Upcoming Cruise with Kids - Any Advice Will Help

We did Royal Caribean out of Galveston 4 years ago when our daughter was 4 about to turn 5.....and it was the whole family thing...for a special occasion....
This is what I was told ahead of time....keeping in mind that was 4 years ago....but I don't think much has changed...
1. They have the best children's program other than the Disney cruise.
2. I was EXTREMEMLY apprehensive, but the first afternoon/early evening they had an introduction for the parents of children participating in the children's program in the Captain's lounge where ALL of the staff for the program was introduced, given credientials, etc...
3. They have a very good check in/check out system
4.Our daughter loved this soooo much she couldn't wait to go back, in fact when we were in Cozumel shopping, she asked to go back to the ship....we took her and went back to finish some shopping...
5. They do all kinds of movies, arts and crafts, singing and dancing....all age appropriate of course.
6. Our neices were with us and they were teenagers at the time, 16 and 17 and they even had a great time and met other teens their age to hang with...
So all in all, I worried over nothing, we all had a great time and our daughter occasionally asks when we get to that again.
As for the crusie itself....that was our 2nd, the first on that cruise line, and it was wonderful. Our ports of call were Jamacia, Georgetown, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. WE all did something different in each port, specifically, I would recommend in you are in Grand Caymen to do Stingray Island....Other family members highly recommended the snorking in Cozumel....
As for the ship, the staff were outstanding, always something to do, or do just nothing....lounging by the pool....they always have little contests going on...My in-laws really enjoyed the shows, so, they realy do have something for all ages.
Have fun!

I haven't been on a cruise with children..but have taken that cruise and their were a lot of children all different ages and they all seemed to be having a good time.. they seemed well chaparoned by Cruise People.. It was such a relaxing time... So nice to unpack the suitcase and put things in closet.. and have a place to go "chill" anytime you wanted to.. Food and so many different kinds available all hours.. We didn't want to come back home...

As long as your son has friends he should be fine. We went on this same cruise during July when the ship was packed. We had my three kids but they didn't know anyone else. The first day they went to the Adventure club and it was so crowded (and "lame")they refused to go back. That left mom and dad with 13,9 and 7 yr old BORED kids. If they don't go to the Adventure club then there is very little for them to do on board. We actually spent time in the board game room just trying to keep them occupied playing checkers and backgammon. Because the ship was so crowded it was physically impossible for the kids to even swim- the pool was 3 deep all the way around in people-sitting on the edge, the ledge and standing in the water. There are shuffle boards and ping pong tables, an arcade (need money) and we went to all the demonstrations trying to keep them occupied. I would never do it again w/ just my three kids- they would have to bring friends-and never do it when it is a full ship. ALSO- out of Galveston means you spend a LOT of time on the water. Not so much in the ports. The first day you leave and don't hit land until Tues, I think. My kids saw all the cruise ads where the ship is bobbing in the background and people are snorkeling- they thought the ship would just stop out in the ocean and they would get to snorkel. That first whole day at sea was not what they had in mind- and they had already ruled out the Adventure club - so boredom started early. If the ship is not packed then the shore excursions should be ok- altho I would not take the ship sponsored ones again. Those were also over crowded and in the Caymans the bus forgot to come back for us so we sat on the road by the marina for an extra hour and a half after seeing the sting rays. In Cozumel we went on a Catamaran snorkeling day trip. The Catamaran was fun but they took us "snorkeling" over sand- no coral, no reef and therefore no fish. We had the most fun in Key West where we jumped off on our own and took a bike taxi to Hemingway's house for the tour. The kids loved the polydactyl cats! Then we went to the beach to see the sunset-avoided the Mallory Square sunset celebration. The trained cats are cool but it is usually very crowded... As long as you and your child are prepared for the long periods at sea and as long as he has friends then yall should be ok. I will say that my kids have traveled quite a bit- we started taking them to Cozumel when they were 15 months old and they have snorkeled many places, been many places internationally on vacation- so they were expecting MORE. A kid who has not traveled as much might be more intrigued by it all. Don't know if that is the case for you or not. Good luck..have fun...I'm sure you will. I think our circumstances must have been out of the ordinary- the totally packed ship, etc- but there is a lot of time at sea and be prepared for that.

