Princess vs Carnival with kids

[CMJFamily]

We have been on 7 Carnival cruises with our 8 year old and he absolutely loves Camp Carnival. My husband and I cruised Princess before (10 years ago) but at the time I didn't pay attention to their kids' programs. We are now thinking of booking another Princess cruise (we found an itinerary that we love) but we want to make sure that our son will enjoy himself. Can anyone give me some feedback or a comparison of the youth programs? What abot Royal Caribbean's youth program?

 

Thanks so much!

[wilfros]

We have been on 7 Carnival cruises with our 8 year old and he absolutely loves Camp Carnival. My husband and I cruised Princess before (10 years ago) but at the time I didn't pay attention to their kids' programs. We are now thinking of booking another Princess cruise (we found an itinerary that we love) but we want to make sure that our son will enjoy himself. Can anyone give me some feedback or a comparison of the youth programs? What abot Royal Caribbean's youth program?

 

Thanks so much!

We have sailed on both, and we were Princess fans but now swing both ways. We found Carnival Great!

 

As for your question I would give you the same advice we got on the Princess thread when considering Carnival.

 

Go and post on the Princess thread. They are just as great over there as the people are here. They are the ones who have sailed with children and can give you the exact information you are seeking.

 

I can assure you they will be as willing and forthcoming there as the folks are here.

 

We sailed with our kids at home (finally we can leave them alone 21 and 23) so I could not give you any good feedback on the kids programs.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

 

Oh yes ... Go Sens Go LOL

[librarymom]

My daughter, now 15 has participated in the kids programs on Princess (2 times), Carnival (2 times), and RCI (1 time). She has loved all of them. She is somewhat reserved, but that has never been a problem. I can't complain about any of them. They are all well organized with plenty of programs.

[unionville3]

We have cruised Disney, Princess, Holland America, and Carnival. Our son is currently 10 and has loved every kids club. We were on Princess when he was 7 and it was the week of Easter. Even then, there were not that many kids in the club (compared to Disney) so he got lots of individual attention - counselors knew him by name even when we would see them in other areas of the ship. The Princess activities and hours were very similar to Carnival.

[Tapi]

We have been on 7 Carnival cruises with our 8 year old and he absolutely loves Camp Carnival. My husband and I cruised Princess before (10 years ago) but at the time I didn't pay attention to their kids' programs. We are now thinking of booking another Princess cruise (we found an itinerary that we love) but we want to make sure that our son will enjoy himself. Can anyone give me some feedback or a comparison of the youth programs? What abot Royal Caribbean's youth program?

 

Thanks so much!

 

Hi:

 

We have two cruises booked this year: One with Royal Caribbean (Allure of the Seas) and one with Princess (Sapphire Princess).

 

Our son is only a toddler, but we've been reading quite a bit about each one of these ships kids programs in general to get an idea of what they are like as our son gets older. At first glance, all of them seem to be pretty similar (different age groups, activities for each, with dedicated kid's facilities). However, that's where the similarities end.

 

First of all, Carnival's kids program does get great reviews. However, since our son was still under two for our last sailing, we couldn't really experience much of it. He was only allowed to use the Camp Carnival facilities twice during the entire cruise (1 hour parent supervised sessions on sea days). Also, child care is available only after 10pm at Camp Carnival.

 

Royal Caribbean's kids program seems to have much more to offer (at least on the ship we'll be taking in a little over a month). HUGE facilities, more organized activities, and even in-cabin child care all day long. Princess seems to be the other way around, while they do have a kid's program, it doesn't seem to be as comprehensive as on Royal Caribbean or Carnival. While Carnival and RCCL seem to be more focused on families, Princess seems to have their focus on a more adult clientele.

 

Keep in mind that RCCL's kids program does vary quite a bit from one ship to another. While Allure of the Seas has some of the most amazing kids facilities on any ship afloat, their older ships like Monarch and Majesty of the Seas have facilities that look more like an afterthought.