Best ship for traveling with preschoolers?

[Mojitosandbingo]

We are looking to take our first family cruise. My husband and I have cruised loads of times, once on Carnival, but must mostly on NCL in Europe and in the States. We took my son once, when he was 14 months old, but that was a very different experience than it will be now with a 3 yr old and a 5 yr old. We are looking at the Caribbean and at Epic, Getaway or Escape. I've read other threads and the ship descriptions, but I wonder if others have experienced these ships with kids of similar ages and would have a recommendation of one over the others?

 

Many thanks!

[NittanyCruise]

Disney

[Mojitosandbingo]

Disney

 

Haha, yes -- I agree that Disney will be the most child-focused line we could ask for, but it's not in our plans right now. :p

 

And just to clarify, I'm not asking "which line will cater to my kids' every whim?", just which ship in NCL will be best for that age group in general, all things considered.

[xlxo]

Agreed.... with a pixie dust high..... they won't want to leave.

 

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[Mojitosandbingo]

Yes -- we are totally planning a Disney cruise in a year or so, but this year it's NCL, for a variety of reasons :) Great posts!

[NHL Philly Fan]

We are looking to take our first family cruise. My husband and I have cruised loads of times, once on Carnival, but must mostly on NCL in Europe and in the States. We took my son once, when he was 14 months old, but that was a very different experience than it will be now with a 3 yr old and a 5 yr old. We are looking at the Caribbean and at Epic, Getaway or Escape. I've read other threads and the ship descriptions, but I wonder if others have experienced these ships with kids of similar ages and would have a recommendation of one over the others?

 

Many thanks!

 

 

ANy ship that I am NOT on! :eek:

[the_dylaness]

Disney is incredibly expensive.

Also, their kids club doesn't really separate the kids by age, which was not great when we took our 5 year old daughter and her 6 year old cousin in October. I think they were a little overwhelmed with a lot of big kids.

 

Having not sailed on NCL yet (going in a week!), I can't answer your actual question, but given that your littles are pretty little, you might want to make sure you find a line that separates them into age groupings (which I believe IS the case for NCL, but wouldn't swear to it.)

[Mojitosandbingo]

Yes, they have a 3-5 age group which is perfect for us. Disney is in our plans for when they are older and it will be more worth the expense. Have fun on your cruise!

[Dcoy]

ANy ship that I am NOT on! :eek:

 

Second that:D

 

Don

[diverdawg]

My kids are now 9 and 11. We have been on three NCL cruises with them. They love Splash Academy. The only issue is when they are at the top of the age group and the activities are designed for the young end of the range. If you have a 3 and 5 year old. They will be in the same group, no exceptions.

 

We have only been in the smaller ships like the Star and Dawn. Kids love it.

 

 

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[pisenor]

ANy ship that I am NOT on! :eek:

 

Second that:D

 

Don

 

It always amazes me how rude some people can be. If you aren't willing too help with the OP's question with a helpful response then don't respond at all. There are lots of people on this board that don't mind children on board and I am one. If you dislike cruising with children that much, find another line. One that caters to the cruising demographic you desire. If you choose a family friendly line then be prepared to sail with kids. In other words, SUCK IT UP BUTTERCUP! Leave your whining at home! Honestly, I wouldn't want to cruise with bad attitudes like yours. I would rather cruise with children over the type of people with attitudes like yours any day!

 

My children are too old for splash academy but absolutely loved their time there. It is a great program for the children and I am sure they will enjoy it.

[Pinkchocolatecrystal4]

In April I took my kids (6 & 3) on the Jewel. Not being a mega ship there was only a tiny kids pool and 1 slide with 1 twist. No other "attractions" outside the usual. My kids loved Splash Academy and were upset every time we would pick them up. I would think that as long as they like group activities they will enjoy any boat.

[NHL Philly Fan]

It always amazes me how rude some people can be. If you aren't willing too help with the OP's question with a helpful response then don't respond at all. There are lots of people on this board that don't mind children on board and I am one. If you dislike cruising with children that much, find another line. One that caters to the cruising demographic you desire. If you choose a family friendly line then be prepared to sail with kids. In other words, SUCK IT UP BUTTERCUP! Leave your whining at home! Honestly, I wouldn't want to cruise with bad attitudes like yours. I would rather cruise with children over the type of people with attitudes like yours any day!

 

My children are too old for splash academy but absolutely loved their time there. It is a great program for the children and I am sure they will enjoy it.

 

 

So making a joke is now considered rude. Besides I thought it was helpful! :eek:

[pisenor]

It didn't appear like much of a joke and not at all helpful IMO. Maybe if you said your were joking and actually offered some constructive advice but you did neither.

 

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[missingmaui]

We are sailing in 2 weeks on the Dawn with our 4 year old twins- I'll report back! [emoji4]

 

 

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[NHL Philly Fan]

It didn't appear like much of a joke and not at all helpful IMO. Maybe if you said your were joking and actually offered some constructive advice but you did neither.

