Cruise with 2yo - NCL or Carnival?

[hcheese]

My DD will be turning 2 in November and we are ready to cruise again! MY DH and have been on two prior cruises, 1 with Princess and 1 with Carnival, b/f DD.

Now that we have decided to take the plunge and cruise, we need to decide which line to sail with. Although I would love to do something in the Caribbean, we don’t feel like flying across country – we already have to do that for all the family trips. So we’ll be driving to LA or SD. We were really just looking at the Carnival Pride or Spirit because Camp Carnival accept kids at 2, but now I learned from another thread that NCL does accept kids at 2. They just don’t change diapers.

So … which to choose? Carnival looks like it has a more substantial kids program plus I know what I am getting since I’ve been on Carnival before, but I am intrigued by the freestyle dining thing on NCL; however, I’ve heard that they tend to nickel and dime you. The itineraries on both are similar, except that NCL makes an additional stop.

Has anyone had experience with both Carnival and NCL kids clubs? If so, how do they compare?

Any help, guidance, suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[mpk218]

I think if you try NCL you will have a new favorite.. We've been sailing them with our 2 girls since they where 3 & 6 . We just took a Carnival this past July and our kids , now 7 & 10 say there s no comparison. They may be biased:p . AND the fact that you can eat diner when the kids are awake is great.. Have fun..

 

mpk

[Marlissa]

 

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So … which to choose? Carnival looks like it has a more substantial kids program plus I know what I am getting since I’ve been on Carnival before, but I am intrigued by the freestyle dining thing on NCL; however, I’ve heard that they tend to nickel and dime you. The itineraries on both are similar, except that NCL makes an additional stop.

{...}

 

I've never sailed on any cruise line but NCL so have no other experience...What do you consider "nickel and dime". You can book a NCL cruise, pay the $10 pp per day tip charge (thus no need for additional tips for wait staff, room staff, etc unless you choose too) and have no other additional on board charges and have a wonderful cruise. It can be done, and lots do :D .

 

NCL does charge for soda, bingo, alcohol drinks, casino, excursions, premium restaurants, photos and shop purchases. But, I was under the impression most cruise lines do.

 

What are your concerns? We love the freestyle concept (and there is more to it than just freestyle dining) and have never felt "nickel and dime" (but have nothing to compare our experience too :o ).

[crusinmama06]

I went on an OLD NCL ship and I wasn't happy with the kid's crew. But that ship was OLD...did I mention, OLD? ;) When my oldest was 2, she was in the kid's crew. They had a SHIP'S TOUR. I had to get to the club to get her out of there cause there was no way my baby was taking a tour of the ship without me...lol. I laugh about it now, but it freaked me out back then. On other cruiselines, the 2-5 year old groups don't leave the kid's club area at all (except to go to dinner if you want them to). So I don't know if NCL got rid of the ship's tour for the younger tots.

 

I have been looking at other ships like the Pearl and they look really nice. But I don't have any experience with a new NCL ship and the kid's crew.

 

But I do have experience with Camp Carnival, my kids think it's the best. Even better than RCCL (which is my personal fav because of the ships/service)

 

I have the link to the kid activities for the cruiselines listed in my siggie, you can compare them.

 

And freestyle is a personal preference, one that I don't like. :) But that's just me. I like that our servers know us and our names. I like the personal attention. But you may not want set dining times.

[SunniLicious]

We were in the same boat, hahaha, before we booked on NCL Spirit earlier this month for a cruise in January. Our DD is two, it'll be my fourth cruise, and DH's and DD's first. I've been on Carnival and RCCL before.

 

For this cruise, I knew I'd book either Carnival or NCL, for just the reason you mentioned - they allow kids into the kids' club at age 2. We chose NCL because we wanted to sail on the Spirit, it has an amazing kids' club. To paraphrase CC reviews, "other ships have kids' areas... Spirit's looks like a summer camp for the children of the rich and famous."

 

And, IMO, I'm looking forward to trying Freestyle Dining. NCL has monitors all over the ship, like the arrival/departure monitors at the airport, that let you know what restaurants have immediate seating. When a two-year-old gets hungry, who knows what time it'll be, right?

 

It helped a lot, too, that I preferred the Spirit's itinerary to those offered by Carnival. We chose the 'exotic' western caribbean, and it became even more so after Hurricane Dean forced the replacement of Costa Maya with Roatan.

 

Bottom line, though, I think you've made the important distinction already (age and kids' clubs admittance) and you couldn't go wrong with either line. Let price, itinerary, and ship guide you. :)

[cruisincarrie]

I agree that you can't go wrong with either one. I would look at the particular ship and itinerary to make the decision. If you can post the ships and itineraries you are comparing, we might be able to give you our opinions on those. I find that each ship has a different personality and that you can't really make a sweeping generalization of a cruise line. I'd love to hear which choices you are considering.

 

Have a great time cruising with your 2 year old!