Cruising with kids 101

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I've raised kids for the past 27 years and I've seen some really caring parents on these boards. Most of the repeat cruisers know what they are getting into but I wanted to give you some cruising basics for kids.

 

Infants: This is a fairly easy age to travel. Babies are content to be held for the most part, haven't started throwing tantrums yet and are in the "oral" stage- meaning they derive satisfaction from eating and drinking. So they like being a high chair. They do have some teething issues and this can cause ear aches and irritability.

 

Toddlers (12months-2years): Worst stage to travel with. They have transcended the "oral" age and are now on the go. They can not communicate effectively with words and get easily frustrated. Many kids in this age group have separation anxiety and do not go readily with babysitters. Children also regress when they sleep with their parents and have difficulty sleeping in their own room when returning home.

 

3 and over: This is the ideal age to travel with. Most children are potty trained by this age, can speak clearly and don't have tantrums. They don't suffer from separation anxiety and like to play with other children. The youth programs are fun for them- freeing parents up.

 

This is just my two cents.

[Mack2]

I understand the point about toddlers, but I also think that the child's personality needs to be taken into account.

 

I took my daughter (she was the youngest ever on a cruise, 12 months and 18 months at the times of each cruise) on a Disney cruise and an RCI cruise. Yes, she may have had a meltdown or two, but the stateroom is so close to the MDR.

 

We (the parents) have wonderful memories of those times.

 

 

 

 

I would wholeheartedly recommend spending special time with the kids at ANY age. Of course, there are certain expectations that you have. You're there as a family, you spend time together... if you want to drop the kids off at the camp all day, or have a private evening alone, it might not happen... yeah, probably won't happen.

 

When you take kids that little with you on a cruise, they're there because you want them to be a family unit. If you wanted private time, that expectation may be difficult to make happen.

 

Anyway, I don't think people would be spending the money to take the kids if they wanted to be away from the kids. That'd be ridiculous, right?

Edited February 10, 2014 by Mack2

[giselleacttwo]

I agree toddlers are the most difficult age to travel with, but I also think they are the most difficult age at home, so why not take them anyway and enjoy the scenery? :)

 

We had our 2 year old on a recent 28 day cruise to Tahiti and her fellow passengers treated her like a rock star, she had a great time, and for the most part it was still a relaxing vacation for us because we didn't have to do the cooking or washing up after. She loved going to afternoon tea with mom, and she went to the MDR with us many nights (her older brothers preferred the kids center to fancy dinner) and only once did we have to carry her out of there before the meal was over. My husband took her after our entrees were finished and I ordered him a dessert which they delivered to our room.

[Warm Breezes]

I've raised kids for the past 27 years and I've seen some really caring parents on these boards. Most of the repeat cruisers know what they are getting into but I wanted to give you some cruising basics for kids.

 

Infants: This is a fairly easy age to travel. Babies are content to be held for the most part, haven't started throwing tantrums yet and are in the "oral" stage- meaning they derive satisfaction from eating and drinking. So they like being a high chair. They do have some teething issues and this can cause ear aches and irritability.

 

Toddlers (12months-2years): Worst stage to travel with. They have transcended the "oral" age and are now on the go. They can not communicate effectively with words and get easily frustrated. Many kids in this age group have separation anxiety and do not go readily with babysitters. Children also regress when they sleep with their parents and have difficulty sleeping in their own room when returning home.

 

3 and over: This is the ideal age to travel with. Most children are potty trained by this age, can speak clearly and don't have tantrums. They don't suffer from separation anxiety and like to play with other children. The youth programs are fun for them- freeing parents up.

 

This is just my two cents.

 

You are using so generalities that may not hold true for all kids. My DS was a calm as an infant, toddler, and above. He never threw a fit and rarely cried and was quickly soothed during the rare times that he did cry. He was a great traveler both by car and by plane and If we had discovered our love of cruising before he was 7, I would have had no problems cruising with him as an infant or a toddler.

