Advice: cruise with kids?

[noodleoo]

Any advice on what cruise lines are best for young kids? We’re considering doing a multi family vacation next summer for my niece and nephew who will be graduating high school. It’s also a dream for my parents to do a vacation with all their kids families, which we’ve never done. I’m not a cruise fan (been on one pre kids) but I’m considering it mostly for my mom. My kids are the youngest and will be 6 and 10. The other kids are teenagers so unfortunately a Disney cruise is out. I’m thinking a 5 day cruise out of FL (where parents and one sibling family lives). My sisters family and mine will be flying from NE. Any recs for specific cruise lines or destinations is really appreciated!

[clairebear]

Royal Caribbean!! Liberty or Freedom out of port Canaveral would be my pick. We just did MSC and it was not kid friendly at all. I love RC but haven't been since having kids. However it's recommended by other mom friends. NCL also looks like it's got good options for kids.

[UMaineTeach]

I’ve only done Royal Caribbean. It’s kids friendly. Childcare, playgrounds, splash pad. Some ships have a teens only hangout area near the pool with a mocktail bar.

I think RC hits the largest cross section of tastes. What they don’t have are great ways for many people to share a room. Even most of the big money suites sleep 4.

When I compared 4 day trips on RC and Disney the same week to the nearly identical locations (each companies private island and Nassau) the Disney was exactly twice as much.

[VillainV]

Royal Caribbean ships are great for kids. The bigger ships have lots to do (pools, water slides, sports courts, escape rooms) and all ships have really well-staffed kids centers with programming split out by age.

We took our then-8 year old on a cruise a few years ago, and he had a blast between all the ship-board activities and the kids center.

[redhead610]

We love Royal Carribbean. Both with kids and without. It is very family friendly, but the childcare is also great if you use it (we did one afternoon when our 4 year old had had way too much sun!)

Last year we stated in a huge suite on the Liberty of the Seas - my sister had scored a fantastic deal for our large group, making it way cheaper per person than a few smaller rooms. So, if you're looking for bigger rooms - it's worth it to call and ask - the prices reflected online aren't always accurate as the number of occupants jumps.

[VillainV]

Apr 8, 2024 6:24:10 GMT -5 redhead610 said:

We love Royal Carribbean. Both with kids and without. It is very family friendly, but the childcare is also great if you use it (we did one afternoon when our 4 year old had had way too much sun!)

Last year we stated in a huge suite on the Liberty of the Seas - my sister had scored a fantastic deal for our large group, making it way cheaper per person than a few smaller rooms. So, if you're looking for bigger rooms - it's worth it to call and ask - the prices reflected online aren't always accurate as the number of occupants jumps.

On this note, we’ve actually had good luck booking through a travel agent who specializes in cruises. They know all the good deals and best ways to book rooms for different sizes of groups.

[ssmjlm]

RC is one of the best in terms of kid friendly, I'm just not a huge fan of them as a cruiser. I find the ships loud and parents were really hands off. Like, I get it, it's "enclosed" but it's not exactly safe for your 8yo to be running around un-supervised.

They also have a lot of "reservation" or timed things. So it was weird to have to check out a towel or wait to get a seat at a show, etc. I'm much more of a laid back cruiser.

A few friends did Carnival during the various spring breaks. I didn't hear anything negative so far.

Norweigian is pretty bad overall. Everyone we talked to on our last cruise (not on RC and was kid free for us) said they wouldn't cruise them again. My parents had a terrible time on them in Jan 2023.

[Jalapeñomel]

I saw lots of teenagers on our Disney cruise! I think they'd have a blast, just FYI.

[pandora89]

My parents were recently on RC and said there was plenty for kids to do. Ive heard not so great things about Carnival and Norwegian.

We just did a Disney Cruise with our 5.5 & 3.5 year olds and while it was great for them there really is not much for teens.

