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Question for those that have cruised with kids -


welove2cruise2014
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This is an honest question. So many people talk about how they love cruising with their kids (ours will be 2) because they can drop the kids off at the kids area/"daycare" if you will, while they enjoy alone time, dinner, a show, etc. Understanding of course that programs, ages etc will vary by ship and line.

 

Is anyone else like my husband and myself; in that we think the idea of a family vacation is to spend time AS A FAMILY and not pawn our daughter off on some strangers that are hired to work in the kids area of a cruise ship?? Admittedly we haven't used a sitter yet (my SIL has watched her the few times we have gone out, and it is mostly after she is asleep anyway), maybe we are just weird. We've already discussed either just turning in early when she goes to bed or maybe alternating - like one night I stay in and he goes out, then we switch.

 

Thoughts?

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You're simply a "new" parent. It's ok to use a babysitter now and again! It's healthy for both kids AND parents to separate once in a while!

 

The folks who work in the kid's clubs and nursery are highly trained. They will take VERY good care of your child.

 

You don't have to use them at all, if you don't want to...that's the beauty of cruising! You do what YOU want! But....if you decide you and hubby would like a "grown up" dinner or a show together, try it! You know the purpose of raising kids is to make them independent....and letting your child be without you for 2 hours is a start...they learn you will return, and you and hubby get to be "partners" for a bit...and not parents...because the "parenting" thing only lasts so long.

 

But...it's up to you! If you want to be with your little one all the time, that's fine! You do what feels right to you. There really is no "right or wrong" way to vacation. And you're right...you are a family and vacations change as your family does!

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You don't say how old your child is...Most lines don't offer anything for children under 2, including pools. Only Carnival offers a full program for 2 year olds. But there are not many activities for families with young aboard ship. So if your child is under three, entertaining on sea days can be a challenge. Once they are older...they might LOVE the kids club. And beg to go. And you have to realize that it is their vacation, too. You just have to play it by ear. EM

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This is an honest question. So many people talk about how they love cruising with their kids (ours will be 2) because they can drop the kids off at the kids area/"daycare" if you will, while they enjoy alone time, dinner, a show, etc. Understanding of course that programs, ages etc will vary by ship and line.

 

Is anyone else like my husband and myself; in that we think the idea of a family vacation is to spend time AS A FAMILY and not pawn our daughter off on some strangers that are hired to work in the kids area of a cruise ship?? Admittedly we haven't used a sitter yet (my SIL has watched her the few times we have gone out, and it is mostly after she is asleep anyway), maybe we are just weird. We've already discussed either just turning in early when she goes to bed or maybe alternating - like one night I stay in and he goes out, then we switch.

 

Thoughts?

 

 

 

We cruise in less than 30 days and this will be my kids 5th cruise. We love spending time together as a family and rarely leave the kids in the club. My oldest son loves going, my triplets can take it or leave it! We take the kids to the specialty restaurant with us, once or twice over the years we’ve had a meal just the two of us, and that’s ok! You will find what works for your family, there’s no right or wrong. Have fun and enjoy your vacation!

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I’ve cruised with my kids as young as 3 and as old as 17 on Disney (8 times), Carnival (3 times), and. Celebrity (4th next month) and neither of them at any age has ever gone to the kids clubs. We always spend our time together. I’ve asked, and they’ve never wanted to go and I would never send them to have a babysitter.

 

And like a PP, my kids always dine in the dining room and specialty restaurants with me. They really enjoy the whole dining experience.

 

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I've been on only one cruise with my daughter, then 3 years old at the time, and am about to go on a second with her (she's now 6).

 

I had the exact same thought as you: this is a family vacation, and we will do things as a family. However, we still showed her the children's area so she could see there was stuff on-board geared specifically to her age as well as other children her age. No intention of "pawning off", but I knew she would be bored spending 24/7 with the adults and, hey, it's her vacation, too.

