Are These Cruises Suitable for a Family of 4 Departing Los Angeles?

[MrCheapo]

Hi All,

I cruised a long time ago with NCL with my partner. Now we are back with two kids aged 16 and 20. We thought it would be fun for the kids to decompress after tough school years.

We wanted to do one of two family cruises:

A six day cruise on 12/20 or a five day cruise on 12/21

https://cruises.priceline.com/sc.do?i=945200&c=1&v=1236&&d=12/20/2024&d2=12/29/2024 or
https://cruises.priceline.com/sc.do?i=940567&c=1&v=1236&&d=12/20/2024&d2=12/29/2024

Would either be suitable for a rather boring family of four to decompress, relax and hang out? Or is it going to be a wild party boat with clothes being flunk off and kids running around?

Another more expensive option is this one https://cruises.priceline.com/b/c/sail.do?sailingId=736284
It has the advantage of a much bigger room (350 sq feet vs 250 sq feet for the Carnival cruises) but it cost $2800 vs $4800 

Will the NCL cruises be worth $2K more than the CCL cruise?  Are there lots of hidden costs with CCL that doesn't exist with NCL.

Edited September 12 by MrCheapo

[Mike45LC]

I have never sailed on a cruise of less than 7 nights, and I would be concerned about your 5 and 6 night cruises.  It seems from posts on this forum that cruises of less than a week tend to be party cruises -- too much booze, too many low class passengers.  See the thread "Just off the Magic" for some comments about shorter cruises.

 

I also like to avoid cruises during school holiday periods.  Sumer, spring break and Christmas vacation.  [I often get stuck cruising during these periods, but I prefer to avoid them.  I am on a Christmas cruise this year, and had a summer vacation cruise as well.]  Too many kids running around without adequate parental supervision.  But you have rug rats, so maybe these would be good for you -- plenty of other kids for yours to make friends with, and active Kid Clubs.  

 

As to hidden add-on charges on Carnival, there are beverages, specialty restaurants, specialty entrees in the main dining room, photos, excursions, internet, spa, etc.  Some can be avoided; my brother took a cruise and did not incur more than $10 in beverages, by sticking with the lemonade and iced tea from the Lido buffet; I too don't drink alcohol, but I do buy sodas from the ship (you can carry your own sodas on board).  I rarely do ship excursions, but I pay  private vendors for non-ship excursions -- and my wife loves pedicabs and horse-drawn carriages, boat trips in Cabo, ...

 

I would not pay almost twice as much for NCL.

 

Whatever you decide, I wish you and your family a great cruise!

 

[mjkacmom]

Your 20 year old would be allowed to order beer and wine on ncl with a parent waiver, maybe making them more comfortable in a bar since there are no clubs for adults. NCL has offered young adult meet ups. Any mainstream cruise line is going to be packed at that time, with tons of kids. I wouldn’t expect any chill vibes.

[MrCheapo]

7 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

Your 20 year old would be allowed to order beer and wine on ncl with a parent waiver, maybe making them more comfortable in a bar since there are no clubs for adults. NCL has offered young adult meet ups. Any mainstream cruise line is going to be packed at that time, with tons of kids. I wouldn’t expect any chill vibes.

Thanks. But will there be quiet sanctuaries you can find on the ship or is it all going to be a zoo?

Also does that mean it will be like Disneyland where you'll have to wait an hour for everything? Or is it just crowded like a NYC subway?

Thanks again.

[mjkacmom]

15 minutes ago, MrCheapo said:

Thanks. But will there be quiet sanctuaries you can find on the ship or is it all going to be a zoo?

Also does that mean it will be like Disneyland where you'll have to wait an hour for everything? Or is it just crowded like a NYC subway?

Thanks again.

I think pools will be packed, deck chairs all saved, hard to get a seat at the buffet, it’s just that every cabin that sleeps 4 will have 4. Maybe look are previous reviews for Christmas week on these ships to get an idea on how they manage crowds. It’s also late booking this week, so check cabin availability. All cabins aren’t equal, check locations (or use a TA).

