Does anyone keep their children with them the whole time?

[SuperCoolOne]

Our kids usually went to camp in the mornings and then liked it so much that they begged to eat dinner with camp staff and their friends. Our youngest wanted to stay with us but did go on the last night so we we had one dinner with us and him and the last night, we got to eat dinner without the kids, which was awesome.

 

They usually stayed with camp and we picked them up anywhere from 10pm - midnight, and paid the babysitting fees.

 

As soon as my daugher saw Camp Carnvial on the Carnival DVD my chances that she would spend the entire cruise with us flew out the window.

 

We plan to spend port days together and on sea days have my DD and DS go to camp for either the morning or afternoon, but probably not both.

 

We are also thinking that the kids would probably like to go after dinner which will give DH and I some time to sit in the lounges etc. which are not kid activities.

 

We usually vacation Disney where we are together 24/7 and we aren't sure what to expect with the camp option, but our plan is to be flexible.

[ExcitedCruzer]

I'm sailing with my mom and everyone tells me to have my mom watch the kids so I can do excursions...hello?? it's her vacation too!

 

I will most likely be with my kids the entire trip. DS will be almost 4 and DD will be a few weeks shy of 2 on the trip. I'm going to encourage DS to try out camp because I want to him try new things, but if he doesn't like it, then well have a great time together. Mostly likely we will just spend the free play time in there when we all can go in to play together. Both kids are in daycare out of necessity but has never had a babysitter other than grandma.

 

While they will most likely be joined at either DH's or my hip, they are young now. Once they are older I hope that they will be more independent and want to attend camp or just stuff like that. :)

 

The only thing I would like to do without the kids is try the specialty restaurant one night, but if grandma has plans then I will be with the kiddies. :D

[griffy116]

We had heard wonderful things and took my Grandson and nephew to the initial meeting. They would have been in different clubs because of the age cut-off. They decided they wanted to spend the time together instead of at the club and that was fine with us. This was their vacation too and we let them decide. Do what you feel is right for you and your child. My Grandson is very shy and we thought this would be a great way for him to make friends...He did not agree. In the pool area, however, both my Grandson and nephew made friends but always drifted back to doing things together. Every situation and every child is different. You'll make the right decision for you and your child. Enjoy the cruise.

[BethV114]

I agree with a previous poster (waaaaay back, sorry can't remember who now...) who pointed out that it's your vacation and you don't need to worry about what other people choose to do on theirs. I do hope that you'll at least check it out, though. I'm not suggesting for a moment that your kids should or shouldn't go, just that if you take a moment to see what's what your decision will be a fully informed one. Remember also that some of the activities are for the whole family, and they can be really fun, so it's nice to know about them in advance.

 

Enjoy your holiday your way!! :)

 

DH and I have a cruise planned for December with our DD, who will be 15 months old at the time, and I've been doing research trying to prepare for it. We have been on several cruises before, but this will be our first with DD, so any useful info we find on CC is greatly appreciated. That being said, I clicked on this thread thinking I might find the OP's info useful, but I actually found it rather judgmental. Don't get me wrong, a lot of the responses were informative, but I didn't find much value in the OP's initial or follow-up statements and it clearly seems as though she has already made up her mind about the kids programs without any first hand knowledge.

DH and I love, love, love our DD and have such a blast with her. However, we both know that we're no good to her if we don't get to recharge a bit every now and then, so we definitely plan on using the nursery services that will be available on the cruise ship, so long as DD seems comfortable being there. We are fortunate in that we don't have to put DD in daycare since we both have flexible work schedules, but I do think it would be a great experience for her to spend some time away from us, get used to spending time with other people, and hopefully meet some other little ones her age. That might not be what some, including OP, are comfortable with, but we will be going to the program's open house armed with a bunch of questions and, assuming we are comfortable with the information we learn, see no problem in exposing DD to a few new experiences.

Happy cruising everyone!