Princess for families

[kaycee17]

Two summers ago, our family, me, DH, DS and DD, took a Disney cruise to Alaska. We absolutely loved it. I really wanted to do Disney for Northern Europe, but after looking at itineraries and prices, we can't justify Disney. We are currently deciding between Royal Caribbean and Princess. We like the Princess itinerary better (Oslo, Norway instead of Riga, Latvia) and the price and room is better, but I have concerns about the ship (the Regal - it is ginormous!) as well as the Princess line itself. It seems like Princess is geared towards the older crowd and not so much towards families. I don't doubt we will have a wonderful time on either - we will make our own fun and our trip will be more about the sites than the ship. However, it would ease my mind in choosing Princess, which has one more at sea day than Royal Caribbean, to hear about how families spend their time onboard, especially as we will be in Northern Europe and it likely won't be warm enough for the pools. I know it won't be Disney, and I'd like to have appropriate expectations. For reference, my kids are 8 and 10.

[shredie]

My grandchildren (currently nine yr old) love princess and the kids' club.

[OCruisers]

No problem! Princess has a very good program for children. :)

[Thrak]

While I always hear about people who's children and grandchildren love Princess you will need to be aware that it won't be anything like Disney. Nor will it be like many other cruise lines. There are no rock climbing walls, water slides, etc. on Princess.

 

If you have kids who will be OK without those things they may well love the Kids Program on Princess. Like I said, I've read many posts where people say their kids love the program.

[notentirelynormal]

While I always hear about people who's children and grandchildren love Princess you will need to be aware that it won't be anything like Disney. Nor will it be like many other cruise lines. There are no rock climbing walls, water slides, etc. on Princess.

 

If you have kids who will be OK without those things they may well love the Kids Program on Princess. Like I said, I've read many posts where people say their kids love the program.

 

My kids and grandkids love Princess. I agree, if it is climbing, skating or whatever that your kids need to be happy then Princess is not for you. Princess doesn't have that but they do have plenty for kids to do with and without you. If you are like us, spending time talking, playing and being together at home and at play, then it works. That said, Princess has an excellent children program. It is not an "older people" line as it does cater to families.

[Eppe4]

Two summers ago, our family, me, DH, DS and DD, took a Disney cruise to Alaska. We absolutely loved it. I really wanted to do Disney for Northern Europe, but after looking at itineraries and prices, we can't justify Disney. We are currently deciding between Royal Caribbean and Princess. We like the Princess itinerary better (Oslo, Norway instead of Riga, Latvia) and the price and room is better, but I have concerns about the ship (the Regal - it is ginormous!) as well as the Princess line itself. It seems like Princess is geared towards the older crowd and not so much towards families. I don't doubt we will have a wonderful time on either - we will make our own fun and our trip will be more about the sites than the ship. However, it would ease my mind in choosing Princess, which has one more at sea day than Royal Caribbean, to hear about how families spend their time onboard, especially as we will be in Northern Europe and it likely won't be warm enough for the pools. I know it won't be Disney, and I'd like to have appropriate expectations. For reference, my kids are 8 and 10.

 

We've taken our grandson's on 3 Thanksgiving cruises and they love Princess As long as you're traveling over the summer when school is out, there will be many other children and Princess does a wonderful job with their kids clubs. I would not take our grandson's on the shoulder but summer in Alaska or summer in Europe should be fine.

[jennybenny]

While I always hear about people who's children and grandchildren love Princess you will need to be aware that it won't be anything like Disney. Nor will it be like many other cruise lines. There are no rock climbing walls, water slides, etc. on Princess.

 

If you have kids who will be OK without those things they may well love the Kids Program on Princess. Like I said, I've read many posts where people say their kids love the program.

 

Excellent point!! Yes, my kids have been on a Disney cruise and loved it, but as a family of 4 it's costly to cruise on Disney so we have not splurged again. We consistently cruise on Princess. My 12 and 8 year old love it. They have never not had a good time. It's not as ritzy as RCL with their rock climbing walls and other activities, but my kids enjoy the low key nature of Princess. They are both full time competitive soccer kids so our schedule leaves few openings for vacations.

