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How soon after you became empty nesters?


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Alright, I'm not looking to kick my DS out of our home. LOVE HIM! However, once he hits college (2023), I'm entertaining the idea of celebrating his success (without him?) by going on a cruise. Have any of you done this? If so, how soon after they started college did you go? Yeh, I'm a planner.

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My husband and I didn't wait for ours to be out of the house to start cruising by ourselves...we started when they were 2, 5, and 8 ?
Currently, our 2 oldest children live out of state, but our youngest (20) is completing an apprenticeship and still lives at home while doing so. When we travel now, we look at it as having a built in housesitter!

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19 minutes ago, krhardy said:

My husband and I didn't wait for ours to be out of the house to start cruising by ourselves...we started when they were 2, 5, and 8 ?
Currently, our 2 oldest children live out of state, but our youngest (20) is completing an apprenticeship and still lives at home while doing so. When we travel now, we look at it as having a built in housesitter!

I like your approach. Would have done this except that we have just one child and my parents are both handicap (both in wheelchairs and have nurses come throughout the day every day, been this way for about 13 years) and so could not watch him when he was young. Now, he watches them. Ponder that one! DH's parents passed away years ago. (We started our family in our late thirties/early forties.) Anyway. I like your perspective of a built in housesitter! THAT IS BRILLIANT!! ?

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37 minutes ago, crisgold52 said:

Or in my case it's almost a given I have to take my elderly parents on a cruise as they don't get out much so it's the reverse. They only would go if i go and would only go if they were to tag along a d their quite thrifty so it often means sharing a cabin with them... and their habits...for a week... 

OH, trust me, they want to come along. . . and bring their nursing staff (i.e., transfer, toilet, bath, etc). And they could afford to do that. . . I would just choose a different sailing. ? They did this on our last DCL sailing. Ugh. With everything the way it is now (i.e., 91-DIVOC), they wouldn't be able to go. Love them, but just as well.

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The year our older daughter started college, wife and I went on our first cruise by ourselves in October. Yeah, the cruise was booked and planned while she was still a HS senior.

Only doable because she was commuting to school, so she could take her younger sister (still in HS) to school each morning before classes started, and pick her up when school let out. Grandparents were more than happy to check on them a couple times while we were away / take them out for dinner.

Gotta be honest, with my Iceland & Greenland cruise completely wrecked by this virus, and my younger daughter starting college in two years at the same time my older will have graduated and gone on to grad school, I think whole-family cruises are done for. Neither of the kids was particularly keen on it anyway after their first cruise, so I may just replace the aborted Iceland & Greenland with something equally nice that's just the wife and me. Otherwise I'd have to try for a summer sailing when they're both on break and hopefully able to take a couple of weeks off.

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Ok, probably totally insane here, but I take every opportunity to bring kids/grandkids on our trips.  Hubby is kind of quiet and something of a stick in the mud (but a lovable one!) so taking the family helps keep things lively.  And I love spoiling them.  2018 took our daughter, February took one of our grandsons, next cruise in March (moved from Feb) taking son and daughter.  Growing up my parents never left us home.  If they went on vacation, my brother and I went too.  So now if hubby and I are going someplace fun, I want to bring family too!

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When my wife and I met, she had two boys from a previous marriage...4 and 5.  Two years later, we had a son together.

In January 2019, when the youngest was 19,  we took our first childless vacation (and first cruise) ever.  It was very weird.   There were times when we literally did not know what to do with ourselves.

Since that first cruise, we've done three more, and have three booked for 2021 (just lifted and shifted one from Nov 20 to Nov 21).  Suffice to say we are hooked on cruising.

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17 hours ago, Baked Alaska said:

I like your approach. Would have done this except that we have just one child and my parents are both handicap (both in wheelchairs and have nurses come throughout the day every day, been this way for about 13 years) and so could not watch him when he was young. Now, he watches them. Ponder that one! DH's parents passed away years ago. (We started our family in our late thirties/early forties.) Anyway. I like your perspective of a built in housesitter! THAT IS BRILLIANT!! ?

