What if DH wants to cruise and I don't?

[HappyMommy2]

Okay, can you believe this? DH is away at sea long-term on a Navy ship and all he can talk about lately is how he wants to go on a Disney
cruise when he gets home next year! We've never been on a cruise before (well, not a pleasure cruise ) and it was just never something that I'd really considered. I've been reading this board for a while and it's gotten me more excited about the possibility of cruising, but still I just can't seem to get super-thrilled about the idea. I keep worrying about the safety of our kids (will be ages 4 and 2), whether they'll enjoy the child care at all, whether we'll all be sick and quarantined, how the kids might behave (or misbehave) at sit-down meals, etc. The whole idea is just stressful to me! Our WDW vacation this past summer was so magical, we had planned on doing it again next year, and I just feel like that would be more comfortable for me, being familiar ground.

I must tell you that if I get the feeling that DH seriously wants to do this cruise, I won't stand in the way at all, and I will throw myself wholeheartedly into the fun of planning--I know we will all have a wonderful time (how could we not, since we'll be together as a family again?) and, besides, DH more than deserves to be able to choose our vacation after all the sacrifices he has made. I guess I just kind of needed to vent here and see if anyone has any thoughts on how I can really get into the cruising spirit!

Thanks for listening.

 

[lbgraves]

LOL! You sound just like me last 12/25 when I opened my gift from DH. I NEVER imagined us going on a cruise especially with then 2 & 4 yo kids! Relax! Get into the planning & you & everyone else around you will be excited. The kids were 3 & just 5 when we cruised and we all had a fantastic time. We can't wait to go again now!

 

[cindy21494]

Have you talked about the land/sea vacation? We did that our first time to see if we liked it, and now we are doing our second land/sea in May and our second 7 day in October.

Which ever you choose, you can't go wrong with Disney. They really know how to take care of you.

Have a fun trip!!

 

[lbgraves]

Just wanted to add that with kids that age we were really glad that we chose to do the 7 day. It took us all until Monday to settle into a groove with naps & a bit of a routine. IMO if you can handle the parks, the ship will be a breeze. We only went to MK one day before the cruise but if I had a choice, I wouldn't set foot in WDW again if I could just cruise. The kids will have alot more time with the characters than they do at MK. It is all just less rushed IMO.

 

[kcashner]

THe Disney cruise is perfect for you. Do you think you have the only kids who might misbehave at dinner? First, the chances are excellent that you will be at a table for 4 with just your family. You can even request this at booking....so....if your kids misbehave in front of the servers, you deal with it or remove them as needed. You can always take the older one to the club and finish your meal in peace...then collect him/her.

Sea sickness....my first cruise, I took a zillion precautions. My second cruise, I took no precautions...no problems either time.

Quarantine--well, if you are really sick or have really sick kids, you're not likely to care. Besides, the chances of it happening are rare.

We love the parks, but I look on the cruises (9 on the Magic so far) as MY vacation. At the parks, the mom still has to be concerned about where the family will eat, what you will do, etc. You still have to make real decisions. On the cruise, you have NO meal decisions beyond what you want to eat. After all, all the food is included, and there's always room service. I don't negotiate about dinners--we will eat at the dining room on our rotation. On other meals, I advise my DD (soon to be 13) as to what I am doing. She is free to join me or not as she sees fit. If she chooses to eat on her own, that is fine. She has been cruising since age 4, initially on 2 other ships, and on Disney since age 7. I allow her to choose what she wishes to do with minimal help from mom. At younger ages, I'd say "they're doing this in the club, I think you'll like it." Or "we're doing" whatever.

Obviously, at a younger age, there is more parental direction...but it is still a time where everyone can be happy with what they are doing. It is all paid for in advance...so if she orders something she hates, we get something else (an it's not a problem for me). If she's in an activity she's not happy with, you'll be paged.

Honestly, the only disadvantage I can see to the cruise is that you might want to wait till the younger is 3 and potty trained so that both kids can be in the Oceaneer's Club. But then, I have no experience with the "under 3" childcare other than hearing that it is sometimes full.

I love the relaxation of the cruise....and the adult programming...and the shows....and the crew....and everything. It is the ONLY vacation that we all agree upon.

 

[brack]

I too was in the Navy (1970 to 1974) and loved the sea. It took about 30 years to get my wife on a ship (she didn't even like my aircraft carrier) but once she was on the Magic she was hooked. We've about to depart for our 3rd and 4th cruises in January.

Go you'll love it.

 

[NCRedding]

I second kcashner: I love WDW, but when we do WDW, I'm still "in charge"and "responsible" On the ship, I can truly relax and enjoy not having to make decisions--we know where we are going to eat and at what time. The only decision are fun ones. Cruising for my family is truly the most relaxing way to go!!

 

[wide awake]

Hello,
Like you I am a military wife, but in my case AF, with husband in Spain. I understand about wanting a vacation where you can relax, and one that you know is going to be fun. I can tell you, I have a 13 year old autistic DS, I work full-time, this is the second time my DH has been TDY since 9/11, and our DCL cruise in 10/03 was the first time I have been able to relax and have fun in years !!! My DH kept saying "you never do things like that" meaning bike riding, touring, etc... and the reason is that I never have time or energy at home. The staff on the ship was wonderful, everything was spotless, and my son adored it. We have been to Disneyland, and while we enjoyed it, I was on duty the whole time. I can't imagine that you wouldn't love the cruise, and I think if you go along with the 7 day Eastern or Western you will do the same thing I did, which is book for another before you leave the ship. Read the reviews on Yahoo...everyone of them that has done the mixed land/sea thing says they wished they'd done the 7 day cruise.

 

[HappyMommy2]

WOW!

That was EXACTLY what I needed to hear; thank you so much everyone! Thanks to you I am starting to realize that a Disney cruise really can be for people with small kids--that goes against all my preconceived notions of cruising, but I think since it IS Disney after all, I can get myself to believe it!

I had never really thought about it, but it's true--on a WDW or DL vacation I am definitely in charge, making all the decisions, working everything out, etc. all the time, and on a cruise I could sit back and relax and just get taken away!

Next time DH e-mails or calls and mentions a Disney cruise, I'll be able to be much more upbeat and excited about it!

Thanks again everyone.

Janet

 

[MrsPete]

I understand your worries about kids' safety. I imagined that there'd be a skimpy little railing between us and the big blue -- nothing could have been further from the truth! On deck 9 (the main outdoor activity deck), there are plexiglass walls so that you can see the ocean, but nothing could possibly fall in! Your children will be perfectly safe. DH and I discussed this once as we were out walking. We decided that if you wanted to jump off the ship you could do it from certain spots on Deck 4, but you'd never fall off accidentally.

As for being sick, take normal precautions before your trip and be vigilant about hand-washing onboard. When you enter the buffet, you'll see a stack of anti-bacterial hand wipes. When the kids enter the kids' clubs, they'll be asked to wash their hands before joining the group.

You can eat well without ever making it to a sit-down meal (though it would be a shame). With two small children, I'd suggest doing the buffet or room service for breakfast and lunch so that they're only expected to use "restaurant manners" once a day. Or drop them off in the kids' clubs and enjoy dinner alone.

I promise you -- the cruise will not be stressful! In fact, we found it to be considerably more relaxing than WDW. They're very different vacations.

 

[HappyMommy2]

Mrs. Pete,
Thanks for commenting on the deck railings. That eases my mind. I actually had a nightmare a couple nights ago about one of my kids falling off the ship. Guess I can put that fear to rest, especially as we'll certainly be supervising our kids closely the whole time anyhow.

Janet