my2kids Posted September 17, 2007 #1 Share Posted September 17, 2007 I would like to know your opinions on which cruise line you recommend for a family of 4- DD will be 3 DS will be 6. We went on Disney this june and loved it. A little expensive but worth it. We are considering a royal caribbean and carnival for next year but are worried about the kids camps. any ideas? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted September 17, 2007 #2 Share Posted September 17, 2007 The kid camp schedules are posted in a link under my signature. You can see the different cruiseline programs for kids. Personally it comes down to this, if you can afford to do it, then try a Freedom Class ship with Royal Caribbean. Liberty of the Seas/Freedom of the Seas (and now Independance of the Seas) has the most onboard to do for kids. And the ships are phenomenal, our favorite, no doubt. If you can't go as high as a Freedom class, Voyager class ship (RCCL) are a little less expensive...but still have plenty for kids to do. My last choice as far as ships is Carnival. But the kids LOVE Camp Carnival, so no complaints there. Carnival would be the least expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Manatee Mom Posted October 3, 2007 #3 Share Posted October 3, 2007 My kids love Princess & Carnival. They are less expensive then RCCL and at those ages have more to do. Princess doesn't have a waterslide but they do have fresh water pools. Much less kids than the others so all the kids on board really do become friends. and i think the camp staff is so much better. (But my husband still loves carnival) If you want to see what kids can do on a cruise check out our video from the Carnival Liberty Hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onessa Posted October 3, 2007 #4 Share Posted October 3, 2007 My DD (now 12YO!) has been cruising since infancy. She prefers RCCI kids program. RCCI is good, but if your 3YO is not fully and reliably potty trained by your cruise, she will not be allowed in Adventure Ocean and/or most of their ships pools. Just FYI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dengail Posted October 5, 2007 #5 Share Posted October 5, 2007 My kids love Princess & Carnival. They are less expensive then RCCL and at those ages have more to do. Princess doesn't have a waterslide but they do have fresh water pools. Much less kids than the others so all the kids on board really do become friends. and i think the camp staff is so much better. (But my husband still loves carnival) If you want to see what kids can do on a cruise check out our video from the Carnival Liberty Hope this helps What video editor /camera or program did you use for this? Looks great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melika091900 Posted October 5, 2007 #6 Share Posted October 5, 2007 loved the video!!! now my daughter is more excited Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadof3girls Posted October 6, 2007 #7 Share Posted October 6, 2007 WE have 3 girls ages 7 & 6 yr old twins( yes im the lone man in the house & in store for big problems i know LOL), thinking about a family cruise to ALASKA, any suggestions for ships on that itinerary? seems most advice is re Carribean itinerary. we may be taking this trip with grandparents too, so with 3 generations involved lots to consider,,,thanks in advance:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadof3girls Posted October 6, 2007 #8 Share Posted October 6, 2007 WE have 3 girls ages 7 & 6 yr old twins( yes im the lone man in the house & in store for big problems i know LOL), thinking about a family cruise to ALASKA, any suggestions for ships on that itinerary? seems most advice is re Carribean itinerary. we may be taking this trip with grandparents too, so with 3 generations involved lots to consider,,,thanks in advance:) I also meant to mention the Freedom Class & Voyager class of RCC do not go to alaska ( it appears),,,so my choices seem to be between: Carnival spirit Serenade of the Seas Diamond or Sapphire Princess Mindful of my post above, we are thinking about next Aug so we have some time, but those of you who have cruised with a few kids, we'd appreciate your insight & experiences Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Manatee Mom Posted October 6, 2007 #9 Share Posted October 6, 2007 What video editor /camera or program did you use for this? Looks great! We used power director. my husband does it, so don't know much. Glad it helped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Manatee Mom Posted October 6, 2007 #10 Share Posted October 6, 2007 WE have 3 girls ages 7 & 6 yr old twins( yes im the lone man in the house & in store for big problems i know LOL), thinking about a family cruise to ALASKA, any suggestions for ships on that itinerary? seems most advice is re Carribean itinerary. we may be taking this trip with grandparents too, so with 3 generations involved lots to consider,,,thanks in advance:) We did alaska without the kids 7day cruise/6 day land on the saphire princess. Ship was amazing. inside pool in 2 story atrium (fresh water), could sit during the day up in the disco watching for whales out the back of the ship without being cold. It's expensive but i think the kids would love the helicopter to the glacier with dog sledding. It's a once in a life time experience. all the rest of the tours we did the kids need to be 10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SelectSys Posted October 7, 2007 #11 Share Posted October 7, 2007 I also meant to mention the Freedom Class & Voyager class of RCC do not go to alaska ( it appears),,,so my choices seem to be between: Carnival spirit Serenade of the Seas Diamond or Sapphire Princess Mindful of my post above, we are thinking about next Aug so we have some time, but those of you who have cruised with a few kids, we'd appreciate your insight & experiences Thanks Radiance class ships (i.e., Serenade) are my favorite ships. My kids like them as well. It is a great size with lots of activities for all ages. If your kids don't like salt water pools - even though these are less used on Alaska trips - I would pick princess over Carnival. