Preparing a child for a cruise

[lilipad2]

Hi all,

 

I have a question regarding how to prepare my son (5 1/2) for his adventure onboard a ship. I've shown him the brochure from the cruiseline with pictures of the ship, pictures off the web, small videos from the shore ex companies, etc. I was wandering around Barnes & Noble today and was wondering if there are any good books to introduce my son to the idea of cruising or life at sea. The only book I saw remotely related was the Magic Treehouse Titanic book. Yeah, I just don't think I want to go there yet. :o Does anyone know of any good books suitable for a younger child? Or any other ideas on how to get a child ready. Thanks in advance.

[Keith1010]

I don't know of any good books but I can tell you that our children when they were at your childs age love the cruise. Now I have to say when we left our son at the children's program the first day he cried but when we picked him up a few hours later he didn't want to leave it and he loved it the rest of the cruise.

 

Keith

[legaljen1969]

Where are you going on the cruise? Maybe you could find some kids books about the places you are going. He is certainly old enough to take him off the ship for a little tour or something. My niece is 5 1/2. We went to Puerto Rico on our last cruise and she really liked the forts/castles. I know that there is a great book called The Jolly Mon that my former employer loved to read to his daughter. It is sort of Caribbean in nature. Maybe play some caribbean type music- steel drum type stuff.

I would say showing pictures is a huge thing just so he can sort of see what things might look like.

[cb at sea]

I'm not sure you actually NEED to "prepare" your child....at that age, they will "go with the flow", so to speak!

It's a vacation...not a tour of duty....just go, and let him discover vacationing for himself! "Life" at sea sounds like he'll be on the ship for the next 2 years! It's a week! He'll be fine.

[Angeleyes1382]

There really isn't much prep needed, but I wanted to get my son really excited about the cruise. We looked online at pictures of the places we were going, of the ship, and the best part, the food. We also read a couple of books about ships.

http://www.amazon.com/Ships-Pop-Up-Book-Robert-Crowther/dp/0763638528/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278376080&sr=8-1

 

We found a couple of more at the library.

 

He had the time of his life. He's excited about our next cruise as well.

[lilipad2]

I'm not sure you actually NEED to "prepare" your child....at that age, they will "go with the flow", so to speak!

It's a vacation...not a tour of duty....just go, and let him discover vacationing for himself! "Life" at sea sounds like he'll be on the ship for the next 2 years! It's a week! He'll be fine.

 

I think we have the let go and have fun part covered. Thanks. I just meant to get him excited and ready so that we could have a fun time onboard without any avoidable hassles. This being our first cruise, I was hoping for some insight.

[petergoesrock]

Or any other ideas on how to get a child ready. Thanks in advance.

 

When we took our then 4yo son on his first cruise I made him a simple diary on the computer.

 

For the cover I found a picture of the ship and some pictures of us all.

 

For the inside pages on the left I had some text about where we would be that day, departing, at sea or visiting a port, and some relevant photos. On the right I had space for writing with some titles like, weather, what we did, what he eat etc.

 

Our son loves these and I produce them for each cruise we go on now. He still looks at them years later, infact we all enjoy them.

[SuperCoolOne]

The travel channel has a few specials about cruising that they seem to air every 2-3 months. We caught those and watched a bit with the kids.

 

Other than that, we talked about the plane ride and warned them that the pools and water slides were going to use salt water.

[onthelake]

Check your local library. There should be travel videos and other items that may be interesting. You didn't mention the itinerary or what you planned to do in ports but you might want to focus on books of those types. On the whole, kids are always ready for vacation and the whole aspect of cruising is exciting.

 

I hate to be a spoil sport but you might also add a little extra "Mr. Stranger Danger" talk. Extra care is always wise.

[Onessa]

I think we have the let go and have fun part covered. Thanks. I just meant to get him excited and ready so that we could have a fun time onboard without any avoidable hassles. This being our first cruise, I was hoping for some insight.

1. Muster "bracelet" - most cruise lines required guests under 12YO to wear some sort of ID. Generally one of those non-tear paper bracelets like you get at amusement parks for all day admission. Most kids are "ok" with it. Some kids (particularly those with sensory issues) may not like them.
   
