mrs cruise Posted April 4, 2008 #1 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Hi - first post here. So glad to find these boards! May 2009 will be our 20th anniv. We have 2 DDs who'll then be 13 & 10. They are wonderful, except when they are bickering, of course.:rolleyes: DH and I first thought of a 'no kids' trip, mostly b/c I can't stand the thought of dealing w/ their bickering while celebrating our anniversary. But then the idea of a cruise came to me - kids programs to entertain them & minimize bickering: We could have our kids but also be able to have some alone time too. Seems perfect. But which cruise to choose that will both occupy the DDs (b/c happy, occupied DDs = happy Mrs. Cruise) AND be a wonderful first cruising experience /20th anniversary celebration for us? We are not very picky people, but are definitely foodies and like nice accommodations ;) We're friendly, but not party-ers. With this description, which of these would you pick based on accommodations/amenities/food & kids programs? Based on school schedule (sailing after school lets out in June) I've looked at these cruises to the Caribbean: Princess's Caribbean Princess -sails from NYC area June 20 Carnival Valor, Glory & Legend - sale from FL same timeframe. But from this site & other people I've heard that Royal Caribbean has great kid amenities (iceskating, rockwall etc) . . . Then I thought - well what about Disney Cruise, which would be ~ $3K more. . . and tho the cruise isn't "for" them, Disney is 'over the top' so wouldn't we love it too (we love Disney but definitely aren't "addicts")? Any advice is much appreciated! ~Mrs.Cruise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted April 4, 2008 #2 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Yeah I don't think this is the time for a Disney cruise. With your description, I would stick to Princess, RCCL or maybe even Celebrity. You can see the difference in kids clubs (including the teen centers) here... http://www.cruisingwithchildren.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3BadDogs Posted April 4, 2008 #3 Share Posted April 4, 2008 I'd discourage you to travel out of NYC. Generally, the ride to the Caribbean is pretty rocky and depending on the weather, it can be chilly too. My 2 choices would be Carnival or Royal Caribbean. Both of these lines have great kids programs. We've traveled on both, and for the money, Carnival is a better value. I agree with the above poster, Disney just isn't worth it...especially with tween children. Gosh, you could take 3 Carnival cruises for the price of 1 Disney! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare karatemom2 Posted April 4, 2008 #4 Share Posted April 4, 2008 I loved our Disney cruises when our kids were younger, but I definitely don't think they are worth the price when you have tweens/teens. Honestly the other lines offer as much or more for that age group and for a much more reasonable cost. We really like Princess very much and have found they offer a great balance of activities for the entire family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs cruise Posted April 4, 2008 Author #5 Share Posted April 4, 2008 I appreciate the feedback. Seems like the consensus is to nix Disney. I'm so glad to be able to cross it off the list and not have money be the only reason! :) crusinmama - thanks for the link to your blogspot! Great info comparing the kids programs - - unfortunately they all look fantastic to me and the only things that stand out are the obvious RCCL rockwall & skaterink. But here's another question for you all about the age groupings of the programs - do the cruise companies strictly enforce these? For instance could DD13 stay w/ DD10's program if the age range is 9-12? I'm thinking it'd be less likely for DD10 to be able to hang w/ the 13+ group. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs cruise Posted April 4, 2008 Author #6 Share Posted April 4, 2008 I'd discourage you to travel out of NYC. Generally, the ride to the Caribbean is pretty rocky and depending on the weather, it can be chilly too. My 2 choices would be Carnival or Royal Caribbean. Both of these lines have great kids programs. We've traveled on both, and for the money, Carnival is a better value. I agree with the above poster, Disney just isn't worth it...especially with tween children. Gosh, you could take 3 Carnival cruises for the price of 1 Disney! Hi 3BadDogs - - I was wondering if you took a cruise out of NY and what time of year it was -- we're looking at June, so can't imagine it'd be chilly unless it's el nino or some other weird phenom. We live in PA so I was thinking it'd be great to leave from NY and save $ on tix to FL, but if the cruises were better from FL, I'm open to leaving from there - maybe even stop at Cape Canaveral. Saw another post about the rockin waves leaving from NY. I'll have to investigate that more. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted April 4, 2008 #7 Share Posted April 4, 2008 OK about the groupings, pending on the cruiseline, they do tend to be strict about the age groupings. And since the groupings are generally 9-11 and 12-14...bringing back a 13 to the 9-11 year old group wouldn't work. So that's one of those things that I wouldn't count on. It would be nice if it happens once you get there...but don't depend on it. :) You just ask nicely and see what they say once onboard. Also, about cruising out of NY. We are from PA too. We haven't ever sailed out of NY or NJ for the simple fact that the cruises up here are higher priced. It's all a supply/demand thing. People don't want to fly. There are a few options out of the North East. The prices are higher than a Florida cruise where there are many more options. We can get direct flights out of Phillie, Baltimore and Dulles to Florida for $117 per person/round trip. It's just more cost effective to cruise out of Florida. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InlandEmpireStrikesBack Posted April 10, 2008 #8 Share Posted April 10, 2008 First post here as well. As a change of pace, you may also want to consider Regent's Paul Gauguin through French Polynesia. Generally, it's not considered a family cruise option, but during the summer months and Christmas they do have the Jean-Michel Cousteau Society "Ambassadors of the Environment Youth Circle of Interest" program for kids ages 9-17. We have not done it yet, but are booked for this July. From everything I read on these boards, it's an excellent experience for all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebeccalouise Posted April 11, 2008 #9 Share Posted April 11, 2008 I have done several cruises out of NYC and they were fine. I wouldn't hesitate to do one if it saves you money. As for the youth programs and ships in general. I think for smaller kids that Celebrity Fun Factory is wonderful. Older kids (13 and up) might be bored. Teens tend not to want to be in the youth program. They tend to find other teens to hang out with. So I think that the amenities are more important for them. Carnival has very spacious cabins and the newer ships have lots of activities for teens. Royal Caribbean would also be a good pic. As for Princess... I don't think there is much onboard for teens. It is definitely an older crowd. If you like more calm surroundings, then pick Princess or Celebrity. If you want a higher octane cruise do Royal or Carnival. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie51 Posted April 11, 2008 #10 Share Posted April 11, 2008 You didn't say what type of cabin you plan to book. Keep in mind that 4 of you in one cabin is possible but will be crowded, especially with girls that age and using the bathroom. Are you looking into getting 2 cabins?? If you could get 2 connecting cabins that would be ideal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CKEA_Cruising_Family Posted April 11, 2008 #11 Share Posted April 11, 2008 We cruised out of NYC in March on the NCL Gem and did not experience rough seas! Driving to port was easy and saved us a lot of $$$. We loved our cruise but foodies tend to complain about NCL food not being on par with some of the other lines. We were very pleased with the food. If you don't mind surcharge restaurants, there are a host of options on NCL. Kids Club was great but our kids were 2&4 so very different set of activities. The teens we saw all appeared to be having a good time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onessa Posted April 11, 2008 #12 Share Posted April 11, 2008 . . . But here's another question for you all about the age groupings of the programs - do the cruise companies strictly enforce these? For instance could DD13 stay w/ DD10's program if the age range is 9-12? I'm thinking it'd be less likely for DD10 to be able to hang w/ the 13+ group. Don't know your girls, but most 13YO girls would find the activities and structure of the 9-12 age group rather childish and too restrictive. Your 13YO will likely meet kids her own age and want to be with them and/or the teen club. The 10YO will likely have a lot more fun with her own age group. I'd plan some other activities as "family" activities and not rely upon the kid's program to provide these types of opportunities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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