 

Did we still do things as a family? Yes. We explored some of the ports together, and always dined together. However, once she saw the children's centre, there wasn't a day that went by when, at breakfast, she would ask, "Is the playground open yet?" And when we offered to take her with us to the port and really talk up the great family time we would have, she would tell us she'd rather go to the centre. So, on some days, that's exactly what she did.

 

And you know what? I think if I had made my daughter spend all her time with us so we could be a family, she would have become miserable. And a miserable 3 year old leads to a miserable family. And because she had the good time she wanted to have, she's been asking ever since when we would go back on the "big big boat", and is excited that she'll be doing so this June.

 

So, what's the point to this long-winded email about my experience?

1) Don't assume that all parents who place their children in the children's centre are "pawning them off". My daughter went because she wanted to go. I didn't ditch her. She ditched me. :O

2) Go with the flow. I believe that it's very important to be organized re: cruise activities because you're in a port for only a certain number of hours and you want to maximize that time as much as possible (I love spreadsheets!). However, compromise may be necessary. Like I wrote, it's the kids' vacation, too. If their way of creating fun, memorable moments sometimes doesn't involve you, so be it. The cruise is just one small piece of a lifetime's worth of family moments with you. :)

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It's your vacation. You should spend it however you want to spend it. Most - but certainly not all - children greatly enjoy spending time in the kids clubs.

 

I wanted to take my children on vacation to places of important cultural and historical significance. The only way that I personally can handle doing that is to go on cruises where there is day care, so I can take my children with me all day on tours of museums and cities, and then leave them in the day care as soon as we get back to the ship. In St. Petersburg, my 3.5 year old visited the Hermitage, Catherine's Palace, ran through the fountains at Peterhof, visited the church of the spilled blood, St Isaacs and St Peter and Paul fortress. Everyone on a Baltic cruise - including the people not dragging a toddler - were utterly exhausted because it visits so many exciting cities with long port days. Happy, but exhausted. So for us, the kids clubs allow us to give our children the travel experiences we desire.

 

 

On my honeymoon, I ran into a family with a 5 and 7 year old climbing the temples at Angkor Wat. The parents explained they were traveling all over the world for a whole year. I didn't have any kids then, but I was incredibly impressed and didn't think I'd have the strength to do that. And now that I have kids I admire them even more and I know for sure that I don't have the strength to do that. Different parents have different levels of energy, plus some children are much, much easier to take care of than others. On a sea day, you might see my kids in the kids club most of the day and think I was a terrible parent just pawning them off on the kids club. But anyone looking at our vacation photos tells me how impressed they are that I took such young kids on so many adventures. And I smile and think of the family at Angkor Wat, and how they are the ones who deserve those compliments. As long as you and your kids are happy, that's all that matters on your vacation and you should structure it however you want and need. By the way, our children generally go to either the main dining room or specialty dining for dinner, since they enjoy food. But since they eat quicker than we do, it's nice to drop them off at the kids club once they are done eating so they don't get restless and disturb the other patrons (your kid might be fine with long dinners. Mine can generally last two courses).

 

 

So go on the cruise, and see how it goes. If you want the option of a kids club, you'd need to sail on Cunard or Carnival. Disney or some newer/refurbished RC ships have nurseries for a fee for children under the age of 3.

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Many parents never get the option of a kid free vacation, so having the option of getting some adult time while your kids spend a few hours in the kids club is a good compromise. Our kids spent some time in the kids club on our past cruise while we did other stuff. They also got to spend time with grandma and grandpa who came with us on the cruise. On our next cruise they will be given opportunity to explore the kids club while there’s downtime on the ship.

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It's your vacation. You should spend it however you want to spend it. Most - but certainly not all - children greatly enjoy spending time in the kids clubs.

 

I wanted to take my children on vacation to places of important cultural and historical significance. The only way that I personally can handle doing that is to go on cruises where there is day care, so I can take my children with me all day on tours of museums and cities, and then leave them in the day care as soon as we get back to the ship. In St. Petersburg, my 3.5 year old visited the Hermitage, Catherine's Palace, ran through the fountains at Peterhof, visited the church of the spilled blood, St Isaacs and St Peter and Paul fortress. Everyone on a Baltic cruise - including the people not dragging a toddler - were utterly exhausted because it visits so many exciting cities with long port days. Happy, but exhausted. So for us, the kids clubs allow us to give our children the travel experiences we desire.

