jujujlm Posted March 8, 2006 #1 Share Posted March 8, 2006 We are trying to select a cruise for July 2007. We will be traveling with 4 children - 17, 14, 13 and 10. I have researched and am getting bogged down with reviews and critics, etc. All you experienced cruisers - Help! I need a recommendation on a family oriented cruise line and the best cruise destination and length. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boo's Mom Posted March 8, 2006 #2 Share Posted March 8, 2006 Celebrity. One week Caribbean A great cruiseline for kids AND adults ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boo's Mom Posted March 8, 2006 #3 Share Posted March 8, 2006 Ooops..forgot: WELCOME TO CRUISE CRITIC !!!! Welcome to Cruising ! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jujujlm Posted March 8, 2006 Author #4 Share Posted March 8, 2006 Thanks for the info. We are very excited and are ready to book. Can't wait to hear what others recommend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I_Live_2_Cruise Posted March 8, 2006 #5 Share Posted March 8, 2006 As for a cruiseline I would suggest Carnival. It is after all the "funships". There are a lot of families so you won't feel out of place. Another great thing is their kid/teen programs. The age groups are usually 8-11, 12-14, 15-17. The kids will each have different experiences but all will have an equally great time. There are tons of activities and the staff is great. Your kids will have so many friends in no time at all. The funships have a very relaxed feel while cruising, allowing you to be laid back while onboard and enjoy the pools, relaxation (without the kids), casinos, and exciting (and quite halarious) games on the pool deck! I agree with Boo that one week would be the best for a cruise. Just the right length for a first (or any) cruise. The four day or three day cruises hardly give you time to unpack let alone relax! As for the ship and schedule I think that's up to you. I would suggest picking a ship that you like first if you aren't set on going anywhere specific. Just look around at all the different ships you are considering and then narrow it down by the places you are most excited about seeing, and have the most exciting excursions. Good luck! Have a great cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jujujlm Posted March 9, 2006 Author #6 Share Posted March 9, 2006 We had originally thought about the mexican riviera cruise but the research I have done did not have positive feedback about the mexican ports. There seemed to be more favorable comments about the caribbean cruises. I could really bog myself down looking at all the reviews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nebr.cruiser Posted March 11, 2006 #7 Share Posted March 11, 2006 Carnival, Princess or RC or all kid friendly, especially during the summer. For grown-ups I like Princess better, but kids would have fun on all. IMO the Caribbean is the best choice for a first cruise; the ports are more varied and more fun, especially with kids. And try to go at least for 7 days; as stated earlier, too much packing, unpacking, traveling, etc. for just a few days. Enjoy and don't make it too much of a hassle. With a good attitude almost any cruise will be great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boo's Mom Posted March 11, 2006 #8 Share Posted March 11, 2006 On Carnival, RCI, Princess & Celebrity..... I thought Celebrity had the best children's program of all. My children even thought so, too ! After my last Carnival cruise...a few weeks ago: I will not be sailing again on Carnival...ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I_Live_2_Cruise Posted March 11, 2006 #9 Share Posted March 11, 2006 I have always had great experiences on Carnival. Sorry you didn't get that same vacation Boo's Mom. But cruises such as Princess don't seem as family-filled as others such as Royal Carribean and Carnival. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imlulu Posted March 11, 2006 #10 Share Posted March 11, 2006 In July the major cruiselines all will have kids. Your kids are teens. I would suggest RCI or Carnival. I would go with a 7-8day. You have lots of options in July in addition to Caribbean. We are doing a 5 day out of NYC(no air!!!) this July to Nova SCotia and New Brunswick. We have done Caribbean in winter with kids and loved it. My fave port so far is Bermuda. I would go by your kids' interests. My kids love to cruise because of ship not ports. They have no real interest in ports. They are now 13 and 7. This cruise will be #3 for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jujujlm Posted March 13, 2006 Author #11 Share Posted March 13, 2006 I thought we had decided on Carvinal Destiny sailing out of San Juan. Unfortunately, Carnival does not have their July 2007 prices out yet. I was a little disappointed in my room choices but I am sure we will make the best of it. For any of you that have sailed out of San Juan, have you received any good airfare? I checked flying out of Indy and it appears to be almost $500 pp. That may change our decision - that would make $3,000 for airfare which we did not want to spend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLH Posted March 27, 2006 #12 Share Posted March 27, 2006 My 12yr.old and I were on the RCI Legend of the Seas and thought it was great. We did a 4 night last year on the Majesty for her 1st cruise but she complained it wasn't long enough. The 7 nights is much more relaxing. She had plenty of activities with the adventure club. the Legend isn't a mega ship which makes it easier to get around in my opinion.I'm planning our next one for May 2007. Enjoy and welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Hop Posted March 