Will kids enjoy Mexican Riviera?? Caribbean better?

[tiffstulips]

Looking to take our 3 daughters 14, 14, and 10 on the Norwegian Star in Jan. 09' Is this a good choice? Would they enjoy a caribbean itinerary better? Do you have children that have been on NCL? Tell me your experiences.

Thanks!:)

[6rugrats]

I personally do not care for NCL and would never cruise them. But everyone likes different things. As far as itineraries, I have spent much time in the areas visited in the Mexican Rivera and feel the Caribbean is a much better choice. My kids far preferred the Caribbean. Beaches are better and water is warmer.

 

But, I have no idea what your children would enjoy more.

[Kerry's Girls]

I also prefer the Carib more, but since we are on the West coast, it is significantly less expensive and more convenient for us to do the Mex Riviera - and they're going to have a ball no matter where we go, so we choose to cruise more by doing the Mex Riviera. There are great beaches and activities there too, but I agree, the water is prettier and warmer in the Carib.

 

We saw an NCL ship docked in Puerto Vallarta when we were on our last cruise, and the water play area looked amazing.

 

Best,

Mia

[whale-watcher]

My kids found NCL to be similar to other lines; their top choice is RCCL, but DW and I prefer anytime or freestyle dining. As for itinerary...no one can answer this for you, as every family has different interests and priorities. We are not really into beaches or shopping (even the kids) so would probably pick just about any itinerary over the Caribbean (although enjoyed our 2 cruises there as well)

[SelectSys]

My kids liked the Caribbean over the Mexican Riviera. Better water, private islands/beaches, visiting different islands, ...

[mary_228]

Haven't sailed on NCL but our kids have loved every cruise, no matter where we sailed. It's more about the ship, IMO, than the itinerary.

 

That said, my older child loved the zipline in Puerto Vallarta and we had a great pirate ship adventure with the other kids. If they like horseback riding and the ship stops in Mazatlan, there is a great ride through Randi's Happy Horses (found out about it on this site).

 

And if your ship stops in Acapulco, you will have to see cliff divers (I don't think you can see that in the Caribbean). Best of all, ships stopping there often have a nighttime sailaway and there is nothing like seeing the lights of the city and the houses on all the mountainsides as you sail out to sea.

 

Another cool thing about a Mex Riv cruise is that you can see the shore most of the time and even at night every now and then when you pass by a city. I've never seen pods of dolphins sailing along side the ship in the Caribbean like I have on our two Mex Riv cruises. Very cool!

 

We are from the midwest, too, and I often can get cheaper airfares to LAX than I can to MIA or FLL, which helps a lot when you are taking a family. And if you are lucky like we were once, they'll overbook your flight and you can get a bunch of free tickets for your next cruise by volunteering to get off! They love a big group stepping up to help out!

[rebeccalouise]

For teens I think NCL is great. A wonderful variety of casual restaurants- they will love exploring the ship on their own. There is a good program for 10 year olds and Norwegian has really cool looking pools and waterslides.

 

I enjoyed all 4 of my NCL cruises but the drawback for me is the cabin size. A family of 4 should get connecting rooms rather than cram into one of their staterooms.

 

I think that the ship is the destination and the itinerary secondary. My kids much preferred the ship to any of the ports of call.