Best Vacation Ideas for this winter Cruise vs. All Inclusive Resort?

[Anonymous]

We have 2 girls age 1 and 5. We want to take a vacation this winter. My husband is thinking a cruise would be a good idea and relatively inexpensive. I am thinking it might be too hectic for the baby. I was thinking an all -inclusive resort might be a better idea. Any suggestions.

[Anonymous]

I think Club Med is great for kids your age. Tons of activities, kids camp etc. Not super expensive but accommodations are not super luxurious.

[Anonymous]

I keep hearing great things about FDR Resort in Jamaica for families with little kids. Each family gets a personal nanny.

You can do a search on previous messages here about cruises. (I've also been looking into it.) Seems to be two extremes -- those extremely happy with it, and those who will never do it again with little ones. Sounds like which cruise liner you choose will have a lot to do with how you feel.

[Anonymous]

We just did a cruise with a 14 month old and 3.4 year old and it was excellent. Not our normal kind of vacation but we've had to adjust our expectations with kids. I highly recommend the Royal Caribbean line as very kid friendly.

[Anonymous]

We took a cruise with our 18 month old and it was a nightmare. We have done several all inclusive programs and it has been awesome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We took a cruise with our 18 month old and it was a nightmare. We have done several all inclusive programs and it has been awesome.

Can you share what made it a nightmare and why the all inclusive is better?

[Anonymous]

We thought we would be able to use the kids club for a couple of hours each day and our daughter cried so hard that she just couldn't stay there. They call you if your child can't settle in after 15-20 minutes. We had not considered that she would reject the kids club b/c she had been in daycare from 6 months old. So we never got to spend any time alone together. Plus, one or both of us had to return to the cabin each day for naptime and we could not be out together past bedtime. We were in the cabin each night by 7pm, lights out, no TV, no movies, no books, no sex, no nothing. Many cruise ships will not allow non potty trained kids in the pools even in swim diapers. Our cruise was too cold to go in the pool so thankfully we did not have to worry about that. The cabins don't have bathtubs so in order to bathe her I had to shower with her in a shower stall which she hated so she cried the whole time. Basically, we had planned on being able to enjoy ourselves a bit without having to leave her at home and instead we found out we would have been better off staying at home and taking the time off work. At least we could have watched movies or had a conversation after 7pm at night at home.

At the all inclusive places that we have been to, we made sure to get a room with a balcony. We got up for breakfast and went to the pool or the beach. At the pool, we set up camp at the swim up bar where our daughter got on the stools and jumped off over and over. We set up at the end of the bar and anyone who got near us had their drinks and food paid for by us so everyone was "thrilled" with our daughter jumping off the barstools. The pool had water slides and a lazy river so we went down the slides and the river a zillion times which we all enjoyed. The beach had shells, sand, and wet sand. We ate lunch at one of the restaurants by the pool or the beach and then went up to give her a nap. We took turns going to the gym or the spa during naps. And then we went to dinner. After dinner, we put her in the tub and then she went to bed. With the balcony, we could sit out and watch the sunset, have a glass of wine and talk at least.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We thought we would be able to use the kids club for a couple of hours each day and our daughter cried so hard that she just couldn't stay there. They call you if your child can't settle in after 15-20 minutes. We had not considered that she would reject the kids club b/c she had been in daycare from 6 months old. So we never got to spend any time alone together. Plus, one or both of us had to return to the cabin each day for naptime and we could not be out together past bedtime. We were in the cabin each night by 7pm, lights out, no TV, no movies, no books, no sex, no nothing. Many cruise ships will not allow non potty trained kids in the pools even in swim diapers. Our cruise was too cold to go in the pool so thankfully we did not have to worry about that. The cabins don't have bathtubs so in order to bathe her I had to shower with her in a shower stall which she hated so she cried the whole time. Basically, we had planned on being able to enjoy ourselves a bit without having to leave her at home and instead we found out we would have been better off staying at home and taking the time off work. At least we could have watched movies or had a conversation after 7pm at night at home.

At the all inclusive places that we have been to, we made sure to get a room with a balcony. We got up for breakfast and went to the pool or the beach. At the pool, we set up camp at the swim up bar where our daughter got on the stools and jumped off over and over. We set up at the end of the bar and anyone who got near us had their drinks and food paid for by us so everyone was "thrilled" with our daughter jumping off the barstools. The pool had water slides and a lazy river so we went down the slides and the river a zillion times which we all enjoyed. The beach had shells, sand, and wet sand. We ate lunch at one of the restaurants by the pool or the beach and then went up to give her a nap. We took turns going to the gym or the spa during naps. And then we went to dinner. After dinner, we put her in the tub and then she went to bed. With the balcony, we could sit out and watch the sunset, have a glass of wine and talk at least.

Which all inclusive places did you go to???

[Anonymous]

In Jamaica -- Rose Hall

In Puerto Rico -- El Conquistador

In the Bahamas -- Atlantis

The Jamaica resort did not charge for the water slides/lazy river. I have dim memories of paying to use the waterpark in Puerto Rico. However, in PR, there is an adult pool which is WONDERFUL.

[Anonymous]

I highly recommend you look at reviews on Tripadvisor.com for all the places mentioned by the above posters. That will give you many assessments.