Looking to cruise with 4 & 6 year olds...

[dishealth11]

Hi,

Advice and recommendations needed for first time cruisers. Will be travelling with 4 & 6 year olds.

We'd like to leave from NY, and are considering the Norwegian Dawn 6/12 sailing.

 

How to get the best fares for that sailing (or any sailing for that matter)?

Are kids welcomed on this ship? NCL says yes, but what's the real deal?

Are the children's activities enough to keep them busy all day, and

give parents free time?

What's to do at Port Canaveral (sp?)?

Is there another - better - ship leaving from NY?

For inside cabin, what are the best locations/decks?

 

I'm reading through various other threads and topics to gain more info too.

 

Thanks for any responses.

[TrentS]

While the Norwegian Dawn is a very nice ship, yes, there is a better ship from the NYC area IMO... I would recommend the Voyager of the Seas, that sails in the summer from Cape Liberty in Bayonne, NJ.

 

Royal Caribbean's "Voyager Class" ships are the most spectacular ships afloat with literally something for everyone, and they have the best kid's programs as well. The kids all love them better than Disney!

 

Port Canaveral is about an hour east of Orlando. Probably the best excursion there would be to Kennedy Space Center, or just go to a beach if you're into beaches. Some try to go to Disney or one of the Orlando theme parks, but there isn't anywhere near enough time to do that right!

 

As far as cabin location goes, low and in the center moves less, higher up and closer to the ends moves more... But the difference isn't really THAT much.

[Happy ks]

I would recommend reading about the different ships on the Reviews board. You can find that board at the top of this page, click there and you can go to the individual ships, there will be professional as well as member reviews. I'm not familiar with either one, or their itineraries, but you can get a feel for the differences and make a more informed decision.

 

Almost all ships have childrens programs and will allow the parents to have some private time. Many of them have specific times, closing for part of the day. When my kids were young, they would sometimes love going, sometimes want to stay with us. Some ships will provide a pager if they need to alert the parents. The programs can be a lot of fun, especially if your kids are outgoing and love to meet other kids. The counselors are usually very upbeat and sensitive to the little ones.

 

Have fun planning!

[dishealth11]

How convenient is it to get to Bayonne from Manhattan. We preferred NYC departure because we live just a few minutes from the pier, but we're open to others.

 

 

 

While the Norwegian Dawn is a very nice ship, yes, there is a better ship from the NYC area IMO... I would recommend the Voyager of the Seas, that sails in the summer from Cape Liberty in Bayonne, NJ.

 

 

Royal Caribbean's "Voyager Class" ships are the most spectacular ships afloat with literally something for everyone, and they have the best kid's programs as well. The kids all love them better than Disney!

 

Port Canaveral is about an hour east of Orlando. Probably the best excursion there would be to Kennedy Space Center, or just go to a beach if you're into beaches. Some try to go to Disney or one of the Orlando theme parks, but there isn't anywhere near enough time to do that right!

 

As far as cabin location goes, low and in the center moves less, higher up and closer to the ends moves more... But the difference isn't really THAT much.

[TrentS]

Oh it's not that far, it's kind of between Manhattan and Staten Island... I'd just get a car service to pick me up if it were me.

[celbercrz333]

I know you want to leave from NYC, but I see more and more children on flights nowdays. A Disney cruise would be the best kind for kids. We watch the Travel Channel and not only would you have fun, your kids would have a blast (often without you). They have so many planned activities that the kids don't mind if you are with them or not.

-Jo

[TrentS]

Actually no... The kids in my family, kids of friends, as well as everyone I've ever talked to who's kids have been on both Disney ships and the RCI Voyager class ships ALL love the Voyager class ships better. They all say the kids programs are far better, and there's more to do on the Voyager class ships than on Disney, and they never want to go back to Disney. And as an added bonus, RCI's Voyager class ships are considerably cheaper than Disney!

[TheWog]

Enchantment will be sailing out of New York sometime this summer, as well as Boston and Philly. Will be refurbished with lots of stuff for kids, including, bungee trampolines and a water park. No ice skating though like on Voyager class.