Best luxury line for family of 5

[ldfox77]

What would be the best luxury line for a family of 5? One of these days, I'd like to do a World Cruise with my husband and kids. I'd take the kids out of school and "homeschool" or "ship-school" them for a term or 2. The age range, right now is 7 (autistic), 9, and 1 1/2. Assuming we take the trip 3 years from now (due to my work commitments), but nothing changes in regards to cruise lines.

 

I'm looking at Cunard, but can we all fit into a single cabin (suite)?

[ldfox77]

Oh, and BTW, I have celiac and my son is on a Gluten-free diet for his autism. We may be putting our older daughter on a GF diet, too.

[Travelcat2]

Luxury cruise ships are really not set up for children during most of the year and you rarely see a child on board unless it is summer or a school holiday. When you are not "ship schooling" them, there would be very little to do on board. Luxury ships carry between 209 and 1,000 passengers with the average being around 500. Typically on longer sailings, the majority of the passengers are retired people. You will find some people who sail when school is in session in order to avoid families with children. If I was going to spend $200,000+ on a cruise around the world with children, I definitely would not select a luxury cruise line.

[wripro]

I agree completely with Travelcat2. Especially on a world cruise you will find mostly older retired people. Your children will be bored to death. Plus you will not be able to truly enjoy what a luxury line has to offer because you will be constantly preoccupied with caring for your children. Perhaps you should start with a shorter voyage during the summer or holidays when there might be other kids aboard.

[kitty9]

As a former special education teacher, I would highly suggest taking a two week cruise with your children to see if they would be able to handle the confines of a cruise ship for 110 days. I'm a little concerned for your son in such a situation. The luxury lines do not attract families, especially on world cruises. The average age on world cruises can be above 70, and there will not be any programs for children because there will not be any other kids on board.

 

Now, ask yourself if you can handle being on a ship, for three and a half months, in small quarters, one very tiny bathroom, with very little storage space. How will you pack everything for five people for such a long time? Even a suite, unless you opt for one of those huge suites (which will run you over a million dollars), will only be between 350 to 450 square feet. On regular cruise you would pay a lower rate for your children, but on world cruises, you may not find much of a price reduction. On Crystal, their smallest cabin, 220 sq ft, would run about $50,000 per person for a world cruise. A suite, which runs about 500 sq ft would cost around $140,000 per person, and their largest suite, which cannot sleep five but is over a one thousand square feet, would cost you about $275,000 per person.

 

As others have said, world cruises don't have kids on board. If that's not a concern, and knowing there will be nothing for your kids to do on board because there will not be a kids program, then go for it. But again I highly recommend that you take a longer cruise on a luxury ship (not Cunard because they are not a luxury line) to see if this will fit your family's special needs.

[ldfox77]

By the time we are able to do it, we are looking at a few more than 3 years come to think of it. It is possible that our oldest will be in high school.

 

And, yes, we would take shorter jaunts first. Slowly taking longer trips until I'm sure we can handle the journey. I'd probably get 2 cabins if we can't fit into one. Either side-by-side or one outside and one inside across the hall. Depends on the ship configuration. That goes without saying. No way would I go zero to 60 with no warm-ups. I think we'd prefer the luxury lines because of the more interesting ports and the non-touristy atmosphere. And if anyone complained about seeing my kids on board, just because I'm ebil like that, I'll tell the kids to not take their ADHD medication ;-).

[Travelcat2]

By the time we are able to do it, we are looking at a few more than 3 years come to think of it. It is possible that our oldest will be in high school.

 

And, yes, we would take shorter jaunts first. Slowly taking longer trips until I'm sure we can handle the journey. I'd probably get 2 cabins if we can't fit into one. Either side-by-side or one outside and one inside across the hall. Depends on the ship configuration. That goes without saying. No way would I go zero to 60 with no warm-ups. I think we'd prefer the luxury lines because of the more interesting ports and the non-touristy atmosphere. And if anyone complained about seeing my kids on board, just because I'm ebil like that, I'll tell the kids to not take their ADHD medication ;-).

 

With all due respect, why would you subject your children to this environment? I would much prefer seeing my children in an accepting environment rather than upsetting seniors who also deserve their time in a calm environment and making my family endure an environment where they would not grow, be enriched and could possibly become upset and depressed. I am truly sad with your response and hope that you will rethink you decision.

[Keith1010]

ldfox77, while I agree with a good portion of the feedback that you have been given I don't think anyone has answered your question.

 

I do not believe your question asked for whether or not any of us thought it was a good idea to take a family of three children on a world cruise but rather your question was whether or not any of the suites on Cunard would accomodate a family of five followed by a second question on diet. As to the foods that will be offered and getting special foods for the family that would not be a problem. However as to whether or not Cunard has a suite that would accomodate a family of five I believe the answer is no. My recommendation is that you either call Cunard yourself on Monday as this would be a very simple question to get answered or that you contact a travel specialist.

 

 

Now, as to items related to taking children on a world cruise that have nothing were not part of your original question, I have the benefit of having taken three full world cruises since 2007,all on one of the luxury cruise lines. They were not on Cunard.

