Which cruise line for kids?

[lials1981]

I'm stuck between the following ships... Carnival Vista, Norweigian Epic, P&O Azura or one of the Royal Caribbean fleet..

 

Our kids are aged 2, 9, 14 and 16.

 

What do you recommend???

 

Thanks!

[kitkat343]

How do you feel about a kids club for your two year old? Is it a must have, a nice option, or something you would be unlikely to use?

[lials1981]

Must have :)

[Cruise a holic]

having sailed on many, I think Royal caribbean wins hands down! Try either the freedom or oasis class ships. The ships have many activites "from the cradle to the grave"

 

Disney is great for the under 10 crowd, and those who are Disney folks. Trying NCL for the first time this summer, but IMO has a hard act to follow. For Adults and older teens I would suggest Celebrity. Princess caters to an older crowd and Carnival not great overall.

We have no experience with P and O.

Enjoy your cruise!

Edited June 24, 2015 by Cruise a holic

[lials1981]

Thank you!!!

[Pluto_fan]

On NCL and RCCL, I believe the drop-off kids' programs start at age 3. There are activities for younger kids that require parent participation. Not sure on the other two.

 

Happy cruising! :)

[RSLeesburg]

Must have :)

 

 

The Freedom or Oasis class ships have the most for that wide range of ages, and both classes have nursery for 6 - 36 months (fee-based drop off).

[HawksFan74]

Camp Carnival starts at age 2 and is free before 10 pm.

[kitkat343]

Newer (and recently refurbished) Royal Caribbean ships will all have a fee based nursery as will all Disney ships. The Norwegian Escape ( http://escape.ncl.com/the_Ship/family-areas ) appears to be the first ship from NCL that will also offer a nursery. My 3 year old really liked the kids club on Princess and NCL, so those might be good options for your family in a year.

 

Both P&O and Carnival will allow 2 year olds in the drop off programs, and Carnival does not require the children to be potty trained to use their kids club program. P&O limits the number of children in their kids club based upon who signs up first ( https://www.pocruises.com.au/NewToCruising/Pages/Kids-Clubs.aspx ) so you might want to post on their board to see if people have trouble using the kids club. Similarly, the RC and Disney nurseries limit the number of hours people can sign up for initially, so you might want to post in those forums to see if people have difficulty signing up for extra hours. Or hopefully someone here can answer those questions, as they are my primary concern in terms of booking cruises for the next few years. I think you would have maximum flexibility with Carnival's kids club program, but assuming the P&O, RC and Disney aren't filled with kids (and I believe Disney limits the number of children in each age group so the kids clubs aren't overwhelmed and they don't have to turn away angry parents) you would also be fine with them. Please also note that Cunard also allows 2 year olds to participate in drop off kids club programs.

 

Disney is generally substantially more expensive, and their kids club has a very large age range, which depending upon your children's temperament and interests, can be either a positive or negative attribute.

Edited June 24, 2015 by kitkat343

[SadieN]

Vista is the newest ship. She'll be sailing the Med this Spring. She has a sticky in the Carnival board. Our kids always had a great time on Carnival. As stated before Carnival's kids club starts at two.

[Cruisin' Chick]

My daughter's first few cruises were on Carnival and she loved the kids' program. She was 23 months of age on her first cruise, so a month too young to join it. (cruise lines tend to be strict about ages...and you have to show their birth certificates so they'll know the DOB) But at age 3 and 4, she couldn't wait to go to the kids' room every morning.

 

Your two-year-old won't be able to go in the pools (unless the Vista has a special splash area for toddlers) even with a swim diaper. But certainly doesn't need to be potty trained for the kids' program (you'll need to supply the diapers and other supplies...and you might need to be available via pager).