2. Kids Clubs - they will have age grouping. There will probably be lots of other kids his age -- most will also not know anyone else. Be certain he attends the orientation and/or the first couple sessions. The kids are more open to meeting other kids at the beginning (EVERYone is new).
   
3. Dining - Think our dining strategies. if you are dining in the MDR he is more than welcome to join you. There will be kid's menus in the MDR. The standard meal will last up to two hours. If all of you will be dining in the MDR - be prepared with activities or have something set up where one of you can bring him up to the kid's club when he has finished his dinner.
   Prep him for the MDR dining experience (courses, lots of silverware, cloth napkins, etc.) Most 5.5YOs do not regularly dine that way. Prep him for the buffet experience as well. Will he come with you to the food stations or will he sit at a table with one of you while you and DH take turns? What are your expectations as to when, how much, what, etc he will eat.
   
4. Bedtime - will he be sleeping on a sofabed or a pullman bed? Prep him for each.
   
5. Toliets - they are LOUD and a bit different from shore style toliets.
   
6. Security - Airport and ship security lines. On the ship he will have his own security card. Let him know when you will give it to him when waiting in line to get on and off the ship. Be certain he gives it back right away. He'll need to go through the security points alone (you can be before, his dad after or whatever) but if he has not travelled much, let him know how it works. All his packages, backpacks, etc need to go through the scanner machine - if it is lightweight or little, he can put it in a plastic bin. All that stuff.
   
7. Ports - they are foriegn countries and things may not be like at home (food, toliets, etc.) It's ok that it is different, but be aware some things will be different.
   
8. Hold my hand - in crowds, etc. Who should he "trust" if he gets lost - on the ship look for a uniform and a name tag (even if he can't read it) point out folks he should be able to go to in an emergency, Off the ship - police/security guards, store clerks, other "moms" with kids; whatever your normal guidelines are.
   Be certain he knows his cabin number and the name of your ship.
   

Just let him know things may be a bit different - but in a way that he knows that different can be fun!

[momofdss]

Onessa covered most points....... we are taking our soon to be 4 yr old on our first cruise, so i fully understand your anxiety. maybe even moreso, because our ds is special needs.

 

we are making a "social story" book. it's really easy. get pictures off the internet of the cruise ship, the stateroom, a few shots of the ocean view, things that will be of importance to your child and would impact his thinking. also as previously mentioned, pictures of your ports you will be visiting. print all the pictures out and laminate them, bind them in a booklet for him to look at. talk about the "big boat" and how much fun you'll have, the music, etc......

 

i even requested dvd's from the cruiseline. preparing your children for major events eases the transition. some children "go with the flow" easily, where some not so much. our child is one that doesn't - he requires strict routine. we have already contacted special needs with the cruiseline to give them the "heads up" that we are traveling and what needs our son has. you did not specify any type of specific need but let me just throw out there that if your child has sensory processing disorders, autism, or any type of disability, the special needs department can help to accommodate your child should you need it.......

 

otherwise, make a social story book, talk about the upcoming trip, and he will be fine -- so will you...... take a couple of his favorite toys, a dvd player and his favorite movies for down time -- that's my plan!!

 

have a great cruise!!

[Julienatul]

One good thing to do is go to webshots and search for your ship photos and show him pics of the cabin, kids area, dining room, pizza station, pools etc. I also search the internet for cruise ship/boat/beach theme coloring pages.

[lilipad2]

Thanks so much! You are all great. Onessa -- thanks for such detail. That's what I was looking for. I appreciate it so much. I also love the ideas several of you have suggested about making a book. That's a really neat idea and hopefully I can get crafty enough.

 

Like I said, I think we can handle the fun part. I just want this to be a really good experience. We're working on our table manners and are discussing what will be onboard. I made the mistake of showing him some pictures of the polar bear swim onboard. He now really wants to do that. Of course, that means I'll have to do it as well. Oh well, you only live once right? (That is if the polar bear swim doesn't kill you first.)

 

I went to the library today for some books. I found some good Alaska books. I'm still running short on books about actual cruise ships. So far we have the Magic Treehouse onboard the Titanic and now Walter the Farting Dog goes on a Cruise. Yeah, I didn't take that one home. Beleive it or not, it was already checked out. :p

[seashinesunshine]

Cannot believe there is a book about a farting dog on a cruise!!! I LOVE IT!!!