 

I do agree with much that has been said but that doesn't mean you can't do the cruise.

 

I just want to add to the comments.

 

All adults and all children are not created equally so in the end you will know what is best for the entire family.

 

On the luxury cruise lines that I am familiar with there are no suites that I can think of that will accomodate five people so that will be a challenge to deal with.

 

Now there are some other cruise lines that are not part of the luxury category that also offer World Cruises. You noted Cunard and there are also others such as Holland America and Princess both of which are also not luxury cruise lines so you could check to see if they have rooms that would accomodate all of you.

 

As mentioned, there will be very few if any children on board for the entire duration of the world cruise on the luxury cruise lines and even on the other ones. However, from time to time there might be a child or more traveling with a family.

 

On our last cruise there was one boy around the ago thirteen who was on for the entire world cruise traveling with his dad and his grandfather. The boy did have a wonderful time. He took classes that were offered including a college credited computer course and a spanish course and he had to keep up with his school studies on the ship. Other than that in 2007 one of the instructors brought their daughter with them who had just graduated high school and in 2008 the same instructors brought their son with them who had just graduated college.

 

The reality is that given the cost of the world cruise and the time away from home you just often see children on board for an entire world cruise but you certainly can do this if you so choose. Just realize that there will likely not be any children on board for the entire duration. You may see a few children on a few of the legs (some people call them segments) but not too many.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Keith

[Travelcat2]

Idfoxx77: I must admit that I did not read the last sentence of your post. Since Cunard ships are not in the luxury category, it might be better if you went to the Cunard board. It is possible that the answers you receive there will be completely different than this thread. After all, those ships are considerably larger than the ones discussed here.

 

Good luck!

[wripro]

According to the people who run this board Cunard is a luxury line. Go figure!

[Travelcat2]

According to the people who run this board Cunard is a luxury line. Go figure!

 

Also Azamara and Oceania. :confused:

[alcate]

You should check out this blog. http://worldwideweldens.blogspot.com/

 

Their two kids have gone on several world cruises.

[Travelcat2]

You should check out this blog. http://worldwideweldens.blogspot.com/

 

Their two kids have gone on several world cruises.

 

This is a very unique family with very fortunate children. Not sure which cruise lines they went on. They mention "Voyager", however, the photograph is not Regent's Voyager. They no doubt went on larger cruise ships which makes a lot more sense than doing a WC on a small luxury ship.

[annierie]

This is a very unique family with very fortunate children. Not sure which cruise lines they went on. They mention "Voyager", however, the photograph is not Regent's Voyager. They no doubt went on larger cruise ships which makes a lot more sense than doing a WC on a small luxury ship.

 

No, they have done trips on Mariner and Voyager, on Regent. They have done the Ring of Fire and they have done segments of the Regent World Cruise.

 

I followed their blog. And, yes, they took their children on Regent for extended trips.

[alcate]

There's always going to be naysayers, but in the end only you know how your children will be able to handle such an adventure. If you think they will enjoy it, then you all have the same rights to be there as anyone else. I do think Regent because it is not as formal as some others would be better for kids. Good luck with your research!

[Travelcat2]

There's always going to be naysayers, but in the end only you know how your children will be able to handle such an adventure. If you think they will enjoy it, then you all have the same rights to be there as anyone else. I do think Regent because it is not as formal as some others would be better for kids. Good luck with your research!

 

While I may be a naysayer. .. . . , I have seen the looks given to families wih children on board when school is in session. We took a 14 night cruise last November/Dec. There was one sweet little boy about 5 or 6 years of age on board. When he was in the pool, no one else would go near it. I never saw anyone dining with them or even speaking with them. All I saw was "looks". If you search on the subject of children on the luxury line boards, you'll see how people really feel. Seabourn and Silversea passengers, in particular, go ballistic at the thought of children on board (almost anytime). Regent and Crystal are fine. . . . during school breaks and holidays. Do they have a right to be there? You bet. But, when I travel with children, it is not on a luxury line.

[Keith1010]

Please keep in mind that you will find a fair number of children on board Silversea ships on selected voyages such as Alaska. Likewise on the newer Seabourn ships you will now see more children on during the summer months, etc.

 

Keith

[wripro]

Exactly. With more seven day itineraries during the summer months the lux lines are actively pursuing a younger demographic with children. Seabourn even has a counselor aboard to help take care of them. Be aware though this is only on their newer larger ships, not the triplets. And many old time Seabourn passengers are avoiding these sailings. Me included.

[Travelcat2]

Exactly. With more seven day itineraries during the summer months the lux lines are actively pursuing a younger demographic with children. Seabourn even has a counselor aboard to help take care of them. Be aware though this is only on their newer larger ships, not the triplets. And many old time Seabourn passengers are avoiding these sailings. Me included.

 

Must say that I am shocked about Seabourn having a counselor for children. Having read page after page after page of postings against children on Seabourn, this is definitely a change of direction. Hmmmmm, and I was actually thinking of sailing on a new ship. . . . . thanks for the update. . . I need to rethink the whole situation.

