Best ship and ititinerary for a family with 2 and 5 year old?

[Perpetua]

I could really use some help planning a last minute cruise.

I have really enjoyed reading everyone's posts and I am hoping to hear some opinions from those of you who have sailed NCL previously.

We are a family of 4 (2 and 5 year old daughters) who sailed on the Disney Magic last year and are really interested in taking another cruise! My husband and I went on a Celebrity Med. cruise about 6 years ago and it was fabulous!

We loved our Disney and Celebrity cruise but we were hoping to find a line where our 21/2 year old could go to the club with our 5 year old. However, if NCL isn't the line for us we will go on Disney as we really had a magical time on that cruise.

We are very easy going people who would like to take our land-locked kids to nice clean beaches. We love excellent food but we definitely felt that we sacrificed great cuisine for a happy family experience on Disney. Our kids are very well behaved and fabulous and adventurous eaters. We are thinking about going in Jan or Feb...from 7-9 days and we can fly into anywhere. Our schedules are very flexible.

Any comments or suggestions are welcome...

[LAURAMC]

I could really use some help planning a last minute cruise.

I have really enjoyed reading everyone's posts and I am hoping to hear some opinions from those of you who have sailed NCL previously.

We are a family of 4 (2 and 5 year old daughters) who sailed on the Disney Magic last year and are really interested in taking another cruise! My husband and I went on a Celebrity Med. cruise about 6 years ago and it was fabulous!

We loved our Disney and Celebrity cruise but we were hoping to find a line where our 21/2 year old could go to the club with our 5 year old. However, if NCL isn't the line for us we will go on Disney as we really had a magical time on that cruise.

We are very easy going people who would like to take our land-locked kids to nice clean beaches. We love excellent food but we definitely felt that we sacrificed great cuisine for a happy family experience on Disney. Our kids are very well behaved and fabulous and adventurous eaters. We are thinking about going in Jan or Feb...from 7-9 days and we can fly into anywhere. Our schedules are very flexible.

Any comments or suggestions are welcome...

 

 

I have never been on disney myself but I can tell you the kids have fun in the group activities, there is no private baby sitting at night but they make a pajama party out of it. you will not feel the sacrifice for food on ncl. and there are plenty of choices for food for the kids. try it one see how you like it. Just to let you know I have a daughter that is 13 and she did not like the kids crew because they cater to the younger ones and they were having all the fun. (pizza making, arts & crafts, scavanger hunts). good luck

[CanadianTwosome]

We're looking forward to cruising the Mexican Riviera on the Star January 11. In our roll call, there are two children of similar age to yours, also. heh This season is the last time NCL will be offering the 8 night itinerary, which includes Acapulco, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Puerto Vallarta, and Cabo San Lucas. We are also landlocked, so we're planning on pretty much all water based activities: a yacht charter in Acapulco (with a group of our roll callers), a beach day in Zihuatanejo, a dolphin and sealion encounter in PV, and whale watching in Cabo.

 

Just about any southern hemisphere cruise is going to take you to some great beaches. Caribbean water is the most amazing blue you'll ever see, as I'm sure you found on your Disney cruise. I have a link to the kids' crew activities on the Star. I imagine they are quite similar to pretty much all the ships of similar or larger size. The Dream last year was a lot smaller and didn't have as many. I'm sure whatever you decide, your family will have a wonderful time. As far as I'm concerned, there's just no such thing as a 'bad cruise'!!

 

http://community.webshots.com/album/546368115pHZSLQ

[hawaiilvr]

the NCL Spirit seems like it has an amazing kids area on Deck 10 - Buccaneer's Wet and Wild. They sail from New Orleans or New York depending on when you are traveling. We are sailing from NYC in July. I found these pictures on Webshots: http://family.webshots.com/photo/2624997400054445721olzWnk I'm not sure whose photos they are. This looks like a small child's nirvana.

[Cosmopolitan]

If you are interested in leaving your children on the ship while you are off the ship at ports...you may want to read this review...