 

 

On my honeymoon, I ran into a family with a 5 and 7 year old climbing the temples at Angkor Wat. The parents explained they were traveling all over the world for a whole year. I didn't have any kids then, but I was incredibly impressed and didn't think I'd have the strength to do that. And now that I have kids I admire them even more and I know for sure that I don't have the strength to do that. Different parents have different levels of energy, plus some children are much, much easier to take care of than others. On a sea day, you might see my kids in the kids club most of the day and think I was a terrible parent just pawning them off on the kids club. But anyone looking at our vacation photos tells me how impressed they are that I took such young kids on so many adventures. And I smile and think of the family at Angkor Wat, and how they are the ones who deserve those compliments. As long as you and your kids are happy, that's all that matters on your vacation and you should structure it however you want and need. By the way, our children generally go to either the main dining room or specialty dining for dinner, since they enjoy food. But since they eat quicker than we do, it's nice to drop them off at the kids club once they are done eating so they don't get restless and disturb the other patrons (your kid might be fine with long dinners. Mine can generally last two courses).

 

 

So go on the cruise, and see how it goes. If you want the option of a kids club, you'd need to sail on Cunard or Carnival. Disney or some newer/refurbished RC ships have nurseries for a fee for children under the age of 3.

Two yrs old may b bit young, but let me share a story ..

 

18yrs ago ,took our 5 yr old on Disney magic.. every night had to order him to eat dinner w us since he LOVED the kids club.. By the time he was a sr in high school, he had enjoyed

At least 10 cruises ..later years were teen clubs..always had a blast & met nice kids and still remembers camp counselors fondly..

For the last 3 yrs he and a group of friends book a cruise together ...this yr is carnival horizon (new)

He has seen some beautiful places (greek isles & alaska) loves all types of travel , developed an interest in history, all while dancing till the wee hrs in the onboard discos & various margaritavilles throughout the Caribbean ..while he booked the "fun ship" this yr,..dad & i booked celebrity Edge. .

But No..No palming off here..most parents want their kids to have a great time; and look at kids programs to enrich kids vacations,..and if parents get a night out alone to enjoy a show or late night martini etc.. more power to them!

 

 

 

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I have 5 very close in age, I’m a SAHM. When they were little, we’d usually leave the under 3’s with the grandparents, all were left at some point. We also used a lot of paid sitters, and my youngest (twins) had a full day nanny twice a week as babies, just for my own sanity (my other kids were 2, 4, and 6). Come to think of it, my oldest never had a paid sitter, but she was an only child for only 21 months. It sounds like you have only child syndrome, and new parent syndrome.

 

We love cruising with the kids (the youngest are 15 now) because it’s a win win. We have time alone, the kids split up during the day, but then we have quality time at meals and off of the ship (something that is rare with busy schedules).

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For most people family vacations are about everyone in the family being as happy as possible.

There are lots of kids that would rather be in the kids clubs playing games, doing crafts, watching a movie, over doing a 'family activity' that no one in the family really enjoys but feel they have to because they feel they have to spend all their time as a family because its a family vacation and this is the family activity...

 

 

As much as parents need a break from their kids (and thats ok, we're all human), kids also need a break from their parents at times (which is also ok, they're just smaller humans).

 

 

And, if theres an adult activity that you really want to do (spa, casino, a show, a meal, a drinks class), even if your kids doesn't really want to go, its ok to 'pawn' them of for an hour or two, you guys worked hard and paid for the vacation, the kids didn't!

 

 

Are there parents that leave their kids in the clubs for all the time possible, of course! Will everyone agree with their decision, Nope! But at least the kids are getting some attention and activities and the chance to meet other kids and make friends...

