Do YOU cruise with children??

[ciship]

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 feel exactly the same way Onessa! The cruises we took without the kids were just not the same. Our kids MAKE the cruise for us!! They are a joy to be with (as you say...most of the time ;)

[beachchick]

May I make a request of parents? It seems obvious that some parents don't ever want to travel without their children. Good for them. Others feel their spousal relationships (and long-term sanity perhaps) benefit from "couples" time as well as "family" time. Good for them as well. Here is my request: Please don't assume that one way is better than the other. Please don't "tsk,tsk" parents who choose to vacation differently. Thankfully there has not been much of that on this thread, but I've seen previous ones that would have resulted in fist fights if the posters had been speaking in person!

 

It's like the stay-at-home parent and working-away-from-home parent (usually moms) bickering over who is the "best" parent and what is "best" for the children--what's best is what works for your family, what keeps the family together and makes it strong, what helps the children grow into mature and healthy adults, and what makes the parents happy in their relationship. No justification is needed.

 

I grew up with parents who believed in some couple time to keep their marriage strong and lots of family time to share adventures and be together. My siblings and I grew up just fine. My DH and I carried this over into our marriage. Most vacations included our DD, but every year (just as my parents did), DH and I took a vacation on our own. Sometimes a long weekend; sometimes a week. We believe that a strong marriage is the foundation of a healthy family. This is what worked for us. Our DD enjoyed having time to be "spoiled" by relatives and very close friends; DH and I came back closer than ever. However, these were our choices; it doesn't mean that I think parents who never go anywhere without their children are wrong. They just choose to vacation that way.

 

beachchick

 

ps. I do have one quibble: Parents who insist upon bringing their children into places or areas that are clearly for adults (bars late at night, casinos, adult entertainment, specifically labeled adults areas, etc.) because "I take my 5-year old everywhere." I've also seen parents who insist that taking their 2-year old to a 3 hour classical music concert will "help her learn." Hello? The child was clearly bored and exhausted--the concert didn't even start until 8 pm! :rolleyes: Other than that, bring your children or leave them home. It's entirely up to you.

[familycruzer]

Beachchick, I totally agree with you there. My husband and I took a weekend away at a B&B for some alone time without the kids. We had friends who offered to take them for two days. We dont have family close enough or in good enough health for us to take a week away and I certainly would never ask a family friend to take the kids for 7 days.

 

I love my kids, but it is also good for a marriage to have some one on one time.

[zuscruiserz]

I had to vote "yes" even tho this is only the second cruise my DD's will have taken (ages 11 and 15). They are getting older, and their behavior is now appropriate for this type of vacation. Mind you, we ALWAYS take at least one or two major (week-long) vacations with them in the summertime, and several shorter ones throughout the summer and the rest of the year. We love being with our children. This said, when they were younger, I don't believe they would have had as great of a time on a cruise as they did staying with their cousins for a week as DH and I cruised our previous 3 cruises alone. We started the tradition on our 15th anniversary, and did not want to take little kids with us on our romantic "second honeymoon" (it actually was our first, considering we never did have a first!). Every couple of years since then, we try to have a little "alone" time - I do believe this makes us better partners, AND parents to the children we love so dearly.

 

So again, this is a yes and no answer - but we will probably be cruising more often than not with the darlings (as long as they BEHAVE!!! And believe me, they HAVE been told - copying posts has helped SOOOOOOOO much in getting my point across;) !!!).

[ckrobyn]

May I make a request of parents? It seems obvious that some parents don't ever want to travel without their children. Good for them. Others feel their spousal relationships (and long-term sanity perhaps) benefit from "couples" time as well as "family" time. Good for them as well. Here is my request: Please don't assume that one way is better than the other. Please don't "tsk,tsk" parents who choose to vacation differently. Thankfully there has not been much of that on this thread, but I've seen previous ones that would have resulted in fist fights if the posters had been speaking in person!

 

It's like the stay-at-home parent and working-away-from-home parent (usually moms) bickering over who is the "best" parent and what is "best" for the children--what's best is what works for your family, what keeps the family together and makes it strong, what helps the children grow into mature and healthy adults, and what makes the parents happy in their relationship. No justification is needed.

