How many kids? I am asking for a different reason

[jennew]

We are leaving next week for our first "kid free" cruise in 2 years. My 7 year old is laying on the guilt....and it is starting to work a tiny bit. I plan to avoid the kids area at all costs.

 

So, I am wondering, with school juts starting, do you think there will be many young kids on board? I can't tell you how much it will make me want to cry if I see some blonde haired tyke that is about 7 years old....

[LARGIN]

Call Princess and ask. If the CSR says they cannot provide that info, ask to speak to a supervisor. Lots of parents keep their kids out of school during the first couple of weeks.

[Casshew]

Oh jennew, just order a margarita and deal with it :D

[Toto2Kansas]

I doubt you will have an overabundance of kids onboard.

Don't let that little one lay a guilt trip on you, just think, you will come back with an entire new outlook on life. Mom and Dad need some time alone too!

Enjoy!

[jbrambach]

It says it all in your signature line "Just Finished my Master's, time to celebrate with DH" You deserve it.

[ALB0711]

We cruise with our child off season as his school is on a non-traditional schedule, usually early December. I believe on the Grand class ships we usually have seen less then 50 12 and under kids in the kids program. I'd also guess an equal number of school aged teenagers.

 

If we were on the same cruise with you, I'd be happy to lend you my 10 year old for a night or two so my DW and I can feel guilty!:)

 

Allen

[Sandytoes]

Does it really matter if there are children on board or not?

Will this ruin your cruise?

I really don't think so....But if children are on your cruise my advice would be ----

Plan that you & your DH to be completely absorbed in each other on your first great escape as husband & wife this way you won't realize how many children are on board....Romantic dinner on balcony, spa treatments together....

And if there are children on board, please don't let this spoil your cruise.....

[IKE]

We have found sailing this time of year there are less children aboard as "School has reopened"! There will be some children but not the same amount as in the summer when school is out. Enjoy yourself and have a "Great Cruise"!

[Crosboro]

Don't fall for it! You've worked hard for your degree, you sound like a loving parent, but you two deserve a little bit of time alone. Your little tyke will be very happy to see you when you get back. And at 7, that little one will likely forget about your vacation real quick.

And as a quick funny note, our little tyke of 21 said to us last year "you're going on a cruise without me?" To which I said, "do you really want to go on a cruise with your parents at your age?" NOT!:D

[rebeccalouise]

First, the cruise line isn't going to release the number of kids on board to you. They probably worry about pedophiles, etc.

School just started so there will be lots of tots on board- under age 5.

 

But forget about the kids. You won't see many because they are always in the Fun Zone.

 

Have a great time and do things that you can't do- like sit by the pool with your eyes closed, sleep until noon, watch grown up tv in the stateroom, stay out until 2, sit at a formal dinner for two hours without cutting up someone else's food and coloring. Get the picture! I'm jealous.

[Christapie]

We have cruised twice without our dear children.

 

For my husband and myself (US), it is important for our children to know that parents need to be together. We were there before them and will be there together after them. We have done other vacations WITH THEM but sometimes it is good for mommies and daddies to be with themselves.

 

This is totally a very personal decision and I would never tell someone what to do, but I have to say that hubby and I have some extremely fond memories of being with each other.

 

Good luck with your decision, our children are now old enough to be their own cabin across from us so all is well.

 

Christapie

[Cruisin' Chick]

Most likely the only kids you'll have on board are homeschooled ones. Nowadays the schools have gotten tough on kids missing even the first couple weeks of school as the schools get paid a specific amount per day per child. The public magnet school my girl goes to has a policy that if the child doesn't attend by a certain date, they lose their place.

[MNYTRPS2GO2]

My 7 year old grandson is turning on the guilt because we're cruising without him next week.

He is even madder that he has to start school tomorrow and Grammy and Grampy don't have to do anything because they're retired...

[maddea66]

First, the cruise line isn't going to release the number of kids on board to you. They probably worry about pedophiles, etc.

 

Unless they recently changed their protocol, when I called Princess a few months ago & the CSR told me exactly how many kids of each age bracket there were on our sailing and gave me the total number of kids (including teens). Purely FYI. :)

[Love Boat Dream]

First, the cruise line isn't going to release the number of kids on board to you. They probably worry about pedophiles, etc.

School just started so there will be lots of tots on board- under age 5.

 

But forget about the kids. You won't see many because they are always in the Fun Zone.

 

Have a great time and do things that you can't do- like sit by the pool with your eyes closed, sleep until noon, watch grown up tv in the stateroom, stay out until 2, sit at a formal dinner for two hours without cutting up someone else's food and coloring. Get the picture! I'm jealous.

 

They will tell you how many kids are on board. I always ask to see how crowded the kids club will be for my son. I've never been denied the information and occasionally I will be told how many in each age group. They don't have the info on their screens though. They have to call another dept and it takes a few minutes.

