3/4 night cruise for family???

[cici30]

My husband & I really want to take our 3 kids (ages 8, 10, & 12) on a cruise during their Christmas holidays this year. I am looking for something that is definitely family oriented. We really don't care about the kids' clubs; we are more interested in spending time together on excursions, etc. We would love to go on a Disney cruise, but it is out of our price range. The problem is...we may only be able to fit in a 3 or 4 night & I've heard that those are often the "party cruises". Should we just wait until the summer? If not, which cruise line would you recommend? We would need to leave out of FL. Thanks so much!

[cb at sea]

If there is a party going on, you need not participate! A 4 nighter would be better....3 nighters are simply a waste of time, especially if travel to the home port is involved.

 

Any of the mass market cruiselines will be fine...it will be up to you to decide which you think you'll like best. Your kids are old enough on EVERY line to use the kid's club and activities when you're not doing excursions. I mean, togetherness is fine, but I'm pretty sure the kids will want to have some time away from mom and dad.

[Essiesmom]

My husband & I really want to take our 3 kids (ages 8, 10, & 12) on a cruise during their Christmas holidays this year. I am looking for something that is definitely family oriented. We really don't care about the kids' clubs; we are more interested in spending time together on excursions, etc. We would love to go on a Disney cruise, but it is out of our price range. The problem is...we may only be able to fit in a 3 or 4 night & I've heard that those are often the "party cruises". Should we just wait until the summer? If not, which cruise line would you recommend? We would need to leave out of FL. Thanks so much!

Welcome to Cruise Critic. There are a lot of things to consider here. First, the Holidays are the most expensive time to sail, even on short cruises. Unless you sail on one of Carnival's ships built year 2000 and before, you will have to do two cabins, and the others cannot accommodate fivein a cabin. I would not do a 3 day cruise, as while it will not be a 'party' cruise, it will be full of family groups trying to jam as much 'fun' into the limited time as is possible. The atmosphere is almost frenetic, like everyone on too much caffeine. EM

[Marie51]

I would not worry about the party atmosphere as there will be many families cruising during the Christmas break. I recommend a 4-5 day, not 3 as that is too short. There are several to choose from on Royal Caribbean, Carnival and NCL that leave from Florida. Also look into getting 2 cabins as 5 of you in one cabin will be tight.....unless you can afford a suite that holds 5. Good luck!

[mcfam5]

Around the holidays the ships are full of families, so I wouldn't be concerned about the partying! Even a four day will go by oh so quickly, I would take the longest cruise your calendar and budget will allow! LOL :)

[zstell]

When taking our kids (usually 3 now, since 2 are all grown up), the shortest trip I'll book is 5 days, I prefer 7. We never go during the holidays so we can afford a longer trip. It is so much work for me to prepare and pack for the family that 3 days would not be worth it (to me). It usually takes me a good day or two to get relaxed, so I need the extra days to really have fun.

 

My hubby just asked last night about taking all the kids and our grand-daughter during Christmas break. I checked prices and it is 3x what we are paying for our trip next April. He then mentioned the "3" day option and I agreed that I would go if he did all the prep work and packing. I'm sure you can guess his response. ;)

 

Also, I have taken one 4-day cruise and I was worn out. We didn't have the kids with us, but we felt like we were constantly on the run with very little "down" time.