Opinions requested for family cruise

[CaribbeanAmphibian]

Hello fellow CC'ers, I've been tasked to research cruises for a Thanksgiving week family cruise and I have narrowed down the options to 3 ships. I'm trying to decide which on will be the best for everyone. There will be 8 people total, from age 5 to 65 (only two actual kids 5 & 7 but 4 of the older ones act like kids). I'm trying to decide this based upon the ship since we really don't care about where we go we just want to go. The ships are NCL Dawn, Carnival Dream and Splendor of the Seas. All of these leave from New Orleans since it is an easy drive for us to get there. The only big difference in the three ships is that the Dawn goes to one more port. I've read that both the Dream and SotS have water slides and good kids programs but I am wondering about the Dawn. All I can see is that they have a separate kids pool with some small slides. Does anyone have any suggestions as to why one of these would be better then the other.

 

Thanks in advance everyone.

[CaribbeanAmphibian]

I'm sorry I made a mistake it is the Serenade of the Seas not Splendor

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I really like Serenade of the Seas- it was my favorite of the RCI ships I have sailed. Do not base the cruise around their waterslide though. It is not available to adults at all and has limited (unconvenient) hours.

 

I haven't sailed Norwegian Dawn or Carnival Dream so can't comment. I know the Dream is newer and it probably has more bells and whistles (pools, etc.) since it is a newer, larger ship. The Dream sounds like the best bet for your group.

[katyjeka]

Our favorite cruise to date was 12 nights on the Dawn. We booked against our travel agents advice and so glad we did. Three of our dd's joined us on the cruise and they still talk about it, years later. The staff was fantastic, and we love the layout of the ship. They do have a kids pool, and yes it has small slides, but keep in mind the larger slides are not open as often as your may think. We've been on the Dream, and the slides were closed more than open. The ship was nice, but so hectic. Lines everywhere. We find NCL cruises more relaxing. Please keep in mind this is just the opinion of my family. We love NCL, anytime dining(which they have perfected), blue lagoon, and the size of most of their ships. We are very comfortable on ships around 90,000 ton for some reason. I will add, we've never had a "terrible" cruise, but we have enjoyed some more than others. I'd take a bad day at sea over a normal work day, anyday!!! Have a great trip.

[#1TravelMom]

We have been on all 3 ships. We have a DD now 9. I would choose the Dream. It has the most to do - IMHO and feels the least crowded. I think the Dream has the best food and entertainment of the 3 ships.

[CaribbeanAmphibian]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I think I've narrowed this down to the Dawn or Dream. I like the SotS with RCI but I'm not thrilled with the ports or the fact that it leaves on the 22nd and not the 23rd.

 

So now I've been tasked by the DW to find out everything possible about the kids programs. This will be the first time that we will be able to actually leave our kids in the program and have some time on the ship without them.

Does anyone know a place that has decent pictures of the kids clubs for either ship. I've found a few for the Dream but not as much for the Dawn. Also any recent kids club activity guides would be a great thing as well.

 

Thanks,

[katyjeka]

Just wanted to add, the Dawn has Blue Lagoon. So often overlooked but we all love the food. The cheese sticks, wings, and potato skins are the best and no extra fee!!!!

[20165]

we have been on dream and Epic, another NCL ship, over the last couple of thanksgivings and if it came down to picking one line over the other, NCL wins hands down for us over carnival. now, the epic is a much different ship than Dawn, but the service, ship layout, and activities were much better on NCL. Also, if your not accustomed to sailing over thanksgiving, know the ships are going to be at capacity and I didn't feel that Dream was laid out well enough to handle the crowds. Both ships are going to be very crowded so I would research how well Dawn is during peak cruise weeks like thanksgiving.

thx

[KITKAT0229]

We've been on Serenade twice pre-revitalization. Royal Caribbean probably has the best mix of elegance for adults and activities for kids. I've never been on NCL though. We enjoyed the Carnival Magic (similar to the Dream) but prefer Royal Caribbean overall.

 

Maybe drive to Galveston instead and go on Navigator of the Seas? This ship is currently in dry dock and is getting a flow rider among other things. It also has an ice skating rink, royal promenade with parades and parties, rock wall, mini golf, etc. We've also been on Voyager once (similar to Navigator) and would have to say Voyager is our favorite...

[croozymooner]

We did not like the dawn at all. Poor layout, not enough public areas, too crowded, poor food quality. The only good thing about that ship was the cabin. And the staff were pretty good too.

[katyjeka]

It's funny how one can love a ship and another person not. It's a good thing there are so many to fit everyone's needs. The Dawn was easy to get around and we found the layout very convenient. It remains our favorite cruise to date. We are wing people and loved them at the Blue Lagoon. Whatever you choose, have a great time.