We Love to Spoil Our Grandkids
Pam (right), Catherine and Dennis in front of the Pyramids of Giza.
January 18, 2012
by Pam Carlson
In our family, it’s a big deal when a grandchild turns 10 and it’s an even bigger one when they turn 13. When a grandchild turns 10, they spend 10 days with us in our home outside Chicago doing whatever they like, shopping, ballparks, movies. We’ve had so much fun doing that, we started a new tradition. When a grandchild turns 13, they get to pick where they’d like to go on a cruise with just Grandma and Grandpa, to create a real bonding experience in a world where they grow up so fast.
Last year marked our first such cruise. My husband, Dennis and I were expecting our granddaughter Catherine to pick Hawaii or maybe Paris. She knocked us for a loop when she asked us to take her to Egypt, as she’d been studying about the pharaohs at school in Nebraska. We found a cruise on the
Pacific Princess with stops in Egypt, Greece and the Holy Land, which made my husband very happy as he is a great student of the Bible. The itinerary covered Cairo, Giza, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Patmos, Greece, and more. We were excited to go.
As we planned our trip, I couldn’t help but be reminded of how fortunate we were to be able to do this. When our children Michelle and Christopher were kids, a typical vacation was a long car trip to the West Coast, with one of the grandmothers sitting between the kids in the back. As grandparents, we’re taking a different route. Already, we’ve taken both of our kids and all five grandchildren on a few family cruises. I love it because I get to spend time with the family instead of the stove and dishwasher.
It’s been about seven months since Dennis and I took Catherine on her birthday cruise and I’m still sorting through the hundreds of photos we took. I have 300 printed up and they are going into an album for Catherine to keep and remember us by. There are pictures of us touring all the places we wanted to see, like the pyramids, the King Tut exhibit at the Cairo Museum and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. I smile when I think of how Catherine bought a necklace of her name in hieroglyphics, and then she never took it off.
Our time at sea was so memorable. We played ping pong and Scrabble by the pool and made a grand occasion of dinner each night. We gave Catherine the freedom to go to the kids club, but she wasn’t that interested — she wanted to do things with us!
We have four more grandchild cruises to go. Catherine’s brother, Matthew, is next. We’ve already celebrated his 10th, Chicago style. Now Dennis and I can’t wait for him to decide what cruise adventure we are going to take together.
Pam resides in Arlington Heights, Illinois and she’s enjoyed nine Princess cruises.
58 Comments Post a Comment
Continuing the Discussion
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says... December 19, 2012 | 2:42am
[...] To Spoil the Grandkids [...]
Pam, many thanks for sharing your special reason to cruise. Your grandchildren are lucky to have you and Dennis as grandparents!
Thanks for giving me a great idea when our grandchildren reach a teen age.
So happy to read your story. We are taking our first grandchild on a Princess cruise to the Med. this summer. He really wanted to see Italy. It will be his 14th birthday and his 8th grade graduation gift from us. We hope to make great memories with him.
Friends of ours recently took a Holy Land and Egypt cruise with another cruise line. They were not allowed to stop in Egypt and detoured to Malta instead. What’s Princess doing in Egypt these days? Are they stopping overnight? What’s the situation? We’d love to take a Holy Land and Egypt cruise but not if we can’t stop in Egypt.
Donna W., when we first booked our Holyland cruise ,Egypt was the main reason for our choice because of our granddaughter’s request. Then after the first uprising Princess took it off the itinerary and had Istanbul in its place. Then last May when things had quieted down over there Egypt was put back on, to our delight. We spent an overnite there last June with absolutely no problems. However a month or so after our return home there were more problems and it’s been pretty dicey ever since. I’m not sure what Princess is doing currently but I know that passenger’s safety is always their first concern. We <3 Princess!!
Thanks for sharing…I love your idea for celebrating each grandchild’s 10 birthday with a 10 day visit in your home and then the cruise on the 13th birthday. What great family traditions & what wonderful memories for your grandchildren.
What a great family tradition. The wonderful memories that not only your Grandchildren will have but for you as well, they are priceless!