Ginger Ale, Ginger Ale, for sea sickness.

You child will love the kids club. Be sure to participate in as many daytime activities as possible. We would do inside cruise activities during the hottest part of the day, just cuz the sun can be very intense. He will have a blast. Disposable cameras, are perfect take a few, you will take a ton of photos. Also you should each take a hat. Have a blast!

Well the do sell kid harnesses at walmart. For the rambuntious kids that run around and get into trouble. Make sure you take benadryl incase someone eats something that they are allergic to.

The only cruise I have ever been on was the Disney Cruise on the ship called Disney Wonder. They had a place where the kiddos could go on the ship and stay while the adults went and did their own thing at the port we stopped at. It was adults supervised, and was like a daycare, but they did fun and games. I loved the Disney Cruise, and if you ever get a chance go on one of them. When I was on the cruise ship for the first day I felt kinda sick, but after that it got ok, because I got used to use going. Yeah make sure you pack lots of sunscree, headache medicine.

The kid's club is great, and they have tons of fun. The one thing to keep in mind is that they have to be 100% out of pull ups or diapers to participate. Our son was not quite out of pull ups when we went, so I put a pair of underwear over his pull up when we wanted to go to the New Years party.

The older kids will love it. We went when my daughters were 4 and ten and the 4 year old did not want to stay at the Adventure Odyssey because she did not know anyone. Everytime we would leave they would page us with-in ten minutes because she would not stop crying. They do alot of neat things there with the kids. As far as the excursions it realy depends on what kind of things you enjoy. My husband and older daughter did deep sea fishing while my younger daughter and I went and spent the day at the beach. You will have a wonderful time, we plan on going again next year.

Dear J.,

My family and I went on the same cruise a couple of years ago with Royal Carribean. I did not take my kids, but my sister took her 6 year old daughter and 13 year old son and they had a blast. The people that ran the Adventure Odyssey were great and did all kinds of activities with the younger kids. They have a special area for the older kids with video games and things that they like to play. They also made sure they ate and took them swimming. They really kept them occupied. The older kids could also go up there just to hang with some kids there age.
The only thing to be careful with is room charges. The way you pay for things is by charging it to your room, everyone on the trip gets a Royal Carribean Card (even the kids) and when they want to pay for something they just swipe the card (games,souvenirs,etc). So, by the end of the cruise my sisters oldest son had charged over $100 to their room, but he did not realize that it was going on the room charge. So, please speak to your kids about that so they are aware of what they can and can not spend.
However, the trip was great and the kids loved the islands and were not bored at all on the ship. I wish I was going again, we do plan on going in the future and taking my 8 and 9 year old. Have Fun!!

The couple of times we went on a cruise with kids they had a blast in the kids' clubs. You will be encouraged to check it out with them, but you'll soon find theim there every chance they get. I don't know Royal Caribbean, but the other lines have been excellent.

We went on the Royal Caribbean cruise in January with our kids, 5 and 7 both girls, and had a great time. The Adventure Odyssey is great. I was a little nervous about leaving my kids but they have well qualified employees that work there. They are trained to work with children and have some really fun activities. My kids had a lot of fun and begged us to take them back. There are a lot of activities on the ship that the kids liked. You will get a list of all the next days activities on your bed the night before. Look them over and pick out the ones that your family will enjoy.

I don't know what islands you are going to but we when to Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Jamaica. At Cozumel, we went on an excursion that was catamaran boat ride to a private beach where we played in the water and went horseback riding (extra charge). I would definitely do it again. On Grand Cayman we did the pirate adventure, it also was a lot of fun and great for kids. At Jamacia we did our own thing. Just stay away from public beaches and the locals.

Another great thing we did was have the kids sit at a separate table next to us. We had 7 kids in all between 4 and 8 and 8 adults. It was wonderful because we got to enjoy our meal without having to listen to the kids complaining. They loved it because they felt all grown up. The waiters took great care of them and we tipped them well at the end.

Our kids can't wait to go again! If you have any other questions just let me know. Have fun!

