willoL

@Traveller20074 I crossed the border (Washington state to BC) by car with my kids and my mother (biological grandmother to the children.) This was a few years ago. The kids and I visited my family in the Pacific NW before we headed to embark on our Crystal Serenity Alaska cruise at Vancouver Place. (My mom drove us to Vancouver, stayed overnight with the kids and me one night in a hotel, drove us to the port where we were joined by DH, she got to dine with us on the ship because Crystal was awesome, then she visited family to break up her long drive home to Oregon.) I had looked this very border crossing issue up, so had a letter from my husband stating that he knew I was taking our children out of the country. IIRC, DH was literally in the air (en route from New England to Vancouver) to join us for our cruise, so luckily the Canadian Border Patrol didn't attempt to call him. Of course, I also had a folder full of his exact airline itinerary, our dated cruise documents, a reservation at a hotel, etc. I do believe that the person in the booth asked my kids questions similar to what @donaldsc mentioned: "What's your name. Who are these people with you? Is this your mom? Your grandma? Where is your dad? Where are you going today?" I'm a mildly anxious type, but it wasn't too bad, and I did feel like the agent was being careful, but not excessively so. It wasn't scary, just thorough. I can't recall if I had him get the form notarized, but I probably didn't unless I'd read that I needed to. (It is quite easy to get things notarized at our local bank branch, so it wouldn't stick out too much in my mind if we did it.)

You can never have enough chargers. Bring a European adapter if you've got one (I bought a pair of Euro USB chargers on Amazon), too, so you can use both types of outlets, not just the US ones. I always pack my own reusable coffee cup because I hate the melted plastic taste of disposable paper cups. I've heard of quarantined people getting only disposable dishes & cutlery, which I would not enjoy, so I'll also pack a pair of Light My Fire reusable kids sporks from our school lunchbox drawer, and a stainless steel and silicone takeout container for snacks/leftovers. I bring a tiny 1 oz Nalgene bottle of dish soap in my toiletry kit already to keep all these dishes clean. I'm packing a couple of jigsaw puzzles for my August voyage, because I love them and that's how I'd most like to fill time if quarantined. Plus what others said: USB rechargeable nightlight, first aid kit, COVID tests, water bottle, USB rechargeable fan. Maybe a new game from your kids' wishlist just in case you're quarantined, so there's a good surprise? (My teens are all about the video games.)

Are these grandsons you see often, or rarely? I'd check in with them (or their parents if this is a surprise) and find out what excites them about a cruise. Honestly, my kids preferred HAL to Carnival when they were quite young. They were never particularly outgoing, and the Kid's Club was so noisy the first day (Carnival Glory), my little guy wouldn't even go back. Instead, we swam in the pool, played shuffleboard, played board games in the library, and just hung out together. My kids liked a smaller, quieter ship better just like their mom. (To be fair, we are a family of mostly introverted types: a professor/scientist married to an engineer.) 🤓 When we took them on Crystal, they were around 11 and 14, and some people said "don't do it, your kids will be bored." They weren't. 🤷‍♀️ My youngest loved to dress up every evening and join me in the piano lounge where the performer came to greet him every night with a special song; that kid still loves a good mocktail and asked for a velvet smoking jacket for our next voyage. The eldest hung out in the library, at a favorite cafe with his handheld video game, or he challenged passing adults to games of chess in the card room. So if *your* grandsons are athletic, evaluate the sport courts and such. If they are only happy around friends, definitely consider the size of the kids' programs (also whether your grandsons' ages put them together or apart, or if right at the cusp of the next age group, if one might feel he was with "babies" or be overwhelmed without the sibling.) But maybe they are keen to visit the ports or learn about the mechanics of a ship, or who knows what?

Add me to the group saying "10-ish" with the caveat that it depends SO MUCH on the child. Also we only allowed roaming at sea, never in port (though I don't think the ships are meant to let them off without an adult.) Mine were both fairly physically calm, thoughtful kids, and quiet-ish around strange adults, so I never worried they would climb a balcony or anything truly awful. They tended not to do the things that terrorize strangers, either, like run indoors. (I'm a fairly strict parent about manners.) I have known children who are much more prone to dangerous physical feats whom I would never let out of my sight if babysitting them at age 12... (Thinking of one particular neighbor boy 😂) Also we always set fairly narrow time limits on free roaming before high school age. E.g., you can go get food from location X, but we'll expect you back in one hour or you'll lose this privilege. Like others, we always checked in with the entire family at every mealtime, though often split up to eat lunch as I prefer table service whereas DH loves a buffet. Most dinners were family sit downs.

@Betsynh +1 on talking to your daughter about what she's envisioning, but going in with an open mind. Even if I paid for a cabin for a hired sitter, I would *NEVER* expect 24/7 availability. Those are slave labor conditions. I'm a stay-at-home-mom, but I always enjoyed spending time with my kids on vacation anyway. Then again, before my mother passed away, she was an eager, hands-on grandmother who was willing to watch my kids when I came home to visit (or come stay at my home across the country if I paid the plane fare!) so I could join my husband on an occasional business trip or visit friends. I paid to have my mom join me on a cruise with my youngest child when he was in preschool, so I don't think paying the fare implies anything in particular is expected. (I could afford it; my dad wouldn't find it a reasonable expense.) Then again, the three of us shared a cabin and did most things together on that trip: Grandma, Mom, and Kid. Your daughter may also hope to spend family time with you (and her husband and child), or she may desperately want time to reconnect with her spouse. Those early years can be so exhausting! Do you live close to each other, or far apart? Do you get along well with your son-in-law? Did your family vacation with grandparents when your daughter was young? Those points may offer hints. Since little kids go to bed early, I think the idea of trading off evenings so everyone can enjoy some of the nightlife makes sense, if that's what everyone is most looking forward to. Either that, or, if the nights are what the married couple really craves--dancing or shows--you "working" the bedtime shift but having your days free seems pretty reasonable. I hope you get to do this, that the planning is easy because you are all interested in a similar arrangement, and that everyone ends up having a wonderful time. I really cherish the memories of taking my mother with us on a few family vacations. Those opportunities disappeared long before I expected them to be gone.

