Single parents with young children

[Kimberly9701]

Hi! I recently returned from a 2 week vacation, 7 nights at Disney, 6 nights Key West, with myself and my 5 year old. We ended up scratching Legoland from the itinerary because we were both exhausted (and mostly bc of his mid day semi melt downs at the parks). Admittedly I made a few mistakes, we returned to the Poly daily to take a break from the parks. The original plan was for that to be nap/rest time, but my son was so in love with the Volcano slide that it became pool time instead- therefore long days and 0 rest. All that being said, we did have a fantastic time and he wants to do Disney again next year. I have decided that a Novemeber 7 night eastern Caribbean cruise will be a better option for us this time- plus I've read rave reviews on the Christmas themed cruise. Has another single parent done this? Did you find it more relaxing and a bit easier than the parks? I would love some input! Thanks!

 

[littleblackegg]

If your son is prone to mid-day meltdowns due to hunger/overtiredness, does he respond well to bargaining? I would say the cruise is definitely more relaxing than the constant overstimulation, movement, walking and noise of the parks. The parks are awesome but they sometimes feel like you need a battle plan for little kids! He'll be a bit older and up for more planning/reasoning. The ships have some awesome slides, that's for sure, and lots of fun for kids his age. There is even a kids club/sitting service that is pretty reasonable. You could plan an afternoon to yourself and get a pedi, drink some Cosmos, etc. You might not need another vacation after this vacation!

 

[savage1117]

I haven't done a Christmas cruise, but I'm a single mom & thought our Disney cruise was a wonderful vacation. It was way more relaxed than wdw. We hung out by the pool, watched movies, played bingo, and met a lot of characters. I will say my DD was 8 on our first cruise.

 

[Kimberly9701]

If your son is prone to mid-day meltdowns due to hunger/overtiredness, does he respond well to bargaining? I would say the cruise is definitely more relaxing than the constant overstimulation, movement, walking and noise of the parks. The parks are awesome but they sometimes feel like you need a battle plan for little kids! He'll be a bit older and up for more planning/reasoning. The ships have some awesome slides, that's for sure, and lots of fun for kids his age. There is even a kids club/sitting service that is pretty reasonable. You could plan an afternoon to yourself and get a pedi, drink some Cosmos, etc. You might not need another vacation after this vacation!

I will take my part in blame in the meltdowns.lol. It was his first trip, I've been several times, and I wanted to make it absolutely perfect. In doing so I completely over scheduled- some days we had 2 character meals per day, between 7-8am, and I felt like our dining dictated our days. After the first 3 I relaxed a bit and decided that missing a show or parade wasn't the end of the world. 2 nights we ended up watching the Electric Water Pageant and fireworks from our balcony, and one night from the pool. Those are the days that I also decided closing down the park wasn't a necessity. Things did get better after that . And yes, he can be bribed, which is why I had to ship two boxes of purchases home.lol
I definitely am not doing 2 weeks at once this time. Plan is the cruise, Legoland, and depending on which ship I decide on- the fantasy or magic- maybe a day at Kennedy Space Center. 10 day max for this trip.

 

[Kimberly9701]

I haven't done a Christmas cruise, but I'm a single mom & thought our Disney cruise was a wonderful vacation. It was way more relaxed than wdw. We hung out by the pool, watched movies, played bingo, and met a lot of characters. I will say my DD was 8 on our first cruise.

Did you ever take time for yourself? My main reason for choosing DCL is that I don't thing I would ever utilize a kids club, I didn't make use of it at our resort at Disney either. But, so many people say how much their kids love them on the cruise. I guess it just makes me feel guilty, since the whole reason for the vacay is to spend quality time together without work interruptions etc. (I work @ 50+ hour weeks). I do have to admit, a spa break and adult beverage would be nice though.

