Cruising with Small Children

[abcsteward]

I am a former teacher, and I guess I kinda disagree? I think it is more of a personal decision. We are taking all 9 of our kids out of school in October for a cruise (not because of price, but my fiancé's work schedule). Anytime they miss school for anything pre planned, they make up work before we go. So far we have no problems. One just finished school early, graduates in May, and another is on track to be valedictorian. I think it just all depends on the situation, and making sure they don't miss stuff like state tests, etc.

 

 

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I agree... Enjoy your cruise...

[abcsteward]

This year is the first time we are cruising with our kids, otherwise I've traveled solo or with hubby or a friend. I would be fine not taking my kids out of school, except for the fact that when school is on break they double/triple the price. Doesn't exactly scream family. So yes, we are opting to take our kids out of school this year, but for 4 days, since there is a 4 day week. And, to be honest, I don't want to take my kids cruising in summer since we live in a cold climate with long winters - or fall during hurricane season.

 

The only time I've ever had trouble with kids on a cruise was last year when 3/4 families all with several children grouped together, the kids didn't want to sit in their seats and ran around the tables in circles the entire time, pushing each other down, running into waiters, knocking over other peoples drinks, it was bad, the worst I'd ever seen, and this was the late seating.

 

Now those are the kids that give our good kids a bad name... Shame on them...

[abcsteward]

Just keep the screaming child-poopie pants away :D

 

 

 

from the drunk pp-pants adults. :p

 

All pre-teens go to early seating. ;)

 

LOL... Keep all poopie and pp pants away from me no matter what age you are!!!

[abcsteward]

Ok, reading all the posts, it seems it went from is it ok to take your kids on a cruise to taking my kids with me everywhere to taking them out of school for a cruise.

 

Those are not the issues. The issue is how the kids behave on the cruise.

If they behave and not run around unattended, don't scream and throw fits, everything is fine. Most kids I have encountered are fine and well behaved. But there is always a few that press all the buttons in the elevator, run down the hallways at all hours of the night with no parent in sight and scream because they won't eat their dinner but want ice cream.

The real problem is the parents. Hey, you brought them, now you stay with them, take care of them, you deal with them. Remember, all the other passengers paid big money to enjoy their cruise. Don't ruin their time even if your kids is not acting up to standards.

 

The other side of that is that I can always get up and leave too. I can just go up to Serenity, get me a Pina Coloda and relax in a hammock.

 

BTW, I have taken my kids on several cruises and now that they are grown up and moved away, they are always up for a cruise with Mom and Dad again. Just got off the Breeze with my 2 daughters ages 26 &23. Very good memories grown up cruising when young. Enjoy these times.

 

I can totally relate... And agree... If your child is reacting badly to a situation remove them!!!

[abcsteward]

I don't disagree with you, but sometimes, when we know that it's time to be together, then we go be together. I like the cruise because it is hard to get in touch with us, we are able to disconnect from jobs/pressures.

 

And, I ALWAYS meet with the teachers if we are wanting to take them out of school to see if they are ok to miss...we are fortunate that both our kids our good students and their teachers have absolutely no concerns. I don't think it's any different than the students who miss afternoons or full on days to travel for their sports.

 

But, a previous poster is right, we got off topic so I apologize to the OP :)

 

 

No biggie... It is part of traveling with kids... ;)

[abcsteward]

My daughter will be 14 months old when we cruise in April. I can hardly wait! Sitting quietly during dinner time is hit or miss but I have no problem walking out with her if she goes into a tantrum.

 

I guarantee there will be an adult somewhere on that ship who will make Lily look reserved by comparison. Every problem I've seen on cruises were created by adults.

 

 

My thoughts exactly... I dont mind removing a child from certain situations if need be... ;)

[abcsteward]

Carnival is absolutely for families, and for singles, and for adults, and for empty-nesters. (We are now the last.:D) We took our boys on their first cruise when they were 11 and 14 and their last cruise was 10 years later. (It was a hoot drinking shots with our guys. :eek:)

 

That said, I have no problems with kids who behave reasonably well. (C'mon, they're kids. They can't, and shouldn't, be angels 24/7.) But it does irk me when kids wearing goggles climb into a hot full of adults and splash everyone, or run by us and almost knock us down, or scream and chase each other in the hallways.

