What is considered a lot of kids on a cruise?

[KDCXO82]

I am cruising out of Miami on the Getaway Jan 13-20. What number of kids is considered to be a lot of kids on a sailing? For those who are experience cruisers, how safe do you think that week in January is from having a ship overrun with kids? I have 3 kids (not going) and I love kids but this is our adult only vacation. I am just trying to prepare myself mentally if this is a prime kid's week. Also, is there anyway to tell how many kids and the total number of cruisers that are on board once you get there? Thanks! 

[Aprille]

We were on a cruise Thanksgiving week 2013 on RCCL's Navigator of the Seas. 900 kids on board. 3300 double occupancy, 3800 max. NEVER AGAIN!!

 

On our 19 night Panama Canal cruise on Jewel April 2015 we had less than 20 kids with 2400 double occupancy.

 

We found out from the concierge. If you have no access to the concierge I guess you could ask at Guest Services, CruiseNext desk or the loyalty ambassador's desk.

 

I don't see a large number of kids being an issue on a Jan 13th cruise.

Edited December 28, 2018 by Aprille

[MCC retired]

Should be a good week for fewer children.

Schools back in session .

Pre schoolers and home schoolers mostly .

[vince_g]

Longer cruises will usually have less kids.  Just did a 12 day on the Gem on 11/26.  There were hardly any kids.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

school is back in session.... so - fewer kids onboard.

For the record, due to having a school aged child, we only sail during Thanksgiving and spring break, and we honestly don't think that the ships are overrun with kids during those times (RCI, Princess, Norwegian).

[tbo]

We have done an early December cruise and a late January cruise, neither time did I notice very many kids. Like you I enjoy and love my kids/grandkids, but adult vacations are much needed!

[Lineaway]

We took our kids on cruises from the time they were very young.  We  have gone the last 10 years during Spring Break which was usually first week of April in Seattle and also alot of East Coast schools.  Add to that, just the two of us have gone during both January and Feb. which is also considered Spring Break.  Been on NCL, RCCL and Carnival with our kids.  We were on the Breakaway recently so I believe there were over 1500 kids on that week.  In all honesty even with a third of the passengers being under 18, I never felt the ship was over run.  

 

Mid January I would be surprised if even a hundred kids were on board.  You won't even notice them.  However,  I would be far more worried about large groups traveling together in January.  They can be a problem with their "events" taking over lounges all week long, or hogging a large part of the pool area.  

[cathi007]

We are doing the Escape Jan 20th. We are sailing with our DD and S-I-L, 3y/o grand son, and 14m/o grand daughter. I suspect there won't be too many children as it is Jan 20th and a 2 week cruise. I am not at all worried about it. I am a teacher (high school) and I love kids, so I honestly wouldn't care, as long as the parents actually "parent" their children. I think you will be fine, although there may be young kids, but they are usually well taken care of. Happy sailing

[BirdTravels]

Example demographics from 3 cruises. 

 

 

Norwegian Breakaway to Bermuda in June

Ship Capacity 3963

Total passengers 4764 

Total US 4379

Total Non-US 394

Total Crew 1627

1-10 years old 200

11-20 years old 476

21-50 years old 2023

51-70 years old 1496

71+ years old 382

Average Age 42.6

 

Norwegian Jewel to Alaska in August 

Passengers: 2662 

Under 21 years old: 407 (15%)

Over 60 years old: 643 (24%)

Average Age: 48 Years old

 

Norwegian Dawn to New England/Canada in September

Passengers: 1644

Under 21 years old: 16 (1%)

Average Age: 65 years old

 

[zqvol]

3 hours ago, KDCXO82 said:

I am cruising out of Miami on the Getaway Jan 13-20. What number of kids is considered to be a lot of kids on a sailing? For those who are experience cruisers, how safe do you think that week in January is from having a ship overrun with kids? I have 3 kids (not going) and I love kids but this is our adult only vacation. I am just trying to prepare myself mentally if this is a prime kid's week. Also, is there anyway to tell how many kids and the total number of cruisers that are on board once you get there? Thanks! 

 

That week the kids will be toddlers. The K-12 bunch is back in school. I would not expect more than 250 or so, which is a really small number on a ship with over 4000 passengers.. Summer sailings can easily top 1000 passengers under the age of 18.

Edited December 28, 2018 by zqvol

[PTC DAWG]

If I notice kids, it’s too many...good kids I don’t notice. 

