Total Disaster...Need Some Advice For Cruising As A Single Parent (Just For This Cruise)are

[Cmbar]

Just a quick question.... if you're going to lose his fare anyways can you invite a parent or sibling or friend to go with you? You can do a name change for $75. Just a thought.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

So my worst fears for this cruise have come true...my husband has just been called to work on a movie (he’s a stuntman) and the dates are right during our Merrytime Cruise that starts on Dec. 11. It’s too much work (and therefore, money...we’re buying a house, so we have to be smart about that right now) to turn down. So now I’m looking at possibly taking this cruise with my 5 and 6 year old on my own. In all of my plans and imaginings of this that I’ve had over the last year that we have been planning this, I never imagined doing it alone. I know that the kids will probably love the kids clubs, so I’m not worried that I won’t get to relax at all, but I don’t really know what to expect other than that. Obviously Palo and Remy are not as appealing. Are there any activities that are great for either solo travelers or single parents? What should I be aware of that may be a little more challenging without a partner? And finally, any suggestions on how to make this still really wonderful for my kids so they don’t just feel the lack of their Dad on what was supposed to be our first family vacation? Thanks in advance.

Sorry to hear that he has been pulled away. Life unfortunately has a way of creeping up on us even at the most inconvenient times.

We are on the same cruise as you. Join our facebook page (Disney Dream December 11th, 2017). We are a friendly group who are planning a few get togethers. then of course you can hang out with any of us at any time. There will be PLENTY of company to keep you occupied! The kids won't even know dad isn't there with all the friends they will have (and you too).

 

[ArtemisPhoenix]

Sorry to hear that he has been pulled away. Life unfortunately has a way of creeping up on us even at the most inconvenient times.

We are on the same cruise as you. Join our facebook page (Disney Dream December 11th, 2017). We are a friendly group who are planning a few get togethers. then of course you can hang out with any of us at any time. There will be PLENTY of company to keep you occupied! The kids won't even know dad isn't there with all the friends they will have (and you too).

Thank you so much!

 

[ArtemisPhoenix]

I did a solo cruise with my kids when they were the same age for the same reason (hubby had to work) and had a great time. However, I don't want to be a downer, any vacation is better than being at home, but for us it wasn't quite the same without Daddy. One issue is that there's no "divide and conquer" option. If one child is tired and is enjoying a movie in the cabin but the other wants to go to the princess gathering, someone's going to be disappointed. If someone is hungry and wants an ice cream from the pool deck, everyone has to pack up and head out. Room service is your friend, especially for breakfast. I'm pretty self sufficient and have no problem travelling alone, but having one family member absent does change the dynamics. However, it was still a great trip overall and I'd be happy to do it again.

Thanks for the input! That all makes a lot of sense, especially since I’ve traveled alone with the kids before. We’ve usually been going to Grandma’s house, so there’s usually help on the other end of the trip, but the travel day itself is quite a juggling act. I guess if I can handle being delayed for 18 hours with them in an airport, I can “handle” a Disney Cruise with them!

 

[ArtemisPhoenix]

Thanks so much to everyone for the advice and support. There are some really great suggestions here.

A few people have reminded me that this is not a “disaster”.
Lol. I realize it must sound like such a silly thing to call it, since very little about going on a cruise could ever be considered a disaster. It’s not a disaster in the sense that this is something I can’t handle or that my kids will be irreparably harmed by it. It’s just that I have done many trips without him. I’ve actually never flown with him and our kids. We were even separate when we moved across the country because he drove the moving truck and I flew with the kids. I’ve spent months without him when he’s had to work and been on my own with the kids many, many times. We have never managed to take a trip together. Every time we have planned one, he has had to work. This one, we thought, was finally going to be our first family vacation. He very rarely works in December. His industry tends to slow down a lot at that time. So we thought this would be a pretty foolproof time to finally plan something. Our kids have never been snorkeling before, haven’t seen the ocean since they were in diapers, and have never been on a cruise. We were looking forward to sharing those firsts together with them. Especially the cruise part since none of us have ever done that. Now he’ll have to miss that. We’ll hopefully get to do it together another time, but he’ll never get to share those firsts with me.
We also never had a honeymoon. When I planned this trip, I was particularly excited about the very good possibility that our kids would want to spend some time in the kids’ club, giving us some very much needed romantic time. I’ll be able to have many wonderful moments with the kids and on my own, but romance will definitely not be part of it.