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We are taking out first family cruise this summer with our then 5 and 9 year olds. We've also neither used a non family baby sitter, but both kids are in school--preschool and 4th grade this year. I've offered the Kids Club, but neither seem into it at this point. Once we get on the boat, we will take a look at it and see. I actually think that it may be good for my 9 year old to branch off for us for and hour or so--not all day. She loves crafts and I'd like for her to experience something that she might not be able to otherwise if she'd like to. If the 5 year old wants to go off as well, she can. I don't think she will though. We will always eat meals as a family--a non negotiable. I'm not using the baby sitter in cabin service either. For us, we are there for a family cruise and the vast majority of our time will be together.

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I didn't ditch her. She ditched me. :O

 

This is my hyper-social only child too. Until he started school, he'd always been home with one or the other of us. And that's still true outside of the school day. That's more day-to-day togetherness than some families. On a ship, he wants novelty.

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So far our son has not gone to kids club because he hasn’t been old enough, but we have cruised with grandparents and have them babysit a few times over the course of the week for a 2-3 hours. We do spend the large majority of our time as a family. But we also enjoy being able to do a few things as a couple. It is a nice balance. A young child may not be able to sit through a longer dinner, a show may not be appropriate for him, or those things may just be more pleasant when not trying to keep a toddler quiet and happy. And I fully believe that having some times/experiences alone as a couple is an important part of a healthy relationship.

 

 

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I was also ditched by my precious child on our cruise last fall. She was 2.5, and loved everything about the boat. We used the kids club for a nice dinner, some spa time, that sort of thing, but we still had the best family vacation I think I’ve ever had. Swimming every day, exploring in port, family movie time, dancing! We did have to be careful where we explored before dinner, if she caught sight of the kids dinner being set up she’d take off on us and not even look back.

 

Go and have fun. The kids clubs aren’t evil, letting your child play with peers and toys for an hour or two is hardly deprivation.

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My kids are also the type who are happy to ditch us for kids clubs on occasion. Yes, they love us, and they love spending time with us . . . but not *all* of their time with us (especially on longer vacations). If they've been with us all through the port day and dinner, they're happy to have a just-kids break from us in the evening to interact in peer social groups, making new friends, engaging in age-appropriate enrichment activities, etc. -- maybe not every evening (or every sea day), but more often than not. Just as my husband and I enjoy our just-us time as a couple.

 

At age 2, your kid is still too young for independent adventures anyway, but they may very well enjoy the clubs when they get older. Keep an open mind about them.

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You will figure out what works best for you and just enjoy not having to cook or clean! (Well you may have to if you have bottles or sippy cup lol)

We took our twins on their first cruise at 16months old on Allure of the Seas. They are now three and to this day we have never left them with babysitter. Occasionally with a grandparent. In fact, it took my son three months to leave him at the gym babysitting for an hour.

With that said we still loved cruising with our kids. Just an easy vacation. We avoided the buffets as much as possible the more someone can come over to help me the better. Buffet is probably better with older children tough with twin toddlers. The dining room staff was especially good at entertaining my kids and making them feel special. We did cruise with my in laws in hopes we would get a break. One night we went to a comedy club and another night we went to a happy hour before dinner. Cruising with young kids meant early bedtimes which was fine because we were up early anyway. This summer we cruise again and hope our kids will try the kids club (especially since we are traveling without any grandparents) but if not we are perfectly fine just enjoying time with our kiddos or maybe sitting with a bottle of wine on the balcony.

 

 

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Hi! It’s ok to feel like that. My son is twelve and only my parents or my sisters have ever watched him! We go on vacation and have gone on three cruises with him. He hasn’t spent much time at the kids clubs at all. Only on the Disney cruise did he ask to go. ( his cousins were on that one ) Maybe because he’s an only he was able to find ways to entertain himself action figures or electronics. Lots of time at the spray area. He’s toured many Caribbean islands and has visited South America. He’s a seasoned traveler. We found that the nighttime issue was solved by having a balcony. Our first cruise he was still in a stroller so we just rolled him all over he ship as he slept. ( he’s a sound sleeper!) The next time he was older and no stroller so when he had enough we’d go back to the room put him to sleep and hang out on the balcony pizza and wine!! We’ve never vacationed without him outside of a random night in the city. This time he’s older without his cousins and really into video games so I wonder if he will want to spend time in the older kids club or will he be happy chilling with us! It’s all about how you want it to go, there’s no right or wrong way but if you train them young , you’ll have great traveling companions!

