Honeymoon Cruise with Kids???

If you want a family vacation cruise - fine! enjoy it!
But it's not a honeymoon cruise.
A honeymoon celebrates the marriage, the special union of the 2 people involved - not the fruit of the union.

I would wait a few years and have the Honeymoon cruise when you feel comfortable leaving them at home.

Personally if I could have 7-8 days alone with my husband it would be total heaven. I have not been alone with him except one night (since our kids were born) that I planned and begged friends of ours to take our kids just one night for our fifteenth wedding anniversary (even then we stayed at our own home).

When you do not have any options at all for an over night get away (except in extreme emergencies...like you are dying in the hospital)...I think you have a different view.

I would do it n a heartbeat...if it were truly a "honeymoon" cruise.

My parents went off on vacations alone every four or five years when I was growing up. It did them a world of good...a week in California...a cruise to Hawaii...a Carribean cruise...etc etc... Did it scar me for life?? No, I was having fun with relatives and they were reconnecting in a way that they didn't get to at home. I also spent one night every week with my grandparents...I looked forward to that as much as I am sure my parent did...

Now that I am a parent and we have no one to take our kids....no close family or friends...I truly covet that experience and would love love love to have time with just my husband.

So if you have a chance to go on a honeymoon...I would do it...otherwise go on a family vacation and stop calling it a honeymoon (because it isn't one if you take the kids!!!!!)

i don't know about romantic cruises with kids but maybe you should look into a disney cruise. they have many activities for kids that maybe you and hubbie can sit and relax for a few hours a days alone!!! if the kids are having fun than your fun will fall into place. if the kids are bored than you are in for a cruise of whining and complaining!!

I know you love your children and you do include them on a lot of fun vacations, etc.

My POV is to go as a couple. You NEED couple time, it can revitalize you, help your marriage be stronger and you can be romantic without having to coordinate activities with children. These activities are advertised but what if they are booked up, children don't like them, someone is sea sick, etc.....

We always have had a priority of a date night once a week just the 2 of us. It is talking time, down time, etc. You don't have to always go somewhere fancy, sometimes I just tag along on a golf round with him, others we go to sporting events, concerts, fine restaurants, etc. NYE is our 24th anniversary.

I think it is important for you and hubby to have this trip with just the 2 of you. If you can't handle 7-8 days (the children will be fine), cut it to a shorter trip so that you are more comfortable with the time frame. You know, your children will also get a lot out of this break as well!!

Go.. buy some sexy undies, have a romantic vacation/honeymoon and come back recharged!!

I kind of agree that it's hard to have a romantic cruise with kids. Yes, there will be camp and babysitting options but still, that doesn't scream romance to me! ;) I think it would do you a world of good to go on vacation without the kids. My husband and I try to go on a vacation of just adults once a year. Don't get me wrong, it is hard and nervewracking to leave the kids, and a lot more prep work, but once we're there I feel like it's worth it.

But ultimately, if you want to take your kids, take your kids, I just don't think it will be very romantic. As long as you and your husband and on the same page about it, then do what you want and don't worry about the others!

don't call it a honeymoon if you are bringing kids. Kids don't go on a honeymoon. In a way we are in a similar situation. When we got married (almost 10 years ago) we wanted to do a cruise but the country was going to war and there were some other issues so we took a week in san diego instead. Now that our 10 year anniversary is coming up we want to do an Alaskan cruise with Disney this summer. We have cruised with Disney before and we know that their kids program is top notch and that they will have a blast doing so. So we can still have romantic couple time and family time because YES 7-8 days is a long time to leave your kids. Disney does do 3 night cruises out of FL if you want to do a honeymoon as do many cruise lines.

I'm with you. To fix the issue with the opinionated people, stop calling it a honeymoon and call it a family vacation.

We went to an adults-only honeymoon resort. We didn't have kids at the time, so it wasn't a factor. We'd meet up with other couples at mealtimes, and most of them giggled about how they hadn't left their rooms all day, for days on end. You have your whole life to be in bed together, so why pay a zillion dollars to rent a bed elsewhere and miss out on everything else?

i think by definition a honeymoon doesn't include kids. what you're thinking of is a family vacation. which is fine too. it's just a matter of semantics. probably calling it a honeymoon is what is confusing people. they're probably making comments because that's not what a honeymoon is. is it that big of a deal to just call it a family vacation? you're not even newlyweds so i don't get the need to call it a "honeymoon".

of course, bottom line, you can take whatever trip you want, and call it whatever you want. just be prepared, if you buy apples and insist everyone call them oranges, people might question it. just saying. you're asking for that.

