Cruising

My family and I love travelling. We recently took our 2^nd ever cruising holiday and overall found it to be a terrific experience. Cruises are quite a different style of holiday from what we normally do and there definitely is a learning curve to optimising your cruise holiday but there are some distinct positives to this kind of holiday.

We took a 9 night cruise from Sydney to New Zealand on Royal Carribbean’s Quantum class ship ‘Ovation of the Seas'.



This is one of Royal Carribbean’s newer ships and carries a whopping 4180 passengers. Apart from swimming pools , spa , multiple restaurants, live music and shows, the ship also boasts the  north star – a London eye type capsule that hovers 90 m above the sea, rip cord by iFly (skydiving simulator), bumper cars, flying trapeze and a bionic bar where robots mix up your cocktails.

It takes a good few days to get into the cruising groove and you can definitely spot the regular cruisers from the novices! We found that after the first 3 days or so we started to understand better how the day works and how to maximise our experience. I’ll write another blog with some tips and hints, but will focus this one on the actual experience.

Kids Club:

All of RC’s ships have a kid’s club known as Adventure Ocean that cater for children from age 3 and upwards who are toilet changed. Only certain ships however have facilities available for children younger than 3. Ovation of the Seas has a nursery for babies under 3 however this does cost extra and places are limited. Adventure ocean is divided into 3 groups. Aquanauts is for age 3-5, Explorers 6-8 and Voyagers 9-11. Each room has limited spots available and on sea days it is open for sessions in the morning, afternoon and evening. On port days it is open longer and parents can potentially leave their children at club whilst they do a shore excursion.

Each evening an information sheet is left in your cabin with the theme and planned activities for each session scheduled for the following day so your child can decide what they might like to attend. Activities included ball games, arts and crafts, movie nights and various competitions. On day 1 you register your child for kids club and fill medical forms etc then your child is right to go. Mr 6 loved adventure ocean and went to at least one session if not two on most days. The staff were terrific with him and gave us an onboard phone so they could contact us if there were any concerns. I have to say I was quite unsure about the 2 staff to 50 children ratio, however each time I went to collect Mr 6, the kids were all very happy and settled and the staff seen to have it all worked out. Also, the staff knew about Mr 6 and his ASD and when he had a minor meltdown over a movie choice they handled things extremely well and were very professional and caring.

Mr. 2 went to nursery a number of mornings, and also had a great time. This is an extra cost service about $6US/hr and limited to 9 babies. They have a ratio of 3:1, but each time we went there were hardly any babies and S was given a lot of attention and was very happy there.

In addition, if you have an early dinner with your children in the main dining room restaurants, adventure ocean staff will pick them up at 6.45 outside one of the restaurants and take them directly to kids club leaving you to enjoy the rest of your meal in peace.

Food:

Let’s face it, one of the biggest attractions about a cruise is not having to plan, shop or cook. Ovation of the Seas boasts 15 different restaurants/dining rooms. Some incur a surcharge and include their ‘specialty’ restaurants such as Izumi Japanese restaurant, Jamie’s Italian, Chops Grille and their degustation restaurant Wonderland. Other restaurants like the big buffet restaurant Windjammer, the main dining room restaurants and Sorrento’s pizza are included in the price. I have to preface my next comment by saying I am fairly spoilt when it comes to food and I really enjoy good food. The food on the cruise was pretty average. There was definitely a huge variety of food that catered for many different tastes, however in general I found everything just too salty and lacking in flavour. The food in the specialty restaurants was definitely better and I would highly recommend purchasing the specialty restaurant packages that allow you to go to several of them for a reduced rate. On the plus side, you are never left hungry on the ship. The ‘free’ soft serve ice cream on the pool deck was a winner with the kids, as was café promenade that has cakes / cookies and is open 24 hours a day. My 2 year old soon caught wind of this and every time he walked past he would go and ‘order’ himself a chocolate chip cookie!

Another word of advice, if you opt to have most of your meals at the main dining room restaurants where you can have an a la carte 3 course meal (Grande, Chic or Silk), go there early on your first day on board to book in your dining times otherwise you can be waiting for a while.

Facilities: 

Ovation of the Seas boast some pretty amazing facilities and these including Sea Plex, North Star and iFly.

The Sea Plex is an indoor space used to run bumper cars, roller skating rink  and trapeze/circus school. There are different activites scheduled on different days. Mr 6 loved the dodgem car sessions however there are height and age restrictions so Mr. 2 was not allowed to go on them even with an adult which he was most upset about. For older kids there is an air hockey table, X box lounge and even a small games arcade.

iFly is an indoor skydiving simulator which was a lot of fun and suitable for daredevil kids too (I saw a 3 year old having a go). You book in for a session where you have a safety briefing and then get to have a go in the wind tunnel for approximately 90 seconds. The instructors are terrific and very enthusiastic. These sessions get booked up very quickly so again make sure you book your time slot on day 1.

The North Star is a 360 degree observation capsule that extends 90 metres above sea level. Again there are height and age restrictions so Mr 2 was unable to go but the rest of the family enjoyed the experience. I suspect it would be better to do it on a day you are at port rather than at sea as when you are sea all you see is ocean/ship!