Your son will have a great time and he is so lucky to be able to travel! I give this advice out a lot, maybe becasue my husband is a photographer. Buy him a camera of his own. You can get a cheap digital one for less than 50$ at Target or Walmart. Not the best quality, but he will have a great time documenting his vacation. You can make a book of his photos on Shutterfly or some site like that when you get home. You will be surprised at the photos he will take and what he thinks is important to document. We have 72 photos of alligators (one for each that we saw in the Everglades), a photo of a beetle on a sidewalk, I could go on, but you get the idea. Get him a digital one and let him snap whatever he wants, you will treasure those photos!

[DALSAL]

Does the ship/port your sailing from have a web cam? I dont know about a 5 year old,but it sure gets me excited to tune in at sailaway and watch it from computer!!! Something about watching the ship pull away from the pier!:D

[lilipad2]

@Sunshine & @ Dalsal -- those are great ideas I didn't even think about. (Like I need more excuses to run to Target or WM -- hee hee). I'm not sure if your ship has a webcam. I'll have to look into that. Thanks so much.

[MamaParrotHead]

My kids and I make a countdown chain with construction paper. One link for each week (since we book so far out, LOL). It's a fun way for them to visualize the time frame between now and when we go.

 

My son (now 7) was about 5 1/2 when we booked our first cruise and LOVED to just crawl up in my lap and "look at cruise things". Virtual tours of the ship (on the cruiseline website) and deck plans, we'd go over the kids' activities (in Carnival's version- the Capers/Fun Times) and menus, just look at pictures on webshots or websites of excursions we're planning on going on. I also taught my kids how to snorkel in the mean time...got some equipment off of amazon and headed to the kiddie pool on a non-crowded day (or bathtub would work as well). We took some additional swimming lessons in preparation as well.

 

My kids also get a kick out of shopping for cruise items...anything from sunscreen to shoes to formal outfits.

 

Going over what we might pack for them (don't overpack on the toys) and the fact that they're responsible for their own backpacks (and their contents) and getting them through the airports and cruise terminal.

[NYteacher]

I think everyone has excellent points. The one I want to add is that before my son's first cruise (at age 6) he was worried about the ship pools. What I didn't understand was that he thought they were a big hole in the ship, and a drop to the ocean. I explained they had a bottom but he wasn't really reassured until he could actually see them. You never know what a child doesn't understand or fears.

 

At a library sale two weeks before the cruise he picked out a book on the Titanic. OMG. We have had many, many talks about the lack of life boats and how there are more than enough now. We still have these life boat talks, even for our upcoming Mediterranean cruise this summer. Advice? Stay away from any Titanic references.

[hucifer]

When we took our then 4yo son on his first cruise I made him a simple diary on the computer.

 

For the cover I found a picture of the ship and some pictures of us all.

 

For the inside pages on the left I had some text about where we would be that day, departing, at sea or visiting a port, and some relevant photos. On the right I had space for writing with some titles like, weather, what we did, what he eat etc.

 

Our son loves these and I produce them for each cruise we go on now. He still looks at them years later, infact we all enjoy them.

That is a great idea! I may just borrow it. :D

[sparky-elpaso]

There's a series of books about Peter the Cruise Ship written by a cruise ship captain. Peter the Cruise Ship is the first one - his friends are a tugboat, an oil tanker, a container ship, etc. The 2nd and 3rd are set in Alaska and the Caribbean (where he meets pirates). I think they're available from Barnes & Noble or Amazon. The first one was available in the gift ship on the Westerdam and it's really cute.

[lilipad2]

I think everyone has excellent points. The one I want to add is that before my son's first cruise (at age 6) he was worried about the ship pools. What I didn't understand was that he thought they were a big hole in the ship, and a drop to the ocean. I explained they had a bottom but he wasn't really reassured until he could actually see them. You never know what a child doesn't understand or fears.

 

At a library sale two weeks before the cruise he picked out a book on the Titanic. OMG. We have had many, many talks about the lack of life boats and how there are more than enough now. We still have these life boat talks, even for our upcoming Mediterranean cruise this summer. Advice? Stay away from any Titanic references.

 

Very good points and this was the reason I asked this question. My son had this phase where he had nightmares about .....get this.... the doorbell. Every night, we'd show him the doorbell's inner workings and let him touch it in order to get him over this wierd little phase. He knew what it was, wasn't afraid of it when he was awake, but asleep it was another matter. He also has a reoccuring nightmare about a moose who eats his hair or toes. At least he's not alone. You should hear some of the nightmares his buddies have too. LOL.

