Kerry's Girls

The map of the ship has proven to be accurate and we've always chosen at least one room that's "between" life boats, so we can see the ocean, but's it's never a clear view. But for us having the separate rooms/2 bathrooms has proven more important than one large room with a good view/balcony - and we're just three! (me and my twin 18 year olds).

I sailed on the Jade for the second time this summer and we won't go back. The staff was absolutely wonderful and we really enjoyed being in the dining room, but the food was so poor in quality that it was a daily ordeal. We aren't picky or snobby eaters, but ugh. As far as the dining room on Princess, your children will be more than welcome at the early seating. I've been cruising Princess since my twins were one year old and the dining room has been so amazing with the kids that we go there for all our meals (SO much easier than the buffet). On Princess we get connecting obstructed view cabins - great value.

Please don't worry. During the summer, all the major lines have plenty of kids. Celebrity may even be a better choice because while there will definitely be other kids, it won't be overrun with them. I suggest arranging private tours for your family, rather than the large bus excursions offered by the ship. A private tour allows your family to personalize your itinerary to skip the boring museums & shopping stops and just go to the fun places to explore - and with a group your size it will often even be less expensive than paying the ship individually. You can find recommended operators on the ports of call board here. As SoloAlaska suggested, not letting the kids get hungry or tired is the key to happy travel. Nap or rest before dinner if possible can lead to success. Cruising is a great way to travel with multi-generations. Sounds like a fantastic itinerary as well. I loved visiting Europe via cruise when my kids were younger as it eliminates the worst part of travel with kids - travel days. You go to bed and wake up someplace new each day and the kids can pretty much stay on a schedule. Enjoy!

Makes sense - all the crabby people saying "not Celebrity" or "leave them home".

They should choose a mainstream line with an itinerary and price they like. Any mainstream line will have plenty for kids to do including a kids club, a swimming pool. If the 3 year old isn't potty trained, let us know as then pools and kids clubs are more limited. As others have said, at least 7 days is best to avoid party crowds. Cruising is a great way to go with kids, absolutely does not need to be Disney.

NCL has a 3 bedroom suite that's wildly expensive. They have more reasonable large family suites with 2 bedrooms + 2 baths + living room, but that doesn't work for you because two people would have to share the living room sofa bed. My twin teenagers and I just did an NCL cruise in a minisuite and even that was crammed for 3 adults. I'd suggest 3 balcony cabins that allow the balconies to connect (some lines will remove the barriers between cabins on request), or even just three cabins near each other. Having extra bathrooms, privacy and freedom to keep the hours each generation desires would be more important to me than all squeezing into one space. But I'm sure others will be along to let you know what ships they know with 3 bedroom suites. Cruising is a fantastic way to go multi-generation.

This is cruise line dependent, so best to check with your line. Lots of parents have booked one adult in each room and then gone to reception to change out key cards, but the drink package complicates this. Princess allowed me to book a room for my underage teen because there's a parent on board, but each line will have their own rules.

There are hotels at Heathrow (I just stayed at the Sofitel at Terminal 5) just a short walk and many more nearby that have shuttles, so not sure that the small effort to get to one of them is worth the chance of flight delay. When we landed there were many staff assists for people with mobility issues so that can be arranged, there are luggage carts, etc. Flying is CRAZY these days - cancellations, delays, staff timing out, strikes, etc. If it's not possible to change flights, if it were me I'd just get in the mindset that if anything happens, it could still be a wonderful vacation collecting the insurance and having a nice holiday in England instead and just let things play out. Have a wonderful trip!

We were in a RCCL ultra spacious room that slept 5 (maybe 6). As others have said, those book up early. I love Princess "obstructed view" (found in the inside category) connecting cabins. They have windows blocked/partially blocked by life boats, but at least it's a window with daylight and that way we have two bathrooms - which is more important to me than having a balcony.

I did private excursions only with my little ones. No way I wanted to stress about them crying, needing diaper change, etc on a bus with others and I always wanted to be able to be flexible about where we went/how long. The ship does not have car seats/boosters or floaties that can be used off the ship. Private excursions that I found on the ports of call boards here were always the best way to go and often you can find ones that are very family friendly. I brought my own car seats/floaties.

With teens at that age I understand having to book during school breaks. College applications will have to be done soon and every grade/day in school can make a big difference. I found Baltic/N. Europe cruises to be less expensive, even taking into account airfare, than the other usual summer offerings of Alaska/Carib, etc. On those cruises the bells and whistles of ships don't matter because your time is spent wandering a new city every day. With a family you could book private tours in each port for less than ship excursion costs and do exactly what the family wants. Or depending on when their breaks are, leaving immediately when they get out in May or June or right before they go back to school in August, those are often less expensive times for Alaska cruises.

I think the Princess obstructed view "inside" connecting cabins are a particularly good value.

Yes, the family cabins on RCCL book up early usually, especially since there are so few. But you could check at final payment time as well and see if they pop up available. For the two connecting inside cabins, yes, full price for each cabin (cost for 2 passengers in each), but it's still often much less expensive that way than a minisuite. The single cabin costs a little less just because you don't pay port fees for the non-existent 2nd passenger. It's not the least expensive way to go, but I enjoy my vacation so much more when my daughter is happy, and she enjoys the structure and routine of a cruise.

