"The best learning happens on the road." Ever since I had a child, I've come to understand this saying more and more deeply. I've always been someone who loves to travel, choosing several destinations to visit every year. Starting when Cindy was just one year old, I began taking her on trips around the country. Now that Cindy is nine, she can already take a plane by herself to attend a week-long independent camp. This year’s trip gave us a new experience —— Cindy and I boarded China’s newest and most luxurious cruise ship, the Spectrum of the Seas, for a warm winter voyage to Kobe, Osaka, and Tokyo in Japan.
I had long heard that VIPKID and Royal Caribbean had joined forces as brands to co-develop a public class with a cruise exploration theme. Cindy has been studying English with VIPKID, so she was very excited about this class. She kept asking to learn while having fun on the cruise, saying it would feel much more meaningful that way.
And indeed, this educational yet fun parent-child experience did not disappoint us. We both fell in love with cruise travel, which offers us a new perspective on the world and a wonderful way to enjoy quality time with family. I’ve always heard that cruises are suitable for all ages, but boarding the Spectrum of the Seas has made me a true believer —— and I can’t stop telling everyone about it.
Between the stars and the sea, I once again witnessed this little one’s remarkable adaptability and ease with various modes of travel. This ease comes from her early training and experiences. People often say that young children won’t remember much and that traveling with them is pointless, but when you see how she can drag her suitcase by herself to pick up tickets at the ticket machine, how she confidently goes through security and politely thanks the staff, how she comfortably travels by car, train, or airplane, how she gradually learns to explore the cultural sights and local delicacies of each destination on her own, how she starts creating her own travel itineraries, and how she takes good care of herself and even helps her peers during independent winter and summer camps —— that kind of growth, I believe, is the greatest gift travel has given her.
Since we were traveling with a child, I usually pay extra attention to kid-friendly facilities and services, and the Spectrum of the Seas did not disappoint. As mentioned earlier, Cindy attends winter and summer camps every school break. Her longest trip was flying alone to Chengdu to attend a one-week panda winter camp. In fact, all these early experiences have made Cindy quite independent —— rather than “visiting boring places” with adults, she prefers to hang out with kids her own age or do her favorite things on her own. Before boarding, we learned in advance that the ship offers a “children’s supervision” service, also known as the “Youth Center,” which provides supervision for children of different age groups. While the kids play together, parents get plenty of time to do their own thing. A 9-year-old like Cindy can join the “Explorer’s Supervision Center” and the “Sea Adventures Science Lab.” On our first day aboard, before we even had time to familiarize ourselves with the whole ship, we eagerly headed straight for this place.
Experiencing all kinds of fascinating experiments out at sea —— what could be cooler than that for a child? I had previously done some home science games with Cindy, like color mixing, transfer phenomena, and the amazing fruit-powered electricity experiments, all of which amazed her. This time, hearing that similar science games were available on the ship, Cindy was eager to give them a try. By the time I picked her up, the experiments were over, and she was playing dodgeball at the Explorer Center. To be honest, I don’t even know how to play dodgeball, but I happened to see Cindy’s team win a game. She was beaming as she gave a high-five to the foreign coach next to her, full of pride. In just three short hours, I’m not sure what all went on. Although VIPKID has offered cruise-related public classes, I don’t know how much Cindy retained. But one thing is clear —— she adapted very well to the environment. Even with strangers, including unfamiliar foreigners, she knew how to interact with them. I think this might be thanks to the open-minded education we’ve given her since childhood, and also her frequent and comfortable communication with foreign teachers while learning English with VIPKID. Anyway, at some point, I stopped worrying about her social skills, no matter who she’s with. Isn’t the goal of parenting to help a child become an independent and confident individual —— someone who has the right to choose their own life and the ability to adapt to it? That’s why, during our travels, I appreciate moments when everyone gets to enjoy doing their own thing. Even within a family, there’s no need to force accommodation out of a sense of duty. This feeling of “doing our own thing” gives us more energy to tolerate and embrace each other. It also teaches children to value their own needs while respecting those of others, helping us better support each other.
Aside from the supervision center, the Spectrum of the Seas also offers many other fun activities for kids —— colorful but not-too-fast bumper cars, a variety of large arcade games that are both entertaining and free, laser-tag style laser combat, motion-sensing games, and even archery and fencing experiences.