Thank you for sharing your memories Pam. I really enjoyed your post. We are also doing Egype and the Med on the Crown Princess with a 26 day Trans-Atlantic, Med, Egypt cruise in Apr 2012 and are looking forward to it even more after reading your post. Thanx again.
I don’t have grandchildren yet but when i do i want traditions like this.
I was looking for a way to not only celebrate being a grandparent, but giving our grandchildren a way to travel with us and learn along the way. You have the perfect answer, so thank you for sharing the special way you celebrate those priceless moments with your grandchildren by taking them on your travels. I so want to do this!
Pam and Dennis
It was great to read about taking your grandchildren on a cruise. It is a fantastic idea. It was also great to be tablemates on our cruise to Tahiti.
Thanks for the comment, guys…we miss you in the dining room….new tablemates are not as fun:):)
My granddaughters are now 18 and 16 and I wish I had shared a trip like this with them. I guess it’s never too late! Thanks for sharing your special idea!
Last year we also took our two grandchildren on the cruise around Australia
It was a wonderful experience for them and us and just priceless to see the look on some
of the other passengers faces when they saw us together
Some took photos of the children and one man said we made him feel quite guilty that
he had never even considered the idea of taking his grandchildren
Good on you Pam and Dennis
Wow! I just have to say I am sitting here at my desk in the corporate offices of Princess Cruises reading this blog and I am crying my eyes out. This is so sweet! It makes me think of the times that my son gets to spend with his grandparents, he is leaving tomorrow for two weeks to spend “him” time with his doting papa & grammy. It warms my heart when I hear of these stories, these stories are one of the reasons that I LOVE working here at Princess. Thanks for sharing.
It’s so great spending time with my grandchildren…I have 4 —3 girls & 1 boy…ages from 17 to 25…and we have spent 3 Princess cruises together…Alaska, British Isles, & Scandinavia…what fun we all had together…this time, however they were all in school. I just returned from a 14 day Coral Princess cruise thru the Panama Canal with my Son & Daughter-in-law…We all had a wonderful adult experience together…Life is so good !!!
I guess I am lucky, I see my 5 grandchildren everyday! But I love this idea and our wish is to someday do a whole family cruise! I can’t wait to see the looks on the kids faces when they enter that wonderful atrium on a Princess Ship and stare in wonder. You have made me rethink our plans for doing another grand tour, maybe its time to convert that to that family cruise for the whole family! What inspiration you are!
We took our children and spouses on a cruise several years ago and about 3 years ago, we took the five older grandchildren (ages 9 to 19). Everyone had a great time since they were able to explore the ship on their own and pick the tours they wanted to go on. Our 9 year old grandson had a shrimp cocktail every evening for dinner and a clown sundae for desert. We still have two more grandchildren (ages 5 and 7) to take. Maybe it is time to treat the rest of the family again. We enjoyed it a lot. It is more fun to spend your money while you can enjoy it.
Where did you take the children on the cruise if they were 8 years & up? Which one do you recommend?
Wow, what a lasting memory you’re creating with your grandchildren that is priceless! They will remember this forever! They’re blessed to have you as their grandparents to be able to spent time like this is absolutely wonderful!!!
We have been doing a similar thing in our family. When our grandsons are 10, we take them anywhere they want to go in the U.S. and I can’t even begin to tell you how rewarding that has been! We see our grandchildren a lot (8 grandsons) and have taken our whole family on two different family cruises……but the idea to take just one is so fantastic……a special time when they are the center of attention. So far we have taken three of these trips…..and the second grandson chose to go to Alaska. It was our second Princess Alaska trip and the thrill of our lives was standing in the middle of a river and catching salmon hand over fist! If it had not been for our grandson you never would have caught us standing in a river fishing! You do things with grandchildren for them that you might never do……be you will all live it! (our last ten year old trip had me climbing to the top of the Statue of Liberty “one last time” and my husband riding the infamous Cyclone roller coaster on Coney Island…..we might not be as young as we once were, but they are keeping us young at heart!!
