Help-Thanksgiving 2013 cruise w/3 and 4 yr old

[queenbee75]

Hello and Happy Holidays!

 

As you all can see I am new here. :-) Anyway, I seriously need some cruise help.

 

My husband and I have decided to go on a cruise for Thanksgiving next year(yes we specifically want to be gone for Thanksgiving

:)). We have 2 boys who will be 3 and 4.5 when we sail. Which cruise line should we seriously look at?? I looked at Disney-too expensive(at least for the timing) and I had decided on Carnival but then saw mixed reviews about Camp Carnival especially when it came to the preschool age children. This is something we really want to do and I would rather not have to wait until they are older. I believe we all could have fun-we just have to find the right ship with good 'counselors' that will have good activities for them. They both love to play and are active and outgoing-especially my older one. The younger can be a little finicky but if he is with his brother he will be fine.

 

We have only been on one cruise(only hubby and I) and that was Carnival so I have little experience in this. I was thinking a 4 day cruise would be ideal at their age-nothing longer. Also, as a family of 4 with two in daycare-I do have to be budget conscious. So can any of you with experience in this point me in the right direction? I want to start looking into this now. Thank you!

[boulders]

 

My husband and I have decided to go on a cruise for Thanksgiving next year(yes we specifically want to be gone for Thanksgiving

:)). We have 2 boys who will be 3 and 4.5 when we sail. Which cruise line should we seriously look at??

 

The one factor which would determine the cruise line for me with those ages is: how confident are you that the 3 year old will be potty trained? Only Carnival will take non-potty trained kids into the camp program. Other cruiselines will have nurseries for under-3's, but non-potty trained 3 year olds will be a grey area.

[KirkNC]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

[queenbee75]

The one factor which would determine the cruise line for me with those ages is: how confident are you that the 3 year old will be potty trained? Only Carnival will take non-potty trained kids into the camp program. Other cruiselines will have nurseries for under-3's, but non-potty trained 3 year olds will be a grey area.

 

 

Oh he will be completely potty trained by then. That's not an issue.

[liljay6915]

I am a bit loyal to Royal, but I think it would be great for your Family. I think they offer a great kids program and I find that there prices are really competitive for the entertainment/kids programs/ports/etc. I would suggest checking it out and seeing if they have something that fits your needs/time frame.

[Keith1010]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

I would take a look at Princes.

 

Keith

[boulders]

Oh he will be completely potty trained by then. That's not an issue.

 

My ds is now 7. He's been in the kids camps on RccL, Carnival, Princess, HAL and Disney. All of them were excellent experiences for him. If you're confident the littlest will be potty trainer, then make the decision based on which cruise you and your dh want.

[queenbee75]

Thanks everyone. I think we are leaning towards RCL but still looking at all lines.

[alj1208]

We had a great time on the Celebrity Eclipse when our son was 4. If you enjoy a quieter experience, but very family friendly, this is for you. Our son had a great time in the kids' club. It wasn't crowded, and there was lots of individual attention. It was a great adult experience as well. Depends on your personal style. If you want family-centric bells and whistles, Celebrity isn't for you. But, if you want an upscale experience with a great kids' club, go for it. As for potty training, you know your child best, but I wouldn't assume potty training being complete at age 3 for a boy. Just my humble opinion.

[Julienatul]

We did Thanksgiving on Carnival Dream a few weeks ago with my 7 y/o DD and 3 y/o DS. It was great. The counselors were great which isnt always my experience on Carnival. My 7 y/o begged each day to go and begged to stay when I picked her up. My 3 y/o was hesitant at each drop off and cried but they did a great job of engaging him in play and never once called us to come get him. He always had fun there but some days we didnt force him to go and he just stayed with us. I thought for sure they would call us to get him since that is usually our experience.I though our NCL Epic cruise was fantastic in March, the counselors were amazing.