I neglected to mention we were thinking about HAL.

You certainly won't be out of place on HAL as far as your ages go but there probably won't be any kids on board at that time. HAL does have a kids program though. Even if you choose a more kid friendly ship if you travel during the school year there aren't likely to be many kids.

I think HAL would be fine. I agree that there will (properly)be few children during school days. Is there a school vacation then? With every child in rural Laos performing better than our elite students, I can't imagine even thinking of taking children out of school for what is essentially the parent's benefit.

LauraMC: While there won't be a lot of children, there will certainly be some (it's a big boat) and I'm sure the kids will find playmates.

Aristotle: Rural Laos? Really? I have no doubt that the kids will learn more from their cruise experience than they would in a classroom. Better the full attention of two educated adult parents than sitting in a classroom with one teacher to 25 kids.

October is best time for Mediterranean cruise, the weather is almost perfect, and it is shoulder season so you won't see big crowds.

As to children, there were some on baord while we were there last month. There was one in a stroller and I think the oldest one maybe a "tween", and everything in between.

Age 7 and 9 are elementary school years. We took our kids out of school for vacation during school year as we can only go on certain time of the year and it is usually not during summer holidays.

Missing a couple weeks of school at that age would not hurt them. Make sure you ask the teachers what topics will be covered while you were away, what will be the homework assignments etc and "home school" them if needed.

My son packed his Math text book and he did his assignments in the evening sitting by the outdoor pool at the hotel. He quite liked the idea as the alternative would be no vacation.

Thank you for your helpful (and honest) comments. With regard to my children missing school, both of our children are intellectually "gifted" students who have always made straight As. I don't think missing ten days of school will affect them in the least, especially since their mother is a teacher! I think my biggest concern is the possibility of our kids being the only children on board.

Can any of you recommend a cruise line other than HAL, and will it better to travel in late August or Sept?

ARISTOTLE: Thank you for the interesting comment. I have traveled all over the world so this cruise decision was based solely on what would benefit our children. My husband is changing careers and next fall will be our only opportunity for several years. We decided to visit areas where our children could learn about world history and experience cultures outside their own.

Laura - there are many lines to choose from but I would not worry about the children having companions on board as there will always be a few. The important thing is the right itinerary. You should find the line that visits the ports that are important to you. HAL is a good choice from that standpoint as well as Princess and Celebrity. As Eschew pointed out the weather is best in October or late September. My mother was one who believed travel was a very important part of our education and as a kid I didn't appreciate having to visit every museum, capital building, observatory etc etc but that stands me in good stead now. (we had to travel by car in those days). So I say good for you - what a wonderful way to broaden your children's knowledge as well as doing it as a family.

traveller69 --Thank you!!

I have been on cruises during non-school vacation times and heard parents complaining about limited hours/activities in kids clubs due to few kids. I think this might be worth a phonecall to HAL to ask them if they will actually keep kids activities open, and perhaps their past experience with number of kids of ages of yours in past Octobers. While not HAL and not Europe, on our Alaska cruise early June 2 years ago there were a small number of whining kids saying they were bored, no other kids, no activities, etc - even though I know cruiseline advertised that there would be kid activities - so I would check it out. Not that you should not go - just so you have an idea what to expect.

gail -- Thank you! I checked with HAL and they said they couldn't predict the number of children yet, and therefore could not tell me what the hours would be. This is the biggest obstacle we are facing right now. We are considering changing our dates and destination just in case. I guess taking a cruise involves a lot of guess work?

Laura - what ports are you mainly interested in? When our daughter was young we took her on a few cruises. She had more fun on the cruises that had fewer children - lets say you can run into some behavioral problems!!!!! If your cruise is fairly port intensive they will be with you most of the time anyway.

triathlete et al. Rural Laos is a representation of backward educational environment and is not to be taken concretely or literally. I still think that the rigor and discipline of the classroom trumps the "educational" value of cruising. Especially in a world where education is not valued; where competative sports are more important that education; where a teacher can value her role in society so little as to remove her children for several days from a classroom. No wonder that we are falling so far behind. If achild can miss a lot of school and still acheive at a high level the bar must not be very high.

It seems to me that things are a little off track here. This is a travel forum not a soap box for personal opinions especially when they are not asked for. The question was is HAL an appropriate line for the OP regarding age. I don't think it is anyone's place to stand in judgement of someone they do not know. Lets keep this to a helpful and friendly forum.

