Take Your Kid Cruising
2/6/2005 6:17:56 PM by By KELLY BRADEN and TED BRADEN
A few years ago, I took my son, Ted, on a trip out West to see some of the more famous National Parks. While it was a trip we would never forget, being a single mother it took a huge amount of planning and work. I sometimes felt like a new mutant species: half octopus, half spider with four pairs of arms and eyes. I had to have eyes in the back of my head to make sure Ted didnt climb over the rail of the Grand Canyon just for fun or take a dive overboard while rafting down the Snake River.
The majority of the trip was by tour bus, but even so, we spent each night in a new location and the logistics of packing and unpacking every day was tough. Of course, being newly 12, my son was not a whole lot of help and tended to leave stuff in the most remote of places. Between collecting the underwear from under the hotel beds and lugging four bags and suitcases single-handedly, by the time we returned from the four-week trip, I needed four more weeks to recover from the entire experience.
Since that trip, Ive discovered cruising on Princess Cruises. Although Princess is my top choice for single-parent trips, other cruise lines offer similar activities for children traveling with single or both parents. The wonderful thing about cruising with Princess is the fact that they do absolutely everything for you, from delivering your luggage straight to your room as soon as you board the ship to making your bed and cleaning up the cabin twice a day (a blessing indeed with a less-thantidy teenage son). On my most recent trip with Ted, now almost 16, was to the Caribbean sailing from Fort Lauderdale on the Sun Princess. I didnt need to worry about a single detail, except for maybe which restaurant to eat in and that criticallyimportant decision of which dessert to order. (Ted didnt have that problem. He just ordered them all.)
Princess Cruises offers a myriad of dining choices: an all-you-can-eat buffet open from the early morning hours to late at night (again perfect for a teen-age boy who has a bottomless pit for a stomach), a fixed seating dining room, an anytime-seating dining room, a pizzeria, a burger grill and a steak house. Figure in a sundae bar and on some ships, a sushi bar, and you can be in Dining Heaven. Princess Cruises offers on-board activities for every age group: from 3- 7 year olds, 8-12 year olds, and a teen-age program for 13-17 year olds. There are treasure and scavenger hunts, arts and crafts (such as making friendship necklaces and bracelets for your new friends), board and trivia games, current hit movies in the ships theater, a variety of parties from pizza and pajama parties to island and ice cream parties. Together with karaoke and disco, miniature golf, Nintendo and Play Station, it was a paradise on the sea for kids of all ages. And, Princess didnt forget about the adults either. There were movies, scavenger hunts, arts and crafts, karaoke and discos for them, too, along with a gymnasium, Bingo games, horse racing and a casino to play in.
Ted and I had plenty of togethertime on and off the ship. On board we spent precious hours playing games, swimming in the pool, choosing tours, eating meals in various restaurants and -- best of all -- actually conversing with each other about matters unrelated to school or housework. Ashore we visited the islands of St. Thomas, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Martinique and Grenada where we snorkeled, swam and visited waterfalls and rainforests. While at times I had to play the role of the authority figure, most of our interaction involved interesting chats about the different cultures we encountered or the wonders of marine life. We both were surprised at the insights of the other, and we came away with a newfound respect for each other as individuals. In short, we communicated, and it achieved a higher level of rapport than we had known before stepping aboard the ship on the first day.
There was no worrying about the quality of the tours. Princess picks the best tours available and puts together an itinerary at each island from which to choose. They range from bused island tours, hiking, horse-back riding, bicycling, fourwheel drive trips, beaches, museums, snorkel, scuba and folkloric shows.
Princess offers destinations all over the world, from the beautiful islands of French Polynesia and Hawaii to Alaska, Europe, Mediterranean, Orient, Amazon and Caribbean. Prices are reasonable and Princess will even make the arrangements of hotels and airfare for you. All you need to bring is yourself, your kids, a suitcase and go!
Princess also offers the ScholarShip @ Sea program which offers computer courses such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Web Design and Photo Editing and classes in culinary arts, dance, arts and crafts and ceramics. Behind-the-scenes tours will take you to the galley, where the talented teams of chefs and staff prepare the most mouthwatering delicacies imaginable.
On the Sun Princess, Ted and I met up with Guy Rau and his nineyear- old daughter, Alexandra Zazula, both from Detroit, Michigan, at our dinner table. Guy has been on 17 cruises, seven of them with Alexandra. Alexandra relayed her many adventures on the cruises from seeing lava flow from a live volcano in Hawaii to snorkeling in the Caribbean. Some cruise ships even had ice skating rinks on them, gushed Alexandra, who is a passionate devotee of the sport. A cruise is so much fun I look forward to them more than anything.
Princess Cruises gives the royal treatment to single parents and their kids Princess cruises are not just a boon for single parents. Allison Ruge, age 15, from Tampa, Florida, was on the Sun Princess with her mother Dawn and father Rick. Allison made new friends and enjoyed the Internet Café on the ship and the hot tub parties every night on a special pool deck reserved exclusively for the teenagers. With live music and a Jacuzzi, the teens did what they do best: relaxed and chatted and listened to the most popular tunes of the day.
When aboard the Sun Princess, teens who participate in the numerous exciting events will never complain about being bored or not having fun. All the activities are off-limits to everyone except those between 13 and 17. In the Teen Center there is always something fun to do no matter what kind of things youre into. In my 10 days of being on the cruise, I never got bored or heard a single complaint. The Teen Center has indoor activities, as well as outdoor activities, and everyday they have a different activity so that the teens won't get tired of doing the same thing everyday.
Inside the Teen Center they offer four Play Stations, a big screen TV, jukebox, countless board games, cards and tournaments. They have a huge selection of games for the Play Station, from quest type games, to action games. If the improbable happens and you can't find a game you like, go on over to the jukebox, and for absolutely no charge, pick a song from the what seems like endless archive. I noticed that one of the most popular indoor activities was playing board games. They have just about every board game you would ever want to play.
All the outdoor activities were not necessarily outside, it just mean they weren't being held in the Teen Center. There were such outdoor events such as scavenger hunts, virtual golf, Casino Night, Disco Night, karaoke, volleyball, soccer and ping pong. Just about every day there was a different activity than the day before, but, of course, sometimes they held events more than once because it was a lot of fun. For example, every other night there was a hot tub party where you could lie back and listen to the tunes.
Besides the events, there are also other things for teens to do. One of the most popular was the buffet, said Ian Leahy from Canada. At first I thought it was just because it was all-you-can-eat food, but when I asked him why he thought the buffet was the best, he replied, Where else can you go to be with your friends, and eat all the food you want for free? Sure, you could go to another restaurant and get a free meal, but at least at the buffet you don't have to wait for you food, and also there is music playing.
Anywhere you go on the ship, you will usually find something entertaining, whether it's a show, a teen event, or just being with your friends, either way, when you're on the Sun Princess you will have the best time of your life -- guaranteed.
To spend a worry-free vacation, reconnect with your kids and build memories that they won't soon forget, consider a cruise for your next vacation. You can see the world together and leave your troubles far behind.
Quicksplash
To book a Princess cruise, call1-800-PRINCESS or visit www.princess.com to view destinations and excursions, tour the ships, or see onboard web cams.