Single parents

[Becx N Gav]

Just wondering if any single parents can share their cruise experiences, I will be travelling next summer (2025) with my then 10 year old son.
How much 'me time' did you get? I find he can be quite reluctant at first but once he's more confident he'll go off by himself.
The one thing I'd like to do it the Rainforest Room one day, but I don't want to book it and find he won't go to the club!

Can I (briefly) leave him in the room by himself, e.g. to fetch a coffee in the morning, to grab some snacks. I totally trust he will not misbehave or do something dangerous - he's very sensible and would ask if he wanted to do something rather than just going ahead and doing it.

Any other tips or tricks you can share would be great!

 

[Mags2002]

Yes if you trust him you can leave him the room. Or he can go to the Club while you are there. If he doesn’t like the Club, have him check out Edge. He may be able to go there if they room, you just have to sign a waiver

 

[nherbert]

Do everything you can to get your son to the icebreaker events on the first day. He will make friends and then if it’s anything like my son, you will hardly see him again. I doubted my son would enjoy club but he loved it once he met people. All the kids are looking to make friends on that first day.

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

I took my then 4yo and 1.5yo on a 5 night magic last summer and got 2 hrs by myself but my kids are much younger and I could have gotten more but I mostly used the time my son was in the nursery to do things with my older one that I would be afraid to do with both of them. Like I didn't take the baby on castaway, only me and my daughter because I felt like I would be too stressed out with two little ones near the ocean by myself. My daughter loved the kids club tho. I forsee once my son is old enough for the kids club I'll get much more time to myself. The nursery just has limited availability

 

[jimmymc]

Definitely bring him to the clubs as soon as they open. That's when a lot of kids make their friend groups for the cruise, and it can be harder later on. The staff are also really good at pairing kids together.

 

[unrequited23]

My kids aren't huge fans of the kids clubs (my oldest was in Edge on our last cruise and loved it---we had to tell him when "family time" was non-negotiable) but if we something scheduled they would go without complaint.

On our first cruise, the oldest turned 10 the day before embarkation. He loved being the one to get our drinks in the AM as people woke up, and would take snack orders to bring back stuff from the pool deck in the afternoons.

I would feel comfortable leaving my kids alone in the room. If it was going to be more than a 15-20 min jaunt not during the early breakfast hours, I might slip the room occupied/do not disturb sign on door so the room steward knows not to freshen up at that time.

My youngest and I sat on loungers on the deck with the walking track and read/watched the ocean for 45 mins, while the oldest was in Edge. It was restorative.

 

[lanejudy]

I might slip the room occupied/do not disturb sign on door so the room steward knows not to freshen up at that time.

This is a good tip because the room hosts aren't supposed to enter a room occupied by just a child(ren). Putting out the sign would definitely help them avoid such situation.

 

[mab2012]

Can I (briefly) leave him in the room by himself, e.g. to fetch a coffee in the morning, to grab some snacks. I totally trust he will not misbehave or do something dangerous - he's very sensible and would ask if he wanted to do something rather than just going ahead and doing it.

I'm sure there are some families / 10-year-olds who would be uncomfortable with this, but for the vast majority, I'd say "of course".

DCL allows kids to check themselves out of Oceaneers (with parental permission) at 8, and many 10-year-olds are happier at Edge than Oceaneers (permitted at DCLs discretion) where they are free to come and go as they please. You will see 10-year-olds all over the ship by themselves, which IMO is perfectly fine as long as they understand and follow whatever ground rules the family agrees on.

Make sure he knows what to do in an emergency and, ideally, has some way of contacting you. Beyond that, if you're comfortable with it, I wouldn't think twice.

As for how much time he'll want to spend in clubs, I'm not sure if you'll really know until you get there. Sometimes they surprise you. Neither of my kids spent a great deal of time in Oceaneers. My daughter didn't usually spend much time in Edge/Vibe either, but my son could stay in Edge all day. Depends on the kid, and sometimes on the particular cruise. If there's something specific you want to do (eg. Rainforest), and you don't want to leave him unsupervised for that long, maybe just talk to him in advance and make it clear that you will expect him to stay in the club during that time?

 

[DisneyPiPhi]

Just wondering if any single parents can share their cruise experiences, I will be travelling next summer (2025) with my then 10 year old son.
How much 'me time' did you get? I find he can be quite reluctant at first but once he's more confident he'll go off by himself.
The one thing I'd like to do it the Rainforest Room one day, but I don't want to book it and find he won't go to the club!