What a great idea! I hope our second granddaughter asks for this as we certainly enjoy cruising and would have even more fun with her. Our first wanted a flight and week whale watching in Maui when she turned 10.
I do the same thing but my cruises (their choice) are when they graduate from high school. In Dec. 2011, I took my oldest granddaughter to Australia. Alas, I couldn’t find a Princess cruise with the same itinerary but we had a great time. The highlights for her were snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef (2 sites) and seeing a ballet on our last night in the Sydney Opera House.This July, I take the next graduate on the Grand Med. cruise on Ruby Princess. Next year, my only grandson graduates and he wants to go to the Amazon. I’m already searching cruises. I’m already searching that one. The last one graduates the following year and she has asked to go to Japan with me (that should be easy!). Traveling with the grands is wonderful and so different than when their parents are along. You have such an opportunity to show fine dining and table manners, learn about exotic lands and people and bond together as never before. I can’t wait until July!
Linda…I was thrilled to read your Granddaughter chose to visit Australia and see the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef!
I was especially thrilled to read that you went along to the wonderful Sydney Opera House for a night at the ballet…I just hope it was the Australian Ballet performing that night as the are a wonderful ballet company!
For many years I had a subscription to the Australian Ballet but now living in sunny Queensland (which I love) my trips to the ballet are not too often…something I must remedy this year…more flights to my old town Sydney I am thinking!
Best wishes for your future cruises…the Amazon sounds interesting!
Our family started cruising together in 1978…on the original Golden Princess. My parents, my sister and her husband and me and my husband. We went to Mexcio. In 1988, again my parents took all of us, including their 4 grandchilden to New Zealand and Austrilia. We celebrated my parents 50th anniversary. We were on the Fair Princess during the transition from Sitmar to Princess. It was Christmas and Santa Claus landed by helicopter much to the delight of all the kids on board. Sadly, my Dad passed away a year later, but my Mother kept it up taking one or two of the grands on various cruises, all with Princess. Today, our daughter works for AAA, as a result of all her cruises. The end of February she and her husband are taking their daughter on her first cruise. We have traveled with Princess on 16 cruises. Our favorite is always Alaska. The whole family will be going there in 2014…on Princess, of course.
We had the same idea Pam. We are taking our 10 year old granddaughter on a 13 day British Ieles trip in May. Can’t wait to spend 2 weeks with her.
We are taking our 11 year old granddaughter on the same cruise!!! We leave on the 14th out of London. I can’t wait to see it all through her eyes. If you are on the same ship I hope we meet. If not, have a WONDERFUL trip.
Joan and Darrell say:
We were fortunate to be able to take our entire family , all 14, including 6 grandkids age 6-16 on the Alaska Cruise last August . As we are spread from Wpg. to Vcr in Canada, what a wonderful family experience, seeing all the kids bond . The real winners were Joan and I , what an experience
We did the same and took all our family on a Caribbean cruise last year for my husband’s 65th (I thought it should have been their treat. No matter, it was the best cruise we have ever had). Ages ranged from 10 months to 65 years. There were 10 of us (surprising how a family of four – we only had two daughters can grow) and the evening meal was the best when we all sat down for dinner together. With both our daughters living out of town now it was marvelous.
well.i was visited the places in last year October. It was the most trilling experiences in my whole life. I wish everybody to visit these plases. good luck to you all.
It sounds fantastic and your Grandchildren are very blessed .To bad we all dont have the money to make those memories for our Grandchildren.Mine will have to be happy with taking walks to the park and just talking
I wish I could take all my grandchildren ( 15) on a cruise, my favorite way to travel. Unfortunately I do not have that kind of money. When my children were young I was always telling them that money does not buy happiness but I now have to admit that I still believe that but it is better to have it, providing you do not have to give up the rest.
Greetings to all from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland Australia!
What a wonderful idea Pam…to take ones Grandchildren on a special ’10th Birthday Cruise’
We only chatted the other day about what would be a fun adventure for our eldest Grandson who turns 10 later this year…we might suggest a cruise!