 

DD, on the other hand, cried until she could talk and then she never stopped talking. She was not easily soothed as an infant at all. These were not tantrums she threw as an infant or toddler as it wasn't mad, throwing a fit crying, but big alligator tears not understood, upset crying. We rarely took her out anywhere until she was about 2 years old and started talking....that was when the crying mostly stopped. I would have never even have attempted to take her on a cruise as an infant/toddler if we had been cruising back then. After 2 I would have. Our first cruise was when she was 4. She was my child that cried so much in the Disney club that they called me to get her. It wasn't a tantrum cry. She was not throwing a fit....she was upset and worried that we had left her there "forever". We had been gone less than an hour. She even had a friend from home in there with her. So yes she did have separation anxiety and she did not want to play with the other kids. So my experience with her was the exact opposite of what you listed for all age groups.

 

The fact was that neither of my kids liked going to the kids club. They were on 10 cruises between the ages of 4 & 7 and 16 & 19. I can count on one hand the number of time they tried it and came back not liking it and not wanting to go back. This was on Disney, Carnival, and Norwegian. Every child is different and each parent needs to make decisions based on their child's temperment and their reaction to the kids clubs. My DD has been in dance classes since she was 3 and never had an issue there being away from me or being with other kids. I never expected this from her at 4 having been in dance classes for over a year by then. But she just didn't like it so we didn't force them to go....and yet cruising was still one of our favorite family vacations even without them. I just don't think you can generalize like you did in your OP. For some kids its just not true.

Edited February 10, 2014 by Warm Breezes

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I did travel with my two and also with other people and their own babies and children. It is doable at any age. These were just observations.

 

I have taken my kids with me on all my cruises at various ages (except one on Oceania that was during the school year and was not appropriate for kids) and have had mostly positive experiences but the toddler stage made me take a break from cruising.

 

Do I mean to leave your kids at home- no. I just mean that if you are planning to travel now or perhaps wait until they are toddlers- I suggest going now- when the they are a babe in arms because it's a bit easier.

 

Or if your child is two- you may want to wait until they are three.

 

My two boys didn't throw tantrums but I also made sure they didn't. I put them in situations that I knew they could cope with- short meals, etc. For instance- flights... they need their own seat. Unless you have a tiny baby on your lap, the "lap child" and parent will be miserable on a flight. So you are setting yourself up for failure if you don't buy the child a seat of their own.

 

Just things I've learned along the way. I do have boys but I don't think it is a sex thing. My boys have always been great happy kids. I think partly because I recognize their limitations and mine.

Edited February 10, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[Warm Breezes]

I did travel with my two and also with other people and their own babies and children. It is doable at any age. These were just observations.

 

I have taken my kids with me on all my cruises at various ages (except one on Oceania that was during the school year and was not appropriate for kids) and have had mostly positive experiences but the toddler stage made me take a break from cruising.

 

Do I mean to leave your kids at home- no. I just mean that if you are planning to travel now or perhaps wait until they are toddlers- I suggest going now- when the they are a babe in arms because it's a bit easier.

 

Or if your child is two- you may want to wait until they are three.

 

My two boys didn't throw tantrums but I also made sure they didn't. I put them in situations that I knew they could cope with- short meals, etc. For instance- flights... they need their own seat. Unless you have a tiny baby on your lap, the "lap child" and parent will be miserable on a flight. So you are setting yourself up for failure if you don't buy the child a seat of their own.

 

Just things I've learned along the way. I do have boys but I don't think it is a sex thing. My boys have always been great happy kids. I think partly because I recognize their limitations and mine.

 

You just made my point right here. You recognized THEIR limitations and YOURS. Each kid is different and parents know their kids and their limitations. To make the generalization you made above is not necessarily true for every child. I personally know that...my kids are living proof of it. Some parents will take actions based on their children's limitations and some parents will ignore it and do what they want whether their kid can handle it or not. You knew your kids were able to handle hit because you knew them and their limitations.

 

I knew MY kids limitations and MINE. DS would have been fine on a cruise as an infant and if we had known that we would have fallen in love with cruising back then we probably would have taken him on one as an infant. DD would NOT have been fine on a cruise....we even had to take turns going to church on Sundays so one person could stay home with her. We couldn't leave her in nursery because they couldn't get her to stop crying and we couldn't take her in church with us because we would end up having to take her out because of the crying. We took DS to church right from the start and never even put him nursery because he never once made a peep in church. The majority of the time he slept right through it. DD was 2 and talking before we felt comfortable taking her anywhere where we couldn't just walk out and leave with her. IMHO the ability to communicate made all the difference with her.

 

Our children were as different as night and day as infants and we had to base our decisions based on THEIR limitations and not on a generalization of what they should be like at that age. That's all I'm trying to say.

