You could see it in the other parents' eyes... that the 'relaxing vacation' on a cruise ship with their kids... wasn't going to be so relaxing.
My wife and I decided to take a week on a
Carnival Cruise with all three kids in tow. Trale 9, Mason 6, and Kyli 22 months. We knew ahead that we would have to tow Kyli everywhere we went because she was under two years old. The age threshold for the Carnival Kids Camp is 2 and up. So for parts of the day, Trale and Mason got to hang out with other kids for some fun activities and have a vacation too away from Mom and Dad!
Anybody with young children knows how easy it is for them to get bored even minutes after doing something fun. Being stuck on a boat, stuffed in a small cabins often sparked the 'bored' phrase more than I wanted to hear. Having to tote a little one around too made it difficult to see any of the adult sit down events which also provoked a 'bored' from me too from time to time.
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In that water at the
Pirate Ship Excursion |
The excursions turned out to be a nice release from the cruise ship doldrums. Getting to visit Grand Cayman and Mexico was a real treat, but I wanted to spend more time on land seeing the sights. You were whisked away for the excursion as soon as you stepped off the boat, by the time you returned, there was no time left to really experience the true culture of the town and you end up stuck in the port tourist traps with shops and restaurants I can visit anytime back home.
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| A picture of one of the pics snapped |
At every turn, somebody from the ship was taking our picture... even before we took one step onto the ship, we were pulled over and our picture taken. Of course, the cruise ship wants you to buy the picture later for $20!! When we got off the boat, a picture snapped... as we were eating...SNAP... outside on the deck. 'CLICK'...walking back to the ship all sweaty and nasty from the excursion....SNNNAAPPP! I think our picture was taken more times than if we were walking into a bank to rob it.
We did have some fun on the boat, but there were just too many little things that overshadowed the great stuff on board: Cabins that were too hot, spaghetti at the Mexico excursion, too little time at port, no daycare for little babies, $6+ Beer...oh and all the damn pictures... It was just too much.
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| Me with Nacho and Pancho |
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| There's a towel monkey in our room! |
Not saying, not to take a cruise, because for the most part, this trip was a good time. But for what it's worth...here's my two cents: If you want to see the world and cruise, do it with older children. Look for cruises that allow more time at port to get the most out of the towns you are visiting, read reviews of the excursions before booking... and don't jump off the boat, even if you really want to.
Click here to see more pics from the trip!
