Cruising with 5 kids - help choosing line and itinerary

[mill4023]

My wife and I took our first Caribbean cruise a little over a year ago.

We did the Eastern on the Ruby Princess and had an amazing time.

We didn't take the kids on that trip and we are now thinking about planning a cruise for the whole family.

While we loved Princess, we're thinking that another line might be better suited for a trip with kids.

So I'm looking for any advice I can get on which cruise line to go on, which ships are best for kids, and whether an Eastern or Western itinerary would be better for kids.

Our kids are 4, 8, 12, 15, and 17.

I may be able to get them to do some kids club type activities, but that kind of thing usually doesn't interest them. Things like water slides, swimming pools, and other non-organized activities and entertainment are of more interest.

 

From the research I've done, it seems most would pick Disney or RCI for families with kids. With 7 people and 2 staterooms, Disney is definitely not in our budget and from what I've found so far, RCI may not be either. I'm thinking we'd really need to keep it under 5k for a 7 night.

 

Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

[kitty9]

You can check into a balcony room for you and an inside cabin across the hall for the kids. But I'm not sure a four year old in a cabin with older kids is a good idea--a little too young, imho. Or to make it really cheap, you can get connecting inside cabins for the 7 of you, cabins with an inside door between both cabins. Inside cabins are really inexpensive and a great way to save money.

 

But the BEST advice I can give is for you to find a good local travel agent who will be able to find you the best deal for a family of 7. I don't think this will be easy with so many, and the restrictions on the age of the kids in a cabin (most lines require one adult to be in a cabin with kids under the age of 18), but they can give you the best suggestions as to what cabins would work with your budget.

[mill4023]

I forgot to mention that we need to have a balcony.

We were spoiled by our balcony cabin on Princess and my wife says she won't cruise without a balcony. :)

Getting a balcony room and an interior across the hall is definitely a possibility.

We would book one of the adults and 2 kids in the balcony and 1 adult and 3 kids in the interior.

But most likely, the wife and I would sleep in the balcony cabin with the 4 year old and maybe the 8 year old.

[Nebr.cruiser]

We took 7 grandkids on a cruise-5 day, plus two and a half days in Ft. Lauderdale on the Navigator of the Seas. They had a blast--no waterslide, but lots else to do. Rates were very affordable, but it was only 5 days.

 

Pricewise Carnival will probably be your best bet, also Norwegian. RCI does tend to cost more, but their ships have lots to do. We were able to do the trip for under $4000 for 2 adults and 7 kids, including air from Nebraska, hotels and misc. expenses. 3rd&4th persons in the staterooms had a really good rate on this cruise, plus it was in late January.

 

We had a family OV cabin and a balcony. They are raring to go again. We will when we find the right price and a time all can go.

[SMerritt]

With experience on four cruise lines and checking options to take grand children, we have so far decided on NCL (or Disney)

 

Parents say they never see their kids - the waterslides on the Epic are EPIC

[fritolayNY]

I forgot to mention that we need to have a balcony.

We were spoiled by our balcony cabin on Princess and my wife says she won't cruise without a balcony. :)

Getting a balcony room and an interior across the hall is definitely a possibility.

We would book one of the adults and 2 kids in the balcony and 1 adult and 3 kids in the interior.

But most likely, the wife and I would sleep in the balcony cabin with the 4 year old and maybe the 8 year old.

 

Try booking the other way. 4 in the balconey and 3 interior. For Carnival, anyway, I found this to be cheaper as a family of 5- 3 in balcony, 2 interior. As it brings down the price of the balcony. For NCL it may be better the other way.

 

Looking at the Breakaway myself, but it is expensive. Go Carnival for a cheaper price.

 

Where do you live? Can you drive to the port? We took a 7 day cruise out of Baltimore for the same price of a 4 day cruise with airfare out of Florida. Depends on where you live though.

[mill4023]

I had assumed it would be less to have the 7th person in the inside, but ill definitely try it both ways.

We are in NC, so we would be driving.

[mill4023]

Any advice on the good ports for kids?

 

We may look at excursions, but with our youngest being only 4 and being on a budget, it may be best to do something relaxing on our own, preferably near the port.

 

Thinking about the ports on our last cruise, Grand Turk and Princess Cays would have been great for the kids. St Maarten and St Thomas, not as much.

[Bonnie J.]

Best for your kids would be Carnival or RCCL. Once on Carnival's 2100 passenger ship,(but we had a LOT, more on her), the Fantasy, there were just under 1,000 kids! We never really saw any! Carnival has become a good family cruise line and they even have babysitting until 3AM,for 2-11 year olds-- for a fee! It is a slumber party, not in your cabin.

Rccl also has a good kids program.

When we were on Princess I was surprised that their kid's hours were 9-12 then 2-5. It was not all day. And there weren't many kids on board.

If you're in NC (as we are on the coast) think about Carnival's Fantasy which sails out of Charleston, SC, an easy drive. They do 5 day cruises to Nassau & Freeport and some 7 days to Key West, Grand Turk anfd Half Moon Cay -Carnival's fantastic island that even has an informaiton booth just for their own island.

We have been on the Fantasy MANY times and can answer any questions about her!

[sail7seas]

Your criteria may limit your choices.

You cannot simply put 4 persons in every cabin.

Some have a limit of double occupancy, triple and some permit four and more but you cannot assume you automatically can put three or four people in every cabin.

 

Budget, of course, also limits choices but there are some very good 'deals' out there these days.

 

Perhaps consult with a TA. Let them find some choices for you if you don't feel very experienced at doing the research. If you have access to a good cruise TA, they might be very helpful in your research.

[Doug S]

Wow. I am thinking if I was taking 5 kiddos from age 4 up on a cruise the main criteria would be that it had good bar for dear old Dad. :D We cruised many times with our 3 boys and they were a bit older. They were very good kids, but it was still a bit like herding cats at times just with our 3...

 

Cabin arrangements could be an issue with 4/3 in rooms, so I'd defer to a good TA or RCL on what's allowed there. But my guys always liked the youth activities and social interaction on RCL.

 

Good luck & Enjoy...

[mill4023]

I know a cruise with 5 kids sounds like a lot of work, but its really only the 4 year old we will have to be "herding". :)

The 3 in the middle are all girls, so they will be sticking together most of the time.

 

Ill definitely talk to a TA. Getting multiple cabins does make it more complicated.

 

I've looked at the Fantasy since a 3 hour drive to the port would definitely be nice. But I don't see any listings for balcony cabins and the suite prices are high enough that it seems it would need up being more expensive than one of the options on a bigger newer ship out of Florida.

[ColS2013]

Most of the cruise lines are really family friendly and your children would have a great time. We just went on the Carnival Conquest. It was a Western Caribbean cruise - the ports of call were Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Montego Bay - departing out of New Orleans. It was a wonderful cruise. It is a smaller ship, so not like some of RCL's Mega ships. However, they had a great pool area with a slide that my kids just loved. My kids are not really into the 'kids club' thing either, but they met some wonderful kids on board and they had a great time. There were kids of all ages on board and there was plenty for them to do. Because it is Carnival you will be able to get some great deals - especially this far out and if you book under the easy saver rate you will have price protection on your rate in case it drops in price. There are many people that cruise with 5+ in their group - it is a great way to travel. You can either get two balcony cabins side by side - or perhaps a balcony with an inside cabin adjacent. They have quad rooms, so you could have 4 people in one and 3 in the other. There are also connecting rooms available - which would be a great option as well.