Best luxury line for family of 5

[sduprie]

I debated about whether any contribution by me was warranted and decided that yes, I'm going to chime in on this heated discussion. We are a family of 5. Our children are 9, 7 and 4. When we cruise, we enjoy upscale lines. Like many folks on the luxury lines (Holland, Azamara, Celebrity, Oceania) we prefer quieter vacations with more interesting ports of call. The only way to get to these ports via ship is to board a luxury line. The easiest way to see many exotic locales without schlepping your bags and hunting for food nightly with 3 kids is via cruising. So aboard we go!

 

When we cruise, we always get a cabin that is at least one step above a "normal" suite. If the penthouse is available, we reserve it. Our experience has been that there is a maximum of 4 to a cabin-regardless. Therefore, we take a nanny and get a second cabin. It seems some of the higher end ships are beginning to revamp cabins so that a suite adjoins an interior cabin. As our kids get older, we may try this arrangement instead.

 

Our family enjoys the close quarters of a cabin--albeit they are generally at least 500sf or more. That's just us. As for older cruisers who may not want children aboard, we try to be as polite as possible. Most of the time, the retired cruisers are equally polite and there is an unspoken agreement to "leave and let be." We are very conscious of the fact that several cruisers may be on a "trip of a lifetime" and we make every effort to be unobtrusive. Room service for dinner is an excellent way to avoid the awkward long dinner that can be tiring for small children.

 

We have also found that while some cruisers may not appreciate having children on board, many staffers do and take the time to interact briefly with our kids. Further, lines like Holland and Celebrity tend to have "kid camps" during holidays and summer or if there is a minimum number of kids on board. Our kids love meeting other kids. On an Italian cruise, our kids were 3 of 40 kids in camp and the only 3 that spoke English. They loved it!

 

Regardless, I say go with the mindset that you may have the only kids on board; you must be cognizant of other cruisers and yet still reserve the right to enjoy your time. I think showing children the world is a wonderful way to educate them in so many ways. Good luck!

[kitty9]

sduprie, with all due respect, the four lines you mention, HAL, Celebrity, Oceania and Azamara are not luxury lines by any means. The true luxury lines, Regent, Crystal, Silversea and Seabourn are completely different creatures in the world of cruising. Only Crystal and Regent have any semblance of a kids program, and that's only IF there are enough kids on board during holidays and summer. They do not have programs on their world cruises. Your experiences are on the mass market lines, and everyone knows that they have very good programs for kids, all year round. But the luxury lines do not, and passengers on the luxury lines are not very welcoming to kids especially on the very long voyages of world cruises.

[Travelcat2]

sduprie, with all due respect, the four lines you mention, HAL, Celebrity, Oceania and Azamara are not luxury lines by any means. The true luxury lines, Regent, Crystal, Silversea and Seabourn are completely different creatures in the world of cruising. Only Crystal and Regent have any semblance of a kids program, and that's only IF there are enough kids on board during holidays and summer. They do not have programs on their world cruises. Your experiences are on the mass market lines, and everyone knows that they have very good programs for kids, all year round. But the luxury lines do not, and passengers on the luxury lines are not very welcoming to kids especially on the very long voyages of world cruises.

 

You took the words out of my mouth. The listed cruise lines are not luxury lines. We are currently on the Regent Mariner. . . . the ship is full (700) . . . one baby on board. Last year there was one 6 year old on board the Voyager (also full). I've read that HAL works better for people without children. Oceania is not particularly child-friendly either. There are sooooooooooo many cruiselines to choose from. . . . only a very few prefer to have an adult experience (except during summer and school vacations observed by children in the United States).

[sduprie]

You took the words out of my mouth. The listed cruise lines are not luxury lines. We are currently on the Regent Mariner. . . . the ship is full (700) . . . one baby on board. Last year there was one 6 year old on board the Voyager (also full). I've read that HAL works better for people without children. Oceania is not particularly child-friendly either. There are sooooooooooo many cruiselines to choose from. . . . only a very few prefer to have an adult experience (except during summer and school vacations observed by children in the United States).

Duly noted. However, I would suggest that Oceania, Azamara, Regents & Crystal are on par with one another. They are all about the same size-roughly 700ish pax--with high levels of service. Oceania and Azamara do not have kid programs-ever. A friend of mine who has taken over 60 cruises in her lifetime recently completed an Azamara cruise. She is a die-hard Regents fan and said that she would notch Azamara ahead of Regents these days. I agree that Celebrity and Holland are more for the masses. Anyway, I was merely offering insight to our experiences and how we approach cabins and meals as cruisers with kids.

[Travelcat2]

Duly noted. However, I would suggest that Oceania, Azamara, Regents & Crystal are on par with one another. They are all about the same size-roughly 700ish pax--with high levels of service. Oceania and Azamara do not have kid programs-ever. A friend of mine who has taken over 60 cruises in her lifetime recently completed an Azamara cruise. She is a die-hard Regents fan and said that she would notch Azamara ahead of Regents these days. I agree that Celebrity and Holland are more for the masses. Anyway, I was merely offering insight to our experiences and how we approach cabins and meals as cruisers with kids.

