Best Cruise line for family with 11 year old

[Sparklemel11]

Hi All am new to this site but have found it very interesting so far. I have cruised with P&O both on the Azura and Ventura. People have recommended Royal Caribbean as i have an 11 year old daughter but i have read a lot of negative comments where the lack of sunbeds and pool area is concerned and the charges for drinks and extra they add on. Any feedback and advice would be appreciated.:)

[Grandma Dazzles]

Hi All am new to this site but have found it very interesting so far. I have cruised with P&O both on the Azura and Ventura. People have recommended Royal Caribbean as i have an 11 year old daughter but i have read a lot of negative comments where the lack of sunbeds and pool area is concerned and the charges for drinks and extra they add on. Any feedback and advice would be appreciated.:)

 

Welcome to cruise critic. You may get a better response by posting on the RC board.

 

RC is definitely very family friendly. On their larger ships, such as Voyager class, Freedom class and Oasis class you will find so much to do and great entertainment. Most people comment that RC has bigger pools than many other lines. Unless you want a lounger a few feet from a pool you don't have a problem. There are loads of loungers on pool deck and sun deck. Never had a problem.

 

As far as drinks, all major cruise lines charge for alcoholic drinks. Some people prefer to purchase a drink package so they know exactly how much they are spending. There are numerous free drinks and restaurants included in your fare. You don't have to pay extra unless you want to. Notice you are posting from the UK. Some people do not understand that an extra charge is made for gratuities/service charge. You can prepay this when you purchase your cruise, otherwise it's billed per person daily to your account.

[cb at sea]

All of the "mainstream" lines have "extra charges" for things that are normally included in the higher end lines....just a fact of life!

 

Carnival, NCL, RCI and Disney will have LOTS of things for the pre-teen set....11 is a good age for the kid's clubs....

 

Princess, HAL, and Celebrity offer a good product, but their ships don't have the "bells and whistles" that a kid might enjoy.....

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Where are you interested in cruising?

The Med? Caribbean?

Princess is also a good cruise line and child friendly.

[OCruisers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

What does your daughter enjoy doing and where are you planning to cruise?

[SadieN]

About the drinks......

The cruise lines cb at sea identified in post three all work on the 'American Model'. That is, separate onboard charges for gratuities and tips. (When we purchase a cruise, taxes and port fees are add-ons.) Figure $13-16/pp/PD for gratuity and 15%-18% added into your beverage order. It's a transparent way of doing charges but for those not used to it, it can come as a shock.

 

There are ways to make your cruise more inclusive. Pay for gratuities and drink programs ahead of time.

 

There might be different schemes for Brits.

****

 

FWIW on US soil it seems that only gasoline includes all the taxes in the stated price. Though there is a posted sign that states how much the taxes are (in California it's around $0.80/gallon.)

Edited September 5, 2016 by SadieN

[jocap]

If you're sailing from the UK then the price you see will be the price you pay- taxes and fees have to be included.

The main difference is the amount of tipping, which is more on US run ships than UK ones, and the cost of alcohol...the drink tips are included on UK sailings, but that does make them seem expensive after P&O. You can only take 2 bottles of wine on board per cabin, which again isn't what you're used to.

We've only sailed with Independence OTS, and yes, it's a child's dream for the amount of activities provided. We do suggest it to people with active youngsters... we have family with sporty kids, who love all the climbing, swimming, skating etc.

There's a suggestion that you try Princess... as they were once part of P&O and remain "sisters", you'll find their ships identical to Azura or Britannia. The tipping is high, but otherwise they are similar in many ways to P&O.

I cannot tell you about the pools as ours was a chilly cruise, so the pools were hardly used. :( This can be a drawback if sailing from the UK.

[SuiteTraveler]

Take your daughter on any of the Oasis class RCCL ships. They are AMAZING! You will be amazed, your daughter will be amazed and you will all have the BEST TIME EVER! Reserve your shows in advance and also if you decide to go to any specialty restaurants it is best to reserve in advance. Other than that, just go and enjoy!

 

If you decide to do a less expensive ship, then consider RCCL's liberty class ships. BTW, Liberty and Freedom have a special cabin called The Ben and Jerry's Sweet - it is all done in a cow theme - really cute and comes with special amenities - you can see a photo here (remove the extra spaces before, between and after the website name to use the link below:

http://www. royal caribbean blog .com/2016/01/28/secret-royal-caribbean-staterooms-freedom-of-the-seas-stateroom-6305

Edited September 5, 2016 by SuiteTraveler

[gorgotron]

I first got to cruise when I was about 11 years old, way back on navigator of the seas. I don't think their is a bad choice of cruise in Port Canaveral to be honest.

 

You've got Disney (expensive, but wonderful for any kid)

 

Carnival which has awesome pools, slides, and a ton of other kids

 

Royal Caribbean which is great for families but not as many kids? Has ice skating rink and great shows

 

Norwegian has some very cool slides, bowling alleys, game rooms, etc. Main downfall is smaller rooms compared to the rest:(

Edited September 6, 2016 by gorgotron

[Cruisin'Christine]

I agree with the poster that suggested the Oasis class of ships on Royal Caribbean. An 11-year-old would love the surfing and body surfing Flo-Rider, the pools, the mini-putting, the zip line, the sports court, the kids club, the merry-go-round, Johnny Rockets, etc. I have been on the Allure of the Seas twice and it is perfect for your child's age!