Cheapest way to cruise with family of five?

[LUCINDA574]

I am trying to find a 7 day cruise for us and am coming up against a wall I feel. We have cruised once, Disney 7 day Western Caribbean out of PC. It was a trip I won back in 2008. I now have the itch to cruise and it seems I am having a problem keeping it on the cheap side that my husband will agree to. I know we cannot afford to do Disney, but I am looking a cruise line that my kids will love ( ages 8, 6, 3) that has a program similar to Disney where we can have some adult time alone and that I dont have to book an expensive suite with. So I am looking for guidance on cruise line, and how to get the best deal for December or November 2013. Thank you, I have not had a vacation since the cruise in 2008 and I desperately need one!

[Keith1010]

I would take a look at Princess as they have a nice children's program.

 

Avoid the late December as with the holidays rates are high.

 

Early November would have good pricing.

 

Keith

[SadieN]

The cheapest way is probably all in the same cabin. You will need to price out your options.

Carnival several ships (all the Fantasy Class and a few others built before 2000) that have cabins that will accomodate 5. Typically they are quads and a rollaway or trundle. It will be VERY cozy.

 

As Keith said if you are traveling in peak holiday times expect to pay :eek: for it.

[cb at sea]

Go to a local travel agent., get some prices and brochures. Carnival is usually the least expensive, and will give the entire family what you want. And, yes...you will want to avoid "school vacations"....that's when demand (and prices) are highest!

[mistycruiser]

Rathe than trying to find room for 5 in one room I would go for two connecting rooms. You'll have 2 bathrooms and more room. I'd look at Carnival because they usually have good children's programs and the price is usually cheaper. :)

[higgib]

Carnival dream class ships (Dream, Magic and Breeze) have family OV cabins that take 5. They have 2 bathrooms, one with WC, sink and shower, and one with half bath and shower. Beds are twin/king, sofabed and 2 pull down bunks. Cosy, but do-able! Carnival also have good kids clubs for kids the children.

[LUCINDA574]

I take it Carnival seems to have the best kids programs? Hubby brought up the Oasis or Allure but...I dunno lol

[boulders]

I take it Carnival seems to have the best kids programs? Hubby brought up the Oasis or Allure but...I dunno lol

 

Carnival is cheaper, and it shows. The kids club are not any better than any other line. If you can afford Oasis or Allure - go for it. It would definitely be a better experience than any Carnival ship. Oasis and Allure, as well as other Royal Caribbean ships, have family cabins which sleep up to six. They have large suites as well, which can sleep up to 14. :p

[LUCINDA574]

Thanks all. Boulder, I have only done Disney before, would we be overwhelmed on big ships like the Oasis? I know Disney is more expensive, outside of the brand name, is the service comparable to RCI?

[rebeccalouiseagain]

My son did love Disney but he was equally happy on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity as far as the kids programs went. NCL, Carnival, Princess he liked and his least favorite was Holland America.

 

My suggestion would be to do either Royal or Celebrity. I don't recommend a suite because it will be tight with 5 people (if it will even accommodate 5) and you still only have one bathroom and one tv. Do two connecting rooms- even if you have to do two inside cabins. You'll be happy to have all the kids in one room and have some romantic time with your hubby in your own cabin.

[ducktoon1]

We are a family of five (kids are currently 10, 13, 16; but the youngest was 3 when all five of us started cruising together). The kids enjoyed the kids camps on Carnival, Princess, Royal and of course Disney. They each had different highlights, e.g., dissecting a squid on Princess, the Pirate parade on RCI, dance parties on Carnival). When the kids were in the 6-8 yr range, it didn't matter what ship we were on, they loved camp and we barely saw them when the camp was open. I think Disney has longer hours than some of the other lines, but they all offer decent opportunities for kids to participate.

 

As far as pricing, we crammed into a single OV cabin on Carnival Inspiration to save money (it was tolerable for a 4 day cruise, but wouldn't recommend it for a 7 day). Most of the time we end up in connecting balcony rooms. Inside rooms would be less expensive, but I like my balcony. :) I've priced the suites (e.g., royal family suite and aqua suite on RCI) but the two balcony rooms is the cheaper option during the summer. Two rooms also gives you two bathrooms, two TVs, and a door you can shut for privacy. It never hurts to ask, though, so if you have a good travel agent they might be able to find you a good deal on a big suite. As long as you're not going the week of Thanksgiving or Xmas, you might be able to find something.

 

Good luck! Cruising is a fantasic family vacation!

[charlies_mom]

We are looking at the new NCL Breakaway. They have a 250 ft. family oceanview cabin that sleeps 5. It has a tub too. We priced it out for Nov 2013 and it was $3200 for 4 people, for a 7 night cruise from NYC.

 

That is a pretty big cabin at a pretty cheap rate!

[Gatrcruzer]

You might also want to take a look at Royal Caribbean's Family Oceanview rooms - they sleep 5-6. RCI has good service (at least in my experience) and nice amenities for children and families. Connecting rooms are nice, as others have mentioned, for the extra space, closet space, and extra bathroom. Sometimes it is cheaper to put everyone in one room, other times connecting rooms are cheaper.

