Southern Caribbean from NYC in February - with children

[ONHFamily]

Good Afternoon,

 

We are considering a cruise from NYC in February (10 or 11 days on Gem) to the southern caribbean. We have two young (6 and 3) children. I would appreciate any thoughts on if there is enough to do for children on the "at sea" days. They do not need very much to be entertained, but from what I understand the first 2 days at sea may be too cold to even swim. I've perused boards to understand the temperatures to expect and roughness of the seas (which seems to be very dependent on weather, understandably!) but am interested in thoughts on your experiences with kids. I do not think we will put them in the childcare.

 

Thank you!!

[Mom2B&Z]

We’ve sailed several times from NYC in December and March with children as young as 5 yrs. We are comfortable getting into the pools on the first sea day, usually in the afternoon. On Breakaway they were in the Haven pool, but on the Gem they were happy with the main pool.

The Gem has lots of interesting things for kids to do, including Wii sports on the big atrium screen, the kids club, games/card room, or the sports court. My kids were never bored! We were on the Gem last year for an 11 day cruise, they were 10 and 13 at the time and had no trouble amusing themselves.

We love the two bedroom family suites on the Gem, if the weather isn’t great the kids have a space to hang out and play without bothering other passengers. You can often upgrade for about the cost of two balcony cabins.

 

 

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[ONHFamily]

Thank you very much for your response - good things to know!

[Itchy&Scratchy]

we usually sail to the Caribbean in November and April from Ft Lauderdale, and we can never get into the pools onboard. The water is always freezing.

Luckily, my 7 yo kid LOVES hot tubs, so he is in a hot tub a lot. He's been cruising since he was 3.

[Laszlo]

Good Afternoon,

 

We are considering a cruise from NYC in February (10 or 11 days on Gem) to the southern caribbean. We have two young (6 and 3) children. I would appreciate any thoughts on if there is enough to do for children on the "at sea" days. They do not need very much to be entertained, but from what I understand the first 2 days at sea may be too cold to even swim. I've perused boards to understand the temperatures to expect and roughness of the seas (which seems to be very dependent on weather, understandably!) but am interested in thoughts on your experiences with kids. I do not think we will put them in the childcare.

 

Thank you!!

 

You could always book the Haven, the small pool their is always pretty warm and covered

[richg35]

Splash Academy will keep them busy.

[ONHFamily]

we usually sail to the Caribbean in November and April from Ft Lauderdale, and we can never get into the pools onboard. The water is always freezing.

Luckily, my 7 yo kid LOVES hot tubs, so he is in a hot tub a lot. He's been cruising since he was 3.

 

 

Yes, the hot tubs! Good point.

[ONHFamily]

Splash Academy will keep them busy.

 

 

As I understand it, Splash Academy is drop off only...is that correct? We were hoping for things that we could do with the kids!

[ONHFamily]

You could always book the Haven, the small pool their is always pretty warm and covered

 

Thank you for the suggestion! I will look into it.

[Mom2B&Z]

As I understand it, Splash Academy is drop off only...is that correct? We were hoping for things that we could do with the kids!

 

 

 

Yes, splash academy is drop off only.

We too like to spend time with our children while on vacation :). I forgot to add that there is shuffle board and a big chess set on the promenade deck. Even my little guy has always enjoyed trying to make shots or keep score!

 

 

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[Laszlo]

Another thing to keep in mind is the weather coming back. We did a 14 day back in February with 3 full sea days coming back. First sea day was fine, a little windy and near 80f, second day it was in the 50's and 60's, and partly sunny. However it was so windy they closed all the decks, final day was very cold and still very windy. The thermal spa was packed.

[DebFromCanada]

We were on the Gem last week (out of NYC). My kids (11, 8, 8) loved the basketball court & hitting golf balls ... but your guys may be a bit young for that. They also enjoyed Wii on the big screen, but that was only offered twice during the week. The little kids splash area is sheltered, so I would assume warmer, and even the main pool is reasonably protected from the wind. You can borrow games from the library (and I always take cards / Uno / Yahtzee to entertain them in the cabin (not much on TV for kids). For what it’s worth, my kids hated Splash Academy. We cruised on Disney last year and it was in a completely different league from the kid’s perspective (and the adult’s too!).