 

Then there are the parents who take their diapered babies into the pools:

On Magic last year, a couple took their eight-month old daughter into the aft hot tub and pool. Yes, I complained to security about the diaper. It happened every single day. On the last sea day, security told me it was OK-the father took the baby's diaper off so she could be in the hot tub.

 

We sailed Victory in November. A family had their diapered toddler in the hot tub. Someone must have said something because we watched security talk to them. The father left and came back minutes later with a little bathing suit. He actually took the kid's diaper off on the ledge of the hot tub and slipped on his bathing suit.

 

So...I am not against sailing with families and children. I love watching kids have fun. I think the only sound better than a ship's horn is the laughter of children. But I don't think it's unreasonable to want an area, like a pool area, dedicated to adults so we don't have to be surrounded by jumping, splashing kids and diapered babies. (That's one reason I love the Spirit class ships-Serenity is the whole aft deck and has a pool. But there are only four ships and two are in Australia right now.)

 

 

This is where people need to read and go by the "rules"... No diapered babies are even suppossed to be in the "wet" areas because of health reasons... ;)

[abcsteward]

We leave next week on the Dream with our kids. Daughter is 9, and this will be her 3rd cruise. Son is 15 months. We are taking the advice of other posters and bringing an inflatable bath tub so he can have his own "pool" without being in the actual pool. Daughter has never been a problem on a cruise, in fact we've been complimented on her behavior. I'm hoping son is the same!

 

Love the inflatable pool idea... Thanks...

 

Hope yall have a blast and enjoy your cruise to its fullest potential!!

[abcsteward]

I don't mind children on the ship, especially if they're well behaved. It's the few "bad apples" that spoil the whole bunch though. :) But even with the not-so-well-behaved ones I either just ignore, and be thankful they're not mine, or I remove myself from the area. The only time I remember a truly ill-behaved child was a little girl named Hailey on the elevator. She had gotten on with two other little girls and they were giggling, then Hailey pressed all the buttons on the elevator. Her two little friends were embarrassed and they got off at the first stop. But little Hailey would get off then run right back in. We put up with it for a couple of stops but then I did say something to her about her behavior. It didn't make a difference. She was definitely a little brat. I was so hoping we'd meet up with her again in an elevator, along with her parents, so I could ask her if she wanted to press all the buttons again. :) But it never happened, darn it. :)

 

I don't like seeing parents let their children run amok, but thankfully most parents aren't like that. I wouldn't like seeing a child in diapers in the hot tub, or as a PP said one with goggles jumping in the hot tub already full of adults. I think I would tell the kid to get out. Small children shouldn't be in them anyway.

 

As for taking the kids out of school, I don't see anything wrong with it if the kids are good students and don't have any trouble doing the make up homework. Some teachers will even give it early so the child can get it done before they go on vacation.

 

Gotta just love the little brats when their parents arent around... :(

[IPlayWithString]

You can always hit the edit button and fix errors for about 15 minutes after you post. :)

 

 

Unfortunately, there are a handful of unruly, poorly raised children that are usually running around unsupervised, and who simply don't know how to behave in public and even less on a cruise ship. These few are the ones that people have an issue with and the ones that give a bad name to the rest of kids onboard who are behaving properly.

 

 

You have NO idea how many times I've run into other parents with special needs kids who are badly behaved whose behavior is explained away by "Oh they have (insert thing here)! THEY CAN"T HELP THEMSELVES! It's not their fault! (Thing) makes them act that way!"

 

 

I just grit my teeth and smile and go away because I don't want to start an argument with them. Just because they have (whatever) doesn't mean you shouldn't or can't teach them how to behave properly.

 

We have always encouraged our son (sometimes very strongly with a stern talk LOL) to behave because I don't want to be one of *those* parents. Yes, he has Asperger's and SPD and a multitude of diagnoses that make his life..er..**interesting** on a daily basis. That doesn't mean he can't learn to behave himself, especially in public. At home, there's naturally a little more leeway for stimming, etc but in public...uh uh. He needs to control it to the best of his ability.

