Just back from cruise with a two yr. old

[ANETLY]

I appreciate your post because I'll be on the 5 day Elation with MY 2 year old (32 months) in May. Honestly, I'm not anticipating this to be a "relaxing vacation" and your experience confirms that may be the case.

 

Can you tell me where the 45 minute bus tour in Ensenada went so that I can avoid it? La Bufadora? I've been there before and enjoyed it but for this trip I'm thinking of not even leaving the ship in Ensenada. What would you recommend in hindsight?

 

Also, What did you do in Cabo?

 

 

yes, the bus ride was too La Bufadora. It was neat, but I wouldn't even feel comfortable letting my little one out of the stroller to run around there. I would recommend just walking off the ship and shopping. In Cabo, we swam with the dolphins and my ds actually did great staying back with grandma and watching us. He thought it was fun. Next time, I would just go to the beach though.

 

I think my problem was trying to accomodate all the different age groups (17, 13, 2 and dh and grandma:p )

[Onessa]

My reply to your bus passenger would have been: "would you mind setting an example of manners by keeping your opinions to yourself please?"

 

Good line, I may need to use that one!

 

You'd be amazed at how few passengers actually have any manners.

 

When my daughter was 3, she held open a door for an old passenger who passed right through it without even acknowledging her. My daugther said very loudly, "You should say thank you." Kudos to the lady she turned around, realized what she had done and apologized immediately. . .

 

I don't know which type of adult is worse - those to whom all children are "invisible" - so they feel that they can cut in line in front of them, expect the kids to move when they want to be some place, and blythly ignore them when they hold the door or pick up something that they dropped, etc. OR those who prejudge all kids.

 

On one of our last cruises, our 12YO DD and five other 12-13YO girls decided that they did not want to go to the dining room for second formal night. They all asked permission to instead dress up and go to Windjammer together. We agreed to "chaperone". They all brought their clothes and makeup and stuff to one girl's cabin -- her parents were in the ajoining cabing the whole time that the kids got dressed and did each others' hair and makeup (if you can call blush and lip gloss makeup!). The other parents followed the kids up to the Windjammer -- we had finished our early seating dinner in the dining room and set up at a booth kittycorner from the table where the girls were. They were all beautiful - appropriately dressed, and behaved wonderfully (not even any excessing giggling!).

 

A 40-something couple who had been making out big time in another section of the Windjammer came up to OUR table and "conspiritorially" asked if we didn't think it was just HORRIBLE how some parents just let their teens run wild and wasn't it just TERRIBLE how you couldn't go anywhere to get away from THEM! I just blinked my eyes and said that I hadn't really noticed any problems with kids (or other adults) at all on this cruise. The man gestured wildly in the girls' direction and said "like that!" -- My husband asked what the girls were doing that was disruptive and the man said (and I quote) "well, nothing NOW -- but just wait!" -- What the heck does that mean??? So DH told them that one of the girls was his DD, that the girls were not "running wild" that we were supervising them, and that the girls were behaving better than "some" adults were. The woman said "oh" and then they both walked away! Arg!