Considering a cruise - young family

[aPQF2o]

I was thinking it could be fun to cruise this February with my family.

 

I'm almost positive I would enjoy it -- I love to travel, explore new things. Although I typically enjoy adventure and off the beaten path the most, that's tough to do with a young family.

 

My wife would probably enjoy it (she loves to travel too). She wouldn't need anything posh, but she enjoys clean places, so if a ship smelled smokey, had bugs or stains on sheets, she would not be a big fan.

 

Our 3 year would likely enjoy it -- she travels well and loves flying and swimming. She typically warms up to people quickly, but is more reserved than rambunctious so she may get nervous at a kids camps if tons of kids were flying around.

 

We also have a 3 month old, would be 1 at the time, who has been super easy so far -- hopefully that continues :)

 

Ideally we'd like to take the whole family, but we could also leave both kids with family (for maybe 3 days) or just take our 3 year old.

 

We live in NC about 4 1/2 hours from Charleston. So not having fly would be a big plus, but the last couple reviews on Carnival Ecstasy were pretty poor.

Maybe Carnival Sunshine is better, but overall the ratings aren't as high.

 

We could also fly to Florida, but adds time, expense and makes things a bit more challenging.

 

Any tips or recommendations?

[cruiserking]

Welcome to Cruise Critic aPFQ2o. You've never cruised before and the South Carolina option seems to be the easiest one for your family. Why not book a 5-day round trip cruise on the Carnival Ecstasy to the Bahamas and see if you enjoy cruising.

 

If you get a bit more ambitious you could try driving to New York where you'll have choice of two cruise lines. Royal Caribbean's brand new Anthem of the Seas sails 7 & 8-day Bahamas cruises round trip from Bayonne, New Jersey and longer 9 and 10-day cruises to the Bahamas.

 

Norwegian Cruise Lines Breakaway does similar itineraries from New York City. We've not cruised with NCL but, are huge fans of Royal Caribbean, beautiful ships, tons to do on board, terrific friendly crew and a wide assortment of activities on board to keep your entire family busy from dawn to dusk.

 

Since you're interested in February it would be easier to leave from Charleston, SC where you don't have to worry about snow and it's closer to home. Once you get hooked on cruising you can consider the Northeast or perhaps Florida where you'll a vast selection of cruise lines to choose from.

 

Jonathan

Edited July 5, 2016 by cruiserking

[carinainacar]

Definitely recommend trying out a cruise. It's a great way to travel, and from your wife's preferences, I think she'll love it.

 

It may be a nicer first cruise if it's just a couples cruise. I know having children on board makes it a lot more difficult to do the activities the adults want to do. You can do the itinerary and excursions that you'd want to try that may have age restrictions. There are so many adventurous things to do on shore without children (but there are a lot with children too).

 

Also, I know a lot of people take shorter cruises for their first time. It's a little warm up vacation before you can decide if you want to take the full dive or not. A 5 day cruise would be a perfect fit, especially if you end up leaving the kids at home.

 

I also agree with everything cruiserking said. :)

[simplelife]

Be prepared for it to possibly be chilly in the Bahamas in February , especially water temperature. The Bahamas are not as southerly as many would assume (roughly the same sane latitude as southern Florida, and more northerly than Puerto Rico.)

[spookwife]

I'd look at sailing out of Baltimore as well if you really want to avoid flying.

 

keep in mind that non potty trained children may NOT under any circumstances go into ANY pool or hot tub. not all ships have splash zones for the diaper set either. the 3 yo must be fully potty trained in order to use the kids club facilities.

 

not every ship has a full nursery either( for an additional cost) so the 1 year old would be with you 24/7. nor does every ship offer in room babysitting( also at a significant cost).

 

I personally do not do Carnival, I do not like their product at all. we sail Royal, and some of their newer ships are perfect for families.

[navybankerteacher]

Depending where in NC, Baltimore would be about 5 hours drive - Royal Caribbean has 9 day itineraries; Jacksonville would be about 6 hours - I think there are 5 day Carnival itineraries - both could be considered along with Charleston as non-flying options.

[Sixtytwo]

Congrats on thinking about a cruise! Warning: It can be addictive! :D

 

I would say that whether or not you like one cruise line or another is a purely personal thing. My advice is to ask your friends or co-workers to see if any of them have been on a cruise. Next, understand what your budget will be and don't overlook those costs that are not covered in the cruise fare. Things like alcoholic beverages on board, excursions in port, and some of the upscale restaurants on board. You have a good start by joining Cruise Critic since there are a lot of great folks on here with vast knowledge about almost every cruise topic you can think of! There are boards for each cruise line and I would advise looking through them to see if there is something that jumps out at you, either positive or negative. (Remember the naysayers speak loudest of more frequently!)

 

Once you have more information, then you can come back and ask specific questions. It may sound like a lot to do, but, frankly, it is always fun to do the research for a cruise!

 

Good luck!

[aPQF2o]

Thanks for the replies. After talking to my wife, I think we're going to wait until the kids are a bit older and maybe do something like a Disney cruise with some friends who love Disney. I may also just take our oldest when she's a bit older (4 or 5) and do a fun cruise together.

[phillygirl63]

Thanks for the replies. After talking to my wife, I think we're going to wait until the kids are a bit older and maybe do something like a Disney cruise with some friends who love Disney. I may also just take our oldest when she's a bit older (4 or 5) and do a fun cruise together.

 

I was just about to suggest a Disney cruise when I saw this post. I think you made a good choice to wait until your kids are a bit older. I was also going to suggest that you consider doing a few days at Disney World followed by the cruise. I believe Disney offers a cruise tour like this.

[OCruisers]

Thanks for the replies. After talking to my wife, I think we're going to wait until the kids are a bit older and maybe do something like a Disney cruise with some friends who love Disney. I may also just take our oldest when she's a bit older (4 or 5) and do a fun cruise together.

 

Good Decision! :)