 

I grew up with parents who believed in some couple time to keep their marriage strong and lots of family time to share adventures and be together. My siblings and I grew up just fine. My DH and I carried this over into our marriage. Most vacations included our DD, but every year (just as my parents did), DH and I took a vacation on our own. Sometimes a long weekend; sometimes a week. We believe that a strong marriage is the foundation of a healthy family. This is what worked for us. Our DD enjoyed having time to be "spoiled" by relatives and very close friends; DH and I came back closer than ever. However, these were our choices; it doesn't mean that I think parents who never go anywhere without their children are wrong. They just choose to vacation that way.

 

beachchick

 

ps. I do have one quibble: Parents who insist upon bringing their children into places or areas that are clearly for adults (bars late at night, casinos, adult entertainment, specifically labeled adults areas, etc.) because "I take my 5-year old everywhere." I've also seen parents who insist that taking their 2-year old to a 3 hour classical music concert will "help her learn." Hello? The child was clearly bored and exhausted--the concert didn't even start until 8 pm! :rolleyes: Other than that, bring your children or leave them home. It's entirely up to you.

 

Beachchick:

 

Very well said.....:)

I think it is worthy of it's very own thread.

[erin_cruisers]

BEACHCHICK:

Well said ! !

I think sometimes also, people say things on this board that they wouldn't say to another person face to face. These boards have a hard time conveying exactly what we are thinking - I can't see you, whether your smiling, have a scowl, etc, etc..

 

As part of a blended family, not only do my DW and I take a holiday together yearly (a cruise), but we take holidays apart as well. She likes to take a week or so with her sister and mother, and I take my kids up north for a week wilderness camping (something my DW would NEVER do -Eewwwwww bugs!!)

So I think everyone needs to do what is best for them, simple as that.

Some take their kids on cruises, some don't. I don't begrudge either, (just keep 'em out of the adults hot tub that's all :) :)

[FinelyCruising]

We have alternated at times between taking and not taking. Tonight I finish packing for just my husband and myself. Of my two daughters one is exempt from the age of this poll, the other is just under it by a fringe.

 

I will think of them often and will email them while I am away. I will also look forward to returning home just to see them and talk to them and hug them and kiss them and for the one who is at home, say goodnight to and pat her fanny in the morning when I wake her up for school.

 

I look forward to the day when they come of age and have their own families, cruising with them and theirs.

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

Thumbs up Beachchick!! I agree!!! ;)

 

For us we didn't discover cruising until 1987 when our 2 boys were teens.

We took them on Priemiers Big Red Boat as our "last big family vacation" and

then took a few years off before we started to cruise alone.

My biggest complaint of cruising with kids are the ones who have the run of the ship....running up and down every stair case and just about mowing you over....elevator games...taking up every good seat everywhere....absoutly no manners.....the obnoxious attitudes and then theres the language that I never thought was possible out of the mouths of babes.....and the list goes on and on.

Babies crying and toddlers throwing tantrums are all part of growing up and learning right from wrong....at age 10 and over they should be able to behave well enough in public and know the difference from right or wrong! Some of the behavior I have seen in the past cruises makes me wonder if this is the same way they behave at home! I blame the parents more than the kids.

RC needs to be more aggressive in controling some of the problems of the past....we all learn from our mistakes, I just wish RC would do the same, learn form the past and act on it.

With that being said....a lot of people would say if they took more action they will lose the business of the family cruisers...not necessarily....there would just be weeding our the bad apples of the bunch and letting all those who want to ejnoy cruising and have a better expereince because of it. Those are the ones who will be back time and time again! ;) JMO.

 

 

***

[lhbsurf]

Very eloquently "spoken" Beachchick.

 

We do exactly the same, most vacations are spent with the kids, including almost every weekend in the summer on a houseboat on the lake. However, when I was young I had fond memories of family vacations AND time spent with my grandparents. I don't think my kids are missing anything when we travel occasionally without them, as they are spending quality time with my Mom.

 

Laura

[beachchick]

Thanks everyone for the compliments. I'm glad we're not alone in our opinions.