 

We usually travel while school is in session with my son. There are rarely more than a handful of kids during those times (and I usually am approached by other parents telling me how much they miss THEIR kids) But, if it will make you feel any better: we were on the Crown on 8/16 (first time traveling on a school vacation) and there were 600 kids on board. Except for kids in the pool during lunch time, you rarely saw any children because they all love the fun zone!

 

Enjoy your trip.

[Lannia]

Jennew

Kids of all ages lay on the guilt when mum & dad go away. Our married 38yr old & his wife & kids are all doing it, our friends who are going wuth us have 4 kids aged from 41 to 35 all married or with partners and kids they are doing it.

Just pack your bags go and enjoy being free for a couple of weeks as long as you know they are being looked after (probably being spoiled rotten) its time for you both to relax and have fun you both deserve a bit of free time especially after studying so hard for so long AND having kids you deserve a medal not just a cruise for 2

[RM]

Don't let the guilt bother you or you'll never leave them home! We took our kids with us for years but we always tried to sneak away for 3 days in the last few years. They are both over 18 now. 2 years ago DH & I finally got to go away for more than 3 days........we had no one to watch the kids. Take advantage of the chance and you'll all be better off when you get home!

[the4ofusandallourfriends]

I'm 34 and when my mom and dad went on their Hawaii cruise, I laid on the guilt trip too...it almost worked...but they went without us and apparently they had a good time....

 

I can't imagine what they did without us....????

 

Seriously though, although hubby and I wouldn't dream of going without the kids now, we did take one cruise without them and I have to say that at the time I really needed it and it was so nice to just 'be'....and to nap ALL DAY by the pool....to just not have to 'manage'.

 

Regarding your cruise though, I heard the kids clubs that week will be under construction and all children will be forced to eat spinach and brussel sprouts for dinner.

 

Have fun.

[iancal]

Leave them at home. When our kids were that age, we often took vacations (combinatation business/pleasure) and left them at home-anywhere from 4 days to 3 1/2 weeks. Grandparents just moved in and did their thing...kids got spoiled and we got a vacation by ourselves. No reason for guilt, it's healthy!

[MNYTRPS2GO2]

:) We turned the table on my daughter,son-in-law and grandson. Since they can't come with us on the Crown next week they're taking us to Disney World in November!!!

[KnuckleDragger]

I called princess less than a month ago do get the kiddie head count on our CB 10/21 cruise. The CSR said she didn't have that data, and said she has never been asked for it. I was only mildly curious, so I didn't press.

 

I find it amusing that you want to avoid kids to avoid an emotional tug. It won't work. My wife and I left our kids at home for a week a few years ago for our anniversary while we played on St. John. Being kid free was nice for about two days, but then we really missed not sharing our vacation with them. It didn't ruin our vacation, but it did leave a large hole. Since then, we have vowed to not leave them out of our plans unless it is a weekender (which we have done a few times since ahhhhhh).

 

If you are anything like us, which means you love to have cool adventures with your kids, you are going to miss them (at times, very much). This will be true even if you don't see a single kid on your cruise. Don't worry about it, just expect it, and enjoy your well deserved week.

[rebeccalouise]

I was surprized when the previous poster said that Princess gives out the data on children.

I only asked one time about this when I sailed on a two week Transatlantic cruise last year on the Celebrity Millenium. I was concerned that there wouldn't be any children for my son to play with. I had not yet booked the cruise and wanted to get an idea. The customer service person said that she couldn't give out data from say the previous year- so that I could get an idea. I pressed for this information and she steadfastly said that the cruise line does not give this out. I assumed that it was for safety (of the children/pedophile) reasons. There turned out to be 30 children including teens on that trip. He had a great time (age 4 at the time).

Anyway, I never asked Princess this question but assumed that they wouldn't divulge the children info.

 

But back to the original OP. Don't sweat it. Have a great time. You'll come back invigorated and better than ever. Kids need happy contented parents. Scope this cruise experinence out for next time. Maybe you can bring him then.

 

P.S: If he is seven- I doubt he would have many same age playmates- there would be more pre-schoolers on a cruise during school.

[Fuzzyape]

Jen,

 

I'm not a parent so I can't really speak to the emotions you anticipate feeling. What I can suggest is to take lots of pictures, maybe some you think your 7 year old will like (I'm guessing, but maybe some fishes, or other animals, the boat itself, becuase it's so huge, maybe the forklifts around the various docks).

 

Then when you get back, set up a little slide show, just for him. Let him know you thought of him while you were away.

 

More importantly have a good time. Rediscover your DH ;) and other things you enjoy. I'm guessing (because my mom was this way) that you give all you can to your son. Take this week for yourself! Being mom is more than a 40 hr/week job! It's a lifetime, take a vacation.

 

Have fun.

PS -- hope I didn't insult any mothers, as that wasn't my intention. I know I don't have kids, so maybe I have no credibility, but them are my 2 pennies