GoldenRose

I'm planning on doing a cruise with my mother to Cuba on the Empress of the Seas, and it looks like my 6 year old daughter will be with us. Has anyone on here brought children on this ship recently? I assume there is the usual kids club, it just isn't as crowded?

Is there a program where you can leave a child on the ship in the kids' club while you see one of the night time shows in Havana when the ship is there overnight?

Are there any particularly good things to do in Havana with a child? I've been looking at the tours, and none scream perfect for kids. I speak pretty good Spanish, and am comfortable booking with independent tour operators, although I'm also happy enough to book ship's excursions. Recommendations would be much appreicate

Which ship? That was an anomaly.

Ruby Princess, roundtrip Seattle to Alaska. Beautiful ship, some of the best service we've had at sea, surprisingly good food, fun ports - truly a great trip. The kids programs, particularly the limited hours, were actually the most frustrating thing about the vacation, and they weren't bad.

Those were not the kids club hours on the Princess cruise we just got off of. They were only open from 9-12, 2-5, and 7-10, and you were expected to pick the kids up at least 15 minutes early.

Sometimes the timing was very inconvenient if you were hoping to do activities with your spouse. We signed up for both the Chef's Table Dinner and the Ultimate Ship's tour, both of which they schedule after people sign up, and both were scheduled to include times the kids clubs weren't open. My mother was sailing with us and was able to bridge the gaps in time, but we were extremely frustrated with the hours of the clubs.

For what it's worth, we've sailed with kids and used kids' clubs on Princess, Disney, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity. Our 4 year old extroverted daughter has never met a kids club she didn't like. She absolutely loved the Pelicans club, and she really enjoyed the crafts she did. That said, she still seems to prefer Disney (although it's hard to tell since we just got off Princess a week ago). Our 10 year old son is shyer and quieter and actually prefers the Celebrity kids club to any of the others because there is so much personal attention there, and I think Princess was a close second. He will sometimes go with his sister on the Disney ships, and we all like that they can stay together and just do different activities. He doesn't really like the chaos in the Disney clubs, but he likes Disney cruise line best overall because there are so many activities we can do as a family. He would generally rather be with us, doing activities as a family. (Our daughter would rather ditch us and do activities with her peers.)

Princess advertises Jr Ranger and Jr Chef programs on their Alaska routes, and my son was looking forward to both. They didn't do either on our cruise. They said Jr Ranger is only available on some Alaska routes, but not ours, and that they didn't have enough people sign up for Jr Chef. This was not a huge deal, but it made for minor disappointments since he had seen their commercials and thought those looked good.

We loved our cruise with Princess and thought they did a fantastic job overall, including (more or less) with the kids. We would cruise with them again. We would also cruise with Disney again, and we certainly feel like Disney makes some aspects of cruising with kids easier. I think my kids would still say they prefer Disney, but they definitely enjoyed Princess.

We actually took a couple of years off from cruising because we weren't sure when our son would potty train. Most of the lines are NO FUN for a child who is 3 and not potty-trained. They are too old to go to the toddler activities, but not allowed in the kids' clubs.

When we were on a cruise when our son was 2, we talked to a parent with a 3 year old son who was really, really unhappy with the cruise. Because he wasn't potty trained, he couldn't go in the pool and he couldn't go to kids' club. She felt like there was literally nothing for him to do. I didn't want to be in that situation with our son, and he was stubborn and not interested in potty training, so we did other vacations until I was sure he would be able to do the kids club. (As it turns out, he doesn't generally like to spend much time in kids clubs anyway, but at least he had the option.)

It's not quite that bad on all lines - some have splash pools or water play areas for kids in swim diapers. But it definitely gives you fewer options.

I like booking as far out as possible, because I care about what specific cabins we get. (We get suites because we travel with a party of 5; my mom often comes with us.) We try to get early booking discounts to help with the cost. I'm usually one of the people booking the day the new itineraries are available for booking when we cruise DCL.

We've done cruises with two kids at toddler age, one of them a climber, and I still always get a balcony. I love having the balcony; we can go out and relax on it while the kid/kids are napping or have gone to bed for the night, and it still feels likes we're enjoying our vacation.

