extrafor6 Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 My mil is taking the entire family (30 of us in all) on a cruise to Canada this summer. Most of the grandchildren are college age, but we have littles...2, 4, 6 and 8. I'm a nervous wreck about it all. I will be in a room with three of the children and my husband will be with our 2 year old. We can't all stay in one room (which makes me sad) I need encouragement and advice because I've been dreading this trip for almost 18 months now! I have been on one cruise when I was 19, so I have no idea what to expect this time. It's on a carnival cruise. Thanks in advance :) Steph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sputterduck Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 My parents just took us on a long cruise and it was great, except for the motion sickness. I do think you can get rooms that attach so it's as if you have one big room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 No cruise advice, but when we went to a family reunion in the mountains in 2008 our kids were 9, 8, 6 and 2. Dh and I knew it would be really hard work and not much fun for the two of us. We took our teenage babysitter with us on the trip. We paid for her as if she was a family member, but didn't pay her directly (although at the end of the week we gave her a nice cash "tip") We didn't really expect babysitting from her, just an extra set of hands. It was great! Maybe you could do something like that. Jennifer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWOB Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 We went on a Disney cruise when my youngest was 2. Honestly, we had had a blast! Ds loved it. Two years later she still talks about it. It sounds like you will likely have many extra hands. That should help. I know 2yos are difficult, but pools wear them out. Naps are easily had. Really, just go and enjoy yourself. Everyone will have a blast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugarfoot Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 We do a Disney Cruise every year. We've done it with just the older kids, an infant plus the older kids, an infant, a 1 y.o., plus the older kids, a 1 y.o., a 2 y.o., plus the older kids, a 2 y.o., a 3 y.o. plus the older kids, and this year, a 3 y.o, a 4 y.o., and the older kids.;) We always need 2 rooms, also. In fact, I'm typing this from a hotel room in S. Dakota with my 3 y.o. sleeping next to me.:) My big kids are in here with me, and my DH is in the connecting room with DD 4, who has SPD and needs her space. We nearly always keep this arrangement, and the big kids and I definitely agree that we have the best deal.;) Anyway, there are things about a cruise that are tiring, but it's not all that different than any other trip. There's a little bit of a group structure kind of feel, with things scheduled at certain times for those who wish to participate. If you need a stroller for the 2 and 4 y.o.'s, and I'd recommend that, especially if you'll be getting off the ship at various ports for sightseeing and such, but you know what your kids are most used to doing. You could bring a double, but it'll be harder to maneuver on board. You could carry it folded to the gangway, or consider 2 singles. Don't forget to get passports for everyone if you don't already have them. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Running the race Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 We did a Carnival cruise when our oldest kids were 2 and 3. At that time, the childcare started at age 2. Both of my kids LOVED the kids area. They begged to go there. They also sat through every dinner. I was amazed! We did have the early seating. I would do that with younger kids. We did make sure they still got naps, and we took turns staying in the room each night so they could go to bed at a reasonable time. It helped to keep them on a schedule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 No cruise ship experience, but we've done lots of traveling as a family over the years. We did a three-week road trip to the west coast with five children ages 1.5 - 8, including Disney Land, etc. We had a blast. I think as long as you put it in your head that it won't be a time of relaxing by the pool for you, it can still be fun. And, don't cruises like that have lots of activities for kids, maybe even the very young ones (more like babysitting)? Also, when we were traveling with so many little ones, I did bring our portable crib everywhere. As long as my youngest were in there, I felt they were safe. Even at the beach, I knew I could put them in there and they'd be content to play for awhile. Also, with so many older cousins along, perhaps you could pay them to help babysit now and then, so you and your husband could have a little adult time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
golfcartmama Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 We did a Disney cruise with ours this year and it was GREAT! You can get adjoining rooms (We had them b/c there was other family with us. I think even on other cruise lines...at least RCCL, I know) and keep the doors open. We had a great time and it's the first time I wasn't exhausted after a vacation! There is so much to do, but you're not planning much once it's booked, you just show up and it's taken care of. I would recommend it without a doubt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaMa2005 Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Cruise junkie here - we have 23 under our belt and number 24 sets sail on July 23 :D. DS has been cruising with us since he was adopted at 28 months. He loves to cruise and we have never had any problems. Carnival has a Kids Club (as do all the cruise lines). Check it out here - http://www.carnival.com/cms/fun/obx/youth_experience/campcarnival.aspx. The Kids Clubs are run very well - excellent adult/child ratio and they really keep the children busy. In all our years of cruising, especially with children, the one piece of advice is to try to keep the children on a somewhat modified schedule of the one they are on at home. For instance, DS goes to bed at 7PM. We stick pretty closely to that even on the ship. Yes, I wind up missing some shows, but it is worth it as DS is finished by 7 (just due to the sheer amount of things that he has done during the day) and really needs to go to sleep. Makes for a happier family all the way