Start by thinking about how your kids like to dress. Do you have a fashion plate who will be sad without cute outfits, or a low key kid who would happily wear the same t-shirt and jeans at all times if allowed? If I knew I would have access to laundry facilities, I would pack MUCH lighter, especially for my kid who doesn't crave variety in his clothes. That might mean each person only bring 2 pants, 2 shorts, 4 shirts, and accessories for a trip of unlimited length. (Depends if we've got tight connections or want to go carry on only.) I create capsule wardrobes for my kids as for myself when I want to pack light. That means all items match each other. For a cruise, I would make sure I had at least two outfits meeting evening dress codes for each, but possibly not more than that (long sleeves, long pants for my sons) if my kid preferred casual shorts and t-shirts. One non-itchy sweater that matches everything, dressy enough for dinner, to layer with all of it. Where weather may vary a lot, which may be true in the UK in summer, I add a set of long underwear that will render lightweight summer clothing warm enough for an unseasonably cool evening if needed; long johns work well as pj's, too. I do use packing cubes, but I only pack them by the day for road trips where we bring in exactly the next day's clothing and no others. (Nightwear and toiletries in a separate bag with swimsuits and towels in that case.) For cruises or other vacations where we plan to unpack, I color code per person, so Mom's clothing is purple packing cubes, big kid is yellow, little kid is blue... but put all trousers/bottoms in one packing cube, tops in another, socks and undies in a third (or 3rd & 4th, depending upon volume.)

Adjoining cabins where the door opens straight between them? I would do this even with a baby or toddler. More space is better; also, not sharing a bathroom with my *husband* makes my vacation better. I'd tell him he and the kids were assigned the other cabin loo, and mine was the ladies' lounge! 😆 With an interior door kept open all night, I see two connected cabins as virtually identical to a hallway at home with kids in their own bedrooms near ours. Our first time in two connected staterooms, mine were 11 and 14 ish, I was (by then) also okay with them shutting the door at night for "privacy." I would still pop in during the day to check they were being tidy, set out dinner outfits, etc. As long as the (interior connection) door could open from either side, even a lower elementary kid could have that much privacy at night if s/he wasn't prone to sleepwalking or waking up too scared to go to the right door to get to mom and dad. (Tip: I travel with a USB rechargeable nightlight and always set it up so my kids could find their way in a strange hotel room.) Across the hall--or anything that would require selecting one correct door from many identical ones in a hallway during a middle-of-the-night-emergency--I would start to consider toward age 12 or middle school, but it would depend (a lot!) upon the individual child. My youngest had nocturnal asthma, so we slept with an ear open to his wheezing until puberty, basically. A ten year old with a mature teenaged sibling might be okay together across the hall, but whether I thought so would be VERY personality dependent. I hope that helps! I can say for sure, I've *never* regretted splurging on more space when traveling with my family, and I took my kids on a fair number of trips without DH (who's much more of a homebody than I am.)

Those suggesting you carefully evaluate your own state of mind and level of anxiety are wise. Only you know how scared you really are, and what risks feel worth taking. What part of the cruise gives you the most joy? Sitting on your balcony viewing the ocean and scenery, or attending the shows and meeting new people? You can wear a mask at all times, but do you want to? If others aren't required to, will you still be okay passing them in the hallways? What about outdoors on the decks? Our family only decided to go ahead with our August cruise based upon the fact that we will be satisfied with our vacation even if we decide to hang out in our stateroom and eat all meals in isolation from other passengers. We also booked a cabana so we have even more outdoor space to enjoy. We are people who can sit with our books for hours, or enjoy board games, etc., without outside input to amuse us. We also upgraded to a Neptune Suite for the first time ever to make this option more palatable. We really hope to explore the ports we're scheduled to visit, and we have excursions planned, but we will be SATISFIED if we do nothing but enjoy being fed well and cleaned up after by someone other than me (the mom!) 🙂 On the other hand, our ages do not make us at extreme risk from COVID. If I were older or had different health issues, cruising would be less appealing to me. What will a "good" cruise look like? If COVID rates go up again, will that prevent you from doing your "must do" cruise activities? That's how I would assess this choice.

Does anyone have experience using the Duolingo app (smartphone or tablet) or website (on a laptop) while on HAL's internet plan at sea? Per my Booking Confirmation, I've got the "Prem Internet Pkg" (included in the Have It All promotion) if that affects the answer. Searching the internet for my question didn't give me an answer, but I'm hoping Cruise Critic includes others who self-study foreign languages with Duolingo. I should have a two+ year streak going by the time I sail in August, so it would be a bummer to lose that. Also, daily practice helps a lot with language skills, though I use other methods, including some that offer downloaded content. Irrelevant, but for the curious, I study German and Spanish practically every day while also dabbling in French, Esperanto, Welsh, Russian, and Hebrew. I am a dilettante who loves the idea of knowing at least a few words in oodles of tongues. 😁 I believe Glossika may be a more powerful digital learning tool, but the game-ification in Duolingo is especially motivating. Thank you! --willo