15 day Panama Canal on Bliss with my two young daughters. Number of kids aboard?

Just looking for some thoughts or predictions on this one. We are doing the 15 day Panama Canal on the Bliss next March. Our daughters will be 9 and 11. They are very social and love to play, swim, and make friends when we cruise. The cruise is long and the first week of it falls during their spring break but the second week is back in school. Considering the Bliss is going to be a fun family, kid friendly ship what can we expect as far as the number of kids aboard this longer pricier cruise? Are mine going to be the only two, lol? A handful? A lot? Anyone that has experienced longer cruisers like this one have any feedback on the kid count?

We did a 10 day round trip Panama Canal on princess leaving on January 10. There were only 9 kids on board. You can call ncl and they might tell you how many kids are on board. Or you might not get a nice operator and they’ll tell you they can’t release that info.

Thanks! I may try that when closer to sailing. I'm not sure as well if they'd release that information or not. Anyone else?

10+ days, kids drop WAY off.....I doubt there will be many.

Our 16-night full transit of the Canal (Miami to LA) on the NCL Jewel last year had a total of 17 guests under age 21. (The Restaurant Manager told us this.) Cruises that are this long, and with itineraries like this, skew (much) "older." Perhaps the fact that the first half of your cruise is spring break may increase the number of kids, but I rather doubt it will be significant, since the cruise goes on longer.

 

Obviously, NCL does not have final numbers yet on your sailing, and I doubt the folks you get on the phone would even have access to that info (even if they'd tell you), although there is no downside to calling. One thing you might do now if you haven't already is to ask on your Roll Call, and try to get a sense of whether other folks are bringing young children.

 

Once you are on board, NCL will tell you the info, but that won't help you in advance. I would go into this assuming there will be other kids on board, but not a ton.

 

Have a great cruise!

Thanks! I do hope so .... My odds would be even worse I'd say if the cruise was on Holland or Celebrity. Hoping the saving grace is that it's on NCL on the new fun filled Bliss with all it's amenities for kids.

The fewer the children cruising the shorter the lines for the slides and other stuff, I don't think they'll be too disappointed. :D

That will be a fun, family friendly ship with lots of things to do, unfortunately that's a long and pretty boring "older" people cruise. I wouldn't suggest that in the least for kids that age.

 

I think they will be bored out of their minds. Just my .02 cents worth.

That will be a fun, family friendly ship with lots of things to do, unfortunately that's a long and pretty boring "older" people cruise. I wouldn't suggest that in the least for kids that age.

 

I think they will be bored out of their minds. Just my .02 cents worth.

I certainly hope not. I'm still pretty active with them in the pools and waterslides. Hoping they'll get more personalized treatment in the kids club. We plan on doing tours that are interactive and fun with them and not your typical bus tour or museum type excursions. Wife and I have done a couple 12 day cruises before we had our children but now we have some different priorities with them. The girls will be doing their 4th cruise on the MSC Seaside this April. We told them that next year on the Bliss there may be very few kids to play with and they could stay with grandma. Well, that didn't deter them at all. They are hooked ....

That will be a fun, family friendly ship with lots of things to do, unfortunately that's a long and pretty boring "older" people cruise. I wouldn't suggest that in the least for kids that age.

 

I think they will be bored out of their minds. Just my .02 cents worth.

 

Agreed...

On our 19 day Tampa to Vancouver through the canal in April, 2015 there were 5 children onboard. It was the Sun with only about 2,000 passengers, but I wouldn't expect very many at all.

Just looking for some thoughts or predictions on this one. We are doing the 15 day Panama Canal on the Bliss next March. Our daughters will be 9 and 11. They are very social and love to play, swim, and make friends when we cruise. The cruise is long and the first week of it falls during their spring break but the second week is back in school. Considering the Bliss is going to be a fun family, kid friendly ship what can we expect as far as the number of kids aboard this longer pricier cruise? Are mine going to be the only two, lol? A handful? A lot? Anyone that has experienced longer cruisers like this one have any feedback on the kid count?

They will not be the only kids on the ship by any means but you can be pretty certain there will not be many.The longer the cruise the fewer children as you seem to realize and part of the cruise time will be school time for many. This doesn't mean your girls will not have a great time, it means their connecting with other kids might be a little limited. Look at it this way, better to have only a dozen than what we went through last April: 4400 passengers, 2256 were kids.

All of the cruises we've taken over the last several years have been 9-11 days and all were at times when schools were in session. There were very few children on those cruises.

