Planning our 1st family cruise.......with our young daughters......HELP!!

[PrincessasMommy]

Hello!!

 

We are mid-30's parents to 4 little girls that DH & I just LOVE to travel with......we just returned from Disney 3 months ago and our kids were ages 3 months, just turned 3, 4 1/2 & 11 at the time!

 

We have taken just the older 3 to Mexico, Florida & Europe too! Some people think we are nuts with the double stroller, playpens & carseats but we really think it's not that big of a deal. We grew up broke and are excited to be able to have these opportunities and love that we can share them with our 4 favorite little people!

 

Anyhow, we want to start cruising with them and would appreciate your suggestions. We are going on our 1st cruise alone, hubby organized family to watch our girls and booked it :eek: , so nervous to leave them but so excited to cruise! :D

 

I have this personal "policy" that a new "next" trip must be in the works before I go on the current trip....I'm a dork I know.......but it makes me feel wonderful to say "o.k. this vacation is over but in 143 more days we are going to ________!!!" :p

 

I am interested in possibly visiting Jamaica, Aruba, Cayman, etc. at least 1 of those.

 

Would be willing to fly into Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Miami or Port Canaveral.

 

Thinking maybe we could even drive within about 10 hours of Toronto....so Maryland or New Jersey?

 

Kids will be approx. 12, 6, 4 & 18 months at time of cruise. We travel without any extended family or "help".

 

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read and help plan my holiday!!! :)

[Jen1229]

Hi! Although we only have one dd (27 months) we also like to travel with her. She took her first cruise at 4 months and was an angel! She flies frequently and is really a great traveler! We are going on a Disney cruise in about 6 weeks, we can't wait! The reason I recommend Disney is that most cruise lines, in my opinion, don't have anything for the under 3 crowd. They can't attend the kids clubs and aren't allowed in pools, etc. Disney, just as it is (with the characters, decor, etc), will entertain the younger ones. There is a splash pool for the non-potty trained and a nice nursery/playroom ($6 an hour, not bad!) you can sign them up for. The older girls can do the kids clubs, which are great. The dining rooms are geared to entertain, while still serving gourmet food, a win/win situation for parents with little ones! Good luck choosing! Disney is pricey, but you will save on the youngest, as they charge very little for the under 3 cruisers, unlike all other lines!

[crusinmama06]

UGH, I wrote out a whole response, my phone rang and my wireless connection went kaputz :rolleyes:

 

So...let me see if I can put it in a nnutshell ;)

 

You are going on (IMO) the best family ship ever (Freedom of the Seas). Going on Disney after that will feel like a step down. On FOS there is the H20 zone and the Baby Zone (for non-potty trained infants)

 

So my advice, go on Freedom. If you LOVE it (like we do) then book Liberty or Independence while on Freedom. You'll get the onboard credit and be able to book the Western Carib Itinerary.

[adamsmom]

I agree with Michelle. Disney does have lots of kids stuff, but they aren't the only ones. The larger ships on the other cruise lines are great too. And most take kids in the kids' clubs at 2 years old, and they have play times (with parent) for babies. Compare your prices--the total for the whole family, keeping in mind that you will probably need either 2 cabins and split up the parents, or a family suite that will sleep 6.