When our Grandchildren turn 5 we take them up north in the TILT train up to see the whales at Hervey Bay…we stay 3 days and enjoy beautiful breakk’s overlooking the bay and many ice creams as well! We have had 3 wonderful whale trips with 2 still to go…the Grandson above often chats about his weekend whale trip so I guess the adventure was pretty special to him as well as Nannie and Par!
We have 5 beautiful Grandchildren and in 3 weeks time we are flying to LA to have a fun week at Disneyland with them…after our Disneyland week we board a Princess Cruise to the Panama Canal…we are very excited…this is our 4th cruise but the first with Princess…from what we are hearing their cruises sound wonderful!
Are you also going on March 13 Panama Canal Cruise?
Best wishes Pam to your hubby and beautiful Grandchildren…enjoy your special ‘Grandchildren Cruises’ I think you will!
Why are we having all these experiences from America??!! What about Aussie travellers and their experiences? I’m not in the least interested as to what the Americans are doing.
We love both hearing of American’s experiences and meeting them on cruises and yes we are Aussies. On our last Princess Cruise we had cigarette smoke in our cabin due to connecting door with cabin nextdoor and would have had a miderable trip but for the friendship of Americans. Trip was a nightmare otherwise and Princess would do nothng about it from San Francisco to Hawaii. They then gave us another cabin but trip was ruined.Hope to bring our granddaughter on cruise when she is old enough.
Can’t we all get along…really, this sounds like a grade school response!
If you sailed on Holland and loved it, you’ve been sploeid. You MIGHT also like Celebrity, although I don’t think those prices are any better. The mass-market cruise lines all tend to be about the same price, more or less, especially when you factor in sales and past-guest deals. Talk with your travel agent, or, if you feel comfortable booking on line, there are plenty of reliable agencies. I’ve used CruCon and was pleased; I’ve read good things about VacationsToGo, too. Oh HAL often has 3rd passenger free deals, which will save you a good amount.The advantages that HAL has that the other lines don’t: No constant PA announcements [also applies to Celebrity]. All the other lines will inundate you with constant, loud announcements about bingo and various silly pool games, etc., all day.Better-quality food and service. Oooh, that home made ice cream, served almost all day! Free cappuccino in the main dining room for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Afternoon tea. Etc., etc.Bring on as much wine as you like. Other lines limit to one bottle per person, if they allow it at all. This can save you a lot, especially if you pour it in your room and then take your glass to dinner. And, at least in Ft. Lauderdale, there’s a great wine store near the port where you can stock up: Total Wine. They’re great at suggesting wines you might like, based on what you already know you like.Quiet, serene atmosphere and classy decor. Some of the other lines look like Vegas on steroids [Carnival, I'm talking about you]. They also have almost constant, sometimes frenetic, activity, especially around the pool. Some will say that HAL is too quiet and that everything stops at midnight. I say that by midnight, I’ve already had a long day and need to get some rest for getting up early the next morning!Tradition-minded passengers. They most DO adhere to the dress code, although on our last cruise, some overweight guy thought country-club casual meant a ratty tee with METS spelled out in big orange letters! For the most part, HAL [and Celebrity] passengers will dress at least in country-club casual for formal night. Or, if they don’t feel like dressing up, they go to the Lido. On the other cruise lines, especially NCL and Carnival, you’re likely to see anything in the dining room, even on formal nights.Fewer pool-chair hogs. Fewer kids [especially unsupervised kids]. Fewer party-hearty , it’s my vacation and I’ll do whatever I want passengers who don’t know when they’ve had enough to drink.You may want to go to CruiseCritic.com for lots of info. Click on Cruise Styles and you can read about the demographics of the different ships/lines. Click on Boards and you can read Member Reviews , read the different cruise line boards, etc., etc.
What a great idea! I think that a trip like that would certainly be remembered forever. I have two grand children and I think it would be a wonderful gift to them. Thanks You!
What an amazing way to make memories with your grandkids. My grandmother passed in June and I know that all of the great times we had together with never be forgotten… its a reminder to love the ones you have and spend as much time as you can with them. Great story! Thanks so much for sharing
Gracias por tan excelente idea!!!tenemos una nietita de dos años pero ya estamos planeando su primer crucero para cuando cumpla los seis y comience su escuela primaria.Los felicito por ser tan generosos y mimar así a los pequeños.
