Ruby Princess, Spring Break, and an 11 year old

[Alwaysundecided]

I have only been on four cruises, fifth in November, and most have been on Carnival. We were looking at a sixth Carnival cruise in March 2012, but the itinerary was changed and we have no desire to sail with the new one.

 

The Ruby Princess has a nice itinerary for the same dates we were looking at, but since I have no experience with this cruise line, I was wondering if it would be okay for us.

 

I am 43, husband is 41, and we have an 11 year old. We are fairly casual people, but dressing up for dinner is not a problem. We are not party people, but we like to drink and to eat, laugh and have a good time.

 

Is my 11 year old going to be bored? What is the general demographic of the cruisers? Will it be too conservative? Can you get food late at night?

 

Any insights would be greatly appreciated because right now I am struggling to find a cruise.

 

Thanks!

[COMBOY]

Is my 11 year old going to be bored? What is the general demographic of the cruisers? cruise.

 

Thanks!

 

I would expect that there will be plenty of kids onboard during this period. Princess gets a pretty diverse passengers base in the Caribbean vs Europe or Alaska; however, the average age is much higher on Princess and than Carnival. Princess is a much more upscale refined experience vs Carnival's Las Vegas/Fun ship atmosphere with more singles, families and people under 35. Princess has a very good product and as long as you don't expect a Carnival type cruise on Princess you should be fine. Happy Cruising.

 

This is right from the Princess.com website. You can go there and find out more specific information for children activities:

 

Youth and Teens

 

Passengers ages 3 to 17 will enjoy many exciting onboard activities. Our Youth Centers and Teen Lounges are staffed by experienced counselors, who are ready to ensure our youngest cruisers stay happy all day long. There’s everything from art projects, game tables, the latest movies, pizza parties, talent shows, video games, and much more.

 

All vessels, with the exception of the Ocean and Pacific Princess, have dedicated Youth Centers and Teen Lounges. These two vessels offer youth programs when 20 or more children, ages 3-17, are traveling on a given voyage. Children under the age of 3 are welcome to visit the Youth Center, if accompanied and supervised by a parent at all times.

[robsaw]

We have been on the Ruby and Emerald during spring break and they do have kids programs that an 11 year-old might enjoy. However, we have always been on 10-day cruises that generally have a lot less kids than the 7-day cruises, one reason why we like the 10-days, so keep that in mind. On our last cruise, it seemed like there was only about a dozen kids in the kids program age category, if that.

[karatemom2]

We have not been on the Ruby, but have done three Spring Break cruises on Princess with our kids and they have always had a terrific time. Princess has a good program for youth and teens and they definitely take it up a notch during cruises where they have lots of kids onboard. You can count on the fact that there will be many other families with parents and children in the same age range as you and your children during that time frame. There are many fun activities that you and your kids can participate in each day and I'm sure you will all have a good time.

 

We love Princess and would likely be spending our Spring Break with them again next year except they changed the West Coast itinerary, so we are going with Carnival instead. Sort of the opposite of your situation! I guess I should be asking you if we will like Carnival! :D

[junglejane]

I would expect a Spring Break cruise to have tons of kids. My experience has been on West coast Spring Break cruises. But we have done 4 of them on Princess and the number of kids/teens has ranged from 300-700 depending on the week. Your 11 year old isn't old enough for the teen program on Princess, which starts at age 13. But there should be plenty of kids that age and lots to do.

 

Here's a link to some samples of the Kids Patters. Look at the Remix activities. http://s204.photobucket.com/albums/bb196/cruisinmama06/Princess%20Patters/

[LindaJSteele]

I have only been on four cruises, fifth in November, and most have been on Carnival. We were looking at a sixth Carnival cruise in March 2012, but the itinerary was changed and we have no desire to sail with the new one.

 

The Ruby Princess has a nice itinerary for the same dates we were looking at, but since I have no experience with this cruise line, I was wondering if it would be okay for us.

 

I am 43, husband is 41, and we have an 11 year old. We are fairly casual people, but dressing up for dinner is not a problem. We are not party people, but we like to drink and to eat, laugh and have a good time.

 

Is my 11 year old going to be bored? What is the general demographic of the cruisers? Will it be too conservative? Can you get food late at night?

 

Any insights would be greatly appreciated because right now I am struggling to find a cruise.

 

Thanks!

 

We are platinum members of Carnival, but have sailed on Princess twice before, and we really enjoy Princess. We, too, were looking for a spring break cruise in March and settled on this one for the great itinerary! I can't wait. We won't be taking kids (ours are grown), but we expect there will be plenty because of the season. I think you'll have a fabulous time. We like to drink (well, I do anyway), eat, laugh, and have a good time. What week are you planning on going?

[Alwaysundecided]

We are platinum members of Carnival, but have sailed on Princess twice before, and we really enjoy Princess. We, too, were looking for a spring break cruise in March and settled on this one for the great itinerary! I can't wait. We won't be taking kids (ours are grown), but we expect there will be plenty because of the season. I think you'll have a fabulous time. We like to drink (well, I do anyway), eat, laugh, and have a good time. What week are you planning on going?

 

We are looking to sail the week of March 18th. My birthday is the 17th, but we couldn't find a cruise that we liked that sailed on that day...except for the one they changed...:(. My husband's birthday is the 19th, so we always kill two birds with one vacation.

 

I was looking at the balcony rooms for the three of us, but it wasn't clear what the sleeping arrangements would be. On carnival they convert the two twins to a king, and the sofa is separate for the little one. On Princess, it wasn't really clear where she would be sleeping. I guess I will have to call and find out.

[LindaJSteele]

That's the week we're going - we both work for the school system here, and that's our spring break. We plan to have a blast! Come along and join the fun; I actually have a group of people going, so we're getting a few extra "perks" because of that. I can't wait!

[Gettingwarmer]

Unless you are in a mini suite or suite the balcony rooms do not have a sofa. The third person sleeps in a bunk that comes down from the ceiling or wall. These are put back during the day and do not take up room from the cabin. This is done by the room steward.

[Alwaysundecided]

Unless you are in a mini suite or suite the balcony rooms do not have a sofa. The third person sleeps in a bunk that comes down from the ceiling or wall. These are put back during the day and do not take up room from the cabin. This is done by the room steward.

 

Thanks for the information. I don't think they show the setup on the website. It is hard to imagine what it would look like.

[Gettingwarmer]

This is a thread with pictures of two bunks lowered, they go right up into the ceiling during daytime.

 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=415324

 

 

I believe you may also have a rollaway in the balcony staterooms but I'm not sure. Maybe you should start a new thread with this specific question re bunks and rollaway.