27, 2006 #13 Share Posted March 27, 2006 I thought we had decided on Carvinal Destiny sailing out of San Juan. Unfortunately, Carnival does not have their July 2007 prices out yet. I was a little disappointed in my room choices but I am sure we will make the best of it. For any of you that have sailed out of San Juan, have you received any good airfare? I checked flying out of Indy and it appears to be almost $500 pp. That may change our decision - that would make $3,000 for airfare which we did not want to spend. jujujlm IMO this is not a very good First cruise port. Especially with kids. I took my kids 2 years ago and will be taking them again this year. Like a poster said already the kids will have thier fun alot of times on the ship. I for one love the ports but sea days are great because you dont have to wake up early and get off the ship. The San Juan itinerary has alot of stops and not enough sea days. Plus the flight is long. I too have only cruised Carnival and dont have one bad thing to say about it. Actually I love them and my kids loved camp carnival. And I also agree go with the 7 day cruise. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnmmom Posted March 27, 2006 #14 Share Posted March 27, 2006 jujujlm- With so many great cruise options out of Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, why choose to go out of San Juan when traveling with 4 children? Airfares to Florida, especially when you have time to catch a good fare, can be so cheap! Use the extra money to get yourself a cabin with a balcony! As for which cruise line to choose, I would go with the ones with a lower 3rd/4th person rate. When we did RCCL, we paid much less for our children than we are on an upcoming Princess cruise. We are going for a wedding on board, so we did not get to choose the ship... I think Carnival also has good 3rd/4th rates. In fact, I did a quick search on Expedia, and it looks like Carnival has many options on newer ships in their fleet with lots of activities for kids and teens. You could even go on their brand new ship, Valor. It has a huge teen arcade and dance club. They even rent Nintendo Game Boys for $25. Hmm... I may have found my next cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowcountrygal Posted March 29, 2006 #15 Share Posted March 29, 2006 JuJuJlm, I booked a pre-holiday cruise yesterday on RCI's Radiance of the Seas. This is a 6 night W. Caribbean cruise and sails on 12/17/06. My son's rate for a balcony cabin was $206 and that includes all taxes! Unbelievable! 3rd and 4th passenger rates begin at $99 for the shorter cruises and happened to be $149 + taxes on this Dec. sailing. This 6 day cruise is HALF the cost of our upcoming 7 night June cruise on RCI's Mariner of the Seas -- which is also W. Caribbean and balcony cabin! My son has thoroughly enjoyed the teen activities on the Voyager class ships, especially the Mariner. And as another member wrote and I couldn't agree more, the kids & young teens don't care about the ports because it's all about the ship to them. My husband and I really enjoyed our visits to the port, as we didn't have to drag our son kicking & screaming or shop only for things he was interested in! He stayed aboard with fellow teens in a well supervised activity and had tons of fun.....and his parents enjoyed a couple hours of shopping without a teen influence! I think that you won't be disappointed in whatever family friendly cruise line you decide to go with. They are in the business of making the parents happy and that means making sure the kids are happy! Enjoy !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowcountrygal Posted March 29, 2006 #16 Share Posted March 29, 2006 jujujlm, Check out this link: http://www.cruisemates.com/articles/teen/ Here you will find ships, activities, ports, etc. reviewed by teens together with top 10 lists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TennisLover Posted March 30, 2006 #17 Share Posted March 30, 2006 As you can see below, we have only been on Carnival (so far), but my kids have always had a great time. Sea days are great for relaxing and the great activities on the ship. My son (now 10) loves, loves, loves Camp Carnival. Our next cruise is on RCCL and we are really looking forward to that (change of scenery, different activities). I've heard this cruise line is exceptional for kids. I had posted a thread last month as I couldn't decide between Star Princess and Voyager of the Seas. While everyone was positive about both ships. the overwhelming majority said to go with VOS. Thank you so much to LowCountryGal for posting that teen cruise web site. I already emailed the URL to my 13 year old daughter -- she always enjoys the cruise, but would have a better time if she read the articles on that web site for ideas and teen perspectives. You know how 13 year old girls can be :rolleyes: . Have fun. Your kids will have a great time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowcountrygal Posted March 30, 2006 #18 Share Posted March 30, 2006 Tennislover, I'm so glad you found the link helpful. My son (& me too!) enjoyed reading all the various links contained in that site. I too had considered a Princess cruise but opted for RCCL because I learned that Princess lumps the teens together 13-17 yrs in one group and RCCL breaks those ages into two separate groups: 12-14 yrs. & 15-17 yrs. which I thought more appropriate. The teen link I gave you rates the Voyager class ships as more popular with teens too. Finally, my son is a hockey player and really enjoyed both the ice rink and inline track aboard the Voyager class ships. It was a great choice, he had a blast, and we're doing it again this summer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.