Some of the very best memories in my life were spent with my adoring grandparents. They were simple things that we did but the best. Now I am a grandmother and all I want is the same relationship with my 10 fabulous grandchildren. this is a wonderful idea and I think I will borrow it. Many thanks.
When my 1st granddaughter was 5 y/o I was newly widowed yet yearning to travel, so…I took Paige as my cruise companion on a 2 week Med cruise plus a week in Barcelona. We had such a wonderful time that several hours before landing at LAX she asked, ” Where are we going next, Joan”? (Yes, she and her little sister call me by my name). She now has an 8 y/o sister; I’ll be taking her to Boston in 2 years when she is studying American history. Meanwhile, Paige and I spent Thanksgiving in Paris and had a grand time…teens ARE different but so much fun. Travelling with the girls has brought us even closer and given us memories to treasure. Pack up and do it!
Since we never know what’s “around the corner”, we have opted to take Princess cruise with kids and grand kids this year. We will all be together on a cruise to Alaska and I’m excited at the thought of watching the grandchildren marvel at Alaska’s beauty and, hopefully, wild animals. I firmly believe that spending quality time with your children and/or grandchildren, is the greatest give you can give … whether it be on a cruise, camping trip or a lunch out on the town. Kudos to everyone who opts to share these “teaching moments” with their loved ones.
I HAVE TO ADMIT-AFTER READING THIS POST I AM SOOOOO VERY ENVIOUS! I HAVE ONLY ONE GRANDSON AND HE IS THE LOVE OF MY LIFE. JUST WAITING TO WIN THE LOTTERY SO I COULD DO THIS TOO……LOL……………….
My husband and I just returned from our third cruise with Princess. We have gone to Alaska twice and to the Eastern Caribbean. We have enjoyed every minute with Princess and intend to cruise with them always.
We have been blessed with 7 grandchildren and they are all under the age of 10. Pam and Dennis you have inspired my husband and I to share our cruises with our grandchildren.
Thank you for you wonderful story!
Grandma Lisa
I LOVe these stories! We have 4 grandchildren and 2 more on the way. I have a question though, did you book adjoining rooms or a suite or . . .? So everyone has enough space and is comfortable. Just wondering. Thanks for sharing. I’m already planning!
We love Princess!
Jan M. , When the 3 of us went to Egypt we were all in the same cabin. When we take the whole family, 11 of us, then we need 3 cabins of 4, 4 and 3. Sometimes we can get adjoining rooms but generally, as long as we’re all on the same deck, everybody’s happy! Enjoy, the planning is half the fun:):)!!
I have cruised with Princess and it was great. My best grandchild story is when my first grandchild was ten she told me she wanted to go to Rome. This one didn’t involve a cruise as time was short. Since I love to travel I told her when she was 13 we would go. She made sure I knew she meant Rome ITALY. I had a laugh, assured her I understood and then asked what prompted the request. She said she wanted to see the TREVI FOUNTAIN. We now have a good collection of a beautiful girl at the Trevi along with many other wonderful memories. This idea was the best one of all.
We have taken each of our grandchildren (all three) on an Alaskan cruise with Princess when they turn ten! This will be our third one on August 1… Great way to know them one-on-one plus they get a lot of interesting things to see and learn…This will be our 17th cruise with Princess (and P&O)….John & Sharon
Pam and Dennis: What a neat tradition you have established cruising with your grandchildren. Thanks for sharing your story-it’s very heart-warming. As you can see you have the blessings of many fans on this site. As an avid cruiser myself (18 cruises in all-10 with Princess) I always enjoy reading about fellow cruiser’s experences and adventures and I believe Princess does it best!
I have cruised all over the world (Australia included) and I’m saddened by the inconsiderate and predjudiced individual who used this wonderful site to insult Americans. His comments appear below:
Frank Chappell says… February 6, 2012 | 9:11pm
“Why are we having all these experiences from America??!! What about Aussie travellers and their experiences? I’m not in the least interested as to what the Americans are doing.”
