Traveling with just immediate family

[CB Ace]

Seems like most people are traveling with big groups or extended family. We are considering a trip with just three of us (DH and me and our 4-year-old). Anyone done this? Do you get...sick of each other being cooped up on a ship for a week?! Did you meet other people? Or feel...lonely? Thanks for any feedback!

 

[Trera]

Seems like most people are traveling with big groups or extended family. We are considering a trip with just three of us (DH and me and our 4-year-old). Anyone done this? Do you get...sick of each other being cooped up on a ship for a week?! Did you meet other people? Or feel...lonely? Thanks for any feedback!

We dont ever travel with family as we want to limit the "drama" that also can come along with that.

In response to your other question, we have met several wonderful families while on board and many times as our table mates. The concierge lounge is also a great place to meet other people.

Good Luck on your cruise.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I usually just travel with my DD, and I prefer it that way. Adding extended family adds stress I don't need on vacation. We met lots of other people and we didn't get sick of each other. In no way did we feel "cooped up" on the ship. There's just too much to do.

 

[turtle27]

We almost always only travel with immediate family, you still love them no matter what, same cannot be said for friends. Not sure how to answer this, you can be a hermit on a cruise, a social butterfly, or somewhere in between. It is what you make of it.

 

[MUN]

Seems like most people are traveling with big groups or extended family.

What makes you say this?

 

[Plaid Princess]

We've done both, and both are fun for different reasons. When it's just hubby and I, we've met some great people that we've stayed in touch with over the years.

 

[OKW Lover]

We've done both ways and been happy with both. We genuinely enjoy being by our selves on board. We also enjoy being with a group on board. One of the key things to make it work with a group however, is not traveling like the borg. You don't all have to do exactly the same thing together. Do what you like and let the others be free to do what they like. Agree to meet for key events (Palo dinner?) but don't think that everybody should keep the same schedule.

 

[bethy]

Vacations are our family bonding time. It is very limited during our every day lives for several reasons. So we rarely travel with anyone else - maybe once every 4-5 vacations.

 

[clten]

I don't find that most travelers are with big groups or extended family. I find the opposite to be true. But maybe that's because those that travel in large groups mostly socialize among themselves??

Anyway, I find that cruising makes it a lot easier to socialize with "strangers". While in WDW or other resorts, every family is going their own way. So you may casually interact while coming or going. But on a cruise, you are with the same "strangers" all week and put in situations that make it easy to interact with other cruisers (if you are seated with another family at dinner; participating in a "game show" or bingo or whatever). We have made plenty of friends while cruising, some are friends for just the cruise, some for longer that we keep in touch with via Facebook and some we've kept in closer touch and have caught up with on other cruises. How much or little you want to socialize with your fellow cruisers (and the crew -- they are fascinating people!) is really up to you.

If you are just looking to bond with your family, you can certainly do that. If you find yourself needing a break from your loved ones, those opportunities are there as well.

 

[jrabbit]

We've only traveled with our immediate family - and one time with our DD and her hubby.

On a couple of cruises we were seated at a table with "just us" and those are the worst. We like sitting with other families. A few times we have been at tables with 3+ other families. Most have been very good experiences and none that were horrible. Just returned from a 12 nighter and there were 3 other couples with us. And no "Horrible Tablemate Stories"

 

[Quellman]

I've cruised as a teen with a parent and grandparents in the same room.
I've cruised (on a different line) with friends in different cabins. .
I've cruised with just my wife.
I've cruised with my wife and 14 month old and surprised my inlaws who didn't know we were sailing with them (separate rooms obviously).
Upcoming we have a 3 day with the inlaws again (this time planned) followed by a 4 day just wife and I. Should be great!

I don't favor one type of vacation over another. They are all different and have their own uniqueness to it based on the traveling party.

I think if you are worried about being cooped up with your family, you might not like your family too much. Make sure you take your 4 year old to the kids space the first day so they understand the space and what is there and that it is a place they can be without you guys (if they want to do it). Otherwise do the open houses.

