Ventura, a slight concern.

[Gerrym]

Todays families want it all I suppose, never mind their childrens education?. Holidays have always been more expensive in the school official holiday period....

 

Sorry, but I waited till my children had left school before cruising, and that was only a few years ago, but hey, I suppose holidays are more important these days? I personally don't think children should miss school for a family holiday. One weeks missed lessons with 5 lessons a day at senior level = 25 missed lessons... X by 2 for a 2 week cruise = 50 missed lessons...ummmmm

 

 

Sue, I do agree with you (we brought ours up that way) but the point I am trying to make is that I don't think you should say others are wrong if they have brought their children up different to you.

An example I can give you is that friends of ours will not be on our cruise in July because they will have to take their 13 year old boy out of school for the last week of term and the school will not allow it.

Now I know that in that last week, he will just be playing games and taking it easy. Where is the better education in this case? Is it playing games with your classmates or visiting a piece of cultural history in Bareclona, Cannes, Rome and Gibraltar (OK, perhaps not Alicante!!!)

 

 

Gerry

 

:) :)

[lancashire_cruisers]

Todays families want it all I suppose, never mind their childrens education?. Holidays have always been more expensive in the school official holiday period....

 

Sorry, but I waited till my children had left school before cruising, and that was only a few years ago, but hey, I suppose holidays are more important these days? I personally don't think children should miss school for a family holiday. One weeks missed lessons with 5 lessons a day at senior level = 25 missed lessons... X by 2 for a 2 week cruise = 50 missed lessons...ummmmm

 

 

I normally try to avoid this sort of 'let's have a pop at families' thread but.... so far there's been someone saying that families can't afford the artwork on board (come and see our art collection and be amazed!) and now this.

 

Some schools do allow a certain level of unauthorised leave for holidays (as does my daughter's) and I do think it is up to the child's parents to make a reasoned judgement as to whether it is appropriate to take time out of school based on many factors including how your child is performing at school, is it an important time (SATS, GCSEs, etc. etc), and budget.

 

Yes we have taken holidays in term time and are doing so again this year. Would we do it when our daughter is in secondary school? Probably not but I wouldn't condemn anyone who did. There is no moral high ground to be claimed here - just parents trying to do the best they can.

 

BTW if this isn't enough I am also a NHS Manager (come on all you Daily Mail readers!)

[StLucia]

Sue, I do agree with you (we brought ours up that way) but the point I am trying to make is that I don't think you should say others are wrong if they have brought their children up different to you.

An example I can give you is that friends of ours will not be on our cruise in July because they will have to take their 13 year old boy out of school for the last week of term and the school will not allow it.

Now I know that in that last week, he will just be playing games and taking it easy. Where is the better education in this case? Is it playing games with your classmates or visiting a piece of cultural history in Bareclona, Cannes, Rome and Gibraltar (OK, perhaps not Alicante!!!)

 

 

Gerry

 

:) :)

 

The general agreement by educationalists is that it is wrong to take children out of school during term time, which is why most schools do not permit it. However, the forum is here for members of CC to give their opinion and that often differs from the opinion of others. The two most contentious issues are always smoking and children!

 

As regards this issue I would actually question whether cruising is the ideal type of holiday for children, though I can see the benefit for a teenager in visiting a piece of cultural history such as Rome. Indeed we linked a beach holiday in Greece with an overnight trip to Athens. Aside from being a very expensive holiday option, are the confines of a cruise ship the best place for a young child to let off steam? RCI offer an extensive rage of entertainment options for children on board, which from what others have said has not been matched by PandO with Ventura. Given the option though a family holiday to Florida has much more to offer in varied entertainment and more charactor than just Noddy.

[shizzy]

Todays families want it all I suppose, never mind their childrens education?. Holidays have always been more expensive in the school official holiday period....