 

You might also want to look at Disney again. They tend to have cheaper rates once you get past final payment, and they are also running a lot of specials. If you are a Florida resident, you can get even better deals with them on certain trips (again, those are usually fares that would come out after final payment is due).

[karinvt]

I do not know what your budget is but I feel your pain. We have five kids so that makes 7 in our family. Vacations for us can be expensive. We are taking our kids on the Carnival Fantasy out of Charleston, it is a 7 night cruise. We really like Carnival and on our last few cruise I spoke to many kids and their parents about Camp Carnival and everyone really liked it. Now this is our first one with the kids and we are leaving in a few weeks, so I will have a more thorough review of it when we get back. Some people are very negative about Carnival but the way I look at it is we have always had a great time on them and they kids will too. We got two quad rooms, but you could get away with one and with the ages of the kids I am sure you would only want one, but we paid after taxes just under 2500 for 7 people, that price is hard to beat. Good luck and remember it is spending the time together that is important!

[mjkacmom]

I do not know what your budget is but I feel your pain. We have five kids so that makes 7 in our family. Vacations for us can be expensive. We are taking our kids on the Carnival Fantasy out of Charleston, it is a 7 night cruise. We really like Carnival and on our last few cruise I spoke to many kids and their parents about Camp Carnival and everyone really liked it. Now this is our first one with the kids and we are leaving in a few weeks, so I will have a more thorough review of it when we get back. Some people are very negative about Carnival but the way I look at it is we have always had a great time on them and they kids will too. We got two quad rooms, but you could get away with one and with the ages of the kids I am sure you would only want one, but we paid after taxes just under 2500 for 7 people, that price is hard to beat. Good luck and remember it is spending the time together that is important!

 

We are also a family of 7, and have done DCL, but we are now big fans of NCL, leaving from NYC. As you can imagine, we save quite a bit on airfare, but the best part is the freestyle dining (which we didn't have with DCL, and missed). All of the kids had a great time, but especially dd16 (who was 14 at the time). She made a bunch of new friends, and they had a ball. We get 2 balcony cabins.

[Nebr.cruiser]

You might also want to take a look at Royal Caribbean's Family Oceanview rooms - they sleep 5-6. RCI has good service (at least in my experience) and nice amenities for children and families. Connecting rooms are nice, as others have mentioned, for the extra space, closet space, and extra bathroom. Sometimes it is cheaper to put everyone in one room, other times connecting rooms are cheaper.

 

You might also want to look at Disney again. They tend to have cheaper rates once you get past final payment, and they are also running a lot of specials. If you are a Florida resident, you can get even better deals with them on certain trips (again, those are usually fares that would come out after final payment is due).

 

We've sailed in the RCI Family ocean view rooms with grandkids. They sleep six very comfortably--only one bathroom, but the room was very large and the kids loved the bunkroom. There were curtains to section off the queen size bed from the rest of the cabin. Great storage also. The kids loved the cruise ship as well. (Navigator of the Seas).

 

Carnival does have cabins that sleep five, but boy is it crowded. I would rather have two connecting insides than do that.

 

Another thing to do is look for specials that have 'kids sail free' promotions--you still have to pay port fees and taxes though. And sometimes there are very good reduced 3 & 4 (and more) passenger rates.

[MLW070]

We also have three kids now ages 5, 9 and 10 and we are looking to cruise on RCI Freedom of the Seas. They have family inside, promenade and oceanview suites. These rooms are over 300 square feet and have a curtain for a little privacy. They sleep up to six so we found it to be a good option. We hope to go in May 2012. Let us know what you decide to go with and enjoy!! :)

[sw1002]

Hi, we are a family of four and live in germany,

we have been cruising msc and princess so far and disliked msc because of poor food on the msc armonia.

 

but the prices are not to beat. does anybody know if other cruiselines than msc have the "kids sail free" program? our kids are 2,5ys and 8 mth and we´re planning a next cruise in the mediterranian next september.

[osswimmer]

Unfortunately MSC is your best bet for the kids sail free. I usually recommend carnival for the least expensive but I promote ncl and royal over the others for families. Adjoining cabins are the best for families. Talk to your travel agent, they should be able to help you find the best deals on a cruise line that suits your fam.

 

Took my kids and their two friends on royal car. And they loved it. Left them behind for the rest :)

[Nebr.cruiser]

I have seen kids sail free promos on Holland America (they might have some going on right now) and NCL. But, the sailings that apply may be limited.

 

I'm leery of trying MSC due to quite a few negative reviews. But, we may at some point. So far we've been on at least 5 different cruise lines and have never had a bad experience--we can 'go-with-the-flow'.

[kandjrolls2]

I am trying to find a 7 day cruise for us and am coming up against a wall I feel. We have cruised once, Disney 7 day Western Caribbean out of PC. It was a trip I won back in 2008. I now have the itch to cruise and it seems I am having a problem keeping it on the cheap side that my husband will agree to. I know we cannot afford to do Disney, but I am looking a cruise line that my kids will love ( ages 8, 6, 3) that has a program similar to Disney where we can have some adult time alone and that I dont have to book an expensive suite with. So I am looking for guidance on cruise line, and how to get the best deal for December or November 2013. Thank you, I have not had a vacation since the cruise in 2008 and I desperately need one![/quote

 

Disney is doing Ksf out of gavelston this winter. Maybe they will do it next wibter.