The problem with larger cabins is they usually have balconies, which I'm not comfortable with for my young adult daughter with intellectual disability. Some RCL ships have family rooms that have a small cabin within the cabin that worked for my family of 3 giving my daughter her own space. It's less than a suite and no balcony to worry about. We have a pair of connecting cabins booked on Princess for xmas that are "inside" category but have obstructed view windows. This was also less expensive than a suite but my daughter will have her own space (and own bathroom).

Mine was spend $1,000 get 25,000 points. I pre-paid my tips, upgraded our wifi (as I'd planned) and purchased an onboard credit to get to $1,000. Love bonus points on spend I would have done anyway. Check your authorized users' cards as well - this is the fourth NCL offer we've had across all our cards.

I cruised with my twins on Princess at 12 months and loved it so much we went again at 20 mos & then Carnival at 2 years old. Even with no offerings for babies/toddlers, at least on a cruise someone else is doing all the cooking, cleaning, etc., so it's an amazing vacation with little ones. I made sure mine napped before dinner and we enjoyed dinner and then dancing every night. I'm in the minority and found that a sturdy, comfortable stroller with the amenities - hood, recline, good wheels - was best. Then they could fall asleep and I could keep going. As long as it's single wide (not a jogger with wide wheels), the ship is made to be wheelchair friendly, so we had no problem maneuvering - you just have to be prepared to wait for elevators. I gave them milk and toast from room service while getting ready and then we'd go for a real sit down breakfast in the dining room (I found the dining room much easier than the buffet). As long as they weren't starving when we went to the dining room, they did great. Have a great time!

I cruised many times with a huge Graco Duoglider that held both my twins. The most important thing is that a double stroller is single width rather than side by side. They will want the most comfortable stroller possible so the adults can keep going while littles sleep, snack, rest, etc.

A good quality single stroller with sunshade and recline is your best bet, especially one with a carry strap. My girls often slept this way in port, on the beach and on the ship. Folds smaller than a wagon and weighs less when it needs to be carried.

I looked into it and the pigs are not well cared for, suffer from the sun, poor food and mistreatment. If you love pigs, you won't participate in an activity like this.

Did a 15 day cruise with my twin 3 year olds and all but four days were at sea (Los Angeles to Hawaii and back). It was bliss. Cruises are fantastic for little ones because of the routine. Get up, breakfast, go play in kids club, lunch, swim in afternoon, nap, dinner, kids club, etc. There usually are not many kids on the longer cruises, but that just means they get more attention and play time from kids club staff. SO much better than airports, etc. I wish I had done more long cruises when my girls were young. It gets so much harder as they get older to take that much time off of school/activities.

Often for Med cruises the port is far from the city center where in the Baltics it's easier to get off the ship and immediately explore. That said, my twins were 5 when we did a Med cruise and they loved it, BUT it was over winter break. I absolutely wouldn't expect a good outcome with a young child in the blazing heat and crowds of Med ports in summer. Honestly, choose the best itinerary for the adults. Any mainstream ship is going to have a pool and other kids to play with on board - more important for a child is that in any port you do a private tour or go independently so you avoid museums/shopping/waiting that goes along with ship tours. On a private tour anywhere choose outdoor sightseeing, stop for ice cream, etc. I'd say any of the Northern Europe or UK cruises would be a dream for a kid - so much beauty and spaces to explore.

For Europe, I don't care which line with kids since the ship is basically just a moving hotel and secondary to the ports, so I choose based on price and itinerary. Staying out of the Med is a great idea in my opinion because it's so hot/crowded during the summer, two things that can make travel with kids miserable. The nice thing about Northern Europe is also that usually the ports don't require a long drive to get to the actual destination. At those ages it's so nice to get off the ship and explore. With that many of you, it will be economical to do private tours so you can avoid museums and shopping stops and just hit the places of interest to your family where the kids can wander and you can stop for meals/treats when it suits you.

How are Princess with taking ready-to-drink milk on board? Princess has ready to drink milk on board. Room service, buffet, dining room will all have it. I sterilise bottles in a microwave, how do we go about this on the ship? No sterilizing when you have a toddler. I rinsed sippy cups out in the sink. How do you bath a baby in the shower cubicle (we have a balcony deluxe stateroom with shower only)? small blow up bath tub fits nicely and many have a little suction cup to stick it to the wall when not in use. You can also put on your balcony or pool deck for a little splash time. Can highchairs be provided in the dining rooms? yes Can pram/strollers be taken on Princess organised excursions (I believe I can use it around the ship)? You honestly do not want to bring a baby/toddler/child on organized excursions. Go on your own and enjoy travel with toddler - no museums/shopping stops, more parks, outdoor exploring, ice cream. Take it from me, there is little that's more miserable than a ship's excursion with a little one. A private tour doesn't cost that much more and you can stop when you want, go where you want and leave all your gear in the car.

Disposable mattress pads. I put them under the sheet (using two to cover a larger area if I'm being super careful) and then it's easy to just replace the sheet if there's an accident, but at least the mattress doesn't get wet/dirty.