[Apsalar]

We did that cruise last year with our 3 year old. It wasn't really warm enough to swim until the afternoon of the 2nd sea day, but after that she really enjoyed playing in the kids pool, and it was warm enough to use all the way up until the last sea day. My daughter loved playing in the sports court area.

 

Totally up to you on Splash Academy, but my daughter had some good times there too. They get to do fun stuff like go on a Pirate Adventure. The people working in there had a great rapport with the kids, and since it's a long cruise, I don't think there will be a ton of kids on your ship. Makes it a lot easier to check in / check out so if you just want to drop them off for a while (like an hour after dinner so you can go have a drink, or whatever) it's quick and easy.

[NJJenLyn]

We cruised out of NY on the Breakaway with my then-five year old and swore we'd never do that again. My son has some special needs so your mileage may vary, but there was nothing he wanted to do indoors except the video arcade and the bowling alley and we weren't spending three sea days pouring money into those games.

 

They supposedly fill the pool in the Caribbean before coming back to NY, but the time we went it was simply too cold to even consider the pool on the first day, or most of the second day which was the first full sea day. We enjoyed the ports, the beaches weren't too cold in Florida and of course in the Bahamas, but the week we went it was COLD on the way back on the second sea day. I think it started snowing somewhere around North Carolina and didn't stop until we had been home a full day. So not only the pools, but NOTHING outside was really viable for us to do.

 

Our son hated Splash Academy until just this year (at 9 years old), so while they have lots of activities for kids, it didn't help us and if you're wanting to spend nearly all the time with the kids then that's irrelevant anyway. Plus, in February there aren't nearly as many kids on the ship as during summer or school breaks, which can be a perk but not if your kids are social and would have more fun if they find friends to swim with or play together. If your kids prefer to play by themselves then again, it doesn't really matter how many others may be on board.

 

Like I said, I think a lot of our issues stemmed from the fact that things that typical kids might enjoy held no appeal for my son. Shows were too loud, towel folding demonstration meant nothing to him, etc etc. So if your kid might be entertained for a half hour watching the animal trivia game in the atrium, or listening to some of the musicians, then your experience might be different. But if you're relying on outdoor activities, don't count on them until you're pretty much to Florida. You might have 60 degree weather when you leave New York and the pool might just be chilly, but you won't have any way of knowing whether that will be the case or whether they will be shoveling snow off the deck while you're boarding.

 

I'm not saying don't do it, but if you choose to do it just be aware there definitely are differences between cruising in February as opposed to the spring or summer.

[ONHFamily]

Thank you all for the helpful information! There are a lot of things to consider, and I appreciate you all sharing your experiences. It sounds like we would need to think of the at-sea days as days to explore the ship, and be together as a family, but not necessarily "warm weather" days. We live in the Northeast and our February trips are generally a week long and to a tropical location. With the 11 day cruise, we will still get a good number of warm days, but will also have time to relax on the boat. I just have to think about if we want THAT many at sea days! Again, I appreciate the insights. If you have anything else to share, please do!

[Itchy&Scratchy]

check out Family Cruising board for more family friendly ideas.

 

Our life saver is a tablet with downloaded cartoons, movies and games. We don't get internet onboard, so everything has to be downloaded prior to the trip. He uses it with the headphones. We have nice dinners in MDR with the best behaved kiddo - he doesn't have to get bored with adult conversations and we can stay and talk and enjoy food for a long as we want. DS doesn't do kid's club, so he is always with us. Whenever he gets bored with whatever we are doing that is not a family activity (cooking demonstration, happy hour, bingo), out comes the tablet to save the day.

We also bring a couple of small lego sets for him to play with.