Edited February 11, 2014 by Warm Breezes

[Mack2]

When it comes down to the boys, we took my younger son on his first cruise when he was two.

 

 

It was his birthday week. For me, I've always felt that these really young toddler-cruises were all about the kids.

 

To me, it's that opportunity to have my kids experience a whole bunch of cool things within the controlled environment of a cruise. It's not like an all-inclusive where each day is spent at the same beach, with limited excursions, and the same scenery day in and day out. Of course, at those all-inclusives, booze is included... but you're there with your toddlers... when are you really gonna get to drink?

 

I say, take your kids! Infant, toddler, tween, teen... take'em! Just be aware of your own expectations. My kids are somewhat grown. My eldest is 15 now. The youngest is 10. I expect that my 15 year old doesn't want to be seen with us as much anymore. Fine. Make good decisions or he'll have no choice but to be seen with us, all the time.

 

My expectations for my 15 year old are different than what I expect from the younger two. I try to keep the expectations realistic. I'm pretty sure I can trust my eldest to make good decisions. I'm pretty sure that if my youngest doesn't like the Kid's Club, she'll be hanging around with us. I'm pretty sure my 12 year old will want to hang with his older brother... and they get along for the most part, so I don't have to worry about them fighting.

 

Only a parent can tell their own kid's personality and make an accurate prediction of how they'll be on a cruise. I think the parents that come to CruiseCritic are exceptional parents because they come to discuss their trips and share ideas. CruiseCritic parents are a little more aware of other passengers and appear to be more responsible.

 

Not all parents are like the CruiseCritic parents. I've seen some really annoying kids on cruises. MY kids complain about their behavior. It's crazy. I don't necessarily blame the kids... it's the parents.

The parents that have unrealistic expectations.

Edited February 11, 2014 by Mack2

[Warm Breezes]

When it comes down to the boys, we took my younger son on his first cruise when he was two.

 

 

It was his birthday week. For me, I've always felt that these really young toddler-cruises were all about the kids.

 

To me, it's that opportunity to have my kids experience a whole bunch of cool things within the controlled environment of a cruise. It's not like an all-inclusive where each day is spent at the same beach, with limited excursions, and the same scenery day in and day out. Of course, at those all-inclusives, booze is included... but you're there with your toddlers... when are you really gonna get to drink?

 

I say, take your kids! Infant, toddler, tween, teen... take'em! Just be aware of your own expectations. My kids are somewhat grown. My eldest is 15 now. The youngest is 10. I expect that my 15 year old doesn't want to be seen with us as much anymore. Fine. Make good decisions or he'll have no choice but to be seen with us, all the time.

 

My expectations for my 15 year old are different than what I expect from the younger two. I try to keep the expectations realistic. I'm pretty sure I can trust my eldest to make good decisions. I'm pretty sure that if my youngest doesn't like the Kid's Club, she'll be hanging around with us. I'm pretty sure my 12 year old will want to hang with his older brother... and they get along for the most part, so I don't have to worry about them fighting.

 

Only a parent can tell their own kid's personality and make an accurate prediction of how they'll be on a cruise. I think the parents that come to CruiseCritic are exceptional parents because they come to discuss their trips and share ideas. CruiseCritic parents are a little more aware of other passengers and appear to be more responsible.

 

Not all parents are like the CruiseCritic parents. I've seen some really annoying kids on cruises. MY kids complain about their behavior. It's crazy. I don't necessarily blame the kids... it's the parents.

The parents that have unrealistic expectations.

 

I so agree with you. My kids had quite a few compliments on their behavior when we went out with them. But I controlled when we went out with them...which was before DD was born and after she could talk. I wasn't about to take my DD out when she was in that crying stage that we couldn't control. It was beyond her and our limitations. But as soon as she could understand what behavior was acceptable when we went out, between 2 & 3, then we were able to take her out without the fear of causing a scene and disturbing others. We had to have realistic expectation of what our kids could handle based on their own individual personalities. Some parents purposely ignore those limitations so they continue to do what they want to do....unfortunately it is everyone else who has to suffer through their kids breakdowns when they have exceeded their limits.

