Parents Take the Plunge: A 10-Day Cruise to Mexico With Little Cap’n Kid

It was 9 p.m. and we were under way on our first cruise. We had just finished dinner and settled into one of the lounge chairs on deck to enjoy the view. We saw the tip of Catalina and a gorgeous sunset as we headed south.

This was it. We had never sailed anywhere but to Catalina and now we were heading away from it. A dream come true. Ahead would lie tropical beaches, warm water, romantic strolls under moonlit skies, late-night shows and dancing until dawn. Well, almost.

Realistically we knew we would have to forgo much of the above and probably a few other things we weren’t aware of. Because we took our 2 1/2-year-old daughter, Becki.

Waves of Excitement

Nonetheless, we had a great bon voyage party and began our 10-day vacation to five ports in Mexico on Sitmar’s Fairsea. The streamers were flying, the people waving and even a few tears flowing as we pulled away from the pier. I found myself waving at people I didn’t even know. Excitement was in the air and nothing could stop it.

Our friends cruised along in their small boat, waving and taking pictures as we made our way down the main channel of Los Angeles Harbor. I had seen this ship leave port many times and could only imagine that someday we would venture out on it.

Was that today? Or were we just cruising around in our sailboat as we often did?

Almost immediately, sea life set in as the call for the first sitting for dinner came over the loudspeaker. That was us. We hadn’t even cleared the breakwater and we were off to dine.

Meals were outrageous. We had been forewarned that they were lavish. The food was truly the main attraction on board and our main headache, as it turned out. Have you ever tried taking a 2 1/2-year-old out to dinner for every meal for 10 days? It can be an enlightening or absolutely frightful experience.

Enough for a Week

To begin with, ordering. We realized that we would have to make drastic changes in our ordering when we received enough food to last us an entire week at just one sitting. In addition, the food is not exactly the kind a toddler eats every day. One taste of chicken liver pate in a Jell-O mold was enough to get the meal off to a wrong start, plus the time it takes to serve all that food to a toddler.

Becki was ready to go after the appetizer. Therefore, a doodler’s bag became an instant necessity to entertain our active daughter while we tried to finish our dinner.

After a few hectic meals we found that a hot soup could last her halfway through the main course, at which point we would coax her into eating something she might like.

I know you are probably thinking, “Boy, am I glad I didn’t have to sit at their table.” But it wasn’t all that bad. It gave everyone at the table a few laughs--sometimes a lot. A great way to end a day. In fact, the one night we didn’t make it to dinner, we were told the next morning at breakfast that it was very quiet--rather boring.

Medal for the Waiter

After all, it was a group effort to get our daughter to eat. Every trick was tried and most worked for at least a few meals. At one point, Becki even toured the kitchen with our waiter. And our waiter deserves a medal for the person with the most patience.

Our first day at sea we set out to explore the ship, only to discover that there are a lot of stairs, small and few elevators, and a daughter who became fatigued after traipsing up one flight. It was essential to get well acquainted with the ship fast.

We found the youth center that we had heard so much about. We had chosen this cruise line because it seemed to offer more for kids than any other. This was important if we were to have any peace at all.

During an orientation meeting for parents and kids, we found out that we weren’t the only ones who had braved taking along a youngster. Out of about 1,100 passengers, 308 were kids. There were 168 between the ages of 13 and 17, 136 between 2 and 12--and four of those were babies. This was the most children aboard all year. Their average was 200 a cruise during summer.

Twelve Counselors

They had 12 counselors this trip. Charlotte Robertson, the youth activities coordinator and former second-grade teacher from Loose Creek, Mo., designed a program of crafts, talent shows, bingo, movies, ice cream socials, disco dancing, trips to the bridge and much more.

These cruising kids were destined to have fun. Now we had to convince Becki to stay in the youth center and take part.

To allay any fears we had about leaving our daughter in the care of strangers, I talked to Carlo Salsedo, who has been a chief purser for 23 years, 13 of them with Sitmar. He assured me that he had never heard of a child going overboard, getting lost or abused. His counselors are screened extensively, with backgrounds varying from schoolteacher, nurse and other child-related fields.

