Please tell me everything will be just fine... leaving the kiddo at home.

[ebandive]

Don't know why all of a sudden I'm panicking about this. Leaving for 4 nights on the NCL Sky on Monday for a babymoon with DH. DS is 18 months old and baby #2 is due in January. DH and I need to reconnect before we bring another child into the family so we are leaving DS with some really good friends who are fully capable of taking excellent care of him for 4 nights and he will have a blast playing with their kids. So, why I am I all of a sudden having second thoughts about this vaca? I have the ship's # just in case of emergency... and I even purchased travel insurance... so really, this is no big deal, right? Right? :o Have any of you left a little one at home to cruise?

[Warm Breezes]

I haven't left the kids behind for cruises (yet), but we have left them behind for some adult vacations in Las Vegas. If you have great people you can leave them with then you have nothing to worry about. Not only is it good for parents to get away to reconnect, but I think it is good for the kids to connect with others too.

 

We try to get away at least once a year for an adult get away. Sometimes it is just a long week end sometimes it is a little longer, but it has never been more than 5-6 days. We also try to get at least one, sometimes two, family vacations during a year of a week or more along with multiple weekend trips. Not only is it great for adults to reconnect on adult vacations, but we find we love the time for our famiily to reconnect. Our kids are 18 and 15 now. We all have very busy schedules and vacations are a priority for our family and adult life.

[mjkacmom]

I have 5, and all have been left home at one time or another. My best advice is to start early, because each time you do it, it gets easier and easier. Enjoy your alone time together - the best gift you can give your children is a strong, happy marriage!

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Go and enjoy your cruise. Your child will be fine and you will have a chance to reconnect. It's the calm before the storm (when the second baby comes). 18 months is a really horrible age to travel with IMO so I think you are making a smart decision. Have a great time!:)

[cb at sea]

Relax....this is a HEALTHY thing you are doing! Kids are fine with anyone who will take care of them. Kuddos to your friends!

 

You will be fine. Your child will be fine. No worries! I'm serious! This is a GOOD thing you're doing! Your are teaching your child that you will return when you go away, and you are showing your hubby that he's more important than your child...which is how it SHOULD be....yes...you love your child, but your spouse should come first! That way, you have a strong partnership for your child!

[6rugrats]

Have any of you left a little one at home to cruise?

Every year we can we take a vacation without children, and they've always been fine. In fact, they enjoy it when we are going. It's like a vacation for them. I don't often agree with cb but I do with what she says in the post before mine.

[notentirelynormal]

The only thing you have to worry about is this:

 

What if I'm pregnant?

Norwegian will make every effort to accommodate you, providing you have not entered the 24th week of pregnancy when the cruise ends. Please include your cruise details in an email to the Access Desk with a medical certificate establishing your due date prior to your cruise.

 

 

Make sure you have your medical information ready.

[6rugrats]

The only thing you have to worry about is this:

 

What if I'm pregnant?

Norwegian will make every effort to accommodate you, providing you have not entered the 24th week of pregnancy when the cruise ends. Please include your cruise details in an email to the Access Desk with a medical certificate establishing your due date prior to your cruise.

 

 

Make sure you have your medical information ready.

Yes, OP discussed this in another thread:

 

You ladies have me sort of nervous! I am cruising NCL in September... will be 23 weeks pregnant. Their cut-off is not entering the 24th week. So a note from my midwife saying that I'm 23 weeks during the cruise and that I'm safe to cruise will be sufficient, right? I wasn't planning on sending any document beforehand, just bringing it with me just in case they ask. I wasn't even worried about it at all until reading this thread! It would be awful to be denied boarding!! :eek:

 

Hopefully, OP has taken care of this and provided NCL with the correct documentation; a note is not sufficient. You need to have your medical professional complete and send the paperwork before your cruise. Hopefully, you already took care of this. Being denied boarding means you lose all your money.

[akcruz]

I agree, go and have a good time, your little one will be fine. I left my DD with grandma when she was 10 months old. I worried and worried about it, but once we got away was happy for the time alone with hubby and wondered why I was so concerned with it. We came back to a happy healthy child.

 

After that we realized we needed couple time as well as family time so regularly (once every year or two) have a couples vacation. Keeps us connected.

 

Of course that 10 month old is now 22 and out on her own. She has learned how to love family time AND be an independent well rounded young lady. The youngest is 17 so don't have to worry about it much longer :(. Although they still do want to travel with us when we go and bother us all the time to include them. We just pick and choose which are family vacations and which are couples vacations. We enjoy and need both!