 

http://messages.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=668965 ..if you take your children off of the ship with you, the review is pointless;)

[NorthernNeighbour]

I could really use some help planning a last minute cruise.

I have really enjoyed reading everyone's posts and I am hoping to hear some opinions from those of you who have sailed NCL previously.

We are a family of 4 (2 and 5 year old daughters) who sailed on the Disney Magic last year and are really interested in taking another cruise! My husband and I went on a Celebrity Med. cruise about 6 years ago and it was fabulous!

We loved our Disney and Celebrity cruise but we were hoping to find a line where our 21/2 year old could go to the club with our 5 year old. However, if NCL isn't the line for us we will go on Disney as we really had a magical time on that cruise.

We are very easy going people who would like to take our land-locked kids to nice clean beaches. We love excellent food but we definitely felt that we sacrificed great cuisine for a happy family experience on Disney. Our kids are very well behaved and fabulous and adventurous eaters. We are thinking about going in Jan or Feb...from 7-9 days and we can fly into anywhere. Our schedules are very flexible.

Any comments or suggestions are welcome...

 

Find a ship with an Italian crew. Italians love kids and, provided the ship has a program for kids, they will be looked after very well indeed.

 

And, needless to say, the food is not too shabby on an Italian ship either!!!

 

This is a time when an experienced cruise travel agent comes in very handy. If they know their business, they can find you the perfect cruise. And no, I am NOT a travel agent or connected to anyone who is.

[almtyrob]

If you can get to NYC..jump on the Gem on January 5th or 16th. Rob:)

[Bisous3]

Northern Neighbor while I have to say Italian ships have MANY plusses, my next door neighbor just returned from a Costa cruise and said smoking is a huge probem on the ship....Europeans generally smoke more than Americans, and with kids that can be a problem.

 

I had to give my Pearl cruise a "thumbs down" in the kids department. Also I am not sure that ther eis a cruise line that would group the 2 1/2 year olds and the 5 year olds together.

[KerCar]

the NCL Spirit seems like it has an amazing kids area on Deck 10 - Buccaneer's Wet and Wild. They sail from New Orleans or New York depending on when you are traveling. We are sailing from NYC in July. I found these pictures on Webshots: http://family.webshots.com/photo/2624997400054445721olzWnk I'm not sure whose photos they are. This looks like a small child's nirvana.

 

We were on the Spirit this past June with our two children 18 months and 5. They had a blast! The children's pool area, kid's crew, and arcade were amazing! We had such a great time we're sailing the Spirit again this spring! People have said the Dawn is a great ship for young children as well.

 

To the OP:

Bermuda is a great place to take children. It is clean, safe, and easy to get around. IMO late May/early June is the best time to visit Bermuda, so it might not fit into your schedule. Good luck planning:)

[Kuffam]

We've taken our kids on Disney's Wounder and Pride of Aloha. As far as kids programs, DD (5 at the time) actually preferd POA's kidscrew over Disney.

 

Disney does have better facilities, but there were a lot of kids and I think she felt overwhelmed. With POA there were 10-20 kids and she got more time with the counsellors. I would maybe try Pride of America for better children's facilities, but I do not remember if they'll take the 2 YO. I know DS was about that age and couldn't be in the club.

 

Hawaii is very port intensive, so you have a lot of time to explore and they'll be a ton of beaches and other activies. I would rent a car and go explore and play.

 

NCL America doesn't have the same service as Disney, but my family enjoyed it just as much. We're easy going people and prefer economy to superb quality.

[kruzingtogether]

We were on the Spirit about a year and a half ago, and it seemed to have a great kids' area. We are going on the Dawn this January (join us on that!), and the kids area looks amazing -- my husband is jealous that the grown-up pool doesn't have a T-rex!

[Rada_CMH]

One more vote for NCL's kids programs - we have traveled with our then 2, 3 and 4 year old daughter on the NCL Jewel, NCL Spirit and NCLA Pride of Aloha - all three had fantastic kids programs and our daughter was begging to go back to kids club. Your 2 and 5 year old will be in the same group and will love it.