Edited January 11, 2015 by IPlayWithString

[happy cruzin]

We just completed a trip on the Breeze with our 5 grown children and 11 grand kids 6 and and under (down to 7 months). It was a blast. A review is coming with some traveling with small children portions.....:rolleyes:

 

 

What fun...great memories I'm sure!!

 

We have always enjoyed our extended family vacations and now we can look forward to adding a grandchild to the group. 😊

 

 

 

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[jimbo5544]

What fun...great memories I'm sure!!

 

We have always enjoyed our extended family vacations and now we can look forward to adding a grandchild to the group. [emoji4]

 

 

 

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Really was, even better than we had hoped.

[happy cruzin]

Really was, even better than we had hoped.

 

 

👍

 

 

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[nissach]

Unfortunately, there are a handful of unruly, poorly raised children that are usually running around unsupervised, and who simply don't know how to behave in public and even less on a cruise ship. These few are the ones that people have an issue with and the ones that give a bad name to the rest of kids onboard who are behaving properly.

 

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This is the only issue I have with kids when cruising. Playing tag on the stairs and elevators etc. Generally , they are unsupervised and behaving badly. Some cruises have been worse than others. I find it is usually worse towards the end of the cruise as all the 'Camp Carnival' kids have become 'friends' and are more comfortable with each other and they start getting into mischief.

[LoveVakays]

I have no problem with kids on cruises as long as they have been taught some manners and are supervised by parents or are in the kids clubs. I can't stand kids who run around the ship causing trouble and their parents are nowhere to be found.

 

However, I don't understand why people take children under 3 years old on a cruise. Costs a lot of money for something the kids will never remember.

 

Agreed with your first comment. I also am annoyed by kids walking around the buffet unattended and attempting to get their own food.

 

As for your second comment, cruises are prob. the cheapest vacation options out there for families and so are families not supposed to vacation (vacation = memories) until everyone reaches the age of 3 and up? I don't know about you I need a vacation or two (or five) each year. :D

 

Also, one of my sons had his first cruise when he was 2.5 and def. remembered it - kept mentioning Camp Carnival when we got home, got excited every time he saw a Carnival commercial on the TV and easily recognizes the trademark Carnival ship tail logo and my second son who is currently 2.5 is very excited about our upcoming cruise in March. Plus, as parents you get to gain fond memories of vacationing with your children at any age.

[RTRMom]

I think most have no problem with kids on a cruise, they just hope the parents don't let their kids do whatever they want.

 

 

We have taken our oldest son on 4 cruises before. All under the age of 4. We were considerate of other passengers and never wanted to bother them.

 

 

I do remember him being tired one night at dinner and a little restless. Instead of staying there in the dining room with him crying and getting restless..we took him out of the dining room. We were able to calm him down and came back and finish dinner. Other nights when we knew he was just not going to handle a sit down dinner, we would eat on the lido deck. We knew we would have to change what we do..but that is what having kids is about. We always had a blast either way.

 

 

We now have another son and I am planning on a family cruise in a couple months. We have been on two of our 6 cruises "kid free" they are nice...but just as fun with our child..just in a different way.

 

 

Can't wait for my youngest (he is 4) to go on his first cruise. :D

[CanadianDee]

Im taking my almost 2 year old Grandson on my next cruise... It is my first B2B cruise... And although it will be a long cruise and a bit trying... I hope to not have to many mad shipmates, cause he is my World and I might just go off...

 

Taking our 4 year-old granddaughter on her first cruise in a few weeks. We're easily as excited as we were the first time we cruised and can't wait to experience the cruise through her eyes.

 

Have a great time, abc!

[BGnder]

Meh, we're taking our 16 month old on a cruise next week. Will he remember it? Nope. Do I care? Nope. We're going with my parents, sister and grandpa. My 9 year old daughter and my husband will be along as well. I can't wait to see how my son reacts to the ship and all the new experiences. We've traveled with my daughter since she was very young, and while she remembers some of trips, she doesn't remember some. It's fun to look back through pictures and tell her stories of things she did/said on vacation. For us, it's all about spending time together as a family.