 

[Kimberly9701]

Please ignore the typos above. Posting and watching the Bengals game.lol

 

[littleblackegg]

I will take my part in blame in the meltdowns.lol. It was his first trip, I've been several times, and I wanted to make it absolutely perfect. In doing so I completely over scheduled- some days we had 2 character meals per day, between 7-8am, and I felt like our dining dictated our days. After the first 3 I relaxed a bit and decided that missing a show or parade wasn't the end of the world. 2 nights we ended up watching the Electric Water Pageant and fireworks from our balcony, and one night from the pool. Those are the days that I also decided closing down the park wasn't a necessity. Things did get better after that . And yes, he can be bribed, which is why I had to ship two boxes of purchases home.lol
I definitely am not doing 2 weeks at once this time. Plan is the cruise, Legoland, and depending on which ship I decide on- the fantasy or magic- maybe a day at Kennedy Space Center. 10 day max for this trip.

Now, let me go on record that I did say BARGAINING and not bribery, LOL!!!!!! I think parents get so focused on doing everything and planning everything (this happens at home, too) and it causes nuclear meltdowns because kids get those neurons so overstuffed. Sounds like you figured out how to dial it back quick! Disney does surveys of families every year and the number one family attraction is always the resort pool. It wins every year. Sounds like a cruise will be a perfect middle ground.

 

[ladypiph]

I haven't done a cruise alone with my DS 4 however I think cruises are easier than the parks for my family. Those mid day naps that may be needed are easier to take when the room is just a short walk away. The kids clubs are excellent as well he will be able to interact with other kids in a safe environment. The character meets are better because they move quickly. I really liked the fact that room service is included (tips are always appreciated) therefore while my DS was napping I would order room service if I needed to. The kids clubs also feed the kids at a certain time so you can get take some time out to maybe participate in a wine tasting or mixology class. With all that being said a cruise will be perfect for you and your DS, so much to see and do.

 

[Weedy]

We love to cruise and love the Disney ships. But just an FYI if your son loved the pool at the hotel you need to understand the pools on the ship can be VERY crowded (they have been called kid soup). Just wanted to let you know this before hand.

Some helpful hints. Go early
and plan to leave around 11:30am when it gets crazy. There are lots of things to do on the ship during the crazy crowded pool time.
Skip the sit down dinner one night and get quick service by the pool. The pools clear out about 4:30pm when people start to get ready for dinner and the shows.
There are excursions at many of the ports that involve swimming.
Stay on the ship one of the port days when most people get off the ship.
Plan a day at the pool at a hotel before or after your cruise. The pool at the Yacht and Beach Hotel is wonderful.

 

[savage1117]

Did you ever take time for yourself? My main reason for choosing DCL is that I don't thing I would ever utilize a kids club, I didn't make use of it at our resort at Disney either. But, so many people say how much their kids love them on the cruise. I guess it just makes me feel guilty, since the whole reason for the vacay is to spend quality time together without work interruptions etc. (I work @ 50+ hour weeks). I do have to admit, a spa break and adult beverage would be nice though.

I did a spa treatment and i did the Palo brunch. DD didn't love the kids club but she tolerated them for the few hours i had these appointments. I second the comment about pools. We skipped the main dining one night and went swimming instead & it was relatively deserted.

 

[Kimberly9701]

We love to cruise and love the Disney ships. But just an FYI if your son loved the pool at the hotel you need to understand the pools on the ship can be VERY crowded (they have been called kid soup). Just wanted to let you know this before hand.

Some helpful hints. Go early
and plan to leave around 11:30am when it gets crazy. There are lots of things to do on the ship during the crazy crowded pool time.
Skip the sit down dinner one night and get quick service by the pool. The pools clear out about 4:30pm when people start to get ready for dinner and the shows.
There are excursions at many of the ports that involve swimming.
Plan a day at the pool at a hotel before or after your cruise. The pool at the Yacht and Beach Hotel is wonderful.
View attachment 126212

Thank you for those tips!! Great advice, I will definitely use it. We are for sure going to do a snorkel excursion on one of the islands. I used to be an avid diver and want my son to love marine life as much as I do. We practiced snorkeling all summer in preperation for an all day snorkel trip to Dry Tortugas. Unfortunately there were thunderstorms daily while we were in Key West and that day trip was cancelled- booked a shorter 4 hour excursion to the reef for another day- got cancelled as well .