We are very blessed that both of our parents live close, and were always able and willing to care for our children which allowed us to have some amazing vacation experiences together. Don't get me wrong...we took the kids on plenty of adventures too, but we also were fortunate enough to get away without them once every year or 2 ?

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21 hours ago, Baked Alaska said:

Alright, I'm not looking to kick my DS out of our home. LOVE HIM! However, once he hits college (2023), I'm entertaining the idea of celebrating his success (without him?) by going on a cruise. Have any of you done this? If so, how soon after they started college did you go? Yeh, I'm a planner.

We actually find it is good cruising with our son once a year as a family get-together.  Last year we had to invite his girlfriend, and they will be married in the fall.  My point is now that he is out of the house, a cruise is a nice "reunion".  We also cruise on our own and are looking forward to the future.

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8 hours ago, teddy said:

When my wife and I met, she had two boys from a previous marriage...4 and 5.  Two years later, we had a son together.

In January 2019, when the youngest was 19,  we took our first childless vacation (and first cruise) ever.  It was very weird.   There were times when we literally did not know what to do with ourselves.

Since that first cruise, we've done three more, and have three booked for 2021 (just lifted and shifted one from Nov 20 to Nov 21).  Suffice to say we are hooked on cruising.

When we took our cruise it was the first time we were by ourselves for 15 years for more than a day.  Weird feeling indeed!

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Not empty nesters but we are close.   Both kids would be in college this Fall but now with COVID19, they might still be home.   We had an 11 night Anthem cruise planned for January and our oldest would be home to house/pet sit.   That would be nice but the cruise has been lifted to 2022.

We've gone on several cruises the exact same time that our youngest seems to have a party at our house.....what  a coincidence!

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17 hours ago, Va4fam said:

Not empty nesters but we are close.   Both kids would be in college this Fall but now with COVID19, they might still be home.   We had an 11 night Anthem cruise planned for January and our oldest would be home to house/pet sit.   That would be nice but the cruise has been lifted to 2022.

We've gone on several cruises the exact same time that our youngest seems to have a party at our house.....what  a coincidence!

So .... does that mean the party in January is cancelled?? ??

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On 7/22/2020 at 3:38 PM, Baked Alaska said:

Alright, I'm not looking to kick my DS out of our home. LOVE HIM! However, once he hits college (2023), I'm entertaining the idea of celebrating his success (without him?) by going on a cruise. Have any of you done this? If so, how soon after they started college did you go? Yeh, I'm a planner.

Our youngest moved into college last week of August, we were on a cruise in September.  Missed his family weekend too. ?  

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On 7/23/2020 at 7:53 AM, Ogilthorpe said:

Do we start counting when they left for college or after they moved out again after they returned after graduating? ???

We have a 12 night scheduled in December, and while we (hopefully) are gone, our 23 yo (who just graduated in May) will be housesitting, as he moved back home "temporarily" in March due to COVID getting him kicked out of the dorms.  He started a full-time job remotely in July, and his office announced last week they do not plan on re-opening in 2020.  Also home with his, will be his 21 yo brother who is a college senior and all his classes are remote for the fall semester.  

So boys staying home...parents going away for 12 nights! ?

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On 7/23/2020 at 9:51 AM, teddy said:

When my wife and I met, she had two boys from a previous marriage...4 and 5.  Two years later, we had a son together.

In January 2019, when the youngest was 19,  we took our first childless vacation (and first cruise) ever.  It was very weird.   There were times when we literally did not know what to do with ourselves.

Since that first cruise, we've done three more, and have three booked for 2021 (just lifted and shifted one from Nov 20 to Nov 21).  Suffice to say we are hooked on cruising.

Our first vacation sans-kids was a RC Blog group cruise.  Helped tremendously! 

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