So it’s not a disaster in many senses. But for the part of me that has spent a year planning, saving for and dreaming about this as a family trip and romantic escape, that part is heartbroken. And that part absolutely cannot express any part of itself to my husband. If I do, he will feel terrible. He already feels terrible. He’s torn between wanting to be the responsible breadwinner, and wanting to see his kids faces on the spectacular vacation he’s helped pay for. And my job is to put my brightest smile on, thank him for being such a wonderful and responsible partner and father, and assure him that we will all miss him but be just fine and that we’ll just find another year to make it work another time. So I wasn’t trying to sound spoiled or overly dramatic. Sorry if it sounded like that. A Disney Cruise is an amazing blessing and I’m still very happy to be going. I was just letting my disappointment out here so it doesn’t slip out with my husband or kids.[/QUOTE]

 

[cruiser21]

Have fun! You should be fine. You have the Oceaneers club. I know it's tough traveling alone with kids that young. You can't leave them in the hotel room alone, you have to drag them into the bathroom when you have to go...you basically can't leave them alone at all. Plus you're outnumbered. A cruise is different you have the kids club. They'll keep your kids entertained why you get to relax a little. Don't forget to book another cruise on board so you can have that family vacation.

 

[twinsouvenirs]

I'll come with you and help out, my kids will totally understand

 

[Partyof4LA]

Just a quick question.... if you're going to lose his fare anyways can you invite a parent or sibling or friend to go with you? You can do a name change for $75. Just a thought.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I didn't know this was possible. Is there a time limit to it?

I'm in a similar situation as OP, we are 65 days out my husband can't cruise due to work. We are considering the options and thought we could only cancel completely or go without him. Nice to know we have the option to change to someone else. Would all of the activities I have booked under DH (specifically thinking Palo) automatically transfer over to the new guest?

How does this work with trip insurance? The policy we purchased does have coverage for cancel for work reasons. If we change him to someone else and pay the $75 fee, I'm assuming we couldn't file a claim for the cruise portion but can we for his flight? If the kids and I go alone (so no passenger change), we could file a claim for his portion even though we are going correct?

To the OP, while I am sad that DH can't come, it is the only trip I would even consider going on with my young kids without him. This is our 3rd disney cruise, we've all been together on the others. It's very doable with only one adult and I think we will all still enjoy ourselves even while missing daddy.

 

[arielmomma]

I went on the most recent Panama Canal cruise alone with my two children. We had a wonderful time! Yes, we all missed my husband, but it did not diminish our fun. True, my children are 13 & 10, thus old enough to manage their own luggage and maneuver the ship on their own, but even though yours are younger, I'm confident you'll have a great time. I found that with my husband absent, the kids wanted to spend a lot more time with me. We had tons of family time and made unforgettable memories. I wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

 

[Lisa F]

I'm an actual single mom (not just vacationing without a DH who might be at home) and I will say that our vacations are basically the highlight of my whole life. You'd think with me being the primary caregiver that he'd be sick of me, but my son cherishes the time we have together when I'm not torn in a million other directions as much as I do. I agree with 2 you lose a bit on the "divide and conquer" front but I love the idea of scheduling some special alone time with each of them. My only advice is to try to shift your thinking a bit from negative (daddy's missing) to positive (this is a mommy/kid trip!) Maybe for some balance you can schedule some fun daddy/kid activities when you get home and his schedule frees up (maybe go to a movie and lunch, one at a time). I totally get your disappointment of planning it one way and having it end up being another way but I will say that a disney cruise is probably one of the lowest stress options for a single parent vacation out there. Hope you have a great time, I am sure you will!

 

[ArtemisPhoenix]

OH MY GOD!!!!! We’ve had a Christmas miracle! His shoot dates got moved at the last minute and HE’S COMING!!!!! After several minor bumps, we got into Port Canaveral around midnight last night and everyone is peacefully sleeping in our hotel room. Except me. I’m too excited to sleep so I’m sitting here vibrating with nerves and happiness on the little couch in the front part of the suite. Lol. Thanks for all the suppprt! We are officially on our First Family Vacation!

 

[aggiedog]

Did I miss it was your first family vacation? No wonder you were bummed! Congrats on it all working out and have a great trip!

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

Hooray for Miracles!