 

[Kimberly9701]

We love to cruise and love the Disney ships. But just an FYI if your son loved the pool at the hotel you need to understand the pools on the ship can be VERY crowded (they have been called kid soup). Just wanted to let you know this before hand.

Some helpful hints. Go early
and plan to leave around 11:30am when it gets crazy. There are lots of things to do on the ship during the crazy crowded pool time.
Skip the sit down dinner one night and get quick service by the pool. The pools clear out about 4:30pm when people start to get ready for dinner and the shows.
There are excursions at many of the ports that involve swimming.
Plan a day at the pool at a hotel before or after your cruise. The pool at the Yacht and Beach Hotel is wonderful.
View attachment 126212

Thank you for those tips!! Great advice, I will definitely use it. We are for sure going to do a snorkel excursion on one of the islands. I used to be an avid diver and want my son to love marine life as much as I do. We practiced snorkeling all summer in preperation for an all day snorkel trip to Dry Tortugas. Unfortunately there were thunderstorms daily while we were in Key West and that day trip was cancelled- booked a shorter 4 hour excursion to the reef for another day- got cancelled as well .

 

[bumbershoot]

Did you ever take time for yourself? My main reason for choosing DCL is that I don't thing I would ever utilize a kids club, I didn't make use of it at our resort at Disney either. But, so many people say how much their kids love them on the cruise. I guess it just makes me feel guilty, since the whole reason for the vacay is to spend quality time together without work interruptions etc. (I work @ 50+ hour weeks). I do have to admit, a spa break and adult beverage would be nice though.

Taking younger kids on vacation is almost never a vacation for the parents. Even when you're traveling with a partner. When DS was 3 and we took our second DLR trip inside of 3 months, when we got home I nearly had a nervous breakdown from trying to help DS and DH have a great time. Making things harder was the fact that they want to tour differently than I do (I'm go go go and they are slooooow), so helping them have a good time was making MY time lousy, AND the communication just wasn't working. So they sent me on a solo trip.

With a cruise, as long as the kidlet likes, or can tolerate, the kid club, the time they spend there is your "solo" trip. And he'll likely have a very good time there. Take time during the first hours it's open to take him to Open House, show him what there is to play with and on. Talk to counselors about the different activities, to find out what they are, and then later you can steer him towards those things, dropping him off, for, say the "Get the Hook" activity each day, while you run off and be an adult for an hour or so. Letting him play and have FUN (it's not school, it's not even daycare...it's just fun) while you play and have fun isn't something worth being guilty about. You both have different experiences, he can tell you all about, say, GagaBall, you maybe have checked out the minigolf area while having a boozey beverage, and then you can go experience that together.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I'm not a single mom, but I do travel solo with DS7 often and we did a mom/son cruise on the Magic last year. It was much more relaxing than a park vacation (though I love those too!). We just did a 3 night Bahamas cruise and had so much fun! We did many of the activities together on the ship and did the kids' clubs open houses (DS didn't want to do the kids clubs until this past summer - then I couldn't get him out!). We also did the Blue Lagoon beach day and simply explored all that was offered on Castaway Cay. We loved it! If your son will go into the kids club, you will have a lot of time to relax and do things on your own as well. I highly recommend the cruise!

 

[darnheather]

We love to cruise and love the Disney ships. But just an FYI if your son loved the pool at the hotel you need to understand the pools on the ship can be VERY crowded (they have been called kid soup). Just wanted to let you know this before hand.

Some helpful hints. Go early
and plan to leave around 11:30am when it gets crazy. There are lots of things to do on the ship during the crazy crowded pool time.
Skip the sit down dinner one night and get quick service by the pool. The pools clear out about 4:30pm when people start to get ready for dinner and the shows.
There are excursions at many of the ports that involve swimming.
Stay on the ship one of the port days when most people get off the ship.
Plan a day at the pool at a hotel before or after your cruise. The pool at the Yacht and Beach Hotel is wonderful.
View attachment 126212

OMG that is insane. Thank you for the wake up photo!

