Questions about cruising with family, incl. best cabin, Kids Clubs, etc.

[jaybeedee619]

I have cruised once and LOVED it. I am determined to take my family on a cruise in about 1-1/2 years. At that point, my kids will be 14, 12, & 9. We will likely go on Carnival since we are past cruisers, and it is economical. I'm sure my 12 and 9 yo will love Club Carnival; but what kind of activities are there for a 14 yo? What type of cabin(s) should we get? We are thinking of 2 inside cabins to save money, but which ships have adjoining inside cabins? Will this matter? Should we pay the extra to go on Carnival Dream? Or go on a shorter cruise with an older ship that will allow 5 in one stateroom? Thanks. We can't wait for our cruise to begin. We'd go tomorrow if money were no object!

[cb at sea]

Look at the deck plans for the ship you'll be on....the deck plans show you which cabin have the interior connecting door. I definitely would get 2 cabins...I'm not even sure you COULD put 5 into one regular stateroom...you'd need a suite of some sort.

The ships are all well-kept...you just need to determine which is more important...the ship, or the destinations!

[ourcruisinfamily]

Look at the deck plans for the ship you'll be on....the deck plans show you which cabin have the interior connecting door. I definitely would get 2 cabins...I'm not even sure you COULD put 5 into one regular stateroom...you'd need a suite of some sort.

The ships are all well-kept...you just need to determine which is more important...the ship, or the destinations!

connecting cabins, king that can be split and the sofa can be made out to a bed.

[Gatrcruzer]

I'd agree with others that 2 cabins is the way to go. Remember, cabins are usually fairly small in size (unless you are getting a suite, and even then, some are not that big), and with 3 kids along it will be nice to have two bathrooms. Depending on the maturity of your children, you might want to put all 3 in one room, with you and your spouse in the other for some privacy. At that age I'd suggest a connecting cabin, rather than adjacent cabin (also, if adjacent they can "upgrade" one cabin, which can be problematic if you have children in that cabin). Often it is hard to find inside cabins that are connecting, but maybe with planning so far out you can find that situation. Otherwise you might need to go up to an oceanview. If I were you I'd also just price out and look at all of the cruises that are going out at the time period in question. Sometimes Carnival is not the cheapest. Or you might find something you like better at a slightly higher price. Itinerary can be important to some people, but you also have to think about the times that the ship is in port - for example, you might want to do San Juan, but some cruises are only there for evening rather than day time, so a totally different experience. Best of luck in your planning and hope you have a great cruise!

[mary_228]

For those whose children are going to be spending a lot of time at the Kids Program, I'd recommend a cabin near the elevator or stairwell that is directly under it. It will make the late night pickups from the program quite a bit easier on all.

[A&Jfamily]

I have cruised once and LOVED it. I am determined to take my family on a cruise in about 1-1/2 years. At that point, my kids will be 14, 12, & 9. We will likely go on Carnival since we are past cruisers, and it is economical. I'm sure my 12 and 9 yo will love Club Carnival; but what kind of activities are there for a 14 yo? What type of cabin(s) should we get? We are thinking of 2 inside cabins to save money, but which ships have adjoining inside cabins? Will this matter? Should we pay the extra to go on Carnival Dream? Or go on a shorter cruise with an older ship that will allow 5 in one stateroom? Thanks. We can't wait for our cruise to begin. We'd go tomorrow if money were no object!

 

2 cabins would be a must in my opinion - for the extra bath alone. Whether cabins that actually join are needed depends on your kids and your personal comfort level. My boys are 12 and 6 and will have an inside cabin across the hall from our balcony on our next cruise this December; this will be thier 6th, so they have the whole routine down. When you board, you can go to Guest Services and get duplicates of each other's room keys so everyone can get in everyone else's room.

 

Your 14 yo will have plenty to do, as the age break down is 9-11 and 12-14. So the two older will be together in Circle C. It runs in the afternoons from say 1-5 and then in the evenings from 7-1am to accomodate those teen sleeping hours. The 12-14's can't be checked in or out, so it is up to mom and dad to set rules and keep good communication. Some have tried walkie talkies, but I have not found those to be helpful. Your 9 yo will have the option, if you grant it, to have sign-in/out privilges, but they can't do the scavenger hunts and certain things without it; again, it turns on good parenting and kids that will respect your rules. If you have those, you are good to go.

 

Personally, I would chose a 7 day cruise. When you are traveling with 5, it is just so much work to get to your destination with packing and traveling that you really want the whole week to relax. While I think the Dream would be nice, I seem to prefer some of the smaller ships, and don't think at this point it is worth the extra money.

 

My prime consideration would be ports of call - and what you want to do when you are ashore. Are you blowing your budget on the cruise? - shore excursions can be expensive. If not, my kids really like the western routes (we loved the Legend out of Tampa). There are so many varried activties ashore that there is something for everyone, ruins in mexico, snorkeling in belize (or for your kids, cave tubing), dolphins at Chankanaab park in Cozumel, sting rays in GC. If you were looking for less expensive excursions, I might consider the Liberty b/c HMC and Grand Turk are great beach ports on some of the Eastern routes; the Liberty also does San Juan where you can get a dose of history, and St. Thomas which has a million things to do.

 

You won't go wrong whatever you chose.

[jaybeedee619]

I'm leaning towards two cabins, adjoining or not. When we get ready to put our money down, we'll look into all options departing March 3 or 4. We're thinking of a Western Caribbean itinerary on Carnival Valor or Glory. 2 bathrooms are a necessity with the ages of our daughters.

[diane.in.ny]

I'm also considering a family cruise. Grandchildren will be 10 (boy) and 11 (girl).

 

Besides Disney or Carnival, any other suggestions what would be a good cruise line to check out? I am thinking Thanksgiving week for 2011.

[MamaParrotHead]

I agree with the 2 cabins. Although I'm unsure of any connecting interior cabins, there are a few connecting oceanview cabins (which is what we book) on the ships you mentioned (Conquest class). There are also some connection balcony/inside cabins in the VERY front of the Spirit class ships.

[crusinmama06]

Activities for Camp Carnival -- even for the 14 year old are at the link in my signature.

[diane.in.ny]

Activities for Camp Carnival -- even for the 14 year old are at the link in my signature.

 

This is great! Thanks

[boulders]

I'm also considering a family cruise. Grandchildren will be 10 (boy) and 11 (girl).

 

Besides Disney or Carnival, any other suggestions what would be a good cruise line to check out? I am thinking Thanksgiving week for 2011.

 

Besides Disney and Carnival, Royal Caribbean will have quite a bit for that age.

 

You shouldn't rule out the other major lines, like Celebrity, Princess, and HAL though. DS had a great time on a HAL ship with his grandparents when he was 12

[diane.in.ny]

Besides Disney and Carnival, Royal Caribbean will have quite a bit for that age.

 

You shouldn't rule out the other major lines, like Celebrity, Princess, and HAL though. DS had a great time on a HAL ship with his grandparents when he was 12

 

We've sailed HAL and enjoy it. Both children enjoy being around adults. Will have to start taking a serious look at things, esp if I want to book week of T-day