Which cruise for small children?

[foreverinmyheart]

I am planning on booking a cruise for this July and would love to get some feedback. I would like to leave from NY to avoid airfare so that doesn't leave me with many option. My husband and I will be traveling with two small children, one is 5 and the other will be 16 months old. We are flexible with the destinations, we are more concerned with which ship is more kid friendly. I have narrowed it down to -

 

Carnival Glory sailing to Canada

 

RCC Explorer of the Seas sailing to Bermuda

 

Norwegian Jewel sailing to Florida and the Bahama's

 

Can anyone give me their experience/input?

 

Thanks in advance.

[crusinmama06]

Are you avoiding airfare to avoid the price or the convenience of driving to the ship?

 

The reason I ask if that I am from PA and we can drive to NYC or Baltimore to get on a ship but I can tell you that it is NOT cheaper to do that just to "avoid airfare" when you compare the ships out of Florida. I am just throwing that out there so you are fully informed.

 

Those of us on the North East Coast pay an inflated rate to cruise on the ship leaving out of the North East -- ESPECIALLY the 3/4th rate for the kids. It's not so bad for the 1st and 2nd but once you throw in the kids, the rates are ridiculous. So its usually cheaper to fly to Florida and hop on a cheaper and actually newer ship.

 

For instance, it's cheaper for me to fly to Florida and cruise on NCL EPIC or RCI Oasis/Allure for the month of November than it is for me to cruise out of Baltimore and cruise on Enchantment of the Seas (a ship thats at least 10 years old)

 

But we chose to cruise on Enchantment of the Seas because as a family, we are tired of flying to Florida and doing the same itinerary. So we decided to do something different and pay more money for the cruise.

 

So back to your question, which ship out of those that you selected are the most "family friendly". I prefer Royal Caribbean over Carnival and NCL. But isn't the Bermuda sailing only 5 days? I would probably choose the NCL Jewel since its longer, out of NYC and has Nick.

[amistad]

I would choose NCL for a couple of reasons, anytime dining is their specialty, no need for formal wear since it is optional on NCL, I would not take kids on the Canadian itinerary, because my grandchildren love the beaches, and I love RCCL, but 7 days is better then 5 when it comes to cruising. I have nothing against Carnival or Royal, thay are all great, I just think out of the 3 you listed I would go with the Jewel, look at the pictures of the deck that has swiming and splash area it looks great.

[luvtravelbug]

I would also compare the kids clubs. I know NCL's minimum age is 2 so you would not be able to drop off one of your children at the kid's club. My kids enjoyed Camp Carnival. Our next cruise wil be the first for my kids on NCL so I can't relate any personal experience. Also, NCL charges for port days if you wanted your child in the club while the ship is docked. Carnival did not charge for that. Good luck.

[boulders]

We went on Carnival Glory when ds was 3 and just got off Explorer now that he's 5. He had a great time on both. I wouldn't say either was more child-friendly than the other. I have a definite opinion on which one I like though. :D explorer

 

Oops, I realized your littlest will be 16 months old. Royal Caribbean has in cabin babysitting which may be available. It's generally available 8 am to 2 am on a first come first serve basis.

[njdevil08]

I hate to make this more complicated for you, but have you looked at what itineraries the Caribbean Princess is doing? We went on the Caribbean Princess last summer and, while my kids are teenagers, they loved it. However, we saw lots of small children. I'm not sure how the rates compare to the ones you mention, but when we went, we had basically all the same options as you and Princess was right in the mix.

[TravisJ]

We are taking our (then to be) 6 month old on his first crusie in April. NCL Jewel out of Manhattan because we don't feel like flying with the little one. We decided to go with NCL again because we felt the penthouse perks (butler, specifically), would make cruising a bit easier with a child.

[mjkacmom]

We enjoyed the Jewel out of NYC(and the 20 minute ride to the port vs. flying all day), but keep in mind, most lines (including NCL) doesn't allow any diapered children in any of the pools (including kiddy pools). I love NCL for the freestyle aspect (eating where you want, when you want). We did a DCL (where diapered kids can use some pool areas), but didn't like having to eat at a set time.

