First cruise: Adults only or entire family?

[tjkraz]

I am VERY casually thinking about our first cruise. It may or may not happen in the next couple of years, but it will happen eventually. ;)

Any thoughts about whether DW and I should go alone, or make it a family affair?

One of the criticisms I've heard about cruises...even Disney...is that the activities tend to fracture the family. Kids go in one direction, parents in the other. I've seen info on the great play facilities they have for kids, but it does seem kind of a waste when they can do that stuff at home. Our kids aren't big eaters--and they're picky eaters, too--so even mealtime doesn't sound like a ton of fun.

What about the excursions? Is there a lot for kids in the 4-7 age range to do? I'm assuming 'yes' at Castaway Cay, but how about elsewhere?

I would hate to leave the kids behind for no good reason. I'm sure there will be many, many families on board. But this does seem like a tailor-made opportunity for an adults-only getaway.

Anyone care to share their ideal age range for a child's first cruise? Would they enjoy it more after they've reached a certain age?

Comments?

(If it matters, my inclination is to go for a 4-day cruise the first time out.)

[erikthewise]

I don't see any reason to leave the kids behind -- I vote for taking them.
The 4-night cruise is a good choice. We've done a 3-nt and 4-nt, and have another 4-nt coming up this Dec.

We haven't done any real excursions so can't help you there. On a 4-nt there's plenty to keep you busy even without excursions. Our boys spend a lot of time in the clubs; they were 8 and 5 on our first cruise.

A lot of people see it as an advantage that families don't have to spend all their time together on the cruise.

[jiggerj]

I dont have any real advice or suggestions to offer- But I just wanted to take this opportunity to Thank you for all your words of wisdom that you have had for so many here on Mouseowners- me included! :flowerfor:

Look forward to your replies as my ds is 7 and I am a little hesitant as well-:)

[Stimpy]

We've cruised with kids (2x's) and without (1X pre kids) on DCL, Carnival (when I was a kid) and Royal Carribean (honeymoon, pre-kids ;) ). Both have it's good points and bad.

Just adults, great time! Nice and relaxing, do whatever you want whenever without having to make sure the kids are taken care of. Late nights, sleep late....ahhhh!

On DCL we found alot to do with the kids and alot for DS to do in the clubs. I would say there were many things that he couldn't really do at home, ok maybe he could if I was more creative :scratchch We were also able to do many things while he was in the clubs. I was able to go to the spa a few times, DH played Bingo...although he won't admit it to his buddies :hahahaha: and some other activities.

DS was 4 his first cruise, a 4 day DCL and he loved it! We did a short excursion with him....I think it was to the zoo/gardens place in the Bahamas and then a city tour and trip to a fort. He really learned alot and enjoyed it!

His second he was 5 and it was a 7 day, DD was 1. DS had a great time, DD did too but it wasn't too relaxing for us since she was too young for the clubs. We did some excursions that they both enjoyed, including 1 we arranged on our own which was a highlight for all of us. We did find alot of stuff to do together as a family. But, we're waiting until DD is old enough for the clubs next year to go again.

If you check http://www.castawayclub.com/ you can find the Navigators with the kids activities and also the regular ones with the family and adult activities.

I know I've mentioned before that DS is an extremely difficult and picky eater. He did great on both cruises. The servers are excellent and went out of their way to get stuff for him that he would eat. We never had a problem. (You can also get an idea about the menus from the site above)

Now I'm really excited for our next cruise LOL

[pixiechick]

We've done 2 cruises with our son.

The first was Disney- a 4 day when he was 6. He loved every minute of it. Yes, there were lots of kid activities but we really balanced the time we spent apart. When it was over, he wished he had spent more time with the kids' groups.

The second was last year on RCL when he was 9- a 5 day to Bermuda. Again, he had a wonderful time. He will gladly tell you that cruises are the best vacations because you can balance lots of activity during the day with sleeping in each morning. Something I *don't allow* in WDW! :tongue:

For the record, he is an only child and we spend lots of time together. I'm sure one of the best parts of cruising was dumping his parents.

As long as your kids don't have major separation issues I would say definately take them along. The only reason I mention that is that depending on their exact age at the time, they may be separated in the clubs. That could be a problem if they want to be together.