 

I don't want the OP to get me wrong....some kids can absolutely be taken on vacation at any age. My DS was one of them....we even drove to Florida from Michigan with him when he was 2 1/2 and I was 5 months pregnant to a nieces wedding. We made a stop at the Magic Kingdom on the way down and he had a great time (DH was the one who got sick on teacups). When we got to the wedding he was better behaved than a couple of his Aunts who had a flown it. There were high tempers, meltdowns, and childish behavior from adults who knew better while my son behaved beautifully.

 

But my point is not all kids can handle it at certain ages. And the breakdown that OP has for when they can handle it best is not true for all kids. My DD did not fit into her generalizations at all and DS didn't go through toddler phase that she said made her rethink about vacationing then....we could have taken him anywhere at any age....and we did. There were a couple times when we left DD home with my Aunt (who was her daycare while we worked) while we took DS on a short vacation during the time we didn't dare vacation with her. Each parent needs to assess their own child and their abilities at the age they are and make their decision base on that... not some 101 guide that is not and should not be a one-size fits all. OP is basing her advise on her experience, but I can guarantee she did not experience my kids or she would know just how inaccurate her descriptions could be.

 

My advise...Know your kids and have realistic expectations of what both of you can handle at that stage in their life. Even brothers and sisters may need to be handled differently based on their own personalities which you as the parent should know. If you do plan on vacation during a stage that may be difficult for your child, don't ignore the signs that your kids is reaching their limit just so you could continue to do your own thing. Be aware of those around you. They shouldn't have to suffer through your childrens meltdowns on their vacation. If they are hungry, stop what you are doing and get them food. If they can't sit through a long meal then go to the buffet or skip a course, getting their food with your appetizer so you can get them out of there before they reach their sit still limit. If they start to meltdown then take them out until they can calm down. If they can't calm down then don't go back. Grab a bite at the buffet latter. If they are tired, get them down for a nap or get them to bed earlier. It was your decision to bring them, so it's your responsibility to take care of their needs...even on a vacation when it may be inconvenient for you.

 

Kids aren't a one-size fits all at any age. Knowing your kids and making your decisions based on them makes life better for them, you, and everyone else around you.

Edited February 11, 2014 by Warm Breezes

[Prinycesa07]

For the most part, i agree with you OP. We cruised when my daughter was 10 months, it wasnt bad. She napped fine, she chewed on some new foods, she was content sitting in the stroller watching people. Next cruise my daugther was 2.5 and my son was 18 months. My daughter was easy but shes always been a good kid. My son? HA. TERRIBLE. Running in every direction, throwing tantrums, no idea what fear or danger is so he was like a chicken without its head. Being completely honest, i dont know that i would do it again with an 18 month old. I found that the hardest age. Next cruise my daughter was 3.5 and my son just turned 2 and again, she was really easy and enjoyed everything. He was still difficult, wouldnt be with anyone but me, bad separation anxiety, wouldn't nap even though he naps at home because he was too excited and interested in everything around him, ran off from us. Bad but not as bad as 18 months. We are crusing again in 2 months and my daughter will be 4.5 and my son will be 3. I can already tell that this time will be much more enjoyable. He goes to a preschool program once a week now and loves it. He is very excited to see the beach, build a sand castle, go to kids club or "school" as he is calling it, is okay without me for awhile, listens much better. He still has his tantrums but he knows that he will be put in time out for them and can control his emotions a bit more now. My daughter i have no worries about, shes just always good. So, while i do know that each kid is different, i do agree with your guidelines.

[Warm Breezes]

For the most part, i agree with you OP. We cruised when my daughter was 10 months, it wasnt bad. She napped fine, she chewed on some new foods, she was content sitting in the stroller watching people. Next cruise my daugther was 2.5 and my son was 18 months. My daughter was easy but shes always been a good kid. My son? HA. TERRIBLE. Running in every direction, throwing tantrums, no idea what fear or danger is so he was like a chicken without its head. Being completely honest, i dont know that i would do it again with an 18 month old. I found that the hardest age. Next cruise my daughter was 3.5 and my son just turned 2 and again, she was really easy and enjoyed everything. He was still difficult, wouldnt be with anyone but me, bad separation anxiety, wouldn't nap even though he naps at home because he was too excited and interested in everything around him, ran off from us. Bad but not as bad as 18 months. We are crusing again in 2 months and my daughter will be 4.5 and my son will be 3. I can already tell that this time will be much more enjoyable. He goes to a preschool program once a week now and loves it. He is very excited to see the beach, build a sand castle, go to kids club or "school" as he is calling it, is okay without me for awhile, listens much better. He still has his tantrums but he knows that he will be put in time out for them and can control his emotions a bit more now. My daughter i have no worries about, shes just always good. So, while i do know that each kid is different, i do agree with your guidelines.

