In January of 2015, we took the kids on a cruise. Lucas was four and Henry was 2. We went with Judy’s mom Miriam and her husband Jim. We chose the Carnival Cruise line for its affordability and itinerary. The boat stopped in Belize, Honduras, and Mexico. 
Who knows how the cruise industry will rebound after Coronavirus, but we have fond memories of the boy’s first cruise.
Cruising is not for everyone. It is not our favorite type of vacation, but we appreciate the ease of a cruise vacation. It was a perfect choice for us with two small kids and grandparents.
The boys had a blast. They have been on two cruises in their life and they still talk about them. Their favorite part of the cruise was the kids club. They spent most of their time in the kids club by request.
Henry was too little to go in the swimming pools on the ship because he was still in diapers, but it was too cold to swim on the ship. When they were not in the kids club, they were jumping off the bunk bed in our cabin, playing mini-golf, or running around the deck.
When you have small kids, you have to pick appropriate excursions, if you choose to get off the boat. We spent one day at the Carnival private island. The boys got to build sandcastles, jump on trampolines in a kid area, and mom, dad, and grandma got to relax on the beach.
We also took an excursion to a reptile farm. Henry ended up napping most of the time, but Lucas had a blast.
One of the best parts about cruising is not having to worry about where your next meal comes from.
There are drawbacks to cruising. It is impossible to truly see a place when you get off the boat for one day. Most excursions are touristy and do not showcase the real culture and vibe of a destination. You feel like cattle moving around the ship and while waiting in line for food or disembarking.
Criticism aside, cruising allows for a lot of time together as a family. You do not have to worry about finding the next destination or packing and unpacking. You don’t have to grocery shop, cook or do dishes.
We had a great experience cruising with the boys. We are on to different adventures now, but this trip was a great one.
