What is the best cruise for children?

[greenpillow]

We just drove 15 hours to Orlando for our very first cruise with two children aged 7 and 8! We went on The Sensation and loved camp carnival. I wonder though.. with two ports closer to home New Orleans and Galveston... Which cruise line and port is the best?! The only thing that bugged me on the ship was that the pool was packed with drunk adults who could have taken there drunken roll to the 21+ deck and let the kiddos have fun in the pool.

 

So what do you think? What cruise has your family loved? How do you compair it to your other cruises.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Celebrity wins hands down for me. The youth program is fantastic and the passengers are not partiers but it has a fun vibe. Very good for families. My son said our last cruise on Millenium was his favorite. The

 

One note of caution though. The "M" class ships have salt water pools and but the "S" class has freshwater pools. In your kids are big swimmers they might not like the saltwater pools.

[greenpillow]

Celebrity wins hands down for me. The youth program is fantastic and the passengers are not partiers but it has a fun vibe. Very good for families. My son said our last cruise on Millenium was his favorite. The

 

One note of caution though. The "M" class ships have salt water pools and but the "S" class has freshwater pools. In your kids are big swimmers they might not like the saltwater pools.

 

 

Thanks for the info!! I think if we were ever close to the ports they sail out of we will look in to it;) the 15 hour drive was killer. MY DH and My eye balls were warped after that drive.

[cb at sea]

Was your Carnival cruise a short one? That could account for the "drunks"....all short cruises, no matter which line, will have their share of partiers. Can't be helped.

 

Any of the main cruiselines will satisfy...guaranteed!

[greenpillow]

Was your Carnival cruise a short one? That could account for the "drunks"....all short cruises, no matter which line, will have their share of partiers. Can't be helped.

 

Any of the main cruiselines will satisfy...guaranteed!

Yes it was a 3 day cruise.. I figure that might be why. The kiddos loved the cruise. We did not want to leave!! :o I was looking at the Carnival Magic.. but over in New Orleanes...they have the same cruise on aan older ship for 200$ cheaper.. they do not have the slides though.

[crusinmama06]

Sensation was horrible for us too. And then Triumph sealed the deal - Carnival is just not the cruise line for us.

 

We have had the best time on Royal Caribbean and Norwegian ships. Disney was ok - but it's 3rd on our list.

[greenpillow]

Sensation was horrible for us too. And then Triumph sealed the deal - Carnival is just not the cruise line for us.

 

We have had the best time on Royal Caribbean and Norwegian ships. Disney was ok - but it's 3rd on our list.

 

Well in all fairness the sensation was not horrible for us;-) we had a great time. It looks like all of the Royal carribean cruises are either booked up or not sailin in either ports close by... Any ideas why?!

[queenL]

We have sailed on nearly all the major lines, and have enjoyed our cruises on all of them. I agree with the previous poster about the shorter cruise. They provide a different experience then the longer ones typically do.

 

I think a good cruise can be had on any of the major lines. If pressed, I'd say I have a preference for Royal Caribbean. The Voyager, Freedom and Oasis class ships provide great cruising experiences for families. I also prefer newer ships. Whenever possible I like to sail ships within the first 5 yrs. That matters more to me than the line I sail on.

 

I see you are military. Carnival typically has really good military rates so don't forget to ask your TA about those.

[crusinmama06]

The Royal Caribbean cruises are all booked up because they are so popular ;) And you are right, they no longer sail from Galveston.

[crusinmama06]

The Royal Caribbean cruises are all booked up because they are so popular ;) And you are right, they no longer sail from Galveston.

 

Actually - I need to correct what I said - RCI is not sailing from Galveston for the Summer but Mariner and Navigator will be for Fall/Winter/Spring for 2012/2013/2014

[greenpillow]

Thanks guys! I am looking to put money down in a month or two. I seems like we might just give magic a try.. It would be a lie if I said I did not want to try the rope course ^_^ the DH is a loyal customer he really enjoyed the time we had on the Sensation and how much the kiddos loved it. He is not a fan of the long drive back to Florida :cool: I do not blame him. I think it is something I would like to try I love HUGE ships/buildings/rollercoasters.

