Homeschoolers are supposed to go on out-of-the-ordinary trips, full of
educational experiences, with life-enriching activities. After all, we think
out of the box and do things differently. So what do we do, but go on a
cookie-cutter, everything planned cruise. And we had a blast!
We live and homeschool in Galveston,Texas. It's a wonderful convenience
to just drive down to the pier and board a cruise ship. Carnival Cruise and
Royal Caribbean both depart from Galveston. We chose Carnival because it
is inexpensive and short (only 4 nights). To prepare for the trip, head to
the library and check out lots of books. Books on ocean life, books on your
ports of call, books on pirates. And maybe some books on tape, for when
the kids are lounging on deck. This would be a good time for a marine
biology unit study.
This was our first time to cruise, so I had no idea there was to be a boat
drill and we were to muster at our designated muster station with life
jackets. Who knew! Well I quickly found out, as this is not an option. This
part is for compulsive obsessive people that need to do everything in
advance. Life jackets are provided in your room (ask for children's sizes
for your little ones) and a muster station is where you go if the ship starts
to sink (highly unlikely) or some other emergency. Children under 12 must
wear wristbands to identify their muster stations throughout the entire
cruise. This is so staff can direct them to where they need to be if they get
separated from parents in an emergency. Okay the compulsive obsessive
people can relax now.
My idea of paradise is lying on deck, looking out over the horizon while the
children play in the pools. For those of you that need more, the ship is full
of activities--art auctions, musicals, games, arcades and more. Just
exploring the floating city is fun in and of itself. You receive an activity
sheet daily to be able to plan your day. Of course some things are extra like
the spa and sodas, plus the many shops to browse through. There are
even seminars on shopping (like we ladies need that) and seminars on the
many different tours available at your destination. Once you leave
Galveston waters, all purchases are duty free, up to a point. Of course much
of the fun is directed by those in charge to get you to part with as much
money as possible, but that is just about any prearranged vacation. So just
decide ahead of time, and keep to your budget. The ship gives you these
wonderful little sail & sign cards that are credit cards for you to use,
nothing is in cash, so be careful.
Come ready to eat. The food is glorious and abundant. You can eat 24
hours a day. There is gourmet pizza, ice cream, salad bars, dessert bars,
buffets and that’s for the casual diner. The formal dinners are spectacular.
I would highly recommend going to the formal dinners. You have the
choice of early seating and late seating. There are pros and cons of both. A
sense of elegance comes when your family dons their best attire and
attends a meal together. It’s good for the children to learn how to act in
these situations and this was good training ground. I think a short unit
study on formal manners would have been helpful for us, but it was a
beginning. I must say the waiters made the dinners special, they work hard
to make your time there memorable.
There were some fantastic stage shows. The music was good, the dancing
good, and it was fun to take in a show after dinner. I must also give
another warning: check at the pursers information desk about the content
of the shows; even though they say family shows, their idea of family is not
necessarily my idea of family. It was a bit of a spectacle, me diving across
several family members in an attempt to cover the eyes of my children and
yelling in the best whisper tone I have “CLOSE YOUR EYES! CLOSE YOUR
EYES!” It’s also embarrassing to have to explain to your mother-in –law
what a full monty is and how I knew that. The singing-dancing act wasn’t
exactly a full monty, but it was close and there were some moves I would
rather not have seen myself.
I can’t speak for other cruise lines, but I can say that the kids really
enjoyed Camp Carnival. We checked in on them often, met the counselors
and set rules ahead of time. The camp was a come and go camp. We could
sign the children in anytime during the day and sign them out at our
convenience, and we were responsible for taking them to meals. There was
a babysitting service after 10pm, but we never used it. The older kids (9
and up) could sign themselves in and out. Under that age only the parents
could sign them in and out and the parents received a beeper to notify us if
necessary. Now I did not like my 9 year old daughter having freedom to go
and come as she pleased so it was made clear to her and her counselor that
she was not allowed to do that and they abided by that. Also, that group
had a scavenger hunt in which groups of kids set out to roam the ship
without the counselor with them for about 45 minutes. Didn’t like that
either, but it happened before I realized, so double check with the
counselor on activities. A great idea I’ll use for our next cruise is walkie
talkies. Several children had them to communicate with their parents and
the parents could always call to find out where the kids were.
