New to cruising...need help :)

[jftb0178]

Hello!! I'm so excited to plan my first cruise, however there are so many options I honestly don't know what to pick!! lol! It will just be myself and my 11 year old son going...we are looking to cruise in April or May, and I could use some experienced help deciding :)

 

First off, what line and what boat!! Holy choices batman! :p I was trying to decide between Carnival or Royal. I have heard that Royal is better than Carinval...but is Carinval so bad that we won't enjoy it? I am a single mother and will be on a relatively restricted budget. We want the most bang for our buck, and want to have an enjoyable experience...but don't necessarily need fancy either. If however Royal is the way to go then I'm sure we will find one that fits into our budget :)

 

My son is very active and would like a ship that has anything and everything (including an ice rink because apparently he doesn't get enough of hockey all winter lol!)...but if there is no ice rink that is not a deal breaker...swimming pools, water slides, great shows, family activities and kids activities would be great...and a decent spa for a massage and a pedicure for me would be nice as well :D yummy food is something that we would enjoy as well. I'm not too worried about the cabins...we will be going for an inside cabin...but any tips on that would be great too!

 

As far as the ports go...I haven't been anywhere but Florida before so any of it I'm sure will be an amazing experience. We went to Clearwater Beach a couple of years ago an loved it! We are pretty easy to please :)We are looking at the Caribbean though (again don't know if east or west is better lol). I'm not looking for too much in the way of excursions...just to go and lie on a beach would be fantastic. Anybody have any thoughts on the beaches at some of the ports? Or other things that might interest an 11 year old boy...because I know shopping won't lol!

 

Thanks so much in advance for any tips or tricks :) I appreciate any info you have to offer!!

 

JS

[boulders]

All of the cruise ships I've been on have had decent spas - they're run by the same company, so no worries there. Royal Caribbean ships don't have waterslides - except for ones for very little kids , some of them do have Flowriders or ice rinks or ziplines. The more bells and whistles the ship has, the more expensive it will be.

 

Newer ships will have bigger inside staterooms. Inside staterooms are the best bang for the buck, IMO. Everyone gets the same amenities, so why not save on the stateroom? We cruised for 24 days this past summer with 4 of us in an inside. :D We all survived and had a good time.

 

Your son may wish to hang out in the kids club. Eleven is a transition age. Check out what age group he would be in for each cruiseline or ship. On Royal Caribbean and Carnival, he'd be with 9-11 year olds. On Disney, he'd be with 11-14 year olds.

 

If he's anything like my son, he'd love an arcade - Disney and Royal Caribbean have the best arcades. Carnival and Princess arcades are not good.

 

Re: Carnival. I took my kids (ds13, dd10, ds3) on one Carnival cruise. They asked me not to do that again.

 

If you haven't been on a cruise before, both east and west are worthwhile. West will go to Mexico and I liked visiting the Mayan ruins - it gets hot though. West may also visit Jamaica which seems to be nobody's favorite. East will have nicer beaches and shopping. So, it sounds like you would probably like East better. The private islands would be very nice to visit as well. See this page for more info.

 

As a single mom, I've found cruising to be a great vacation! Have fun with your decision.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

If you are thinking about a Caribbean cruise, in April and May your choices are going to be very limited.

Most of the ships leave the Caribbean to head to Alaska, Europe and a few Canada/New England cruises.

[tak81288]

Honestly, one really isn't better than the other. Some people prefer Carnival, some people prefer Royal and some sail both. It really just boils down to personal preference. Both will have activities that you and your son will enjoy and are geared to attract families. As a first timer, you won't have anything to compare things to. After your first cruise or so, it is easier to know what you your likes and dislikes are and then you can plan future cruises accordingly.

 

It looks like you already have budget, so I would pretty much pick any cruise that falls within your budget (seriously). As far as the Carribbean, you will find great beaches on any island. Again, some people prefer West. Some prefer East. One is not really better than the other. I have done both sides and I don't really prefer one over the other. There have been islands on both sides that I liked and some I didn't like as much so it is about even (just my opinion though).

 

As far as activities, it really just depends on what your son is into. If you guys are fine with going to the beach on every island, that is fairly easy (and inexpensive) to do. If he is really active, then he may like things such has zipling, horseback riding, snorkeling, cave tubing excursions, swimming with dolphins, visiting forts, ruins...etc...Again, just depends on what you/he would like to try and what each of your islands has to offer.

 

One way to see which you think would be a "best" fit for you would just to visit the cruiseline websites themselves. Look at some of their pictures, see what they have to offer, what price/date you thinks will work. They also will give you a list of excursions they offer on each island. Even if you don't book the excursions, it is always nice to at least look and get ideas of things you can do besides visit the beach and shop. This may help you decide what side to choose too. If one itinerary looks more interesting based on the activities you/he wants to do in port, then I would go with that one.

 

Good luck!

[Sheffie]

Also realize that the prices of the spa and a pedicure are more on the ship than what you would pay at home.