That will be a fun, family friendly ship with lots of things to do, unfortunately that's a long and pretty boring "older" people cruise. I wouldn't suggest that in the least for kids that age.

 

I think they will be bored out of their minds. Just my .02 cents worth.

 

"Boring 'older' people cruise"? :rolleyes:

 

So "boring" that a bunch of cruise lines sell out Canal transits year after year.

"Boring 'older' people cruise"? :rolleyes:

 

So "boring" that a bunch of cruise lines sell out Canal transits year after year. You can make the point that little kids would not likely be interested in the itinerary without making the false and noxious statement you made.

 

 

Calm down Snowflake. There is nothing in my statement to get offended about. I'm an older person myself and it would be boring for kids.I've been on canal cruises and it is older crowds. Fact.

"Boring 'older' people cruise"? :rolleyes:

 

So "boring" that a bunch of cruise lines sell out Canal transits year after year.

 

 

LOL...nice edit Turtle06. Gotcha though. :D

LOL...nice edit Turtle06. Gotcha though. :D

 

 

LOL. I love this forum. ;p

All of the cruises we've taken over the last several years have been 9-11 days and all were at times when schools were in session. There were very few children on those cruises.

I agree. Just hoping that since the first cruise week of the two is spring break for my school district allowing for my kids to miss only one week of actual school. Hopefully this plan works for others taking this cruise with kids, albeit few, in their school districts as well around the country. I would never have my kids miss two weeks of school that was in session.

I agree. Just hoping that since the first cruise week of the two is spring break for my school district allowing for my kids to miss only one week of actual school. Hopefully this plan works for others taking this cruise with kids, albeit few, in their school districts as well around the country. I would never have my kids miss two weeks of school that was in session.

 

We have just completed the panama canal cruise on the star ( which was brilliant bye the way ) and it did have an "older" crowd BUT there were some families with children aboard . Also your kids might enjoy the history behind the building of the canal ( i know our son would and hopefully they will remember this trip for a long time ) , PLUS this is a new ship , very family friendly and should attract other families . Not all families want a weeks cruise around the same old caribbean ports . I say well done for taking your children on a informative as well as fun trip . x

Thanks June, we are growing tiresome of the Caribbean already. The girls can have an educational experience with the Canal and locks and see something most won't have the opportunity to. It's on the bucket list for my DW and I so it's a win win all the way around. We want to give them trips of a lifetime as I'm sure most everyone sailing with kids everywhere want to as well.

Thanks June, we are growing tiresome of the Caribbean already. The girls can have an educational experience with the Canal and locks and see something most won't have the opportunity to. It's on the bucket list for my DW and I so it's a win win all the way around. We want to give them trips of a lifetime as I'm sure most everyone sailing with kids everywhere want to as well.

 

i couldn`t have put it better myself x Our son has travelled all over from a baby . He always enjoyed seeing ancient sites , safari`s in Kenya as well as plenty of beach / fun days . He often talks about the wonderful places he`s visited and still remembers then even though he was young . PS bet your children`s teachers are impressed your taking them on this holiday .

Hope you enjoy x

Forgot to say , our son`s head master once said " he will learn more in those two weeks than he`ll ever learn in school " that was his answer when i told him we were all going to Kenya and he would be missing a weeks school !!! Hope you all enjoy x

Not sure how long ago that was, but today many school district's are not always supportive of vacations during the year, but it 100% depends on the district and state laws. I'd just verify it first. I never took my daughter out of school. 9 and 11 is likely young enough, but any older catching up is so hard. And usually many sports have attendance policies too. But, back on topic, I agree with so little # of kids, the slides and kids areas will be all theirs! Who wouldn't love that?

I took my daughter on several cruises where she missed school. She was required to bring her homework and do it on the cruise, when she was in high school she went to an alternative school and only had to attend 1 day a week and did the rest from home. She asked if she could miss one week to go on a cruise and they gave her all her homework for the two week period. She had all her homework done before we left. She graduated with mostly B's. I think she learned more about other cultures cruising. I applaud your decision to take your girls on this once in a lifetime cruise. Have a great time.

 

Candi

All of the cruises we've taken over the last several years have been 9-11 days and all were at times when schools were in session. There were very few children on those cruises.

 

 

Above is a true statement, this is when we love to cruise, 9+ days when school is in session.

The Panama Canal was by far, Alaska second, the most educational I’ve been on. Try to attend the movie before in the theater and imagine how it was done with the equipment they had fighting the disease problems they encountered, amazing. Pay close attention to the French cut when you go by it, not much forethought.

Have a great Cruise, and the kids will have fun with attentive parents you seem to be