Cruising with Kids - Essex Junction,VT

Updated on August 04, 2011
S.D. asks from Essex Junction, VT
4 answers

Hi ladies! To all of you who've gone on a cruise with your children, I was wondering what your thoughts were on getting a room with a balcony vs a window. We're planning our first cruise for next summer and I keep going back and forth on room type. My kids are oldish -11 and 13 at the time of the cruise, and responsible kids, but I still have this irrational fear of them falling over the edge of the balcony for some reason. My SIL also pointed out that if you're sitting on your balcony and the person on the next balcony is smoking, you get to breathe in their smoke. I also feel pretty sure that we won't be spending a ton of time in the room, so I wonder if it's worth getting a balcony or not. On the other hand, my friend did point out that it's really nice and relaxing to sit on your own balcony, sipping a glass of wine, watching the sun set, so now I'm leaning back towards getting one.
Also, what about the excursions? Are they worth the money? If we do any of them, they will be the cheaper, shorter time ones, but I wonder if we should even bother. We'll be travelling with my mother who, while not in a wheelchair, is limited in how much she can walk. The ports we're visiting are Montego Bay, Jamaica; Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Mexico. Any specific info you have on those ports would also be appreciated.
Thank you so much for your help! This is all so new to me!

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L.B.

answers from Boston on

I've done a few cruises. One Caribbean cruise with a balcony and one Alaskan cruise with a balcony. I loved having the balcony to hang out, have coffee etc. I thought I would be able to sun there (Caribbean) but it's shaded most of the time. It was still really nice. For the Alaskan cruise it was even better having a balcony. It was pretty cold outside, but if there were whales/dolphins/whatever we could go out and watch them. Also, when we went to Hubbard Glacier, we didn't have to fight for a spot at the railing to see it. My kids were older and had their own state room (in both cruises) But the railings are pretty high. I don't see how a person could "fall" overboard. You would have to physically climb up on the railing. I think it would be perfectly safe for your kids.

The excursions are expensive, but fun. You can do your own excursions for less money, but you have to spend time finding them, risk being scammed, etc. I kind of liked the convenience of booking through the ship and knowing what we were getting.

BTW - one of the best excursions we have done (on any cruise) is the Segway tour in St. Thomas. If it's available in any of the ports you're visiting, you should do it! Our entire family LOVED doing that! We didn't even care about what we saw along the way...it was just fun riding the Segways! There were kids on our tour, that were about the ages of your kids, who were having a blast. You can probably research that before you leave and book a tour on your own when you arrive - ahead of time can be risky. Our itinerary changed mid-cruise because of weather.

Bon Voyage!!!

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A.M.

answers from Fort Wayne on

You will LOVE it! :) Honestly, you will NOT be in your room very often. I would only recommend getting a room with a balcony if your family likes to sit and talk and hang out alone. It is pretty peaceful! I know there were times that the balcony is just nice to have to "get away" without being stuck indoors! We were in Cozumel 2 years ago and did the 4X4 excursion - it was neat. We drove a jeep and toured the island and saw a giant iguana and turtle! We also went to Paradise Island (I think that is what it was called, we have done a few cruises) which was a private island for a relaxing time of swimming, laying out, and a delish dinner!

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J.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

We did a cruise with that itinerary 14 years ago, before kids, and loved it! We did not pay for the excursions but took a taxi once we got to the port to see the destination we were interested in. Our taxi ride was about $20 versus the excursion bus trip for $80/ person.

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A.S.

answers from Boca Raton on

We took the Disney cruise a few years ago with our kids (so then they were maybe 14 & 11?) and I was very thankful our rooms only had a window - for the same exact reason you mentioned! We had adjoining staterooms so I did not want to worry about them all night long, and my kids are not wild or out of control by any stretch of the imagination.

We also crafted our own excursion, one day, when the ship's excursion was full (i.e. took a taxi to Atlantis).

I would be careful in the ports-of-call though - you don't want to get scammed, robbed, or sickened.

Good luck and have a great time! It was one of our best vacations ever!

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