The one cruise that actually scared me, we were in a Royal Family Suite on RCCL, and the balcony honestly had open horizontal bars as the railing. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?!? We never let our daughter (in the climbing age, but not the age of reason) on that balcony without her backpack that had a leash. She quickly learned to go find her backpack (leash) and bring it to a grownup when she wanted to go out on that balcony.

I can't believe how sanctimonious some of the posters on this thread are... but it's cruise critic on a hot topic, never mind, yes, I can. :rolleyes:

Clearly for some of you, following "the rules" regardless of who those rules were made by, is a black and white issue with no middle ground. Some of us don't see following rules as a moral issue, particularly when the rules were created by individuals with complex motives.

I wouldn't bring anecdotal evidence into this, except that it is already being used as examples in this thread. Let's be clear here. I was raised by a single mom. We traveled when her job would allow it, and often would tack a vacation on to her business trips. I went to top prep schools, a top university, and a highly ranked MBA program. With merit scholarships. (I'm now spending my time arguing on cruise critic as a stay at home mom, so maybe I'm no longer a great example ;).) Taking vacations during the school year never hurt me at all, and broadened my perspective on the world. Probably helped me write some of the more interesting essays that helped me get those scholarships for higher education, and into top tier programs. You don't honestly think the top schools want cookie cutter students who follow rules unquestioningly do you?

Could I have done that if I hadn't taken vacations throughout my school career? Well, probably, but here's the deal. I couldn't have traveled as much growing up if we hadn't gone during the school year. I was an excellent student; I always made up all my work, often in advance. I never got behind because of our vacations. But we were constrained by money and time, so we explored the world when we could.

Traveling during the school year is not right for every family. It certainly isn't for any family that has members who somehow make it into a moral issue. It also may not be right for older kids who are in demanding programs, or any program that is extremely demanding for the child (which isn't exactly the same thing), with teachers who don't have the resources or inclination to help your child keep current or understand the material. Some kids can learn from books they take with them, others really do need it explained by someone who really understands it.

It really should be a personal choice based on your circumstances. No one understands your family as well as you do. Certainly not random strangers on cruise critic. Trust your own instincts. Will your child's school help you or try to hinder you? Will your child catch up on missed work easily, or will you all be so stressed worrying about it that it will hurt the vacation?

We did a 14 day cruise plus a week on land, so our trip ended up being about the same length as yours although our actual cruise portion was a little shorter. We absolutely loved the trip. We only had one child then - our son was 5 at the time.

What I learned from traveling with him at that age is that booking tours that include outdoor time was almost essential. He enjoyed tours that stopped in parks, where he could run around and play, and even brief park stops could help him get through days of long bus rides. The Parque de Guell in Barcelona was a huge treat for the whole family. He enjoyed tours that included small boat trips or river cruises, since those were novel for him. He enjoyed interesting cave sytems, since we don't do that at home, in both Gibraltar and Majorca. He enjoyed tours that went to traditional "kiddie" places, like aquariums and sea life park, and although that wasn't what we'd have done if we weren't traveling with a child, it was worth it to toss a couple of those into the mix. He enjoyed tours that included animals, such the apes on Gibraltar and the Andalucian Horses in Jerez, Spain. and the animals on a preserved historic estate in Majorca.

We didn't push museums, but we made it to a couple. We made it to two cathedrals, and that was probably all the he could manage. I know a lot of people think you should be loading your Europe trip with the famous museums and cathedrals, but you just can't do that easily with young children. Our friends teased us a little about going to Europe and going to Majorca's Marineland and the London Aquarium, but it really helped make him feel like we thought about his needs and wants when planning the trip.

Did we go to many of the famous destinations? Sure. But we also spent a day in a seaside French village, where we had crepes and hot chocolate, played on the beach, and let him ride a couple of rides at a visiting carnival.

