things to do and crowded pools?

[debtman7]

I'm getting a bit paranoid We'll be going on a 4 day with my 5 year old son and 8 year old daughter. I think the girl will be fine, she'll probably have a blast in the kids club as she loves all kinds of structured activities. I'm a bit more worried about my son. He tends to be kind of shy, and gets uncomfortable around crowds or with strangers. I'm not sure he'll want to go to the kids club much at all, especially since his sister will be in a different group.

So, what else can he do on board? Swimming would be great, but from what I hear the pools are crowded to the point you'd have to be insane to take your kids to swim. Is it that bad? What times are the pools most crowded? I'm planning on taking them swimming right after we board and during nassau day, will it be bearable then? How about later at night or early in the morning, will we be able to go for a less crowded swim?

Ok so other than the pool, will we be able to find enough for a 5 year old to do? There are movies, sure, but he doesn't quite have the attention span to sit through movies. Cataway Cay day, I'm sure we can keep him occupied. We might take him to nassau for a bit but I doubt for long. The only other thing I can think is that he loves video games, but the arcade costs and I can only float that for so long...

I'm getting worried we'll be lugging around a 5 year old who is fussy and bored the entire time...

 

[luvsTink]

We just returned from a four day with a 5, 7 and 17 year old plus mom dad and grandma.

We were overwhelmed with options. The girls only spent a TOTAL of about 2 hours in the clubs. They stayed with us the rest of the time. What did we do? Nassau..we had a dolphin excursion. CC...they spent the day playing in the water and sand. Day at sea: swimming, a bit of time at clubs, eating, shopping, walking about. Evenings we spent at the shows (they will keep your 5 year olds attention) dining, playing bingo and other games.

My head is still swimming from the things we did NOT do.

Anne

 

[allears]

The pools are most crowded on sea days. While in port, they are great. Also first thing in the morning and later in the day, during show and dinner seatings they are also not crowded. You can certainly find time to swim without it being too crazy.

Even if you son is shy, try to get him to a couple of the activities in the club. They are great with kids of all ages and personalities.

Along with that, there is the arcade, tracking down characters for autographs, family activities that can be fun, ping pong and shuffle board. Don't discount some time curled up together on a lounge chair, like on deck 4 and reading together or just being together. One of the things we like about the cruise experience is that it's okay to stop and do nothing. Just enjoy being together without the stresses of daily life or hectic adgendas. Take time to watch the ocean.

We also always take an easily tranported toy or two as well as some surprises, like new coloring or activity books, which are great for some down time on deck or in the stateroom.

Our youngest was 4 or 5 on our first cruise and he never got bored nor did we have any problem keeping him engaged. He was totally in awe of the ship so just being there was a big deal.

Don't fret, you'll all be fine and can have a great time.

 

[angelmom]

When is your cruise date? We are going on a 4 day March 7 and have a 5 yr girl and 8 yr boy. Our son is a little nervous about new things also. I may see if they will let him bump down to be with his sister if he would like that better, but I'm sure they will be with us most of the time.