Traveller69: I get the idea that Aristotle's remarks are a general comment on education in the US, and not really meant to be taken personally or in a mean way. (At least that's the way I take them).

Aristotle: Sorry I missed the sarcasm. (People often miss my sense of humor in similar forums, so you have my sympathies). For many kids, I think you'd probably be right. But my own experience and (it sounds like) that of Laura's kids are that they're worlds ahead of what's being taught in their classrooms. Bottom line: education in this country isn't geared toward the top few percent--it's about trying to get a minimum standard for all kids. Based on how innovation and economic growth tends to top-down (i.e., smarter people at the top pulling everyone else along) I wish it were otherwise. But until then, it will be the parents' responsibility to educate top echelon of kids (I certainly spend a lot of time teaching mine). I can't think of a better way to do that than to show them the world and explain it to them as they see it.

And not knowing Laura other than from this post, I will wager 2 wooden nickels that she will have her kids read books about the history and culture of the places they're due to visit before they get there.

If all parents had Laura's attitude and resources, it wouldn't matter so what schools can and can't do.

Laura. October is the best time of year for Med cruise. The weather is just about perfect. We were jsut there in October for a Holyland cruise and the learning experience is termendous. Athens, Santorini, Pathmos, Kusidasi (Ephesus), Nazareth/Galilee, Jerusalem/Palestine, Cairo/Giza, Alexandria, Sorrento (Pompeii's ruin) and ended in Rome. We took extra days in Athens (Delphi/Acropolis) pre-cruise and extra time post cruise in Rome (Vatican/Coliseum/Forum etc). Culture, history, religion, politcis, they're all there for the taking.

I commend you for doing the right thing with the kids. I wish I had the resoruces when my kids were younger and can afford to take them to such places.

If you wish to read my trip report, it is in this forum here or the cruise critcis. The link to the reip report in this forum is below.
http://www.fodors.com/community/cruises/holyland-in-october.cfm

Other than HAL, there are many options for Med cruise. For the mass market cruise lines, you can choose Princess or Celebrity and they both have excellent kids program. Knowing the itenary, there is not too much ship time except for sea days. The bigger the ship, the better chances that you will come across families. The question you should ask is do your children need other children to complete the experience? or that the other children maybe a distraction to their learning experience?

Other cruise lines that do the Med circuit will include Azamara, Oceania and a few "local" lines such as Louis, Costa, Opera etc.

My sugegstion is to forget about other children and just go. Treasuer the moment and enjoy a great family time together.

I'm so glad my innocent question could spark a debate. However, I really appreciate all the advice. I never realized how many decisions we would have to make regarding this trip.

Aristotle: Yes, you are right. I should keep my children in school those two weeks so they can be adequately educated. My son will learn so much sitting at a desk reading from a textbook. I'm sure those pictures in the textbook of the pyramids in Egypt are just beautiful.
I don't know why I even considered taking my children to see the ancient pyramids, Pompeii, or the Parthenon. Why on earth would they need to feel the awe of standing before something so wondrous? After all, they can read about all of this in their textbooks! Thank you for setting me straight.
Oh, so I am not misunderstood, this is sarcasm.

Traveller69- I think we have finally decided on four main places we would like to visit. Rome, Pompeii, Athens, and Egypt.

Thanks again to those of you who gave me very helpful advice!

"I can easily go with the flow, but I don't want to spend my time on board with people in their 70s and 80s!"

Without being sarcastic here, as there is enough of that already in this thread, I would just like to mention that some of those people in their 70's and 80's book fall cruises primarily because the children have gone back to school; this is a two way street. My biggest concern for you (aside from pulling your children out of school and as a teacher myself there are a lot of pros and cons, but you are not asking that question, I understand) would be that there are appropriate activities on board for your children. Will they be the only children on tours with that age group you would prefer to avoid? Will they be the only children in the dining room? The excursions to all the wonderful sites you mention above can be very long days for young ones. Good luck with your planning.

Hi again,
Yes, this dialogue did get off track, but I felt like my abilities as a mother were being attacked. I apologize.

We have made a decision based on all the advice we have received. My husband and I have booked a cruise on Royal Caribbean the last week in August and first week in September. (That time is the absolute earliest we could travel.) My children will miss the first few days of school, so the amount of material they miss will be minimal. We will meet with their teachers before we leave and bring all the material with us. (That will help fill in some of the time gaps)
With that said, I realize most schools have already started by the end of August, but I believe some may not start until after Labor Day. That should increase the chances of having more children on board, but not as many as in the middle of summer. I am hoping for a nice mix of ages on board.
We will make sure we don't over-schedule our days. We will take our time,and, if need be, only see the highlights.