 

That's because your experience with your son was similar to hers with her kids so the guidelines would work for you and your kids;). Absolutely there will be parents that will agree with the guidelines because it describes their children. Others, like myself, can't even relate to them. They don't describe my DD at all and only partially my DS. Which is why I am having such a hard time with someone putting guidelines like this even out there. Parents need to make their own guidelines based on their own kids. I really don't think guidelines like these can be given when children can be so different....like I said before, children are not one size fits all. Some parents need to take what OP said with a grain of salt and take a hard look at their own kids, not OP's, to see if they can handle the travel or not....and if they can great...if they can't and they travel anyway, then the parents need to be prepared to meet their kids needs. If they don't then woe to all of us :eek:.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Warm Breezes, did you know what your newborn was going to be like at 19 months? Really? How can any parent know when planning a cruise months in advance what a toddler is going to be like? The only way one can predict is by looking in books for guidelines. There is nothing I said that isn't textbook.

 

When one looks at their little six month old, they can not predict how that same child will be at 13 months.

 

I was giving this information because these things are somewhat predictable based on the stage of development of the child and it makes planning vacations a bit easier. You are taking it personally and that wasn't my intention.

Edited February 11, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[Prinycesa07]

Of course it's taken with a grain of salt. They're just her opinions, not facts that she's telling everyone to follow.

[onthelake]

I agree with the OP as a generalization. My DS was an easy child and we traveled often. But for folks who have never taken a cruise before and are thinking Love Boat while bringing an 18 month old . . . Well, they might want to reconsider how realistic it is.

[Warm Breezes]

Warm Breezes, did you know what your newborn was going to be like at 19 months? Really? How can any parent know when planning a cruise months in advance what a toddler is going to be like? The only way one can predict is by looking in books for guidelines. There is nothing I said that isn't textbook.

 

When one looks at their little six month old, they can not predict how that same child will be at 13 months.

 

I was giving this information because these things are somewhat predictable based on the stage of development of the child and it makes planning vacations a bit easier. You are taking it personally and that wasn't my intention.

 

Of course I didn't know what my newborn was going to be like in 19 months....but when my kids were that young I wasn't planning vacations that far in advance either (I personally never did plan a vacation that far in advance). I don't know any child that is text book...and I disagree that these things are somewhat predictable based on their stage of development. I'm not taking it personal, but I am disagreeing with your assumptions that children have text book and predictable behaviors at certain ages. My children are proof of that since they didn't fit into your textbook descriptions.....I am allowed to disagree based on my experiences with my kids. Parents should be aware that not all kids will follow your textbook definitions and predictability when planning a vacation and should not be surprised if their kid doesn't travel well at any age. That's all I'm trying to say.

Edited February 12, 2014 by Warm Breezes

[Cruisin' Chick]

I understand the point about toddlers, but I also think that the child's personality needs to be taken into account.

 

...

 

 

I would wholeheartedly recommend spending special time with the kids at ANY age. Of course, there are certain expectations that you have. You're there as a family, you spend time together... if you want to drop the kids off at the camp all day, or have a private evening alone, it might not happen... yeah, probably won't happen.

When you take kids that little with you on a cruise, they're there because you want them to be a family unit. If you wanted private time, that expectation may be difficult to make happen.

 

Anyway, I don't think people would be spending the money to take the kids if they wanted to be away from the kids. That'd be ridiculous, right?

 

 

Actually that is a generalization there. Some youngsters really take to the kids' programs. My daughter certainly did. She couldn't take part during her first cruise (at 23 months, she missed Camp Carnival by a month), but she did get to participate in the first night party (all kids and parents were invited). By cruise #2 at 3 years of age, she was looking forward to it. Every morning during the cruise, upon waking up she'll ask if "ship's school was open yet?" She ate dinner with us (except when the kids' dinners were held) and would go to at least one of the shows with us on our next few cruises. So she wasn't with us all of the time, but we still considered it a family vacation. She had fun, we had our fun, so well worth the money.

