megann831

Starting to look for next summer, the kids will be 2, 8, and 10.  Are we better off with 2 rooms or a room that fits 5?  Any recommendations on boats the hold 5 or the best sites that allow you to search for families of 5, most sites make you call and speak to someone if you have more than 4 people, but I just want to shop around and don't really feel like dealing with making calls.

Wow you guys are getting great deals! I’m a teacher so taking a week off is not an option and just a personal preference but neither is an ocean view or inside

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What is your budget for a family of 5? I was thinking $5000 would be reasonable but I’m having no luck. I need 1 balcony 1 inside leaving from the north east during a school break, so I know I’ll be traveling at peak times

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Do they still have the Blue Lagoon? That place is gorgeous! I'm planning to go there on our Nassau day

My mistake, how does the Anthem of the Seas compare to Escape. Anyone done both? 3 kids 1, 6, 9, looking for lots of activities and games, don't care much about specialty dining

same itinerary, Escape is about $1000 more but offers drink package, OBC, and shore excursions that just about make up the difference. Kids are 1. 6. and 9. We like activities like roap course, pool, games, could care less about dinning. Which would you do?

Please share your experience with these two cruises. Is the kids club or activities better on one vs the other. My older two will probably use the kids club, the baby will hang out with us while we drink :eek: Judge if you want, I just want to have fun!

same itinerary, Escape is about $1000 more but offers drink package, OBC, and shore excursions that just about make up the difference. Kids are 1. 6. and 9. We like activities like roap course, pool, games, could care less about dinning. Which would you do?

Has anyone done Anthem of the Seas out of NJ in February? Were you able to use the pools on any of the sea days? Did the boat get really crowded inside?

I'm so anxious to get on our next cruise, but I'm having a really hard time finding an itinerary that we're interested in. I may have more options if I wait till the summer, that way I can leave out of the north east and have more options other than Florida/ Bahamas. This means cruising with a 14 month old vs a 10 month old. This kind of scares me lol! Our son's 1st cruise he was almost 2, he had just gotten into TV so it was easy to distract him during dinner with a video and he was steady on his feet so he could explore the ship or was content to sleep in a stroller. I feel like at 14 months they're all over the place, too old too sit still, too young to be distracted for long. At 10 months they're fairly immobile and distracted easily enough with some cherrios. Should I suck it up and get down to Florida with the baby at 10 months or wait it out and go with a toddler?

Nope. Not even swim diapers allowed.

really?!?! I can't imagine a potty trained child enjoying that area

Diapers? You mean fecal tea bags.

(y)

It looks like there is a little splash pad for babies on the Epic, are they allowed with diapers? We're considering this cruise for a 10 month old, 6 and 8 year olds

We're considering doing this trip out of NY to Bahamas and Florida in February with our kids 10 months, 6, and 8. It's not my ideal trip, I've done these ports on my last two cruises, but I can't get over my fear of flying and I want to go away in February, so I guess I have no choice. Do you think this ship will have enough activities to keep us busy on sea days and when it's too cold to be outside?

We're looking for cruises with staterooms that will accommodate families of 5. We'd like to leave from somewhere along the east coast between Boston and Virginia

what about the nursery and splash area?

We're looking into taking our family on the Norwegian Escape. My older ones will be 8 and 6 and it looks like they'll have a ton of things to do. They went on the Breakaway last year and my oldest loved the rope course so she'll be excited to do that again. This time we'll also be bringing our newest, who will be 6 months at the time. I expected to just be bringing the baby around with us the whole time, but as I looked at the boat I see they offer an under 2 room so "parents get the vacation they deserve". Does this mean you can drop a baby off just like the older kids club? Not sure I'm comfortable with that, but it's a nice option to have! I also see they have a kids aqua park. I think my older ones will love that too, but do they allow babies w/ swim diapers to splash around?

Also, how strict are they with the ages? I am due April 26th, and the dr has already told me I will not go any later than the 26th. We're looking at a cruise leaving on 10/21 or one that leaves 11/ 4. Schools around here are off most of the 11/4 week so I think I'd prefer to do 10/21. Theoretically the latest the baby will turn 6 months would be 10/26. Would they allow her on the 10/21 cruise since she'll be turning 6 months that week? You just need a birth certificate right?

