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For Seabourn cruisers - which line to go on with your kids?


Scb71
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My wife and I cruise with Seabourn, just as a couple, but we keep saying one of these days we will take our girls on a cruise - ages 7 and 10. It won't be Seabourn for many of the reasons you might think but I don't want to start a debate about whether kids are welcomed or not on SB as that is not my intention here.

 

 

 

What I am curious of though is if anyone has experience on a more family friendly cruise line and how that worked out. I ask it in this forum because I am interested to hear how people with the background of Seabourn travelers feel about this - vs asking the same question on the Carnival board for instance. I hope that makes sense.

 

 

thanks in advance for your input and any experiences you can share.

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About 12 years ago we went on a Royal Caribbean cruise and the kids setup there seemed pretty good. The kids had their own area on the boat with their own diner and a real nice swimming pool.

 

When my kids were younger, I usually took them to Club Med or similar. I wanted an environment where everyone got a vacation, where the kids were able to interact with others of their age, where the activities helped them learn new skills and, most importantly, they had a lot of fun.

 

And, for the adults, we also wanted a chance to relax and unwind.

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You might want to take a look at Cunard. I sailed with my parents, then later took my own kids. They have age appropriate facilities and staff to keep them occupied while you and your spouse do other things. In the Grills accommodations the food and service are quite good.

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NCL in The Haven... it’s like a ship-within-a-ship. You can almost avoid anything big ship you don’t want to deal with but the kids can take advantage of all of the attractions that appeal.

 

While it’s still a “big ship” experience, suites, butlers, a private pool, a dedicated restaurant/bar, and expedited/concierge access to other areas of the ship are a net positive.

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We took two of our grand-kids (9 and 11) on NCL last year, the Breakaway. They had a ball, the kid program was very good, well run and very safety conscious. We had fun too.

When we were younger, we took our kids on HAL several times, Very good kids program, although not all the whiz-bang stuff of the newer mega ships (climbing walls, ropes courses, go karts, water slides, skating rinks, etc).

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If you want to stay Luxury, I would suggest Crystal. While the suites are smaller than SB, if you have two kids, you will need two staterooms anyway and that should be fine. In the summer, they have a great kids' program with several counselors - and dedicated spaces for them. We started cruising with our daughter when she was 5 years old on Crystal. She always loved it. Once she got bigger, we (3 of us) really didn't fit into a regular stateroom and I started exploring other lines. Then we did Regent and Silversea after that. She liked those as well, but Regent only sometimes had a program and SS never did.

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I have been taking my grands on Crystal since they were 7&9. The first cruise there was no kids program since it wasn't yet the season. Others have had them and kids had mixed reaction. The year my grandson was 11, they insisted he wasn't allowed to take part in the program for 12-18 year olds. That sounds perfectly reasonable on the surface but there weren't any 15-18 year olds only a couple of 12-14's he had a lot more in common with than 3 year old girls. My then 9 year old granddaughter enjoyed playing with the little ones sometimes. I guess a lot depends on your kids and if they enjoy fine dining, there is no buffet option.

We have also cruised on Norwegian, regular cabins, with extended family groups. Kids tried kids program and wouldn't go back after first day.

If your kids enjoy going out to a white table cloth restaurant and trying new things, I think they would find enough to do on sea days to be happy. Port days you will probably be off ship with them anyway. You may not leave your children in the Kid's program and go ashore. There is paddle tennis, ping pong, shuffleboard, golf putting, pool, walking tracks, and on Symphony, outdoor gym equipment that is rarely used. I have always stressed they are not to monopolize these venues when others are waiting and definitely no splashing in the pool. The Lido guys take great care of them as far as making smoothies and virgin cocktails.

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Cunard - though imagine they could and would find something to do...i would think is more if an adults ship.... especially a crossing.... as outdoor activities limited

 

 

azamara is small - and no real children areas i saw - but we were travelling in the off season -

 

Star clippers - do not encourage children- older teens can entertain themselves but under 16 isn't really appropriate as deck space small and no specific areas for kids or alternative evening dining....( last trip two under tens screamed their way around the decks and cabins every morning at 5am ....am sure yours are brought up far better than that..... but there was no kids area due to the size of the ship).

 

celebrity - do kids clubs and have a lot of activities.....some of the kids club staff though were a bit off i thought( one one cruise they got the kids to go around the boat on their own asking passengers questions - nationality etc - as part of a game ( collect 100 nationalities or something)and the staff were not near them...

 

personally i thought it was wrong of them to tell children to go and " make friends with strangers"....on a big ship 5000 passengers.... another 500+ staff......numbers and logic will tell you there will be numerically at least 1 person who has an unhealthy interest in children.....so i felt the kids club staff were inappropriate in that game....and weren't supervising them at all...