With the fantastic facilities and capable crew, you’d think Becki would have jumped at the chance to go to the center. She did, but only if one of us would watch her play.

Anxiety set in with lots of kids at the thought of being left behind. I watched parents time after time try to leave as their kids clutched a leg going out the door. The crying usually stopped within a few minutes as the activities and toys caught their interest.

Running Errands

Robertson, the coordinator, was so superb that she was the only one who could convince Becki to help her run errands around the ship. And as she ran around having a good time, my husband and I had to decide just how we should spend those rare and very precious moments alone.

After only an hour we decided that we really missed her. So we went to reclaim our daughter and found her dancing in the disco after she had already been to a party with the captain and received a signed autograph book. They keep these kids so busy that they don’t have time to miss their parents.

We continued our cruise by visiting Mazatlan, Acapulco, Zihuatanejo, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas with Becki in tow on my back. We never took the bus tours, because we felt that our daughter was just too unpredictable.

The Urge to Photograph

We had one major problem, though--the endless times my daughter became annoyed and impatient with her photographer daddy when he would diverge from the mainstream to take pictures of odd street scenes, para-sailers, and the habitants and vendors in the cities.

Each day as we returned to the ship we found refuge in the pool, our favorite spot. My husband and I would take turns watching Becki at the pool while the other relaxed on a lounge chair and drank one of the refreshing tropical drinks. These were delightful moments that helped make the cruise worthwhile.

In addition, having the same cabin, waiter and room steward to return to each day helped us through the rough spots with Becki.

During our last breakfast aboard ship we looked out the porthole and realized that we were re-entering the Los Angeles channel. What a strange and empty feeling. Suddenly we felt that we could do it all again. But we gathered up our luggage and bid a fond farewell to the friends we’d made and to our home for 10 days and headed for customs.

Wonderful Memories

Back to reality and home, only a few miles away, we began to sort through our gifts and souvenirs. Sure, we had difficult meals with Becki and never had that romantic stroll, but it was all worth it. We have wonderful memories and lots of stories to relive over and over.

Suddenly, as we were sharing our experience with friends who had welcomed us home, we could hear the ship’s horn blowing in the distance. We knew that signal. The ship was pulling away from the pier to begin another cruise.

Soon they would be in mid-channel, so we dashed to our front porch. There it was, as big as ever.

We watched the ship pass the lighthouse and turn south. We knew the exhilaration, the joy those people were experiencing. No one could take that away from us.

So with a final sigh and a sense of tremendous accomplishment at having survived and enjoyed our first cruise with our toddler, we knew we would go again. Oh, yes. And the next time would only be better.

Choosing a cruise line that offers the most for your kids will help to ensure your chances of having a better time. Some cruise lines may discourage taking along youngsters by charging full fare or offering only few activities for kids. But Sitmar, which we chose for our first cruise, made it easy.

The counselors and crew did everything they could to see that the needs of the kids were met. There were even special diets. Parents with babies had only to specify which brand and what kind of baby food their child would need.

Pack well and generously if you are taking youngsters. Clothing will get wet, salty, sandy and dirty and it is sometimes difficult to latch onto one of the self-service laundry machines when the time is convenient for you.

We took lots of small doodling materials--crayons, coloring books, dominoes, cards--anything that was small and new. These are lifesavers during meals and in the cabin when youngsters get bored. The youth center has blocks, games and toys for the kids to play with but you’ll need diversions for them away from the center.

Our daughter longed for her crib, so we ordered and received one. Also, the first sitting at mealtime is a must with children.

The youth center was fantastic, but stay with your child for the first few times. Your presence, and finding a counselor who relates well with your child, are essential in overcoming fears of being left behind. Besides the youth center entertainment, there was supervised swimming, tours and other activities. Ice cream and movies were favorites.

Some parents left their children in the center while they visited ports; others took strollers for their tots as they explored the cities. Backpacks work great if your child is small, but a good old-fashioned piggyback ride works best.

Consult your travel agent; ask questions. Traveling with a child can be a great family experience if you are well prepared.