For what it's worth, I wouldn't take my daughter (4 years old right now) to Europe yet. Our son is a great traveler. He flies on planes well, as long as you give him books and an iPad. Our daughter is HORRIBLE on planes. Ok, she was the last time we let her fly with us, last year to California and Hawaii (Disneyland and Aulani.) We said it would be at least a year before we let her fly with us again, and it has been a year, and we haven't flown again. We are going to try letting her fly again this summer to Seattle

I did heavily research our stops beforehand. I was balancing activities for 3 generations, and I did ALL the planning. I let our son help me pick some of the excursions. I decided to do the 2 week Celebrity Mediterranean trip out of Southampton because we could fly directly to London from Houston, and I wanted to make the getting there as simple as I could. I didn't want to be trying to make connecting flights with an overtired child. We did several days before and after the cruise touring London and southern England, and we had an amazing time. Of course, 5 years later, all that my son remembers is that we went to Stonehenge (because he's seen the picture many times) and that one of the famous Barbary Apes stole his ice cream cone in Gibraltar!

We used to take our son out of school for 2 weeks a year every year until he got into 4th grade and we switched to a Houston public school. Texas schools are not forgiving or understanding - they lose money for absences. I've had friends get threatened with social workers and taken to court for truancy. For taking their kids to Walt Disney World in one case, and for sending a daughter to Europe for her (British) father's wedding, which my friend was required to do by court order in another! The public schools are aggressive here in Texas.

So, I've quit doing it for now. It ups the appeal of private school or homeschooling to me. I am a firm believer in travel broadening a child's horizons and teaching them things they couldn't learn in a classroom.

We're also doing an Alaska cruise with a preschooler (age 4) this summer, as well as with a 10 year old. I love some of the suggestions here, but I have a couple of questions.

How are people getting their children that young on dog sled excursions? We really, really wanted to do that, and all of them require age 5 and above when booked through the cruise line, except maybe one of the helicopter to the glacier ones. (And there is no way we are getting two members of our party onto a helicopter; they are frightened of them.) I emailed at least one of them directly to see if they could take a 4 year old if we booked directly with them, and never got a response. My son has said that since his little sister can't do the dogsled with him, he's willing to do the goldpanning and salmon bake instead.

Our current plans are based on a combination of one previous trip (without children, many years ago), and advice we've found online. We're doing very kid friendly things in general, but I've found there is a lot a 4 year old can't do on an Alaska trip.

Ketchikan - we've booked the Lumberjack Show for our entire family. This is not really my style, but it looks great for the kids. We're then taking our son on the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman's Tour, which looks great for older kids, but our 4 year old can't do. My mother and the 4 year old are going to walk around town and look at totem poles, and go to the Totem Heritage Center. Assuming we have enough time when we get back, we'll also take our son to the Totem Heritage Center and the Salmon Hatchery.

Skagway - We're doing a ship excursion to a wildlife center. It may be a long day for our 4 year old, but we're all excited about it.

Juneau - This is where we wanted to do dog sledding, but haven't been able to find anyone who would take a 4 year old on the excursion. So right now we're planning on the Gold Panning and Salmon Bake excursion. The kids are excited about it.

Victoria - We are going at night, too, and so we're going to do the gardens, but not the butterfly center. I really wanted to do the butterfly center, but then I realized we get in in the evening, so I chose the shorter excursion. Our daughter may sleep on the way over or back, but I think she'll enjoy the gardens. I think there are supposed to be fireworks that night, too.

If your children are booked in your suite, yes.

 

I don't know what the age break down is, but at Sabatini's or Crown Grill, it is half price below a certain age. Keep in mind, these dinners tend to take 2-3 hours.

 

They can also get hot chocolate (but no mimosas).

Our daughter is booked into our suite, and our son is booked into my mother's suite, so they are both booked into suites. I just wasn't sure they could go to the restaurant with us, or if I should stick to ordering room service for them.

I think my son would do better at a 2-3 hour dinner than my mom would. She hates long drawn out meals. Still, even though I think the kids would enjoy a lot of the menu, I'm probably better off leaving them with my mom, and deciding Sabatini's is date night.

The kids would be thrilled to have good hot chocolate with breakfast. Oh, while I'm thinking about it, can they do crepes for breakfast in Sabatini's? And, if not, is there anywhere else on the ship that can do them?

Can the kids go with us to Sabatini's for breakfast? They're booked into the suites, too.

