Anyone traveled with kids recently and NOT recommend it?

[Sleepyluke]

I know there are alot more adults cruising right now that love all things calm. But, we are going to be traveling with an 8 and a 4 year old in the spring and curious if anyone would don't recommend it right now. I am not worried about the testing, a little concerned about port restrictions, but that will come and go, but overall, on the ship, were the kids able to play in the clubs like they wanted, was it tough to get a reservation to line up for an adult tasting/Palo? Just in general, was it a lot more work than before? Just want our expectations realistic. I want to spend time with them, but our oldest loves the clubs and will not love to play with her brother all week and stare at the old parents!

 

[lolomarie]

I can’t speak to any of your questions here as we are also planning on traveling in spring 2022, except for testing with young kids. My kids, 7 and 4 have been tested more times than I can count during the past year and a half of this pandemic. In my province if your kids have symptoms, kids need to quarantine from school or daycare for 14 days, or until symptoms clear AND you have a negative covid test. So often it’s way easier to have them tested than to keep them home for 2 weeks. Therefore, my kids have had the nose (touch your brain) test and the throat (make you gag and sputter) test many, many times. They hate it, but they deal with it and I always have a special treat lined up right away, and a Disney cruise is the ultimate treat! Anyways, hope this information helps anyone who’s worried about kids having covid tests, my guys have been troopers!

 

[Pinkscrubs]

I asked a similar question earlier! It sounds like kids clubs can only be used for a reserved slot of 90 min/day. If there are openings you can reserve more time, but it isn’t how I read it was- where you drop off your kids and they have fun all day.

I’m reconsidering our spring cruise myself. I know Disney wants to bring back all services ASAP but of course they don’t want anyone to get sick either. I have heard Scuttles cove is open again at least

 

[MomOTwins]

When are you sailing? We were on a cruise over a popular fall school break weekend and had 700 kids on board compared with 200 kids on the cruises before and after ours. As a result, kids club was full and we were unable to book any additional time for our kids on the ship (they had a few time slots with availability for one kid, but we wanted them in the club together). We did actually have a bit of an issue with scheduling—we had booked brunch and a kids club slot in advance but somehow the brunch got overbooked and they moved our brunch time earlier after we boarded without moving up the kids club time. I had to spend a bunch id time getting it straightened out which was annoying but they eventually did an override and let our kids in an earlier kids club time that was full. That was their mistake though as they changed the brunch time I had booked—if I were trying to book something on board I might not have been able to get a corresponding club time.

That said, this was as I understand the cruise with by far and away most kids to date other than maybe labor day as it was a school break. If your are going at an “off” time in the spring that is not peak spring break (eg early march or late april it should not be a problem—most people are having no trouble booking extra kids club times these days. But if you are going at a big spring break time it may be a challenge, especially since by then a lotof parents who were waiting on the vaccine may be more comfortable cruising. Although on the flip side, maybe DCL will increase kids club capacity by then too to make it easier to book. We are booked on a spring break cruise, so that should tell you we aren’t too worried.

To the original question we absolutely did not regret it one bit! We had an amazing time. 90 mins a day was plenty for the kids to enjoy the club, especially as we also went in with them during open house times. And we managed to get in some extra quiet time as parents by taking turns— DH took kids to see a movie while I did the spa, I took them to a family game show while DH went to the bar and so on. To be honest, I enjoyed this cruise a lot better than prior cruises when my kids would stay in the club all day because I spent more time with them at the pools, doing activities etc. and we made lots of fun family memories!

The one big downside for us was the stress of testing. It was very nerve-racking to coordinate getting a test within 3 days, in addition to the the port testing. I hope that goes away for our kids after they are fully vaxxed next month.

 

[dez1978]

Just responding to the title of the post. I never recommend traveling with kids. It's much more relaxing if you leave them at home.

 

[Sherrilatte]

Just responding to the title of the post. I never recommend traveling with kids. It's much more relaxing if you leave them at home.

LOL!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Keep an eye on the requirements. Your 8 year old will be required to be vaccinated, and the 4 year old must be tested before sailing at your expense. You'll have to be willing to do those things.

 

[Sleepyluke]

Keep an eye on the requirements. Your 8 year old will be required to be vaccinated, and the 4 year old must be tested before sailing at your expense. You'll have to be willing to do those things.

I actually am assuming both will have to be vaxxed by the time we sail and willing to do that piece, but curious how the onboard was going. We are good with the requirements prior to getting on, they have been tested before and will be again for any other random things, but not sure we want to go on a cruise that you can't go to the clubs more than 1-2 times for the whole trip due to capacity issues and not having enough space. I think most other things we are good with, but still alot of unknown so trying to figure it all out!

 

[Sleepyluke]

Just responding to the title of the post. I never recommend traveling with kids. It's much more relaxing if you leave them at home.

I have to disagree. MY little angels are so good, we are planning to ask special permission so they can go to Palo and ask for chicken strips from the pool to be brought in. They are incredibly well behaved EXCEPT when they are looking at each other, talking to/about each other, walking, talking, or breathing.

 

[dez1978]

I have to disagree. MY little angels are so good, we are planning to ask special permission so they can go to Palo and ask for chicken strips from the pool to be brought in. They are incredibly well behaved EXCEPT when they are looking at each other, talking to/about each other, walking, talking, or breathing.

lol, exactly!!! Tho honestly, apart both of mine are really fairly food. But together its a crap show. We just spent 2 days in denver, and I need a vacation from them now lol