[sailawaybellaluna]

Oh this is a hard one. We've done a ton of shorter Carnival Cruises out of Long Beach and also the Norwegian Joy you are considering twice (once from San Diego and once in Alaska). Norwegian is definitely going to be a slightly nicer experience for sure, but not worth the price difference IMO.

 

The Carnival cruise will be full of kids, yes. However, it's our experience that the completely intoxicated adults who get into violent fights are the ones that ruin it more. The last few Carnival cruises we've been on have been a mess, so much so that we've been "jumping ship" to Holland America and Princess.

 

That being said, we still get killer deals sometimes on Carnival (read: basically free cruises where we just pay the port taxes),and have fallen prey to booking two recently because I still believe a day at sea is better than a day on land. 🙂 

 

For your holiday sailing, I would book a balcony cabin so you have some privacy to enjoy the sea without fighting for space on the Lido deck. We also avoid the buffets and have set dining times so it feels like less of a cattle drive. If you have "anytime dining" during a holiday sailing, you'll most likely have a wait each evening for your table. So I'd suggest choosing a fixed time when you book.

 

To answer your question, it will feel more like Disneyland with the crowds, but you won't necessarily be waiting a ton for everything else. In general I think after the embarkation day, Carnival still does a good job of moving the masses where they need to be. 

 

My 9-year old has done 14 cruises and my teenager has done 20+, and they still love Carnival best for the "fun" aspect and the arcade, so despite the craziness, your kids would probably still have a great time. 

[dctravel]

We are on the Firenze 12/20 cruise with our kids. Not worried about it, as a 6 nighter tends not to be the party boat a 3/4/5 night are. We have cruised many times over holidays with the family and have always been able to find quite places to relax, it just sometimes take a little more searching on the first day of the cruise to find.

 

Not sure how warm it will be on these cruises either way, which may push more people inside? Hard to say, as weather can be variable, but either way, we are looking forward to relaxing as a family with the activities Carnival provides as our entertainment!

[sanger727]

This is a holiday cruise during a school break.  The big party cruises are typically long weekends at cheaper times of year.  I think you'll see alot of families and children.  Not a ton of drunk adults.  

 

No, Norwegian isn't worth $2,000 over carnival.  Whether there are different costs, it really depends on what paramters your NCL cruise is. If you just start clicking through a NCL booking it will typically add on a drink package, specialty dining package, shore excursion credit, and wifi.  But you are paying for those things.  

 

It's really hard to tell what you get from that booking site.  If you book through NCL it's a lot easier. For your cruise with a balcony room you get 6,000.  But the open bar and specialty dining fees are optional  This would get you free drinks for everyone in your party plus one specialty meal.  Some websites have cruise only pricing that is less. 

 

Edited September 13 by sanger727

[DeniseTr]

Keep in mind that crowds are a big part, especially on emarkation/debark.

Personally, I'd avoid during school holidays because of the number of screaming kids. 

More port days over more sea days would be good for your kid's age bracket imo.

I don't think that the experience of Norwegian over Carnival is worth that big of price difference. 

[jsglow]

As others have indicated, by going over Christmas you should expect a full ship populated mostly with families not so different from your own. In literally hundreds of days on Carnival ranging anywhere from a 4 night Bahamas run to 21 days Europe, I've never witnessed a single 'horror story' alleged in popular social media nor have I ever been served a single 'inedible' meal onboard. (You'll see both breathlessly described by dissatisfied cruisers.) Personally of your options, I'd choose the 6 night Firenze. She's a beautiful ship and you'll have a great time.

 

Have you possibly considered the 7 night 12/21 Panorama run? She is essentially the non-Italian themed sister ship to Firenze and somewhat more representative of the Carnival brand overall. I haven't price compared but that cruise gets you to superior ports beyond Cabo and Ensenada; a true Mexican Riviera cruise. Enjoy whatever you decide.