Hi J.,
We have cruised with our kids at least 4 times and they love it. Everything that the other responces have said are great. Just don't forget to bring some medicines like Motrin, Pedialyte and bandaids. Our kids got sick on one cruise and had to be quarantined for 24 hours as it was a gastro bug. No one else got it so that was ok. It is not easy to get bottles of water on the ship so you may want to take one of those packs that you can get from the supermarket for convenience. They do not mind you bringing them onboard. We loved having room sevice snacks as well. How cool is it to order cocoa and cookies and have a waiter bring them. It is great!
Have a fantastic time. We love Royal Carribean and have been on at least 3 of their ships. They are the best around for families. Yu must try the midnight buffett as well.
Bon Voyage
W.

We have been on a cruise with our kids through Carnival. When they say they have supervised activities for the kids they do. My daughter was 5 at the time and had a blast. The cruise line does many activities for children of all ages. We already have another one booked with a new cruise line in March for Spring Break. Looking forward to seeing what this one has to offer for my little one and my teenager.

I have worked as a travel agent for the past 9 years and have sent many an extended family, including my own, on a cruise.

If you haven't already done so, you will probably want early dining traveling with children.

First, don't expect the whole group to stay together and do everything together all of the time. When my family went, we dined together everynight. But, didn't make it a priority for breakfast or lunch. Some of us didn't make it up for breakfast. At lunch, if we happened to see each other, we would sit together. My parents and an aunt who went are not gamblers, but they loved the quarter "bull-dozer" game. I could usually find at least one of them there, if looking.

As for the kids clubs, they are great on cruise ships. Every kid I have ever heard of going, whether they initially wanted to or not, absolutely loved the kids club on whatever cruise line they were on. I have had many a parent say, "We never saw our kids on days at sea. They were in the kids club all day!" Even the most shy kids, once given a taste of it, have loved kids club. They are very well supervised by trained staff. They are broken into age groups with age appropriate activities.

Shore excursions, have each family pick 2 or 3 and prioritize them from 1st choice on down. See if you can find a common ground that everyone may want to do. If not, don't sweat it. Remember, you may have some members with physical limitations that may limit their choice of excursion. Or the families with younger children may have to choose something less strenuous. One that I always hear people rave about is a Jeep jungle safari. It's usually in Cozumel. Groups of 4 take a jeep "off-roading" (the group as a whole travels together) and then you end up at a beach where snorkeling and the like are available.

The pictures that are made while on-board can get very expensive. But, they are usually the best picture ever made. Try to schedule a time to take an entire group picture. You will probably want to set this up before travel time so you have the most choices of time slots. The night of formal dinner would be fun. How often do you all get dressed up together?

Get the kids some disposable cameras and an underwater camera for each. Write their names on them with a Sharpie. This will be especially fun for the kids going to the kids club. You won't miss out on some of the things they are doing because you will have pictures of it. Last year before my family went to Disney World, my sister and I bought our then 6 and 5 year-olds the Playskool digital cameras each. They are shock resistant. They loved taking their own pictures, and it gave us a view from their perspective.

If someone is going who "doesn't stay out late", don't expect them to always watch the kids while the others stay out. Have each family take a turn watching the kids while the others "go out". Some nights the cruise line may offer late night in the kids club. They also offer private babysitting in the room. But, that costs extra.

Room service is generally free, but you pay gratuity to the waiter. Take advantage of it in the AM for slow movers or those who need coffee first thing.

Most of all have fun, relax, don't sweat the small stuff. You will not all get along the entire trip. Someone is going to get on someone elses nerves. If things don't start out well, don't let it ruin your entire trip.

We have cruised with Royal several times. I don't have older kids but I can tell you what I know. The Adventure Odyssey is basically a day care for the kiddos. For the older ones they have games, video games, and other stuff that is right for their age. They even go up to the teenagers. Some of the boats have an arcade on them also (not free). Also depending on which boat you are going on they have ice skating, in-line skating and mini-golf.

The 3 year old has Adventure club as long as they are potty trained. Now I can tell you that I was not happy with the younger age Adventure club but it might have been the ship I was on. There were many complaints about it. I have heard great things on other Royal shipps about it though. I guess just have that mom keep an eye on it and make sure the kiddo is having a good time. They also give the younger kids parents a pager. They are in there own space also. They split kids by age.

With your ten year he will have a blast and you and your hubby will get a lot of free time together. You will get a dailey planner the night before and you can plan out your next day with it. We loved swimming with the sting rays and your ten year old is old enough to enjoy it. We loved just to walk around the cities we were in or take a local cab and take a tour. Remember you can haggle with the drives so if you don't like a price keep moving on.

