  |
|||
|
|
|
||
|
Posted by Sue Bryant Jul 26, 2007 |
Cruising as a single parent should, in theory, be stress-free. There are kids’ clubs on board ships, you don’t have to shop, cook or do the washing up and you can see a string of exciting new places without having to drive anywhere or unpack more than once. A cruise ship is an easy environment in which to sit on your own with a cocktail, too, without attracting unwanted attention.
Ocean Village, part of Carnival Corporation, is one of the few cruise lines to promote itself to single parent families. A number of cabins have three berths and are sold to lone parent families, representing good savings over a land-based holiday.
There are, however, still challenges that you just don’t anticipate. This is no reflection on the cruise line, particularly – just the hassles faced by a single parent generally. I found meal times particularly stressful as Ocean Village’s two main restaurants are buffets. Balancing three full plates on a small tray with two children in tow, battling through a crowd of hungry Brits whose only thought is getting to the bacon, and then finding there’s nowhere to sit is not my idea of a good start to the day.
I ended up finding a seat first and then running backwards and forwards like a waiter for the entire meal. We got around this in the evenings by paying a supplement to eat in La Luna, a very pleasant waiter service restaurant with outdoor seating.
There were obviously other lone parents on board but it would have been nice to have some kind of social event to break the ice. I was quite happy in the company of my children, who are old enough to stay up to see the ship’s excellent shows, but I spoke to one mother whose teenage daughter had quickly become immersed in the ship’s social scene, which is great, but leaves you a bit lonely if you’re travelling alone.
The other problem for single parents on vacation anywhere is keeping both children happy. If one wants to do one thing and the other doesn’t, you have to bribe, lay down the law or compromise. I ended up doing all the scary rides in the French and Italian water parks we visited (and loving it, or course) but had to lure my kids round Portofino with chocolate chip ice cream. It’s when you’re sitting on the dock playing Harry Potter Top Trumps instead of browsing the port’s designer boutiques that an adult travelling companion would come in handy!