[milton333]

If you were open to flying (agree that the overall cost of cruise + airfare is comparable to cruises leaving from your area, and you could get a nonstop flight for minimal hassle), I'd strongly consider Royal Caribbean Oasis, Allure, or Freedom. All have or will shortly have the Dreamworks Experience with characters from Shrek, Madagascar, and Kung Fu panda. All have extensive kids' pool areas, including a pool for your youngster in a swim diaper (no cruise lines other than Disney have any pool that expressly allows non-potty trained kids). These RCCL ships have a nursery for kids between 6 months and 3 years, organized parent-child play times, and limited in-cabin babysitting available.

 

ETA: You might also consider NCL Epic, which does not have the same children's amenities for the 16 month-old, but kids under 2 sail for just taxes and port fees, and I believe they still have the "free upgrade" sale going on.

[Lessum]

We cruised on the Carnival Legend 3 weeks ago for our first cruise ever. We had our 4.5 yo and our 15mo old daughters with us. We chose Carnival over any other ship becuase of the babysitting for the youngest one. They were the only ship that had guaranteed babysitting (although limited) for the baby. RCCL (which we initally wanted) said the in room sitting was based on availablity. I knew some people who went on RCCL only to find out that it was not available. In addition, NOT ALL RCCL ships have a nursery. Only the Oasis (and maybe the Allure) have a nursery for 6mo-36mo. So, if you want to have ANY adult time, keep that in mind when booking. WE LOVED OUR CARNIVAL CRUISE! And the kids loved the kids program. The babysitting is group sitting inside Camp Carnival so the baby was in the same place as the 4 yo. Also, they only charge $6/hr for the babysitting for the baby and they charge it in 15 minuted increments so if you pick the baby up before the hour is up...you don't pay the full hour. In addition, the Camp Carnival is open on port days for the kids of age with no charge.

 

GOOD LUCK

[cantwaitforoasis]

i read on the disney dream page on their website that they do not allow any swim diapers in any of the pools, contrary to what you hear on the boards... not sure if they just changed it or what, but that is what it says on their website.

 

RCC and NCL has baby time where the parents and the baby can go do activities together, someone sent me a link to the schedule of the day and it was so nice to see that, on RCC... i hear NCL does it too, its about 45 min for baby play time.

 

Disney is family friendly but more expensive and not a lot for active adults to do.

 

The cruise to Bermuda may be a bumpy ride since it's going out far into the Atlantic, so beware if someone gets motion sick easy.. that is why i ruled out that cruise.. although Bermuda looks gorgeous!

 

Good luck with your decision!

[cruisesrule25]

Hi LESSOM-

 

I wanted to see if you could give me a little detail on how your 15mo old did in the group sitting environment. I am considering booking with Carnival and would love to use this feature but just want to make sure that the baby has a quiet comfortable environment in this group setting?

 

thanks

[keichman]

For OP....I know you asked about ship/cruise line differences that might tip the scales with your choice, but let me throw this into the mix. For our daughter's first cruise, we chose the destination of Bermuda (on NCL). We loved the idea of the boat docking at one port for three days. Coupled with the freestyle dining of NCL (no rushing for a particular meal time), we thought it would be great to be able to come and go from the ship as we pleased for several days, without the pressure of having to get back to the ship to haul off to another port.

[bus man]

The OP did not state whether or not this was their first cruise with the children. But if it is, I would recommend the 5-day on the Explorer. Why? Because they wouldn't know how the kids would do on a cruise. They may well love it (I know, it's hard for any of us to imagine anyone NOT loving it), but what if they didn't? If either or both of the kids didn't like it for whatever reason, better to suffer for only 5 days instead of 7.

[crusinmama06]

i read on the disney dream page on their website that they do not allow any swim diapers in any of the pools, contrary to what you hear on the boards... not sure if they just changed it or what, but that is what it says on their website.

 

Actually, this is what it says on the Disney website...;)

 

Infant Pool Policy

For the health and safety of our Guests, parents must observe U.S. Public Health Service requirements by allowing only children who are toilet trained to enter shipboard pools and spas. Diapers and swim diapers are not allowed. However, young children who are not toilet trained are welcome to enjoy the fountain play area near the Mickey Pool that has been designed exclusively for the enjoyment of children wearing swim diapers.