 

Since you plan to go in Jan/Feb Bermuda will be somethwat cold, but both the Southern Caribbean and the Hawaii itineraries will be great with kids assuming your little ones love the beach. The service on the NCLA ships is not as good in terms of cruising experience for the parents, but they still have great kids programs.

 

I also agree that the NCL Spirit has the best kids pool and facilities among all NCL ships, followed by the NCL Jewel/Perl/Gem which are great new ships.

So pick one of those and a Caribbean itinerary you like and your entire family will have a great time.

 

Rada

[MrsLeo]

Even though Cosmopolitan feels my review is pointless, I will share what I know since I have taken seven cruises with children ranging in ages between 2 and 7 and others who read my review felt my posts had something beneficial to offer.

 

It sounds like you want a scenario where every family member has a great time individually and collectively.

 

Here's what I know. NCL and RCCL do not do diapers. RCCL will not accept a child who is under 3 or still in diapers into their kids program, NCL will accept children 2 years old and above, but you will be paged to change their diapers.

Carnival will change diapers and will accept children 2 years and above.

 

RCCL offers in cabin sitting and I have to say I was very impressed by the young lady from Poland that we had babysit in our cabin for us two evenings. I found that RCCL's late night sitting in the kid's club was a little too "busy". With the in cabin sitter, the kids laid in bed, watched movies and the sitter read them stories until they fell asleep. That was really nice. RCCL's Enchantment of the Seas was great for young kids. They had very nice pools with a big splash playground the kids could run and play in.

 

NCL and Carnival has very nice kid's facilities too.

 

I have found that Carnival offers families with children the most flexibility. Their hours are typically 9-noon, 2-5 and 7-10 on Sea Days, and on port days they usually open a half an hour before you can leave the ship until about 4:45, then re-open 7 until 10. They also offer dinner for the kids most nights. The nice thing is that there is something for everyone on each of these lines. I rather believe the frustrations we encountered with the kid's club on the Pearl were an anomoly and not typical for NCL, as we were quite pleased with the kid's clubs on the Spirit and Sun.

[monicajay]

Although my kids are older (teens) the thing I really like about NCL is the Freestyle approach for dinner. When your family is ready to eat you just go to the dinning room. Also, the Dawn has an amazing kids pool area.

 

We are trying something else this year but will miss the Freestyle.

[MrsLeo]

Monica, I have seen the Dawn's kid's pool area from a distance and it does look very nice. NCL Spirit also has a great kid's pool area too, complete with a pirate ship. I guess we're lucky to have so many great choices.

 

The ships kid's pools that impress me the least are the Carnival Conquest Class kid's pool. They are the size of postage stamps.

 

The older Carnival ships have large kid's pools though, but not fancy like NCL and RCCL Enchantment

[Cosmopolitan]

Even though Cosmopolitan feels my review is pointless,

Please read my ENTIRE post

 

"If you are interested in leaving your children on the ship while you are off the ship at ports...you may want to read this review...if you take your children off of the ship with you, the review is pointless";)

 

Touchy...Touchy:eek:

[MrsLeo]

Cosmopolitan, Sometimes people utilize the kid's club even if they take their children off the ship with them. It is not open only when the ship is in port...once more I get the impression you haven't a clue what you are talking about.

[Perpetua]

Wow...thanks for all of the suggestions. We decided to book a 8 night Mex. Riviera on the Star next month. I really appreciate all of the helpful comments.

Off to plan port days!

[Cosmopolitan]

Cosmopolitan, Sometimes people utilize the kid's club even if they take their children off the ship with them. It is not open only when the ship is in port...once more I get the impression you haven't a clue what you are talking about.

 

Yes....you are right:D :D

 

Read your review...duh!

[Cosmopolitan]

Wow...thanks for all of the suggestions. We decided to book a 8 night Mex. Riviera on the Star next month. I really appreciate all of the helpful comments.

Off to plan port days!

 

Good for you!

 

Have a wonderful cruise. Please come back with a review:)