 

I think Princess does an excellent job, but if the kids are "used to Disney" they might not like Princess. RCL, might be more their style. If they don't need that, then Princess does an amazing job with their kids clubs.

[TNTLAMB]

It really depends on the family. Our grand kids love it as did their parents when they were that age. The kids programs are wonderful. But again your family style makes the difference. Our family is VERY happy hanging at the pools on the shore excursions together etc. maybe a movie and the ship activities and dining. The kids also manage to make their own fun. (most of ours are ranch kids)

 

Don't count out the pools The sun in the northern hemisphere is brutal not to mention the days long. There is a lot going on the Regal and some pretty cool things. Our kids were in love with fountain/light shows, and we could hardly keep them out of the Sea View Bar. They were in love with the on demand movies and MUTTS (TV for us is a treat however)

 

There are other families where the adults are essentially activity directors providing non stop entertainment and activities for kids not only at home but especially on vacation where the parents main role is to swipe the credit card. Those families will not do quite as well on a princess cruise. But with the itinerary your on with 9 an 10 year olds that extra sea day may be a blessing.

[TNTLAMB]

Speaking of the RCC waterslides etc you do swipe the cc a lot...... Especially the flow rider if you can handle the lines

[notentirelynormal]

I think Princess does an excellent job, but if the kids are "used to Disney" they might not like Princess. RCL, might be more their style. If they don't need that, then Princess does an amazing job with their kids clubs.

 

My DD and family and Disneyland crazy. While they have never been on a Disney cruise they have been on many Princess cruises. My DGS will be 11 on his next cruise as a Platinum. Both grandkids are very excited to be on the ship again. He looks forward to the magician and singing stuff. She looks forward to everything LOL.

[notentirelynormal]

dup

Edited February 18, 2016 by notentirelynormal

[cruisenshop]

My teenage daughter and I were on the royal princess for a Baltic cruise out of Copenhagen two summers ago. The children's and teen areas on the ship were some of the nicest, most high tech, and interesting I've seen. My daughter was 16 at the time and had no complaints about the activities of the staff. I was worried as well, we cruise a lot and she's always preferred Rccl and carnival kids camps/clubs. She had a blast and made lifelong friends.

Princess movies under the stars can't be beat for family entertainment. We also were on the ship for Fifa World Cup and enjoyed watching soccer in the various areas of the ship with many Europeans. Very fun. Lots of kids.

No pool time on our cruise, it was simply too cold for us.

Princess does attract an older customer. But so does this itinerary. I chose princess because I wanted to be on the new ship and the Rccl ship doing a similar itinerary was old and had somewhat bad reviews. We met some of the Rccl passengers on shared shore ex and they complained about their ship, food and entertainment. They were jealous. Im sorry I can't recall the ship they were on.

Finally, we had a very active itinerary . Early mornings , late nights. Because my daughter is a teen, she would go to the teen area late evening. She did not engage in activities on this cruise as much as she would regularly. I'm not sure of your exact itinerary or the stamina level of your children, but you might take this into consideration.

[easyboy]

My grandkids (5, 7 & 10 y/o) does not get bored on Princess. They have also sailed on RCL.

[mjmalino]

My kids LOVE Princess! My older son will be 18 on our upcoming cruise, so he will not be able to utilize the teen center, which is sad, because my kids have always enjoyed the kids camps on Princess. When not in camp, the enjoy the pools and MUTS.

[Cuizer2]

Two summers ago, our family, me, DH, DS and DD, took a Disney cruise to Alaska. We absolutely loved it. I really wanted to do Disney for Northern Europe, but after looking at itineraries and prices, we can't justify Disney. We are currently deciding between Royal Caribbean and Princess. We like the Princess itinerary better (Oslo, Norway instead of Riga, Latvia) and the price and room is better, but I have concerns about the ship (the Regal - it is ginormous!) as well as the Princess line itself. It seems like Princess is geared towards the older crowd and not so much towards families. I don't doubt we will have a wonderful time on either - we will make our own fun and our trip will be more about the sites than the ship. However, it would ease my mind in choosing Princess, which has one more at sea day than Royal Caribbean, to hear about how families spend their time onboard, especially as we will be in Northern Europe and it likely won't be warm enough for the pools. I know it won't be Disney, and I'd like to have appropriate expectations. For reference, my kids are 8 and 10.

