Jump to content

Anniversary with kids - best cruise to safely keep kids busy and give mom & dad time


EliseRN
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hello,

Been ages since I have been on, but talking to step daughter and she and hubby have 10th anniversary next year in April and were thinking about a cruise that would safely monitor and entertain 4 and 8 year old to give them (mom & dad) some alone time, as well as offer some family time.

They would ideally leave from Florida port. She was talking about some ship she had heard about with water park on board too.

Any suggestions??

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All of the mass-market lines have kid's clubs that a 4 and 8 year old will LOVE...no worries about that...you may find that they don't WANT to leave! They will not be in the same "group", but the age-appropriate activities are stellar, and will keep them interested and busy for HOURS! They are very secure and the counselors are well-trained on ALL the lines!

Any water activities requires parents to be there...the clubs do NOT take kids to the pools at all. So, don't worry too much about that. Carnival and some RCI and NCL ships have slides....but not all ships do, so if that's important, do your research. There are height and weight limits, too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They're in excellent shape - there are a ton of options for this family. Almost all the mass market lines will have affordable cruises with kids clubs that children those ages will love (my kids loved the kids clubs on Princess, HAL, NCL and my oldest loved Cunard. The two year old had a rougher time, but that's due to the age). Given the fact that they don't actually have any major obstacles limiting their search, they should think about what is most important to them.

 

Would they like a new mega ship, or is there a particular itinerary they would love to visit? Would they like to do a trip that has some history and culture (like the Panama Canal or Cuba) or would they like to visit beaches?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What most parents find is that it's more about the children than the ship. They all have clubs but it's very difficult to predict which children are willing to stay in them.

 

Whether they'll be in the same age-specific club depends on the cruise line. On Disney, they'd be together. On most others, they wouldn't.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Many of the Carnival ships have a small water park with splash pad and slides on board. My kids have thoroughly enjoyed their kids clubs through the years.

 

I would suggest they look at their budget - and I would highly recommend at least a balcony or two adjoining rooms for the space and bathrooms.

 

Their tag lines tell you about what they focus on:

Carnival: Funships

RCI: Bragworthy moments

Princess:Come back new

 

Etc. Many on here agree that the mainstream lines are more alike than different and the differences are going to be in the subtleties.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with basically everyone that you're going to be spoiled for choice.

 

I'm leaving tomorrow on an anniversary cruise with my husband and my 3 year old, so I can tell you what works for us. Both my husband and my daughter are very active and adventurous, so we're taking a medium - large boat from Carnival. I used this website to research the different ships and made a list of which ships had the activities my family would enjoy. Pretty much any 7-10 day cruise on one of the major lines leaving from Florida will probably be fine. If the parents have a place/itinerary they really want to get to, that can help you choose as well.

 

I'll put a plug in for Carnival, they've been very good to my family with a nice balance of energetic activity during the day, understanding about (and frankly catering to) my child, and their adults only areas are peaceful. My husband has a preference for RCI, and you're not going to go far wrong there either.

 

We are not big drinkers, but we do like decent restaurants - RCI has a bit of an edge on the upcharge restaurants.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...