 

As a side note: many/most of us on luxury cruise lines have worked our whole lives to be able to cruise at this level. We have children and in some cases grandchildren whom we love. As you get older, things seem to change. When my daughter was young she would not think of running around a restaurant (and she was not an easy child). Today, this behavior is called "just being children". If we are on a plane and have our seat kicked for 10 hours, we are not suppose to say anything to the parents. Having read at least 100,000 posts over the past 5 years, I have seen teachers, nanny's, parents and grandparents that simply want a calm, child-free vacation. In some cases, a couple will save for a long time in order to take a luxury cruise. . . . . their parents are watching the kids and. . . . finally, they have some adult time. So many on these boards are insulted by the fact that we prefer to cruise with adults. It doesn't matter that we avoid summers, Christmas, Spring Break, Thanksgiving, etc. -- just to be able to have our quiet vacation. Apparently the only rights that are politically correct are those of parents who can take their children out of school at will and allow them to roam without supervision around the ships.

 

Okay -- I'm off of my soap box.

[Keith1010]

Must say that I am shocked about Seabourn having a counselor for children. Having read page after page after page of postings against children on Seabourn, this is definitely a change of direction. Hmmmmm, and I was actually thinking of sailing on a new ship. . . . . thanks for the update. . . I need to rethink the whole situation.

 

As a side note: many/most of us on luxury cruise lines have worked our whole lives to be able to cruise at this level. We have children and in some cases grandchildren whom we love. As you get older, things seem to change. When my daughter was young she would not think of running around a restaurant (and she was not an easy child). Today, this behavior is called "just being children". If we are on a plane and have our seat kicked for 10 hours, we are not suppose to say anything to the parents. Having read at least 100,000 posts over the past 5 years, I have seen teachers, nanny's, parents and grandparents that simply want a calm, child-free vacation. In some cases, a couple will save for a long time in order to take a luxury cruise. . . . . their parents are watching the kids and. . . . finally, they have some adult time. So many on these boards are insulted by the fact that we prefer to cruise with adults. It doesn't matter that we avoid summers, Christmas, Spring Break, Thanksgiving, etc. -- just to be able to have our quiet vacation. Apparently the only rights that are politically correct are those of parents who can take their children out of school at will and allow them to roam without supervision around the ships.

 

Okay -- I'm off of my soap box.

 

the reality is those who do not want to sail with children on Seabourn will sail on the triplets or will sail the newer ships but not during the summer months. With that said, in the summer months there might even be a few chldren on the triplets but really not many.

 

To fill the new ships Seabourn did need to cater to more than those who did not take children with them.

 

Keith

[Travelcat2]

My issue is not with families with children that sail during the summer or school breaks. There can be a hundred of them on each ship -- and, they certainly should be welcome on all ships during that time and should not receive any "looks". The OP is inquiring about a cruise that will take place when school is in session. This is a different scenario entirely.

[kitty9]

You should check out this blog. http://worldwideweldens.blogspot.com/

 

Their two kids have gone on several world cruises.

 

There are several issues here if you're using the blogger as a comparison. First, these kids are older than the OP's, there's not an infant or toddler in the picture and finally, the OP has a child who's autistic. I've worked with autistic children for many years, and there are so many issues to consider when traveling for even a short period of time with a special needs child. Now, don't jump to conclusions, as I feel anyone should be able to cruise regardless of any handicap (I've been disabled since age 2 after a bout of polio, so I know from where I speak), but there are certain disabilities that can make even a short holiday very, very difficult. While autistic children can do quite well on a cruise, it's different on a luxury line because there are no kid's programs available, as there are on a mass market ship. The parents will have no break time from the children, which every parent knows can be daunting, especially for 110 straight days. While it can be done, it won't be a walk in the park.

[Keith1010]

My issue is not with families with children that sail during the summer or school breaks. There can be a hundred of them on each ship -- and, they certainly should be welcome on all ships during that time and should not receive any "looks". The OP is inquiring about a cruise that will take place when school is in session. This is a different scenario entirely.

 

We have sailed on three full world cruises.

 

The reality is that schools are out during the world cruise so you will see a few children from time to time and also there are times that there are some very young children on board who are not of school age. Our experieince though is there are very few children but there can be some.

 

As to the entirre full world cruise we had one school age child on board this time around for the entire cruise traveling with his father and his grand father. No one that I could see rolled their eyes as him and most adults took a big interest in him.

 

Keith

[martinsfo]

I agree that there is a problem with childred acting appropriately in public. I am not above speaking to someone else's child about bad behavior. In general my generation, the boomers, have done an absolutely horrible job of raising our kids. I worked for 4 years on a college campus and I never saw a more spoiled bunch of kids with entitlement mentalities. That, however, is a discussion for another day.

[Travelcat2]

I agree that there is a problem with childred acting appropriately in public. I am not above speaking to someone else's child about bad behavior. In general my generation, the boomers, have done an absolutely horrible job of raising our kids. I worked for 4 years on a college campus and I never saw a more spoiled bunch of kids with entitlement mentalities. That, however, is a discussion for another day.

 

I can definitely identify with your post. The only thing worse than the children of boomers is their grandchildren. I'd rather be on a ship full of snakes than some of these undiciplined children. But, as you said, it is a discussion for another.