"Perfect"? cruise line for pre-teens / family holiday cruise

[cruiserjt]

Need some advice - We are looking at Christmas / New Years 2013 (or 2014) cruise with 11 year old DDs. We have cruised Carnival x2; NCL x1 and Celebrity (Mercury) x1. There was enough about Celebrity that we enjoyed but still wonder if there is something missing. Hoping for 12-14 days over Holidays so I know there will be lots of kids. Does anyone have any ideas that will convince me one way or another for itinerary or cruise line to start looking at?

I keep reading reviews and it seems as though Princess, HAL, Celebrity or Royal all seem to have similar issues with extra costs, kids haters or other common problems. We really don't love having to pay alot of extras on a cruise - prefer main dining to pay restaurants and hate paying for ice cream.

Room size, suite options are important but not more so than cost. Our last cruise was family oceanview on NCL for four. More cozy than I would want again.

I know the suggestions will be varied - but I appreciate why one line is better than another for family cruise.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Celebrity is my favorite and there will be plenty of kids but not as many as on Royal or Disney (which I think is a plus). The Fun Factory goes up to age 11 and then they will be in Teen Club. This is divided into age groups.. 12-14 and 14-17.

 

As for free ice cream- they have it every day in the buffet for free so no reason to buy it at the fancy ice cream bar.

 

I find that the drink prices are steep on Celebrity (as compared to others) at least for wine.

 

There are no free sodas on Celebrity but there are juices and lemonade in the buffet.

 

On the newer S'class ships the pools are freshwater, which kids like better than the saltwater ones on the M'class ships.

 

I do highly recommend you try Bistro on Five. There is a $ 5 surcharge but it is really nice and relaxing with made to order crepes, paninis, soups, salads and desserts. We especially like going there on the day of embarkation because the buffet is usually a zoo.

 

And my pre-teen absolutely loved Qsine- which has a $40 surcharge but I understand they sometimes run specials.

[#1TravelMom]

We've been on NCL Epic twice and have it booked again for next year. There is so much for everyone to do on that ship. The entertainment is fabulous and the waterpark is soooo fun! Any ship will have issues with LOTS of kids in the kids clubs - so prepare the children ahead of time. Nice thing about the Epic is that even if kids club is crowded, there are so many other things to do. The price over the holiday are also reasonable.

[junglejane]

Is it important to you to have stuff like water slides, rock climbing walls, skating rinks, etc. on your cruise ship? If so, then you don't want Celebrity, Princess or HAL. We prefer to cruise on Celebrity and Princess and just got off the Sapphire Princess Christmas cruise. We have not had problems with kid haters on either line. I'm sure they're out there, but IRL (as opposed to on CC) they don't affect you.

 

Here's a link to our review of our Sapphire Xmas cruise: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1758629

 

Rebeccalouiseagain noted that on Celebrity (and Royal) the teen program starts at age 12, whereas on Princess it starts at age 13. Princess is very strict about the age cutoffs. In our experience, age 11 is a bit difficult because our DD wasn't old enough (or mature enough, for that matter) for the teen program, but was starting to feel too old for the kids' program. It sounds like you have twins, so at least your girls would have each other.

 

If your girls will be 12 when you cruise, then you may want to go with a line like Celebrity or Royal that groups ages 12-14 together. If you choose Princess, your 12 year olds will be in the kids program. Our 11 year old spent some time in the kids' program, but also did stuff like play Bingo with us, go to afternoon tea, etc. There were also activities like a Gingerbread House building contest that we did together. And we did stuff in port together.

 

Another thing to check out is the availability of connecting cabins. We have always preferred to have two cabins so that we have more space and two bathrooms. Celebrity and Royal both have lots of connecting cabins, whereas Princess has almost none. Now that our older DD is 16, we feel comfortable putting them in a cabin across the hall, but with two 11 year olds, I would personally want connecting cabins.

 

Good luck with whatever you choose!

[boulders]

I've never come across kid haters on ships, only on these boards. Similarly, there has been free ice cream on every ship we've sailed. Certain Royal Caribbean ships have a Ben and Jerry's shop where you can purchase their ice cream, but it's an option and of course not required. Royal Caribbean has the most variety of staterooms.

 

For a caribbean cruise, I like Royal Caribbean best, especially for 11 year olds. They have a good balance of amenities and cost. They don't have any 14 day cruises over the holidays however, and the cruises over a week-long are on their oldest ships.

 

For cruises of 12-14 days over the holidays, I don't see any family-friendly ships in the Caribbean. The closest I see is a 20 day cruise on Emerald Princess or a 14 day cruise on Celebrity's Eclipse - but that one starts on December 14. There are several ships that do the Panama Canal or Hawaii during that time frame. Again, these won't be the most family-friendly, but they aren't family-unfriendly either.

[maureencruiser]

How about a back to back on Royal's Oasis or Allure?