 

beachchick

[SunnyMary]

Sometimes we take our teens and sometimes we don't. We have had a blast together - especially the Christmas/New Years cruise that we splurged on, but my husband and I enjoy being alone sometimes too. When we go together we all cram into one inside cabin -- that way we can cruise twice! Besides, we are never in the cabin. I think it's great to show the kids the world, and how lucky they are (the poverty is some countries is shocking), and have a great time together. We enjoy doing some things together, and sometimes we are all four doing different things (classes, lectures, casino, etc.) A great way to vacation!

[goodml]

We have taken 6 cruises, 4 of which were with our kids who are now 14 and 12. The first time we took them they were 3 and 5. I can honestly say that we have enjoyed our cruises much more when the kids were along. DH and I are really lucky though because we're able to duck off for alone time for a weekend about once every other month and the grandparents take the kids. Those weekends are high priority for us. My mom is in her 80's now (she was in her 40's when I was born) and she loves to come and stay with the kids when we go away for a weekend. My kids do the cooking for her and wait on her hand and foot. It's hilarious - she always says, 'anytime you want to go away for a couple days and have the kids babysit me, I'm there!':D

[Happy ks]

While we love to travel as a family, it would be wonderful if we could go on more cruises alone, as a couple. Before anyone gives me any grief, let me just say we don't have the luxury of grandparents (all are gone) or any other relatives who don't work and can have our kids for the week. We've only gone away for a whole week alone once since our kids were born, they are now 16 and 13.

 

So, speaking from experience, plus being older than most when we had our kids, I say take a few vacations without the kids. If you can manage loving care for them, your marriage will be enhanced by a little time away. They also deserve a special time to bond with grandma and grandpa, without the parents interrupting.

[Tak8]

Yes, I cruise with my child. It's a great way to spend a vacation and I want my child to experience it. Also, with food included kids can eat anytime which is helpful.

[mcfaddensfarm]

My son is almost 13 years old and has so far been on all 3 of the cruises I have been on. (My husband has only been on one!) My son & I are like two peas in a pod: We both love to travel--road trips, flying, cruises, etc. When I was young my family went on very limited road trips. I didn't fly until I was 23 years old! My first cruise was after age 30. So I want my son to be able to enjoy the traveling experience now while we can afford to do it. Who knows? Maybe when he grows up he will be a "starving musician" and won't be able to afford to do the things we do now. The way I look at it is this: As long as he still enjoys hanging out with me, I'll continue to travel with him. There will be a time (probably in the near future) when he won't think it's "cool" to hang out with his parents. So I'm going to enjoy it while I can!:D

[Lorick]

While my kids don't want to spend the entire ship in the "Kid Zone", I think you get the best of both worlds. Since the cruises have such great activities for kids, you do spend a lot of time without them, but you still enjoy the cruise experience as a family and give the kids something that alot of their friends will never get to do.

 

Yes we cruise with our children (ages 8 and 11). In fact, I gave them the choice between taking a cruise and going to Disney World and my son said, "You haven't booked the cruise yet?"

 

Thanks,

Cruising May the 28th with Princess:D

[lrovnan]

May I make a request of parents? It seems obvious that some parents don't ever want to travel without their children. Good for them. Others feel their spousal relationships (and long-term sanity perhaps) benefit from "couples" time as well as "family" time. Good for them as well. Here is my request: Please don't assume that one way is better than the other. Please don't "tsk,tsk" parents who choose to vacation differently. Thankfully there has not been much of that on this thread, but I've seen previous ones that would have resulted in fist fights if the posters had been speaking in person!

 

It's like the stay-at-home parent and working-away-from-home parent (usually moms) bickering over who is the "best" parent and what is "best" for the children--what's best is what works for your family, what keeps the family together and makes it strong, what helps the children grow into mature and healthy adults, and what makes the parents happy in their relationship. No justification is needed.

 

I grew up with parents who believed in some couple time to keep their marriage strong and lots of family time to share adventures and be together. My siblings and I grew up just fine. My DH and I carried this over into our marriage. Most vacations included our DD, but every year (just as my parents did), DH and I took a vacation on our own. Sometimes a long weekend; sometimes a week. We believe that a strong marriage is the foundation of a healthy family. This is what worked for us. Our DD enjoyed having time to be "spoiled" by relatives and very close friends; DH and I came back closer than ever. However, these were our choices; it doesn't mean that I think parents who never go anywhere without their children are wrong. They just choose to vacation that way.