Good luck deciding!

[carolina_yankee]

The nice thing about a Disney cruise is that you can spend as much time with your kids or on your own as you like. I'm not an excursion expert, but just looking over the excursion offering in Passporter, it seems that every port of call has excursions the whole family can take. There may occasionally be a minimum age for some of the kids stuff, but yours will probably be old enough by the time you take the plunge.

If you want to get away without the kids, it's easy to do that on a Disney cruise as well. Their kids offering are so well done and run from early 'til late that you hardly run across a child unless you're looking for one!

As for eating, they show the same care for children's palates on DCL as they do in the parks, and the servers are great. I think your kids would defnitely enjoy the show in Animator's Palate, even if the didn't eat anything. None of the dining rooms are stuffy. Topsiders buffet is open most meals, which can satisfy the finicky eater if you need to stuff 'em before a meal time. Also, there's the usual hot dog/hamburger/chicken finger offerings from the two snack bars by the pools and room service.

I think the only thing you might regret on a 4 day cruise, is that it's not 7 (Depending, of course, on how well you fit into your stateroom).

Dirk

[kathleena]

I haven't cruised yet - going for the first time this Dec - but I have been reading a lot for my trip so can make a couple of comments.

1. I advise getting the Passporter cruise book. When I booked my cruise, the travel agent sent me a free one, plus the disney cruise planning book and both are very good. There is also a cruise guide on allearsnet that I would recommend printing out and scouring. That one and the Passporter has lots of info on the Nassau excursions.

2. Excursions in Nassau have mixed reviews. The ones that go to another island to a remote beach seem to have the best reviews so far, but on the glass bottom boat type excusions there's a spread from "OK" to "never again". I've actually decided not to do an excursion there and just enjoy the ship. I may go on the MouseFest sponsored Nassau walk, but that will be it.

3. Activity on Castaway Cay - between the snorkling, beach activities, characters, food stuff - seems like enough to do. Definately a day the whole family can stay together. :sailing:

4. As others have said, I read and been told the restaurants are very good with catering to kids palates. I do advise going to the website someone else posted and print out the sample menus. I did that as I look for both vegetarian and wheat free and it gave me a good heads up and prompted me to register as a wheat allergy just in case I need a change to the menu. My Travel Agent told me they are awesome with special dietary needs.:chef:

5. I didn't pay as much attention to the kids activities - but I do recall thinking - how am I ever going to get all this in with just one 4 day cruise??? Yes there are activities where you can separate from the kids for a while, but then you get back together for the deck parties, the pirates parties, the pools, the nighttime shows, the meals etc. There's just so much stuff.

I need to comment about your statement "that the activities tend to fracture the family". My DSD thinks that when we are on a family trip that everyone needs to stay together. I am more on the - everyone has their own idea of fun and personal needs for time and space. So she would probably think in those terms and say the activities fracture. But my point of view is - all of the options are there - it will just depend on how you use them.

I'm gonna go with - take the whole family, go for the 4 day cruise.

[DSNY FN]

Our first cruise is this Dec just a 3 day to see how we all like it we are going with the whole family and by whole family I mean the wife and I and our kids and my in laws it should be interesting my mother and father in law have never cruised either but my FIL is an avid sailor he has a 27' sailboat in Sarnia Ontario so we will see how it goes and give you a report when we get back in Dec Tim.

[tjkraz]

Thanks for all of the advice so far.

Here's a few follow-up comments:

* I researched cruises a couple years ago, and was lead to believe that most people tend to get off the ship at the ports. Maybe that's not really the case. I really don't have a strong desire to go wandering around strange cities for a handful of hours--particularly if the kids are along--so that's good to know. Maybe for a 7 day cruise we'd want a little break from the ship, but for a shorter trip getting off at Castaway Cay would be just fine for me.

* I do have the Passporter guide. Picked it up about a year ago, but haven't looked at it very recently.

