Cruising with kids. Is it going to be easy?

[Harolt24]

Hey all! I just love travelling and it's after very long, that we have decided a cruise trip. The last was to the Caribbean Islands, for our honeymoon. But after having children it got quite difficult to plan for any trips. Now, we've finally decided to take the small ship cruise to the Islands of New England. Have planned it for this June and I just hope, all goes well. My wife is really nervous, cause it's the first time we are cruising with kids and we have never been to New England too before. So, I just want to make sure that I know more about the place. Also please give me some advice on cruising with kids. We have two kids of 5 and 3 years. It would be of great help to get any kind of suggestion here. Thanks in advance.

[Jan115]

Hi Harolt24!

I happen to live in New England so maybe I can help. Blount is a wonderful small ship line, but be aware they cater more to adults and seniors than families. Unlike the mainstream lines like Royal Caribbean and Carnival, there is no organized kids program. But it sounds like you're cruising more for the destinations, anyway, and there is plenty to do for families on your itinerary. All of the places you're going have beautiful beaches, and that's always a great day to spend with the kids. I would probably avoid the mansions in Newport because the kids would probably be bored, but a drive along "Ocean Drive" with a stop at Brenton Point Park for a picnic would be nice - bring a kite. A whale watch would be fun from New Bedford or anything involving sealife. A nature walk would be fun for the whole family. Hope this helps - Enjoy!

Jan

[DebbieandJerry]

Our friends have brought their children with us on many vacations. They love it. They didn't sign up for any of the "kids" activities because they thought hanging with the adults would be more fun. The wait staff absolutely dotted on them and made sure that they had plenty to eat and were happy.

New England is beautiful. I can't imagine how wonderful of an opportunity this trip with be. I would think of the ship as a car when it's moving and as the hotel for all of the other times. Having lots of pictures and videos will help remind them (especially the 3 yr old) of this wonderful vacation.

Cannot wait to read how it played out

[coloradocruisers]

We've never not cruised with kids. Does that make sense? Kids love to cruise but take along things they love to do if the ship doesn't have a kids program. Not sure about your ship, but hopefully it has a pool, good food, and shows.

[WeCruiseToo]

Hi Harolt24! Blount is a great cruise line and the itinerary you’ve chosen sounds wonderful, but it’s definitely not designed for kids. Hopefully all of this was explained to you when you booked, but the Blount website even says kids should be 14 years or older:

http://www.blountsmallshipadventures.com/why-small-ships/is-it-for-me/

We've carefully built our cruises for experienced travelers. The kind of people who are ready to take a break from the hustle, bustle, and chaos of the big ships. With that in mind, we welcome older children, ages 14 and older into our family of explorers.

I also took a quick look at the deck plans for the Grand Mariner and didn’t see any rooms designed to hold 4 people. I guess small kids can share, but in the rooms with a third bed it seems to always be an upper bunk.

I know Blount can be extremely accommodating to special requests and I imagine the crew would literally dote on your kids because it’ll be so different from any of the passengers they normally have. I just don’t want you (or the cruise line!) to be surprised by anything.

Keep us posted – we’d love to hear all about your trip. Happy cruising!