OK give me the low down - 3 boys 6, 6, & 5 RCCL 1st time!

[flminivanmama]

first cruise - we are going with a HUGE group - my in laws 50th anniversary & they are bringing the whole family. we are going on Jewel of the seas 11/18/06. my boys will be 6, 6, and 5. My in laws are getting a jr suite and will keep the twins (to sleep) an we'll have an interior and keep the 5 year old (he'll sleep in the bed with us.

 

tell me everything I need to know! LOL

 

what to pack?

 

tips and tricks

 

how much will this really cost us?

 

baby sitting?

 

can we do stuff at night?? LOL

 

excursions?

 

meals? (kids are picky and vegetarian)

 

kids camp/ activities?

 

etc etc etc

[Onessa]

RCCI is a great choice for your family. They tend to hire more male counslors for the Adventure Ocean program - so it is high energy. Make contact with the AO staff when you board - visit the facility, go to the orientation session. Get the kids involved early and they will have the best time. AO staff generally have one or two "Dining with the Counselors" sessions for dinner. Find out when they are and sign up early that morning if you want to make sure your kids can attend. AO is free until 10:00pm. They do offer group sitting (with a discount for multiple kid families) after that if you need more nightlife than you can squeeze in before 10:00 :)

 

Pack more than you think you'll need. Be sure the kids have at least one extra swimming suit each. Another thread discusses the gallon ziplock bag theory of packing which works out GREAT - put one FULL outfit per ziplock (including socks and unders). Pull out a bag for each kid and they are set.

 

If they will be joining you for dining in the formal dining rooms, plan for docker style pants and collared shirts. (The Kids menu is very good in the dining room.) Pack a "fun bag" with activities that will work well in the dining room (paper and colored pencils for drawing, picture books, small puzzles and hand held games - just be certain you can turn the sound off!) - if you have a portable DVD player - be certain you have a splitter and headphones for all three - use it during dinner times. If you don't, plan to have the kids eat their meals during the appatizers and then spirit them off to change and go to the kids program between courses - its an all out sprint but it can be done. If the waiters know you are doing this and you are with a table with your family, they will accommodate the pacing of the courses. You can also have them eat in the Windjammer or other alternative and send them to AO prior to dining if you are in second seating.

 

Have fun!

[whale-watcher]

We sailed on the Enchantment last fall, and found many options, even for picky eaters. My youngest loved the pasta station, and they also had cheese pizza and veggie burgers available at the Solarium grill. DD and her parents enjoyed the more exotic selections available, including felafel, hummus, vegetable curries and a varying selection of asian noodle dishes -- in fact, we almost preferred the windjammer selections to those in the main dining room!

 

We usually feed the kids early, then let them play in AO while we have the rest of the evening to ourselves...

 

A portable DVD player is a great idea, so that they can watch movies in the stateroom later in the evening (if they are not asleep by then). Are there any teens available in your family group for babysitting?

 

We try to do excursions on our own whenever possible, so we can be more flexible and stop for breaks whenever needed. Beach days and family daysails are always a big hit with our family (in addition to whale watching;) ). Long bus trips and scenic driving tours are a bad idea for younger kids.

[flminivanmama]

thanks! keep em coming

 

we don't do handheld games or portable dvd players (not for philisophical reasons - just can't afford those things x3!) ... but if I save up and find something maybe I'll think about a little game like that for them right before (so it's new & exciting LOL)

 

the reason I was thinking sitters is b/c I'm not sure how good they'll be in the child care that late? they nornally go to bed around 8 and start getting overtired by 7ish LOL

 

I do have teens in the group but am not sure if they'll *want* to babysit? I think they might want to really be out experiencing the cruise...

 

my MIL signed us all up for the early seating for dinner... what time is that? b/c I could even do the windjammer at like 5ish with the kids and take them to childcare and then have free evenings and still be back early enough that they won't be totally um starting to get crazy LOL I do love the iea of eating first with them an then dropping them off.

 

oh one more question - laundry?? They all wear the same size clothes and so I don't actually own that much! eeek! I just do a lot of laundry...

 

the AO sounds great & I will definitely sign them up for the eating with the counselors...

 

oh how much do you tip the counselors??

[OPSoccermom]

As far as the portable DVD player goes - they are a great idea and a lot less expensive than you would think. Check stores like Target or Best Buy. You can buy adaptors that allow you to plug multiple sets of headphones into the same DVD player. We have found these to be a godsend for our 2 kids, esp. on airplanes.

[SunnyMorn]

As far as the late nights in the camp, usually for this age group they start winding them down...you can send theit PJ's and they do quiet activities or watch movies with lights dimmed. The kids don't have to sleep but the ones that are really tired usually fall asleep.

 

I just wanted to make you aware too that your boys fall into 2 different age groups and therefore your 5yo will more that likely NOT be allowed to hang with his older brothers. That has been my experiencesa in the past. It's been 2 years since my last RCCL cruise. June can't come soon enough for me ;-)

[flminivanmama]

yeah I saw that - I think it will be OK (I hope!) because he goes to preschool without them, etc.

[powelweb]

When I sailed with then 13 month old DD, our only option was in cabin babysitting for the evenings. we only used it for one night, and booked it as soon as we got on board.

 

The sitter we had spoke english as a second language, and while it wasn't a problem then (as DD was already asleep when sitter arrived and stayed asleep), now that she's 2 and a half I'm not sure if there would be communication issues. Sometimes we have trouble understanding her now (lol). We basically left the walkie-talkie and said call us if she wakes up.

 

I'm looking forward to AO when we sail in the fall, as I understand the staff have college degrees in the childhood education field and speak english as their first language.