 

Things changed when she was a teen; she didn't want to hang out at the teen center. But she would find kids her age and hang out with them. She did go into port with us, and did eat with us (about half the time) and saw a couple of shows with us. But again, her vacation too. Knowing what the kids go through with coursework and homework nowadays, we weren't going to insist that she couldn't have some say in her time off from studying.

 

Of course, there are kids who will rather stay with the family the whole time. Hopefully, it's their wish and not the parents who are insisting that they do so.

[Pr0spect0r]

Our kids had their first ever cruise last week.

 

3 yrs old, 5 yrs old, 16 yrs old.

 

The little guys absolutely loved it, but it was hard for us to relax while we spent the week worrying about them. It kind of went like this...

 

Are we bad parents for putting them in kids club? Better pull them out for family time. Are we bad parents for our kids annoying all these people in the pool? Better move them to the waterslide. Kids, stop running up the stairs. Dammit better take them to mini golf. Hey, play by the rules, don't butt in front of those people! Dammit, better take you back to kids club. Are we bad parents for putting our kids in kids club?

 

Wash, rinse, repeat.

 

Our great vindication came on the last dinner of the cruise when an older lady from a table near ours stopped in to say she was amazed at what lovely children we had, and how she had noticed that they were always so well behaved when she saw them.

 

But it certainly wasn't a relaxing vacation for either of the parents. If I did this again, I think I would aim for more use of the kids club and let the social consequences be damned. I'll never see these people again anyways.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Our kids had their first ever cruise last week.

 

3 yrs old, 5 yrs old, 16 yrs old.

 

The little guys absolutely loved it, but it was hard for us to relax while we spent the week worrying about them. It kind of went like this...

 

Are we bad parents for putting them in kids club? Better pull them out for family time. Are we bad parents for our kids annoying all these people in the pool? Better move them to the waterslide. Kids, stop running up the stairs. Dammit better take them to mini golf. Hey, play by the rules, don't butt in front of those people! Dammit, better take you back to kids club. Are we bad parents for putting our kids in kids club?

 

Wash, rinse, repeat.

 

Our great vindication came on the last dinner of the cruise when an older lady from a table near ours stopped in to say she was amazed at what lovely children we had, and how she had noticed that they were always so well behaved when she saw them.

 

But it certainly wasn't a relaxing vacation for either of the parents. If I did this again, I think I would aim for more use of the kids club and let the social consequences be damned. I'll never see these people again anyways.

 

I just don't get this feeling of guilt for utilizing the kids' program. All of the mass market cruise lines have the programs for good reasons: to let the kids enjoy their cruise and to give the parents some time to enjoy their cruise. You'll have time for being together so don't concern yourself with how others view it.

[Warm Breezes]

I just don't get this feeling of guilt for utilizing the kids' program. All of the mass market cruise lines have the programs for good reasons: to let the kids enjoy their cruise and to give the parents some time to enjoy their cruise. You'll have time for being together so don't concern yourself with how others view it.

 

I don't get that either. My kids didn't use the clubs, but it wasn't for lack of trying on my part. I encouraged them to try it. They didn't like it....so I didn't force them to go and we spent that time together as a family. But I certainly don't think parents are horrible if their kids enjoyed the kids club. It's there for them to enjoy if they are into that kind of thing so let them take advantage of it. Parents just need to be prepared to spend that time with their kids if the kids club is a fail with them. My kids not going to the club didn't make me a better parent....but being prepared to spend my time with them when they didn't want to go did. They weren't force to go to the clubs and have a miserable time there and they weren't left to run around the ship on their own and make others miserable.

[Mack2]

Actually that is a generalization there. Some youngsters really take to the kids' programs. My daughter certainly did. She couldn't take part during her first cruise (at 23 months' date=' she missed Camp Carnival by a month), but she did get to participate in the first night party (all kids and parents were invited). By cruise #2 at 3 years of age, she was looking forward to it. Every morning during the cruise, upon waking up she'll ask if "ship's school was open yet?" She ate dinner with us (except when the kids' dinners were held) and would go to at least one of the shows with us on our next few cruises. So she wasn't with us all of the time, but we still considered it a family vacation. She had fun, we had our fun, so well worth the money.

