First-timer w/dd age 11 on Majesty

[improvgirl]

Hi! I am new to cruising but my dh is a former NCL cruiser and raves about it. We are considering 7-night sailing from Charleston on the NCL Majesty and while I feel I have a pretty good understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of this boat after reading many helpful posts and reviews on this fantastic site, I haven't read much about the kids programs.

 

My daughter is 11 and we are considering going on her spring break in late March, 2008. She is an only child, and therefore she is kind of a "small adult". She likes dining out with us, and would very much like broadway style shows. She is also very social with girls her own age and loves the Disney Resort kids clubs. Does anyone here know about the kids clubs for that age group on this ship? What about evening entertainment? Is it all-ages friendly? What about family-together activities like karaoke?

 

We are also considering Royal Caribbean Grandeur (for 5-nights from Tampa), NCL Gem from NY, Royal Caribbean Explorer from Bayonne (9-nights which I fear will be too much for my first cruise - I'm worried about motion sickness). We have ruled out Disney because of the cost.

[honeydog714]

I am a parent of an "only" also and she has always been welcome with us to shows etc. before midnight. No problem dining in the speciaty restaurants etc.

 

Mine liked the kids club better on Princess but she actually is pretty board of the "clubs" at this point as she has cruised many many times. We are going on Princess in April too bad your spring break is not the same as ours or the girls could meet. I think a seven night is a good way to start, plus airfare into charleston will be less than tampa at spring break I bet.

[improvgirl]

It would be fun for the girls to meet! We are actually leaving on the 29th of March I think as her Spring break is that first week in April.

 

And, we are planning to drive to port. We are "road-trip" people.

[lovn2liv]

I must say they were very poor compared to the ships we've cruised on. It seems as if this was a true afterthought. At the time we sailed, my daughter was 7, and there wasn't a designated kids area. They had it posted in the paper where the parents should drop off the kids. "Certain lounges that were not used for that timeframe" I saw my daughter more times on this ship than I have on any cruise I've taken. Not that I mind, but she was disappointed. This was a summer cruising so it wasn't off season.

[MNFreeze]

Our daughter was 12 when we went on the Majesty. The first night she met a friend at dinner and that was the last we saw of her. We went the week of thanksgiving and there were tons of kids on the ship. She had a blast and made so many friends from all over.

[dodiebird]

We just recently sailed with friends of our who had a 9 year daughter. She was so "dead set" about not going into the Kids Club! The first day or so she wasn't in it. Her parents signed her up on the 3rd day......and we hardly saw her. lol She loved it. She came with us on shore excursions ate dinner with us etc.... but at night.... when we went to the shows she was with all her "new best friends" We only wished we had signed her up the very 1st day! They kept them busy and we saw her up on the deck for some deck parties................kid style.... her last night or next to last night they had a pj party! I would hightly recommend it!

Have Fun!!!

:)

[LAURAMC]

we went in January so it was not "spring break" but my 12 yr old HATED the kids club. she went twice the whole time. They cater more to younger kids under 8. Finding "Inky" the squid did not appeal to my daughter. There were 2 other girls about her age on the ship and after a little prodding from the moms they ended up hanging out the rest of the time. The ship is very small and after the first day at sea they will be able to navigate every corner of that ship better than you or I could. The cruise itself was great and we are actually taking another one but on the Star this January. I am just going to remember to pack a few more travel games and a lot more quarters for the video games just in case. By the way I took my daughter to any show on that ship I wanted to. Anything that the comedians say is no worse that what they hear on TV, radio or at the movies.

[improvgirl]

Thanks to all for your replies. I think we're going to decide on something this Friday and put down the deposit. I'll keep you updated!