DH and I went on a cruise, just us, no kids. And I hated it. Disliked it for pretty much the reasons you listed, with the exception of the toddler chasing.

We cruised on Royal Carribbean. If I ever cruise again, it will be on one of the luxury lines with far less people on board, and a location that is best seen by ship like Alaska or something.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From talking to people, I have come to the conclusion that some people are cruise people and some people are not. I have not tried it, but I don't think I would be a cruise person. If I do try it, though, I've heard Disney is the best.

I agree with this.

I think I could be a cruise person but my DH is very much not one, so we're unlikely to try one. At least not until we are old (he might be willing to do it once we are retired).

DH doesn't even really like all-inclusive resorts. We've done a couple and he's fine for the first two days and then he gets bored with the resort, annoyed by the food, and wants to rent a car and go somewhere else. His preference is to stay in a hotel in a walkable area or right near the beach, do some excursions on our own to see sights, do beach and pool, and then go to restaurants in whatever town it is. I agree that is fun, it's just takes more work to plan, which is part of the appeal of a resort or cruise for me (as the vacation planner).

My husband was like yours. In fact, he said we weren’t “cruise people” and told me I made a huge mistake when I booked our first family cruise. Long story short: he quickly became a fan.

The key is to avoid the group excursions and book an itinerary that is port-heavy so your spouse can have beach time and new places to explore.

Now my husband gets bored spending several nights at luxury beach resorts. I think he enjoys spending the day in a different place along with the live music and evening entertainment.

And if your husband likes Indian food, it’s always really good on cruise ships (lots of Indians work in the kitchen).

Anonymous wrote:From talking to people, I have come to the conclusion that some people are cruise people and some people are not. I have not tried it, but I don't think I would be a cruise person. If I do try it, though, I've heard Disney is the best.

I think some people are more flexible people and some people are not. I can enjoy pretty much any vacation except the Jersey shore (or the kind of random cheap vacations I did in my 20s with roaches and sketchy people — I don’t enjoy that anymore!). I find stuff that I like about pretty much anything else—disney, national parks, big cities, country locales, foreign countries, cruises, whatever.

I’m not by nature a “cruise person” (I hate crowds, buffets, drinking, and loud environments) but I enjoy it well enough by doing a little advanced leg work to figure out how I can maximize the things I like and minimize the things I don’t. I think with the right mindset and a little prepwork, anything is like that.

One reason cruising with a one year old is a pain is the car seat issue. It wasn’t a problem for us on Alaska cruise because there are so many great things right at port. But in Caribbean it was irritating because a lot of the better beaches or activities are a short drive from port. Once they can go into a booster, it opens up a lot more possibilities. Also the swim diaper thing, so you can’t even use the pools (although some cruise lines have fun splash pads). I would be reluctant to do a carribean cruise with a kid under 3 for these reasons.
I’m also down on renting houses because that inevitably means that not only are you charging a toddler around a house that is not baby proofed, but you are also cooking and cleaning for a group. At that point, I’d rather stay in my own house where I have the stuff I like.
The best thing for toddlers and kids that age is the two bedroom marriot vacation club rentals or similar. Hotel amenities but with a fridge for their milk and baby yogurt and stuff and separate bedrooms plus living room to hang out in when the little one is napping. I’m not a vacation club member so I just bought the weeks on redweek.

I think one challenging thing about parenting is that “what works” changes every few years so once you’ve figured something out, it’s already about to stop working. Tween and younger teens are often bored with a standard beach vacation and prefer cruises and active national park vacations. Older teens might be bored by that and want a more cultural experience with different restaurants and shows and a chance to see the places they’ve studied in school.

Anonymous wrote:From talking to people, I have come to the conclusion that some people are cruise people and some people are not. I have not tried it, but I don't think I would be a cruise person. If I do try it, though, I've heard Disney is the best.

I agree with this.

I think I could be a cruise person but my DH is very much not one, so we're unlikely to try one. At least not until we are old (he might be willing to do it once we are retired).

DH doesn't even really like all-inclusive resorts. We've done a couple and he's fine for the first two days and then he gets bored with the resort, annoyed by the food, and wants to rent a car and go somewhere else. His preference is to stay in a hotel in a walkable area or right near the beach, do some excursions on our own to see sights, do beach and pool, and then go to restaurants in whatever town it is. I agree that is fun, it's just takes more work to plan, which is part of the appeal of a resort or cruise for me (as the vacation planner).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Op here. I actually did not expect to enjoy Baha Mar but we did. All the different pools and water parks kept my kids entertained for days.

Interesting.

But you didn’t have a toddler at Baha Mar, right?

Anonymous wrote:From talking to people, I have come to the conclusion that some people are cruise people and some people are not. I have not tried it, but I don't think I would be a cruise person. If I do try it, though, I've heard Disney is the best.

Disney is the best for very young kids.

Teens prefer Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines.

Disney doesn’t have a casino, and the themed restaurants are noisy and have lackluster food. Their desserts are surprisingly awful.

From talking to people, I have come to the conclusion that some people are cruise people and some people are not. I have not tried it, but I don't think I would be a cruise person. If I do try it, though, I've heard Disney is the best.

Anonymous wrote:We are just completing a seven night cruise on celebrity with kids ages 7,4,1. We had two spacious rooms. And yet, I’ve had one of my least relaxing vacations ever.

I spent most of the vacation chasing around my toddler. Chasing a toddler around is awful on any vacation, but seemed especially difficult on a multi generational cruise where there were tons of long meals and excursions geared towards adults.

Then there were the cruise specific things:

1) I disliked 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
2) everything on a ship is crowded. I hate being confined to a space with so many people.
3) too much access to food. I was stressed and bored, so I overate and feel gross.
4) so much rocking. It has made sleeping unpleasant.
5) so many transitions throughout the day. Meals, get off the ship, get to ports/excursions, get back in the ship, activities on the ship.

We’ve cruised in the past and I’ve always somewhat enjoyed it. The cruise ship itself is nice and the food is good, but I truly just did not enjoy this experience and have no desire to cruise again.

Was it all a matter of having our toddler with us, or what?

We went to Baha Mar a few months ago and found that format to be much easier with the kids.

All those ages are not fun. Vacationing at all with young kids isn't fun and your days revolve around them. What did you expect? You have to do excursions off the beaten path and adjust for young kids. Everythign is crowded, even though they are less fun in terms of activities the older ships are much less crowded. You have to pick in the middle of the ship for your room. Usually more stable. Its not the toddler, its your expectations. Why do you insist on traveling with young kids? Wait till they are older. Traveling is for you, not them as they will not remember it or care.

Anonymous wrote: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.

Op here. I actually did not expect to enjoy Baha Mar but we did. All the different pools and water parks kept my kids entertained for days.

It’s ok! It’s not for everyone.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

I agree with all of these points but also see why some don’t like cruising and know that 1 year olds are a pain. Cute, but a pain.

Sure, but toddlers are a handful on any vacation. At least on a cruise you can split up and take turns watching the toddler. You can easily nap in the cabin and hang out on the veranda while everyone else can still have fun. You can easily find food at any hour.

We have a handful of kids and have cruised, rented beach houses/condos, traveled to Europe, etc. and cruises are hands down the easiest and most relaxing trips.

Anonymous wrote:

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

I would have walked the plank by day 2.

Haha

Anonymous wrote: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.

I agree with all of these points but also see why some don’t like cruising and know that 1 year olds are a pain. Cute, but a pain.

I love cruises, Royal Caribbean is my favorite, but not with a toddler. Cruising isn’t for everyone though. I