 

Things changed when she was a teen; she didn't want to hang out at the teen center. But she would find kids her age and hang out with them. She did go into port with us, and did eat with us (about half the time) and saw a couple of shows with us. But again, her vacation too. Knowing what the kids go through with coursework and homework nowadays, we weren't going to insist that she couldn't have some say in her time off from studying.

 

Of course, there are kids who will rather stay with the family the whole time. Hopefully, it's their wish and not the parents who are insisting that they do so.[/quote']

 

It is a generalization. I'm a sort of pessimist. I look at the low end of my expectations so I'm never disappointed with the outcome.

 

It's a personal fault of mine.

 

There have been times when we took the kids on a cruise, and they absolutely LOVED the kids club.

It was GREAT!

They'd rush through dinner and happily go off for the night. We'd pick them up at the end of the night, but we had some quality adult time. It made the cruise so much nicer in the fact that we didn't necessarily expect so much time for ourselves, but it turned out better than expected.

 

THEN

 

There have been times when the kids hated the kids club. That's cool too! They were at the age where they could hang out with us at a show or eat another dessert with us at the buffet. It met my expectations, and I was not disappointed.

 

When the kids were under the age of 3, we didn't have so much time to ourselves as adults, but it was still a joy to experience the vacation with the babies... If they had a meltdown at dinner, the cabin was a short walk away... but usually they would calm down outside of the MDR.

 

It's all about realistic expectations. I just keep my expectations low so I'm always elated when things work out better! :)

 

LOVE cruising.

[blitznbobs]

personally I think a cruise is the ONLY vacation could cope with with a 2 year old... What with the kids club - at least I get a little bit of down time which is more than I get at home..

 

Blitz

[Prinycesa07]

I can understand the guilt feeling. I felt kinda guilty when I would bring my daughter to kids club and i dont even know why. Like i should be spending the whole vacation with her? But i know she enjoyed it so i tried not to let it bother me too much.

[kitkat343]

My son is 3. Last year, when he was 2 he got to visit the Panama Canal, tour Cartagena and visit a rain forest in Costa Rica. This year, he went on his second cruise and learned how to make tortillas from a Mayan family, visited Mayan ruins, handed out school supplies to children in Guatemala and visited a rain forest in Honduras. I think these are important experiences for a child, and we wouldn't have been able to take our son to visit these places without a kids club. So I don't feel the slightest bit of guilt for putting him in the kids club.

 

Because my son is so young, we travel during the school year so the staff has more time to spend with him. But when he is older, we wouldn't mind traveling with more children. At this age, we also restrict his screen time, so we didn't put him in the kids club at night since they seem to play wii/watch movies during the evening sessions. But again, when he is older, this will be absolutely fine and we will utilize the kids club during all sessions.

[Warm Breezes]

I can understand the guilt feeling. I felt kinda guilty when I would bring my daughter to kids club and i dont even know why. Like i should be spending the whole vacation with her? But i know she enjoyed it so i tried not to let it bother me too much.

 

If she enjoyed it then you have absolutely nothing to feel guilty about:). There's nothing better than having a happy child on vacation....whether that is with you or in the clubs.

[gdisney]

Anyway, I don't think people would be spending the money to take the kids if they wanted to be away from the kids. That'd be ridiculous, right?

 

Well, in our case I would agree; our son will be 8 months old next month when we sail. Too young to use the kids clubs or pools, and certainly pricey to add on a third person, but we wanted to take him out and see some of the world with us.

 

On the other hand, people spend money to bring their kids - but it's to give their kids a vacation too (if they're old enough to function on their own and appreciate such a thing!).

 

Cute pics btw!

[Hekla]

I just don't get this feeling of guilt for utilizing the kids' program. All of the mass market cruise lines have the programs for good reasons: to let the kids enjoy their cruise and to give the parents some time to enjoy their cruise. You'll have time for being together so don't concern yourself with how others view it.

 

My daughter is a newly minted third grader and excited about the kid's program. She likes ALL structured activities like this and always has since the first day she set foot in a preschool classroom at 3. She'd be mad if I didn't let her go do it. I don't have any guilt at all about it, particularly as two of our port days are packed with things we are all doing together as a family. I basically plan on letting her be in the kid's program as long as she likes, pulling her out for port days, kid swimming hours in the solarium, and meals.

 

I would not have cruised if it were not for the kid's programs offered by the lines. For the money, I would have much rather have gone on a good landbased vacation.