 

Sorry, but I waited till my children had left school before cruising, and that was only a few years ago, but hey, I suppose holidays are more important these days? I personally don't think children should miss school for a family holiday. One weeks missed lessons with 5 lessons a day at senior level = 25 missed lessons... X by 2 for a 2 week cruise = 50 missed lessons...ummmmm

I also intended to cruise when the kids were older but like i said before p&o offer such good deals we decided to try it as a family. Our 1st cruise was in holiday time and the boys(teenagers) loved it that much( even the dress code )which yes they do adhere to at all times, they dont want to holiday any other way. Holidays are not more important than education and i wouldnt even think about taking the lads out of school at exam time or at any other equally important time of school.

 

Gerry i do not feel patronised, everyone is entitled to their opinion, afterall thats what these forums are for - discussion ,but just for the record my boys are 17 and 14, have been taken out of school for at least a week every year of secondary school and are both grade A students, the older one having just finished his first year of A levels.

 

Happy cruising to one and all :-)

[K8T]

As regards this issue I would actually question whether cruising is the ideal type of holiday for children, though I can see the benefit for a teenager in visiting a piece of cultural history such as Rome. Indeed we linked a beach holiday in Greece with an overnight trip to Athens. Aside from being a very expensive holiday option, are the confines of a cruise ship the best place for a young child to let off steam? RCI offer an extensive rage of entertainment options for children on board, which from what others have said has not been matched by PandO with Ventura. Given the option though a family holiday to Florida has much more to offer in varied entertainment and more charactor than just Noddy.

 

Sorry, but I would dispute this, cruising is actually very suitable for children, not only do you have a standard of acommodation which is clean, reletively safe with everything you need on tap, including food prepared in excellent conditions, so no dodgy tummys. You also have facilites close to hand such as pools and Dr, along with childcare included in the price.

 

There are plenty of places for a young child to let off steam on a ship, the pool, the upper decks and walking once around the Prom deck, or the kids club. P&O are actually one of the better cruise lines catering for children with childrens teas, good youth staff etc. I can't speak for RCCI, as we didn't have a child when we last went with them, but we are looking at going with them this Autumn.

 

We actually went to Florida the end of Feb this year, for two weeks, which included four nights on the Disney Ship, yes it was great very varied, a fantastic time, but it wasn't as relaxing as a cruise, involved a long flight and the cost, especially now with the extra supplements, was equal to two cruises for us. Cruising is extremely cost effective if you look for the deals and the offers and cost in all the 'free' extras. We paid £95 for just one night in the New Forest last weekend and that only included breakfast, multiply that by 14, plus five course dinners, lunches, childcare etc., it is a reletively cheap option!

 

Our dd is three now and has done five cruises, all of which have been very managable and 'easy' for us, I would recommend it to anyone with children.

 

Unfortunately is is the 'hype' that went before the Ventura as the family ship that let it down, if it was just billed as a new superliner without all the add ons for familys and kids, expectations would have been similar to those on any other family friend line.

 

As for taking kids out of school, parents will make an informed decision on where they are at with exams etc., what the benefits maybe, the teachers advice and their childs ability. Everyone wants the best for their children, including education, no parent is going to put that at risk unnecesarily. Besides, it is not for anyone else to judge if they do.

 

Let parents worry about their children, everyone else get on and enjoy your holiday!!! :)

 

Kate

[Gerrym]

Sorry, but I would dispute this, cruising is actually very suitable for children, not only do you have a standard of acommodation which is clean, reletively safe with everything you need on tap, including food prepared in excellent conditions, so no dodgy tummys. You also have facilites close to hand such as pools and Dr, along with childcare included in the price.

 

There are plenty of places for a young child to let off steam on a ship, the pool, the upper decks and walking once around the Prom deck, or the kids club. P&O are actually one of the better cruise lines catering for children with childrens teas, good youth staff etc. I can't speak for RCCI, as we didn't have a child when we last went with them, but we are looking at going with them this Autumn.