[SadieN]

I have 5, and all have been left home at one time or another. My best advice is to start early, because each time you do it, it gets easier and easier. Enjoy your alone time together - the best gift you can give your children is a strong, happy marriage!

 

Agree- start them early. Our Niece (15) and Nephew(20) freaked out when I invited their mom on a cruise without them.

 

Not only good for you it's also good for the kids. We always sent our kids to a weeklong sleepover summer camp. SIL never did and hers CLING to her. (Can you tell we have very different parenting styles:p)

[ebandive]

Thanks for all the reassurance! We considered taking DS with us, but as someone else mentioned, taking him with us would be fun, but it would have made it much more difficult for hubby and I to relax and reconnect, which is the primary purpose of getting away this time. We took a family vacation this past summer and made a lot of fun memories but came home exhausted. :)

 

And everything pregnancy related is all set and we are good to go!

[ducktoon1]

We have three kids, now 10, 13, and 16. When the kids were little, our rule was that we didn't take them on cruises with us until they were potty trained. (they stayed home with Grandma and Grandpa) This worked out really well. We didn't have to mess with a stroller, diapers, baby food etc. and we could spend more time with the kids we did bring. Note that its really tough to keep them on a schedule on the cruise, and even at 3 yrs old, my son was a super cranky mess by the end of a week. We missed going ashore in Canada because he was having a meltdown. There will be plenty of time to take your little ones with you when they get older (my youngest has now been on 10 cruises) Good luck on your upcoming cruise and Congrats!

[travelhound]

Have fun on your cruise and don't worry! Just a week after our dd turned one in March we left for a 12 day cruise to South America with a 4 day extension in Rio. It was my dh's 50th birthday and he wanted to do something big. We picked something that wouldn't be good for a toddler cruise and SA fit the bill. I was a little scared of leaving her that long but she was with my SIL and her 11 and 14 year old kids. It turned out great. The effect I hadn't thought about was that now my SIL, niece, and nephew are connected to our dd in a special way. She is our dd's favorite aunt. So, no worries, have a great time and get as much sleep as possible. :)

[Julienatul]

We just took our first kid-free cruise in 7 years this past July. It was wonderful and we adjusted very very easily. We could rest when we wanted, eat when we wanted, no tantrums or fighting to get them ready, no early bedtimes to worry about. The kids stayed with grandparents and did wonderfully. They barely even missed us. Go enjoy your cruise!! You deserve it!

[nothriver]

I think 18mos is a good age to leave them, and a short cruise is the right amount of time for you to not have to worry to much but to have some quality time together. We started taking my daughter to Disney World every year starting at 22 months, and although she caught noro virus there that first trip, she at least really enjoyed the part of the trip before she got sick. And remembered it afterwards, too. She wouldn't have appreciated a cruise much at that age. I don't think I would have enjoyed cruising with her all that much at that age, either. Our first cruise was over her 5th b-day she she enjoyed it sure, but now she's 7 and she really "gets" cruising - LOVES being spoiled by the crew, loves formal night, loves kids club, loves touring ports. Your children will grow into cruising, eventually.

 

 

Right now, really, you should not worry at all. You should not evey worry if you realize you are not even thinking about your child while on your cruise! ENJOY!!!

 

FWIW, I'm always quick to criticize other parents. THIS however, is a great idea. A win/win for you and your spouse, as well as for your child!

[Karysa]

First ones the hardest. You are starting with a short one. Go and enjoy.

[ebandive]

Thanks everyone! We are back and had a great time! :D If you are interested, the link to my review/pics is in my signature. Thanks for all your advise - DS had a great time and so did DH & I!

[akcruz]

Thanks everyone! We are back and had a great time! :D If you are interested, the link to my review/pics is in my signature. Thanks for all your advise - DS had a great time and so did DH & I!

 

 

Thanks for coming back and letting us all know you had a good time and everyone is doing well.

 

Glad it all worked out for you.

[Mrs.C05]

This is exactly what I needed to read. DH and I are leaving for a 4 day cruise and leaving our 6 month son at home with a close family friend. I am not worried about him not bring taken care of, it's more of the separation, as I am home with him all day. I am getting more and more nervous as it gets closer, but I know we need this time together for our marriage too.

 

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