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World cruise QM2--take plunge with family of 5?


quandrea
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I certainly have lots to say about the world cruise. My husband and I did it for the full voyage - round trip from NYC for 120 days. There were very few kids Homeschooling is great but working on the ship and I tried to do that since I have my own cruise agency was tough since the internet is slow and costly

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  • 1 month later...
Posted on Cunard board but not getting any replies.

 

We have a World Cruise segment on hold until Wednesday when we must firm up. Deciding if we should take the plunge.

 

We are a family of five. The segment we are looking at begins next year, January third in New York. We do the transatlantic in connecting insides and then depart Southampton on January tenth in a balcony stateroom and an inside triple across the hall. Land in Sydney on February 25, where we will disembark.

 

Wondering how much we need to budget for shore excursions. Also wondering if we should just wait twelve to fifteen years and go without the children once they are grown.

 

The biggest wrinkle seems to be the dogs. Leaving them for two weeks with my mother in law and brother in law is a big deal.

 

We homeschool and would continue our studies while abroad. Husband could work from the ship as well.

 

It seems like an adventure of a lifetime, but the notion of checking out of life for two months is also quite daunting. It would certainly be simpler in the future when our kids will be grown and can watch the dogs, house, etc; but the idea of taking the children on this trip while we are still homeschooling seems remarkable and quite the experience for our family.

 

I'd really appreciate any input world cruisers might have regarding budget, leaving one's life behind, the pros and cons of world cruising etc. Hope to get some honest feedback that will aid in our decision.

Hi,

sorry I saw this post late but I'm glad you decided to go. We're a family of 4 and did pretty much the same thing in 2008, except we couldn't get the more direct cruises you have. We did Sydney to San Fran, got the Amtrak train across the states, NY to Southhampton. Then did the same in reverse to come home.

At the time our kids were 7 and 11 (my son turned 11 on the ship and still remembers the band on deck 12 getting everyone to sing happy birthday to him. Our principle said it would be the best thing ever for the kids, and he was right. They went to places most kids will never get to, and made friends that they still keep in touch with now.

The kids club on Cunard was one of the best we've ever seen, and we never went to the MDR because it was just too posh. The buffet was just as good as some 5 star places.

I'm glad you booked 2 cabins because you may kill each other cramping up in one cabin.

So roll on 8 years and we're now waiting for our daughter to finish high school in 2018 so that we can do it all again.

I hope you have a fabulous trip and if you need some tips about your 15 days in Australia feel free to ask.

Trish

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I was on the full world cruise this year -- 120 days round trip from NYC I personally would not take kids over the age of 12. They would be so bored and teenagers will drive you nuts since there are very few kids. As for budgeting -- difficult to do since you need to check out the shore excursions and see what you want to book and book them before you board or they will be more expensive Visas for us were almost $2000 but that might not be the situation for you we also got immunized even though it was not required. Take a full world map you can get from AAA and put it on the wall. Take really good magnets and you can put pictures, etc on the walls. You can follow my entire journey on facebook FAYE SIEGEL

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  • 6 months later...
Well we did it. Placed the deposits down this afternoon. Yikes! That was a big hit to the VISA. Ah well. Hubby and I decided last night that we will book. If something were to come up professionally that meant we had to cancel, so be it.

 

Here's our plan:

 

21 nights on Queen Elizabeth San Francisco to Sydney.

13 nights in Australia

25 nights on Queen Victoria to San Francisco.

 

This prevents us having to endure any long flights. We also don't take the massive financial hit of flying home from Australia. Looks like air will be very reasonable and husband says he'd rather put that money into actual time away.

 

Dogs will be with my brother in law.

 

We will homeschool on the road. I will have to figure out what books absolutely must come, as we like to travel light.

 

So if all goes according to plan, we will actually be due to arrive in Sydney exactly one year from today.

 

Lots to do.

 

Oh. I had originally booked with Cunard directly. Which I actually like doing, as I take a fair bit of time selecting the staterooms so we are next to or across from each other. Transferred to my travel agent today. They will be picking up all the gratuities for each voyage. Excellent.

 

I would love to do this and take my four grandchildren. I would, of course, have to home school them. I have some questions for you. I realize our situations will be different but I'm just looking for some generalizations so I know where to begin.

 

Two live in Washington, two in California. The cruise would probably be 2019 leaving January 22nd ish for 111 days. LA to LA. The kids will be 14, 11, 10 and 8.

 

 

Can we leave them in school until January?

Do we really have to call in every week for an hour per child? Yikes!

Can you give me a short and simple explanation of home schooling?

 

My DH will be 73 and I will be 64 so it's been a while since we've been in school.

