Albinroo

36 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

Poster is a one hit wonder. I seriously doubt this is legitimate. I can't imagine any parent thinking it's ok to leave their kids on the ship with no responsible adult while they travel to a location 3 hours away.

Oh I absolutely think it is legitimate, and that once the OP realized it's not possible to leave them in club when in  Port they chose another cruise. Perhaps I have less faith in some parents than you do...

Could you add some dailies, would be much appreciated. Have a great trip! 

2 minutes ago, Asawi said:

Well spoken!

This reminded me of when I took my then 7-8 yo daughter to London. This was going to be HER trip with her calling all the shots. Except for one day that was going to be my day. It was a full day trip to Stonehenge and Bath and some other stops. I really stressed that this day was for ME, but the rest of the trip was all about her. Once back home people asked her what  was the best during the trip. Guess what! Stonehenge! And the bus ride.

Why do I tell you this? To point out that kids can suprise you!

(Gosh, now I actually remember the bus ride guided in English. We're Swedish and I had a busy time translating pretty much EVERYTHING. One surprisingly interested kid! 😁 We now sometimes travel together in Spain. Payback time with her speaking Spanish, me not 😁)

We're Swedish too! And this fall break I'm taking my oldest son (10 years) on a cruise where he'll get to decide a lot - but one day we'll be going to Pompeii since that's on my bucket list so I hope the English speaking guide and tour will be interesting for him as well. Perhaps even the best part 🙂 

Veru useful to have multilingual kids, I can only hope one of them learns Spanish one day!

16 hours ago, CruiseMH said:

 

this is something one should think of BEFORE having children.

There might be situations or longer time periods where i can`t do what i want.

OP seems to care more about what he wants to see regardless if this is suitable for his/her children or not.

 

Yes, that is why I suggested doing things WITH their kids on or off the ship instead. As a parent of four, crusing for us is more about getting to spend quality time together when we don't have to cook or clean. Mostly we are happy when the kids are happy, and the kids being kids are usually happy with very little since the ship/port is an adventure in itself. 

Yes, these days the kids club on NCL are closed during port hours. I can understand why you would have wanted to leave them there for the trip into Paris, young kids are not always entertained by long bus tours and city visits. However we have traveled with NCL with young kids several times and this has never been an issue, we found things to do together, on or off ship. Many European ports are easy to walk off, find a playground, enjoy a coffee somewhere and just walk around. It might be more fun than expected, even if you do travel on a cruise line which is open when in Port there is no guarantee that your kids will enjoy being left there .

33 minutes ago, laura85 said:

Recently got off our first NCL cruise aboard the Encore, overall a great trip. I knew to expect 1x day cleaning. We had 4 in a cabin, with a Pullman bed. I figured we’d reuse towels for a few days, then ask for a new set. I asked the steward for the new set on day 4. We didn’t get new ones until day 6 and had to pick up our old off the floor to use because the steward never showed up to swap them out like she said she would. The Pullman bed was left down for the entire first 6 days (we tried and COULD NOT put it away ourselves) so the closet was super hard to use with the bed in the way. And yes, we had asked the steward to put it up during the day. Finally on day 6 she put it up… and never put it back down. So on the last night my daughter had to sleep with us, because no one would come to our room to put the bed down. None of this ruined the trip, but the cabin was much less pleasant/usable with the Pullman down all week. 

Sounds very frustrating, glad you didn't let it ruin your trip!

I'd say NCL Breakaway because of the activities onboard, both the water slides and the high rope course. Harvest Caye is also such a wonderful private island, with lots of fun things to do for all ages.

8 hours ago, 2011mom said:

It's a VERY long time ago (my kid are all grown up now!) but my first cruise was on a Carnival ship when my 3 kids were 3 - 10 years old. The ability to leave them in the kids club while we spent a couple of hours in the port was incredible - we were able snorkel together and see sights that would have been impossible with the kids there.

 

Also, I don't know how it is these days, but our favorite port back then was Grenada. We just settled down at an uncrowded beach, there were a lot of pushy vendors but we paid for an umbrella and a blanket to sit on, and the guy we rented those from made sure we were undisturbed. The beach was beautiful and the water was calm and warm, perfect for our kids to splash in.

Yes, having the kids clubs open when in port is a big draw for us to choose Princess indeed.  And that sounds great about Grenada!!

12 hours ago, Kerry's Girls said:

The map of the ship has proven to be accurate and we've always chosen at least one room that's "between" life boats, so we can see the ocean, but's it's never a clear view.  But for us having the separate rooms/2 bathrooms has proven more important than one large room with a good view/balcony - and we're just three! (me and my twin 18 year olds).  

Good tip, thank you!!