 

[wilkeliza]

Just wondering did you not use the kids club at WDW because they cost more or just because you wanted time with your son? If you are thinking of a spa treatment for yourself then you can drop your son off at kid's club and take an hour or two to yourself. The great thing about the cruises is that you can do that and it is included. If it is just because you don't want to leave him since it is your vacation together then just remind yourself that you have also earned 2 hours of peace! Single parents deserve a tiny break as well.

 

[sdjen]

I'm only a few months away from my 5th DCL cruise with my daughter (9). Our first cruise was when she was 5 and we obviously love it!!

She liked the kids club when she was younger but not so much now. We make a deal that she has to do the kids club for at least a few hours each trip. I schedule a spa visit and a Palo brunch (don't miss this IMO) but the rest of the time is family time. I still haven't made it to the adults only pool!

One other suggestion would be to make sure to join the meet group for your cruise. Since it's just the two of is its been helpful to "meet" other families ahead of time. Our second cruise I chatted with another single mom and we linked to sit together for dinner. The kids got along well and it makes it easier for the kids to have friends to go to the club with if they don't have siblings. The moms hit it off well also so we did Palo brunch together too!

I haven't done the parks yet but I really love cruising with her. We can do as much or as little as we want to do. We cruised to Alaska this summer and were busy on port days but just hung out on sea days. I've also priced a week long park visit and IMO cruising is either comparable or cheaper when you consider the food and entertainment

Have fun!

 

[TXTransplant]

I took my son to WDW three times before we did a cruise, and I can honestly say that a cruise is WAY more relaxing than the theme park! We love WDW, but I end up being sort of a touring commando. The cruise is so much more laid back...we slept in, didn't feel like we HAD to be anywhere, and my son LOVED the kids' club. We our first cruise for Thanksgiving 2013 and are booked again in December (for my son's birthday - his choice). I think cruising is a great option for single parents, and since my son is an only child, it was also a great opportunity for him to socialize.

My plan is for my son and I to spend any days in port together (doing excursions) and to eat dinner together every night. Beyond that, I let him tell me what he wants to do and where he wants to go. I do book Palo Brunch for myself, and he likes to watch the movies and shows, so we do that together. But, I don't feel guilty at all for letting him spend time in the kids' club since he enjoys it so much.

 

[Kimberly9701]

Just wondering did you not use the kids club at WDW because they cost more or just because you wanted time with your son? If you are thinking of a spa treatment for yourself then you can drop your son off at kid's club and take an hour or two to yourself. The great thing about the cruises is that you can do that and it is included. If it is just because you don't want to leave him since it is your vacation together then just remind yourself that you have also earned 2 hours of peace! Single parents deserve a tiny break as well.

I originally thought I would use it for a couple of hours, but then once in Disneyworld, had too much guilt over sending him away while I had a massage next door at the GF. So I cancelled my appointment and we went to Mickey's Winter Summerland instead, he wasn't aware of this since I was already on the fence and didn't tell him about Lilo's playhouse.
I do think a cruise will be different since it should be so much less hectic than the parks, so may get that massage in after all. Depends if he will want to go. I've read a few people talk about an open house, that would be great to see if he would like it.

 

[wilkeliza]

I originally thought I would use it for a couple of hours, but then once in Disneyworld, had too much guilt over sending him away while I had a massage next door at the GF. So I cancelled my appointment and we went to Mickey's Winter Summerland instead, he wasn't aware of this since I was already on the fence and didn't tell him about Lilo's playhouse.
I do think a cruise will be different since it should be so much less hectic than the parks, so may get that massage in after all. Depends if he will want to go. I've read a few people talk about an open house, that would be great to see if he would like it.

The open houses are a great time to check it out. There aren't as many guided activities then but he can see what it is, talk to the kid's club leaders, and meet some other kids while also having you there. Best plan would be to go ahead and sign him up for the club when you book and then if he doesn't use it so be it. Sometimes on the cruises over school holidays the kids clubs get full so best to let them know he might use it then to wait until you get onboard and find his age group is maxed out.