3 generation cruise with infant - HAL / NCL / Princess?

[njber116]

I am currently planning a week-long Carribbean cruise with my parents (active mid-50s), husband (mid-30s) and infant (to be 1 year old right around the time of the cruise). My parents have cruised several times before and LOVE Princess, however unfortunately Princess will charge my 1 year old a full-third person fare, which seems crazy! Hence, we are looking at HAL and NCL also as they only charge a minimal fee for the little one.

 

Of HAL, NCL, Princess, which line would you recommend for us? :confused: We would be looking for good food, activities on the ship that we can bring a 1-year old along with us (even if she can't partake in the activity), great service, family-friendly, good excursions (again, some that we can take our 1-year old along with)

• NCL - might not have the same quality (food / service) that my parents are used to on Princess (my parents are worried it might be too much like a Carnival cruise which they are not into). I have heard the food isn't that wonderful. The entertainment here seemed appealing (e.g., Second City comedy) This would certainly be the cheapest option.
  
• Princess - parents would love it and I would love to experience the Movies Under the Stars but would be the most expensive option since we'd be paying for a full 3rd person for the baby.
  
• HAL - maybe too much of a "mature crowd", too formal, not enough activities for the baby. Pricing would be somewhere in the middle.
  

We aren't too hung up on a particular itinerary - either Western or Eastern Carribbeean would work for us and we are looking for a port in Florida or somewhere easy to fly to from NJ (i.e., not Puerto Rico or Galveston).

 

Please let me know if my assumptions above are correct and if you have any recommendations on which line would be the best for our family, since I have never cruised before!

 

Thanks!

[rebeccalouise]

I know Princess sails out of NYC and this would probably be a time and money saver for you. I have sailed Princess and think they do a great job. Your one year old is not old enough for the kids club.

 

If you can do a cruise on Cunard- this might be ideal. They sail out of NYC and they have a "nursery", which I have seen and it is in the youth center.

 

Back to your original question... NCL has small staterooms. So even if you save a bit on the passage- you will have less room. Of the lines you mentioned, Holland America has the largest staterooms and their prices are usually very reasonable. If you parents enjoy Princess, they would more than likely enjoy Holland America. Very similar style cruising.

 

I agree with your parents about Princess, I really like it but again there is very little onboard for infants. They can't use the pools. There is a baby pool but it is on one of the top decks and in a windy area.

 

I wouldn't go with any of the three you mentioned. I'd do Cunard. The pools are freshwater like Princess. The ships are very elegant and there is alot to do. Your child willl have fun just running down the many long halls.

[sunshine40]

I was on an NCL cruise to Mexican Riviera in Oct. and shocked by how many people had infants on board (I didn't realize cruising would be an option with an infant). The ship seemed very accomadating to the infants as they were everywhere on the ship. One night a dad was doing laps with his toddler around the main restaurant while we ate. I thought that was a little bit much, but I guess it kept the toddler happy and luckily it was only one toddler, one night. I think you would feel very comfortable on NCL and get a full cruise experience with your infant and if your parents wanted a more upscale experience they could always dine in a specialty restaurant. I didn't see any infants the night I dined in the specialty restaurant and that only costs 10-25$ extra pp. I am sure they would have been allowed there too just probably not running through the tables. NCL defintely seemed family friendly so there were kids all around and I just expected that as part of the experience. They never really were a distraction to me and it was nice to see families enjoying themselves. It really seemed to me a nice mixture of people of all ages comingling. I also think freestyle would be perfect with an infant because you could dine according to your infant's schedule and do your activities around your infant's schedulde. Don't worry about it being like Carnival. One of the things we liked most was that it was nothing like our Carnival cruises, the only other line I've cruised with. I took my DS's 7 and 13, DH, and mom (61). Everyone wanted to stay on board and we all want to go on another cruise. Good luck with your decision.

