Kids club question: which line to choose?

[jimandami]

Hi all! We have decided to go on our first cruise next fall with another family, and we are having a hard time deciding which cruise line/ship to choose. We are looking at Oasis/Allure, Epic, or Disney Fantasy. We all actually like the look and price of the RCI/NCL ships but we are concerned about the kids club situation. We each have a DD and a DS. My DD will be 5 1/2 but theirs will have already turned 6 at the time of the cruise. My DS will be 10, but theirs will still be 8 at the time of the cruise. The kids are good friends and we don't see the point in taking them on a cruise if they cannot go into the kids clubs together and enjoy the activities. Is there any alternative for us other than Disney? We know the Fantasy is a great ship but obviously it's much more expensive and the pool situation is not great!!

 

Thanks so much!!

[boulders]

Hi all! We have decided to go on our first cruise next fall with another family, and we are having a hard time deciding which cruise line/ship to choose. We are looking at Oasis/Allure, Epic, or Disney Fantasy. We all actually like the look and price of the RCI/NCL ships but we are concerned about the kids club situation. We each have a DD and a DS. My DD will be 5 1/2 but theirs will have already turned 6 at the time of the cruise. My DS will be 10, but theirs will still be 8 at the time of the cruise. The kids are good friends and we don't see the point in taking them on a cruise if they cannot go into the kids clubs together and enjoy the activities. Is there any alternative for us other than Disney? We know the Fantasy is a great ship but obviously it's much more expensive and the pool situation is not great!!

 

Thanks so much!!

 

Sometimes Royal Caribbean will allow kids to move between age groups, but there is no guarantee until you get on the ship. If having all the kids together is a must, choose Disney. If having the girls together and the boys together is a possibility, HAL and Princess would also work. Both HAL and Princess have age groups that are 3-7 and 8-11. NCL and Carnival have age groups similar to Royal Caribbean.

 

ETA: On our HAL cruise, the two age groups were frequently combined.

[cb at sea]

I think you'll find that most cruisers with kids prefer either NCL or RCI over Disney's kids clubs.

 

And it's true....they do sometimes combine age groups...and it's not like they'll be in the clubs 24/7...there will be ample together time! Activities for the 6 year old would bore the older kids to tears....so don't worry about splitting them up for a couple hours a day!

[#1TravelMom]

I would suggest that the kids club age group concern not be the deciding factor. We've been on 35+/- cruises. We have a 23 yr old DD and a 8 yr old DD - all of our cruises except one have been with children. We often go with a group. Inevitably, someone is upset ahead of time because their children or cousins or friends, etc. will not be in the same age group. The kids always end up in their own age group and have tons of fun. My DD 8 always makes friends and has a great time even though she'd love to be in the same group as other kids traveling with us. They will still have LOTS of time to spend together - at the beach, during meals, playing minigolf, swimming, waterslides, etc.

 

We LOVE the Epic and have our third cruise on this ship booked for fall. So much to offer for every age and FABULOUS entertainment.

[chipmaster]

As to clubs, unless its lightly subscribed dont' expect them to make any exceptions to age, and also near impossible to cheat as when you check in they require documentation for the most part.

 

I've sailed a few where I would have loved my kids to be togather, the older seperated by two years. What I found, it is a good experience for a bit of seperation. You always have pool time, meal time, moves, shows etc. for bonding, sometimes nice and good experience to go seperate ways too.

 

As to what is best; Disney has some nice perks, but almost all major lines IMHO are decent enough. I'd pick the cruise that has the ports/schedule and budget that meet your vacation needs as the most important factor. All other things being equal probably do Disney, RCL then Princess as my personal preference.

[jimandami]

Thank you all for your replies! We aren't concerned about them all being together, but would at least like the girls to be in the same club as they are only 6 months apart and I know they will not understand being separated. We haven't looked at Princess or HAL but that might be an option. Thanks again everyone!