9 hours ago, Panhandle Couple said:

Since the reopening, we have sailed 6 times, 5 with NCL, once with Princess. 

 

I would NOT assume Princess provides "better service and food".  Service for what, if you are not going to the bars often due to the kids being along.  Our service in the MDR for Princess was bad, the food overall (buffet, MDR and specialty) was not as good as NCL.  The ship was crowded, so most everything had lines.  We had a good time due to a large group of 20 or more friends and relatives, and we went to Alaska, which is great location.  But if we had been just a couple (like on NCL trips) we would have been disappointed with several things.

 

But, realize that all crews are now (back) on a turnover schedule.  (Per NCL on board info briefings) every week they turnover crew members.  On Ba/BA+ that is 80 per week, on Jade size ships maybe 40 per week. (that includes the cook staff too)  So a 6 month old ship review that states poor MDR service and yucky food (on any ship) might be totally different from when you sail. This includes my comments above.

But NCL freestyle dining might be better for young kids who get hungry at odd times, and you don't want to fight buffet crowds. 

 

Some other thoughts:

Getting a taxi or Uber in any port might be hard with a 2 and 5 year old.  They require car seats in most locations, and only a portion of the vehicles are set up for 6 people.  We have never looked for public busses in these ports, my guess is very few. (others might correct me)

 

We have only been to a few of the listed ports, I would really like to go on theses cruises!  My quick thoughts for each.

St Thomas, no walkable beach, will need taxi to town or any beach.  Not much to do at the immediate port area outside of tourist shopping.

Puerto Plata, a nice fenced in port area with pools and a lazy river. But the town is small and congested, not a place for young kids. Stay by the pools and the kids will have a good time.

Great Stirrup Cay, very nice beach and probably great for the kids if you get a shaded area.  Also very cheap, same buffet and drinks as on the ship.

St. John (Antigua?) We weren't impressed.  Kind of Jamaica lite.  Ship did have reasonable tour to a close beach.  Lots of locals hawking trips to beaches that we stayed away from.

St Kitts.  The port area is very new with shopping and food/drinks.  We did the train tour around the island (the kids probably won't like it) so can't say about any beaches nearby.

St. Lucia we loved, but went on a coastal sailing cruise.  Can't say on beaches close to port.

 

The rest are on our bucket list.  

I recommend reviewing each port listing here on CC for better info.

 

Thanks for your very imformative reply - both on ports and crew turnover. I am realising more and more that we will probably have a great time (because we usually do) on whatever ship we choose, and that we will probably take a few organized excursions anyway just to avoid the car seat issue. You are completely right that with such a high crew turnover things might change, and as with everything else it's subjective. We are not picky eaters so should be fine. Again, thanks for info on the ports!

11 hours ago, Crazy planning mom said:

We sailed on the Jade in 2022 on a 7 day bucket list itinerary without kids.  We enjoyed it very much but there wasn't a ton of activities.   I think I would be bored for 14 days on her. 

Thanks for your reply, glad to hear you enjoyed it. I doubt we'll be able to get bored, the kids keep us busy!

10 minutes ago, Kerry's Girls said:

I sailed on the Jade for the second time this summer and we won't go back.  The staff was absolutely wonderful and we really enjoyed being in the dining room, but the food was so poor in quality that it was a daily ordeal.  We aren't picky or snobby eaters, but ugh.  

 

As far as the dining room on Princess, your children will be more than welcome at the early seating.  I've been cruising Princess since my twins were one year old and the dining room has been so amazing with the kids that we go there for all our meals (SO much easier than the buffet).  

 

On Princess we get connecting obstructed view cabins - great value.  

The food issue on Jade does worry me, because you're not the first one who's said something similar! Thanks for your thoughts and assurance about Princess. 

How obstructed are usually the obstructed views? Has it ever been completely blocked for you? 

17 minutes ago, walkingsoon said:

I'd go with Jade, having been on both. I expect you'll do fine either way.

 

The ships - Jade is simply smaller. The Grand class ships are indeed grand, but adding an extra deck for the Grand-X class makes them somewhat crowded at full capacity.

 

The service - Neither is better or worse than the other, imo. I sail more on Princess, but NCL does lots of stuff well, including their long running version of dine anytime (freestyle cruising) which is still a work in progress on Princess. Main dining room food on both ships is good enough for me. I have a slight preference for the specialty restaurants on NCL. For casual dining away for the pool area, I prefer O'Sheehans on NCL to the International Cafe on Princess. Many here will disagree with me.

 

The itinerary - that's a toss up. They're both great, with the fourteen day voyages taking you to some of my favorites: Martinique, St. John, Puerto Plata, Curacao. I'd have a hard time choosing, but you should enjoy either one. Note that, with your plan of exploring on your own, not all is paradise everywhere in the Caribbean..