 

 

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Oh to be a young idealistic parent again. I don’t really like the judgmental “pawn your kid off” statement. One thing I’ve learned once becoming a parent is that you shouldn’t judge other parents. You don’t know what their day is like. I’m a stay at home mom and homeschooler. I am with my daughter every day, all day. I look forward to the cruises where I get to be a wife instead of a mother for a few hours. And frankly, my daughter feels the same way. Then when we get back home we can reset and spend all day together again. On the other hand moms who work outside the home, I’m sure, really enjoy having the opportunity to spend that extra time with their kids. It’s really a personal decision.

 

 

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We like cruises because they are a perfect balance between family time and adult time. We waited to cruise til my youngest was almost 3 and mostly potty trained. I didn't have to want to be dealing with diapers all the time. And I did want him to be able to have time with other kids. Both my sons started pre-school at 2 to be socialized and loved going to kids clubs to play; they have tons of age appropriate activities and the counselors are fantastic. There isn't that much to do on board all day on sea days (especially without lots of toys, playgrounds and bikes from home) for young children.

 

Using the kids clubs kept the kids happy and entertained during the day. We enjoyed breakfast and lunch together. Some afternoons, he would chose to go to the pool or play putt-putt, and then he would go down for a nap. We then had dinner together. He was then ready to go back to camp while we enjoyed drinks, comedy or shows in the evening. Shore excursions took up most of port days and were spent as a family.

 

I hope that gives you the sense of balance we find cruising...

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Is anyone else like my husband and myself; in that we think the idea of a family vacation is to spend time AS A FAMILY and not pawn our daughter off on some strangers that are hired to work in the kids area of a cruise ship??

 

Hi - yes, there are many like yourselves. And there are many who aren't. Isn't that great? The wonderful thing about a cruise is that it suits all types of families. I cruised with a friend with a two year old who swore ahead of time she wouldn't use the nursery - and found once on board that enjoying a little time apart added to both of their vacations. Do you and your husband spend 24/7 together AS A COUPLE on cruises? Sometimes we can all use a little break from each other, including the kids. But even if you choose not to use the kids facilities, it's great to have the option. For me, I spent 24/7 with my girls on many cruises until they were two, but as soon as they were old enough for the kids club, I allowed them to go because they love having time to be with other kids and I have a hard time denying them what they want when it's their vacation too. But I would never judge another family who does not.

 

(I hope you'll print your question and file it away to look in ten years and see if by then you notice the CAPITALIZATION and word choice "pawn" and have a good laugh at how you used to judge others when you were the very wise parent of a two year old).

 

Have a great trip - cruising is a wonderful way to go with kids.

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Fair enough to the folks whose kids were old enough to want to do kids activities. I get that. I was more referring to parents of younger children. And I certainly didn't think I came across as judgy, just making observations.

 

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My son was 15 months when we went so we couldn't use the camp. We could have used night owls but it didn't start till 10pm and I was hesitant about using it to begin with. I am a SAHM (move a lot so don't have anyone we can trust to babysit) so I hope to use the camp at least a little but it will be a few years took we take the kids (pregnant right now). The next one we hope to do is Vancouver to Hawaii for our 10 year anniversary so the kids will stay home with grandparents. You can always go and check out the camp and see if it is something you want to try out. I would say go ahead and pre register and then go when they have hours on embarkation day just in case so you have the option if you want it.

My husband works a lot so our vacations are family vacations, so we want to spend the time together as a family he will go days without seeing our son sometimes and it will not be changing any time soon.

 

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