[GA Dave]

I did not notice in your post if you had ever gone on a cruise before. As others have mentioned, much depends on your kids and their likes/dislikes. When our kids were young, none of us had ever been on a cruise. My DW and I decided to take one for our anniversary without the kids to "test it out". We were very glad we did! I know cruising has changed quite a bit since then, but we quickly decided at that time that our kids would be bored to tears. They were both extremely active in sports, academics, church groups, etc., and were used to being kept busy all the time. After our trip, we told them what it was like and they quickly responded that they would rather continue spending the family vacation money on trips to the Orlando themeparks, space camps, etc., than going on a cruise.

[PelicanBill]

Consider some time in Splash Academy... because some of the fun stuff for kids to do will be there and they may really enjoy it. It does depend. We had years our daughter loved the kids program and other years she did not like it.

 

There is limited kid-oriented fun to be had indoors when it's cold or bad weather as noted above - bring things to make your own fun. You can turn the buffet into an adventure by letting them choose their foods. Get a kiddie cocktail at a bar. Bring a map and chart your path with them. Create activities yourself. Example: a scavenger hunt with a sheet made up so they can check off the boxes when they find things. Make it into a Bingo and tell them they get a prize or ice cream treat when they make a Bingo. Explore the ship to find all the hidden areas and views. Find out if they enjoy the view to the side, fore, or aft while you are underway. If you see land, open a map on your phone and figure out where you are and show them.

[Allboys21]

Good Afternoon,

 

We are considering a cruise from NYC in February (10 or 11 days on Gem) to the southern caribbean. We have two young (6 and 3) children. I would appreciate any thoughts on if there is enough to do for children on the "at sea" days. They do not need very much to be entertained, but from what I understand the first 2 days at sea may be too cold to even swim. I've perused boards to understand the temperatures to expect and roughness of the seas (which seems to be very dependent on weather, understandably!) but am interested in thoughts on your experiences with kids. I do not think we will put them in the childcare.

 

Thank you!!

Just remember you will be traveling during the winter in the Atlantic. The seas will be rough and it will be tough sailing for at least 2-3 days. Cruising during the winter from the NE is no fun especially if you get seasick. I did a cruise out of Charleston for Thanksgiving and on the way from Key West to Charleston the last 12 hours was rough. You may consider checking out cruises from Miami and having a warm vacation

[ONHFamily]

Just remember you will be traveling during the winter in the Atlantic. The seas will be rough and it will be tough sailing for at least 2-3 days. Cruising during the winter from the NE is no fun especially if you get seasick. I did a cruise out of Charleston for Thanksgiving and on the way from Key West to Charleston the last 12 hours was rough. You may consider checking out cruises from Miami and having a warm vacation

 

Thank you for this feedback! I imagine the rough seas are weather dependent but that is definitely one of my hesitations. I’d love to not fly anywhere which is why we’re considering NYC, but want to make sure it’s worth it!

[ONHFamily]

Consider some time in Splash Academy... because some of the fun stuff for kids to do will be there and they may really enjoy it. It does depend. We had years our daughter loved the kids program and other years she did not like it.

 

There is limited kid-oriented fun to be had indoors when it's cold or bad weather as noted above - bring things to make your own fun. You can turn the buffet into an adventure by letting them choose their foods. Get a kiddie cocktail at a bar. Bring a map and chart your path with them. Create activities yourself. Example: a scavenger hunt with a sheet made up so they can check off the boxes when they find things. Make it into a Bingo and tell them they get a prize or ice cream treat when they make a Bingo. Explore the ship to find all the hidden areas and views. Find out if they enjoy the view to the side, fore, or aft while you are underway. If you see land, open a map on your phone and figure out where you are and show them.

 

Those are great on-board activity ideas! Thank you!

