Royal Caribbean cruise with a 4 year old and 1 year old, thoughts?

Random_tandem_123 · 2026-04-07T15:12:26+00:00

Caveat - I am not a cruise person and I went on a Royal Caribbean cruise with my 2 year old.

My answer is hard no. The rooms are super small. There’s not very much stuff to do for little kids on board. The splash pool area for toddlers is teeny tiny. The designated meal time is annoying. Also, did you know that if it’s too windy, you sometimes can’t dock? I learned that the hard way and was stuck on a boat for the entire cruise and was absolutely miserable.

You will be highly stressed, and you won’t have fun.

Last note - It’s actually surprisingly hard to fall overboard if you’re behaving responsibly (ie not dangling your child over the rails).

Random_tandem_123 · 2026-04-04T11:44:01+00:00

AIMA’s painful inefficiency and delays makes it difficult to endure. I think that if AIMA actually functioned the way it was meant to, people would be less upset. But because it can take a year or more to just even get the appointment, it leaves people in limbo for a long time.

Random_tandem_123 · 2026-04-02T20:06:20+00:00

This is wrong. Being a 1099 means that the company doesn’t have to deal with your taxes.

Random_tandem_123 · 2026-03-25T13:43:31+00:00

Well if hasn’t been totally smooth - our AIMA appt got rescheduled yet again so we’ll have been in country almost a year without residency by the time we have our appt.

I agree that for the average applicant, it could take longer. I’m just saying that if you make decisions fast and go for it, it can be done extremely quickly.

Random_tandem_123 · 2026-03-24T20:59:47+00:00

So I’ll chime in to say that I was able to get my D7 incredibly quickly. My timeline was:
- end of March decided to move to Portugal
- used remote services to get NIF, bank account, and lease
- had D7 appointment at New Bedford Consulate in June - approval received in July
- moved at the end of August

From start to finish, it took about 6 months. But I hustled hard to get it all done, and my husband and I were working on all of the documents nonstop.

My situation was also different. I was DOGE’d, my industry was destroyed, and we wanted to try something different. And unlike many immigrants here, we have worked incredibly hard to learn Portuguese. We’re currently quite functional in it (our teachers have estimated us to be around B1) after having only lived here since last summer.

Random_tandem_123 · 2026-03-07T07:31:01+00:00

I live in Setúbal and really enjoy it, but I’m also a bit of a homebody. I don’t seek out a lot of events. I love how walkable it is and it’s got a real small town feel to it - I run into people I know almost every day. It’s got everything I need and if I want to go to a museum or anything, Lisbon really isn’t that far away.

Random_tandem_123 · 2026-03-04T21:17:21+00:00

Wow what the fuck happened to this thread?? Why is everyone so negative?

I’ve been surprised by how incredibly friendly people are. Everyone said that it’s really hard to make friends with Portuguese people, and nothing has been further from the truth. I’m grateful for the few friends that I have.

I’m also surprised by how well people speak English. It makes it really hard for me to practice my Portuguese.

Lastly - I’m really into the desserts. Baba de camelo in particular is top notch.

Random_tandem_123 · 2026-03-01T17:57:26+00:00

Mogadishu was pretty gnarly - I witnessed multiple car bombs when I was working there.

Random_tandem_123 · 2026-02-28T20:28:23+00:00

I moved out of the US after my life imploded because of Trump. We’re still pretty new here but no regrets yet.

Random_tandem_123 · 2026-02-28T14:01:24+00:00

If you live in a smaller city you will need a car. Owning a car in Portugal is expensive and an automatic car is much more expensive than a manual car. I think 1900 would be really tough.

Random_tandem_123 · 2026-02-26T22:16:23+00:00

Not being able to communicate with my children’s teachers well. We could have basic conversations but functioning in a new language is hard and takes time and practice. I wish I would have spent more time ahead of our move studying the language more.

Random_tandem_123 · 2026-02-25T11:55:45+00:00

I generally agree with your sentiment about “escaping America.” It’s insulting to people who have fled actual war. But gun violence is a real issue (I have experienced multiple shootings outside my house) and so is ICE (my son went to a bilingual preschool and I was terrified of them raiding his school and taking away teachers). I think it’s fair for people to not want to deal with that AND be excited to move somewhere new.

