Whole Familiy Cruise

"Whole Family" means whole family. Leaving a little one behind is not fair. My daughter is 20 months right now and she is the most fun that she has ever been. I can not imagine leaving her behind and going on a vacation with everyone else and not missing her the entire time. She is walking and simply amazed by everything! Just having the 20 month old being around his cousins will be entertainment enough for him. All of the fresh air will bring good naps too. BRING HIM!!

Even though you would hate leaving your 20 month old behind, I would suggest you do so. You would be able to do sooo much more with your other children. There is so much to see on the ship not to mention off-shore trips. YOu wouldnt want to have this opportunity and then not enjoy it. Remember it will be hot, the baby's schedule will be waaaay off, and at that age you will be doing nothing but chasing him around and trying to get him to sleep and eat properly. They are very curious, independent and everything is about them during this age group. You remember with your other two. Hope you make a choice that would benefit your 20 month old and his siblings and all of your family.

It depends on what cruise line you are going with. We did the Disney cruise and there is tons for kids to do. We have also done Royal Carribean and I am not sure if there is a lot for kids that age. All cruise lines have pools. Plus, you are often at sea at night, and at a port during the day. So, look into excursions that you can all do together. Are you going on a cruise that stops at places with beaches. You can just walk to the beach and let the little one play in the sand all day. Or, let him walk around the little touristy shopping areas with you. Little ones that age love to just run around and watch people and new places. I would be more worried about your older ones being bored, depending on their ages. Just do some research on your ports and plan appropriately. Don't overplan though, that isn't any fun.

Hi there,
Usually cruise ships have a babysitting program, if you need it . Since you don't like to participate in the activities, you can have your child with you. However, this would be a great time to spend with your spouse. I'm sure you and he could find something to do :+) Have fun!
J.
P.S. Your sister sounds like an awesome person!

We are doing the same with our family this summer. My husband's grandfather gave the whole family a cruise for Christmas last year. I have never been on a cruise so don't know what to expect.
We have an three year old son. He will be staying back at home with my family to babysit him for that week. I have had too many nightmares about my son falling off the boat, or drownding in the pool.
I feel that this trip will be a vacation for my husband and I. My son will also enjoy being with his grandparents.

Good luck in whatever you choose.

We have taken several cruises with, and without our children. Every cruise line is different and finding one that matches your family needs and desires is the key. If you are going on a cruise that really caters to children of all ages, you will have a great time. (Disney and Royal Caribbean are the best for young children)

We use Pat Andreatta at www.cruiserates.com she is the best! Her and her husband Livio live in Chicago but she works with people all over the US. She will work with you and also get you the BEST prices possible. She can also help get rooms close together, and group rates.

Good luck!

Sincerely,
K. Bazell

Dear D. B.,
I went on a cruise just last month and I will say that there are plenty of things to do on the ship besides gambling. For your other children at least 3 or 4 they have babysitting that is for a couple of hours or overnight. They play games with the kids, arts and crafts, they swim, ect. You will have to keep up with your baby but besides getting off at ports there are stores, night clubs( with a variety of music at each one, they even had a kareoke bar), an art gallery, and nightly shows at the theater. I'm sure you will find plenty to do that interest you. I was on Carnival but I'm sure they are all basically the same. You can go online to get a virtual tour of the boat if you know the name of it. Have fun!

It really depends on the cruise line. we did the Disney cruise and there was a lot to do on board, but not so much for those under 3-ish. If you have the means to have family watch your 20 month old, I would say that would be easiest on you all. Ya hate to leave one of the family behind, but having been on a cruise, I cannot imagine bringing a toddler with...

But, check with the cruise line (specifically what ship in their fleet you'll be taking) and see what activities are on board.. if they have things for all age groups, then bring on the fun!

Why not contact the cruise line and find out your babysitting/ daycare options for a little one that age. I agree that it's not so much the "night life" you'll want to take part in, but some of the wonderful daily excursions that are offered that you may be better off doing w/out a little one. I have heard that when you make stops, you take a small boat out to dock at the island you're visiting, and that the water can be pretty choppy and this can be a little scary... I know I wouldn't want to take a little one out for that. But I am also the type that would so regret not having all the family there together for other things... so see what type of options you'll have for getting out a little, and still having your little one with you as well. Good luck and have fun!

