BIG Family (14 people) Vacation HELP!!

[tgnorton]

My parents (70's) are taking their children and grandchildren on a cruise together for 50th anniversary.

 

8 adults (late 30's-early 70's), 6 kids (8 - 17).

 

Just don't know which cruise lines to consider.

 

Need to go from US port, last week of May at earliest (due to school schedules). Prefer not Alaskan cruise.

 

My concerns:

- Enough to do for everyone on board - adults and kids of all the different ages

- Don't want the kids stuck in an "arts & crafts kiddy club" that really has nothing to do --> like they give the kids crayons and paper for 3 hours.

- Good food

- Adult Only activities and dining options

 

Please help!!

 

My parents have cruised a lot (Royal Carribean) and my sister has cruised a lot on Disney.

[crusinmama06]

If your parents have "cruised RCI a lot" and they seem to be paying (maybe not - it just seems to be written that way).

 

Then let them take advantage of their C&A discounts and go on RCI. ;)

 

Adventure Ocean could never be considered "full of arts & crafts".

[tgnorton]

Hi, yes, theyare paying but they said they want to do what's best for the family. Seems like RCI has lots of activities for all ages, but do want to make sure that it's not just the "brochure" talking. LOL!

 

My other sister and I have no cruise experience so relying on Mom & Dad (RCI) and middle sister (Disney) opinions.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Never been on a RC ship, but it seems from the list of activities I've seen, that it's far from a crayon fest in the kids' area. And many of the cruiselines (at least I know on Carnival and Princess), have kids' dinners from time to time, so that the parents can have dinner on their own.

 

Maybe you should contact a "cruise specialist" and let a knowledgeable TA help you narrow down your options in cruise ships and cabins.

 

One word of advise with a large group, even a family: decide whether everyone will be joined at the hip for the cruise. Sometimes discussing this before the cruise can help avoid any misunderstandings or misgivings. That it's all right if a couple goes on their own for activities, meals, even a port trip if they want some "alone time."

[oneluvablepest]

My parents (70's) are taking their children and grandchildren on a cruise together for 50th anniversary.

 

8 adults (late 30's-early 70's), 6 kids (8 - 17).

 

Just don't know which cruise lines to consider.

 

Need to go from US port, last week of May at earliest (due to school schedules). Prefer not Alaskan cruise.

 

My concerns:

- Enough to do for everyone on board - adults and kids of all the different ages

- Don't want the kids stuck in an "arts & crafts kiddy club" that really has nothing to do --> like they give the kids crayons and paper for 3 hours.

- Good food

- Adult Only activities and dining options

 

Please help!!

 

My parents have cruised a lot (Royal Carribean) and my sister has cruised a lot on Disney.

Just got back for my 50th Birthday... I would without a doubt suggest Carnival Paradise out of Tampa perfect for the WHOLE family LOTS to do all day all night we had a blast ! staff was amazing, food terrific ! there are things broken down in kid groups and teen groups and they all seemed really decent ! and dont forget BINGO hahaha !

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Just out of curiosity why are you opposed to Alaska cruises? They are one of the best cruises in my opinion for kids.

 

We also did Bermuda and really enjoyed that. I liked that we were docked there for several days and the island is beautiful and you don't get hassled by the locals. The Bermudians are wonderful people.

 

If your parents are planning it and they like Royal- stick with Royal. It certainly will be a great cruise for all the age groups mentioned. The Adventure Ocean is one of the best youth programs. The kids are active and they aren't just coloring that's for sure.

 

My personal favorite cruise line is Celebrity though and they also have a great youth program (similar to Adventure Ocean on RCI). The ships tend to be less crowded and the vibe is a bit more sophisticated on Celebrity without being stuffy. They ships have several dining options other than the MDR- my favorite is Qsine, which is a tapas style restaurant that is fun and whimsical.

[charlies_mom]

Go big. The hardest to please will be the teenagers, I think. Find a ship with a teen only disco and teen favorite sports activities. We have done RCI Freedom class twice. If you aren't happy surfing, ice skating, swimming, rock wall climbing, etc... you are tough to please :-)

[sailinglisa]

Another vote for Royal Caribbean and their Freedom and Voyager class ships. Adult only solarium and pool, lots of activities for the kids and teens, including ice skating, mini golf, rock wall climbing, flow rider, basketball, etc. Adventure Ocean involves a lot of activities, they may have or two art type activities but usually those are the the littler ones when they need some down time.

[Keith1010]

I would take a look at three lines.

 

Celebrity, RCI and Princess.

 

Keith

[dcdiva]

Another vote for Royal Caribbean. I've done several "multi-generation" family trips and they seem to have something for everyone. We picked a Voyager class ship since the older crowd preferred a more "mid-sized" ship (LOL!). But the bigger ships, no matter what line you choose, might offer more varied activiites, especially for the older kids.

[cb at sea]

Any of your choices will give you a great vacation!

[tikcho]

My personal choice would be Celebrity, #2 Princess. We usually go with big family and friends groups of all ages and these cruise lines always come through for us. I have to say that I am disappointed by RCI (personal opinion) because service level and food are really lower quality than many others and they feel that by adding bells and whistles like zip lines, etc they make up for that. Celebrity has great kids clubs for all ages, definitely not arts and craft, they tend to have less kids in general but pay a lot more attention to them. Food is amazing and the Solstice-class ships are awesome and lots to do for everyone. May is a bit touch because most cruise lines except Carnival and RCI send their ships to Europe in April/early May so you may be hard press on choices. Bermuda is an option though in May it will be pretty chilly there (not chilly but not beachy either). It is not a Caribbean island and if beach is not a big draw for you then I'd highly recommend it but if you want beach it may be cold in May.