Thank you for all the comments, even the ones I didn't like. I think we have finally come to some sort of compromise on the time of year. The bottom line is, next year is an ideal time for us to travel, and I don't want my children to miss the opportunity to see the remnants of our world's remarkable history.

I think you will find a pack of kids on board. In the northeast US many public schools do not start until after Labor Day, and most camps end mid-August - so parents often find the same weeks you have selected as optimal vacation time. Same area of country, many private schools start even later.

I also think that moving the trip is a good idea, for that mix of families/ages your kids will enjoy. Hope the trip is a good one for all of you.

From my experience on Holland America cruises, children are definitely few and far between on on longer cruises exploring ports away from North America. Definitely the ages tend to be older, but it sounds as if your kids are self-motivated and you and your husband are hands-on parents. Their teachers will provide your kids with "independent study" contracts if given advance notice. As a teacher I also had my students keep a travel journal each day. Enjoy whatever you decide!

Laura,
I have been both the kid and mom on international travel like this over my lifetime. My mom was also a teacher and had no difficulty taking us out of school for the same reason that you cited. She did an enormous amount of research on all places and her spirit moved us to get involved. My siblings and I often were on tours with much older people (often retired teachers when my parents explored areas which they did not feel as comfortable navigating alone so opted for teacher tours) and we loved the other adults as much as we loved playing with kids when we had the chance.

My kids have been in school and homeschooled themselves and we have traveled internationally offseason and had the same experience. Europeans have varying schedules, so although HAL may not have alot of kids, the European hosts in ports, etc, expect to have other Europeans traveling year-round. They are much more mobile than we are.

Finally, 10 days without other kids (worse case scenario0 won't kill them.Even if there are only 2 hours/day of child activities and yours are the only kids, that gives you and your husband time to yourselves and the rest of the time you all will experience the adventures together.

Just enjoy yourselves, bring a few small favorite games, and be happy that you have this opportunity to be an adventurous family.

Children at that age and at that time should be at school and not on a cruise ship. Besides they would feel out of place after a few days and extremely bored. Look for another vacation spot where children can enjoy themselves with their peers. At age 16 they will enjoy such a cruise and overseas trip much more. So wait !

Well Marlin1, I would totally disagree with you. The earlier on that children are expsoed to different clutures and travelling, the better it is for their interlectual growth.

There is an old Chinese saying that said soemthing to the effect that "Walk (travel) 10,000 miles is better than to read 10,000 books", very much like "a picture is worth a thousand words". And when you tarvel, you see things and they will stay wit hthem for a life time.

In my mind, it is never too early to travel. (okay, maybe not before 2 years old)

<<but I don't want to spend my time on board with people in their 70s and 80s!>>

Why not? Some in the age group can be very interesting and charming travel companions. You might even learn a thing or two.

I bristle everytime I hear that sort of comment on this forum. Sometimes I respond, sometimes not. Today it was necessary for my blood pressure!

My husband and I just returned from a Transatlantic with Holland America. We are both in our late 50's. A large percentage of passengers are older than us but we met many folks our age. we had a great time. As far as children, we saw only 3.

As a retired school teacher I totally support children seeing other cultures and other ways of life whenever it's possible. The missed classes can so easily made up, and some assignments can be given to the children to complete during the cruise. Eschew's quote is exactly what I was thinking when I read the original question. What an opportunity for your family. Have a wonderful time!!

Hi again,
Thank you for all the supportive comments. We found out yesterday that my husband will be able to take three weeks off the middle of April next year. We have just made our reservations for an 11 night Med. Cruise which coincides (somewhat) with Spring Break. Our kids will only miss 6 days of school, but their principal said if they needed to miss two weeks or more it would be worth it. They will be completing some school work on the cruise as well as journal/scrap book projects. Our plan is to arrive in Rome three days early so we can rest a little and see a few sights on our time. I am very excited, but I would not even consider taking my children out of school for a vacation if they were not excellent students with above average abilities.

I am glad that things just worked out for you. From what I have heard, April is not too bad a time for Med cruise. It is early in the year and hoepfully, it should not be too crowded.