 

What Royal Caribbean ship are you considering? Why do I ask? Because fourteen of Royal Caribbean's 26 ships (over half the fleet) are over 138,000 GT (Gross Tonnage - a space rating, not a weight rating). Only two of Princess' eighteen ships are over 138,000 GT.

 

The 12 Royal Caribbean ships that are less than 138,000 GT, are very much like the Princess ships except they all have a rock climbing wall (Princess does not have rock climbing walls).

[reedprincess]

Speaking of the RCC waterslides etc you do swipe the cc a lot...... Especially the flow rider if you can handle the lines

 

Umm, the flow rider, ice skating, rock wall, etc are all included in RCIs fares. The only cost for the flow rider is if you take a private lesson.

[schittenden]

I recently posted a review on a short cruise on Emerald Princess hat commented on issues with programming, entertainment, and room layout for families. You might want to give it a read. I'm happy to answer any specific questions you might have.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TNTLAMB]

Umm, the flow rider, ice skating, rock wall, etc are all included in RCIs fares. The only cost for the flow rider is if you take a private lesson.

 

That's right. There are lots of private lessons unless you like lines.....

[riclop]

Give it a try and draw your own conclusions. For me RCL is better for kids.

[AF-1]

Can someone talk about what type club or activities there are for 15/17 year olds? We will be on Emerald. Thanks.

ps. we have never sailed with Princess; so whatever I read on these blogs is what I am going with.

[cruisequeen4ever]

I got hooked on cruising as a child and absolutely loved the Kids' Clubs on Holland America and Princess, neither line being famous for catering to kids. What you get on these lines is very personalized, quality care from youth staff who are usually studying to be teachers.

[kitkat343]

The kids club staff is outstanding on Princess. Our son loved the Princess kids club on our Panama Canal cruise.

 

We took our 3 year old on the Baltics cruise two years ago, and he had a wonderful time. This is a really port intensive cruise with a lot of amazing sites for children and teenagers. If your children enjoy history, art or touring Europe, they will be pretty tired on this cruise (as was everyone, since there are very few sea days in between a lot of touring). The only issue - and this was the reason we chose NCL Star instead of the Regal Princess - is that the Regal doesn't always dock directly in Stockholm, and you miss the beautiful archipelago. The Regal was docking directly in Stockholm last season for some of the cruises, so please check and decide if that is something you care about. The long transfer and the worry of my being far away from this ship in case my kid melted down was a much bigger issue for me as a parent of a preschooler than it would be for you. Also, the lack of a center staircase was a huge concern for my son since he is too small to be really patient for elevators, but could be much less significant for you.

 

We've sailed on Princess twice, and it is our favorite line so far, but the Baltics were such an amazing itinerary I'd say you most people should pick the itinerary you like best instead of worrying about the ship (unless your kid is miserable, because then you are in a lot of trouble).

 

My review of the Baltics trip is in my signature line, and it includes a lot of description of things for kids in the different cities. Have a great trip!

[Roatanfans]

My (about to be 5 and 8) year olds love Princess and the kids club- in fact my 8 year old asked me why he had to get off in the Hawaiian ports on our upcoming cruise because he'd rather stay in the kids club!

[shredie]

My (about to be 5 and 8) year olds love Princess and the kids club- in fact my 8 year old asked me why he had to get off in the Hawaiian ports on our upcoming cruise because he'd rather stay in the kids club!

 

Haha. We do that in Ensenada. They love the port day activities (pizza lunch, ice cream, etc.) I find that Ensenada is not the best place for walking around with little kids, so it works for us. It's necessary to sign up for the program ahead of time since space is limited. One of us always stays on this ship, too, in case the kids might need us, but it's possible to leave the kids and go off on shore.

Edited February 18, 2016 by shredie

[Melcoug]

My soon-to-be 8-year-old just chose a Princess cruise to celebrate his birthday over going to Disneyland. In fact, after this cruise, my kids will earn their Platinum status. We've sailed Disney twice and while they would probably prefer Disney to any other line, they understand we can go on more cruises if we don't do Disney every time. They just like going on cruises. As long as the ship has a kids' club and a pool, mine are good. ;)