First cruise, solo or take daughter? Ugh..

[navybankerteacher]

not necessarily. there are a variety of things that go into how many can be booked into a cabin.. life boat capacity and teen club capacity are among them.. even if you never plan or expect to use either. it would be far better to book for 2 NOW and then drop her at final payment if she still wusses out. if you try to add her later it may not be possible or it may cost you too much. since as a solo you are pretty much paying double anyway, you really won't be out financially

 

Excellent suggestion - on virtually every ship you might book on, the single supplement will bring the fare very close to that for two.

[sherilyn70]

In terms of lounging, walking around at port, swimming or snorkeling, no. She's in to anime and art, loves to draw and browse the internet for other artwork from teen artists. I see there are teen activities, but I'm not sure how she'd like them. I'd feel bad if we couldn't find common ground, meaning she'd NOT be in to the sun and water stuff. Stuck..

I completely get it. She's in the same social circles I am in (although my friends are much older since they're my age). Western Caribbean isn't very exciting unless you're going to go to some ruins. I'd you enjoy this cruise and if you want to try another later let her tell you where she'd like to go. She might enjoy something more progressive or cultural.

and really, who wouldn't relish the opportunity to sit under a palm tree with a sketch pad drawing a tropical paradise?

 

you snorkel, she draws . win win all around.

Not me, I would not like that at all. I don't think her drawing style or at matches what you're thinking of. I'm guessing she's more into alternative media and deviant art. I love my "my little demon" plushies and some good zombified characters like ninjas turtles or evil monkeys. :)

 

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Edited June 6, 2014 by sherilyn70

[ToddSix]

I completely get it. She's in the same social circles I am in (although my friends are much older since they're my age). Western Caribbean isn't very exciting unless you're going to go to some ruins. I'd you enjoy this cruise and if you want to try another later let her tell you where she'd like to go. She might enjoy something more progressive or cultural.

 

Not me, I would not like that at all. I don't think her drawing style or at matches what you're thinking of. I'm guessing she's more into alternative media and deviant art. I love my "my little demon" plushies and some good zombified characters like ninjas turtles or evil monkeys. :)

 

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You nailed her tastes and drawing styles! It's of a darker variety for sure.

[ToddSix]

Thanks Cruisin' Chick and all, great comments. I'm calling this morning to change to two in party. I have info for a best method approach to this. She may go, she may stay, we'll see :)

[sherilyn70]

You nailed her tastes and drawing styles! It's of a darker variety for sure.

Are you letting her go to dragon con this year? She'll love all the cost lay and panels there I bet. That might be something you can do with her in August. I would not let her go alone at night though, she's too young.

 

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[sherilyn70]

That should have said cosplay and not cost lay in the previous post. :p

 

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Edited June 6, 2014 by sherilyn70

[ToddSix]

That should have said cosplay and not cost lay in the previous post. :p

 

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Yep she's into cosplay, Black Butler two years ago, someone else, currently Chell from Portal 2. Probably will do Dragoncon with her. I've never been, plenty to see though :)

[sherilyn70]

Yep she's into cosplay, Black Butler two years ago, someone else, currently Chell from Portal 2. Probably will do Dragoncon with her. I've never been, plenty to see though :)

I'll warn you now, it's crowded and loud but with doing it at least once. It was to chaotic for me, but then I'm you're age. :p but the younger crowd loves it. Wall to wall cosplayers (yes, that means lots of scantily clad girls too, but must guys are respectful). It's hard to imagine if you've never been to anything like it before. I stick to closer with more gaming focused cons now. I stress do not let her go unsupervised at her age but it will be perfectly safe with a guiding hand.

 

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[ParadiseTattoo]

First is how long have you been single? Are you going on the cruise to meet someone? That may be a worry for your daughter if that is your plan. If so go alone. I think time with your daughter could be good for both of you, as long as you are not trying to pick up every single woman you see. Kids hate thinking of their parents like that and girls don't want to see their dads hitting on women. As long as you make the trip about the two of you she will have a great time and your bond will become stronger.

If she hangs at home with her friend, they will talk about you and how you went on a cruise without her. Teenage girls love to S#!+ talk, don't let it be about you. Plan stuff with her before the cruise and bring her to the spa for a hair treatment and a mani-pedi. Drop some cash on the things she likes and you will be Super Dad. Make it all about her that's what I think.

I'm taking my two girls on my next cruise. Have fun and enjoy the time while you can. She will be an adult far too soon and you never get the time back.

Hope this helps one dad to another.

 

BTW I have four kids

16 yr boy

15 yr girl

14 yr boy

10 yr girl

 

So I have lots of experience.

[ToddSix]

Thanks for the advice, there wouldn't be any hitting on single women in front of her for sure. We worked through the details and she does want to go, so the cruise will be about her and me having fun. :)

[BananaAnna]

Consider joining the roll call for your cruise to interact with folks you'll be cruising with. Look for yours in the Roll Call section. May want to join up on excursions for cost savings as well as safety in numbers.

 

I LOVE cruising with my daughter - hope you guys have fun!

[h_blond2]

I'm not a parent, but I say leave your daughter at home. My parents took vacations without me and it wasn't the end of the world. See if she can stay with a friend or a family member she gets along with really well while you're gone. This way you can decide if you like cruising enough to try to talk her into it one day. Whatever you do, I hope you have a great cruise!

 

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[wassup4565]

If she goes with you, don't overlook some of the side benefits for her. I'm thinking of eating in a formal dining room with formal service from wait staff, for example. Perhaps sharing a table with people she doesn't know, and learning how to have a pleasant conversation. Kids need to learn these things somewhere along the line, and their parents need to make those opportunities happen.

 

I speak from experience. I dragged my 15-year-old to a Mozart concert, and to dinner in an elegant resto beforehand. When we sat down to dinner, she looked at me with true panic in her eyes, and rolled her eyes at the forks, knives and spoons aligned on the table - she had no clue what to do with them. Of course, I was not allowed to speak aloud about the problem - she made it clear that would embarrass her. So I just put my two index fingers on the table and slowly moved them from the outside to the inside of the cutlery. She got the message.

 

But I realized that we had never taken her out for a formal dinner and no one in our circles sets the table with multiple untensils. How else do kids learn this stuff? A ship seems like a learning opportunity to me. BTW, she liked the Mozart very much and said he was a party animal!