leighi123

How is it other times? I probably won't be going so early in the morning, I'm traveling alone with my 6yr old so I will have to go when I can stick him in the kids club.

I'm looking for excursion ideas for my 6yr old and I, for both coco Cay and Nassau.

Last time we were in Nassau, we did the water park at Atlantis, fun, but little guy was too small for any of the slides, and is still too small so we went to do something different.

We haven't been to Coco Cay (went to Labadee last time and did the blow up water play climbing things, which was "ok" not something I'd do again)

We want to snorkel at least once, but are otherwise open to any ideas! He is a strong swimmer, willing to try anything including "educational" activities. We live in FL, so frequent the beach.

So what should we do? And should we book in advance (through the place we booked our cruise its a bit cheaper than through RCI), or just wait until we get there? Last time we did it when we got there, but I was traveling with 3 other adults.

How does the gym work on RCI? Is there a charge/sign up for classes? What classes do they have?

Last time we went, I never stepped foot in the gym, but now I'm a regular gym-goer at home, so I might this time (we shall see, being lazy might be more fun!)

I'd be afraid what the change in humidity can do to the wood of the violin.

 

Also check to see if the violin can be considered a carryon for any air travel.

Thanks - we live in Florida, weather/humidity is the same/very similar, so no issues there. We are driving to port, no plane, but we have traveled with it frequently and it is a carry-on on the plane (its tiny!). He always plays in airports, gets a crowd of people watching!

Any chance of him renting an electric violin for the cruise? I would guess that you could play them with earphones although I do not know for certain.

His violin is 1/8th size, so I doubt they make them that tiny electric!

If he was too young for the kids room in 2009, he cannot be much more than 8 or 9 now -- meaning that it is unlikely he has yet blossomed into a Paganinni.

I am not sure his practice would be seen as enhancing his fellow-passengers' cruise experience.

Your math is off - in 2009 he was 2.5, now he is 6.5.

And no, he no expert violinist, but he does preform on a regular basis and no one has run screaming from the room yet! In any case, his ability level doesn't change my question, which was where to practice without disturbing anyone, I do not want to bother anyone who doesn't want to hear it.

please leave it home.. someone playing the violin who can't play the violin may lead to it being tossed over-board. why make the passengers suffer just because you can't tell Jr no?

The whole point of me asking was to find a place where I would NOT disturb anyone. In other words avoiding rude people like you. Its a big ship, I'm assuming there is at least 1 location we can go for 20min a day without pissing anyone off.

Unbelievable responses.

 

Bring the violin and play away. It is definitely permitted. On one of our cruises a young boy, about 12 brought his bagpipes and literally lit up the pool with his talent.

 

Anyway, there are so many places on a cruise ship where there is literally no one within earshot, empty lounges, so he could practice in many places where no one would be disturbed.

Thank you.

For those who mentioned it, the reason I can't just "tell him no" is because 1. "no practicing your instrument" doesn't work for him (he was deathly ill at the beginning of this week, in bed, very high fever, he kept trying to get out of bed to get his violin... )

2. He doesn't know we are going on the cruise, we are going to stop off to see his auntie, and will have the violin with us, and then pull up to port. I don't want to argue with him in the parking lot.

3. Its like telling your kid no, you can't read a book/do your homework.

4. He will worry about it the whole time if he doesn't have it. When he was sick, it was all he was thinking about, which was super annoying because I wanted him to just relax!

thank you for the review - great pictures!

My 6yr old and I are going on Enchantment later this month, and I'm very excited! (and little guy doesn't know yet, he will find out when we get there!)

I'm surprised with all of the trouble you had with food - On our first cruise, Freedom of the Seas, we had no problems at all. My son is allergic to a TON of different things (dairy, vinegar, anything artificial, msg, several fruits, some nuts, and the worst is Oats, which cross contaminates with gluten, so he can't have most gluten). And on top of that, we are strict vegetarian (which includes fish).

We just told the staff in the MDR and they took care of him, altering or subbing foods for him, or making special dishes if needed. He is not at all picky, and when we told them so they made all kinds of creative meals for him.

For breakfast and lunch, they would have someone walk through the buffet with us and tell us which things he could have, and if we wanted to the day before, we could request things which we could collect at Windjammer whenever we got there. It was very easy to handle.

