Winter cruise from cold weather port with kid

[roxannex]

Hi!

Has anyone taken a cold weather cruise with children? We have been taking winter cruises the past few years with our son and my mom and grandma and this year we may end up going on a 9 night bahamas cruise on the Enchantment of the Seas out of Baltimore in January.

 

I guess that Alaska cruises are cold weather, but the other cruises we've taken were on Disney and Freedom of the Seas, both big kid friendly ships from Florida. I'm wondering if my 5 year old son will get bored on the Enchantment when probably 4 out of the nine days will not be pool weather.

 

Has anyone done this before? The prices are awesome and we love the idea of just driving to the port. Our son would likely be happy just hanging out with us and probably will not want to go to the kids club that much.

 

My husband and I just booked the Allure in April by ourselves for our 10 year anniversary, but these winter cruises out of Baltimore are so cheap right now!!!!

[cb at sea]

Most Alaskan cruises are scheduled in the summer months...a few in spring or fall....mid-winter would just be miserable and ship's don't go then.

 

If you go out of Balt. in Jan., you'll probably have 2 days either direction of cold to cool weather...so that will give you 5 days of "mock summer". You're right...the pool thing won't be an option, at least, coming and going from your home port! (However, remember last winter...those cold fronts extended WAAAAY past Fl.....making even the Caribbean cooler than normal!!! They're forecasting the same sort of winter for this year!)

 

Your son may surprise you...5 is the prime age for the kid's clubs! I'd give it a go...once he's in school, these impromptu cruises may be a thing of the past!

[roxannex]

Thanks. :) That's true. Last winter was freezing. The morning we got off the Freedom in FL last year we needed winter coats. It's definitely not optimal but if the price for the end of January cruise comes down to 399 pp for a 9 day cruise (like the early January one is right now, but we can't go then), we might go for it.

[onthelake]

The pool is a great way to spend time with/for kids but there are plenty of other activities if the pool isn't the right choice for the day. My son always enjoyed playing ping pong with us, going up to the sports court (when not in scheduled use) to shoot baskets or play another game, watching the water for dolphins, turtles, other ships, etc. I know you are thinking that you need to plan for him but chances are, he will be saying, "Mom can I . . .?" And, really think about the kids club because kids do like to get together and they do a lot of crafts that are nice souveniers of the trip.

 

Even if you plan a warmer weather cruise, it is not to say that the pool is available - bad weather, mechanical break-downs, etc. so don't let a pool make or break your choice.