Also, they use to offer a drink package when you get on board. We always got it. It use to include bottle water and soda for the week. If you don't try to bring on bottle water on the ship (like a case or two) it just saves you some money they are expensive on the boat. Also, if you are a drinker you can buy alcohol on your stops but most of the time they take it from you when you get onto the boat and give it back to you when you leave. Just an FYI. We liked to sample the dailey beverages! LOL.

Have fun and let me know if you have any other questions. Oh, I know it says you cannot board until later but a lot of times you can get on the ship at 1pm. Less of a line. That is the worst part of the cruise is boarding. Also you will not get your luggage until later that night so if you need anything for the day make sure you carry it on. Meds and stuff.

Ok, sorry so long!!
J.

First of all, You will have fun. Food all day long so no worries there you just have to check on the times so where to go. I went with a 6 onth old. It was fun. We are planning to go again now that she is three and I want to check out that Adventure Odyessey too. I will tell you there is a lot to do on the ship. Games, sports etc... Grand Cayman Island feeding the sting rays was really cool. Make sure to keep an eye out for your ship though. Cozmel Senior Frog Beach was really relaxing they also had horseback riding and rented jeeps. We did the horses. Take aspirins just in case for headaches after being in the sun. Plenty of sun block. Bed is a little rough but where isn't other than your home. Don't pack up to much clothes I over packed one time.

Hey J.,
I know that I wouldn't be without my ginger capsules for motion sickness. I didn't like the idea of taking Dramamine or giving it to children and sleeping or being dopey. If a kid is motion sick and can swallow a capsule, try 1. If they are not better in 20 mins, try a 2nd one. As an adult, I take 3 whenever I feel carsick/other. About 15 mins after taking the caps, I can ride a rollercoaster and not be nauseous. If the child can't/won't swallow a capsule, give them ginger ale and ginger snap cookies. Also works for overeating, gassy tummies too, young and old. The Chinese cut a small sliver of fresh ginger root and paper tape it to a queasy/gassy baby's belly button--fastest route to the stomach OR the sole-arch of their foot where the skin is tender. Won't burn delicate skin. Apply fresh piece after swimming or bathing. No drug/alcohol interaction either. ;)
As for applying sunscreen, do it more often than product suggests. The sun is stronger the closer you get to the equator. The last thing you want to do is be holed up in the room with a smarting sunburn. Use the highest SPF--you'll still get a tan. ;)

As another poster said--cut back on the clothes--mix n match. Give kids their own disposable cameras with name on. Make your souvenirs be lots of pics rather than plastic mugs and t-shirts for years of enjoyment.

The absolute coolest thing I saw was dolphins swimming alongside the ship and whales breeching in their natural environment as nature intended. The kids will be awed!

Anchors aweigh! C.

No problem, the kids are very well supervised, and they have acitivies for their ages. But age 10 they could also hang out with you and take them to all the competions on the ship, they are so much fun watching.
Have you been to their web site, normally the cruise ships like Carnival Cruise Lines has a detail list of the activities that they offer by the ages.
Call your travel agent or call mine ###-###-#### they are very knowlegable on the activies. I owe this travel agency Mason Evans Travel, Lake Jackson, TX, the agents their really keep up with the latest info.

Keep close eye on the children try to have a family member with them this is safer for everyone. Plus they can take some pictures for later. Have fun.

When they say supervised, they mean it! We've gone with family and friends with older children and the kids had a blast. The moment our twin boys are potty trained, we are on a ship! For the younger set, you can also get a sitter for your cabin so you can eat in the formal dining room and/or have a night out with the DH. The sitters are very carefully vetted so no worries there.

My husband and I went with RC for our honeymoon and are planning another trip for next sring with our 3year old daughter. We left from San Jaun, so I'm afraid that I can't help much with the shore excursions go, but don't try to do more than one planned activity a day as a general rule.
RC is fantastic and super family friendly without being crazy.
The Advernture Odyssey is a drop in daycare/children's camp. They have planned activities. I think it is free but requires reservations.
All children have to be potty trained to be on the pool deck- no swim diapers are allowed.
They also offer in-room childcare for a fee.
Have fun!