For that matter, are kids allowed to join us for dinner there? (We're used to Palo on DCL; no kids permitted.)

We'll be on the same cruise in August. This is our first cruise with Princess, and if the food stays as bad as you describe, it will probably be our last. We'd previously heard that Princess got a lot of good berths, so it is disappointing to hear that Holland America consistently had better ones throughout.

I'm still excited about the cruise, but your review makes me a little concerned that we decided to go with Princess.

Those pictures are gorgeous! Thank you for sharing them!

Did you see any whales any time other than the whale watch? Your whale shots are beautiful.

We are looking at doing the Tracey Arm Fjord excursion where they pick you up from the cruise ship and they drop you in Juneau. (We'll be on the Ruby Princess if it matters.)

We are trying to figure out if it is worth doing a true whale watch cruise in addition, or if we're likely to have seen whales and gone by some of the same spots on the way into Juneau.

I've also noticed that people say that the Tracey Arm excursion is worth doing, but sometimes gets you in late to Juneau. What time is likely to be safe to book a Juneau excursion and not be in a panic about missing it? (I am hesitant to just wait to purchase tours in Juneau when we get off the boat because there will be 4 ships in port.)

Assuming we go ahead with the trip as planned, we've booked two suites, so we would all be entitled to the same perks. I couldn't find any available suites that would hold 5, so it was just easier to book us 3 and 2.

I've been to Alaska, although admittedly not in years, so I'm not as worried about ports, or Tracy Arm vs Glacier Bay. Almost all the routes we looked at do Ketchikan, Skagway, and Juneau, and those out of Seattle do Victoria. The one port my son specifically wanted to make sure we made it to was Ketchikan so he could go on the Aleutian Ballad for the Alaska Crab tour. We're happy with the ports. We're just hoping for lots of wildlife. This is not intended to be a once in a lifetime trip. (If it were, we would do a one way and I'd go back to Denali.) We want to go in and out of Seattle because it will be easiest with a 4 year old.

We're not exactly doing this trip for the kids, but we are looking to make it as fun and easy as possible.

I'm sorry it doesn't sound like they have as much for families together as a whole, but that seems pretty typical of most of the lines we've been on.

Has anyone tried the science at sea programming for kids? That looks really interesting.

We're fairly frequent cruisers who have just about decided to try Princess for our Alaska cruise. We've cruised with Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Celebrity, and Disney, and we always sail in suites or concierge class these days. We are cruising with 3 generations - us (in our 40s), my mom, and our kids (4 and 10.)

On some level, I know a cruise is a cruise, but there are enough differences between lines that I wanted some input. We're looking specifically at the Ruby Princess, if that matters.

How do the kids clubs and programs compare? Our 4 year old daughter loves DCL's clubs; she's active and she loves to run and play and climb, and to socialize with other kids. Our 10 year old son prefers Celebrity's kids club, because he prefers more focused activity in smaller groups. Our daughter would rather be in a kids club with other kids than doing just about anything else, our son would rather be us doing something we can all do together. How does Princess do on activities the whole family can do together? (In our experience, Disney does that best.)

It doesn't look like the Ruby Princess has an indoor pool. Are the pools bearable mid-August?

I've seen the pdf of suite perks on Princess, and was trying to decide how they compared. It doesn't look like there is a dedicated concierge or butler to help with special requests? Or a concierge lounge? Does sailing in a suite give you any priority in booking things like the Chef's Table, or priority seating if you choose anytime dining? Any sort of reserved areas for shows? It sort of looked like the perks are a little less than what we're used to, but it is hard to tell from the brief description. I am trying to get a feel for it before we embark, and set reasonable expectations for our party.

We've done both the shallow water "kiss and hug" program, and the deeper water swim with dolphins. Our son is a pretty good swimmer, but he was completely intimidated by the deep water and the dolphin "push and pull" (you hold onto the fin and it pulls you, or you "stand" straight and it pushes your feet.)

We did both at different times in Cozumel, so I don't have experience with the places you are considering going. Where we did it, it was ocean water that was basically channeled into manmade smaller pools. You stood on a grate (a slimy, somewhat slippery grate) for your interactions.