 

The vibe - also a toss up and your concerns shouldn't be problem. Your young family will be well received in the Princess main dining room. Nor will there be a heavy drinking party feel on NCL. That's more a function of length of voyage rather then choice of cruiseline. Either of these two should be a lot more mellow than the five or seven day voyages out of Florida.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

walkingsoon

Thank you so much for this reply, it really helps! I think in the fear of choosing the wrong cruise I forget that both will probably be right! And while we haven't sailed Princess before, we have never had any complaints about the food or service on Norwegian. Less crowded sounds tempting. I've looked around a bit now on things to do during the stops that aren't too complicated or expensive with kids, and it does really seem like NCL might have the better route. Then again, on Princess the kids club is open while in port which can be nice too.

Anyway, thank you again for your detailed reply!! I am sure we will have a lovely time whichever one we end up choosing!

1 hour ago, milolii said:

What type of cabin (s) do you have/interest?    There’re six of you, is that correct?  Have you looked at the family two bedrooms on the Jade?  There are actual doors between the rooms, not curtains.  These are on decks 11 (not sure if these are Haven cabins) and 14(Haven cabins). 

 

 

 

I saw these, they look great. We stayed in a family two bedroom on Joy a few years ago, and loved it as it allowed us to have quiet breakfasts in La Cucina. Unfortunately it's not an option for this trip, the family 2 bedrooms were more than twice the cost of getting two ocean views. I try to console myself thinking that we don't spend that much time in the cabin anyway. 

12 minutes ago, tobyt said:

I can make a case for both. Are you booking for the adults or is your focus the kids? And consider your children’s age…. While both are not the newest Jade is the sister ship to Pearl which we have cruised on several times and we have also cruised on Emerald. Your kids may love the brightness, noise level and fun on the pool deck on NCL or not. Princess is generally a far more sedate pool area than NCL. Emerald does have movies under the stars which is always a winner for families. Food is subjective so I will not comment but snacks to me for kids double check ice cream, snacks and now with the changes room service for the littles in case. Jade does win with a nice beach day inexpensive with the included picnic at Great stirrup cay, St Thomas there is the tram ride up the mountain always a nice day, lots of nice shopping to walk through in Curaco but better yet a quick bus ride to a resort. There is also an awesome pirate tour with snorkeling in Aruba that your kids might enjoy. Princess does tend to have far less children so that could be a positive, or not.

I know this is the Princess board response but truly I would review what you want to do with your family both onboard and at each stop as the best indicator.

Thanks for your comment, I do agree that I will need to look into each port and think on what we want to do. As for your first question, we did consider some other ships with splash parks and water slides etc that would be mroe focused on the kids, but we realized they don't really need it. While we, on the other hand, need some peace and quiet and good food and service. They won't mind if there's not man other children on board as they always have eachother and can be quite shy making new friends. 

I do agree Great Stirrup Cay is tempting, and thank you for tips on what to do in Curacao and St Thomas! I will look into the other stops and try to make a decision!! Th

17 minutes ago, Pitzel said:

I don't think you will experience a "party vibe" on this sailing. Longer sailings tend to attract older passengers without kids, in general.

Thanks, that's my experience too. Just curious, what did you think  of your Jade cruise in general in 2017? I've only been on the breakaway class ships, and while I know the Jade is completely different- how does it compare in your opinion?

17 minutes ago, kiwimum said:

The lack of space in cabins.  On the plus side the bathrooms were good, larger shower.   Dining facilities congested and lower quality.   Pool area seating was nearly impossible to find.   Ship is very dated with brighter strong color and decor.  
Your children will enjoy the Kids Clubs on the Emerald.   I would not worry about the language issue.   Children will find a way to communicate and many of the staff are bilingual.

Thank you for details, we really dislike when it gets too crowded so that is really useful information.  And of course the dining quality matters as well, sounds like Princess is better by all accounts there!

27 minutes ago, kelib said:

My opinion…based on having your kids and beach days I would lean towards the Jade. I am on the Ruby Princess in November and so far the amount of excursions for Guadeloupe and Martinique are very limited. 

Thank you. Yes, I think I will need to do some research on the ports, and what is easy to do with kids there.

1 minute ago, kiwimum said:

Having sailed on both ships, Emerald would be our choice.  Jade definitely had a party vibe.   Based on our experience we will not cruise NCL again.

That's what I'm afraid of, but thought it might be better on a longer cruise? What in particular did you not enjoy on NCL Jade?

