Which cruise line with a 4 yr old boy?

[SnorkelFool]

We are looking to take a cruise with DS4. What cruise line or ship do you recommend for this age group?

 

There is a good chance he will not want to stay in a kids' club (but I'm hoping that he will for at least a little bit here and there). What cruise line(s) do you recommend with great kids' clubs as well as a lot of activities outside of the clubs that will make it easy to keep him entertained?

[rebeccalouiseagain]

4 is the perfect age to start cruising. I have to say that I love Celebrity for overall enjoyment. The youth program is superb. My son never wants to leave.

[Keith1010]

My opinion is that after Disney that Princess has the best of the kids programs so I would consider them. I also would look at Celebrity.

 

There are other good kids programs out there so you can look at many other lines but I would start with those two.

 

Keith

[crusinmama06]

We have been on Disney, Carnival, NCL and Royal with my girls starting at 7 months (they are now 8 and 12).

 

Their absolute favorite kids clubs - hands down - have been on Royal Caribbean and Norwegian ships. I have a link to all of the pages for all of the kids clubs in my signature.

 

And when we sail - I look at the best SHIPS for my kids - and there are soooo many family friendly activities packed into RCL Ships (especially Freedom and Oasis class) and Norwegian Ships (especially Epic) - that there is no chance that we can ever be bored!

 

I need the overall package for my girls - so we have to make sure there are water parks onboard. They LOVE pirate parades. And if they are happy - then I am happy :)

[boulders]

DS6 has been cruising for 5 years. He has loved any cruise ship that allows him liberal use of video games. :rolleyes: This includes Disney and Princess. Princess restricts the video games to specific times, but that was enough for him. RCCL didn't have video games in the 3-5 age group, but they have pretty cool arcades.

 

On our upcoming cruise, he'll be in the 6-8 age group - a whole new adventure!:D

[Gatrcruzer]

Hi Snorkelfool,

 

I have seen your posts here and the Disney sections. IMO you were quite wise to avoid booking the Disney cruise with no promise of early seating, given your child's sleeping issue. My daughter is the same way: she wakes up early no matter what, so even if we let her stay up late on vacation, she still wakes up early. In fact, with all the noise in hotels, she often gets up even earlier! I think it's great that there are some kids who are able to adjust, or who get on a different schedule on vacation, but I wouldn't count on it. And don't be fooled by those folks who found a difference on a cruise compared with a land-based based vacation. That may or may not happen. We did not find that at all. 5am wake up calls on our cruises even though my daughter went to bed late! And I definitely agree about the premium Disney pricing being hard to justify when the timing/food set-up is not a good fit for your family.

 

That said, a cruise can be a great vacation with a preschooler, and much more affordable than Beaches (which I saw you had been considering). We have enjoyed our cruises with my daughter, even though they were different experiences from our pre-child days.

 

We have gone on the Liberty of the Seas (RCI) twice with my daughter, and thought it had a lot of fun things for her to do. We even got to catch a couple of daytime shows (make sure to reserve ahead online). It is usually easier to get first seating on RCI compared with Disney, and they also have "my time" type dining available. There is a program where the kids club counselors will come to pick up the kids 45 minutes in to dinner, and they are served their dinner more quickly in the dining room. My daughter did not always want to go to the kids club, but it was a nice option for a few nights. When we didn't feel like eating in the dining room we could eat in the buffet, which, unlike Disney is open EVERY night! Additionally, there are other eating venues for casual meals. There were also a lot of fun things to do onboard other than the kids club - pools, water splash area, mini-golf, arcade, and character meets/parades. They even have two free character breakfasts if your son is into that sort of thing (again, you need to reserve in advance). One of the nicest things about the current Liberty schedule is that they have 4 and 5 night itineraries, and if it is your first time taking a child on a cruise it is a nice option - 7 nights can be a LONG time if it isn't a good fit for your family.

 

Some things to be aware of as you look at cruise options: the cruise lines vary significantly in policies, options available, cabins, and so on. There is also variety across ships within the same line, so make sure to do your homework. Not sure if this is applicable for you or not, but many ships do not provide a tub in the staterooms - just shower. On many cruise lines only rooms in higher categories have tubs (often suites). There are exceptions to this (e.g., Disney, Holland America, and some Carnival ships), but if you need/prefer a tub for your son, make sure to keep this in mind. Cruise ship cabins can be tiny, but there is a lot of variety in stateroom sizes, so pay attention as you price your cruises. Also pay attention to the location of the third bed for your son - sometimes it is a high bunk-bed, which you might not feel comfortable putting your 4 year-old in. Other times it is a fold out couch, which would probably be nicer. Also, will your son be napping? Many people find it helpful to get a cabin with a balcony so that they can hang out there while the child naps or goes to bed early. There are also differences in policy regarding bringing beverages (alcoholic or other) onboard, and the way they should be brought on if allowed. One gripe I have with RCI is that you are not allowed to bring beverage, not even bottled water. They also do not provide ice in the stateroom :( However, other than these issues I've been pretty happy with RCI. Great staff! Liberty is a big ship - both size and number of passengers - but it usually was not a problem. Disembarkation at the end of the cruise was not ideal - I'd do the self-luggage debarkation if you can manage it.

 

Good luck with your trip planning, and whatever your wind up deciding on, hope you have a great vacation!

[chipmaster]

I've had 3 kids go thru being "4" lets just say what was one's perfect kids club another of mine could have cared less.