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SelectSys Posted October 7, 2007 #12 Share Posted October 7, 2007 I would like to know your opinions on which cruise line you recommend for a family of 4- DD will be 3 DS will be 6. We went on Disney this june and loved it. A little expensive but worth it. We are considering a royal caribbean and carnival for next year but are worried about the kids camps. any ideas? thanks Our first couple of cruises were on Disney and since then have been quite loyal to RCCL. Your kids are still in the sweet spot for Disney so it's hard to beat them as a family holiday with young kids if you can afford it. Note, we have discussed returning to Disney for another cruise as everyone had a great time. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mousecrazy Posted October 7, 2007 #13 Share Posted October 7, 2007 I also meant to mention the Freedom Class & Voyager class of RCC do not go to alaska ( it appears),,,so my choices seem to be between: Carnival spirit Serenade of the Seas Diamond or Sapphire Princess Mindful of my post above, we are thinking about next Aug so we have some time, but those of you who have cruised with a few kids, we'd appreciate your insight & experiences Thanks Don't forget about NCL. We went to Alaska (RT Seattle on the Star) with DS5 and DD8, Aunt and Grandpa (80s) in May. Loved freestyle dining - especially with kids not wanting to dress up - and Alaska is more casual...you may not want to dress up for dinner after hiking all day (for example). And NCL has great itinerary. Be sure to pick an itinerary that includes a glacier viewing day...Glacier Bay is exceptional! And, Juneau is wonderfu...Whale watching is great here - my kids loved that. And most ships go to Ketchikan - we did the Loggers Show here - very funny and great for all ages and within walking distance from the ship. I wouldn't waste your money on the helicopter to the glacier. It's great for adults but kids don't usually get how spectacular and special it is to stand on a glacier. The Star doesn't go RT out of Seattle anymore - I think it's their new ship Pearl...so can't speak to that ship. But, the Star had a great kids program which afforded us just the right amount of family and alone time...kids loved it. We went before school got out, so there were only 20 or so kids in the program. The area is pretty small, so not sure what it would be like during the summer when there are 200 kids. Regardless of the ship you chose, I suggest you go for a balcony cabin. We had an inside and considered that a mistake. We spent much more time in our cabin than we anticipated. We were all tired from exploring the ports and it would've been very nice to be able to experience the scenery during these downtimes. We loved our cruise to Alaska and have many wonderful memories. I would be happy to answer any questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Manatee Mom Posted October 8, 2007 #14 Share Posted October 8, 2007 Don't forget about NCL. We went to Alaska (RT Seattle on the Star) with DS5 and DD8, Aunt and Grandpa (80s) in May. Loved freestyle dining - especially with kids not wanting to dress up - and Alaska is more casual...you may not want to dress up for dinner We keep looking at going on NCL, but everything i read & hear is that they nickel/dime you once you are on the ship. Is this true? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaDee Posted October 8, 2007 #15 Share Posted October 8, 2007 WE have 3 girls ages 7 & 6 yr old twins( yes im the lone man in the house & in store for big problems i know LOL), thinking about a family cruise to ALASKA, any suggestions for ships on that itinerary? seems most advice is re Carribean itinerary. we may be taking this trip with grandparents too, so with 3 generations involved lots to consider,,,thanks in advance:) We took a multi-generational (grandparents to grandkids) trip to Alaska on the Carnival Spirit and everyone on had a blast. We have taken other (older) Carnival ships and haven't been impressed but the Spirit and the Alaska itinerary were great. The Kids' Club was the highlight for my children. My recommendation is to do a south-bound route. One-way trips provide the best range of Alaska experience and your shortest flight will be the return flight home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mousecrazy Posted October 8, 2007 #16 Share Posted October 8, 2007 We keep looking at going on NCL, but everything i read & hear is that they nickel/dime you once you are on the ship. Is this true? I don't think NCL is much different than the others from what I've heard. They charge for a soda card ($30 I think) and some specialty restaurants have a charge - but then, some don't. We didn't go to the ones that charge, and we thought the food was good...not gourmet, but good. I think their foo-foo drinks are a little more pricey...but they had free ice cream. The pictures were pricey and they didn't offer a package which was a bummer...so we only bought the very best ones. What else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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