Hi D.! First off let me tell you that I admit I am soooo envious! My children and I went on a cruise (I'm divorced) a few years ago when they aged 9-14 and our friends joined us. It was the most incredible bonding experience we could have asked for. There was basically no drinking (I think I had 2 fruity drinks the whole week) and never gambled. Although my kids are older than yours, I do know that there are fabulous kids' programs that are run by trained professionals and some were actually teachers. Also, a friend just came back from a 5 day cruise with her family and friends (for her friends' wedding). Her kids are 4 and 18 months. They brought her mom with to assist with the kids in case the adults wanted an evening alone (never happened!) She said that they all had such a good time and want to do it again in a few years. Both of these trips I'm speaking about were on Royal Carribean. I have been on several cruises with them and if I should ever go again, I will only cruise Royal Carribean. Have fun and bring the little one too!

J.

I'd say take him strictly beause he's young to leave him for a week!

I'm pretty sure that there will not be things for a 20 month to do but frustrate you. Get him use to stayin overnight t a relatives house before you go on the trip. Maybe 2-3 times from now till then. Maybe more so he not shocked without you for that long.

Hi D.,
We took our daughter on her first seven day cruise when she was almost 2. The experience was great!!!! We took many cruises since then. We took Carnival cruise lines which offered "babysitting" services which we never used. I would however recommend not attending the "formal" dinners since at that age they won't sit for too long. We normally had our dinners at one of the many "casual" spots.
I'm sure with all your family going you are going to have a
great time!!!!
Also a homeschooling Mum to 3 with one on the way. Married for almost 14 years.

I know you got a lot of the same stuff.. but I will just tell you that I left my son when he was exactly the age your son was and I will NEVER leave him for that long of a period again. He was with people who he loved and loved him.. but it was the worst vacation becaues I missed him and couldn't enjoy it (and it was super expensive to call home ). WHen I got back.. my son didn't even look at me, screamed like I was hurting him when I held him. That was when I said, " I will never do this again." I am going away for 5 days alone w/ my son for the Fourth of July and my daughter is staying home w/ my husband. She is only 1 and my husband can't go because of work (she will be w/ mom in law during the day). But I am at least in the states and know I am an easy plane ride away. Carnival has babysitting and day care for babies. Or just tag him along.. he will have a blast. Good luck and hope you have a great sailing =)

Question to you is: Could you go a week without seeing your 20 month old baby? I know that would be tough for me.
On many cruises they have child care services if you wanted to do something without the baby. Ask your sister to check with the cruise line.

S.

I think you may be alright with bringing the little one. The night life isn't just casinos. My husband and I took a cruise for our honeymoon and we didn't get into the drinking or casinos either. However, there were different shows to go to. And when you go to different islands there is plenty to do during the day for the whole family. I'm sure you all will have a really nice time. Even though the little may not remember any of it, it's a nice family experience for you guys to enjoy.

Take your baby! My family cruises together every two years. My little guys have been cruising since they were 6 months old. We primarily cruise with Royal Caribbean, but we have also cruised Disney. They both had in room childcare available. After my oldest son was born, I had planned on cruising without him because he would only be 8 months when we cruised. As we got closer to cruising I found myself becoming more and more anxious about being away from him, and in the middle of the ocean no less. It was my mom who looked into childcare on the ship, and convinced me to take him. I am so glad that she did. The boys are now 10 & 11 and LOVE cruising. It is a great family vacation.

I too have been on several cruises, but only one with my husband's four kids. The youngest at the time was 4. He wanted to be with us the whole time, but the other kids we never really saw. Camp Carnival had them busy the whole time. They did an overnighter until 3 a.m. and they LOVED it! There is babysitting which we tried one night, but only lasted long enough for us to have a nice quiet dinner together. There are shows nightly and if you are going on Carnival, they have so many things for the kids to do. They even put on a Christmas show in one of the theaters. We are taking the kids again at the end of the year and we will be taking our twin boys who will be 17 months and we are very excited. Make sure everyone has their passports though. I would definitely take your little one. I think he will have a blast.

Personally - do not leave your baby. There are activities just for little ones, you will need to be around, but they do have services just for young toddlers. We had planned to take our daughter who would be about 22 months by the time our cruise. Also call the cruise line itself and ask about the activities. They even have babysitting services. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR BABY- that would be traumatizing to him.. Yikes. A whole week at that.. My - that is way tooooo long. So on the day you want to something with your husband have the sitter watch the baby then on the days you want to do the family activities

That would depend on which cruise line you are on. Most of them have some sort of things for children to do, but I don't know about that young. On our first cruise, there was a couple who brought along their young child and had the late dinner, by then, the child was very crabby and they did not look like they were having a very good time. Also there may be excursions on the islands you are visiting that you may want to do that may make it hard if you take your 20 month old. When my and my husband went, our daughter was about that age and we chose not to take her along and there really wouldn't have been much for her to do. If you do take your son, I would definitely choose the early dinner, because the late ones tend to be around 8pm or so.