"Leave the kids at home!"

The thing I have heard most when I ask friends for cruising tips, or look online for cruising with kids advice is that--"Leave the kids at home." :-\

I can't tell you how annoying that piece of advice is. Maybe other families can afford to have nannies, but we can't. Unless my parents watch them, we have no babysitters. (not for lack of want, more like lack of trustworthy people)  Which means that if we want to go on a long vacation, the kids go with us. (by long, I mean more than 1-2 nights)  Beyond that, we have planned this vacation as a FAMILY vacation. So why, when I ask for advice for cruising as a family, do I hear "Leave the kids at home"?

Yes, traveling with kids is rough. If you've read my past posts, you'll see that we are not flying for this vacation, because of the kids. The thought of the kids in an airport gives me a panic attack. So what could be a 3 hour flight is now a 20+ hour drive.  When I ask for tips on how to keep the kids entertained for that time, I do not want to hear "Leave them at home."

Really, who are these people that leave their children (toddlers and preschoolers) for weeks at a time while they go on adult only vacations?  Don't get me wrong, I believe that parents NEED to get away from their kids occasionally for vacation. I don't know how my parents managed to never leave us behind. But family vacations include *gasp* the family, and that includes the kids.

I suppose the only point to this post is this--when you are asked for advice/tips on how to travel as a family, don't tell the person to leave part of their family behind.