Help Me Choose!!

[murphysmummy]

I would really appreciate any help in choosing our first family cruise, it seems the more I look into it the more I cant decide what to do. You can get so bogged down with all these review sites!!! lol

 

Myself, partner and 3yr old are looking to go to the Caribbean Feb/March 2009 from Scotland. We want a holiday that is really child friendly, where our daughter will be able to come to the evening entertainment without being expected to sit in a corner.

 

We had been thinking about Ocean Village but it seems to get a lot of "Butlin's on Sea" type reviews. We did however like the thought of the more informal atmosphere, however we wouldnt mind dressing up a bit for evenings, (just not sure ill get my welder partner to wear a tie).

 

Any advice would really be welcomed, Thanks in advance

[rebeccalouise]

So many choices. I like Celebrity and the youth program is the best I have encountered.

[Cruisin' Chick]

There are so many cruiselines that have a great children's program. My girl went on her second Carnival cruise at age 3 to the Eastern Caribbean and really enjoyed it (as she had on all her Carnival and Princess cruises).

[CanadianTwosome]

You sound a bit like my husband and I... I take every opportunity I can get to dress up and he would rather leave his dress clothes at home! We've been sticking to NCL lately. I've been cruising since I was 10, but my husband and daughter went on their first cruise on the NCL Dream in December 2006. Because of our fairly laid back nature, their freestyle options really work well for us. We don't have to rush or wait to eat based on assigned seating, and there are lots of options for different cuisines. There are also much more relaxed dress codes, so most evenings I was dressed better than my husband, and I was okay with that. All but one of the restaurants accept jeans, so we tended to eat at the ones he could wear them in... and I'd be in a cocktail dress or silk pants. Our daughter went either way depending on her mood, and we all got to be comfortable and feel good about what we had on. :)

 

My daughter loves their kids' programs, also. She's 10 at the moment, so her experience has been different than your daughter's will be, but we were able to see some of the younger groups' interactions during family activities and the kid's talent show and they all appeared to be having a great time and loving their supervisors. If you check out this link you'll find examples of the activity schedules for the various age groups:

 

http://community.webshots.com/album/546368115pHZSLQ

 

Really, though, I'm telling you about NCL because it's the one we've been on lately and I don't have current experience with other lines. NCL really works for us, and hopefully I've given you enough information for you to decide if it might work for you. There are plenty of people on the boards that can share their personal experiences as well, and I'm sure you'll be able to make a much more informed choice after being here for a while. I know that whichever line you choose, you'll have a wonderful time. I'm also certain that no matter what line you decide to go on, your daughter will be welcome at almost all of the evening entertainment (some are 18+) as long as she's well behaved and you're prepared to leave if she gets fussy. :) (same goes for your husband! :p )