Our only problem was we found out he was allergic to the sheets/towels! They must use harsh soaps - at home we use all natural stuff. This time, I'm packing bedding for him so he won't turn into a giant rash like he did last time!

We will be on the same cruise, I have a 6yr old and I'm interested to know what the schedule is like too!

We are going on a cruise on Enchantment of the Seas. My son plays the violin, and practices every day (yes, even on vacation, his choice, not mine! I don't mind him missing a few days but he insists, the whole violin thing was his idea in the first place!)

However, I do not want to annoy anyone on board because I'm sure there are plenty of people who don't want to hear it.

Is there any good place for him to practice where we won't bother anyone? Its a violin, so not all that loud (at least no louder than a normal TV volume), so would in our cabin work? It takes him around 20-30min to practice at a time.

I asked this in another section on CC and was told to ask here - someone mentioned that instruments might not be allowed? Is this true? Why?

If it matters at all, he is only 6 and his violin is super tiny.

We are going on a cruise on RCI Enchantment of the Seas. My son plays the violin, and practices every day (yes, even on vacation, his choice, not mine! I don't mind him missing a few days but he insists)

However, I do not want to annoy anyone on board because I'm sure there are plenty of people who don't want to hear it.

Is there any good place for him to practice where we won't bother anyone? Its a violin, so not all that loud, so would in our cabin work? It takes him around 30min to practice at a time.

Also, does anyone know if the kids do talent shows on RCI? I know last time we went the kids did some sort of show, but my little guy was too young for the kids room then so I didn't pay much attention. He loves to show off.

Thanks for the help - we are booked on a cruise on the 17th RCI out of Canaveral. It was less than $500 for the two of us, and gets back in time for us to go to the neighbors Bat Mitzvah event! We are looking forward to it!

Mine is also 6 and un-medicated ADHD - he did fine on the last cruise we were on, and we are going on another this month. There is SO much going on in the kids rooms that he was fine with jumping from activity to activity.

Will Miami work for you too ??

Yep I guess so - we are an hour south of Canaveral so that is closest/easiest, but willing to drive if its a better deal/timing or whatever.

I guess my actual question is what are my options for cruises leaving/returning from FL between the 15th-23rd that would be good for a single parent/6yr old to go on? There can't be THAT many options.

My dad is willing to contribute $ toward the trip (we live with them, so it would give them time off from having us in their house!), but I have to pick it all out, which is difficult because I'm not that picky! Trying to narrow down my options a bit.

Can anyone help me find a good deal?

• 1 adult, 1 child (6)
  
• Needs to leave/return any time between Feb 15-23, 2014
  
• Leaving from Cape Canaveral, or Ft. Lauderdale
  
• Inside cabin is fine, cheapest one is fine (we only use the room to sleep!)
  
• Florida residents
  
• we have AAA
  
• both of us have cruised before (Disney/RC)
  
• not picky about destination
  
• not picky about cruise line
  

I unexpectedly got off work and we need to get away! I am a single parent, and have a 6yr old, so looking for a good deal for the two of us to go on together.

p.s. not sure if this is in the right forum section pls move if needed!

Thank you!

Also what I used for travel -

-clip/string thing (dont know what its caleld, dentists put them on you, I made mine from ribbon and pacifier clips!), used to make napkins into bibs, and makes a recieving blanket into a nursing cover

- cloth wipes, good for everything and can be reused but not a big deal if they get lost.

-pool noodle, put it under the fitted sheet to make a bed rail thing, also fun in the pool, and if nessisary can help with carseat installs.

- spray n' wash stick

Nice list, I dont think I will need any of that stuff for my 2yr old though!

I added many of your items to my packing list for my upcoming trip with our two year old DS. I'll be ordering the Tote N Go and portable bed rail - didn't know there were such things! Thanks a million!:)

The Tote N Go is a pain to install in most cars, Im a carseat tech and I have a hard time making it safe!

Same with the Sit N' Stroll, it is hard to install and requires really long seatbelts. - if you get one of these, buy it new b/c they stopped makign them for a long period, so most used ones are expired.

if you want another option you can use the top teather on your carseat to hook the seat to the handle of a rolling bag, then use a couple bungee cords through the forward facing belt path and around the seat. Works great for kids/seats that arent too heavy.

Also, they have those little carts at wal-mart that you can bungee the caseat too.

And the RideSafer vst is another good option for travel for bigger toddlers +