 

The easy answer is to say Disney, beyond that I'm not so sure that you can generalize here. Knowing your 4 year old he could love one cruise's kids club and possible hate another even on the same line, not saying that to paralyze you but my kids were all different enought that IMHO there was no gurantee if I picked the club that my oldest liked my middle one found interesting at all.

 

We are looking to take a cruise with DS4. What cruise line or ship do you recommend for this age group?

 

There is a good chance he will not want to stay in a kids' club (but I'm hoping that he will for at least a little bit here and there). What cruise line(s) do you recommend with great kids' clubs as well as a lot of activities outside of the clubs that will make it easy to keep him entertained?

[SnorkelFool]

Hi Snorkelfool,

 

I have seen your posts here and the Disney sections. IMO you were quite wise to avoid booking the Disney cruise with no promise of early seating, given your child's sleeping issue. My daughter is the same way: she wakes up early no matter what, so even if we let her stay up late on vacation, she still wakes up early. In fact, with all the noise in hotels, she often gets up even earlier! I think it's great that there are some kids who are able to adjust, or who get on a different schedule on vacation, but I wouldn't count on it. And don't be fooled by those folks who found a difference on a cruise compared with a land-based based vacation. That may or may not happen. We did not find that at all. 5am wake up calls on our cruises even though my daughter went to bed late! And I definitely agree about the premium Disney pricing being hard to justify when the timing/food set-up is not a good fit for your family.

 

That said, a cruise can be a great vacation with a preschooler, and much more affordable than Beaches (which I saw you had been considering). We have enjoyed our cruises with my daughter, even though they were different experiences from our pre-child days.

 

We have gone on the Liberty of the Seas (RCI) twice with my daughter, and thought it had a lot of fun things for her to do. We even got to catch a couple of daytime shows (make sure to reserve ahead online). It is usually easier to get first seating on RCI compared with Disney, and they also have "my time" type dining available. There is a program where the kids club counselors will come to pick up the kids 45 minutes in to dinner, and they are served their dinner more quickly in the dining room. My daughter did not always want to go to the kids club, but it was a nice option for a few nights. When we didn't feel like eating in the dining room we could eat in the buffet, which, unlike Disney is open EVERY night! Additionally, there are other eating venues for casual meals. There were also a lot of fun things to do onboard other than the kids club - pools, water splash area, mini-golf, arcade, and character meets/parades. They even have two free character breakfasts if your son is into that sort of thing (again, you need to reserve in advance). One of the nicest things about the current Liberty schedule is that they have 4 and 5 night itineraries, and if it is your first time taking a child on a cruise it is a nice option - 7 nights can be a LONG time if it isn't a good fit for your family.

 

Some things to be aware of as you look at cruise options: the cruise lines vary significantly in policies, options available, cabins, and so on. There is also variety across ships within the same line, so make sure to do your homework. Not sure if this is applicable for you or not, but many ships do not provide a tub in the staterooms - just shower. On many cruise lines only rooms in higher categories have tubs (often suites). There are exceptions to this (e.g., Disney, Holland America, and some Carnival ships), but if you need/prefer a tub for your son, make sure to keep this in mind. Cruise ship cabins can be tiny, but there is a lot of variety in stateroom sizes, so pay attention as you price your cruises. Also pay attention to the location of the third bed for your son - sometimes it is a high bunk-bed, which you might not feel comfortable putting your 4 year-old in. Other times it is a fold out couch, which would probably be nicer. Also, will your son be napping? Many people find it helpful to get a cabin with a balcony so that they can hang out there while the child naps or goes to bed early. There are also differences in policy regarding bringing beverages (alcoholic or other) onboard, and the way they should be brought on if allowed. One gripe I have with RCI is that you are not allowed to bring beverage, not even bottled water. They also do not provide ice in the stateroom :( However, other than these issues I've been pretty happy with RCI. Great staff! Liberty is a big ship - both size and number of passengers - but it usually was not a problem. Disembarkation at the end of the cruise was not ideal - I'd do the self-luggage debarkation if you can manage it.

 

Good luck with your trip planning, and whatever your wind up deciding on, hope you have a great vacation!

 

Thank you for such a thoughtful post! This is very good info. I am definitely wanting a balcony for the reasons you mentioned as well as a bathtub. DS will not do showers (he hates getting his face wet). I'm surprised that RCI won't let you bring on water and no ice in the room. That is disappointing but like you said, not a deal breaker by any means. I'll check out Liberty of the Seas. Self-luggage should be manageable as we are fairly light packers. I always hate trying to find my luggage in a sea of suitcases.

 

Friends and family don't quite get it as their kids can go with the flow with late nights,etc. It's nice to know we are not the only ones with a perpetual early riser. It definitely changes the way we approach vacations, but we have fun nonetheless doing it our way. It just requires some advanced planning and research to find the most suitable circumstances. Thanks again!

[SnorkelFool]

I've had 3 kids go thru being "4" lets just say what was one's perfect kids club another of mine could have cared less.

 

The easy answer is to say Disney, beyond that I'm not so sure that you can generalize here. Knowing your 4 year old he could love one cruise's kids club and possible hate another even on the same line, not saying that to paralyze you but my kids were all different enought that IMHO there was no gurantee if I picked the club that my oldest liked my middle one found interesting at all.

 

Valid point. Just trying to get some opinions on what has worked for others but will most certainly research further and hope for the best when we finally make a choice. And, there is a good chance DS won't want to spend any time in a kids' club, but I hope he does for at least a little bit. Thanks!