I have but 3-words for him: Find Another Blog!
Last June my 10 year old grandson Conner and I crused the inside passage to Alaska and then a 3 day trip to Denali and Anchorage. It was the VERY Best trip I had ever taken. Of course spending that alone time (just the 2 of us) was what made it so special. I plan to take his little brother next summer. Everyone was so nice!!
We are taking out 10 year old GD to Alaska this summer including bear viewing at Anan out of Wrangell, zookeeper for a day at the Anchorage zoo, Seward including the octopus encounter at the Sea Life Center, a trip on the Kenai Fjord and ending with 7 days on the Diamond Princess from Whittier to Vancouver.
My wife and I have been to Alaska several times – once on a large ship, once on a small ship that held 50 people, once by land (we spent 2 1/2 months in Alaska last summer) and I just got back from a week of Aurora Borealis photography north of Fairbanks where the temperature reached a maximum of +5.
I sure hope that she loves the place as much as we do.
Pam and Dennis:
I was inspired by your story and idea of setting a family tradition to spend special moments and time with grandchildren. I have only one grand child who was only two years old past Febuary and was thinking to start similar type of tridition in my family as well. Thx for sharing your story. I have not decided where I will take him yet but would like to take him every five years to places of his choice so he can enrich and educate himself with cultures and the people around the globe as well we spend most valuable time togather growing up.
I was inspired by your story. We have 8 grandkids age 12 to 7 years old.
We are now taking two of our granddaughters age 12 anfd 10 to the Mediterranean cruise on the Carnival Breeze June 3 – 15 2012 from Venice to Barcelona and we are also adding a couple days stay before and after the cruise. Our grandkids are so excited with this trip and have prepared themselves by reading the various Ports that we are going to visit on this cruise. We do believe that this will be memorable experience for them.
So thank you again Pam for your inspiration.
I recently took the repositioning cruise from San Fran to Vancouver, May 13th with my 18 year old Grandson on the Star Princess. I have travelled 5 times with Princess and this was my most disappointing cruise. When we arrived I asked for Ice and water in our room as I need to drink lots of water. The ice arrived when the fellow had time which I realize embarkation is very busy for them. I then asked twice more for some water and they brought me a big bottle of water along with a couple of cans of coke that were to be PURCHASED!! Very tacky. We then went to the dining room which, when I made my original reservation was booked for early seating. When we arrive there after finding the dining room we were told we had any time dining so we went up one floor to the next restaurant and were told we could not eat there either. A little flustered and annoyed we finally found the anytime dining restaurant. We were first greeted by a fellow who did not introduce himself or his postion and asked it we wanted water, I replyed yes and he asked if we wanted regular or sparkling water. My grandson and I each picked the water we wanted and he asked for our cruise card and wanted to charge us for it. I said that I was NOT going to pay for water and eventually someone brought us some ice water from a jug which was great. The waiters were good but dining used to be such a fun part of the cruise with waiters making every one laugh and enjoy themselves. This was not like that. One ight when we ordered dessert, a few of our table companions ordered coffee with their dessert because that is how they enjoy the two together. It was long after dessert was finished and we were ready to leave that their coffee showedup. One day I had a sandwich with some prawns in the International food court and asked for coffee and AGAIN they wanted to charge me. I asked for a few prawns and ended up with a plate full of the expensive things but could not have a coffee included. What is happening with your service? My Grandson enjoyed the trip and I thought the entertainment was fantastic as usual but very disappointed in some of your changes. I bought him one of the refillable coke cups and he drank coke whenever he wanted so worked well for him and I think water and coffee should be free, especially on family vacations. Bring back the entertaining servers. The room was very nice being an inside cabin. Staff were all courteous. Another nice thing about cruising with younger people is you feel they’re safe on the ship to move about to watch and participate in many things
This is NOT the place to share your grievances with Princess!!!
Yikes Susan, 60 cards, I’m not sure if I even make that many in a year! Your cards look wonderful! I love your disgen and the beautiful mix of colours and patterns! Only 33 days to go now!