 

Yes, you are about the 3rd teacher to highly recommend steering him away from any and all Titanic info at least, until we disembark.

 

I saw the Peter series and it looks cute. I will definitely look into those. He's starting to get excited about all the little things kids find interesting -- the pool, food, kids club, the shore excursions. I just can't wait!

 

You all have had such great suggestions. Thanks so much ya'll!!

[Propellor1969]

I took my 6 year old on her first cruise back in January--it was a birthday present and a short two night cruise to "test the waters" with her. The one thing that I was totally surprised about and unprepared for--bc it was my 8th muster drill--was the muster drill. At the time, she still hadn't learned to swim, and the muster drill freaked her out. She was upset bc she knew she couldn't swim, and was afraid that the ship was sinking. And, before you ask, she's never seen or heard of the Titanic. I think she cried for the first 10 minutes while we were standing outside for the muster drill. UGH. Just a heads up for anone with a youngun. :)

 

T.

 

p.s. She had such a great experience otherwise, that I'm taking her in two weeks on a Southern Caribbean Cruise. :)

[starr_child]

I know this may sound silly, but my daughter's father is taking he on a cruise. She is 15, but developmentally about 12 maybe. She has ADHD and what I believe to be a Autistic Spectrum Disorder. I'm worried. She is left unsupervised. I keep hearing about people going missing on cruises or falling over board..What if some man took her into his room... I know I may sound like a paranoid mom, but I can't help it. What can I do to calm my fears and rest easy while she is away?

[crzgrl66]

I know this may sound silly, but my daughter's father is taking he on a cruise. She is 15, but developmentally about 12 maybe. She has ADHD and what I believe to be a Autistic Spectrum Disorder. I'm worried. She is left unsupervised. I keep hearing about people going missing on cruises or falling over board..What if some man took her into his room... I know I may sound like a paranoid mom, but I can't help it. What can I do to calm my fears and rest easy while she is away?

 

Because of her age, she will not necessarily be in a supervised setting. You should speak to your daughters father about some rules that she needs to follow. If you don't have a workable relationship, then I would start talking to your daughter about strangers and tell her that she is not allowed to let anyone into her room or to go into anyone elses room. I know you are really worried and I would be too. However 12 year olds are not supervised very much on cruises except for when they are in the tween clubs. If you search rules for teens, I think you will find a great contract that one of the CruiseCritic members posted with rules for teens. You could talk to her about it and then give her father a copy. I showed my kids the deck plans and we talked about activities that were appropriate for them. We also talked a lot about Stranger Danger.

[cherishrwil]

Onessa covered most points....... we are taking our soon to be 4 yr old on our first cruise, so i fully understand your anxiety. maybe even moreso, because our ds is special needs.

 

we are making a "social story" book. it's really easy. get pictures off the internet of the cruise ship, the stateroom, a few shots of the ocean view, things that will be of importance to your child and would impact his thinking. also as previously mentioned, pictures of your ports you will be visiting. print all the pictures out and laminate them, bind them in a booklet for him to look at. talk about the "big boat" and how much fun you'll have, the music, etc......

 

i even requested dvd's from the cruiseline. preparing your children for major events eases the transition. some children "go with the flow" easily, where some not so much. our child is one that doesn't - he requires strict routine. we have already contacted special needs with the cruiseline to give them the "heads up" that we are traveling and what needs our son has. you did not specify any type of specific need but let me just throw out there that if your child has sensory processing disorders, autism, or any type of disability, the special needs department can help to accommodate your child should you need it.......

 

otherwise, make a social story book, talk about the upcoming trip, and he will be fine -- so will you...... take a couple of his favorite toys, a dvd player and his favorite movies for down time -- that's my plan!!

 

have a great cruise!!

 

 

Our son has special needs as well (autism) and we are going on a Carnival cruise in Oct. I ordered the dvd (brochure) from Carnival and the magazine brochure and he loves to watch the video and read the magazine brochure. We actually booked our cruise through Autism on The Seas and they are providing us, among other things with a social story book and PECS to help get him "ready" for the cruise. He is so excited already and we still have 3 more months!