The counselors have experience in child care, and are given background
checks. They also were from different parts of the world. One of the
counselors was from Croatia and the other from England. So have your
kids ready to ask questions about where they live. In fact all the employees
were international and it was very interesting asking them about their
homeland. Maybe even keep a journal of the different countries
encountered, the names of the people and details about their home.
Some web sites to read about Camp Carnival are www.cruiseweb.
com/CARNIVAL-CAMP.HTM and go to www.carnival.com.
Definitely look into aids to prevent motion sickness. Most of my family used
a Transderm Scop patch, behind the ear. I couldn’t; I’m one of the rare,
odd people that have adverse reactions to it, but no one else did. (www.
travelpatch.com ). Ginger is supposed to be helpful too; check at a health
food store. There is also Dramamine, Meclizine and Bonine over the counter
at drug stores. If you feel queasy, never look down into the water; always
look out over the horizon and keep hydrated.
Susan Richie
The newest addition to cruise ships sailing out of Galveston is the Voyager
of the Seas. This beauty is one of the world's biggest cruise ships,
accommodating 3,114 guests.
Voyager of the Seas is an engineering wonder, worthy of in-depth study of
naviation and physics. Homeschoolers can hit the books on deck, and enjoy
unique features like an ice-skating rink, Royal Promenade and a rock-
climbing wall.
Added Note: Check travel advisories on all travel to Mexico.
educational experiences, with life-enriching activities. After all, we think
out of the box and do things differently. So what do we do, but go on a
cookie-cutter, everything planned cruise. And we had a blast!
We live and homeschool in Galveston,Texas. It's a wonderful convenience
to just drive down to the pier and board a cruise ship. Carnival Cruise and
Royal Caribbean both depart from Galveston. We chose Carnival because it
is inexpensive and short (only 4 nights). To prepare for the trip, head to
the library and check out lots of books. Books on ocean life, books on your
ports of call, books on pirates. And maybe some books on tape, for when
the kids are lounging on deck. This would be a good time for a marine
biology unit study.
This was our first time to cruise, so I had no idea there was to be a boat
drill and we were to muster at our designated muster station with life
jackets. Who knew! Well I quickly found out, as this is not an option. This
part is for compulsive obsessive people that need to do everything in
advance. Life jackets are provided in your room (ask for children's sizes
for your little ones) and a muster station is where you go if the ship starts
to sink (highly unlikely) or some other emergency. Children under 12 must
wear wristbands to identify their muster stations throughout the entire
cruise. This is so staff can direct them to where they need to be if they get
separated from parents in an emergency. Okay the compulsive obsessive
people can relax now.
My idea of paradise is lying on deck, looking out over the horizon while the
children play in the pools. For those of you that need more, the ship is full
of activities--art auctions, musicals, games, arcades and more. Just
exploring the floating city is fun in and of itself. You receive an activity
sheet daily to be able to plan your day. Of course some things are extra like
the spa and sodas, plus the many shops to browse through. There are
even seminars on shopping (like we ladies need that) and seminars on the
many different tours available at your destination. Once you leave
Galveston waters, all purchases are duty free, up to a point. Of course much
of the fun is directed by those in charge to get you to part with as much
money as possible, but that is just about any prearranged vacation. So just
decide ahead of time, and keep to your budget. The ship gives you these
wonderful little sail & sign cards that are credit cards for you to use,
nothing is in cash, so be careful.
Come ready to eat. The food is glorious and abundant. You can eat 24
hours a day. There is gourmet pizza, ice cream, salad bars, dessert bars,
buffets and that’s for the casual diner. The formal dinners are spectacular.