Flowrider is a surf simulator where you can go to either surfing or body boarding. Although we didn't try it, it was always extremely popular with long lines most days and there is always the option of booking in for private lessons (of course for a price!).

Pools: 
The ship has an outdoor pool, an indoor pool, several whirlpools, children’s waterslide and a baby splash area. Surrounding them are plenty of deck chairs and bars. These areas can get very crowded especially during warm sailing days. Some people complained bitterly about this, but when you sign up for a cruise this big I think it’s really to be expected. If you dislike big crowds then I would suggest Royal Caribbean is not the cruise company to go with.

One thing to note is that babies who are not fully toilet trained are not permitted in any of the pools although they are allowed in the splash area. The wind on the upper deck can make it a little chilly so long sleeve rash suits are good especially for the little ones. There is also an adults only solarium at the front of the ship which was quite nice but designed more for soaking and enjoying the view rather than actual swimming.

Activities:

Each evening the following day’s cruise planner (‘Cruise compass’) is distributed to your cabin which details all the activities and meeting places. There is an extensive variety of activities to suit most tastes and these include trivia quizzes, exercise classes, dance classes, movie screenings, dance parties/silent disco, heath talks and shows.

 Every night there are feature shows generally performed at two different times to allow for different dinner bookings. We saw some terrific broadway style dance/music shows performed by the ships own entertainment crew, however the highlight for me was Sydney’s electric violinist Jane Cho. Even the kids enjoyed the shows and there was certainly enough variety to appeal to a range of tastes.

For those who enjoy a bit of gambling there is also a casino on board which has all the usual games and pokies. Hubby and I did have a go at playing a coin slot game where you tried to use the weight of a coin to push the coins / notes underneath and out into the play slot. I suspect this game would be a lot more fun if you were a little inebriated. 

Ports:

Our tour took us to Milford, Doubtful and Dusky Sounds. Although there was no actual stop, the Sounds were beautiful and it was lovely to cruise through them.

Our formal ports of call were advertised as Dunedin, Wellington and Picton. I say advertised because we didn’t actually get to stop at Picton as there was a strong storm brewing enroute back to Sydney so in order to keep us from sailing through what would have been some fairly nasty weather the captain decided to circumnavigate the storm, hence we had to forgo the Picton stop in the interest of time. It was a little disappointing as we had planned to go on a kayaking tour in Picton however the swell even as we were going around the storm was considerable and I am grateful that we did not have to sail through it.

Both Dunedin and Wellington were quite short stops and although there were many shore excursions on offer, we opted not to do these. The main issue with a ship this size is disembarking and embarking is quite a process and can take quite a while. Guests were allocated numbers and had to wait in the public areas until their number was called to be allowed to disembark. Some people were fairly impatient with this process and although the staff were fairly efficient it still made for some unforeseen dead time.

At the end of the day, although I did enjoy the ports, the main experience for us was really the actual cruise itself and cruising life. I would say if you are put off by large crowds, and mass activities this cruise is probably not for you. For me though, being able to live on this floating city, (albeit artificial) have my family fed and entertained and really have little else to worry about made for a pretty relaxing and fun holiday.

There’s a Hippopotamus on the Hospital Roof Eating Cake!

I love reading books to my boys, and fortunately both seem to really enjoy this special time we have together. Sometimes the books are fun and I really enjoy them myself. Other times the stories are so mundane I feel like ripping my hair out!  My little one is Thomas obsessed and I find these stories so painful! It always makes me giggle when I know the book by heart and can close my eyes and be on autopilot! Trouble is most of the time the kids have also memorised the stories and they know if you ‘accidentally’ skip a part.

I have found that books have been a particularly useful tool for prepping children for events or certain situations. A common scenario that parents need to prepare their children for is medical procedures or visits to medical professionals. If children have good first experiences in these situations it generally sets them up for more positive future appointments. I often take a bit of artistic license when I am reading the stories particularly when they have a medical slant on them.

One of these books, There’s a Hippopotamus on the Hospital Roof Eating Cake, comes from a series of books by Melbourne based writer Hazel Edwards. The story basically describes the hospital experience of a child who has likely appendicitis (they never say what it is but that’s my expert guess ha!) and his imaginary friend the hippopotamus. 

The child has to have an operation and as he is taken into the operating room, he is instructed to ‘breathe slowly’ by the nurse and after that ‘everything goes black’. The illustration accompanying this is a nurse holding a black mask over the child’s face. When I first read this to J, I changed the words to ‘Breathe slowly’ said the anaesthetist! I then explained that mummy’s job was putting the patient to sleep and the nurse also was there to help look after the patient. This book was a favourite for months and each time we would discuss the procedures that would occur if one were ever to have to go to hospital for an operation.

J loved re-enacting the operating room scene and I slowly added embellishments like putting an IV cannula and infusing fluids/analgesia. When it came to that inevitable time when J fell at the park, lacerating his face and needed a general anaesthetic for sutures, he was well prepared. 