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We ended up not going on the trip. My son needed dental work and my daughter was not given medical clearance by her allergist because he didn't want her crossing the Pacific with a peanut allergy.

 

I can help you with homeschooling. I think you can keep them in school til January. In Canada we don't have to report in at all. I can't speak to your state laws. Enquire at the school board level.

 

I homeschool about four hours per day. They exercise about two hours per day. Even while travelling for shorter periods, we maintain the exercise and at least two hours of study per day. My plan for the world cruise was to do full schooling on sea days, less while in port. Every day would include reading and writing.

 

I use Direct Instruction programmes by SRA McGraw Hill. I use them for math, language, reading, science and social studies. My older daughter is in grade seven but does high school online. That can be done onboard. You'll have to bring all books, workbooks, pens, pencils, white board, markers. Probably a suitcase for school supplies. Find a nice place and study in a public space. Probably not the library--somewhere you can talk.

 

Routine is key to homeschooling. The port days will shake up your routine and obviously be a terrific learning experience. Have them research ports in advance to plan itineraries while ashore.

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notentirelynormal,

 

We are doing just what you are thinking about. We have booked the 2018 Princess world cruise for ourselves and our two grandchildren, who will be 8 and 9 by then. We live in California, and we have done quite a bit of planning for the kids' schooling while we are away.

 

Our kids are in a small private school, and the administration has been very cooperative. We are taking our math and language arts books with us,and will keep up with the class. We are planning to take as many spelling tests, and write as many book reports as we can before we leave so that we don't have too many tests to take on the high seas. We will agree to meet our school's standard expectation for daily reading. In addition, we plan to continue with the enrichment work that we already do in the area of history, because it is directly relevant to our travels.

 

In preparing to work with our school, I did a lot of research into the law in California as it applies to public schools. I expected that we would use that as a model for our plan, and we mostly have. In California, every public school district will have a policy for "independent study contracts". Essentially, they can let your kids agree to do all of their regular school work, and earn grades and credit just as if they were in class at home. The state agrees to consider the kids present for purposes of school funding.

 

You might have run into some confusion about needing to call in each week. That sounds like a school-sponsored program for homeschooled kids. That program is generally for kids who are not planning to return to the classroom anytime soon. You want "independent study" rather than "homeschool".

 

I would be happy to share more, or to answer any other questions. We are excited!

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I use Direct Instruction programmes by SRA McGraw Hill. I use them for math, language, reading, science and social studies. My older daughter is in grade seven but does high school online. That can be done onboard. You'll have to bring all books, workbooks, pens, pencils, white board, markers. Probably a suitcase for school supplies. Find a nice place and study in a public space. Probably not the library--somewhere you can talk.

 

Wow! SRA McGraw Hill. I haven't heard that since I was in school (North Vancouver). Thanks for your input. I would bring their own school supplies etc. We would each have a mini suite and that would give them plenty of room to study.

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notentirelynormal,

 

We are doing just what you are thinking about. We have booked the 2018 Princess world cruise for ourselves and our two grandchildren, who will be 8 and 9 by then. We live in California, and we have done quite a bit of planning for the kids' schooling while we are away.

 

Our kids are in a small private school, and the administration has been very cooperative. We are taking our math and language arts books with us,and will keep up with the class. We are planning to take as many spelling tests, and write as many book reports as we can before we leave so that we don't have too many tests to take on the high seas. We will agree to meet our school's standard expectation for daily reading. In addition, we plan to continue with the enrichment work that we already do in the area of history, because it is directly relevant to our travels.

 

In preparing to work with our school, I did a lot of research into the law in California as it applies to public schools. I expected that we would use that as a model for our plan, and we mostly have. In California, every public school district will have a policy for "independent study contracts". Essentially, they can let your kids agree to do all of their regular school work, and earn grades and credit just as if they were in class at home. The state agrees to consider the kids present for purposes of school funding.

 

You might have run into some confusion about needing to call in each week. That sounds like a school-sponsored program for homeschooled kids. That program is generally for kids who are not planning to return to the classroom anytime soon. You want "independent study" rather than "homeschool".

 

I would be happy to share more, or to answer any other questions. We are excited!

 

Yes, I did get the two mixed up. I found little when I searched for the California kids (older) school district and the info I found on homeschooling in Washington made the 1 hour per week comment. Yes, it would be independent study. I have to get a lot of ducks in a row to do this so right now it is a fantasy but if I do it I will need to do it quick and have all the issue resolved before.

 

I envy you your journey with the grandkids. If it gets closer (more realistic) I'll be back to ask more questions.

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