Please help us pick a ship!

[7uvus]

My husband and I are trying to decide on a cruise for us and our 5 kids in December. One of our kids will be in a wheelchair, but not necessarily needing a handicap cabin (he's only 5, so his wheelchair is small), but not a super small cabin. We love Princess, but are also looking at the Carnival Liberty and NCL Pearl because of the itineraries. We cannot afford a balcony, or maybe not even an OV, so an inside will have to do!

We love just spending time together, so the most important aspects that I am looking for, are pool time with the kids, good food, and family friendly movie time! We really don't cruise for the onboard activities or necessarily the itineraries...we cruise to get away, have no worries and spend quality time together. We aren't looking for the loud or party scene. We are platinum with Princess, but are willing to try another cruise line if it fits the bill!!

Thanks for any help!

Christina

[GOLDENBONNY]

My husband and I are trying to decide on a cruise for us and our 5 kids in December. One of our kids will be in a wheelchair, but not necessarily needing a handicap cabin (he's only 5, so his wheelchair is small), but not a super small cabin. We love Princess, but are also looking at the Carnival Liberty and NCL Pearl because of the itineraries. We cannot afford a balcony, or maybe not even an OV, so an inside will have to do!

We love just spending time together, so the most important aspects that I am looking for, are pool time with the kids, good food, and family friendly movie time! We really don't cruise for the onboard activities or necessarily the itineraries...we cruise to get away, have no worries and spend quality time together. We aren't looking for the loud or party scene. We are platinum with Princess, but are willing to try another cruise line if it fits the bill!!

Thanks for any help!

Christina

 

 

I think HAL has big inside cabins and CCL. yo uwill need 2 cabins any way.CCL should be fine with your needs.

[Gatrcruzer]

I'm not sure the ages of your children (other than the 5 year old), but you might want to take a look at the newer Carnival ships - Breeze and Dream. They have these very reasonably priced ocean view cabins that can hold 5 people. They have small tubs, and a split bathroom (similar to Disney's set up), so great if you have a lot of people in the room, and if anyone needs a bathtub (most cruise lines don't have tubs in the lower categories). You could get an inside cabin across the hall, or maybe see about getting a connecting cabin.

 

Another option: you might want to consider HAL, depending on the date. They are offering free or reduced cost for the 3rd and 4th passengers in a cabin, so if you have a date with free 3rd and 4th passenger, you could get 3 people for free :) NCL had been doing a "kids sail free" (although not all kids, just 3rd+ passengers in a stateroom), but I think it either has ended or is about to end. HAL is not as child-oriented as Carnival (especially the newer Carnival ships), but if you like Princess you might like HAL.

 

Another thought: you might find a handicapped accessible stateroom helpful. Often they are larger, and bathrooms might allow for roll in showers, grab bars, etc. Not sure if this is something that would be useful or not.

 

Good luck with finding a great cruise!

[Gatrcruzer]

PS - NCL has super small cabins in the lower categories, so if you go with NCL, you would really want to make sure to get a handicapped accessible cabin! Seriously, check out the square footage on the insides on NCL Pearl. HAL has really reasonably sized inside cabins (large inside), and Carnival also has reasonably sized cabins.

[7uvus]

THANK YOU!!! We had no idea HAL was an option. We did find a great itinerary, and 3 of our kids sail free!!! After reading a bazillion reviews, we are quite pleased and excited! Even snagged the larger insides that everyone raves about!

 

Cruise Critic is such a great place to find cruise answers!

Thank you for your responses!!!!

[Gatrcruzer]

So glad to hear this! I think you will enjoy HAL. It's pretty laid back - not a party scene - but there are a lot of nice touches. Like robes in your cabin, fresh squeezed juice at the buffet (no extra charge), little ginger candies after dinner, and live string music. While it's not exactly a child/family oriented line, they do have things for children, like kids club (if your kids have any interest), pool, and I think that some of their ships offer cooking lessons for kids :). If your kids have any interest, I would highly recommend their teas (they are free) - might be a fun experience for them. They have great itineraries, and Half Moon Cay is really nice (although you do have to tender there, which I'm sure is a hassle with the wheelchair). Have a great time!