around. Also, make sure you are scheduled for early dining. Late dining is just too much for children. Our upcoming cruise includes all of our family - 13 in all - 5 of them children ranging in age from 6-11. Relax and have a great time. To check out other things about cruising, go to cruisecritic.com. It has a wealth of information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 My mil is taking the entire family (30 of us in all) on a cruise to Canada this summer. Most of the grandchildren are college age, but we have littles...2, 4, 6 and 8. I'm a nervous wreck about it all. I will be in a room with three of the children and my husband will be with our 2 year old. We can't all stay in one room (which makes me sad) I need encouragement and advice because I've been dreading this trip for almost 18 months now! I have been on one cruise when I was 19, so I have no idea what to expect this time. It's on a carnival cruise. Thanks in advance :)Steph We've only done Disney, which is super kid friendly. Let me give you a tip that helped us in terms of space. Bathroom counter space is extremely limited. We bought one of those "hang over the door" vinyl plastic see-through shoe holder thingies (cheap at Target) to hang over the bathroom door. 24 pockets to put every imaginable toiletry! When we did this with my mother in law we had adjoining rooms, so we could open a door between them. That made things seem a lot less cramped! Another little tip that helped us -- when between meals, if you wanted to get drinks for everyone in your stateroom, those were on deck 11. Well how many drinks can one person carry? I brought a cardboard McDonald's drink carrier and was able to easily carry 4-5 drinks! And every time I did it someone else on board would look longingly at my carrier and say, "where did you get that?" Free. At McDonald's! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snickelfritz Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 We went on a Disney cruise when my youngest was 2. Honestly, we had had a blast! Ds loved it. Two years later she still talks about it. It sounds like you will likely have many extra hands. That should help. I know 2yos are difficult, but pools wear them out. Naps are easily had. Really, just go and enjoy yourself. Everyone will have a blast We've done 2 Disney cruises. But, I'm not sure I would put cruising Disney with kids as a fair comparison to cruising other cruise lines with kids. Kids are what Disney does and the parents are (mostly) along for the ride. With other cruises, I think it's the reverse. Don't get me wrong, I loved our Disney cruises and would do another family one, but I'm not one who would go on it without the kids. There is probably a Carnival message board out there somewhere. I would find it and pick the brains of people who have been on one with kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 We've been on three cruises as a family of 6 and absolutely love it! They are our most relaxing vacations! Definitely get connecting rooms. Gives you twice the space and two bathrooms and you can all stay together. We always do that instead of getting suites because there's more room! Check out the kids' clubs. I've only done Disney cruises, but I hear wonderful things about kids' clubs on other lines. (We just booked a RCCL cruise for next year though - Oasis of the Seas!!!) They have VERY strict regulations about who can pick up the kids and all. They don't let them out of the clubs unless with a parent (or other authorized adult). So, you get a break too! My biggest, best piece of advice - put out all of your things that you think you'll need on the cruise. Then, cut that in half. I'm NOT kidding! You don't need as much as you think you will! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extrafor6 Posted July 13, 2011 Author Share Posted July 13, 2011 Definitely get connecting rooms. Gives you twice the space and two bathrooms and you can all stay together. We always do that instead of getting suites because there's more room! This would have been ideal, but my brother in law booked and set up the cruise and when I called a couple of months ago there were no adjoining rooms available. :( I brought a cardboard McDonald's drink carrier and was able to easily carry 4-5 drinks! And every time I did it someone else on board would look longingly at my carrier and say, "where did you get that?" What a great piece of advice because I would have never thought of that! Thanks for all the helpful tips. I'm going to start another thread for advice on what to do at our stops in Canada. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlugbill Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 One positive note about young children on a cruise. They don't get sea sick. For some reason, young children don't get seasick like adults do. We had one terrible day on a cruise when everyone not on dramamine got sea sick. Fortunately, our dd was spared due to her age. I'm not a cruise person. I don't like being confined in a very small space with lots of obnoxious tourists. And when you get to shore, every salesman from miles around is somehow trying to pick your wallet to buy fake jewelry, trinkets, time-shares, etc. Anyway, I hope your experience is better than mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Another little tip that helped us -- when between meals, if you wanted to get drinks for everyone in your stateroom, those were on deck 11. Well how many drinks can one person carry? I brought a cardboard McDonald's drink carrier and was able to easily carry 4-5 drinks! And every time I did it someone else on board would look longingly at my carrier and say, "where did you get that?" Free. At McDonald's! That is genius! I'll have to remember that. My biggest, best piece of advice - put out all of your things that you think you'll need on the cruise. Then, cut that in half. I'm NOT kidding! You don't need as much as you think you will! OMG, this is so true. We didn't wear half the clothes we brought We did an 11 night Disney Mediterranean cruise last year (Indy was 7) and we all had a fab time. Of course, Disney is really child friendly (there were about 20 of our friends and their kids on board and the kids had a blast), but I've heard good things about RCCL too. I'm sure you guys will have a blast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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