 

beachchick

 

ps. I do have one quibble: Parents who insist upon bringing their children into places or areas that are clearly for adults (bars late at night, casinos, adult entertainment, specifically labeled adults areas, etc.) because "I take my 5-year old everywhere." I've also seen parents who insist that taking their 2-year old to a 3 hour classical music concert will "help her learn." Hello? The child was clearly bored and exhausted--the concert didn't even start until 8 pm! :rolleyes: Other than that, bring your children or leave them home. It's entirely up to you.

 

 

Beachchick...You said exactly what I was trying to say....Do what works best for you. My DH and I try to take a weeks vacation once a year. This doesn't mean we do nothing else with the kids. We are constantly going to the beach ,the zoo etc with the kids. This is just our one chance to be alone and enjoy each other. Our lives are crazy between both of us working and commuting , taking the kids to activities, house work etc who has time for relaxation. And I got pregnant early in our marriage so didn't really have a honeymoon period to do things like this. So doing what you need and enjoy is the point to this thread. Enjoy your cruise the way you want with whom ever you want!!!

[Host Jacquelyn]

I am pretty surprised by the results - just about 70% of us cruise with children, with 278 votes cast. I thought the number would be way less.

[FlyingPhotog]

I only cruise with children because other people bring them... :rolleyes:

[mom2kids]

We are going on our first family cruise in just 5 days! Yes, we are bringing our children. DD is 9 and DS is 7. We're sailing the week of school vacation on the Mariner of the Seas. When you have kids in school, you can't be too selective when you take a vacation. Yes, this was our first option for our vacation.:D

 

This is our (mine and DH) second cruise. Our first cruise was almost 5 years ago aboard the Voyager of the Seas. We went on this cruise w/o kids. They were only 2 and 4 then. Too little for us to bring.

 

Well, in about 2 weeks I'll let you know which we prefer, but I have no doubt it will be with the kids. No matter where we take our kids we set the ground rules for each location. There is a time and a place for kids to be "KIDS"!

 

Our last family vacation was to a well-known theme park in central FL, it was not an enjoyable vacation. Our kids DID NOT enjoy waiting in line for 45 minutes or longer. It will be a LONG time before we experience this kind of vacation again.

 

Our kids are beachbums.:)

[Sassy Chassis]

Letting couples have "alone time" is the reason there are so many kids running around (hahahaha j/k).

 

Seriously though, I was well traveled at a young age. Then again, I was a military brat and we had several tours overseas. I was even born in Germany! I don't remember much about our travels before age 5 or so, but I sure did look cute in those photos :) There were some vacations that we had to pick where we wanted to go and the other trip was just for Mom & Dad. I think that is a great idea.

 

If I did want to have kids (which I don't) I probably wouldn't spend a lot of $$ cruising with them before an age of which they might be able to truly enjoy where they were and what they were doing.

 

I also know many couples who barely even get to have any time together before they start having children. No honeymoons, no vacations, nothing done just as a couple. I think more couples need to concentrate on each other and their relationships because everywhere it's divorce, divorce, divorce!

 

So yeah, I kinda go both ways on this issue... ;)

[Yunker310]

My first cruise was alone with my DW for our tenth wedding anniversary. It was wonderful. We are now married twenty one years and have cruised as a family each of the past four years (and the Navigator this July). Our oldest daughter starts college in the fall. The time as a family goes soooo fast. We absolutely cherish the family adventures and memories of our cruises. We haven't had coverage over the years to take too many vacations alone (although the long weekend in Paris still keeps us warm after a few years). We keep tabs on our crew on the ship but we also like for the kids to make freinds with others that may be from different parts of the country. They still keep in touch with freinds they met on their first cruise. Maybe we have just been fortunate so far, but we have had very positive experiences with the young people that we have encountered. We have sailed the four corners of America and I believe that our daughters( now 18 and 16) and son (12), have gained a tremendous appreciation for our country and home. Due to school, we have been pretty much limited to June and July. I certainly understand that some may prefer an adult experience that is not overrun by youngsters. (I really don't think I would enjoy Disney as much as Celebrity!) But I don't think that kids are bad just because they are kids, either. Bad behavior is always bad, kid or adult. If you want to be surrounded by pleasant, considerate people, I think that it may help a bit if you are a pleasant and considerate person. We have access to life experiences that would have been unimaginable a very short time ago. I can't be unhappy on a cruise ship. If I ever get to thinking how awful my life is because someone annoys me on vacation, I think about the "kids" that have fought and died for our freedom over the past 230 years.