Most children and parents find a hospital admission daunting but with J on the spectrum I was pretty worried about how he would react. I played out several scenarios in my head – most of them traumatic but in the end, it turned out to be far better than I could have imagined as he had been well prepped. He came out of the experience wanting to do more play acting – except he wanted to be the anaesthetist! Another positive is he also now understands a bit more what his mum does for work.

It made me realise the importance of books and social stories in the preparation of children for unexpected events particularly ones involving hospitals / doctors. The key is to find a story that your child can relate to, be it because of the actual scenario or the character involved. If you child is a Dora fan then find a Dora themed story and so forth.  Social stories are useful for children with autism who often thrive on routine and familiarity, but they can also be invaluable for any child who has to face an unusual or frightening situation. Suffice to say if a child’s first experience having surgery or seeing a GP is a traumatic one, they are far less likely going to cooperate with you on the next visit.

Some other books/resources that we have found useful include

Elmo goes to the Doctor by Sarah Albee

Dora Goes to the Doctor/Dora Goes to the Dentist by Ellen Rosebrough

The Berenstain Bears Go to the Doctor by Stan Berenstain

Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne website

Note most children’s hospitals in each capital city have great website resources available to the public and easily accessable.

What other books have been useful for you and your children?

Celebrating new lives and a new life!

One of my dearest friends has recently had her first baby. It is such an exciting yet exhausting time but unfortunately,  as we live in different states it has been really hard to be connected to her in this new journey. I have two other very close friends who are also going to be first time mums soon, both of whom live far away. I have been thinking about the early days with my eldest, and reflecting on how difficult and emotionally draining it was especially in comparison to the second time around when I at least had some clue what to expect. So, with this in mind I thought I would write them a letter.

To my dear and special friends,

Wow! You have entered that ‘magical’ realm that is motherhood – I call it serene anarchy! Congratulations! I am sad that I can’t be right by your side as you navigate these early days so I wanted to write you a letter with some thoughts. Before you worry that I am writing an essay spouting unwanted advice, I just want to say that this is hopefully not going to be that. These are just some of my random musings about little things I wish someone had told me before I had J. Admittedly it still probably would not have made much difference to the way that I struggled but they are things that may have made me giggle or given me a slightly different perspective on things.

1     1.  Your primary job in the first few weeks of your baby’s birth is to stay alive and keep bubby alive. If you have done that, then you are winning on all fronts. If you stay in your pyjamas for more than 24 hours, IT IS OK!  

2.     No matter how many times you are told ‘this too will pass,’ it still feels like forever. Its ok to have moments where you hate what your life has become.

3.     Breastfeeding for many of us is bloody painful and not that natural. It took me weeks to get used to it and not want to swear black and blue each time he latched. It did get easier and I have to say it wasn’t so bad the second time round. In the same vein, it really matters little whether you breast or bottle feed. A fed baby is a good baby.

4.     Many men, (I have surveyed other women on their view on this) have some strange inbuilt ability to not hear crying when they are sleeping. The number of times hubby said to me in the morning ‘ Oh baby had a good night didn’t he? Didn’t hear him wake….. ‘ I won’t tell you what my response was especially when I had been up several times in one night . Needless to say he learnt quickly just to ask how my night was and not make any assumptions.

5.     You will feel guilty. You will feel guilty no matter what you do. You feel guilty if you don’t do it and you feel guilty if you do it. You will feel guilty if you don’t feel guilty. Just learn to live with it, accept it and embrace it. It never stops.

6.     For every intervention that has evidence it is good for your baby there will be equal evidence that it is harmful for your baby. Just depends on what source you take it from. So, take whatever advice sits well with you and ignore the rest.

7.     Even if you are a very socially connected individual there will be times you feel extremely isolated and lonely. Walking your local streets with bub in pram / carrier or having a coffee at a café regularly can help, and it certainly gave me some respite from the loneliness.

8.     Admission to sleep school does not mean you are a failing parent. There seems to be so much stigma attached with needing extra help and guidance. I struggled through the first 6 months with J trying to find my feet with the whole sleep routine. Eventually with a combination of trial and error and also internet sleep advice it sorted itself out. With my second baby though, I knew I was going back to work early and just wanted some support. I spoke to my GP and booked myself into sleep school when S was 6 weeks old. It was fabulous and gave me the confidence to stick to a few techniques which helped all of us get some form of a routine.

9.     If you are a slightly older mum, have a type A personality and a little bit on the OCD side (which sums me up pretty well) then expect the road to be rocky. I am used to working hard but I also expect to get results if I follow all the rules and appropriate directions. Seems obvious now, but at the time I found it hard to accept that my babies wouldn’t do as book A, B or C said they would even after I carefully and diligently followed instructions!

10.  Each day, take a moment to reflect on the amazing creature that is your baby. Sometimes a little conscious mindfulness can really make the difference to your day. I have fond memories of both my bubs cackling and giggling at me with no care in the world whilst I blew raspberries on their tummies.

Finally, good luck my dear friends. Although I can’t physically be there with you I am always only a phone call away if you need a listening ear or a virtual hug. Thank you to you also for being with me and for all your patience whilst I navigated my early days.

Xxx S