 

We actually went to Florida the end of Feb this year, for two weeks, which included four nights on the Disney Ship, yes it was great very varied, a fantastic time, but it wasn't as relaxing as a cruise, involved a long flight and the cost, especially now with the extra supplements, was equal to two cruises for us. Cruising is extremely cost effective if you look for the deals and the offers and cost in all the 'free' extras. We paid £95 for just one night in the New Forest last weekend and that only included breakfast, multiply that by 14, plus five course dinners, lunches, childcare etc., it is a reletively cheap option!

 

Our dd is three now and has done five cruises, all of which have been very managable and 'easy' for us, I would recommend it to anyone with children.

 

Unfortunately is is the 'hype' that went before the Ventura as the family ship that let it down, if it was just billed as a new superliner without all the add ons for familys and kids, expectations would have been similar to those on any other family friend line.

 

As for taking kids out of school, parents will make an informed decision on where they are at with exams etc., what the benefits maybe, the teachers advice and their childs ability. Everyone wants the best for their children, including education, no parent is going to put that at risk unnecesarily. Besides, it is not for anyone else to judge if they do.

 

Let parents worry about their children, everyone else get on and enjoy your holiday!!! :)

 

Kate

 

 

Kate I was going to respond in detail to the poster who thinks that crusing is not for kids. There is no point now that you have posted the above, it says everything I want to say but much more eloquently!

 

I have this mental image of anyone saying that crusing is not for kids. That mental image is of a couple of old fogeys who sit on the Ventura prom deck cursing the children and moaning that this ship is not Oriana/Adonia/etc.!

 

Gerry

[Gerrym]

 

Gerry i do not feel patronised, everyone is entitled to their opinion, afterall thats what these forums are for - discussion.

 

Happy cruising to one and all :-)

 

 

Shizzy, I am pleased, its just that is how it read to me.

 

 

Regards

 

Gerry

[Gerrym]

 

As regards this issue I would actually question whether cruising is the ideal type of holiday for children

 

 

Have you taken a family holiday on a cruise ship?

 

I have never met anyone who has and then feels that it is not a great holiday for the kids, especially the 12+ age range.

 

It is great for the kids and it is very relaxing for the parents. I know we all have different views, but my view is that it is perfect for families!

 

Gerry

[StLucia]

The suitability of cruising for children is an observation I made from comments made on this thread that I put forward for consideration; yes I would agree that it is probably more suitable for teenagers. We have raised two children and it’s not an option I would have chosen had it been available in the style it is now. Yes, cruising is much cheaper now than it was but I would still consider it relatively expensive; we certainly could never have afforded it when we were bringing up children, paying for their education and a mortgage.

Though we sometimes choose hotels which are adult only, it’s unlikely that we would choose an adults only cruise, though Libralass may be converting me to Arcadia?

And no we're not old fogeys, just a couple whose children have grown up and are now starting to enjoy life as a couple rather than a family with children, with good health and luck you will be also one day.

[melisbest]

We didnt start cruising untill I retired from work ,but I am trying to oganise a cruise for my grandchildren. I want them to have at least one cruise in there life. Im going on the Ventura on fri and I want everybody to have a fantastic cruise and no moans.

[soletread]

Just a quick reply to PS on this post

 

I think the best method to stop bed hogging I ever saw was MSC they have a very effective crew around the pool both bar staff and safety staff

 

Every morning crack of dawn they lay rolled towels on every bed effectively stopping people pitching a post they them have signs all over the pool deck stating any bed left unattended for 25 mins will be cleared and any belongings can be collected behind the bar.

 

And boy do they police it, 25 mins is long enought to go get a quick bit of lunch go to the cabin or nip to loo for any one they are always aware if you are in the pool and will leave your items and towel alone.

 

This system works keeps the flow of avaiable beds turning over and stops people being selfish. I have never understood why other lines dont adopt it?

[jeanlyon]

OMG! Now I know why I choose Adults Only. 600 kids on one cruise ship - seems like a nightmare even to those with kids!

 

I've only been on one cruise where there were about 20 kids and they spent most days screaming around the pool.

 

Seriously, consider an adult only cruise if there is a chance of 200+ kids being on board.