I would definitely look for a "dolphin interaction" rather than a "dolphin swim." I loved the dolphin swim, but it would almost certainly be too much for a 6.5 year old who is not a strong swimmer. The person swimming with the dolphins had to swim by themselves into deep water for the swim portion. Stick with the interactions that are usually described as hug, kiss, dance, photo op.

We've sailed Concierge on both the Magic and the Wonder out of Galveston, and we've got another trip booked on the Wonder this December. We were in a Royal Suite, which changes the perks a bit (we could have Palo delivered to our room, and we had unlimited internet), but most of the perks are the same. We actually did the same ports you are doing when we were on the Wonder out of Galveston about a year and a half ago. Our kids were almost 3 and 8 on the trip.

When you arrive, you go through a shorter line for concierge (and maybe high levels of repeat cruisers.) You can go onto the ship whenever you arrive, as long as boarding has begun. If it hasn't started yet, you will be in the first group. You go (or are escorted, we had it once each way) to one of the lounges immediately upon arrival on the ship, where the concierges are waiting to go over your current plans, make additional plans, and hand you tickets for ticketed events. (They had tickets for the old tea with Alice (now discontinued) at one of them for us, and tickets for the Tea with Princesses on the second cruise, as they realized our almost 3 year old would be interested.) There are drinks and snacks available in the lounge, and you can relax until your room is ready, or you can go explore the ship once you meet with your concierge. There are two on the ship, and officially one is assigned to you, but any time you call, you will probably just get the one available at the time. (On our first cruise, we mostly dealt with "our" concierge, but on the second, somehow we always ended up dealing with the "other.")

The lounge is also used for the private concierge event later in the trip. Again, you are served drinks and food (mostly Palo appetizers, actually), and you get a surprise guest. We had Donald in formal attire on one of the cruises, and Mickey in formal attire on the other. It is definitely worth going to the event and taking the kids.

You can request a private table for your party in the dining room. You will be given an excellent waitstaff team. We asked for a different time for the character breakfast, and were given one. My mother mentioned that she really liked avocado and fresh vegetables, and on the first cruise, they brought it to our cabin every evening, and on the second cruise, when we ate in the dining room a few more times, they brought it to our table nightly. They also prepared a special Indian meal for our table one night, because we noticed that the table next to us had requested special meals, and we commented they looked wonderful. I don't know how much of the special attention was because it is Disney, how much because we were in concierge, and how much because we were in a Royal Suite.

The concierge comes by the room every day to check on you and often bring some little present. For example, the kids got cards with several dollars loaded on them for the arcade. You get daily hors d'oeuvres. (We got unlimited soda and bottled water, but I think that may be specific to the Royal.)

If you are paid in full, you can get first access to booking meals and excursions, including the cabanas on Castaway Cay. Let your shoreside concierge know by 125 out from your sailing if you want a cabana. We did get one, and we enjoyed it, but I'm not sure if we'll do it again. We also had no trouble booking both dinner and brunch at Palo, and considered both worth doing.

Overall, your concierge will smooth out little hassles on the trip. We realized we lost an iphone one night (left in a pocket in the laundry bag), notified the concierge, and she returned it to us the next morning. My mother couldn't figure out how to use her wave phone to call us at dinner, when our daughter got seasick, and the concierge came and found us for her. They will help pamper you!

You'll have a wonderful time!

I think they still have the glass bottom boat. I would be willing to snorkel with sharks, but I admit I'd be nervous letting the kids do so. You're right that he would have stories to tell his classmates!

(Honestly, though, I wish he'd quit talking about the Galapagos trip with his friends and classmates. He's so excited that we're going, even though it is more than a year from now, and he's making a lot of his peers (and even our friends) very envious.)

This is a really interesting thread. I guess we qualify as a family that could easily sail the luxury lines, but so far prefers to stick with suites in more mass market lines. We've actually been struggling with that decision, but I have yet to feel like we'd have a better time on a luxury line. We don't mind dressing up. We love to ballroom dance. We are "foodies", and actually care about the quality of food on a ship. But more than that, we travel with our young children, and we are constantly trying to find routes or ships that we think will be fun for the whole family. We're in our 40's, and our children are 4 and 10, and we'd rather be with other youngish families.

