Talk me into one!

[LSAAOnABoat]

We are a family of 6 including kids, parents, and grandparents. We know the basic Carnival is cheaper but Disney is better line. We aren't too attached to one company, port, or price point so I'd love to hear why you all would choose one over the other. We're a close family and want everyone to feel like they really got something out of this vacation. Thanks!

[rebeccalouiseagain]

What are the ages of the kids and grandparents? Are we talking old grandparents and very young kids. These things make a bit of a difference. What type of itinerary are you looking for? Caribbean? Where in the country do you live? These things make a difference in cost (driving to the ship versus flying).

 

All cruises have pluses and minuses. Are you forced to travel during school breaks?

[LSAAOnABoat]

The kids will be about 8 and 5, fairly young grandparents who are very active and involved. Time of year is totally flexible, we don't have to work around breaks. We like Caribbean but anywhere that is warm is fine. We're right smack in the middle and likely will fly no matter which port we leave from.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I recommend doing a Caribbean cruise for first timers. The water is usually very calm. The best months to travel in the Caribbean are between late October- May (before hurricane season).

 

7-night cruises are better than shorter ones. Short cruises attract loud obnoxious partyers and you just don't get in the grove when you have to unpack and then repack 2 days later.

 

Carnival, Royal Caribbean and NCL are generally the choice for most families because they are more casual and laid back. Celebrity, Princess and Holland America are good too. They tend to have fewer children, older passengers and a more formal feel. Disney is very expensive. The kids would love it and I have done a 3-night on the Wonder and my son was in kid heaven. Having said that- your kids will have fun on any ship. So don't base it on them.

 

Of the first three- I really like NCL. The standard cabins are small and I would recommend two connecting cabins for a family of four or a suite. We just sailed the Pearl and it was great. There were lots of children (90) and school was in session. The vibe is really fun on NCL.

 

Carnival has larger standard staterooms than all of the lines I mentioned. I have only sailed them once. There will always be children onboard but fewer when school is in session but enough for the kids to have a great time.

 

Royal Caribbean has some new exciting ships like the Allure and even larger ones. The crew are really good. The cabins are nice on the newer ships (stay away from Vision class or older) and the youth program is great. I'm just not a huge RC fan because of the loud music and sports blaring by the pool on the "movie" screen, which never had any movies in winter- it was football or whatever obscure sports were available. Ugh. This meant I could never enjoy the outdoor pool day or night. So just not my style. I like relaxing.

 

Celebrity has a wonderful youth program and really good food and service. I like the M-class ships best- Infinity, Constellation, Millennium and Infinity better than S-class, which for some reason are just big and not that fun. 4 to a stateroom is doable but I'd suggest connecting cabins.

 

Princess is a great line for the family. There are tons of activities going from trivia contests- wine tastings. The youth program will keep 5 and 8 year olds entertained and it isn't a mob of kids even in summer. They have wonderful pools on Grand and Sapphire- they are my favorites. Caribbean and Crown Princess would be good choices. I love the indoor pool and all the other swimming pools available (there are 2 large pools and hot tubs available to children and 3 pools that are adult only. There is an outdoor movie screen on Princess and they actually play good movies. During the day- they usually have kids themed movies like Finding Nemo and at night more recent PG type movies. The newest ships Regal and Royal don't have as many pools and I have heard some bad reviews on them. Standard cabins are ok- they have lots of closet space, which I like. 4 to a cabin is doable but I'd suggest connecting cabins.

 

Holland America is pretty good. Standard cabins have bathtubs and are spacious compared to other lines. A family of four will be comfortable in a standard cabin but a larger Veranda Suite is to die for! Huge. I've sailed Holland during summer breaks and there were enough kids to keep my son entertained but I don't recommend it during the school year. There will be all old people and no younger couples for you to hang out with.

 

To sum it up- I'd say NCL and Princess would meet the needs of all three age groups.

Edited June 12, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[c-cruise]

The kids will be about 8 and 5, fairly young grandparents who are very active and involved. Time of year is totally flexible, we don't have to work around breaks. We like Caribbean but anywhere that is warm is fine. We're right smack in the middle and likely will fly no matter which port we leave from.

 

With the age of your kids if you were ever planning to do a Disney cruise now would be the time. You could do a Carnival cruise anytime, but the kids are the perfect age for Disney. I think Disney is best for younger kids while they are still into the characters, shows, and the "magic" of Disney.

 

Our kids are 4 and 7 and have been on lots of cruises. They enjoyed them all, but our Disney cruise is the one they continually talk about. Disney is certainly pricey and I wouldn't choose them every time, but it is a pretty amazing experience to do at least once. We had grandma with us and she really enjoyed it as well. Probably our best family vacation to date.

 

Cabins on Disney are setup really well for families with kids. They are a typically bit larger than your normal cruise ship cabin and have a double bathroom setup which is really nice for getting kids ready.

 

I would go with 7 days. The three or 4 day sailings are too short, especially if you are flying any distance to get to the port. I would recommend the Disney Fantasy from Port Canaveral. It does alternating eastern and western caribbean itineraries. We prefer the eastern, but honestly the ports aren't that important to us on Disney as there is so much to do on the ship.

 

We've also taken our kids on Holland America and Princess. Both do a great job with their kids clubs, but have much more limited kids activities and facilities than Disney.

 

We've done NCL, Celebrity, and Royal Caribbean as well (all without kids). We've had nice vacations on all of them, but they aren't amongst our favorites.

 

One thing I always tell new cruisers is that not all ships on the same line are equal. Pay as much attention to the ship you are choosing (size, number of passengers, facilities, age, etc.) as the cruise line you are choosing!

[cadien]

We've been looking into Disney cruises. Although they're much more expensive than the other middle range cruiselines, they're really not much more than a vacation at Disneyland/World. So it's relative.

 

If you've narrowed it down to Caribbean, it's worth spending the time reading review threads on the different boards. Not the official reviews but the ones here in the forums, with lots of pictures. If you do a search for kids clubs, you'll find the most relevant ones. That will give you an idea of the most compatible atmosphere. The ones by a poster named Gambee (he's done basically all the lines) take some time but they cover *everything.*

[LSAAOnABoat]

Thanks so much everyone! I do agree that if we're considering Disney it should probably be now or never. I will do more research on all of your suggestions, thanks so much!

[sherryf]

One thing to consider, if you plan to use the kids clubs, is the age ranges for their groups. For example, Princess has Pelicans for ages 3 - 7, and Shockwaves for 8 - 12. This would potentially put your kids into two different groups. This could be good or bad, depending on your kids and whether they would prefer to be together or separate.

[onthelake]

Disney/private island is awesome - but . . . Are there any ports you would like to visit? Look at the airfare from your location to the different Florida ports -are there substantial differences? How much will gratuities add to the overall cost? How about shore excursions (with the ship or on your own). Would you do any speciality dining? Since you are flying anyway, Galveston has some great cruise prices.

 

There is a lot to consider but you can't beat a cruise vacation. Kinda like buying a car - so many options.