Response to question posed by "sackman"

[judy&steve]

For some reason, I cannot post a reply to your message, so I'm trying to just start a new thread answering your 10-day cruise questions.

 

It's hard to say how many kids will be on a 10-day cruise. I believe you will see younger (your daughter's age) than older, because 10 days is a long time to pull a kid out of school

 

Depending on what you consider "worth going on." For us, the QM2 is the destination not the ports of call. We have done two Caribbean cruises on QM2. One just earlier this month and the other, a year earlier. I have never had a more enjoyable vacation than the QM2.

 

Okay, here's where you are going to get some not-so-nice comments. If your daughter is well-behaved and generally a pleasant child, then you shouldn't get any nasty looks. I understand that Cunard has an excellent children's program and your little girl would probably rather be with her peers than being dragged about by her parents. She will have a wonderful time, I'm sure. I would just make sure you either have a grill arrangement or early seating for meals. If you get nasty looks a lot, it could it be that your daughter may not perceived by others as the angel her parents believe her to be.

 

Gratuities are automatically added to your account. I think you can add to it; subtract from it; or remove it entirely. We take advantage of the automatic tipping and also give extra cash on the last night. I think there are people who are not covered by the auto-tipping, i.e., the counselors in the child care center. You will definitely want to tip them if they are taking care of your daughter. Also, we always give the bar waiter in the dining room extra on the last night.

 

We have seen people of all ages on the QM2. On longer cruises -- 10 days would constitute a long cruise -- you would tend to see an older crowd and less children.

 

While asking for unsolicited comments, we are not in your position -- our baby is 24 years old and on his own. We can relate to taking him on a couple of cruises. Our most enjoyable cruises, however, were when we decided to get away alone. When he was with us, he was at the youngest five and oldest about eight, he was not really thrilled to be there. The waiters made a big deal over him, but I think he would have been happier at home.

 

You will get lots of unwanted advice in this department, even though you specifically asked for none.

 

We enjoy our vacations and have worked very hard over the years to be able to take the time now to travel. We find that Cunard is a good fit for us. We have done the Carnival and Royal Caribbean thing and I think they are far more family-oriented than Cunard. Again, with the thousands of passengers onboard the QM2, you will be certainly run other families like yours.

 

I hope you enjoy the cruise. It's hard to say if it's a good fit for your family -- maybe others will chime in soon.

--Judy

[sackman]

Thanks Judy.

 

Good advice. I'm not worried about our daughter being a problem. I'm worried about others pre-conceived notions about kids. Some folks simply don't like kids. I'm trying to figure out whether Cunard is the kind of line that those folks gravitate toward.

 

The nice thing about this particular sailing is that we'd only have to pull her out of school for a little over a week. Not a big deal.

 

I'm glad to hear that the QM2 is a destination into itself. I've heard that from more than one person, but I tend to put more stock into what folks on this board have to say.

[judy&steve]

Thanks Judy.

 

Good advice. I'm not worried about our daughter being a problem. I'm worried about others pre-conceived notions about kids. Some folks simply don't like kids. I'm trying to figure out whether Cunard is the kind of line that those folks gravitate toward.

 

The nice thing about this particular sailing is that we'd only have to pull her out of school for a little over a week. Not a big deal.

 

I'm glad to hear that the QM2 is a destination into itself. I've heard that from more than one person, but I tend to put more stock into what folks on this board have to say.

 

I've got to tell you, if you are worried about pre-conceived notions about children, then you are always going to be on the defensive about your daughter. Most people love kids as long as they are respectful of people and property. I just don't understand why you are concerned that people are going to automatically think she is a problem child. I remember more problem parents than problem children. It's starting to come back to me now. I guess I blocked it out from our otherwise pleasant time on the QM2. At our muster drill, there was a family with several children, one of whom was in a stroller. The grandmother was there and the mother, probably in her mid 30's demanded that a pretty mature looking woman vacate her seat so her mother would be able to sit. Of course, this family showed up late to the drill. I'm afraid those children don't have a fighting chance at good manners since their parents seemed so rude and self-centered. They have no role models -- at least, no good ones. The kid in the stroller just wanted to be in his stroller. The mother kept picking him up and talking loudly to him passing him back and forth to the dad. The kid could have cared less. Cunard takes its muster drills VERY seriously and the crew member running our section was not amused by the antics of this family. Running into members of this particular family was never pleasant. Like I said earlier, some people feel their children are entitled to behave in any way they like. In the case of a young child, it's the parent who has control not the child. Your daughter is only five and she should be looking to you and her mother for guidance. If passengers have trouble with children, they are going to find fault with every aspect of their lives on and off ship.

Bring your daughter and let her go to the children's tea Cunard offers. I think it's a great thing. Also, consider letting her do the children's program. I'm sure she will enjoy herself more when she meets other people her own age.

--Judy

[calikak]

Probably sackman is concerned based on some comments you see around the CC forums in general. There are many posters who say things like "Children don't belong on cruises" which can give parents the sense that no matter how well-behaved their children are, they're going to get dirty looks just for taking their children out in public. However, I have found that posters on the Cunard forum want an upscale experience but don't see the presence of children onboard as a barrier to an upscale experience. This is probably due in part to what I've heard are excellent children's facilities on Cunard, which are available not just during the day but also in the evenings, so that parents can enjoy an elegant dinner while their little ones enjoy themselves in the children's facilities. But of course, it's probably also due in part to parents who adequately supervise their children and don't put them in situations inappropriate to their age. I have yet to read about anyone getting into an elevator on a Cunard ship with a child and finding all the buttons pushed, or having screaming children running around the King's Court, or any other venue for that matter. I hope to be such a parent when we sail on QM2 with our son, and I am looking forward to people being as friendly to him onboard as they have been to me here on the Cunard forum.

[sackman]

Probably sackman is concerned based on some comments you see around the CC forums in general. There are many posters who say things like "Children don't belong on cruises" which can give parents the sense that no matter how well-behaved their children are, they're going to get dirty looks just for taking their children out in public. However, I have found that posters on the Cunard forum want an upscale experience but don't see the presence of children onboard as a barrier to an upscale experience.

 

 

Exactly. I'm not concerned about my daughter's behavior. She understands what is and what is not acceptable. I recall being on an NCL cruise with her and when we would get seated it was like "oh hell, please don't put that brat at the table next to me". By the end of the meal, those same people were telling us what a great kid she was. :rolleyes:

 

You've answered my question perfectly. It sounds like the standard Cunard cruiser appreciates good things but isn't snotty about it. That's just my type of person.

[calikak]

Exactly. I'm not concerned about my daughter's behavior. She understands what is and what is not acceptable. I recall being on an NCL cruise with her and when we would get seated it was like "oh hell, please don't put that brat at the table next to me". By the end of the meal, those same people were telling us what a great kid she was. :rolleyes:

 

You've answered my question perfectly. It sounds like the standard Cunard cruiser appreciates good things but isn't snotty about it. That's just my type of person.

 

I haven't sailed Cunard yet, but I can honestly say that I've been warmly welcomed here, even though they all know we'll be sailing with our son. In fact, several posters ask about him regularly and want to know about his progress. There are also other parents who have talked about what a great experience they had on Cunard with their children. In fact, Cunard has one of the best programs for children under the age of 2 (most lines don't offer any programs for kids under 2, and the ones that do generally charge for their programs).