Family Cruise Question?

[travelndad13]

My wife and I are thinking of a family cruise for Feb school vacation 2007.:eek: We have only been on two cruises (Carnival Inspiration & Carnival Destiny) and enjoyed them tremendously.:) We were thinking Caribbean or Mexican Riveira(sp). Our oldest daughter will be 16, into just hanging with friends and the spa. Our son will be 14 and into video games and sports. The youngest daughter will be almost 5, and just likes to play with other kids. What cruise line would you recommend to cruise on? :confused: Any one particular ship? We would like to try another cruise line, however we have been happy with Carnival. Any suggestions would be helpful and appreciated.

 

Thanks

Ron

[wrp96]

Royal Caribbean Voyager class ships, especially Mariner and Navigator which have expanded teen areas. They have tons of activities for all ages, young and old alike. Large arcades, great kids programs, rock climbing walls, ice skating rinks, but also adult's only areas for mom and dad.

[crb04]

Mine were 13 and 18 on Navigator earlier this year--they had a great time and can't wait to go again. LOTS of things to do...

[Grayce]

We did a Royal Carribean cruise with our kids and they both had a fantastic time. (They are 8 and 13):)

[karen2cruz]

I agree with the others. Our 3 kids (teens) thoroughly enjoyed the Mariner of the Seas in the Caribbean- ice skating, rope climbing, golf, pools, bskball, shows, shopping, promenade parades, johnny rockets, and of course the huge video arcade.

 

Have fun deciding.

[bplazo]

The freedom ship will be sailing by then.

[GottaLuvCruising]

I have to agree with the others - a Voyager-class ship (or the Freedom of the Seas) would be awesome for a family with kids. Booking far in advance you'll get the best fares for President's week.

[doone]

I'll put my 2 cents in here as well and recomment Royal Caribbean's Voyager class ships. The kids will have a blast. We all know when the kids are happy, the parents are happy.

 

Hope this helps, enjoy whichever cruiseline you choose.

[serene56]

I am doing a group on the Caribbean Princess for the week of February 18th, 2007. I priced the Freedom...wow Beautifull ship but that price of 1700pp for a balcony wowsers. Details are in the link provided below.

 

I am a carnival person. I prefer the nighttime activities carnival offers me as an adult and for the program it offers the kids. I liked my VOyager cruise and am glad I sailed when I did...coz since then it costs a lot more..even onboard.

 

I want to tryPrincess for their anytime dining so I can eat when i chose and not at a set time.

[travelndad13]

Thanks for the feedback. We narrowed down the Mexican Riviera itineraries to the NCL Star or Carnival Pride. Are there many things for kids to see and do in the Mexican Riviera as opposed to the Caribbean? It seems that the Voyager class ships only sail the Caribbean. We narrowed down the Caribbean to RCCL Mariner,PCL's Caribbean Princess or NCL Jewel. Carnival Victory has a similar itinerary at a much cheaper price, so it is a possibility, but the dw and I would like to try a different cruise line. Serene how many cc members do you have going so far? My son checked out the virtual pics you had posted and seemed to enjoy the ship.

[jerseygirl3]

Keep in mind that the Mexican Riviera in February will encounter a few days of chilly weather. Don't know if you considered that. Since you live in the Northeast, is there any particular reason you are not considering the Caribbean? It seems transportation to Florida would be a lot easier (especially with 3 kids) than schlepping to the West Coast.

[karen2cruz]

Done the Mexican Riviera and I agree with Jerseygirl3. Take the kids to the Caribbean.Caribbean Princess would be the last choice - it has an extra deck of staterooms over the rest of the Grand class ships but not more public space. You'll love the Mariner. (PS - We really love Princess ships, just not that particular one -Caribbean Princess).

[cali-croozer]

If you go with the Mexican Riviera Cruise, I'd stick with Carnival. We sailed the 7 day from San Pedro on the Elation in May, 2001 with our two boys, who were 11 and 13 at the time. It is different than a carribean cruise in that the first and last day at sea will probably be chilly; not many people on the outside decks at all. The water is not as clear either, and the water in Cabo is not too warm. However, we did enjoy this cruise. In Puerto Vallarta we took a snorkeling and lunch cruise to Yelapa. In Mazaltan, we spent the day at Stone Island (on our own, no tour). You will only have a few hours in Cabo. A lot of people just like to shop there; we walked over to a hotel and used their beach. You can check Carnival's website just to get an idea of what kind of shore excursions are offered; and don't forget the ports of call boards.

 

Another thought, if coming to the west coast, would be a shorter cruise and a few days at Disneyland.