[maudefindlay]

We did RC for a cruise over Christmas several years ago when the kids were 6, 8, and DS1 turned 10 on the ship. Rock wall climbing, putt putt, zip lining (Santa arrived via zip line), ice skating, movies on the big screen, and live shows. There were even some character meet and greets (Poppy and Branch from The Trolls). The self serve ice cream machines and being able to grab slices of pizza for snacks in the afternoon were all big hits plus the pools and live music. We had 2 rooms that shared a balcony and that worked great, could access each thru the sliding doors.

[snowflurry]

We've done multiple cruise with Norwegian and have had the best time. There were lots of activities for the kids and the lack of schedule was perfect especially the dining - we could eat when and where we wanted and as many times as we wanted. Kids could grab a snack at the buffet area and the unlimited drink package allowed them to get smoothies at the bars any time.

And bonus - there is no "formal" night -so no need to bring extra clothes just for that dinner. All the cruise have been so relaxed.

[gottadobe]

Apr 7, 2024 22:42:54 GMT -5 UMaineTeach said:

 Some ships have a teens only hangout area near the pool with a mocktail bar.

That's awesome. More so the teens-only area than the "bar", but still..... 

[Tacocat]

We took our DD on her first cruise when she was 7 and she loved it. Then came Covid and we finally just went on another one this Feb (she’s now 11) on royal Caribbean. She really liked it also, but felt like there weren’t that many kids activities geared towards her tween age group. 12 is the cut off age for the teen club on RC and she didn’t wanna hang out with younger kids. Luckily she met a girl her age swimming on the first day, so we just met up with her everyday by the pool. That worked out great. Our precious cruise was on Carnival and they had a lot of great kids activities on there also. We’re considering going on carnival celebration next year. It’s one of their newer bigger ships and has tons to do. I think your kids would have tons of fun on a cruise.

[noodleoo]

Apr 8, 2024 7:01:33 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

Norweigian is pretty bad overall. Everyone we talked to on our last cruise (not on RC and was kid free for us) said they wouldn't cruise them again. My parents had a terrible time on them in Jan 2023.

Interesting as the cruise we did prekids was the Norwegian Dawn and I wasn’t impressed. That was almost 20 years ago now tho!

Sounds like RC it is! I’d suggest Disney but I don’t think my siblings will be willing to pay the premium for it when their kids are older and don’t care about that stuff anymore.

[quesyrah]

I was going to suggest Disney. I guess my teen is an oddball because he loved it lol. We hardly ever saw him!

[Blue Moon]

A couple of months ago we went on a 5 day cruise on the Norwegian Escape out of NYC to Bermuda. We had a similar circumstance-- this was the first trip my parents, my adults siblings, and I (and our families) had all been on together. I believe my mom worked to get us a group rate since we booked 6 cabins. This was perfect because we all had our privacy but our cabins were all on the same floor. My kids are 6 and 9 and they LOVED the boat. There was so much for them to do-- waterslides/waterpark, ropes course, Kids Club, arcade, mini golf, etc. The anytime dining was key for us-- we needed no reservations and could walk up and eat meals whenever we wanted. This was important because our meal times were inconsistent due to being in the ports, having a late lunch, kids being hungry early etc. A set dinner time wouldn't have worked for us- sometimes we ate at 5:30, sometimes 8pm.

I also really enjoyed Bermuda. We were there for two days (8am until 4 pm the following day) which was really nice for a 5 day cruise. It was so easy to navigate their public transportation with our kids and we felt completely safe. I have been to a lot of the typical Caribbean ports and Bermuda blew them all away.

The negatives would be the ship was very crowded. The buffet was often overwhelming for the kids-- trying to find a place to sit and balance their own plates and drinks while walking through a sea of people was a lot. We preferred the calmness of breakfast/lunch in the restaurants but sometimes just wanted to quickly have a meal or a snack. The Kids Club was difficult to use since it was almost always full when we would have wanted it. We did travel during a school holiday so we knew it was going to be crowded. Also, my daughter, mom, and brother all got Covid despite being vigilant with our hand washing. Luckily it was the last day so by the time we realized what was going on, we were getting off the ship. But it did put a damper on a otherwise good vacation and make me hesitate to travel on a ship that was full capacity again.

