Creed & Ollie Take a Cruise

So part of the reason we were in Vancouver was that's where we started our cruise.  When we told our friends we were going on a cruise, they all asked, "You're bringing your kids?"  Yes, that's exactly what we did.  Not only can Ollie seem to barely survive two hours away from me, but we really wanted to spend Larry's vacation time all together because we really like that guy around here.

When we were tossing around ideas for our vacation, I wanted to take a road trip to San Francisco, Larry wanted to go to Disneyland, and we both thought that it might be fun to go on a cruise. It just so happens that every September, you can go on a Pacific Coast cruise on ships relocating from spending the summer in Alaska to the winter in Miami.  Perfect!  Not only did it end in LA to allow a stop at Disneyland, it stopped along the way in Oregon and San Francisco.  Plus, I think taking the kids on a cruise to Mexico or Alaska when they are so small would have been stressful because of the extreme temperatures and the fun excursions we would have to skip because they are too little.

I think the cruise ended up being a dream vacation for Creed.

We had barely said goodbye to Vancouver 

When Creed settled in for fine diningAnd we all started relaxing.

I think the ship was just a huge playground for him.  He was always up for exploring and trying new things like golfing

 Maybe I never noticed it before because this was our first time cruising with kids, or maybe it was just this particular cruise line, but I was really pleased by the number of family activities on the ship.  Who doesn't love cupcake decorating?

or pizza making, or family lego time? Awesome!

I hadn't even thought about how cruises provide free kids clubs.  Since this trip was about family time, we didn't plan on sending Creed to the kids club, but they had a huge space that included a theater and a jungle gym and they had a lot of fun activities so Creed actually BEGGED to go a few times (I can't blame him for not wanting to miss being in the Princess and Prince Parade.  He got a balloon sword and looked like this when we picked him up.  The counsellors said he insisted on yellow for his eyebrows and mustache)

And it was nice to enjoy a quiet dinner now and then (well, not that quiet, we had Ollie with us). 

And then there was a teeny kids pool

and two big pools with a giant yellow water slide. Can you spot Larry and Creed in the hot tub with a bunch of random guys?  Larry says they were very nice and laughed and Creed's splashing.  I was too busy laughing to notice.

There was a rock climbing wall, a bowling alley (how does that work on a cruise ship that is moving?),  a sports court, and even a few kid-friendly shows (Creed LOVED the jugglers)

He also loved the towels folded up like animals that greeted us in our room every night (I loved them too.  We didn't have to drag him back to our room to go to bed because Creed was so excited to see them).

And can we talk about that bed?  Normally, that little couch would have pulled out to make Creed's bed, but since Ollie's crib was in the way, they pulled a bed down from the ceiling every night.  Creed thought that a bed that magically hid in the ceiling was the coolest thing in the world.  No way was I letting him sleep up there with just that tiny railing though.  When I walked in the door after dinner our first night and saw it, I exclaimed, "Oh, Creed!  Look at the cool clubhouse they set up for you to play in!"  We called in the clubhouse the whole trip, and he never realized that sleeping up there was a possibility.  I think playing in the "clubhouse was his favorite part of the trip because it what he tells everyone about when they ask him about the cruise.

We got a room with a balcony, not because we are posh but because we needed a little extra room and this whole cruise was very cheap since it's not most people's dream cruise.  I was a little nervous about the kids with a balcony but the railing was solid glass and it went really high so we just kept a close eye on them and it wasn't a problem.

If you are thinking about going on a cruise with kids, I promise you these smiles are worth it.

Can we do it again tomorrow?