* Regarding the dining situation, I really wasn't worried about them coming up with food that the kids will eat. I guess what I meant to communicate is that with the kids not being big eaters, dinner time is unlikely to be one of those magical cruise family bonding experiences that some may envision. I think we'll last about 10 minutes before the chorus of "can we leave now" begins. ;)

[Stimpy]

* Regarding the dining situation, I really wasn't worried about them coming up with food that the kids will eat. I guess what I meant to communicate is that with the kids not being big eaters, dinner time is unlikely to be one of those magical cruise family bonding experiences that some may envision. I think we'll last about 10 minutes before the chorus of "can we leave now" begins. ;)

The servers are really good about keeping the kids entertained too at dinner. Both my kids wanted to take our servers home with us at the end of the 7 day. (Honestly, I wish I could have too....loved having someone else bring my food and keep kids entertained and clean up! ;) ) They also were able to rush food orders out a few times for us so DS could get back to the clubs faster. There is also alot of activity for them to watch (esp Animators Palate). I was kind of surprised the first night when both kids sat through the entire meal without once asking to leave. I was expecting them not to last through the appetizer course!

But they also have other options as well. The buffets on the top deck offer the same meals that are served in the dining rooms in a more casual atmosphere. You come and go as you please and there are still servers.

[ErinC]

Tim, We have done both of our cruises with our kids. Now that they have been with us, I can't even imagine not taking them with us. The first was a 4 day. Kids were 6 & 2. Nassau, Freeport, CC. Both of the Bahamian cities, people hound you in port. My advice is, if you are going to get off the ship, have a plan. We took a taxi to Atlantis to look around. We got to enjoy some of the public viewing areas of the aquariums at the hotel. We also walked around a little downtown, but then headed back to the ship. In Freeport, we took a taxi to the little shopping area and bought some little trinkets. If you have been to the bahama's before and don't want to get off the ship, you could probably have fun staying on the ship. I had never been and couldn't imagine not getting off the ship to look around. Our second cruise last Sept. was the 7 day Western. Kids were 9,6,& 2 this trip. Best vacation we have ever had. The kids still talk about it all the time. I loved the longer cruise because of the sea days. You get so much more time to enjoy the ship activities. On the 7 day we traveled with friends that had a 1 year old. It worked out great because they kept our kids twice (palo brunch, dinner) and we did the same for them. Both of us knew that our "little" ones that were not eligible for the clubs would not stay in the "reef nursery". So we still got to enjoy the alone adult time for a little while. Our servers were incredible at dinner. The entertained the kids, brought their food early. They knew our little girls liked grapes and every night when we showed up at dinner both of the little girls had bowls of grapes awaiting them. Our server let my oldest mix and match from the kid and adult menu, pretty much anything that would please them. He would cut all the meat on their plate( it was so nice for me to just sit there). They made goofy hats out of the napkins and danced with the kids. There is so much going on in the restaurants that I really don't think your kids will get too bored. If they do, you could always let them eat quickly and then run them to the club while you finish your dinner. Even after the 7 day I got off the ship wishing we had more time because there were still things I would have liked to have done. As far as excursions on the 7 day, In Key West we rented "golf carts" and just rode around and checked out the sights on our own (probably our least fav. port). In Grand Cayman (our favorite port) we did an excursion. Rum cake factory stop, turtle farm, stop at "Hell", and sting ray swim. Really felt like we got our money's worth with this excursion. The kids were a little scared of the sting rays, but they ended up loving this excursion. In Coz. we had a pretty rainy day. We ended up just walking and shopping. Too bad for DH that we wandered into a Diamonds International store, got myself a beautiful new wedding ring!:D Most expensive excursion on the trip for sure!!:yes: Loved CC both times despite our luck for rainy weather. I just can't imagine doing a disney cruise without my kids. Maybe another cruise line, but not disney. I know this will sound like a cheesy Mother comment, but the photo's that we have of our family all dressed up on formal night are priceless. (another reason I love the 7 day) Anyway, just thought I would offer my perspective. I don't feel like the kids were a hindurance at all to the vacation.

[TW1]

Before you waste your money on those little kids, take me, I'm a big kid. We can see how it goes, then you can decide whether to take the little ones next time.

[tiggerguy2000]

We are going on the 4 day cruise nov 12th-16th and we are going as a family.We never go without the kids but maybe in the near future.