Lately, we've mostly sailed in the Royal Suites on DCL, or in Royal Family Suites on RCCL, although we did try one sailing on Celebrity. We've been happy enough those three lines. The only time was have sailed with NCL was about 15 years ago, before suites were in our budget, and we did not care for it. We had to wait a long time to be seated in the MDRs every time we wanted to eat, and we always felt rushed through meals. We are now considering trying the NCL Haven suites specifically because they seem like such a good deal. We would not consider NCL without sailing in the Haven, based on our, admittedly outdated, previous impressions. Our kids wish we would stick with DCL, but while our next currently booked cruise is with them, we think the prices they have recently released are pretty ridiculous, and the Haven looks like a bargain.

We are planning a cruise to Alaska (for either 2015 or 2017, although I know things could change by 2017), and we have decided that we probably need to do roundtrip from Seattle since we will be traveling with a 4 (or 6) year old who so far doesn't fly particularly well. If we go with NCL, which is currently high on the list because the Haven looks wonderful, that means the Pearl or the Jewel.

It looks like the Jewel has Nickelodeon activities, and the Pearl does not. What I'm trying to figure out is, does that mean there are likely to be more children and more children's activities on the Jewel? Have those of you whose children have been on the Nick cruises really found the Nick characters to add something to your children's enjoyment? Did you get much interaction with the characters on the Jewel? I assume the Pearl still has a good kids club with lots of activities, right?

My kids like some of the Nick Jr characters, but they aren't huge fans. I think they'd enjoy the character interactions; they enjoy Disney characters. If the extra events are really special, it might tip the balance toward the Jewel.

It all sounds amazing, and I'm really excited about seeing the different animals close up. I still remember seeing a photo spread of the Galapagos Island wildlife when I was a child, in National Geographic World, and wanting to go there more than any place in the world. I'm very excited to be planning a trip there.

hrprof, we would love to add on Machu Picchu, but my mother is very susceptible to altitude sickness, and refuses to try it. Since this trip is at least half for her, it won't happen this trip. We were actually very seriously looking at combining it with the upper amazon expedition, but my mother is worried about the yellow fever vaccination, since it isn't always safe for people over 60. (The yellow fever vaccination is actually why we didn't do a safari to Tanzania last year; it is a big deal in her mind.)

I can't imagine that we'll get tired of seeing animals. I am a little concerned about letting the kids snorkel near hammerheads, however. I assume those were viewed from the boat?

I am so glad to hear there were a fair number of kids on board! Our son (the currently 10 year old who will be 11 or 12 when we make the trip) is fairly introverted and doesn't actually need to be surrounded by other kids, but our daughter (4, will be 5 or 6 when we go) is happiest when surrounded by people. She prefers other children, but any person who will interact with her will suffice. She's the reason we've been looking for as kid friendly a trip as possible, and the reason I've been trying to postpone this trip as long as possible.

We've never cruised with Lindblad before. We've all cruised a fair amount (even the 4 year old), but it's all been on larger, mass market lines (DCL, RCCL, X, NCL), and I admit that none of us are really sure what to expect on a smaller, more eco-focused line. We think we will love it; we love seeing wildlife and going new places, and two of us are birders.

I didn't realize we'd have to pick from different itineraries with Lindblad, although I had figured out we would have to if we went with X. Do both of them get you access to islands with the tortoises, marine iguanas, and the blue footed boobies? (I know I've read the the red-footed booby is less commonly seen and not on all routes.) How likely are we to see the Galapagos penguins?

One more question that I know is probably going to sound like a stupid question, but every time I read about trips to Galapagos, it looks like it is easy to see the wildlife, and you are almost guaranteed to see many of the famous animals. However, I've done other tours in other parts of the world (Australia, Belize, Costa Rica, Alaska) where if you looked at all the photographs people had taken and the stories people told, you would think it would be easy to see many species, but honestly, it isn't. If you're lucky, you might see half a dozen animals in the wild over the course of a week, but you may not actually get lucky, and you may not see much. Wild animals just don't seem to know or care that you spent a lot of money to come to try to see them. ;) Are you really almost certain to see many species of animals on the trip? I know we'll see something, but I also want to have realistic expectations.

