1) re: crowded ports, and even when we planned excursions like a resort pass, packing up everything for a few hours at a hotel was an annoying waste of time - What ports? Tell me which ports and I’ll tell you better options. We always avoid the crowds, and we never go on group excursions.

2) re: everything on a ship is crowded. I hate being confined to a space with so many people - What ship? Were you on a big ship? The bigger the boat, the bigger the crowds. We prefer the older, smaller ships precisely because we dislike crowds. We’ve never had trouble finding quiet spots on a ship.

3) Re: too much access to food. I was stressed and bored, so I overate and feel gross. - Eh, it happens to the best of us. We avoid the buffet and eat meals in the main dining room where you order off the menu. We also strive to hit our daily steps. Rarely use the elevator; always take the stairs.

4) Re: so much rocking. It has made sleeping unpleasant. - The last two nights on our spring break cruise were rocky. 10-15 ft waves. But that’s unusual.

5) Re: so many transitions throughout the day. Meals, get off the ship, get to ports/excursions, get back in the ship, activities on the ship. - Take control of your schedule. Avoid group excursions and then you aren’t following someone else’s schedule.

PS - I’m surprised anyone enjoys Baha Mar or Atlantis. Both are more crowded than any cruise ship, and both have crowded, crummy beaches imho.

seven night cruise on celebrity with kids ages 7,4,1

I would have walked the plank by day 2.

Anonymous wrote:I've never enjoyed a vacation when any of my kids were 1-2. Its impossible.

+1. cruising is great once 3 years old and you put them in kids club. My DS loved, loved kids club and wanted to be there all day. Sometime he didn’t want to go on excursions with us. He is now 11 and still loves kids club on the cruise ships.

We do cruises with my parents who are elderly and it’s the only way they can travel. We do other non-cruise trips with just our core family.

I would never go on a cruise if I didn't have to, but all travel is bad with a one year old. That's the worst year, imo.

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think any vacation would be fun for me with your age spread.

This. We didn’t travel much then. When my younger one was 4 we started again and it was much better.

I like cruises with teens. We stick to Disney and it’s not our only type of vacation.

I agree that a toddler is not ideal for a cruise. We do it on an Alaska cruise and it was grreat. But mainly because we had a lot of adult or teen relatives to watch her and Alaska has lots of outdoor time. One thing that was nice about cruising with a toddler was that I never worried about finding kid friendly food when she happened to be hungry, and also if she work up early it was easy to one parent or just take her on a walk around the jogging track and let the other parent sleep in.
Cruises are best for tweens and young teens who love being able to make friends at the kids club and love the independence of choosing activities. Especially if you want to combine that with cousin or grandparent time.

I also think there are some ways you could have improved your experience. I always bring a ton of paperback books to read. Then I find the places on the ship that aren’t crowded — every ship has those if you walk atoned enough. Get an iced coffee and sit with a book and enjoy the sea air while the kids are at kids club. That’s my cruising vibe. I think it also takes a bit before you figure out the best excursions and they are hard with a toddler. My favorite cruise excursions are usually: rent a catamaran for your family and go snorkeling for the day, combine with lunch off ship. Or take a bus tour to a Mayan ruin. Bring AirPods or iPads or sticker books for the bus for kids. I hate the beach clubs and almost never do the ship sponsored trips. It’s so easy now to book things directly and you get a lot more control over quality of vendor’s and what you do, and avoid the cattle herding problem.

I’m also wondering if your room was at the back of the ship if the rocking was bothering you. I try to book mid ship.

Came here to say that. Going on a y vacation with a child 3 or under is not a vacation. It's just child care made more difficult by moving it to a different spot.

I've never enjoyed a vacation when any of my kids were 1-2. Its impossible.

I mean duh. Cruises are very blah and being in crowded confined spaces with a 1 year old is hell. What did you expect?

I dont mind an all inclusive, less moving around, more space more time to chill if you prefer. Still kind of blaj but with kids its fine.

You couldn't pay me to go on a cruise, unless it was a very small one, in say Europe. I hate crowds and hate being confined.

In addition to vacationing with a toddler, it's also possible that your vacation proferences are changing. And that's okay! Just because you used to like something doesn't mean you have to keep liking it or doing it.

I don’t think any vacation would be fun for me with your age spread.

I enjoy cruises but don't make them my vacation every time. I don't think I would have tried with a 1 year old, let alone 3 little kids. I think school age is good for this.

Anonymous wrote:toddler on a cruise doesn’t sound fun personally

Funny I bet the other guests didn’t love it either. DH and I cruised before kids. And Other than Disney cruise which we took our kids when they were 6 - 12yo, I prefer cruises sans kids.

Looking forward to our first winter break adult only cruise (aka cheap vacation) this year with our 18 and 22yo. If it goes well, we plan to make it a tradition.

I have no interest in cruises chasing a child or not and lol as I type this there is an ad for cruises on the page!

Anonymous wrote:David Foster Wallace once wrote an essay called "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again" about a week long cruise. Tina Fey has a chapter in her book of essays with the same title about a similar experience. A lot of people dislike cruises, even without small kids!

I think cruises are a vacation designed for older people who want to relax, see some sights, but not have to plan too much or do too much walking. It's a way to do a multi-city or even multi-country vacation without much effort. Also I think the Caribbean cruises are generally considered not great and most people would do better just staying at a beach resort somewhere in the Caribbean or Mexico. Especially if you have young kids because the resort contains them well and most family resorts have kids clubs for older kids and babysitting services for younger kids.

The cruises I've heard of being "worth it" (all by older couples who don't have young kids:

1) Alaska
2) Panama Canal
3) Greek Isles
4) European river cruises

Many of these don't even allow kids.

+1

Anyone considering a cruise should read David Foster Wallace’s A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again. One of the best essays ever. And no, a toddler is not meant for that experience.

We did a multigenerational cruise once. Ages 7 to 80. All in all it was fine given the limitations. But I would never do that again. Better to rent a beach house somewhere so everyone can do things at their own pace.