[ONHFamily]

I did not notice in your post if you had ever gone on a cruise before. As others have mentioned, much depends on your kids and their likes/dislikes. When our kids were young, none of us had ever been on a cruise. My DW and I decided to take one for our anniversary without the kids to "test it out". We were very glad we did! I know cruising has changed quite a bit since then, but we quickly decided at that time that our kids would be bored to tears. They were both extremely active in sports, academics, church groups, etc., and were used to being kept busy all the time. After our trip, we told them what it was like and they quickly responded that they would rather continue spending the family vacation money on trips to the Orlando themeparks, space camps, etc., than going on a cruise.

 

 

Thanks for your feedback! I have no been on a cruise for about 20 years so this would be new to us as a family. We take our children (now 6 & 3) with us on all sorts of trips, domestic and international, and they don’t need too much to be entertained- arcade, pools, shows should be more than enough! However it is a lot of at sea days, so I’m wondering if the novelty will wear off... Lots to think about!

[EviesCruisin]

Will this be your children's first cruise? They'll find the ship itself amazing! Even if it's too cold to swim, just being up on deck and looking at the ocean and listening to the bands/music is fun. Or wandering around the ship to check out the lounges, restaurants, shopping, etc. My kiddos have been cruising since they were babies. One thing we have done is let them run around on the basketball courts if no one was using - safe fenced in area to let out the wiggles. Take them to play the deck games like giant chess. Go to the library and borrow a couple of board games. If you have a balcony, hang out in the room a bit and watch the ocean go by. Just breakfast, lunch and dinner will take up a good portion of your sea day. Bring some cards/uno and go to a lounge. Every year we bring way too many coloring books/etc. and vow not to bring as many next time. My kids have fun just vegging, having some time where Mom/Dad aren't on their computers/phones/working, and are able to relax and spend time as a family. They will be little cruisers in no time! The gem also has a Kids Cafe buffet which is cute - kid-height buffet with things like chicken nuggets, mac & cheese, pizza and desserts. There generally will be family-friendly activities during sea days like dance lessons, towel animal demonstrations, ice carving/fruit carving, scavenger hunts, etc. My kids generally stay with us instead of the kids club, but we usually sign them up anyways and gauge their interest. Your kiddos would be separated at ages 3 & 6 as the clubs are 3-5 and 6-9, which may or may not be a good thing. Consider the kids club in the evening for a few hours if you want to see a show or get some time at the casino. If the show is family-friendly (esp. music-oriented or acrobatic/magician), your kids may enjoy them as well.

[EviesCruisin]

A few other notes. NCL doesn't have a huge TV library of on-demand shows (Princess was really good for us). We just made sure we had a device loaded up with a few movies; they always need some down time to take a break in the room at young ages, so having some shows available is a help. The seas could be rocky going down the east coast. We always compare the prices to flying to Florida and often find those cruises are cheaper, so adding airfare makes them about the same. For example you could fly to San Juan and do a Southern Caribbean from there, 8-9-10 days, would the price be similar? But with kids, it IS a beautiful thing if you can drive to port, hand the porters all your stuff, and just get onboard. SO MUCH EASIER than the logistics of flying.

[ONHFamily]

A few other notes. NCL doesn't have a huge TV library of on-demand shows (Princess was really good for us). We just made sure we had a device loaded up with a few movies; they always need some down time to take a break in the room at young ages, so having some shows available is a help. The seas could be rocky going down the east coast. We always compare the prices to flying to Florida and often find those cruises are cheaper, so adding airfare makes them about the same. For example you could fly to San Juan and do a Southern Caribbean from there, 8-9-10 days, would the price be similar? But with kids, it IS a beautiful thing if you can drive to port, hand the porters all your stuff, and just get onboard. SO MUCH EASIER than the logistics of flying.

 

Thank you so much for all of your thoughtful comments and suggestions! Yes, the reason we are considering it is mostly because the idea of NOT flying with the kids is really appealing to me :-) the timing (Feb) works out really well with our work and school schedules, and we are interested in trying a cruise. We are a pretty easy going family, so I agree that the kids can/will likely be entertained by being on the ship (and I am actually looking forward to that down time, when I think about it more!). However I do wonder about the potential rough seas! And if perhaps, like you said, it might be better to try a different month or different port of departure.