Cruising WITH or WITHOUT Kids?

[Intrudr]

[quote name='Girlsnightout']BND, I really, really wish people knew how to read. I absolutely agree that getting away without kids is wonderful, my husband and I do it several times a year, and have always done so. I stated that in my first post in this thread. We also take 2 weeks vacation with the whole family, and I usually take a few weeks with just my kids and without my husband since he doesn't have enough time off from work.

Oh and I really appreciate the parenting and family advice, if only you had gotten to me sooner, before my children were 12 and 15 and I'd been happily married for over 20 years......;)[/QUOTE]

what about the fashion advice? since you turned down the muu-muu I'm frantically searching for an alternative.:D

[BambiRumsey]

I checked other because we do both, cruise with and without.

Our daughter is 5 and is getting ready to go on her 3rd cruise the end of this month.

We typically take 2-3 cruises a year and once she was old enough (socialized by pre-school, completely potty trained through the night, etc) we decided we would take at least one cruise a year with her. Our other 1-2 cruises are without her, just quality husband and wife time.

My husband's job is very stressful and very high pressure and honestly the only way I can get him to truly take a vacation is to take him someplace where his cell phone doesn't work. For instance we went to Disney World in the beginning of January - you have no idea how frustrating it is to be getting on a ride while he is handling a business call!

I am a stay at home parent. Cruising allows us to take Hannah but still gives me some time off via the kids club. In port we always take excursions or plan activities we can all do (she is a water bug so beaches and snorkeling are usually the plan) and sea days she plays with her friends. Every evening we give a choice: to eat with Mommy and Daddy in the fancy restaurant or to eat with her friends in the kids club. Most times she chose kids club. We prefer late dining as adults but have the sense to request early seating when she is with us.

Although WDW was very fun, my main comaplint about that as a family vacation was that we stayed in a condo. Which meant I cooked, picked up, made beds, did laundry, washed dishes. Now how exactly was that a vacation for me??????

Although I must say, my perspective of cruising may be a little different than some other people - my first cruise was as a teenager. My parents began taking my brother and I on one cruise a year when I was in high school. So as someone who was raised as a kid who was taken on cruises, I see nothing wrong with taking mine with me and also nothing wrong with leaving her with Mimi and Granddaddy for a week of high octane spoiling either. Their house is adjacent to Mount Vernon and they love taking the grandkids to the educational places in the DC area!

Also - I am currently pregnant with our second child. We will cruise with Hannah the end of this month, then hubby and I are going alone in July. I deliver in October and after that not sure what our cruising schedule will be. We will most definitely still take at least one grown up cruise per year after the baby is about 6-9 months old but unsure if we will take Hannah on one without the baby. I just know I do NOT want to lug a pack-n-play, diapers, baby food, bottles etc with me on a cruise. The new baby will probably not come with us until it is about 3. Old enough for kids club, potty trained, eating regular food, etc.

[StaceyM]

My DD is turning 13 in April...UGGH (that's another story) anyway, DH and I cruised on the Celebration with another couple 2 years ago. DD went with her best friend and her family to the Grand Canyon and Lake Powell on a house boat... I was miserable worrying about her (she is an only child) even though I completely trusted the family she was with. The problem was that we could not contact them and they could not easily contact us. We took her with us last year on the Elation and it was GREAT!! The beauty of cruises is that there are times when you can do family things but you can also have adult time. I think it is the best of both worlds!! We will be cruising with her on the Conquest in June. Don't get me wrong, we will go without her when she is older but for now we LOVE having her with us, that is until the terrible teen years come in to full force!!LOL

[Girlsnightout]

"what about the fashion advice? since you turned down the muu-muu I'm frantically searching for an alternative.:D

__________________
Regards, Max
"

Ask my husband, he loves to buy clothes for me, although his tastes are somewhat less classic than mine...he just bought me some low rise jeans and very high heels. While it's not necessarily what I would chose, what can I say, I humor him, there's a reason we've been happily married for that long, and it wouldn't have been easy if I wore muu-muus. If someone on Desperate Housewives is wearing it, so will I;) !

[ShowSkiMom]

I went on a 4 day cruise with just the girls as a bachlorette party for my [color=black][font=Verdana]niece and left my then 12 year old son (he's 14 now) with his Granddad. Even though we had a blast, it was hard because my son and I had both watched lots of TV shows about cruise ships and I knew how badly he wanted to go on one. He sent me hysterical emails every day about his MIS-adventures with my dad. When I came home I promised to take him on one and true to my word, we sail in May. We are both so excited. Having been a single parent all of his life, we are very compatible and really enjoy hanging out together. I can't wait to experience a cruise through his eyes. [/font][/color]

[peanutzmom]

DH and I choose to cruise without the kids right now. First, we only get to cruise once every couple of years, and we really cherish it as some "us time" while we know the kids are safe and happy at Grandma's, going to the beach, fishing off the dock, and playing with their cousins. Second, they're still too young to participate in many of the things we enjoy about cruising (staying up late to watch the shows, going snorkling & doing other water sports, etc.), since they are only 5 & 7 right now. In a few years, when the youngest is 10 or so, we probably will take them with us once in a while. We'll still take some "us only" cruises, too, though!

But I must add that we live in South Florida, where our kids get to go to the beach, go out on boats, see pretty fish and exotic birds, etc. pretty much every weekend (weather permitting). If I were from someplace farther from the sun and the beach, we would probably already be taking the kids on cruises with us, so they could experience those things. For now, though, Disney World, Busch Gardens, and Sea World are for the family vacations, and cruising is a Mommy & Daddy ONLY adventure! ;)