How Many Kids On Board?

[2boyzmom]

I think I remember reading on another cruise line board that you can call the cruise line and they can tell you how many kids will be on board. I don't mind kids since I have two of my own. We are traveling Presidents week on a 9 nighter and was just curious. I though maybe a 9 nighter will have less children than a 7 nighter....

[Don Haynes]

When school is out, there are a lot more kids and families aboard the ships. When school is in, not so many kids and families aboard although due to some schools being year round now,there are at least some kids on every cruise. NCL is a family cruise line.

[salty dingo]

One must assume the cruise line has records of how many kids are booked. With privacy rules what they are today, whether the customer service rep you talk to will have access to that is questionable.

 

You may want to try emailing the ship coordinator with that question. It could not hurt to ask. I think the email address is shipcoordinatorpearl@ncl.com for the Pearl, substitute "pearl" with the actual ship name.

[Vyhanek]

The nice thing for you is that the only schools that have a whole week off in February are schools in New England.

 

We have cruised in February for the past few years now because our kids have off a week for winter break but the only other kids around (school aged) are also from New England. There will be plenty of kids but you won't be over run like you would be trying to cruise in late March/early April.

[heybabeitsbrooke]

i'm wondering the same thingg! i want my kids to have people to hang out with... well really it's just my 14 year old and her friend but they're very social and i know they like to have a lot of people around their own age. how old are your boys?

[zqvol]

I think I remember reading on another cruise line board that you can call the cruise line and they can tell you how many kids will be on board. I don't mind kids since I have two of my own. We are traveling Presidents week on a 9 nighter and was just curious. I though maybe a 9 nighter will have less children than a 7 nighter....

 

You can always plan on a lot of kids on the mass market lines at all times. The number goes up when a lot of schools are out of session. With longer cruises, during the school season, the number of kids will be down and they will tend to be younger since they are not in school.

 

The only line that I know of that will let you know how many children are booked is Sea Dream Yacht Club, but since the ships capacity is only 110 (that is not a typo), (it is advertised as 55 couples ), and you are paying $3000 - $5000 pp per week (or more) it makes a huge difference on that line, so they will tell you how many kids are booked.

[2boyzmom]

We have been cruising President's week the past few years, each with at least 400-600 kids on board. It has never been a problem with disruptions for us. Last year's Princess cruise the old timers were not happy with all the youngsters in the pool. My guys are 6 and 8 and are pretty good on the ship. Actually bever had an issue of misbehaving. That only happens at home :)

We had actually booked and paid for the Noordam out of NY this year- but got scared off by all the anti children remarks and lack of kid's activities on 4 sea days. Back to the wonderful Jewel for us!

[TITISSA]

I can only travel during school vacation and holidays. Our first cruise, Mariner of the Seas, there were 1,008 kids on board. Every single cruise we have taken there were lots of kids, except for The Seabourn Pride - which was only my husband and I. Even the QM2 had a lot of kids. My daughters are now 16 and 14 and they still talk to some of the kids they have met on cruises. Last year for my daughter's Sweet Sixteen party some of her cruise friends attended the party (they came from outside Connecticut). If you want kids around I would say stick to Mass Market Cruise Lines, otherwise go for luxury (which I'm dying to do as soon as we are done paying for college :D ).

[mrszuhwiggins]

We have been cruising President's week the past few years, each with at least 400-600 kids on board. It has never been a problem with disruptions for us. Last year's Princess cruise the old timers were not happy with all the youngsters in the pool. My guys are 6 and 8 and are pretty good on the ship. Actually bever had an issue of misbehaving. That only happens at home :)

We had actually booked and paid for the Noordam out of NY this year- but got scared off by all the anti children remarks and lack of kid's activities on 4 sea days. Back to the wonderful Jewel for us!

 

Hi 2boyzmom,

What a shame that you cancelled on the Noordam. We sailed on the Noordam last November with my two children (boy 7 and girl 9) and had a wonderful time. Yes, there are not as many children on board as on some of the more "family advertised" lines, however that made it all the more fun for them. There were definitely enough children for them to play with, but not so many that it became cumbersome for the staff to be really creative in the activities. I agree, there are a lot of posters who are negative on the HAL boards when it comes to children sailing, however I just ignored them and found that once on the ship, while the average age was much higher than other cruises I'd been on, most people were welcoming of the kids. We've sailed with the kids many times on NCL and RCCL and HAL's Kids program was just as good if not better. The ship is beautiful and the service was fantastic as well. While I'm sure you will have a wonderful cruise on the Jewel (we are booked on the Sun in March and we love Freestyle cruising) please don't write off the Noordam due to other's negative postings.

[Cruise Leprechaun]

How does anyone ever know how many kids are on board? I see it all the time people say there were 800 or 1000 kids on their sailing and I just wonder how you know that? Is it usually published somewhere when you sail? We are doing an Alaskan cruise this summer with our 2 kids (NCL Pearl) and I was wondering if there'll be kids on that one? Or since its Alaska is it going to be dominated by older folks?

[2boyzmom]

How does anyone ever know how many kids are on board? I see it all the time people say there were 800 or 1000 kids on their sailing and I just wonder how you know that? Is it usually published somewhere when you sail? We are doing an Alaskan cruise this summer with our 2 kids (NCL Pearl) and I was wondering if there'll be kids on that one? Or since its Alaska is it going to be dominated by older folks?

 

 

We found out the amt. of kids onboard by the ship log in the kids club.

[2boyzmom]

Hi 2boyzmom,

What a shame that you cancelled on the Noordam. We sailed on the Noordam last November with my two children (boy 7 and girl 9) and had a wonderful time. Yes, there are not as many children on board as on some of the more "family advertised" lines, however that made it all the more fun for them. There were definitely enough children for them to play with, but not so many that it became cumbersome for the staff to be really creative in the activities. I agree, there are a lot of posters who are negative on the HAL boards when it comes to children sailing, however I just ignored them and found that once on the ship, while the average age was much higher than other cruises I'd been on, most people were welcoming of the kids. We've sailed with the kids many times on NCL and RCCL and HAL's Kids program was just as good if not better. The ship is beautiful and the service was fantastic as well. While I'm sure you will have a wonderful cruise on the Jewel (we are booked on the Sun in March and we love Freestyle cruising) please don't write off the Noordam due to other's negative postings.

 

I really did get spooked by the overwhelming amount of negative feedback from families stating the lack of activities on sea days and one post I wrote asking if the boys could wear hawaiian short sets to the dining room- yikes- I had commited a mortal sin. Anyway- I am looking forward to trying HAL- it looks beautiful and would love to leave from NY- but freestyle and kid friendly ships works for us with little ones right now :)

[CanadianTwosome]

On our Star cruise in January, there were about 120 kids on board I think. I was told that when I registered our daughter for Kid's Crew. They need to know how many are on board. :)

 

I was worried about there being other kids to play with and there definitely weren't a ton, but there were enough, and they all had a wonderful time. My daughter cried on the last morning because she wouldn't see them again.

 

I never worry about people who have negative remarks to make about kids on board. I know that mine is well behaved and I don't like the ones that aren't either! I think the best 'defense' for those attitudes is to have a child that doesn't cause anyone any problems. If your child is well behaved and people still have issues, they're theirs!!