First of all you are NOT honeymooners. A honeymoon cruise would be for couples only and refers to those recently married.

Yes, you can be romantic when your children are with you. You do it everyday in your life. However, if you want a romantic cruise and some quality couple time, you need to leave the kids at home.

It's the terminology. On their end. Maybe both.

Family Cruise v Honeymoon Cruise

One is all y'all
One is just both of you

If you quit calling it a honeymoon cruise... The objections go out the window.

There's no reason family vacations can't be romantic.
And no reason NOT to have the kids in camps, etc. just because its a family vacation.

I'm wondering if that's the terminology issue on your end, too? If its not a honeymoon, then you don't feel right with the kids in daycamp?

Nope, I don't have any suggestions.
But I do want to say that I would NEVER leave my 16 month old with someone I had never met on a ship. It's just not something I would be comfortable with. I wouldn't really be all that comfortable with leaving my older ones either, come to think of it.
I see no problem with leaving the kiddies for 7-8 days with family and letting yourself and your husband ENJOY every moment of the cruise without having to worry about the kids.
L.

You will be going on a nice family vacation. Romantic Honeymoons are meant for just the TWO of you. I bet your husband would love to have all your attention for 8 days after 15 years. You might be better off staying in a local luxury hotel for a couple of nights, that is not too far from your home and having a family member or good friend that you trust with your children. Considering the recent events, I can understand why you don't want to be far from them.

I think your idea of a romantic cruise and your husband's idea of a romantic cruise are a little bit different right now.

Can you do a trip with your children and another trip for the two of you?

Personally I would feel WAY more comfortable leaving my kids for 7 days with family I know, love, and trust and who love and care about my children than take the kids with us and leave them in a camp or with a stranger to babysit for even an hour! You don't know these people and you will be in another country or at sea where things are different. We have done family trips out of country and have never left our kids with a stranger. We stay together at all times. That is why it's a family vacation. When we want couple time, we plan a vacation with just the two of us, usually 2-5 days. It is OK to have time for yourselves, without kids. They will not be traumatized and may even have a good time with their family.

I would wait until you can put the younger one in camp. However, I think Royal Carribean and Disney cruiselines have centers for younger kids, but the cost of those cruises are quite expensive.

For what it's worth, I don't think Honeymoons have to be Romantic. If it's something you want to do, do it. My husband and I on our Honeymoon went to a resort that happened to have a game room. We played video games, air hockey and ping pong all night and had a blast, the next day we went and played golf. It isn't romantic, but we had a blast. Every year around our anniversary we go somewhere and play golf. If they have a game room, even better.

If you don't want to leave your kids, go on the cruise and then maybe you and hubby can go somewhere closer for a couple nights for a romantic getaway.

I think that maybe it would have been better if you hadn't mentioned "honeymoon" to people. If you hadn't, they wouldn't be butting in telling you not to take the kids.

You've been married for 15 years. So what if the kids are with you?

Anyway, use the cruise's planned activities for the kids. While they are there, have wild monkey sex with hubby in your room so that you feel like you had a honeymoon. Then you can be relaxed enough to enjoy the kids when they are done with their classes.

Have a great time!
Dawn

Well, I think this might be hard to accomplish, but it isn't impossible. Make sure to get a larger room on the boat (if you can swing it). I would hate to be cooped up on the ship. Can you get adjoining rooms or a suite? That would be a top priority. I'd also research what the babysitting options are on the ship. I can definitely understand not wanting to leave your kids that long. Plan some days and nights when you two are on your own. You can go for a couples massage, dinner, a drink at the bar, etc. I think you really need to plan for this to make sure it happens the way you want =) Good luck.

And, just in case you do decide to try going for your 10 year on your own without the kids, maybe go for a shorter period of time? We went to away for our 10 year anniversary and it was awesome. We did 3 or 4 days, instead of 8. We enjoyed being away but we were super excited coming home to see the kids also.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder =)

To me, it would be the same ad any other family vacation where you get alone time after the kids are in bed or here & there whole they're occupied.
It would just be a cruise family vacation.
If that's not what you're after, why not look into a 4 day/3 night cruise and leave the kids at home?