[casofilia]

We tend to do longer cruises during school times and think that any children is too many!!!  VBG  But in all honesty we have hardly been on any cruises where the number of children has been noticeable.   And certainly no problem children.

 

But we have not been on a Yashiva cruise.  

 

The worst we have had in the way of disruption was a 3 night booze cruise from Miami to the Bahamas and that wasn't young "Children"!!!

[newmexicoNita]

21 hours ago, KDCXO82 said:

I am cruising out of Miami on the Getaway Jan 13-20. What number of kids is considered to be a lot of kids on a sailing? For those who are experience cruisers, how safe do you think that week in January is from having a ship overrun with kids? I have 3 kids (not going) and I love kids but this is our adult only vacation. I am just trying to prepare myself mentally if this is a prime kid's week. Also, is there anyway to tell how many kids and the total number of cruisers that are on board once you get there? Thanks! 

Now days all sailings seem to have kids. Basically due to hone schooling and vacations  differ based on the region you live in, but Jan is not going to be a heavy kids sailing time. In fact it should be pretty low. Now, sailing from early March to after Easter, that is different: we sailed the Breakaway a few years ago: There were, if I remember right, 2254 kids on the ship: that was a lot of running around and not the best place for adults only. to top it off, the weather sucked the first 3 days of a 7 day cruise. 

[Peachypooh]

We have cruised that time period and almost no kids at all. The two cruises that we took when

school was out had lots of kids but they were very well behaved.

[Homosassa]

21 hours ago, Lineaway said:

 

 

Mid January I would be surprised if even a hundred kids were on board.  You won't even notice them.  However,  I would be far more worried about large groups traveling together in January.  They can be a problem with their "events" taking over lounges all week long, or hogging a large part of the pool area.  

 

The OP's cruise is from Miami. While it leaves and returns on a Sunday, unless one of those "large groups" decides to fly in the day of the cruise, it shouldn't be a problem.

 

Now if the OP was sailing from New York on a Sunday, I would be worried.

[Markanddonna]

You might be surprised at the number of children who might show up randomly in the winter, especially during Yeshiva vacation weeks that usually are in January.  I think your Getaway cruise is right before the main Yeshiva vacation breaks. I know RCL has some cruises partially chartered for Yeshiva groups. You will find many children during these periods. Not all Yeshiva schools take the same break, but you can get an idea by doing some research.

 

I also agree with a previous poster that the number of children will dramatically increase if sailing out of NYC in mid-January. Same reason as I stated.

[Son of a son of a ...]

Yeshiva week starts January 21, 2019

[myjillian]

WE were on a Costa b2b one Feb the first week great the second week over 500 kids from Long Island showed up with parents ignoring them...everywhere you looked there was 2 or 3 pre teens or teens sitting on the ground on there phones LOL 🤗

[Barb Nahoumi]

During that week  most school age children should be back in school.  However, you could find home schooled kids and babies on board.

 

 

[teehuge]

When there is one on my bar stool LOL

[Homosassa]

2 hours ago, Son of a son of a ... said:

Yeshiva week starts January 21, 2019

Be very careful of any cruise leaving from NYC on Sunday, January 20.

[smokie36]

Breakaway 1400 kids Week before thanksgiving 

[BirdTravels]

5 hours ago, Grandpa Elliott said:

For the average age to be 65 with 16 people at exactly 20 years old, you could only have 100 passengers 40 years and the remaining 1528 67 years old.  I find it very difficult to believe that 92.94% of teh passengers were 67 years old.

Perhaps you are giving the median age?

Need to go back to basic math. For the aaverage age to be 65, there will be passengers older than 65 and passengers under 65. If 93% of the passengers are 67, then the average age would be 67. 

 

The numbers and labels are what the ship provides. Picking at them adds no value at all.  (BTW, I have a Masters degree in mathematics and can sum numbers in my head faster than your calculator,,, but now it is all about cruising). 

 

The purpose of of my post was to show that itineraries and time of year cause variation in the cruise demographic. 

Edited December 29, 2018 by BirdTravels

[esm54687]

It's not necessarily how many kids are on a ship........ it's how many parents are on the ship who feel parenting their kids is an option...... and those parents lead by example and are the jerks you run into so it's a double whammy 

Edited December 30, 2018 by esm54687

[gmbhardy]

My experience is based on departures out of Miami and Cape Canaveral only, but there have been a lot of kids on all our cruises, even those in January. It seems nowadays parents don’t hesitate pulling their kids out of school to go on vacation. In my day my parents wouldn’t pull me out of school for anything especially not for a vacation.