be there for my students so they can pass their standardized tests that are so important. :D

My sister and I took our first cruise with our parents mid February when we were in high school...we were in 11th and 12th grade....average students....8 night cruise...and guess what...we got work done in the time it was expected to be done, made up test when we got back...etc, in fact we each had to write a paper on new experiences we had while on this vacation, what different cultures we learned etc as a required assignment from our school....its a public school by the way if that would even matter....

With that being said I think I would take my children during the school year as long as they were average or above average students, and as a responsible parent I would help my children get caught up if need be by holding them accountable and supporting them to ensure they are all caught up....

I researched my room before booking..i saw that my kid would be on a pullman bed and that was fine with me...now that they told me that its forbidden for him and only after learning about that on cruisecritic and not by them while booking i say that i would have changed rooms while booking...this restriction is NOWHERE stated on rcl website.they are misleading.its far too OBVIOUS that i want to share the bed with my wife..if nothing else changes on my booking i will definitely share the bed with my son as well since his safety is very important for me..i just feel that i was misled by rcl and that this is no good commercial practice on their behalf.i am going to complain as much as possible about this and maybe reach as high as possible on their management ladder..because i believe thats wrong from them..they just care filling up berths getting money thats no way good customer service ob their behalf

 

 

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But the restriction is somewhere on the site because I found it before we booked our cruise for my family...our daughters will be 3 and 5.5 at the time of sailing...and even before I researched the Pullmans I was questioning how safe they would be for my kiddos so I looked around on the site and found they were not recommended for those under 6. So I called RC to figure out what rooms had sofa beds for my two daughters to sleep on and then knew what room to book when it was time to do so..... We are paying about 800 more because we needed a certain room, but yes my child's safety is a priority so I agree with you about not putting the child in the Pullman anyway...

I do like the idea of putting the Pullman mattress on the floor if you can, which there should be... Good luck and enjoy your cruise

you know I don't have lot of empathy for the 'but, but it's always been not enforced' attitude

 

it's policy. who cares if it is not policed/enforced every single time on every single ship on every single itinerary.

 

people who respect themselves, their fellow cruisers and the cruise line should ABIDE BY THE POLICT REGARDLESS OF ENFORCEMENT.

 

the Military has a saying: Integrity is doing the right thing even if no one is watching.

couldn't agree more!!!

I just found out today that we have friends that are on this trip with you...I hope you all have a blast!

Looking forward to this, were doing the western on her in April 2016!!

Safe travels and happy cruising!

I have a cruise on hold with Royal Caribbean but I'm confused about how many people fit in a room. We have a Central Park window view CV room on hold but I'm not sure how or why Royal Caribbean let me book this room for four people.

 

We will be cruising with two adults one six-year-old and one three-year-old. Is this room a good idea or should I splurge for the Central Park with balcony room? Should I opt for a room with a Pullman even though it cost a lot more then the CV room?

just so you know pullmans are not recommended for those under 6 years old.

I called. Since my cruse is before the sale date I couldn't get it. Oh well

At least you tried :D