 

i am sure you thought of this but port intensive would seem better choice for children- that sea days- on a medium size ship....with a well supervised kids club if they want that(but not required if you are all happy to spend the day together doing stuff)....as during the day they will see great places and in the evening have dinner with you.......

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The Norweigan Epic and Breakaway have endless programmes for Kids.. book a suite in The Haven.. on the Breakaway you have a private swimming pool... and private dining room.. the Epic has the same accommodations but the swimming pool is smaller.. the Haven is Heaven.. far from the maddening crowds but the kids are able to participate in the endless array of activities.. the restaurants which have an upcharge are terrific.. if you get tired of the food in the Haven restaurant have a look at the wide variety of restaurants available. They have a special sort of Cirque de Soliel restaurant which is a must.. the Blue Men show is fantastci.. go to the website and have a look...

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I hear great things about the Disney Cruise Line—and it’s much more upscale than RCCL or Norwegian. That being said, we took our grandchildren on Royal Caribbean and they loved it. Great kids program with age appropriate activities—children divided into groups by age. You can always book one of the big and very nice family suites.

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Hi! My vote is hands down RC Star Class. Most likely your girls will have aged out of Disney (if they are not already). They will be ready to conquor RCCL activities. IMHO RC Star Class blows NCL Haven and MSC YC out of the water, Here are the perks:

 

Star

  • ♦ Exclusive Access to Royal Genie Service
  • ♦ All Day Access to Coastal Kitchen*
  • ♦ Complimentary Specialty Restaurants* (including Chef’s Table and à la carte dining)
  • ♦ Complimentary Deluxe Beverage Package (for guests 21 years or older)
  • ♦ Complimentary Refreshment Package (for guests under 21 years)
  • ♦ Still and Sparkling Water Replenished Daily
  • ♦ Complimentary GratuitiesΔ
  • ♦ Complimentary VOOM**, The Fastest Internet at Sea
  • ♦ Expedited Boarding and Departure
  • ♦ Best Seats in the House in Select Entertainment Venues
  • ♦ Priority Entrance to Many Onboard Activities††
  • ♦ Suite Lounge Access (complimentary hors d’oeuvres and cocktails from 5:00 pm – 8:30 pm each evening)
  • ♦ Access to Suite Sun Deck
  • ♦ Exclusive Access to the Barefoot Beach ClubΔΔ at our Private Destination Labadee®
  • ♦ Complimentary Minibar stocked with Coca-Cola® Beverages and Water
  • ♦ Complimentary Laundry and Pressing Services
  • ♦ Duxiana® Mattress and Pillows
  • ♦ Frette® Linens
  • ♦ Luxury Bathroom Amenities by L’Occitane®
  • ♦ Spa Bathrobes for Use Onboard
  • ♦ Coffee Maker

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/royalsuiteclass/star/#tab-0

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Cunard isn't really geared up for kids in terms of entertainment when compared to the other lines. Celebrity suite class offers good food and plenty of entertainment for kids. NCL Haven is also an option, but much prefer Celebrity.

We were on Celebrity earlier this year and there were no special activities for children in the Suite Class. They can sit in the Michaels Club Bar but there are no games for them. They can also eat in the Suites restaurant, Luminae. Children are much better entertained on Cunard with their special aft area with their own pool.

Unfortunately, on Cunard everyone is expected to dress for dinner but on Celebrityanything goes.

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Our first cruise was with our girls when they were 6 and 8 years old; they are now 23 and 25. First one (which was actually a first cruise for us all) was Disney from Port Canaveral; outstanding for everyone. We took them back on Disney again in their late teens and they (we) still had a fantastic time. From that first cruise we have regularly cruised with them on NCL, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Princess and now they have three Seabourn cruises under their belts too with another next May. Each and every cruise we have been on as a family has always been fantastic though think it now doesn't get any better!! We picked up deals along the way and they were always good; maybe not what we would have chosen as a couple but to keep the girls happy they were perfect - and we were always lucky enough to then go away as a couple on a more 'adult' cruise. My husband always says 'happy wife, happy life' and I think you can say that for children too - all of the above were always great vacations though I would say Disney was possibly best for them when they were younger while the bigger ships were better when they were teens. Hope that helps.

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Many thanks for all the input. Glad to see that others have had good experiences at the more mainline cruise ships. I think whichever we did we would just need to pack our patience and pare expectations for food quality and service... I saw a convenient itinerary on NCL Breakaway but the reviews are all over the place.

 

 

 

To be fair it is likely the other guests I am most worried about. You never know what you are going to get with thousands of people crammed into a space for a week together. You could also say that with 400-600 on Seabourn as well I suppose but for some reason the budget and the appeal of the ship seems to self-regulate that to a degree.

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