[NoLandInSight!]

They are really expensive( I feel) but Disney cruise line is phenomenal for children and adults. I don't plan on cruising with them again because I can honestly take 2 or 3 cruises on other lines for the price of one Disney. However, my son and I sailed a 7 day with them when he was 9 and I had to beg him to spend time with me! The children's staff were so incredibly welcoming and made him really want to hang out with them. They have a ton of activities and they even have the children's program at their private island so if there's something you want to do alone like parasailing(that was fun) you can sign them in on the island and pick them up afterwards. The shows were spectacular. It IS Disney after all and they know how to put on a show. My son never likes the shows but he even enjoyed these. It was also fun having Mickey and Goofy aboard.There are plenty of adult only areas as well. Like I said, I had to beg him to hang out with me and I had a lot of adult time. They gave us a pager in case they needed to reach me.

If you don't want to spend the money for Disney or you are not a big Disney fan I think that any of the major lines have lots of activites for children and I agree with the recommendation of taking a week long cruise instead of a shorter one with regards to family. NCL didn't seem to have a lot going on but I haven't sailed with them since 2000.

Enjoy!

[crusinmama06]

NCL has changed dramatically since 2000. I didn't even like them in 2000 ;) I have changed my opinion after our Gem cruise.

[greenpillow]

They are really expensive( I feel) but Disney cruise line is phenomenal for children and adults. I don't plan on cruising with them again because I can honestly take 2 or 3 cruises on other lines for the price of one Disney. However, my son and I sailed a 7 day with them when he was 9 and I had to beg him to spend time with me! The children's staff were so incredibly welcoming and made him really want to hang out with them. They have a ton of activities and they even have the children's program at their private island so if there's something you want to do alone like parasailing(that was fun) you can sign them in on the island and pick them up afterwards. The shows were spectacular. It IS Disney after all and they know how to put on a show. My son never likes the shows but he even enjoyed these. It was also fun having Mickey and Goofy aboard.There are plenty of adult only areas as well. Like I said, I had to beg him to hang out with me and I had a lot of adult time. They gave us a pager in case they needed to reach me.

If you don't want to spend the money for Disney or you are not a big Disney fan I think that any of the major lines have lots of activites for children and I agree with the recommendation of taking a week long cruise instead of a shorter one with regards to family. NCL didn't seem to have a lot going on but I haven't sailed with them since 2000.

Enjoy!

 

Wow thanks for the great info! We love Disney^_^ I will look to see if there is room on the DCL.

[Prinycesa07]

We've only sailed carnival and Norwegian and carnival is my favorite by far (hence us going back to carnival in september!). We were disappointed with norwegian. Never tried Royal Carribean but really want to. Their prices just are never as good. Hopefully sometime soon though!

 

ANd we sailed out of New Orleans in 2008 and loved it. I just love New Orleans, i'd love to go back!

[legion3]

We were disappointed with norwegian. Never tried Royal Carribean but really want to. Their prices just are never as good. Hopefully sometime soon though!

 

 

This is the problem we face too. The price is not just a little more its often a lot more. $400 and usually more. Really want to do rccl but.

 

And we live in Florida and can drive to anyport in about 4 hours. $400 is a lot for a family of 4. I don't know how people cruise when they add on a long drive or what seems to be very expensive air fare these days? We looked at a cruise out of LA once and the airfare cost more than the cruise. :eek: no thanks

 

So far CC has been a hit with the kids and seems to be enough as they are still little.

[Prinycesa07]

Yeah, i agree. When we got married we sailed out of new orleans so we had to fly there. The flight cost more than the cruise! Now we only cruise out of NYC or Baltimore becuase they are a 6 hr drive from us. And yes Royal carribean is quite a bit more, at least a couple hundred more per person. With a family of 4 that absolutely adds up. And i'm very happy with Carnival so it doesnt matter to me. We're all more of a younger crowd (including my brother and sister and their girlfriend and boyfriend) who like to party a bit so carnival works for us. Also our kids are only 1 and 2 so they will love anything :)