Pride or Splendor with kids ages 6-21?

[cwnhokie]

There will be 14 of us, two families with grandparents and kids ages 6, 7, 11, 12, 16, 17, 20, 21. We all live within an hour and a half of Baltimore but at most 4 from NY. Splendor is a little cheaper and has an extra night. DH and I have been on the Pride but without the kids so I didn't pay attention to if there was much for them to do. Thanks!

[Buckett]

I have not been on the Pride, but I can tell you my niece and I (she was 8 at the time) sailed on the Splendor last April and she really liked it. In fact we just got back from sailing the Miracle over Thanksgiving and she said she liked Camp Carnival and the water park way better on Splendor. Hope that helps! Happy Cruising. :)

[asalligo]

I am sailing the Pride in February and almost booked the Splendor, but in my months of research before booking, I found very few instances of people who had sailed both and preferred the Splendor. I think this is due to the Pride being much less crowded. The extra day is tempting, but I settled on the Pride. The only consistent complaint about the Pride is the decor, but it sounds right up my alley. Everyone complains of the cold, but both ships would share that issue.

[Colorado Kat]

I think I would have to go with the extra day/longer cruise.

[cwnhokie]

I am sailing the Pride in February and almost booked the Splendor, but in my months of research before booking, I found very few instances of people who had sailed both and preferred the Splendor. I think this is due to the Pride being much less crowded. The extra day is tempting, but I settled on the Pride. The only consistent complaint about the Pride is the decor, but it sounds right up my alley. Everyone complains of the cold, but both ships would share that issue.

 

We sailed the Pride without the kids and loved it. Getting to port could not have been easier, embarkation and debarkation were a breeze. You will love it.

[pamrose228]

Also the Splendor has the retractable roof on the Lido deck. Pool and movies in colder weather. The Pride doesn't.

[TeresaJ]

Didn't you just pose the question of choosing the Pride or Dream on another thread? I'm confused.

 

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[jwlnroe]

I'd go with the Dream :) more things for the kids to do

[cwnhokie]

I'm confused too! :) I've got it narrowed down to Pride, Splendor, Dream, Fascination, RCCL Explorer or RCCL Grandeur. Planning a trip for the whole extended family and for 5 of the kids it will be their first cruise so I want it to be perfect. And the grandparents don't get around very well and get stressed out easily so I'm trying to make it easy for them. And the sister and brother in law are on a tight budget with 5 kids, two in college, so I'm trying to make it doable for them because they really want to do this for their kids. I love opinions from those who have been there.

[asalligo]

Also the Splendor has the retractable roof on the Lido deck. Pool and movies in colder weather. The Pride doesn't.

 

I am pretty sure the Pride also has the retractable roof. Can anyone confirm+

[TeresaJ]

I'm confused too! :) I've got it narrowed down to Pride, Splendor, Dream, Fascination, RCCL Explorer or RCCL Grandeur. Planning a trip for the whole extended family and for 5 of the kids it will be their first cruise so I want it to be perfect. And the grandparents don't get around very well and get stressed out easily so I'm trying to make it easy for them. And the sister and brother in law are on a tight budget with 5 kids, two in college, so I'm trying to make it doable for them because they really want to do this for their kids. I love opinions from those who have been there.

 

In that case, cruise from a port that's close to home. Less stress on the grandparents and you! Even though the Dream has more to offer for families than the Pride or Splendor, the extra travelling may be too much for grandparents and too expensive for the other family.

 

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[Keith Esposito]

I am pretty sure the Pride also has the retractable roof. Can anyone confirm+

 

Pride has the retractable roof over one of the lido pools and the lido stage.

[Keith Esposito]

[Keith Esposito]

I'm confused too! :) I've got it narrowed down to Pride, Splendor, Dream, Fascination, RCCL Explorer or RCCL Grandeur. Planning a trip for the whole extended family and for 5 of the kids it will be their first cruise so I want it to be perfect. And the grandparents don't get around very well and get stressed out easily so I'm trying to make it easy for them. And the sister and brother in law are on a tight budget with 5 kids, two in college, so I'm trying to make it doable for them because they really want to do this for their kids. I love opinions from those who have been there.

 

It is very nice to be in your living room at 10am and then on vacation at 1pm. I live 10 miles from the port of Baltimore so it's a no-brainer for me. (Family of four with two kids((2-6))

[Carnival_Brides]

Also the Splendor has the retractable roof on the Lido deck. Pool and movies in colder weather. The Pride doesn't.

 

The Pride has the roof as PP have posted--it doesn't have the movie screen. This may not be a big loss to your group because the movies vary and a others have been complaining that they aren't showing kid-friendly movies on the Dive-In Theaters.

 

I'd do the Pride, but also because of the ease in getting in and out of the port. I've driven to the port in New York and it was an experience. Keep in mind while the Splendor is a day longer and a little bit less expensive it is also $35 a day ($280 for 8 days) to park one car at the port--in Baltimore it is on $15 per day ($105 for 7 days).

 

We got married on the Pride earlier this year with 15 guests (ages 5-73). It was great and everyone had a good time. There weren't many comments about the decor, although my brother was amused by Venus outside of the dining room. My niece loved Camp Carnival and the waterslide/pool. My grandmother also has mobility issues and the Pride was just the right size for her to be able to get around from the aft dining room to the forward theater--I probably wouldn't do a larger ship with her.

 

One of the ways we made it affordable was to go in January in order to take advantage of insanely low balcony prices. However, this may not work for you, since the Pride is leaving Baltimore in October 2014.

Edited December 11, 2013 by Carnival_Brides