AlohaPride

Thank you, everyone. This makes our decision so much easier!

We are also interested in which embarkation port would be better as we will be spending a few days pre and post cruise there. 

Aloha! We are a family of 6 with 4 children ages 12, 10, 8, and 4. We were planning to book Majesty of the Seas out of NoLa in Sept 2020, but are also looking at Liberty of the Seas or Enchantment of the Seas out of Galveston. We have only cruised with Holland America, and are looking for something more activity filled now that our children are older. 

This is our first time looking at Royal Caribbean. Does this line ever run booking incentives? Our favorite are included drink packages or kids sail free. If they do run these specials, do they usually run them at a particular time of year?

What's the fee for use of the Nursery? I was under the impression it wasn't included in the cruise fare. One of the reasons we are waiting until next year for our next cruise is that our youngest is only 23 months old.

Copenhagen is family-friendly city with lots of things to do that will fit everyone. You may consider renting an apartment unit as hotel rooms can be quite expensive. We did, at an apartment right off the stroget. Very convenient and economical.

Great idea! Thank you!

Is it $7.95 for the entire order, or per meal? If my family of 6 decides on room service for a meal, will it cost us a ton? And if it's only $7.95 for the entire order, how would one determine 18% gratuity on so much food for such a small service fee?

This is our first trip with RCCL. On our usual line, HAL, if you remove the auto gratuity and pay crew members cash, they have to turn that tip in. If you leave the auto gratuity and tip cash, then they get to keep it. Is RCCL different? If you remove the auto and tip cash, they get to keep that tip?

I really am curious about this question I asked. I haven't seen an answer. Does anyone know if the same is true of RCCL? If you remove auto-gratuity, any tips you give in cash are turned in and if you don't remove auto-gratuity extra cash tips are kept?

The kids club will be deserted on a Serenade TA. We were on this last April’s Serenade TA and there were a reported 15 passengers total under the age of 18. Average passenger age was about 70. No complaints here, but I hope the OP is prepared for there to basically be no other kids on board.

 

 

 

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Our kids were the 3 of 9 on our Alaska cruise. :hearteyes: The other 6 kids were much older and didn't use the kid's club. We usually cruise with Holland America Line. LOL On the cruise before that our 2 were the only 2 on board.

Ok, so you are determined to sail on this one particular cruise? This September. You have waited MUCH too late to have much choice in cabins.

 

You don't want a balcony.

 

 

Your only choice at this point seems to be the family oceanview cabins all the way forward. There are a few available.

 

8500, 8502, 7004, 7504

 

That's it.

No. April 2019. . .

Tivoli Hotel has some pakages that includes entrance to Tivoli and unlimited ride tickets.

 

 

Bakken is the worlds oldest amusement park located in the deer garden north pf Copenhagen.

Blue Planet aquarium is also worth a visit.

The Zoo of course.

Experimentarium is a science museum for the kids.

 

And lots and lots of other stuff.

I LOVE all those ideas!! The science museum is totally something our family (and my science minded girls) would LOVE. It's now a must on our list along with the aquarium!

FYI

 

There are locks on the balcony doors that prevent toddlers from accessing outside. They could only get outside if I let them. I have twins and when they were young I loved a balcony because it

allowed me to sit outside and read a book while they napped.

 

Despite what everyone says you will spend more time in the room then you think and if the budget allows the balcony with young kids is wonderful.

I will remind my husband of this. He's pretty set against a balcony though :( I'm disappointed. We had a balcony on our first cruise. I used it a lot. He didn't go on it once. It might be a personal fear of his, now that I think about it. . . hmm.

We had connecting balconies on deck 6 on Freedom. However, they were aft, and there was definitely some movement some nights. The balconies were fine for our 3 year old. It was glass with a railing at the top. So, he could see through it without the ability to climb. We enjoyed having the second bathroom, so I would definitely recommend connecting rooms in order to have that. If it is possible you could try to see if there is a junior suite with a connecting balcony. This would give you a bathtub in the junior suite (my 3 year old hates showers and I would have loved to have had this for our trip). We made it work though and just go with whatever you are comfortable with in the budget. You really won't spend a whole lot of time in the room. My kids loved the kids club area and my 7 year old kept asking to go back.

On our last cruise, I couldn't get our kids out of the kid's club. I think in the 14 days we were in Alaska, I only dragged them off the ship a handful of times. They were having too much fun. They didn't even want to eat dinner with us. They ended up having dinner at the buffet and then we would go to the MDR alone. It was awesome. LOL

Did you see my post/suggestions?

I did. Thank you :) I looked at those cabins. I'm not sure if they are available. I'm struggling to find a website that will allow me to pick our cabins. I *think* they are available, though.

I was on the April, 2017 Serenade T.A. We had a couple of days of rough weather because of a storm around Bermuda. Our captain did his best to avoid it by heading farther south that the normal course would be. Smooth sailing after that.

