Hi....new here with questions

[SportsMomof4]

Just stumbled upon this great place :) Excuse the emptiness, I need to figure out how to navigate this site & I will make my profile nice! Now, I can use some help....

 

It's been 4 1/2 years since we last cruised. We are definitely due for another so my husband & I have been looking. We plan to go February 2012. At that time, my kids will be 16, 13 year old twins & a 5 year old. I need LOTS of things to do on the ship to keep them busy. The twins are very athletic & have lots of energy.

 

So far, we believe we have narrowed it down to 2 Carnival ships...the new Magic leaving on 2/19 & the Dream leaving on 2/18. I would like to steer clear of Disney (we have been on it & I personally think it is unaffordable for a family of 6).

 

Any suggestions of cruises, ships or itineraries would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much & I am so glad I found this site!

[bus man]

Welcome! I'm afraid I won't be much help to you, as I don't have experience sailing with children. But I'm wondering, did you consider Royal Caribbean? They are known for their more active vacations (not saying Carnival isn't active) and their ships have lots of activities that might appeal to your energetic twins.

 

If you can give some more information regarding the general area you're willing to sail from, and the length of cruise you're looking for, and the area(s) you'd like to sail to, I think you'll get responses better tailored to what you need.

 

Good luck, and happy sailing!

[cb at sea]

Don't worry...there will be almost TOO much for them to do! They'll stay busy all day long! The 5 and 13 year olds are the prime age for the kid's club....they'll love it. 16 is harder, depending on the child....at that age, they can be resistant to "organized" activities...just let them go with the flow!

[Essiesmom]

For the teens, just tell them where to find the 24 hr pizza and all will be well. EM

[SportsMomof4]

We are interested in either the western or eastern caribbean prefably leaving from any port in FL (we live in NY) but we will leave from Galveston to get on the new Magic!

[mjkacmom]

My dd14 went to the kids club the first night, and we rarely saw her (except in passing) for the rest of the cruise. I was nice, and even brought her some breakfast back from the buffet at around 11 am.

[Nebr.cruiser]

Almost any cruise line is fun for kids, but I second looking at Royal Caribbean, especially their ships that have the climbing wall, ice skating, etc.

[cruisin' 4 fun]

My kids are a little younger than your older ones. But we are taking our girls 9 and 11 at time of cruise on the Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas. The freedom class ships have a lot of the same features as the Oasis/Allure but at a much cheaper price. These ships have the flowrider which is like a surf simulator. We have one at a waterpark close to home and they love it. I think even your 5 y/o could do it. My daughter did it at 6 and she usually afraid to do anything. There isn't a waterslide but a couple years ago on Disney, after a couple times down my kids were done with it. So that is our main reason for picking Royal Caribbean over Disney. Good luck on your decision and really you can't make a wrong one because any cruise is better than not going on one at all. ANd WELCOME!!

[funfamilyof6]

I also vote for the RCCL Freedom class of ship. Our kids are 15, 14,12 and 8. The Freedom class has more "athletic" activities than Carnival ships in our opinion, unless the pool with slide will keep them busy all week. I am mentioning this since you mentioned your twins are very athletic. After our kids went on their first RCCL Freedom cruise they said it was the best vacation of their lives beating Disney and Universal.:)

[Nebr.cruiser]

I'd like to add that we just got back from a cruise on the Navigator of the Seas with seven (you read that right!) grandkids, ages 5-11. We (grandparents) had been on the ship before and chose it because most of the kids are very active.

 

It was great--they loved the climbing wall, basketball and most of all the ice skating--and other activities as well. The pools were a little cool to enjoy much (they mostly had to warm up in the hot tub, swim a bit, go back to warm up again, etc.) and I wish there had been a water slide, but on our 5 night cruise we barely had time to catch our breath, with all else there was to do. It was a great choice.

 

The next class up, like the Liberty or Freedom would have even more to do.