You can usually meet new people on the ships, but it is lots of fun to also join a cruise meet group and get to know some before you sail. Then you can atleast meet up for coffee one day, or if kids are similar in ages have them hangout as 'already friends'. happy cruising.

 

[FindMeAFishingSpot]

We've done both. First one with DS was when he was 5 and we brought along my parents. Next time, it was just the 3 of us. Last year, we brought along my 15 year old niece as a babysitter. I liked the last trip the best. DH and I got to go enjoy ourselves alone at times, DS and niece played countless games of Uno and had a ball meeting characters and niece and I got to see all the girly movies together that DH and DS had no interest in seeing (Into the Woods, Cinderella). In fact, we enjoyed it so much, she's coming along next year as well.

Traveling with more was a little more hectic and I didn't enjoy it as much. But to each their own!

 

[jlynch924]

We always cruise just the three of us (DH, DD - 12 and me). We started cruising when DD was 4. There's enough space in the room and on the boat that we don't get tired of one another. DD enjoys the kids clubs (even more, now that she's in the tween one). DH and I like kicking back and relaxing at the pool or working out in the fitness center. As a family, we always do dinner together, and the shows.

 

[bumbershoot]

What makes you say this?

Probably from reading the questions here.

If the op read trip reports it would probably be a different picture. But traveling with many means complications and that results in questions so one sees those questions here.

 

[JW9DVC]

You don't have to stay together on the ship for everything. Massage, movie, kids club, bars, pool, bingo.

You can be with someone as much or as little as you want. Sometimes the joy and relaxation brings couples closer together. Joining various "clubs" for the adults on the verandah while the little one sleeps or is in the clubs. Being together with all the family is the reason we vacation with and sometimes just the two of us.

JW

 

[thumpie's mom]

We have done both, but prefer when it is just my husband and daughter. We enjoy having the time when it is just the 3 of us and have never gotten tired of each other's company. My husband does his own thing, but we get together for certain activities that we all want to do to and always have dinner together. As others have noted, we always meet other nice families while on board (usually waiting for characters!) and truly enjoy ourselves.

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

I have done three cruises in my lifetime and have my fourth scheduled for later this month.

My first was a week-long cruise to Bermuda, my second was a week-long cruise to Alaska, and my third was a three-day cruise to the Bahamas. Only the last one (three-day) was on Disney Cruise Line. The cruise to Bermuda was the only one I went on with a large group (three friends and the extended family of one of those friends.) While I had a great time with my friends, I actually prefer traveling with just my husband, which is what I did for my last two cruises. (Our two-year-old son will also be joining us on our cruise later this month.) On the group cruise, I felt more pressure to do what the rest of the group wanted and to do and stick together (not so much with the extended family but with my three friends), plus four 18-19 year olds sharing a room for a week was tight quarters.

In terms of your other questions, we didn't really meet other people on my cruises with myself and my husband. We were content just keeping to ourselves and even requested and received a private dining table on DCL. We probably had a better shot of meeting people on DCL than our honeymoon cruise to Alaska on NCL if we had chosen to do so, but we didn't sign up for any activities or spend time in the adult clubs or anything (I was pregnant.)

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

On a couple of cruises we were seated at a table with "just us" and those are the worst. We like sitting with other families.

I'm the opposite--I love having a table to ourselves!

 

[Crystal O_o]

We have done one disney cruise with just our family (Me, DH and the boys) and one cruise with extended family and friends (16 of us) I prefer just our family as we tend to have more down time. With the group of 16 I felt like the cruise was over in a flash.

 

[bcwife76]

We never travel with anyone besides the four of us (myself, dh and our two kids). First off we don't have much extended family and secondly when we've travelled with people in the past (ie. friends) there has always been some issue. So now it's only the 4 of us, doing WHAT we want WHEN we want.