Oh wow! Did you write a review? I'd LOVE to read it! How was it??

We stayed at the Scandic Palace, which was across the square from Tivoli and at the end of the Stroget (the main pedestrian zone.) It had a great breakfast and very large rooms with AC.

 

I loved Copenhagen. There is an open air museum a short train ride out of town. I wanted to do that with our kids but did not have time. Definitely do Tivoli. We did the free walking tour the first day which was a great orientation to the city. You could easily fill up 3 days. Copenhagen is also very easy to get around and is flat as a pancake, so easy to walk for most. The 3 yo might have problems just tiring out, but Copenhagen was also one of the few places where there wasn't insane cobblestone streets. You might consider a lightweight stroller to make it easier on the littlest one. My kids were long out of a stroller by then, but for trips like that (or Disney) it made it so much easier on them and us to have someplace to ride.

I was looking at Scandic Palace! I'm so glad to hear a good review. I think my girls would flip out if we stayed in a "palace." (Even though we know it's not LOL)

I don't have a good hotel recommendation, as I traveled only with my hubby when I went. However, we did spend three days there once as a pre-cruise and felt we could have easily spent more.

 

There are tons of family-friendly activities, but a lot depends on your children's interests. For example, you can visit the gardens at the Tivoli (your older children should be able to go on most of the rides), cruise the Nyhavn Canal, go up the Round Tower (Rundetarn), and visit the palaces. There are also some very large, lovely green spaces that they can run around in and all of you can enjoy a picnic (the King's Garden especially comes to mind). All of this is within the downtown, tourist core.

Thank you! Those are wonderful ideas!

How many days should my family plan to spend in Copenhagen before we return home after our cruise? Can you recommend a good hotel for a family of 6 (4 kids ages 11, 9, 8, and 3 at the time). Please also recommend some family friendly activities for us to do while there.

Royal Family Suite which is called Two Bedroom Suite now.

But that has a balcony, correct? My husband doesn't want a balcony :(

We aren't too concerned about motion. On our first cruise we hit a storm off the Carolinas with force 3 gale winds and 60+ foot waves. We took bonine daily for that trip and it worked well. We had a blast. However, I am concerned with motion as far as my 3 year old. So, I'm thinking low and mid-ship would be best. I can't seem to get the RCCL website to work as far as letting me book connecting cabins. I'm not ready to call yet, because I don't feel I've explored all options. I want to be very familiar with the ship before I call and book. I wish I could find more in door pictures of this ship, as well.

If it's in the budget, get the RFS (or reclassified as TS) on Deck 7, 8 or 9. (7672, 8668 or 9656)

What is the RFS or TS? I'm totally struggling with cabin categories (and getting the website to work for me).

Voyager/Freedom class, deck 9.

Thank you! I think Serenade is a Radiance Class, so not an option for this sailing.

Is crossing the Atlantic in April/May a very bumpy time of year? Should we stick to mid-ship cabins? That Ultra Spacious Ocean View is very tempting. . .

I spoke with my husband last night about the cruise and our cabin options. He said he was not comfortable with us getting a balcony for this trip. The baby will only be 3, and he's worried there is too much of a risk. I agree with him. So, now that limits us to ocean view and inside cabins.

I would absolutely FLIP if there was a kids sail free sale!!! That would be amazing.

One of the reasons we choose to homeschool is because we like to travel when the opportunity arises. My husband's work schedule is unpredictable, and he's usually very busy during the Summer. We are able to pack our books and go.

I don't disagree with the increase, however, I normally do have them remove the gratuities from my account; not to get out of paying, but I prefer to pay the gratuities in person and make sure the workers I have been in contact with are the ones that are getting the money. We have always paid the suggested amount, and many times more. We have also spoken to a few of the waiters on previous cruises and they also prefer getting paid in cash, because by paying the gratuities on your account, they have to wait sometimes a couple of weeks before they get paid.

This is our first trip with RCCL. On our usual line, HAL, if you remove the auto gratuity and pay crew members cash, they have to turn that tip in. If you leave the auto gratuity and tip cash, then they get to keep it. Is RCCL different? If you remove the auto and tip cash, they get to keep that tip?

I would go with 2 connecting (adjoining means side by side...no door between!) cabins...a JS will not fit 6 in one cabin! With children that young, I wouldn't do across the hall...I'd want that connecting doorway between cabins. Put the kids in one and you and hubby in the other. Having 2 bathrooms will be lovely!

 

There are some "family" rooms...but still, that's a lot of bodies in one space! There are some "multi room" cabins. Since we don't know your budget, tho, it's hard to say if that will work! They are pricey!

 

To book a "family suite", you will need to call on the phone. If you do, make sure you have the deck plans in front of you, so you know what you're paying for!

Is the family suite like a Jr. Suite? The Extra Large Ocean View looks great. But I don't want a bow cabin crossing the Atlantic. LOL :eek::o