Can I (briefly) leave him in the room by himself, e.g. to fetch a coffee in the morning, to grab some snacks. I totally trust he will not misbehave or do something dangerous - he's very sensible and would ask if he wanted to do something rather than just going ahead and doing it.

Any other tips or tricks you can share would be great!

I am not a single parent, but I have cruised solo with my daughter. She is a social butterfly and it's actually an effort to spend time WITH her when just the two of us cruise. She spends a lot of time in the clubs, makes friends, and wants to do things with them around the ship. I also have no qualms about leaving her in the room alone - for example, if we have an early excursion, I'll go get breakfast from Cabanas and bring it back while she sleeps or gets ready.

If you start discussing the plans and expectations ahead of time ("On the first sea day, I'm going to the Rainforest Room for 2 hours after lunch. During that time, you'll need to be in the club. But I will pick you up at X time and we cay do Y together after that.") things will probably be great!

 

[tlprice]

All 10 of my cruises have been as a single parent. All but one has been with just my daughter. One we also brought my nephew. My daughter and I have been cruising together since she was 8 and she will be 17 on our 11th cruise this summer. Some cruises I've gotten a lot of me time, others I haven't gotten much at all. It just depends on the cruise and if my daughter makes friends or enjoys the clubs on that particular cruise. If there's something I really want to do by myself, she is fine with entertaining herself either in a club, going to a movie, hanging at the pool, watching movies or shows in the room, etc. After our 1st cruise I was pretty comfortable leaving her certain places on her own. She's a very responsible kid. So, I say it just depends on your kid and your comfort level. One of my favorite things about cruising with my kid as a single parent is the amount of fun memories we get to make together so, I don't really care much about having me time.

 

[Karin1984]

If you have indeed a sensible, responsible 10 year old, why not just discuss it with him? Talk to him about that you want to try this thing but it would mean that he has to stay at the club. What are his ideas about leaving you alone for a while? Don't make many assumptions, a conversation can make it clear for everyone.

It also depends on what your plan is with the Rainforest Room, do you plan an entire day, or just a few hours.

 

[twoprincesses12]

This is my plan for a surprise Wish cruise with my DD 16 - we have cruised as a family so many times but that will not be an option for the near future - we will be able to make our own memories on a ship and itinerary we both know. It gives a level of security for 2 lady travelers. Our girls have cruised since they were 2 years old - I know they know how to have fun and stay safe while cruising.

 

[Becx N Gav]

Thanks everyone, I had no idea he could go to Edge - that may be a game changer as I expect his idea of a perfect holiday may be playing video games all day

I will certainly take him to the open houses, I know he is a bit shy and reluctant at first. Then the ice breaker sounds perfect for him to dip his toes in and see how he feels!

Once he is happy I will then decide whether or not he's happy for me to book something or not! I figure as it's just me I might even be able to get a last minute cancellation!

It would be one or two things, such as Rainforest room for a few hours or a tasting.

He is very responsible, even at home he still asks if he can have some candy (he has a drawer with it in and can help himself if he wants to!) and if he can play the PS4. I'd love for him to be able to spend time 'on his own' as it were (although I expect he will hang around with one or two friends) and navigate around the ship. As he can't swim yet I will make sure he doesn't go to the pool without me (even if he has a floatation vest on I don't feel comfortable) so we can have fun time together doing that - I love swimming and hopefully it will be warm enough! Otherwise he's probably more cautious than me so I have no worries he'd do something dangerous!

He has a phone at his dad's so we can take that for messaging

Thank you for the 'do not disturb' sign suggestion - I will definitely do that! Especially for breakfast, sounds like a fab idea!

Thanks all for the tips and the reassurance we can make this work for both of us!

 

[mjkacmom]

Definitely invest in swimming lessons, they can save lives.

 

[Becx N Gav]

Definitely invest in swimming lessons, they can save lives.

Oh I agree - he's had some with school and can swim 10 metres, so he's ok. It's more that he's not confident in the water and refuses to do lessons if I book them! I will start to take him swimming more regularly now (I was unable to drive for over 2 years due to a medical condition so it's limited what I have been able to do) and hopefully by next year he'll be a bit more confident.
Thank you

 

[MomOTwins]

Thanks everyone, I had no idea he could go to Edge - that may be a game changer as I expect his idea of a perfect holiday may be playing video games all day

This is hit or miss. We sailed twice when our twins were 10, and once they were allowed into Edge and once we were told, no waivers for 10 year olds were allowed due to the number of kids age 11-13 sailing on that cruise, meaning Edge was at capacity. Have heard many others report the same. Really no way to predict--you can always ask and see, but I wanted to give you a heads up so you don't wind up with a disappointed kid if they can't accommodate him. Of course going there during open house is still an option even if that is the case--my 10 year olds rushed there every open house to play video games that cruise.

