homeschoolingmom Posted January 6, 2008 #1 Share Posted January 6, 2008 Hello all - Two homeschooling families are going on a cruise Christmas Surprise in 2008. We will likely leave on 12/26 and are thinking of a cruise between 5 - 7 days. In the past our families have traveled to Disney every other year for the holidays. As the kids are getting older - we have decided to cruise with them instead. Between the families we will have kids ages 13, 12, 11, 8, 2 1/2 and 6 months between the two families. The moms big goal is take us somewhere WARM !!! We are thinking Western or Eastern Caribbean. Here are my main questions that I need advice to begin looking: 1. Any ship lines that are OUTSTANDING during the holiday season. We really want the kids to be "swept away" ! 2. Which ships are pre-teen friendly ? Best "kids club" etc.... 3. We have heard of the "mega ships" with the ice rinks, rock climbing walls etc that are tons of fun for the kids. Can we get feedback on this ? 4. When I cruised in the past - it was always one dinning room (formal) and then the "buffet". It has been 6 years since we have cruised. I have heard now these ships have options beyond belief for food. Is there one that is ESPECIALLY good in terms of variety. (our kids eat like adults both in variety and amount) We have no idea where to start looking. Anyone who has taken holiday cruises with kids I would appreicate your advice ! Many Thanks ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abitaturbodog Posted January 6, 2008 #2 Share Posted January 6, 2008 A cruise the week of Christmas or the week after Christmas (New Years) will be much, much more expensive than the week BEFORE Christmas. Since you homeschool, you might want to look into cruising the week before Christmas and you'll pay about 1/2 the price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larronry Posted January 7, 2008 #3 Share Posted January 7, 2008 Hello all - Two homeschooling families are going on a cruise Christmas Surprise in 2008. We will likely leave on 12/26 and are thinking of a cruise between 5 - 7 days. Besides the price issue mentioned above most cruises that are 7 days usually leave on a Saturday or Sunday so you might need to adjust your date with that in mind as well. In the past our families have traveled to Disney every other year for the holidays. As the kids are getting older - we have decided to cruise with them instead. Between the families we will have kids ages 13, 12, 11, 8, 2 1/2 and 6 months between the two families. The moms big goal is take us somewhere WARM !!! We are thinking Western or Eastern Caribbean. Here are my main questions that I need advice to begin looking: 1. Any ship lines that are OUTSTANDING during the holiday season. We really want the kids to be "swept away" ! 2. Which ships are pre-teen friendly ? Best "kids club" etc.... You need to look at the ages that the kids club start at. Your 6 month old in the group wouldn't be able to go into the kids club on any cruiseline (I don't think). Carnival starts at 2 and changes diapers, NCL starts at 2 but you have to go in to change diapers, most other cruiselines start at 3. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity both have in room babysitting. I don't think they babysit younger then 1 year and it's only available in the evening and not always dependable. That said based on your other interests I don't recommend Celebrity as it won't have those exciting things you are looking for nor the variety of eating options. 3. We have heard of the "mega ships" with the ice rinks, rock climbing walls etc that are tons of fun for the kids. Can we get feedback on this ? This would be Royal Carribean 4. When I cruised in the past - it was always one dinning room (formal) and then the "buffet". It has been 6 years since we have cruised. I have heard now these ships have options beyond belief for food. Is there one that is ESPECIALLY good in terms of variety. (our kids eat like adults both in variety and amount) We have no idea where to start looking. Anyone who has taken holiday cruises with kids I would appreicate your advice ! Many Thanks ! Everyone has a favorite cruiseline and every kid is different based on number 3 alone I think you would like Royal Caribbean, but remember you will have two kids that you will be responsible for all the time (the 2 1/2 year old might be able to have evening babysitting). I chose Carnival for my next cruise because I wanted to make sure my son could go into the kids program (he will have just turned 3) whether he is potty trained or not (We won't sail NCL again but that's another story). We've chosen their newest ship, Splendor, for next Dec with a water park on the top deck and an out door movie theater and plenty of eating options. I think Princess is great with kids. There were so many kids onboard and the stuff really did enjoy them. It seems that the parents on this board report great things about their kids program, but I can't report first hand. People have told me wonderful things about the Carnival Kids Camp as well. Princess has a new ship coming out by next Dec called the Ruby. There are some other cruise lines out there that would be good with little ones but won't have the splash you are looking for. I hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa NJ Posted January 12, 2008 #4 Share Posted January 12, 2008 Royal Car. Mariner seems to be very teen friendly with lots of the things you want. A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SelectSys Posted January 12, 2008 #5 Share Posted January 12, 2008 A cruise the week of Christmas or the week after Christmas (New Years) will be much, much more expensive than the week BEFORE Christmas. Since you homeschool, you might want to look into cruising the week before Christmas and you'll pay about 1/2 the price. Exactly! You, the OP, has the option of being able to save some real money by traveling outside the peak period. Our family pays a lot more to travel with everyone else on standard school holidays. Based on the ages, RCCL is a good choice. We have similarly aged kids and have never been dissapointed. I would try and get on Freedom, Voyager, or Radiance class ships as these have the most activities and attractions for kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruisin' Chick Posted January 13, 2008 #6 Share Posted January 13, 2008 Our last cruise was a holiday cruise: Hanukkah, Christmas and New Years on the Island Princess 2005/06. It was really fun for the kids with all the holiday-themed activities and arts and crafts. Plus a Christmas Day party for the kids. But as the others have said, holiday cruises are booked up fast because of the demand, and demand means higher rates. I'm guessing that the youngest child isn't born yet. You need to double check on the desired cruiseline's age requirements, but you'll probably be okay if the child is at least six months of age. Most of the lines (RC, Carnival, Princess) who are known for having great kid programs have a minimum age of 2 or 3, depending on the line, to be enrolled in the program. Dinsey is also known for its kid program, obviously, but often costs twice as much as the other lines. Celebrity, NCL and HAL ships have kids' programs, but are generally known for being more for adults (a friend of mine had a major complaint on the Pride of Hawaii last summer in regards to treatment of her nine-yr-old). BTW, my girl was 23 months, 3 yrs, 4 yrs on her Carnival cruises and 5, 7, 8 on her Princess cruises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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