[kcam7]

It's not had to keep your kids calm and entertained. We took my 11month and then again at 14 months and she was well behaved because I knew her and I knew when she was tired or would be about to have a moment and I would take her for a walk to distract her then we would go back to dinner. We had many other passengers say towards the end of the cruise that they didn't even realise there was a child near them. We hope to have the same experience in April.

 

 

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[poohb17]

We took our girls on their very first cruise on a Disney cruise. My youngest was shy of 2 years old. As soon as we saw our Disney Ship my 2 year olds eyes just lit up seeing those Mickey Ears. Anytime she saw any of the Disney Character's she got so excited. Yes a Disney cruise isn't cheap and yes she won't remember the whole cruise , but at those special moments on the cruise I will always remember her little eyes light up and her big smile. We think a cruise for a family of 4 is the way to go. All food including and to be able to experience different places, and the girls are able to interact with children their own age. Other vacations would cost more money

 

 

I just hope she has fun on our upcoming Carnival cruise at 5 Years old.

[HippyBuggsGirl]

Just had our first cruise and I was worried about "kids" of all ages on the ship being that we sailed Spring Break. My husband and I are empty nesters with a 21 year old. We enjoyed seeing some of the fun the teens, pre teens and younger were having. We talked to a few of them here and there. Most seemed more polite then then some of the adults. I did not see many very little ones like your fry guy accept on formal night the couple next to us had a toddler close to 2. As he got antsy his parents took care of it, he never bothered us. I loved that there was fun for all on the ship. My husband and I even stopped and watched the Dr. Seuss Pirade through the lobby. We loved it!

[Savlamara]

On Magic last year, a couple took their eight-month old daughter into the aft hot tub and pool. Yes, I complained to security about the diaper. It happened every single day. On the last sea day, security told me it was OK-the father took the baby's diaper off so she could be in the hot tub.

 

We sailed Victory in November. A family had their diapered toddler in the hot tub. Someone must have said something because we watched security talk to them. The father left and came back minutes later with a little bathing suit. He actually took the kid's diaper off on the ledge of the hot tub and slipped on his bathing suit.

 

Wait a minute... So the diaper that holds the pp/poo is outlawed but its okay for an infant/toddler to go bare buns in a public pool so any and all pp/poo roams free as a health hazard? How does security even allow that?

Edited March 26, 2015 by Savlamara

[tkportersat]

That would be correct :) I have raised two (ages almost 23 and 21) and now have a 5 year old as well. All have been on Carnival and we have great memories. Some folks clearly don't like children as I have seen many times the friendly advice of "leave them with Grandma". Not everyone has that option.

 

:eek:

 

I don't mean to step on anyone's toes... I have raised my CHILD... Only one cause God knew I couldn't handle two of her... BUT... I have read several posts here on CC... In the Carnival Forum... Where people don't seem to want anyone bringing their "kids" along on a vacation...

 

I can understand we ALL like our adult time... But... Carnival is for familys' right???

[Babycat]

My 15 month old daughter will not remember her cruise in April but her parents will. Not to mention the great photos and videos she'll see when she gets older.

 

These forums can be weird. It's like we are supposed to mind our business when someone gets intoxicated and when people go overboard but a crying baby ...OH MY GOODNESS! LOL.

[Cruise life]

I have a toddler myself and love kids..have no problem with them onboard. As the spouse of a teacher, I think it's not a good idea to take kids out of school to go on vacation. They get plenty of time off every year and to foresake their education for a cheaper cruise rate seems wrong to me.

 

 

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There may be other reasons than cheaper rates for taking children out of school for a cruise; please don't assume this is the case. A mother's or father's work schedule may take them away for long periods during the year or during the entire summer. This has been the case for us in the past; we don't book the cheapest cruises, either. Last year we took our children to Hawaii. It's really no one's business why we take our children out of school. As long as we work with our teachers and administration, our children are actually receiving an enhanced educational experience learning about new cultures. This year they will experience Alaska and miss a week of school. I understand you have your opinion, but please consider you could be so wrong in assuming the children are missing something by not being in school rather than gaining knowledge visiting new port cities and countries.