Sorry, I didn't mean to ramble and get preachy but it is really how I feel. :)

[cruznduo]

No, I do not cruise with children. But...before you bash me let me say that I have worked at a school for over 20 years and love kids! And among our group of 10 we collective have 12 kids of our own. HOWEVER...we just returned from the Mariner 4/5 cruise and it was a mess. Granted, there were over 1500 kids on the cruise, but we have been on cruises with over 1200 kids and never experienced the unruly behavior of kids (mostly in the 12-17 year old range) that we experienced on this trip. And, yes...we have cruised several times during spring break because that is my time off as well. The kids were allowed to run wild from at all times (and until 2 a.m. by our personal experience) running up and down the hallways pulling room service menus off of doors, as well as switching 'do not disturb signs' for 'make up room signs', etc., etc. We never could get breakfast in our room unless we called in the morning due to these darling little 'pranksters.' Our room steward said it was a nightmare for he and his co-workers to deal with. These kids blocked stairwells, playing boardgames and just not moving if you tried to use the stairs. There were 10 in our group and we personally saw some kids removing the day of the week carpet signs in the elevators and taking them away. RCCL secruity did nothing to solve the problem and in speaking to MANY parents (WHO INCIDENTALLY DID HAVE TEEN AGE KIDS ON THE CRUISE), many were disturbed at the behavior that was allowed on the ship. I actually saw an RCCL security guard standing at the internet cafe as I was going to my cabin on the last night of the cruise watching 4 kids twirling in the chairs and banging on the computer key boards...he of course, did nothing! No wonder several of my e-mails never did reach home! Oh well, it's only money.

 

I know you paid for your kids to have a good time and I believe they should, but not when they hinder the enjoyment of other guests. It was like a high school sophomore trip gone wild at certain times. As for the activities, many of them were like the junior prom. RCCL entertaiment staff catered to the kids and I believe that most of the adults simply stayed away. My guess is that most parents on that sailing would be very defensive when reading my comments. However, my belief is that anyone under 18 should not be allowed to freely roam the halls after midnight yelling, swearing and discussing vulgar topics. They had a very nice area dedicated to this age group 24 hours per day. I believe that it should have been a mandatory area after midnight. I paid my money too and really didn't appreciate having roaming kids wake me up at 1 or 2 a.m. because their parents condone their right to have fun at everyone else's expense. Bash away if you care to, but that's just the way I feel!

[PhoenixCruiser]

I only cruise with children because other people bring them... :rolleyes:

 

LMBO!!! Excellent answer PT :D :D

 

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[Juan C]

I have been on 6 cruises with my DW and 2 sons starting with the oldest when he was 1 year old. I had an episode when my youngest was 2 and oldest was 4. We were in the early seating for dinner on the first night and my two yr old started crying on/off for about 5 min. We walked him outside and came back. He started crying again and a man from another table stood up came to our table to tell us that we were ruining his evening. I almost got into a fist fight with that guy. I politely told him off. He complained to the wait staff and the wait staff told him that we had a right to be there. My son did stop crying and we continued our meal. We did what we could and if my son would of continued crying we would of left as not to disturb anyone any longer. Had this been the 4th night in a row and crying throughout the entire evening, then I can see where parents are to blame for not paying attention to their children. With all the ships having kids club, I do not see my kids at all because they prefer to play with the other kids. I feel that I am getting shorted out of time with them but I see how much fun they are having and I understand them. That has been my only incident. Parents need to pay attention to their kids behavior and how their behavior affects others. We just came off our 10yr anniv cruise (w/o kids) and we had time to be romantic, spend time alone, go to the late night Disco and do the things that we thought we could not do while our kids were with us. Guess what, we still could of done the same things, so they are coming with us next time if they still want to.