Hi everyone,
We are thinking about taking our granddaughter on Oasis of the Seas in 2009. She'll be 5 years old at time of sailing. We're just wondering if this age is too young to remember her cruise experience. Can anyone tell me about their past experiences travelling with young children and if the children remembered their cruise years later.
Way back when .... we took our younger daughter on her first cruise with us when she was FIVE.
To me that's a great age! They're old enough to spent a bit of time in the "Childrens Program" and also know how to behave in the main dining room for dinner.
Yes, even though she is out of grad school now, she still remembers and loves to look at pictures of that cruise when she's home.
Hopefully, others with more recent experiences will reply....
I asked my daughter about whether she remembers her early cruising and she says it's kinda blurry. She's 11 now and she remembers a couple of things about Miami and her first plane trip at age 3 (that was her second cruise). She remembers a little bit about her cruise at age 5. And we have a photo of the girl and her "shipboard romance" from that cruise.
The major thing to remember is that these experiences will be good for the child whether or not they remember all the details. Experiences of any type expand the mind and at age 5, they are at a prime time to learn about cultures, other people, etc.
I think 5 is a great age. As was mentioned they are old enough for the kids programs ... old enough to "soak up the experience."
My youngest is now 6, she remembers her cruises from age 4... not every detail, but she truly had a good time. She speaks often of the cruise last November and April...
I truly think the experience, and absorption of their surroundings is fabulous for these little ones.
My children were almost four on their first cruise and we are taking our next this spring when they're 4-1/2. They, and we, enjoyed it and participated in every facet and offering of the kids program (Vision of the Seas to Mexican Riviera).
When you take her just focus on having a great time, and with pictures and a positive experience she probably will remember the trip - certainly you will!
Just know that its not only the memories she'll have but its the ones YOU'LL have. Some of my most special memories are of my kids on cruises. Seeing it through their eyes is really a special thing.
I started both of my kids cruising as infants. Now, cruising is the ONLY vacation they want. They are Royal Caribbean diamond cruisers at age 4. My kids are soooo excited to try out Oasis. So I know that your granddaughter will have a great experience.
The activities for kids on Royal Caribbean are at my blog. I have kid dining menus and the kid compasses for most cruiselines.
We travelled to Europe for the summer a couple of times when our children were that age, and the best thing we did was a nightly diary entry. For the youngest this was usually just pictures of the day's acitivities, with their dictated notes. For the oldest it was more extensive with fun and historical details. The girls were 9 and 11 when we went to France for the summer and they wrote in both French and English while their 6 year old brother, not at all into writing, drew pictures and pasted things. They still laugh about the bar graph they created on the flight home evalutating the Chateaux we visited.
In 2010 we're taking all 8 grandkids and their parents on an Alaskan cruise -- ages 1 1/2 to 12 and you can bet your bottom dollar I'm already investigating the purchase of high end diaries. The challenge is to find one which have lines and yet can contain stickers, tickets and such stuff. I've begun to collect relevant stickers to 'tart' up their entries. I plan to have a daily diary session. I've already mentioned my expectations so I don't anticipate any problems getting these done. It helps that they'll be missing a week+ of school!
We'll expect the older two to do the currency conversions to American dollars to make math real. And of course I'll get maps of the west coast for the older set. And Canada, as we'll be flying from Ontario.
Maybe the 12 and 10 year olds will really remember things but with plenty of pictures and these diaries, there will remain hard evidence to trigger memories.
I think that taking lots of pictures that they can look at as they get older will help them hold memories. I scrapbook and have really enjoyed scrapbooking our family trips with my two girls. They enjoy looking through the scrapbooks even more and talking about what was happening in the pictures. Bottom line ... i don't think they will remember all details as they get older, but pictures are where the memories will be kept.
We'll expect the older two to do the currency conversions to American dollars to make math real. And of course I'll get maps of the west coast for the older set. And Canada, as we'll be flying from Ontario.
Maybe the 12 and 10 year olds will really remember things but with plenty of pictures and these diaries, there will remain hard evidence to trigger memories.
Can you guess our professions?
Retired teacher and journalist!
That's a great idea with the currency conversions. I am going to have to remember that. Thanks!
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My kids are soooo excited to try out Oasis. So I know that your granddaughter will have a great experience.
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