Best ship for traveling with preschoolers?

[nadeki]

We have found the Star and the Dawn have the best swimming pools for the kids at the aft of the ship....my kids have loved those.

[NHL Philly Fan]

It always amazes me how rude some people can be. If you aren't willing too help with the OP's question with a helpful response then don't respond at all. There are lots of people on this board that don't mind children on board and I am one. If you dislike cruising with children that much, find another line. One that caters to the cruising demographic you desire. If you choose a family friendly line then be prepared to sail with kids. In other words, SUCK IT UP BUTTERCUP! Leave your whining at home! Honestly, I wouldn't want to cruise with bad attitudes like yours. I would rather cruise with children over the type of people with attitudes like yours any day!

 

My children are too old for splash academy but absolutely loved their time there. It is a great program for the children and I am sure they will enjoy it.

 

No one was rude. No one whined. Just as there are those who do not mind pre-schoolers there are those who would just as soon not have them around. There was no attitude at all, just an answer that any cruise line is fine just I'd prefer it was not a cruise I was on. If you cannot deal with honesty then do not read public forums.

 

You seem to be the one with an attitude... :rolleyes:

Edited January 12, 2017 by NHL Philly Fan

[UnaPalomita]

Minimum age for daycare on NCL is 3 and under 3 they have the guppies program Mom/Dad/Caregiver can hang out with the child in that room.

 

Not sure if there is a best ship for kids, we did the Gem/Jewel. The Gem has a small, enclosed kiddie pool, but only if you're kid is potty trained. It keeps out the wind and smoke, so you can definitely hang out in there if the sea days are chilly. :)

 

They do have some fun family activities on the Gem, like family cupcake making, they had some balloon twisting event, a white party.. The day care does a pirate event thing one of the nights and the kids are face painted and do a tour of the lido deck.

 

We're going on the Breakaway in a couple of days, so I will let you know! From what I'm feeling before the cruise, it seems like some of the slides are height based, hoping my kid in water shoes will be at least able to go on the family slide. So that being said I think the Breakaway might be better for older kids because of the intense slides/ropes course/ etc? But I could be wrong. Trying to find some of the dailies online to see what's going on!

 

I think vacation is what you make of it. It won't be like Disney World for them, but that is a separate sort of experience :) Our son always managed to have fun. Even going to the buffet is exciting to him because of the desserts area. Good luck!

[UnaPalomita]

We did the Gem when my son was 3 and 4, 3 he was too scared to go to the kids club but when he was 4 he kept asking to go back. Now he's 5 and we'll be trying the Breakaway in January, fingers crossed he'll love it as much as the others.

 

 

Agree :)

[tbear046]

We were on the Getaway last January and it looked like kids would have a blast! Saw lots of tykes running around and, for those that want a more adult experience, an adults only area. Gosh! I hope I never get to the point where I forget what it's like to vacation with kids! Some people on here!

 

Terri Lee

[urahoho]

Our 3-year old loved the Star as well. Especially the kids club. And it wasn't overwhelming.

 

 

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My son will be 3 when we go on the star, any tips? What did your kid like about the star? TIA

[urahoho]

Have taken my now 5.2 year old on NCL 10 times, Disney once, and MSC once. I will say that our NCL mega-ship experience was probably his least favourite. The kids' club was mayhem. The smaller ships have been much better for him - most recently on the Gem last month. We did the around-the-horn on the Sun last January and there were only a handful of kids - which was good because the physical space of the club was quite small.

 

Anyway - my opinion would be any of the jewel-class ships.

 

How was the MSC kids club compared to NCL for your child?

[orchestrapal]

ANy ship that I am NOT on! :eek:

 

 

Agree, one reason not to cruise mass market. Not rude!

[Kfamilycruise]

Our kids loved the big ships. They enjoyed the Getaway so much we did it twice. We haven't done the smaller ships, but love that the large ones have so much to do. Hope that is helpful.

[rbrugler]

Would it be the Good Ship Lollipop?

[NLH Arizona]

We are looking to take our first family cruise. My husband and I have cruised loads of times, once on Carnival, but must mostly on NCL in Europe and in the States. We took my son once, when he was 14 months old, but that was a very different experience than it will be now with a 3 yr old and a 5 yr old. We are looking at the Caribbean and at Epic, Getaway or Escape. I've read other threads and the ship descriptions, but I wonder if others have experienced these ships with kids of similar ages and would have a recommendation of one over the others?

 

Many thanks!

I think you and your children would be happy with any of the three ships you mentioned.

[JillL]

We are looking to take our first family cruise. My husband and I have cruised loads of times, once on Carnival, but must mostly on NCL in Europe and in the States. We took my son once, when he was 14 months old, but that was a very different experience than it will be now with a 3 yr old and a 5 yr old. We are looking at the Caribbean and at Epic, Getaway or Escape. I've read other threads and the ship descriptions, but I wonder if others have experienced these ships with kids of similar ages and would have a recommendation of one over the others?

 

Many thanks!

 

I realize this isn't one you listed, but we took our son (at 5 and 6) on the Dawn. It is great for a youngster. They have a kids pool in the back, which is a decent size including slides. He loved it.

 

We did a mega ship when he was 3 and 4, and honestly, he did not like the water "park"... He hated the water bucket (still does), so that was a big bust. And he was too small for the water slides, so again... a bust.

 

The Dawn might be worth checking out. (Just my two cents).

[kitkat343]

Our 3 year old really liked the Star's kids club when we did a Baltic cruise.

 

His favorite thing was the circus show on the main stage - he got to dress up like a tiger and jump through a hoop.

 

Please note that NCL's kids club is closed from 12-2 and 5-7 on sea days. On our cruise in August, this led to a lot of crowding in the kids pool areas and long lines to drop off the children at 2 pm and 7 pm when the clubs reopened.

 

Please note that NCL would not be my first choice line with preschoolers who nap. If your child naps during the 2-5 pm slot when the kids club is open during the afternoon, they might not be happy. On our HAL cruise, my son would wake up a half hour before the kids club closed and want to go and get upset because they were closing.

 

Princess only closes an hour for lunch and dinner, so they don't have the same issues with the kids club. Celebrity and Disney also have better kids club hours. And I think RC might also since they have the option of taking the kids to dinner for you, although I've never sailed with them so I'm not exactly sure how that works.