My husband and I love cruising and we've taken our children on two. This year I'm expecting our 3rd child. As a teacher I never get to take advantage of travel deals or low crowd season. I'd like to go on a cruise with the kids while I'm on leave, they'll be 6 months, 6 and 8 years. My husband is starting to question if this is a good idea. I'm not interested in leaving the baby. We're thinking of doing Anthem of the Seas so there is a ton of stuff on board to do and then I'd hope to get in a few beach days at port. We don't live too far from the beach so this would not be the baby's 1st time at the beach. I feel we're experienced parents, experienced cruisers, and typically young babies spend a lot of time sleeping and are easier to travel with than toddlers. Do you think this trip sounds like a good idea?

We're considering booking Anthem of the Seas for the fall. We'll be traveling with our 8 and 6 year old, and 6 month old. The difference between 2 balconies and a balcony and interior is about $500. I'm thinking we can get an interior, throw all of our stuff in there, and all stay in the balcony, my husband thinks we should go for the 2 balconies. Is it worth it? I wouldn't want any of the kids sleeping in the other balcony without one of us in there and the baby will need a rock n sleeper or pack n play. Also, it looks like the baby can use the kiddie pool with a swim diaper and they offer babysitting at dinner time for the little one. I'm getting mixed information if it is an additional fee or not. Either way I'm not sure I'll feel comfortable leaving her, but the option does excite me! How many of the activities (surfing, bumper cars, circus classes, ect) are additional fees?

I was hoping to book a cruise in November while I'm on maternity leave. I know I'll have to wait till the baby is 6 months, but we also will have an 8 and 6 year old. Are there any truly family friendly cruises that will not charge me full price for a 6 month old and allow us all in a mini suite, not a full suite?

We'll be looking to travel in November, I'd prefer a 5 hour drive within NYC. I'd rather something different that Florida and Bahamas

we did a mini suite on NCL Pride. It was worth it because it had a bath tub, it did not have a curtain separating areas. My daughter, who as 4, and I, would go out at night. She slept on the top bunk, my husband would hang blankets down so th slower bed was more private and out of view and my son, who was almost 2, slept in the lower bed while my husband sat out on the balcony, but the weather was warm.

I'm considering going on a cruise while on maternity leave since as a teacher I never get to take advantage of lower off-season rates or less crowded ships. Are there any cruise lines that take babies at 4-6 months? We'd also have a 6 and 8 year olds so we'd need to fit 5 in the room.

We did the Breakaway last year with our kids, they were 3 and 5. They had a blast, they're tall and adventurous, especially my older one, so they really go a lot out of the activities. I enjoyed it, but I didn't really care for the entertainment or the ports. The Dawn has a Bermuda cruise we'd love to do this summer but I'm wondering if the kids, and maybe us, will be bored without all of the bells and whistles we had on the Breakaway. They'll be 5 and 7 this summer so no longer in the same age group in the kids club, this may be an issue.

yes you're right, it was Great Stirrup Cay. Because the Pride is smaller and I believe the weather would be calmer in August than in November, do you think it would be likely that we would have to skip Half Moon Cay?

we were on Norwegian's Breakaway last year and wasn't impressed. I think I'd rather go back to a smaller ship. I did the Pride before it was redone about 2 years ago and liked it, so I'd like to give it another try and see all the improvements.

When we were on the Breakaway in November we had to skip Half Moon Cay, and apparently this happens often. Does the Pride often skip it? We'd be going next August so maybe the winds wouldn't be as strong

We were on the Breakaway in Nov and I think I let some of the bad reviews get to me, but I did find the service to be terrible and it often seemed crowded. The impeccable service I'm used to on cruises was non existent. I also didn't care for the entertainment. I like a main show, not several options, none of which are all that impressive.

We're considering the Dawn for our next cruise. We did it years ago and enjoyed it. I'm sure it's been redone since then.

We'd be traveling with a 5 and 7 year old. We love the activities (rock climbing, zip lining, rope courses, pools, slides, eat) Do you think we'd enjoy the Dawn?