[forwardcabin]

We are interested in either the western or eastern caribbean ... but we will leave from Galveston to get on the new Magic!

We are booked on Magic for the Christmas cruise Dec 18-26. We are taking our whole family (10 in all in 3 cabins on Lido deck). Our 4 grandkids will be DGS 15, and DGDs 15, 17, and 19. GS is athletic and loves all kinds of sports (and plays drums, too). The girls have all been cheerleaders and cheer-dancers. All of them love cruising and have been with us on previous family cruises.

 

Why don't you guys join us for a "Magic"al Christmas cruise? This one is 8-days to Belize, Roatan, Costa Maya, and Coz. We are really excited and it's sure to be a really great cruise.

 

Here's hoping you have a great cruise no matter which one you choose. Bon Voyage!

[cantw8togo]

What type of excursions are you considering doing? Ziplining? Kayaking? Cave tubing in Belize? Be sure to check out the Ports of Call Forums for some ideas and you can do a search in each forum for suggestions of kid friendly excursions. You can also look for recommendations for private tour companies which can sometimes save you some money or give you a more personal excursion.

 

What is drawing you to the Carnival Magic and Dream? We have never been on Carnival, but can vouch for the Royal Caribbean's Indy of the Seas and we are just off of Norwegian's Epic. Both have lots of athletic options, good food and decent beds. Epic has better entertainment and the two-story wii, (it is only offered a couple of times so it's not a huge reason to go with Epic.) The one thing that I didn't think that would be so important, but ended up being a disappointment was the feeling of a disconnect with the sea because there are so few areas to see the water from a lower deck. We had a balcony cabin on the 13th floor so that helped, but it had the least "at sea" feeling of the five ships we have been on even though there was a fair amount of movement. We still had a great time though.

 

Oh, the fun and angst of picking a cruise! Ask away if you have more questions.

 

N.

[SportsMomof4]

We are booked on Magic for the Christmas cruise Dec 18-26. We are taking our whole family (10 in all in 3 cabins on Lido deck). Our 4 grandkids will be DGS 15, and DGDs 15, 17, and 19. GS is athletic and loves all kinds of sports (and plays drums, too). The girls have all been cheerleaders and cheer-dancers. All of them love cruising and have been with us on previous family cruises.

 

Why don't you guys join us for a "Magic"al Christmas cruise? This one is 8-days to Belize, Roatan, Costa Maya, and Coz. We are really excited and it's sure to be a really great cruise.

 

Here's hoping you have a great cruise no matter which one you choose. Bon Voyage!

 

We would love to do the Christmas cruise but this summer the whole family is going to Cooperstown with my son's baseball team & in October we are going to Disney World with my daughter's softball team for a tournament. A lot of money being spent this year lol! Thanks for your tips!

[SportsMomof4]

What type of excursions are you considering doing? Ziplining? Kayaking? Cave tubing in Belize? Be sure to check out the Ports of Call Forums for some ideas and you can do a search in each forum for suggestions of kid friendly excursions. You can also look for recommendations for private tour companies which can sometimes save you some money or give you a more personal excursion.

 

What is drawing you to the Carnival Magic and Dream? We have never been on Carnival, but can vouch for the Royal Caribbean's Indy of the Seas and we are just off of Norwegian's Epic. Both have lots of athletic options, good food and decent beds. Epic has better entertainment and the two-story wii, (it is only offered a couple of times so it's not a huge reason to go with Epic.) The one thing that I didn't think that would be so important, but ended up being a disappointment was the feeling of a disconnect with the sea because there are so few areas to see the water from a lower deck. We had a balcony cabin on the 13th floor so that helped, but it had the least "at sea" feeling of the five ships we have been on even though there was a fair amount of movement. We still had a great time though.

 

Oh, the fun and angst of picking a cruise! Ask away if you have more questions.

 

N.

 

Exactly the type of excursions we like! I will take a look at that form. Unfortunately it all comes down to money....Carnival is definitely the most economical for a family of 6! Thanks for your info.