 

I agree with Oceania and Azamara. They are "premium" cruise lines (as defined by travel agents, Conde Nast and other publications. Regent and Crystal are luxury lines. This has nothing to do with who is a fan of what line - it is simply a fact. Silversea, Seabourn and Regent are luxury all-inclusive lines while Crystal is luxury with some things included (Seadream Yacht Club is also categorized as luxury).

 

While I have heard many good things about Azamara (recently -- not so good in the past), it does not meet the definition of luxury for some reason. In terms of Regent (I am currently onboard the Mariner), there were a couple of years where the quality of the service were not quite up to par. The same occurred with Silversea. However, I can vouch for the fact that both Silversea and Regent have vastly improved in all areas.

 

In any case, these cruiselines are not particularly child-friendly when school is in session.

[martinsfo]

A word about Crystal and kids. I have only sailed on Crystal during school vacations, as we take our now 14 year old son with us. He loves the kids programs on Crystal. Like many have said, Crystal is an adult line and caters mainly to adults. However, realities dictate that during school vacations, children will travel with their children. One of the reasons to have a children's program is that kids grow up and become consumers. And someday they will purchase their own cruise vacations. Crystal does a great job with their program. They hire people with experience with children and they are very creative with what they do. They have the dance team give dance lessons, the chef give cooking lessons, the kids tour the ship, they use every nook and crannie of the ship. My son is never bored, and when he on down time, he goes to the Palm Court where as an accomplished pianist, he plays the piano for no one in particular. What I'm saying is that if you want your kids to have a great adult experience with the support of a children's program, Crystal does provide that during vacation periods. They do not have it the rest of the year.

[cxxviii]

Greetings to all of you! I am thrilled to have just stumbled on this thread - my family took its first cruise ever last year, so I am still a neophyte as compared to the rest of you on this board, I am sure. I have the exact same question (at least in my mind) as I inferred from the OP's title... and although I have now learned a ton about whether kids are really welcome on the luxury lines, and which lines really are luxury lines... I feel like the original question has still not been fully debated? Which is recommended as 'best' for kids?

 

Some context - after years of resistance, I finally agreed to a cruise last year. I am NOT a crowds person, and I was very much concerned that my kids (girls aged 11 and 9) would be bored or unwelcome on the smaller lines. So, we compromised and tried a "Villa Suite" on NCL cruise lines - for those not familiar, it is a very small, private area on the top floor of the NCL ship, maybe a 500sq ft suite with 2bdrm & 2bath, with access to a private pool, restaurant, etc. Kind of a ship-within-a-ship for 40 people with restricted access, while the other 2500 are elsewhere. To my shock, not only did I enjoy the cruise, but my kids - instead of constantly complaining about going to the 'big pool' and the waterslide - were constantly begging to go back to the peace and quiet of the private courtyard. (And yes, there were very few other kids there. But my kids got a XMas card this year from one of the retired couples we met on the ship, so I think they were pretty well received.) However, although the NCL suite and experience was 'nice', I am quite sure that there is 'another level' and better service/ports of call/food/etc. to be had.

 

So my question - for a family of 4, what 'luxury' line do you recommend for a 7-10 day cruise (or 14 day if there is no such thing as 1-week cruises on these lines)? We are considering just doing the NCL thing again, and if it helps, these suites for a week, 4 people, seem to run about $10K - $15K. I assume the luxury lines would maybe be 2x this amount? We would be looking for:

- being able to stay in one room, with kids in a separate area... :) Or I guess 'attached' rooms.

- Better ports/experiences than the big ships. We are very active and scuba, zip line, kayak, etc etc.

- better food

- a MUCH better wine list... :)

- a kids club is NOT a requirement. Our kids never used it on NCL.

- I can deal with a few annoyed stares (to each his own), but I would probably prefer not to be on a ship that really is 'known' to insiders as adults only. My kids spent more time hanging out with their new friend 'Gramma Grace' on the last cruise than they did with other kids...

 

Sorry for the really long post. Advice and comments welcome! (and a huge apology in advance if I inadvertently said anything annoying...)

[kitty9]

The luxury lines generally don't have cabins or suites that handle four. On Crystal, the most you can have are three, and those cabins are very few. I suggest visiting a good local travel agent who can steer you in the right direction. Depending on the age of your children, you may have to book two separate cabins.

[cxxviii]

Darcie, thanks for the post. I have been looking at some of the lines mentioned and I have yet to find a 4-person suite... maybe I should just get over it and assume 2 rooms? I just worry about being happy on a luxury ship but in a very small room made for 2... I'm one of those stupid people that stays in a suite at the Four Seasons Maui, knowing full well I will barely spend any time in the room...

 

I also forgot to mention that I live in a very small town, based on my experience to date "good local travel agent" is an oxymoron... Or maybe to be fair, the "good local travel agents" are best able to tell you whether the NASCAR cruise on Carnival will be better than the all-you-can-drink cruise on RCL (OK, I made those up...)

 

Thanks again, more opinions welcome!

[martinsfo]

I believe that Crystal does have adjoining rooms on Serenity.

[Travelcat2]

There are several online luxury cruise travel agents (cannot name specific agents). Also, there are consortiums such as Virtuoso that deal in luxury travel.