mother/son trip booked

[bigturkey12]

hi
we have a mother/son disney cruise booked for feb 2010 yipee!!!
any advice from others who have cruised one parent one child p.s he is 14 and 5 foot 10.5 inches tall. we can hardly wait!!!

[kcashner]

I'm a single mom. I've done 21 cruises on DCL with my daughter at ages 7 - 18. I've done 2 other cruises, a zillion WDW trips, a trip to Europe, etc.

DCL is perfect because the amount of "together" time and the amount of time you'll take to enjoy your activities separately is totally up to YOU. Our one rule has always been that we have dinner together each night, whether our group is just the 2 of us or whether we have friends along.

[sdjen]

Thanks for asking this question. I am going to be booking my mother-daughter cruise in the fall when the 2011 dates are released myself. At the time we will be sailing, my dd will be 5.

I am curious to see what other advice you will get! One thing i am a little worried about is finding other adults to hang out with if my dd loves the kids clubs, etc... someone recommended to make sure that you join the roll call for your trip and get to know some people in advance.

I am hoping that works for me because I would love to do Palo but I really dont want to do that by myself. I am hoping on our trip i can find some adult friends or maybe even some other single parents in the same situation to get together with.

Good luck - sounds like so much fun!!! I am sure you will have a fabulous time!

[TiggerTails57]

I'm cruising with my DD age 20 in Dec, we plan on getting the Rain forest pass.

[bigturkey12]

Originally Posted by TiggerTails57

I'm cruising with my DD age 20 in Dec, we plan on getting the Rain forest pass.

hi what is a rain forest pass?

[dthogue]

My DD and I are doing a 5-night cruise in June as her HS graduation gift - it will just be the 2 of us. She will be 18 and we are looking forward to doing all the "adult" things together - the adult pool, spa/rain forest/gym, Palo brunch, Serentiy bay and the night clubs. I offered for her to bring a friend, but she said no, she just wants it to be the "two" of us!!

Hoping she doesn't get tired of me

Tammy

[justmestace]

My son and I went, just the two of us, when he was 15. We really had a good time together.

I did join the cruise meets thread, so that I knew some other people who were going, and was able to do some "adult" things with them while he did things with the teens.

Probably the most important thing for me was that I insisted he agree to my terms as far as what time to come to bed at night. If they were doing something past 11:00 or 12:00 in the Club, he had to let me know by dinner time so that I could check it out and give him permission to go. He also knew that no matter how late he stayed out, he HAD to get up for our excursions in the morning. He stuck to it, and we got along great.
He was also a great help when it came to hauling our snorkel bag, and getting around the airport & hotel with the bags. I thought it was awesome to have a personal helper.

But I'm also the type who is perfectly happy spending time alone, too. During the day, when he was off with the new friends he'd made, I didn't mind sitting on the verandah by myself, or reading a book on deck.
I knew before we went that I probably wouldn't see him half the time, and I was prepared for that.

[TiggerTails57]

Originally Posted by bigturkey12

hi what is a rain forest pass?

It's the Spa pass for the Rain Forest room cost is $15.00 a day, with the pass it's a little cheaper $45.00 for a four day. There are three steam rooms cool, hot and very hot! plus, the comfy heated stone chairs.

[kcashner]

As to meeting other adults....go to the Cruise Meets section of the boards and locate the thread for your cruise. Introduce yourself there.

After boarding...there is a daily lunch time with tables set aside for "single parent or sailing solo". All you have to do is to show up. A member of the cruise staff will be there as the "host." It's a nice time, not at all a "meat market."