Child friendly cruise lines

[newparks]

Can any one tell me other than Disney, which cruise line has the best program for children aged 7 to 10??

[jdvmd]

Can any one tell me other than Disney, which cruise line has the best program for children aged 7 to 10??

 

When my kids were that age, they really enjoyed Celebrity, Carnival and Royal Caribbean.

[Mom2B&Z]

I'd suggest you check out the family forum, but I think the general consensus is Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Carnival, with Princess and Celebrity also having their fans. It depends on when and where you want to go, as well as what interests your children.

[sail7seas]

Lots of families enjoy sailing RCI.

 

[Keith1010]

Princess has a really nice children's program.

 

I would also check out others such as Celebrity and RCI.

 

None of them will be like Disney. Personally I think that Princess has the best of the children's programs other then Disney but there are others who have good programs.

 

Keith

[Krazy Kruizers]

Check out Princess and RCI.

Family cruising is here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=49

[Bonnie J.]

When we were on Princess I was surprised by the hours for kid's things. Like 9-12 then 2-5. Not all day.

We were on Carnival's Fantasy, 2100 passengers, and there was just under 1,000 kids on board but we NEVER saw any. The Camp Carnival keeps them busy all day and into early evening. Carnival also has babysitting until 3AM! It is a slumber party and there is a charge after, I think, 11pm.

Royal Carribbean also has a good kid's program.

Celebrity doesn't have as many kids and we don't like NCL.

[runner15km]

Norwegian Cruise Line.

 

http://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/nickelodeon

[sail7seas]

When we were on Princess I was surprised by the hours for kid's things. Like 9-12 then 2-5. Not all day.

We were on Carnival's Fantasy, 2100 passengers, and there was just under 1,000 kids on board but we NEVER saw any. The Camp Carnival keeps them busy all day and into early evening. Carnival also has babysitting until 3AM! It is a slumber party and there is a charge after, I think, 11pm.

Royal Carribbean also has a good kid's program.

Celebrity doesn't have as many kids and we don't like NCL.

 

 

Maybe Princess childrens' program think some/many families want some family time during the day. Perhaps some families like to have lunch together or spend a few minute ashore together or maybe play at the pools. Do many families want to be apart from the children the whole day?

 

[july128]

My kids love Carnival. They beg to go on cruises for vacations because the kids program is so great.

[Jimnbigd]

Larger ships usually have larger kids areas. Check out the RCI voyager class and higher (138,000 tons and larger).

[sandy toes]

We enjoy having some time with the children and having some adult time. With that said, we like Royal as they have a good mix. They have also started a new kids dining option where the parents start with the children in the MDR , meals are served quickly to the children and then Adventure Ocean staff picks up the kids so the parents can enjoy part of their meal kid free. We don't do this but ALOT of parents really like this new plan. Parents can then go to the show or a club without worries about their child because the staff has them safe until they are picked up.

[notentirelynormal]

When we were on Princess I was surprised by the hours for kid's things. Like 9-12 then 2-5. Not all day.

We were on Carnival's Fantasy, 2100 passengers, and there was just under 1,000 kids on board but we NEVER saw any. The Camp Carnival keeps them busy all day and into early evening. Carnival also has babysitting until 3AM! It is a slumber party and there is a charge after, I think, 11pm.

Royal Carribbean also has a good kid's program.

Celebrity doesn't have as many kids and we don't like NCL.

 

This is just MY opinion BUT if you are taking your kids on a cruise to be a family vacation leaving them until 3 AM and/or all day sounds more like a parents vacation where they had to drag the kids along then a family vacation. For us, we have always preferred Princess. Then again, we include the kids in the days excursions and adventures. Don't get me wrong. It would be nice if Princess had in suite babysitting like umm, forget the name of the cruise line, but overall we don't have many issues with the hours. It takes a little more planning for small ones to enjoy dinner but at 7 and 10 the kids can eat dinner then go up to the kid's center. I don't allow kids that young to stay up past 10 anyway.