I would highly recommend going to the formal dinners. You have the
choice of early seating and late seating. There are pros and cons of both. A
sense of elegance comes when your family dons their best attire and
attends a meal together. It’s good for the children to learn how to act in
these situations and this was good training ground. I think a short unit
study on formal manners would have been helpful for us, but it was a
beginning. I must say the waiters made the dinners special, they work hard
to make your time there memorable.
There were some fantastic stage shows. The music was good, the dancing
good, and it was fun to take in a show after dinner. I must also give
another warning: check at the pursers information desk about the content
of the shows; even though they say family shows, their idea of family is not
necessarily my idea of family. It was a bit of a spectacle, me diving across
several family members in an attempt to cover the eyes of my children and
yelling in the best whisper tone I have “CLOSE YOUR EYES! CLOSE YOUR
EYES!” It’s also embarrassing to have to explain to your mother-in –law
what a full monty is and how I knew that. The singing-dancing act wasn’t
exactly a full monty, but it was close and there were some moves I would
rather not have seen myself.
I can’t speak for other cruise lines, but I can say that the kids really
enjoyed Camp Carnival. We checked in on them often, met the counselors
and set rules ahead of time. The camp was a come and go camp. We could
sign the children in anytime during the day and sign them out at our
convenience, and we were responsible for taking them to meals. There was
a babysitting service after 10pm, but we never used it. The older kids (9
and up) could sign themselves in and out. Under that age only the parents
could sign them in and out and the parents received a beeper to notify us if
necessary. Now I did not like my 9 year old daughter having freedom to go
and come as she pleased so it was made clear to her and her counselor that
she was not allowed to do that and they abided by that. Also, that group
had a scavenger hunt in which groups of kids set out to roam the ship
without the counselor with them for about 45 minutes. Didn’t like that
either, but it happened before I realized, so double check with the
counselor on activities. A great idea I’ll use for our next cruise is walkie
talkies. Several children had them to communicate with their parents and
the parents could always call to find out where the kids were.
The counselors have experience in child care, and are given background
checks. They also were from different parts of the world. One of the
counselors was from Croatia and the other from England. So have your
kids ready to ask questions about where they live. In fact all the employees
were international and it was very interesting asking them about their
homeland. Maybe even keep a journal of the different countries
encountered, the names of the people and details about their home.
Some web sites to read about Camp Carnival are www.cruiseweb.
com/CARNIVAL-CAMP.HTM and go to www.carnival.com.
Definitely look into aids to prevent motion sickness. Most of my family used
a Transderm Scop patch, behind the ear. I couldn’t; I’m one of the rare,
odd people that have adverse reactions to it, but no one else did. (www.
travelpatch.com ). Ginger is supposed to be helpful too; check at a health
food store. There is also Dramamine, Meclizine and Bonine over the counter
at drug stores. If you feel queasy, never look down into the water; always
look out over the horizon and keep hydrated.
Susan Richie
The newest addition to cruise ships sailing out of Galveston is the Voyager
of the Seas. This beauty is one of the world's biggest cruise ships,
accommodating 3,114 guests.
Voyager of the Seas is an engineering wonder, worthy of in-depth study of
naviation and physics. Homeschoolers can hit the books on deck, and enjoy
unique features like an ice-skating rink, Royal Promenade and a rock-
climbing wall.
Added Note: Check travel advisories on all travel to Mexico.
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A Caribbean Cruise
A Non-typical Homeschool Vacation
Homeschool Travel
Resource
Resource
Homeschool Cruises
You would be amazed how educational a homeschool cruise can be. Dry (no pun
intended), rote learning go by the wayside, as geography becomes mapping
your ship's course, earth science becomes swimming with dolphins, and history
is learning about the Mayans.
In the article below, Susan Richie describes her Caribbean cruise. She and her
family went on their own, but another option is to travel with a group of other
homeschoolers.
You would be amazed how educational a homeschool cruise can be. Dry (no pun
intended), rote learning go by the wayside, as geography becomes mapping
your ship's course, earth science becomes swimming with dolphins, and history
is learning about the Mayans.
In the article below, Susan Richie describes her Caribbean cruise. She and her
family went on their own, but another option is to travel with a group of other
homeschoolers.