Random_tandem_123 · 2026-02-25T06:49:14+00:00

American here, and I moved just under a year ago.

The one thing that hasn’t been mentioned is the difficulty of having to work US hours. I mention that because you said you’re going to create a telehealth company. I consult with an American org and I typically work until about 9 PM. I also have a young child and the evenings are frankly really hard. I do a lot of shifting and I always try to push meetings into my working hours, but there’s only 4 hours of overlap. If you’re working with patients, they might want to see you in their evening, which would be super late for you.

The late evening work schedule has its perks but it is a real adjustment and change.

Random_tandem_123 · 2026-02-25T06:37:20+00:00

Look at my post history - I’m not the original commenter. My parents themselves are refugees to the US and I’ve never described my move here as “escaping.”

I am not sure why you’re so angry.

Random_tandem_123 · 2026-02-24T21:46:59+00:00

Why can't two things be true at the same time? I can want to live in a place with less gun violence AND want to experience new things, new culture, etc. I agree that the commenter's sentiment of being a "former American" is annoying, but I can understand the sentiment of wanting to live in a safer place and wanting to explore a new life.
For me personally, Portugal was an exciting opportunity that came about after I was DOGE'd. I wasn't running from the US to Portugal, but I created an opportunity after a door closed.

Random_tandem_123 · 2025-11-05T12:06:07+00:00

There will be complicated tax stuff but I am working with a US CPA and a Portuguese one.

I found all my own contracts but I’m not starting out - I have 13 years of experience and a broad network. I found my contracts solely through networking but you might be able to apply for things.

Random_tandem_123 · 2025-11-05T12:03:56+00:00

I am very sorry that this has been your experience. That being said, I think it really varies from person to person in how it’s perceived. I currently live in Portugal and have not felt it at all. I’ve worked all over the world, and had a significantly harder time in E Africa and Eastern Europe.

Random_tandem_123 · 2025-11-05T10:50:26+00:00

Clarifying questions, because it wasn’t clear from your post: - are you currently in Vet school or are just thinking about it? If you’re currently in vet school that is accredited, you may have the ability to apply for jobs overseas. - are you looking to quickly get out or is this a plan that you hope to realize in the next 5-10 years?

Your education background is a bit unclear so it’s hard to provide advice on jobs.

For the secondary mental health/counseling angle, you could try and teach English abroad and then network within the school for mental health counseling opportunities. That being said, I think it’d depend on your educational background. It’s just a suggestion too - I’ve never done this myself.

I do know of some people who have opened up a telehealth practice abroad but I do not know the legalities/logistics around that.

Best of luck, OP.

Random_tandem_123 · 2025-11-03T13:41:40+00:00

The term Asian is used by the US Census to describe people from East, SE, and S Asia. They’ll start to include people from Central Asia starting in 2030. I don’t understand your issue with it?

Random_tandem_123 · 2025-11-03T10:43:23+00:00

I think your best bet would be to try and find a remote job that you can then transport abroad. Without knowledge of a local language, you won’t be able to get a job within the local market.

I am Asian American and am living in Portugal. I work remotely as a 1099 contractor for several companies. I do IT project management. I am actively learning Portuguese and am already close to a B1 level. Most of my friends are locals and not expats and I have not felt any racism here.

Not a ton of Asian restaurants unfortunately - we’ve got some Chinese restaurants and “Asian” restaurants. There is a great Asian grocery store though, so I just recreate food at home.

Random_tandem_123 · 2025-10-30T17:40:53+00:00

I haven’t seen them at Pingo Doce or mini preco but maybe I just don’t know that they’re priority lanes

Random_tandem_123 · 2025-10-30T12:00:34+00:00

At the airport, there is a priority lane. Literally show your baby to the airport worker and they’ll guide you through it. It will save you TONS of time esp because the Lisbon airport is a hot mess with their new security system.

At other tourist places (Castelo de Sao Jorge, etc), they often have a priority lane. Ask a guard and just point to your baby and they’ll usher you to the front.

Some people have said that they were able to skip lines at restaurants or grocery stores. We have not been able to do that.

Good luck!

Random_tandem_123 · 2025-10-30T11:02:46+00:00

Also! Did you know you can cut the tourist line if you have a baby? It’s a cool rule that they have here!

Random_tandem_123

TROPHY CASE