[tikcho]

We cruised in March when my son was 13 months old on the Caribbean Princess. With my in-laws so similar situation to yours. They had inside cabin, we had outside. Cabin was pretty good size and the bonus part is that there is sort of walk-in closet area (open area, no door) where we put my son's pack-n-play so he was able to sleep there undisturbed while whoever was watching him at night (we all took turns) watched TV or read a book. That's one of the issues with a toddler in general - they go to bed early (my son around 8 pm) and then you're stuck in the room with the lights out..unless you have a balcony... Also, we cruised during sping break week (early march) and while there were only a couple of other toddlers onboard, there were planty of young people who were more than happy to play with my son by the pool (not babysit him but keep him entertained). There is a tiny kiddie pool but it was always shady/cold and we never used it. My son was super happy to walk around the pool area (there is about 3-4 feet space around the entire pool thaty has about 1-2 inches of water) and watch the different games, splash around, etc. Overall we felt Princess was very accommodating although I do recommend traditional dining if you go - we chose anytime and after the first couple of nights when dinner took 2 hours and we had to take turns walking around with my son while the other were easting we just went to the buffet the rest of the time - much faster and easier. I recommend Eastern Caribbean - all the ports are safe, lots of nice beaches to choose from. I did a lot of research before we went and places like Jamaica and Belize on the Western itinerary just did not seem such a good idea with a baby.

In regards to HAL vs NCL - HAL is probably a better choice in regards to service, food, and overall comfort. However, yes, the people are generally much older and depending on the time of the year (how many younger people are on) may not be very happy about a toddler running and screaming around. On another note, HAL will be better for everyone else and your kid can't really play with other kids anyways, so you may be more concerned about the rest of your group - the toddler will be fine anywhere. NCL - I would only go if it's one of their brand new ships. While NCL is OK overall, the service, food, cabins, etc cannot compare to Princess and HAL. Also, their ships only have 1 pool (compared to 3-4 on Princess) and it may get very crowded on sea days.

In the end, I think you'll be fine regardless - cruising with a toddler really revolves around the kid most of the time so if you can keep them happy and entertained everyohne else will be happy.

Good luck!

[cb at sea]

I wouldn't even consider NCL, but HAL and Princess should be fairly similar in regards to food.

[marley]

Hi We did Princess when my child was 6 months old and probably will not go on that line again with children. Beautiful ship but did not feel welcome with children much at all. Last year we went on NCL Dawn with our 14 month old and 2.5 year old and felt very welcome. We are going on NCL Pearl next month with our kids. I would highly recomend NCL. We love it. We have never been on HAL.

[njber116]

I wouldn't even consider NCL, but HAL and Princess should be fairly similar in regards to food.

cb at sea, why would you not consider NCL? The food? Other reasons?

 

Thanks!

[rebeccalouise]

I have sailed on NCL four times and had a wonderful time on each sailing. I never did this with an infant though and even their balcony staterooms are small. That's why I don't recommend them over the other lines you mentioned.

 

As for ambiance. I would say that NCL ships are not as upscale as Princess or Cunard. Holland America tries to be upscale but their decor is just average- nothing special.

 

I can see why your parents like Princess and if since your child is too young to really participate in an of the onboard activities- I'd give them a try. The crew loves young children and you will be welcome on all of the lines.

[Kerry's Girls]

 

 

Of HAL, NCL, Princess, which line would you recommend for us? :confused: We would be looking for good food, activities on the ship that we can bring a 1-year old along with us (even if she can't partake in the activity), great service, family-friendly, good excursions (again, some that we can take our 1-year old along with)

 

Even though Princess charges the full 3rd passenger fare, I wonder if it wouldn't still be less expensive than the total fare for three of you in a cabin on HAL?

 

I think NCL might be a bit of a shock if your parents prefer Princess. I've never done HAL, but I've sailed Princess a number of times with toddlers and the way Princess takes care of them (and me), it's worth every penny. They certainly provide great service, are family-friendly and have good excursions that you can take your child along on (for free if she sits in your lap).

 

Of the three you're considering, I'd probably choose Princess, HAL, NCL, in that order. RCCL would be more like what your parents are used to, so you might want to price them out as well, and some of their ships have non-potty trained water play areas.

 

Best,

Mia

[BeachBar]

I've done RCCL and NCL with a then 1 yr old. Service was good on both, but a little better on RCCL. I've been on a number of cruiselines and NCL ranks lowest among them in my book for food, but it wasn't terrible - just okay. The freestyle dining, though, on NCL does work better with a 1 yr old. The crew is great with toddlers on both though. Haven't done Princess yet but that's next.