Kids in October

[tocruiseguy]

Does anyone have an idea if there are many kids on cruises in October? The weeks of October 5th or the 12th to be specific. We have a 9 and 14 year old but are concerned there won't be many more kids on the RCCL cruise that time of year. Thanks in advance.

[Julienatul]

We have cruised the last two years the week of Oct 12th and there are kids on-board. Not as many as summer or spring break but definitely a few for each age group. My DD is only 2, so of course there were plenty of kids her age since they arent in school yet but we met lots of families with older kids as well. I would say roughly 40-50 kids on board.

 

Also, If you go the week of the 12th on Carnival, they will have a Halloween party one night and the kids dress in costumes and get to trick or treat all over the ship and it ends in a big party in the disco. They decorate the promenade deck all in Halloween decorations. Its really a neat thing to participate in.

 

Have fun

Julie

[Livabeth]

I was wondering the same thing!! We are cruising on the Crown Princess leaving on October 19th and have two children aged 9 and 5. I called Princess to ask and they could not tell me how many children at this point. I understand that closer to the date they will share this information. I do hope that there are other kids ... my girls are love meeting new friends and I think it will make their visits to the kids clubs even more fun for all of us!!

 

Livabeth

[Cruisin' Chick]

You may get some kids that on a year-round track or some homeschooled kids. Most school districts seem to be disencouraging taking "unexcused absences."

 

When my kid was in kindergarten (2003), we took her out for a week in February and she was one of only three five-yr-olds. Not too many kids older than her.

[scorpiomum]

we are taking a med cruise on navigator on 20th octovber and taking my 6 & 9yr old boys out of school for 1 week as the following week is mid term break over here in ireland. we went on Brilliance last november and even then there were about 25 kids in the AO, which was enough. my sons made a great friend from the US who they still email regularly. i figure as long as they have a few friends they can get along with it makes the cruise for both adults and kids.

[crusinmama06]

Honestly, if you are cruising on a kid friendly line (like RCCL or Carnival) and it's not some exotic itinerary, then there will always be kids.

 

I prefer not to cruise in Summer (or any holiday) because it is just choas on some ships.

 

So even on off off times, my kids always have friends to play with.

[tocruiseguy]

Thanks, everyone for your responses. Our primariy concern is our 14 yo daughter, if there aren't a lot of teens that may be a problem. We called RCCL, twice, and both times the agent was no help whatsoever when we asked about the number of children on the cruise.

[mcfam5]

. . . the 13th to be exact. There were kids for all the age groups, but not a ton. Definitely enough for everyone to find a friend. Hey, it may be easier to make a new friend when there are less peers around.:)

[cb at sea]

There are ALWAYS kids on cruises, no matter if school is in session, or not! Your kids won't be the only ones--no fear!

[kitty9]

Thanks, everyone for your responses. Our primariy concern is our 14 yo daughter, if there aren't a lot of teens that may be a problem. We called RCCL, twice, and both times the agent was no help whatsoever when we asked about the number of children on the cruise.

 

No cruise line will tell you how many kids are on a specific cruise, for many reasons. It's the same if you call and ask if there is a charter group on board. They don't want to lose bookings if someone finds out that there will be hundreds of kids on board or 700 Amway salesmen. It's all a privacy issue.

[azbaby8062]

We sailed on Princess to the Mexican Riviera and there were definitely kids on the cruise. Granted, not as many as summer but enough to have many different activities. I also think the kids get more attention this time of year because it is not so crowded. My son really enjoyed it.

 

Many districts out here offer Year Round or a Modified Version of it. I know we were off two weeks in October. I am now working for another school district and they follow a traditional calendar. I am actually going to miss the October break because prices tend to be so much cheaper this time of year.

[cruiseinfoseeker]

Does anyone have an idea if there are many kids on cruises in October? The weeks of October 5th or the 12th to be specific. We have a 9 and 14 year old but are concerned there won't be many more kids on the RCCL cruise that time of year. Thanks in advance.

 

Also, remember that you've got Jewish Holidays and Columbus day during the times you mentioned. Some schools get off more than others and some districts even have a week long break during the earlier week.

 

So I would think it isn't even true off season for that reason. You'll find kids on the ships for sure.

[tocruiseguy]

Thanks everyone for your advice, now one important thing left to do. Make a decision! We are torn between October and our spring break, March 16th (sounds like a looooong way away).