Best cruise line/ship for family with 9 and 6 year old daughters?

[TRCYNTHIA]

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We've been on 2 cruises before - one on Royal Caribbean's Allure and the other on NCL Breakaway....Both went to the same ports of call...We're looking to take another weeklong cruise March 12- 19 (give or take a few days here or there) and would love any suggestions as to which cruise line and ship would be the best for our family of 2 daughters aged 9 and 6 that would not go to Nassau, St. Maarten, and St. Thomas....They love hanging out at the kids club in the evening after we visit the port and eat dinner as a family....We prefer a variety of restaurants with no set times, and we love a variety of entertainment - we almost always see every show the ship has to offer....Thanks in advance for any help/guidance you can offer in helping us pick a cruise line and ship that might offer us a different experience than before.

[moki'smommy]

Honestly, if you can handle the price, Disney is great. The March 12 cruise this year hits Tortola, St. Thomas, and Castaway Cay. The problem is that for a family of 4, an INSIDE cabin will cost you over $7K. No, I'm not kidding. This is on the Fantasy for the week.

 

Disney had the best main stage entertainment I've seen on any line, but I've seen the shows far too many times. Unfortunately, the Fantasy has the weakest of the shows. Variety acts vary from one week to the next. Service is good, food is "so so."

 

The Wonder has a 5 night out of Miami to Grand Cayman and Castaway. That is $3600 for 4 in an inside. The Wonder has not as many bells and whistles as the Fantasy, but she's a great ship.

 

DCL is the most "all inclusive" of any line I've been on. Soda (fountain serve) is included as is all kid programming, room service, etc. You do pay for adult only dining and nursery for children under 3 as well as for specialty coffees and alcohol as well as the obvious excursions, photos, spa, shopping, etc. Best internet we've had on any line, and you pay by mb used, not by minutes. An $89 package lasted for a 14 day cruise for my daughter--no, she wasn't dealing with a lot of pictures uploading or downloading.

 

The cabins are much larger than some other lines; a standard cabin on DCL is about the same size as a mini-suite on Princess. In a cat 10 or nicer, you have a "split" bathroom--tub and sink in one room, toilet and sink in the other. All cabins have a full size couch which flips into a bed (much nicer than the fold out couch concept.) The 4th bed is a bunk that drops from the ceiling.

 

I like DCL and have MANY cruises with them. My problem with them is limited ports and the unbelievable price increases in the last 2 years. For that reason, we have been looking elsewhere. Typically, we can get a balcony on Princess cheaper than an inside on Disney.

Edited January 2, 2016 by moki'smommy

[TRCYNTHIA]

Thank you so much for your candid review.....we definitely want to do a Disney cruise soon, but with your review of the shows being weak, and the food, so-so, I think we'll wait until next year or later this summer to do that splurge...I also looked into the 5 day cruise, but both my husband and I agree that is too short of a trip.....So knowing that, what Disney cruise line has been by far your most favorite? And why? Thanks again for your help!

[moki'smommy]

Our favorite of the Disney ships is the Magic. In my opinion, she has the best shows...currently Disney Dreams, Twice Charmed (Cinderella based), and a Tangled based show. We were on the 1998 maiden voyage of the Magic, and she always feels like coming home. I'm not thrilled with some of the changes made in the 6 week "re-imagaining" dry dock--they ruined the atrium IMHO.

 

We found the Fantasy to be absolutely gorgeous (check out the bathroom by Palo, the adult only restaurant...you don't have to go into the restaurant, just walk into the bathroom!) and totally high tech BUT she is too big and too crowded for our choice. We prefer the "classic" sized ships (Magic and Wonder).

 

Favorite cruise ever....probably the 24 night B2B Med cruise. Kusadasi, Turkey was a real surprise and ended up being one of our favorite ports. But reality, the whole trip was incredible. I also really like the trans-Atlantic cruises. Disney always brings on special entertainment and really does these up well. Another favorite was the Panama crossing for many of the same reasons--length of cruise, quality of ports (liked Curacao a lot) and extra entertainers. We've seen Susan Egan (Belle on Broadway), a guy who was Gaston on Broadway, Jodi Benson (voice of Ariel and Barbie in the movies), the lady who was the original model for Tinkerbelle, etc. They will make a great effort to have at least one or two special entertainers on these cruises. They also arrange local entertainment--Flamenco dancers when we arrived in Barcelona, etc.

 

Favorite ports in the Caribbean....OK, we're kinda "been there, done that" on St. Maarten and St. Thomas. I like Grand Cayman (lots to do, clean, safe, easy) and enjoyed our one day at Tortola--we did the baths at Virgin Gorda. Take the path on the left; most people go to the right and we had a very secluded beach on the left.

 

But...right this minute I have 24 days booked on the Magic (12s B2B) in Europe which I will be canceling very soon. I've found that I can do 33 nights in a balcony on Princess with many identical ports for 2/3 the cost of an inside on DCL. The daily cost in a Princess balcony is 1/2 the per diem of a Disney inside. Sorry, that money buys a lot of soda packages. To do a balcony on Disney is totally out of our budget for this British Isles cruise. My daughter is 24 now...we've kinda outgrown the princesses and furries. We do love some members of the Magic crew and will miss them...but not at their current prices. The fares have increased dramatically in the last 2 years and the perks for frequent cruisers have decreased. Just too rich for my blood. And the Princess food is better!

 

One plus for Disney--if your cruise goes to Castaway Cay, the ship docks at this private island. No need to tender. It is probably the easiest beach ever.

Edited January 3, 2016 by moki'smommy

[riclop]

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We've been on 2 cruises before - one on Royal Caribbean's Allure and the other on NCL Breakaway....Both went to the same ports of call...We're looking to take another weeklong cruise March 12- 19 (give or take a few days here or there) and would love any suggestions as to which cruise line and ship would be the best for our family of 2 daughters aged 9 and 6 that would not go to Nassau, St. Maarten, and St. Thomas....They love hanging out at the kids club in the evening after we visit the port and eat dinner as a family....We prefer a variety of restaurants with no set times, and we love a variety of entertainment - we almost always see every show the ship has to offer....Thanks in advance for any help/guidance you can offer in helping us pick a cruise line and ship that might offer us a different experience than before.

Rccl is the best for the young,