Lollipop's Mom Posted August 16, 2007 #1 Share Posted August 16, 2007 Last January my daughter (10 at the time) and I had a not so great experience on the Carnival paradise. We had a good time, but found that ship lacked in activities, the shows sucked and there was lots of time with 'nothing to do'. The kids program was a joke. I desperately want to take her on a Disney cruise, but its very pricey and while the cruise cost is doable - its a very expensive flight from where we live, adding another $1000 to it! I love the idea of so many family activities, family oriented shows,etc..... but not sure if it is doable financially on our vacation budget. What others might you suggest? I keep looking at how much cheaper some of the other lines are, but am worried we will get on there and have nothing to do. I am not a drinker/partier and we love quality family time. I want to do a 7 or 8 night cruise and have lots of relaxation, sun & beaches, but also want to be able to do some stuff on board. Also good shows too. Should I just keep saving for a disney cruise, or is there another option out there I am missing? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted August 16, 2007 #2 Share Posted August 16, 2007 Take the money and do a Voyager or Freedom class ship with RCCL. I don't know how any kid could be bored on one of those. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lollipop's Mom Posted August 17, 2007 Author #3 Share Posted August 17, 2007 How are the nighttime shows on those? Any good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted August 17, 2007 #4 Share Posted August 17, 2007 How are the nighttime shows on those? Any good? I am not one to ask that because I spend my nights at the casino. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KC_fn Posted August 19, 2007 #5 Share Posted August 19, 2007 My DD (13 at the time) thought Carnival's kids programs were positively "lame". She liked RCI Mariner MUCH better. Of course, you've heard about the rock climbing, the mini-golf, the ice skating. I don't know first-hand about the programs for younger kids, but there was plenty of cool stuff for 15-17's (their own "club", their own karaoke). I'd guess that the activities for younger kids are just as good. I liked the evening shows on Mariner; they were family-friendly singing, dancing & comedy. We cruised with a dance group, so we focused on the dance shows and enjoyed them very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hightownCO Posted August 19, 2007 #6 Share Posted August 19, 2007 Am a single mom and travel with my daughter. When she was 11, did Disney and she thought the program was lame. We do travel to WDW a lot so it wasn't the "Disney" part she didn't like - just that program was geared to entertain the younger side of her group. She still had fun outside of the program with some girls that she e mailed thru meeting in the roll calls. At age 12, we did Carnival Victory. That age grouping is 12-14 but they combined activities with the 9-11 group and seemed to gear things more to that age. Again, bored and didn't participate. She still had fun but there were friends her age. They did things outside of the club and she and I did things more together. We both enjoyed the shows and comedians, trivia, bingo, poolside games, etc. At age 13, this year, we did Princess because their age groupings were 13-17 in the teen program. That she loved. They had really nice teen room/hangout and lots to do. She also love MUTS (movies under the stars) where they show movies or concerts at the pool. I didn't see her much between after dinner and 1am. Unfortunately, gave me too much free time in the casino! But while that's been our experience, there are plenty of others who've posted that their kids had a great time on Carnival at 11 and 12yrs old. If your daughter is outgoing and makes friends easily, she'll probably have a great time whatever line you go on whether doing planned activities or just hanging with new friends! I've thought about RCL but it's pricier and don't think the real differences (rock wall, skating ring) really justify that for us. I'll consider them and going back to Carnival, when she's in their teen groups which are 15-17. Sharon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy40 Posted August 19, 2007 #7 Share Posted August 19, 2007 How are the nighttime shows on those? Any good? The ice show is fantastic. we did not attend alot of the other shows. My daughters were 8 and 11 at the time and had a great time. They did have each other to hang out with but they met kids at the basketball court, putt putt, and rock wall. I am trying Princess next to see if they like the MUTS and because the price was better than RC. Also when we were on the Adventure of the Seas last year they sat us with another mom and daughter the same age approximately. don't know if that was luck of the draw but we hung out with them every night after dinner and attended Trivia and things like that! Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lollipop's Mom Posted August 19, 2007 Author #8 Share Posted August 19, 2007 DD is a very mature 11. She would be more suited in the 12-14 group of kids for activities. Is there any way of slipping her into the 12-14 group without being noticed? Is her age listed anywhere on her sign and sail card? Or do they cross check? I remember on Carnival we just showed up and said 'she is 10' and signed her up. Nothing seemed to be checked. I just know she would be much more at home in a 12-14 group than 9-11. She will actually only be 3 months shy of 12 anyway when we go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SelectSys Posted August 20, 2007 #9 Share Posted August 20, 2007 My kids have been very happy on RCCL and Disney. We haven't been on Disney in a while - largely because of the premium pricing associated with their product. While I have never been on Carnival, I believe the Paradise is one of their lowest rated ships and may not be representative of all their ships from a facilities perspective. I wouldn't necessarily write off Carnival completely based on that experience. Other Carnival cruisers can probably tell you more. Also, I am surprised that you can't find a cheap flight to Orlando to access Port Canaveral. If you plan ahead, you can usually get a pretty inexpensive deal. Note - shows on RCCL are pretty much standard cruise ship fare. You'll get 1 or 2 broadway review type shows, some music, maybe a special dance act, a comedian, magician, etc. The ice show is OK on the voyager and freedom ships considering you're at sea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eclipsepearl Posted August 20, 2007 #10 Share Posted August 20, 2007 DD is a very mature 11. She would be more suited in the 12-14 group of kids for activities. Is there any way of slipping her into the 12-14 group without being noticed? Is her age listed anywhere on her sign and sail card? Or do they cross check? I remember on Carnival we just showed up and said 'she is 10' and signed her up. Nothing seemed to be checked. I just know she would be much more at home in a 12-14 group than 9-11. She will actually only be 3 months shy of 12 anyway when we go. Bad news but on most cruises and AI's, their insurers are strict about age limits and on Celebrity, we had separate sign-up sheets for each age category. Even when they slapped several age groups together for activities, and considering that my three are siblings, they were sticklers about my signing the different names on different sheets according to age. Btw, for you, I wouldn't recommend Celebrity. The entertainment wasn't good and while the Fun Factory was great for my little ones, we were with another family with a 12 yo and it didn't offer much for her. Keep to the other posters' suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bplazo Posted August 21, 2007 #11 Share Posted August 21, 2007 My daughter has always liked RCCL's Voyager class ships. Our first cruise was Disney and she loved it but once we did RCCL she was hooked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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