Two questions about suitability of ship for children

[Mississippian]

My wife and I are thinking about taking a last-minute cruise with the children (6 and 4). There are some low prices out there.

 

Our one and only cruise was on Princess in Europe without the children. We're thinking about going on Princess again, even though it is not the most convenient or the best deal, for two reasons.

 

First Anytime Dining, which will allow us to bring the children to dinner some nights, and send them to eat in the kids club other nights. With a traditional seating, we would have empty seats half the cruise.

 

Second, Princess has fresh-water pools. I can just hear my children squalling because salt is in their eyes from the pools on the other ships. How bad is the salt?

 

Are these concerns valid? Do some families simply ditch their children for the week and not have a place for them in the dining room? Is the salt water in the pool much of a problem?

 

In writing this, I'm assuming that Princess is the only line with both Personal Choice dining and freshwater pools. Am I correct in thinking this?

 

Thanks for the input!

[kitty9]

You need to call real quick because Princess is the one cruise line that strictly limits the number of children on their ships. Since this is a last minute cruise, they may have already hit their children limit.

[Mississippian]

You need to call real quick because Princess is the one cruise line that strictly limits the number of children on their ships. Since this is a last minute cruise, they may have already hit their children limit.

My understanding of the Princess rule was that they gave no discounts to children after a certain number, and that this rule had now been abandoned. If we do take the cruise we will get two inside cabins and I will stay in one with my son and my wife will stay in one with our daughter. We will pay the adult rate, because it is cheaper than the third and fourth person rate right now.

Thanks, though. And if we don't make Princess, we'll live. Just curious about how to handle set dining times with children who often won't be there.

[surat108]

My husband and I took our daughter on a princess cruise to mexico when she was 3yrs old. She LOVED it!:D In fact she liked it so much she's been begging to go again. So we'll be going to carribean in a month. She's now 6yrs old. Princess does limit the amount of children they will accept on the cruise only because they want to make sure the child to caregiver ratio is reasonable. But I assure you there are plenty of children onboard for them to play with. We took our daughter to the personal choice/anytime dining. If you do this and later when you are on the cruise you decide you want to do a set dining time...you can. Just let the dining staff know ahead of time so they can plan a table for you. Also if you choose a set dining time but later want to do personal choice/anytime..you can..just let them know. Princess is actually very flexible this way.

 

Princess also does not have child rates, only 3rd and 4th passenger rates. I would suggest calling them for pricing yourself as well as having a travel agent call them for pricing. Sometimes a travel agency who does alot of bookings with Princess can get lower rates. Princess can even recommend a travel agency for you if you call and ask.

 

Our daughter had such a good time that when we finished our shore excursion on one of the ports she insisted on going back to the ships kids center while my husband and I explored the rest of the port on our own.

 

let me assure you if you choose Princess you will ahve a great time!!:) :)

[cjh]

I don't want to cruise any other line other then Princess. My kids love their kids programs. But like another poster said you better call your TA right away and see if they have reached their kid limit.

[mommiemudd]

We have a 3 year who loves NCL and their Kid's Crew. They also have Freestyle-eat anytime you want, which really helps us-and you don't have to dress up-resort casual. Great price for 3rd person too. Our child is asking everyday is it time to go on the big boat. I didn't think the pools were too salty and I am picky about my water!

[merela]

because I believe in family vacations and what better way to spend it on the ship.

 

However, I would not have a cruise vacation if I have to pay full fare for my kids. I love the fact that Princess offer 3rd and 4th passenger rates for 4-people cabins. Previous poster is right, you need to check to see if there are any 4-room cabins left. A lot of times, the low prices you see are for 2-people cabins. If 4-people cabins are available for the cruise you are interested in and the rates are acceptable for you, book the cruise! There is usually a limit of children on board Princess ships, but it goes as high as 800 on larger ships. You'll know when you book whether they have spaces for your kids.

 

I wouldn't worry about how much your children will enjoy the amenities on the ship. My kids (3 and 5) went in the pool without any problem. I don't remember the water being salty. It is heavily chlorinated though. After 3 days of cruise, if there are lots of kids on board, I would hesitate to let my kids into those pools again. If your children enjoy being in the pools, take advantage of different ports of call. I would find a resort hotel near the port and just pay to use their pool/beach facility.

 

The kids club on board Princess ships are pretty good, especially when there are lots of kids on board. Your children will be busy with the kids' club activities.

 

Anytime dining is great for people with children. With jet lags, you may not even get to eat in the dining room that often. We always have dinners with our children in dining rooms, but we eat either early or late, depending on when the kids wake up from nap. You can either feed them at the buffet early, then drop them off at 7pm when kids' club opens or you can have dinner with them in the dining rooms and drops them off whenever you are done with dinner. My kids like to see the shows with us, so they rarely go to kids' club at night. They do fully utilize the club during the day.

 

Once you book your cruise, come back to this board and post more specific questions that will help prepare you and your children...so that you'll have a better cruising experience once on board. With kids 4 and 6, you just have to tell them what to expect on a cruise for them to enjoy the cruise that much more.

 

Besides the planned kids activities offered by the ship, I always do exploring the ship with my kids--like Dora the Explorer. There are lots of things you can do with your kids that are fun and educational, even on a cruise.