We've sailed on several lines (Norwegian, Celebrity, RCI, and DCL) in the last dozen years, and we've done multiple cruises on both RCI and DCL. We'd sail either again, although with young children, DCL is our favorite right now.

We've had lots of nice, and the occasional unpleasant and unhelpful, crew members on most of our sailings. It is certainly true that the occasional bad experience or interaction can really stick with you and sour you on a trip, or even a line. (I had an unpleasant interaction with a really unhelpful crew member on the first full day of our first cruise on DCL, and it took several days of absolutely amazing service from wonderful crew and cast members to erase the memory. Ok, clearly, I still remember, but overall, I was very impressed with the caliber of service, despite starting with a negative. I generally just talk about how impressed we were with the service overall, not about one inconsiderate jerk.) Crew members are people like us, and they have bad days, and sometimes I think it is amazing that most of them manage to be as cheerful, helpful, and pleasant as they are, considering the demands placed on them.

My mother has done two DCL cruises with us, and had done RCI several times before. She always said that she was never going to be particularly loyal to any cruise line, she was going to pick the one with the best itinerary for the area she was interested in. She and her husband went on an RCI Greek Islands tour last summer, and she came back complaining about the service and the food. She insisted that RCI's quality is down from where it was when we did it last, and from now on, DCL is her first choice. I have no idea if the quality really is down, if it was the particular voyage she sailed on, or if she was just in a more judgmental frame of mind at the time, but I'm happy to join her on DCL. ;)

We're in the process of planning a Galapagos trip for 2016 (possibly 2017 if we can't get one of the cabins we need) for either 5 or 6 people in 3 generations. Based on my research, we're leaning heavily toward the Endeavour, but could still be steered toward another line or way of experiencing the Galapagos.

We will have 2 "active seniors", around 70 years old. We will have two children, ages 5 and 11 (or 6 and 12, if we have to put it off a year.) There will also be 2 40-somethings, me and my husband. We've been trying to juggle waiting as long as we can for our (currently 4 year old) daughter with going while my mother and her husband can still enjoy the trip.

We actually looked at Adventures by Disney and Tauck Bridges Galapagos, but neither will take a 5 year old. I know Lindblad will allow us to bring her, and I know I have seen people comment about bringing younger children along. It looks like our best bets are the Endeavour or the Celebrity Xpedition, and we're leaning pretty heavily toward the Endeavour. Our son is extremely interesting in photography, particularly wildlife photography, and has done workshops and entered competitions with his photos already. It seems like National Geographic would be a perfect fit with his interest. We also love that there is a glass bottom boat if someone doesn't want to snorkel but wants a glimpse at the ocean dwellers.

So, here are my questions.

1) How rough do the waters get? My step-father is extremely prone to motion sickness, and has trouble on even the mega cruise liners without the patch. He is not sure he should come, because he is worried about sea sickness. How often are the seas really rough? Is the patch likely to be enough?

2) Will the kids be allowed to snorkel if they wear lifevests in the water? They are both good swimmers, even without lifevests, but I would feel better in deep water if they were in vests. I know someone mentioned a child not being allowed in the water, and I wondered about the age rules and life vest policies.

3) My mother and step-father are close to 70, but very fit and active for their age. (Sometimes I think they are in better shape than my husband and I are.) It looks like there are more and less strenuous hikes and walks. Do you feel like you are seeing a lot if you always choose the less strenuous option? Or do you feel like you are really missing a huge percentage of the wildlife if you have to take it a little easier?

4) How much access does one get to the National Geographic photographer on board? I would love for my son to get to really talk to him or her, since photography is such a passion for him.

5) Is there typical Americanized kid fare available to eat at meals at all? I have one very picky eater with sensory issues, who doesn't do well trying new foods.

6) I know they provide partial wetsuits. Is it better to bring a full one of your own, or is what they provide sufficient? It also looks like there aren't ones available for kids, so you have to bring wetsuits for them?

Sorry to have so many questions. Thanks in advance, if anyone has any answers.