[luddite]

Cruise Critic will be a terrific resource for you. There is no substitute for research.

[lawblond7]

We went on our first cruise in August 2011 - my boys at the time were 14,14 & 18 - it was just me and the boys (it was one of the twins Make A Wish Trip). We did a Royal Caribbean cruise out of Rome. My boys loved Royal and I barely saw them except for dinner and when we left the ship and of course to sleep. The twins loved the activities on Royal and funny you mention Canada and hockey playing as several of the other teens they met on the ship were from Canada and played hockey and actually brought their own skates for the cruise. The arcade, etc kept them busy but again the arcade is expensive and now I know to limit what they boys can charge on their Seapass cards :) :D

 

This summer we are going back to Europe to crusie for my 50th and I planned to do Royal again - my boys will now be 16,16 & 20 but instead we are doing Celebrity - mainly cause the itinerary fits better for what we want.

 

My boys are still in touch with the kids they met on the ship and most are not from the US - but today with social media and skype they stay in touch - which is pretty cool.

 

As a single mom I will tell you that the cruise was like the first vacation I had in a long time that actually felt like a vacation. I have not been able to sit by a pool or on the deck and read or relax - it was amazing. I think i read more than 10 books in 7 days. I actually came back from a vacation relaxed it was WONDERFUL.

 

Sharon

[jftb0178]

Thanks so much to everyone for responding! This website seems to be a fantastic resource!!

 

boulders - we are leaning towards a Royal Caribbean cruise...but do you know what it was about Carnival that your kids didn't enjoy?

 

I am looking at Freedom of the Seas from Port Canaveral in May, any thoughts....

 

Thanks again everyone!!! This is amazing :D And I'm soooo excited!!!

[wb3690]

Hi! We just took a Carnival Cruise in January with our two boys aged 16 and 9. They loved everything we did. Well I think the 16 year old would have been happier if I said adios for the week and let him do whatever he wanted but he had alot of fun and really made some good friends on the cruise. He was skyping with a few of them the other day and they live in Canada, we live in Florida. Anyway my 9 year old had a blast....he loved the Waterparks and loved Camp Carnival. It was our first cruise so they had nothing to compare it to, but we're planning another cruise next year if that tells you how much they had fun!

[jftb0178]

Hi! We just took a Carnival Cruise in January with our two boys aged 16 and 9. They loved everything we did. Well I think the 16 year old would have been happier if I said adios for the week and let him do whatever he wanted but he had alot of fun and really made some good friends on the cruise. He was skyping with a few of them the other day and they live in Canada, we live in Florida. Anyway my 9 year old had a blast....he loved the Waterparks and loved Camp Carnival. It was our first cruise so they had nothing to compare it to, but we're planning another cruise next year if that tells you how much they had fun!

Hi Amy, thanks for your response :)

Which Carnival cruise did you guys take? How was the food? Was it nice and clean, and friendly staff? Did the boys enjoy the port stops?

Thanks!

[KirkNC]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

[Kryssa]

Hi jftb,

 

I have cruised all the mass-market family lines and I would try either a Carnival newer ship (Dream, Breeze, Magic) or one of the large Royal Caribbean ships (Oasis, Allure, Freedom, Liberty, or Independence.) We also cruised NCL and felt it wasn't worth trying again.

 

My family didn't think we'd ever go on a Carnival cruise because of the mixed reviews, but we got a great deal ($649 balcony) on the Dream so we went last year and had a great time.

 

Yes, it was packed and there were a lot of kids, but that might be a plus for your son if he is looking to make friends. The waterslides are great! The food was better than we expected- don't miss the hidden pasta bar upstairs from the buffet. They custom make your pasta dishes to order!

 

We also love Royal. There are more "extreme" activities- rock wall, flowrider (surfing) and ice rink. Love the water show on Oasis/Allure!

 

However, if you are very budget conscious and easy going and you don't mind a ship with a lot of kids, go for the best deal you can find. Really you can't go wrong with any other ships I mentioned in the first paragraph. I think the ship you book on is more important than the cruise line. You want something newer with the bells and whistles your son would enjoy. I would not book an older, smaller, Carnival ship.

 

Have fun!

[jdvmd]

I think Carnival is a great option if you haven't been on a cruise before. You have nothing to compare it to. It would also be more budget friendly.

[marshhawk]

Well you are asking for a cruise that is happening while school here is still in session, so there will be less kids, but that doesn't mean that Camp wouldn't happen, It does just with a smaller group. You want fun and you are on a budget, I'd go with Carnival, and I would choose a cruise that is shore intensive, rather than the days at sea. This way you and your son can get in on some shore excursions, and see things that you wouldn't do on your own. But if it's beach you want, I'd look at the Fascination for Half Moon Cay and Nassau for a 5 day, or the Legend out of Tampa for a 7 day. BEACHES, BEACHES. You dont go on a vacation to do what you do at home, you go to try new things.