10 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

If itinerary is your main focus...probably Princess.  That being said...we've been on the Jade before and we've not been on Emerald, so I can't give you a good comparison there.  Jade is a decent ship...older and smaller than the behemoths they are cranking out now but I imagine (I've not looked into the specs) that they are both very similar.  The Jade itinerary has some interesting ports.

Yeah they do seem quite similar although Emerald is bigger and holds more passengers. Thanks for the advice, any specific reason why the Princess itinerary looks better? 

21 minutes ago, deliver42 said:

For the itinerary, I would choose Princess.

Thanks! Why is the Princess itinerary better in your opinion? 

Note: I posted this in the Princess forum also.

I am stuck making the choice between these two and as my husband has given up trying to help me decide I now ask you, members of Princess and NCL forums here on cruise critic to help me out. We haven't been on either ship before, but have travelled with NCL previously and had a booked Princess cruise that was cancelled during the pandemic.

Both cruises are in December, 14 days caribbean and we have not visited any of the ports before. 

NCL Jade stops in Key West, Great Stirrup Cay, Barbados, Aruba, St Thomas, St John, Grenada, Curacao and Puerto Plata.

Emerald Princess stops in Barbados, Aruba, St Kitts, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Grenada, Trinidad and St Lucia. 

Which of these two itineraries is best if we want to go out and explore on our own by foot, or if necessary a short bus/taxi ride. Since we travel with kids we will mostly try to enjoy beach days and local things around the port.

My first thought was to go with Princess since from what I understand they have better service and food. But my worry is that we will feel out of place since we travel with four kids, in the dining room etc. (Our kids are generally well behanved but if the two year old would make a fuss we would remove him from the dining room without hesitation). On the other hand, we don't really drink and I am worried NCL will have a part vibe - plud I've heard not so great things about the MDR in Jade. We don't really do specialty dining because of the kids.

In NCL, the 5,7 and 10-year old can stay together in the kids club, but on Princess the oldest would have to be on his own - which can be a problem since our kids don't speak English that well. But their kids club looks really wonderful, and seems we can go there and stay with our 2-year old which we would love. 

Any advice would be much appreciated, I feel I am spending SO much time choosing between the two (same cost, two oceanview cabins) even though I am prety sure we would have a great time on both. We are pretty easy to please, but they are scheduled for Aruba the same day and I don't want to stand on one ship wishing I was on the other! 

I am stuck making the choice between these two and as my husband has given up trying to help me decide I now ask you, members of Princess and NCL forums here on cruise critic to help me out. We haven't been on either ship before, but have travelled with NCL previously and had a booked Princess cruise that was cancelled during the pandemic.

Both cruises are in December, 14 days caribbean and we have not visited any of the ports before. 

NCL Jade stops in Key West, Great Stirrup Cay, Barbados, Aruba, St Thomas, St John, Grenada, Curacao and Puerto Plata.

Emerald Princess stops in Barbados, Aruba, St Kitts, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Grenada, Trinidad and St Lucia. 

Which of these two itineraries is best if we want to go out and explore on our own by foot, or if necessary a short bus/taxi ride. Since we travel with kids we will mostly try to enjoy beach days and local things around the port.

My first thought was to go with Princess since from what I understand they have better service and food. But my worry is that we will feel out of place since we travel with four kids, in the dining room etc. (Our kids are generally well behanved but if the two year old would make a fuss we would remove him from the dining room without hesitation). On the other hand, we don't really drink and I am worried NCL will have a part vibe - plud I've heard not so great things about the MDR in Jade. We don't really do specialty dining because of the kids.

In NCL, the 5,7 and 10-year old can stay together in the kids club, but on Princess the oldest would have to be on his own - which can be a problem since our kids don't speak English that well. But their kids club looks really wonderful, and seems we can go there and stay with our 2-year old which we would love. 

Any advice would be much appreciated, I feel I am spending SO much time choosing between the two (same cost, two oceanview cabins) even though I am prety sure we would have a great time on both. We are pretty easy to please, but they are scheduled for Aruba the same day and I don't want to stand on one ship wishing I was on the other! 

Looking into a cruise on princess with a 2 year old. We've never cruised princess but from what I understand parents used to be able to join their kids in the kids club, so that kids too young for drop off could have somewhere to play. And then during covid it seemed they changed this and I am wondering if anyone has been on recently and seen if this is possible? I know there are very limited options for very young kids on princess, so being able to do some parent-kid play time in the kids club would be crucial. We are choosing between Caribbean Princess and Emerald Princess. 

I would say the two things that affect number of kids on a cruise is a)school holidays and b)length of cruise. Even on the more family oriented cruise lines there are much fewer kids on longer sailings that aren't over Christmas, Easter or summer. And I say this as someone who cruises with kids, because mine prefer when there are not too many other kids onboard.