[icedcoffee]

Disney is super expensive. Like $8k for a 5 day when you can easily find Royal Caribbean cruises for $2-5k. Royal Caribbean is great for kids and teens. Highly recommend all of their ships, but the bigger ships like Allure and Oasis are super fun for all ages and a little cheaper than their newest ships.

Carnival is....not my crowd.

[Blue Moon]

I just priced out a Disney cruise....$11K for the week for my family of 4 in a regular balcony room.

[icedcoffee]

Apr 8, 2024 12:03:53 GMT -5 Blue Moon said:

I just priced out a Disney cruise....$11K for the week for my family of 4 in a regular balcony room.

It's insane.  You can easily get a week for 4 in a balcony on RCCL for $4-5K.

[pandora89]

Apr 8, 2024 12:03:53 GMT -5 Blue Moon said:

I just priced out a Disney cruise....$11K for the week for my family of 4 in a regular balcony room.

Disney cruises are definitely a premium but if you book in advance or not during the summer the prices aren't as awful. We have 2 deluxe balcony rooms on a 7 night cruise booked for next spring (5 adults & 2 kids) for $12K total. 

[longtimenopost]

My kids love cruising. We prefer smaller ships (2000-2500 passenger) and after a couple of days when they show they know the layout I give them a bit more freedom to check themselves in/out of the kids club, skip the main dining room dinner and go the buffet, etc. They love the independence and H and I get some time alone, win/win. We've cruised RCCL, Carnival, and MSC and I disagree that MSC isn't kids friendly. Maybe it depends on the time of year? Summer is peak time so there should be plenty of kids and activities.

My tips:
-pay attention to what you are looking for on the boat. If you have more than one at-sea day, you may want one with all the amenities like a huge waterpark, zip line, rock wall, etc. If you're in port every day, it might not be as necessary.
-look at the bed layout of the rooms you are interested. My kids cannot share a bed, so we need a room with the king and then either a pullman down from the wall + pullout couch or a couch that transforms into bunk beds. A bed and sofa bed will not work for us.
-dining is different for everyone. We like having a set (early) dining time with the same table and waiters every night. They get to know us and our preferences, and I'm able to leave good post-cruise comments that help them get promoted. Some people like the mytime dining when you can go anytime, but at peak cruise season you may have to wait for a table.

[estrellita]

There's definitely stuff for teens to do on a Disney cruise (but disclaimer that I have no first hand experience as my kids are still younger).

As for the price, it includes everything except alcohol, excursions, souvenirs, things like that. You only pay more than that if you choose to. They are much more expensive during certain times of the year. We've gone twice in January and found it very reasonable. We did 3 and 4 night Bahamian cruises, first one with a window and second one with a balcony. I think for all 4 of us it was around $2500? Longer cruises around that time were more of course but not by a ton. The only extra stuff we paid for that wasn't included was alcoholic drinks (but you can also bring some beer or wine on board, which we did), the tastings we did, and souvenirs. Free soda, food (which you can get as much as you want of, and room service is free, but remember to tip), entertainment, all sorts of stuff. I honestly feel the quality is amazing and I will always recommend Disney cruises, even if you're not a Disney person or don't have little kids.

[quesyrah]

Apr 8, 2024 12:03:53 GMT -5 Blue Moon said:

I just priced out a Disney cruise....$11K for the week for my family of 4 in a regular balcony room.

Oh wow, we’ve never paid that much! We average $6-$8K depending room type and where we’re going/how many nights.

We did a 4 night to Mexico for around $2,800.

But I know Disney certainly isn’t for everyone