 

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The shock face was a hint. Maybe if you lighten up and quit taking everything so seriously but, oh never mind! I'll make sure I contact you ahead of all posts I make to be sure they are up to your standards form now on, NOT... :rolleyes:

[pisenor]

Actually the emoji you used was "eek". To me that indicated the thought of cruising with children frightened you. I do appreciate you wanting to check with me before all your posts but not necessary. You see, by ending that statement with the NOT statement indicated it was in jest. Apparently you can make a joke and people can see the lighter side of the statement, unlike your first post to OP. Nothing in that post indicated any attempt at humor. The only thing it portrayed was the fact that you are frightened to cruise with kids..... Just sayin'

 

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[Jezo]

We did the Gem when my son was 3 and 4, 3 he was too scared to go to the kids club but when he was 4 he kept asking to go back. Now he's 5 and we'll be trying the Breakaway in January, fingers crossed he'll love it as much as the others.

[OzCanuck]

Have taken my now 5.2 year old on NCL 10 times, Disney once, and MSC once. I will say that our NCL mega-ship experience was probably his least favourite. The kids' club was mayhem. The smaller ships have been much better for him - most recently on the Gem last month. We did the around-the-horn on the Sun last January and there were only a handful of kids - which was good because the physical space of the club was quite small.

 

Anyway - my opinion would be any of the jewel-class ships.

[NHL Philly Fan]

Actually the emoji you used was "eek". To me that indicated the thought of cruising with children frightened you. I do appreciate you wanting to check with me before all your posts but not necessary. You see, by ending that statement with the NOT statement indicated it was in jest. Apparently you can make a joke and people can see the lighter side of the statement, unlike your first post to OP. Nothing in that post indicated any attempt at humor. The only thing it portrayed was the fact that you are frightened to cruise with kids..... Just sayin'

 

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I LOVE YOU, just saying

[havenfan]

We just came back from a cruise on the Star and have also sailed on the Jewel and the Jade. With two waterslides in the main pool area and a very nice kids water park at the stern, the Star is much for small children in warm weather. For small ones, the kids club is segregated into under-3's, 3-5 and 5-7. The kids club staff were very good, made great efforts to coax shy children in, not that it took very long with mine.

[travelhound]

Not sure if you've already decided on an NCL cruise yet, but I second the Star with kids your age. Our dd is five now and has been on the Pearl twice, the Dawn once, Breakaway and the Star. The Star is unique because it was originally built for another line and converted to an NCL ship. Breakaway is similar to Getaway and Escape. DD was just three on the Breakaway and about 3.5 on the Star.

 

The Breakaway class ships are nice, but I don't think they were as fun for her as the Star. One of the main pools is adults only and super crowded. The "kids" area is reasonably fun and supposed to be "no diapers" but that is not enforced or followed. So, when we were in that area I felt like we were sitting in pee. Even saw a couple of naked babies. Yikes. So, the only other pool for her was the second pool which was a smallish pool by the kids area. It's really the only area for teens, so it was a little scary to go in there with dd.

 

In contrast, the Star has a great little kids area on the back. We were on a two week Panama Canal trip in the fall that didn't have a lot of kids, so maybe it's busier in peak times, but this was an oasis. There were little slide on each side that even at 3.5 she could enjoy without being a baby slide (there is one of those too). Between the slides there is a plunge pool with a little cover on part of it. That was great for me to sit in and escape the sun. Also, great views off the back of the ship.

 

The Star is smaller than the other ships but still a nice size. We loved the kids' club. Again, it may be because there was a smaller group of kids, but she never wanted to leave there.

 

Not sure where the Star goes at this point, but give it a look.

[cadien]

Our 3-year old loved the Star as well. Especially the kids club. And it wasn't overwhelming.

 

 

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[anonmom]

We are taking our kindergartener on the Getaway on Sunday, so I can let you know how that goes in about 10 days. Last year, she was 4 and in preschool, and we took her on the Jade and she *loved* it.

 

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[SNJCruisers]

The only thing it portrayed was the fact that you are frightened to cruise with kids..... Just sayin'

I for one inferred that NHL Philly Fan just doesn't want to be around parents that decide to take off from their parental duties just because they are on vacation. They like to sit at the bar or lay in their lounge chairs and enjoy a few adult beverages of their choice while their "little darlings" run rampant all over the ship and create havoc. Parenting is a 24/7 365 job for 18 years. Unfortunately many parents don't realize this. Have seen it first hand on NCL, RCI, Carnival and to a lesser extent on Celebrity.

 

Now, constructive advice for the OP. Wait until after the Disney cruise and your kids are older to cruise on one of the NCL mega ships, they will then be old enough to enjoy the ropes course and other offerings that appeal to the pre-teen crowd.