[StLucia]

Just a quick reply to PS on this post

 

Every morning crack of dawn they lay rolled towels on every bed effectively stopping people pitching a post they them have signs all over the pool deck stating any bed left unattended for 25 mins will be cleared and any belongings can be collected behind the bar.

 

And boy do they police it, 25 mins is long enought to go get a quick bit of lunch go to the cabin or nip to loo for any one they are always aware if you are in the pool and will leave your items and towel alone.

 

 

That sounds a brilliant policy. An all inclusive hotel we went to operated a similar policy. Cabanas with sunbeds were numbered and allocated to guests on a seasonal basis. Reserving was not allowed and as a result there were always plenty available. I hate sunbed hogging, it so very selfish, but the trouble is if some people do it it gets worse as it becomes a case of 'if you can't beat them, join them'.

[jeanlyon]

If folk are leaving stuff on sunbeds, we usually put the things on a table and use the beds. When they get back, we just say, well you weren't here or something like that. Seems to work :-)

[StLucia]

If folk are leaving stuff on sunbeds, we usually put the things on a table and use the beds. When they get back, we just say, well you weren't here or something like that. Seems to work :-)

 

Well done, I wish I had the courage to do that. What is usually their reaction?

[cocteau65]

If folk are leaving stuff on sunbeds, we usually put the things on a table and use the beds. When they get back, we just say, well you weren't here or something like that. Seems to work :-)

 

Someone did that to my wife once.

 

Needless to say I eventualy fell off the table :D

 

 

Seriously though, that sounds fair enough to me. If they have been gone for some time they know they are in the wrong.

[hollyville]

Hi there guys,

As a couple in there forties who have never cruised before we have decided it's time for us to have this experience. Over the last couple of weeks we have been heavily embroiled in nightly research deciding what it is that we realy want.

 

Anyway we are now considering going on the Ventura on the trans-Atlatic trip to the Caribean in October 09. While we are aware that Ventura is marketed as being family friendly, we would be a little disapointed if the ship was swarming with youngsters.

 

Our rationale for choosing this particular cruise is that the itinerary suits us very well, and the current pricing will allow us a higher grade of accomodation than we would otherwise afford.

 

We also thought that given the nature of the cruise and the time of year, there might not be quite as many children as the could be on other cruises.

 

We would be very interested to hear if others feel that this assumtion is likely to be correct before we go ahead and make the booking.

 

 

Don't worry, the kids are well looked after on Ventura, we have just come back from a cruise and they were hardly seen or heard.

[K8T]

Don't worry, the kids are well looked after on Ventura, we have just come back from a cruise and they were hardly seen or heard.

 

Certainly different from our experience and we like kids (having one of them!).

 

Probably the destination and the fact that all the schools should be back now. Good news for those who book well outside the holidays though and hopefully will put a few minds at rest.

 

Kate

[Guest Daimen]

Probably the destination and the fact that all the schools should be back now. Good news for those who book well outside the holidays though and hopefully will put a few minds at rest.

 

Is that England I take it? I know up here in Scotland we're just about to start.

[cocteau65]

Is that England I take it? I know up here in Scotland we're just about to start.

 

Crikey is it that time already Daimen ?

 

Just out of interest I see you work in radio, is that one of our local stations?

Just being nosey like :o

[Guest Daimen]

Crikey is it that time already Daimen ?

 

Just out of interest I see you work in radio, is that one of our local stations?

Just being nosey like :o

 

It is that time I'm afraid. :cool: I've been all over the place radio wise, I'm currently up in Dundee at the moment. Ones closser to home would be Talk 107 (I presented the travel news there) and Kingdom FM in Fife.

[hamrag]

OMG! Now I know why I choose Adults Only. 600 kids on one cruise ship - seems like a nightmare even to those with kids!

 

I've only been on one cruise where there were about 20 kids and they spent most days screaming around the pool.

 

Seriously, consider an adult only cruise if there is a chance of 200+ kids being on board.

 

Give a thought for the poor kids!! 2000-2500 adults on board, some of the "fellow" adults I meet on cruiseships give me nightmares!