Do YOU cruise with children??

OK, so many threads are devoted to having kids onboard, that I am wondering how many of us actually cruise with children.

The poll is simple - Yes, I do; or No, I don't. By "kids", I mean those under 18 - if you cruise with your 20 year old, then you should answer "no" (even if you did cruise with them when they were younger). If you have done both, choose the option which you prefer . If you do not have kids, choose "No". I am interested in seeing the results.

Both of mine have gone with us. My daughter's been on 2 and my son 1. We have one booked in Sept and they will both be on it. (lucky kids :rolleyes: )

I cruise with my kids for main two reasons..

1) Its a great chance for us to spend quality time together as a family for one price that includes food and entertainment.

2) Our closest family is 8 hours away so there is nobody to watch them for us.

Once they hit the age of 18, we will cruise with or without them depending on their schedules.

No kiddies for this cruise in September. I want to drink, sleep , eat and relax. I'm a full time mom with a full time job so every once in a while I just need a break. The kiddies will be hanging out with the grandparents at the jersey shore so I don't feel too bad.

I cruise with my teen on the Voyager. We have a great time. :)

There was not a "sometimes" option. Actually, for us it would be "usually." We find it to be an enjoyable family vacation. However, the one cruise we took without the kids was fantastic as well. A "R & R & R" vacation as opposed to active vacation (rest, relaxation, romance :) ).

Yes, we cruise with our daughter (8) :)

It is disheartening to see so many threads devoted to the antics of sometimes rude and rambunctious children on cruise ships....

My daughter is not perfect, but she IS a child and I can't expect her not to BE a child.... I will not however, allow her to run "wild" on the ship, and she is told clearly before we board, what we expect from her behaviour wise......we had NO issues at all on our cruise in February.

I know there are many out there that would highly prefer a cruise experience without kids on board, so I am hoping that the cruise lines will eventually ( if they are not already) come up with several "adult only" cruises with various ships and itineraries.....

I do agree that parents must do everything to control their kids on the ship.....but at the end of the day, kids will be kids.....:o

Took our DD on her 1st at 10. 12 years later she has 10 cruises under her belt. DS on his 1st at 16. But a College Degree got in the way and he only has 5.

We are a family. I don't feel I need to "get away" from my child - if I didn't want a child, I would not have had one. We rarely get a sitter when we are home. Most of the activities we enjoy, we share as a family.

She is a joy to be with and I enjoy every minute (nearly every minute :) ) I spend with her.

Sometimes we do, other times not. It is not a bad thing to get away from each other for a week, makes you appreciate each other a little more.

We are a family. I don't feel I need to "get away" from my child - if I didn't want a child, I would not have had one. We rarely get a sitter when we are home. Most of the activities we enjoy, we share as a family.

 

She is a joy to be with and I enjoy every minute (nearly every minute :) ) I spend with her.

Onessa;

I couldn't agree with you more. You have mirrored our sentiments exactly :)

There was not a "sometimes" option. Actually, for us it would be "usually."

Hi nrdsb4,

I purposefully left out a "sometimes" option to encourage folks to vote on which they prefer, or do most often. I know many people with kids do bring their children along some of the time, and I didn't want the majority of votes to be "sometimes" :)

Yes I cruise with my son. He is now 3 years old and has been on 2 cruises already. I have been told several times how well behaved he was, especially in the dining room. It is a great way to enjoy a family vacation and yet have some alone time with my DH.

No, my DH and I don't have kids, and don't plan on any. When we cruise, we just try and go during times that there will be as few on board as possible. Don't get me wrong, I love kids...as long as they're someone else's. (And well behaved.) ;)

We actually view cruising as a way to have the best of both worlds. We love family vacations and spending time with our kids and also look forward to some alone time while the kids are living it up at AO.

I love to bring my son on vacations with me. It gives him time off too. Besides, someones got to build sandcastles with my DH at the beaches!!!

He has been on two cruises with us and will be going on his 3rd cruise 7 May on Triumph.

The only cruise we didn't take our now 13 yo was cruise in Mediterranean sea,

as it would be too difficult for him... Long tours with tons info. Even we got dead tired.

With only 2 weeks of vacation a year, I can't imagine not taking my son with us on any of our vacations, including cruises/AI/Europe-land.

We have always cruised with our kids, wish I was 17 and a diamond memberLOL, some passingers are amazed when our sons tell them howmany cruises they have been on. We enjoy the times together and also now that they are older they enjoy their independance at the teen clubs etc. The new friends that they meet. We usually explore the islands together and enjoy getting dressed up for a family dinner and in the evenings they go off and do their thing and so do we.

We have sailed with them since they were 9 months old. We all really love longer cruises now. Try to back to back or repo's. My son is off to univercity this fall and isn't happy that he won't be with us.

Brian J

My son has been traveling with us since he was 3 years old (he's now 11). While at times I would like to take a "mom and dad only" vacation, I think he'd be very disappointed to have to stay home.

Chris loves the cruise experience as much as we do - eating in the dining room and getting waited on, the towel animals left by the steward, the kids club, etc.

It's just as much his vacation as it is ours.

Robin

We sorta did this backwards. We took the grandkids first, on a Disney cruise, we enjoyed it so much they now think they will go on all our cruises. Luckily they are both going to be in school ALL DAY next year, so won't be quite as easy to take them out of school. Now we cruise with the grandkids and their parents.

WE are finally taking one WITHOUT the kids in July!

I'll let you know if I miss them! :o (NOT!)

Jacquelyn :D

Hmmm.... interesting topic.

I have to agree with Onessa, too. I don't want to be away from my kids for a week. Our vacations together will make memories for each of us that will last a lifetime - just like the memories of family vactions I had as a child with my parents.

With that said, and at the risk of sounding immodest, I have to say that my two girls (ages 7 and 9) are extremely well behaved. We have been complimented many times on their manners and decorum. Perhaps that makes the difference.

We are a family. I don't feel I need to "get away" from my child - if I didn't want a child, I would not have had one. We rarely get a sitter when we are home. Most of the activities we enjoy, we share as a family.

 

She is a joy to be with and I enjoy every minute (nearly every minute :) ) I spend with her.

I love my children more than anything in the world , but I also love my husband just the same and want some time with him. I believe it's great for your marriage to do this every once in a while.

I've yet to vacation without our son since he was born. I guess I feel that travel is a broadening experience and I want him to see as much of the world as he can. I know travel has greatly influenced me and my perceptions and I would hope it does the same for him.

I love to bring my son on vacations with me. It gives him time off too. Besides, someones got to build sandcastles with my DH at the beaches!!!

 

He has been on two cruises with us and will be going on his 3rd cruise 7 May on Triumph.

Excellent point! Having a kid with you is a great excuse to do "fun" things that you might otherwise overlook (or, speaking only for others of course, be too grown up to do!).

I do appreciate my daughter's observations of things - she brings a new perspective to me. Can't wait until our next cruise (HI in November).