I've done solo parent once, and unfortunately had the experience you were thinking about of buying a spa day pass and then not being able to use it at all that day because my youngest son didn't want to do the club, although there were other days he was happy to go, but he was younger than yours at the time. I'm doing a solo parent cruise again this fall and this time my plan is to pay extra for the length-of-cruise rainforest pass, so that I have more flexibility on when to use it over the course of the cruise. It's probably a bit of a waste of money, but I'd rather overpay and get to enjoy an occasional moment of zen when my son goes off to the club rather than pay less and risk getting nothing out of it. That might be an idea if it is within your cruise budget.

As for leaving in the room alone, I do think that depends a lot on the kid. For my older two, I have let them hang out in the room alone for much longer than that at around age 10/11 when they just wanted to watch a movie. But they were together so I knew one could call the front desk for help if the other got hurt somehow (showed them how to use the phone), and I instructed them to use the deadbolt and not let anyone in the room with them until I got back. For my youngest son who will be 9 on our next cruise (it will be just him and me going), I know he would be frightened on his own and might do something like leave to look for me if I was gone too long even if I told him not to, which could get scary really quick, so my plan is to use room service for a light coffee/breakfast in the morning while he sleeps in so that I don't have to leave the room.

 

[Becx N Gav]

This is hit or miss. We sailed twice when our twins were 10, and once they were allowed into Edge and once we were told, no waivers for 10 year olds were allowed due to the number of kids age 11-13 sailing on that cruise, meaning Edge was at capacity. Have heard many others report the same. Really no way to predict--you can always ask and see, but I wanted to give you a heads up so you don't wind up with a disappointed kid if they can't accommodate him. Of course going there during open house is still an option even if that is the case--my 10 year olds rushed there every open house to play video games that cruise.

I've done solo parent once, and unfortunately had the experience you were thinking about of buying a spa day pass and then not being able to use it at all that day because my youngest son didn't want to do the club, although there were other days he was happy to go, but he was younger than yours at the time. I'm doing a solo parent cruise again this fall and this time my plan is to pay extra for the length-of-cruise rainforest pass, so that I have more flexibility on when to use it over the course of the cruise. It's probably a bit of a waste of money, but I'd rather overpay and get to enjoy an occasional moment of zen when my son goes off to the club rather than pay less and risk getting nothing out of it. That might be an idea if it is within your cruise budget.

As for leaving in the room alone, I do think that depends a lot on the kid. For my older two, I have let them hang out in the room alone for much longer than that at around age 10/11 when they just wanted to watch a movie. But they were together so I knew one could call the front desk for help if the other got hurt somehow (showed them how to use the phone), and I instructed them to use the deadbolt and not let anyone in the room with them until I got back. For my youngest son who will be 9 on our next cruise (it will be just him and me going), I know he would be frightened on his own and might do something like leave to look for me if I was gone too long even if I told him not to, which could get scary really quick, so my plan is to use room service for a light coffee/breakfast in the morning while he sleeps in so that I don't have to leave the room.

Ok, that is handy to know. I will definitely tell him it may not happen - as we are doing a back to back it might be that the second cruise can accommodate him - fingers crossed.
I think for the Rainforest day pass I will wait and see how it goes - I'm not set on being able to do that (managing expectations!) so it won't be the end of the world if I don't get to do it!

Good point about leaving him alone in the room - he doesn't like being by himself sometimes (although it's mainly going up to his room when it's dark) so I will make sure he is comfortable, probably after a day or two once he knows the ship layout and the schedule. He's certainly excited about room service so we will make sure to do that!

I hope you have a wonderful time with your youngest! You never know he might be fine and it's a great safe environment to give him an experience like that!

 

[MomOTwins]

Ok, that is handy to know. I will definitely tell him it may not happen - as we are doing a back to back it might be that the second cruise can accommodate him - fingers crossed.
I think for the Rainforest day pass I will wait and see how it goes - I'm not set on being able to do that (managing expectations!) so it won't be the end of the world if I don't get to do it!

Good point about leaving him alone in the room - he doesn't like being by himself sometimes (although it's mainly going up to his room when it's dark) so I will make sure he is comfortable, probably after a day or two once he knows the ship layout and the schedule. He's certainly excited about room service so we will make sure to do that!

I hope you have a wonderful time with your youngest! You never know he might be fine and it's a great safe environment to give him an experience like that!

You too! Going to be awesome to make memories with our kids. It’s great that you are doing a B2B as that gives lots of time to adjust and figure out what works.