Wow we have a new topic

i ahve done 4 cruises on P&O, 2 X carribean, arctic and baltic

I remember a couple I knew telling me about their wonderful cruise, it cost £35,000 each.

my past 4 have been all expenses paid with my ex-bosses

I dont know what the actual costs are exactly but they are NOT cheap, but they are great fun!

I would like to be on a smaller more intimate ship, not sure I could cope with been with masses of people.

The P & O cruises look really nice, a bit more upmarket than some advertised. DH says some of the ships are a bit dodgy.

DH is at sea for months at a time so I doubt he would want to cruise for a holiday.

Sounds like you have been on some nice cruises nannyL, hope you got some time off.

oh yes.... when im cruisng the child is in kids club and almost ALL the time is my time off....

except i pick her up from night nursary by 2am, she sleeps (soundly) in my cabin, and i take her up for breakfast where i meet her parents and hand her back to them.
If they are off ship i supervise her lunch and thats about it

what are the kids clubs like on the ships nannyL?

on P&O absolutely amazing

extreamly good and avalible all the time from 9am - midnight (2am for babies under 5 who are in night-nursary (ie a dark room full of cots and beds for the children to sleep in while mummy and daddy enjoy all the entertainment)

you honestly cant fault the kids clubs IMO... facilities AMAZING, staff superb, and even other child / baby things are all thought of...

you can have a baby baths / pottys / loo seats / sterilisers ordered for your cabin etc etc to borrow (add every conceivable child thing you could possibly need to that list) they even lent us a pushchair when it took a while to transfer form the aeroplane!

the highchairs were brand new mamas & papas reclineing ones, (the ones that cost £100 each), all completeyly sterilised and perfectly cleaned between uses, and travel cots are good quality brands and full cot size.

then there is kids tea, with kiddy food (kids crap as i call it) along with a HUGE selection of other food (and a few bits from the grown up menu too), always sandwiches / cheese / ham / cold meat / crisps (with home made dips eg houmous / gucamole)/ salad bits/ fruit / ice cream / jelly / cake / biscuits and a good selection of veg and healthy stuff too and kids size knives and forks.

the menu is always the theme of the day

I am only referring to P&O but i cant imagine any child or parent of any aged child would be disapointed at all!

that sounds great! I have been on a couple of cruises before my ds came along and we did consider it this year but I was worried that the kids clubs would be crap and that he would run riot on the ship with all those steps to climb and railings on the deck ( he loves climbing) and that puts me off really as I think I would be constantly in a panic.

You certainly couldnt easily climb the railings on Oceana or Aurora!

oh he would give it his best shot!

nannyL, interesting to read your experiences. We've got a cruise booked on P&O Aurora next May and are taking DD and DS (she'll be 9 and he'll be almost 5). We've cruised once before (pre children) and were really wondering what to do with the children in the evenings cos I don't think they'd sit through the adult meals etc. Do they do a cabin listening service and if so what does this involve?