Best short cruise for 7 year old boy

[GatorMomInNC]

When are you going? I am looking for a cruise for my 7 year old grandson (7 Dec 3) He is in S Carolina and we are in Florida so we were thinking Jacksonville would be a good half way point.

 

We just got off Carnival Victory and have nothing but good things to say about Carnival EXCEPT the stupid photo selection process but all lines have that.

Our cruise on the Fascination is on 10/11 - three weeks from today!!

 

But I'm going on another one (7 nights Eastern Caribbean on the Liberty) on Jan 8th....

[mariefisher]

I am a grandmom that loves to take her grandkids on cruises. I have been on over 40 and taken the grandkids on atleast 15 of them. Some were 7 days, Queen Mary, Carnival Valor, RCCL Mariner ect. Some 3 or 4 days, NCCL Sky, Carnival Inspiration, RCCL Granduer, Disney Wonder ect. So I feel I have a little bit of experience with kids clubs. To make a blanket statement that Carnival is a whole bunch of drunks running around on short cruises is just wrong! I would never subject myself or grandkids to this. First off the kids clubs are different on each ship even within the same cruise line. One cruise could offer them a trip they can't stop talking about and the same ship with different passengers may present a whole different experience. Some of their favorite trips have been with CARNIVAL. I think at the ages of 4 to about 10, from my experience, they could care less where the ship goes. Yes, they like the beaches in Cozumel and the sting rays in Nassau and Grand Cayman, but mostly when we come home they talk about the activities on the ship and if they had ice cream any time they wanted it. The funny thing is my 2 granddaughters ages 4 and 9 had the best time of all on NCL Sky. The kids club is down some dark narrow steps into a dark narrow room that was way to warm, but everytime I went to pick them up they begged to stay. If their parents only new how late they were up! I have paid alot of money for some of our cruises on the best lines, and paid very little and I don't think the kids would say they had more fun on the one that cost 5 times more and probably really had more fun on the cheaper ones. If Carnival was offering a competitive price, on the days I could go I would sign up again without second thought, and let my granddaughters play with all the wild, drunks and their children in a heartbeat!

[rolloman]

The funny thing is my 2 granddaughters ages 4 and 9 had the best time of all on NCL Sky. If Carnival was offering a competitive price, on the days I could go I would sign up again without second thought, and let my granddaughters play with all the wild, drunks and their children in a heartbeat!

Thanks for proving my point.....

[jam82]

I've sailed on Carnival, Celebrity, RCCL, NCL, Costa, and HAL. My son is 3 and is platinum on Carnival so you can see how much we like it. Carnival is not tops on my list in anything but the child care. I think they have it down and we have cruised them so much because they are so awesome in that department. If we were taking an adult cruise, I wouldn't ever choose Carnival, but when we take our son it's our cruise line of choice because the child activities are great and the counselors are the most caring individuals I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. Our son LOVES going to camp and we love him loving it.

 

Every cruise we take is a good one and all lines have their ups and downs. For now my priority is a great kids club and Carnival delivers. Our next cruise is on Princess and I can hardly wait to compare.

[skyw]

mariefisher and jam 82- thanks for your input. I didn't think about each kids club being different even on the same line. And thanks about the ports. I was thinking that too. He wouldn't know one beach from another.

[skyw]

I think I have decided!! I am watching prices of the Radiance out of Tampa. It has a slide near the kid pool. So I think he will use that and the big pool. The prices seem good too. Now, I have to decide ports and days. And I am going to be looking out for the AO reviews. Like you guys have said, not all kids programs are the same on each ship.

[mariefisher]

The Radiance is a beautiful ship!!! You should have a great time. You picked a winner. Have fun.