Family cruising - advise please.

[familymanpeoria]

So I am looking into taking a cruise in 2019, most likely in Alaska for 7 days. My parents really enjoy cruising and we would like to arrange something together. Neither my wife or I have ever taken a cruise. We have four girls who will be ages 12, 9, 6, and 4 next summer.

 

When I look into what are the options for "family" cruising, most of the cruiselines seem to take the route of dropping your kids off to be grouped into activities with other kids their ages. This doesn't appeal to me. One reason is that my daughters like to be with each other and I don't think they will really want to be separated with strangers. Another reason is that I like being with my kids during our vacations and I'd rather find things to do with them. (I understand why people may want a break and have not problem with it, just not my style).

 

So what do cruiselines offer in terms of group family activities? Disney seems to do well on that regard, but the Disney premium is a bit much. Is there a cruiseline or strategy I should look into?

 

All feedback welcome - whether you have kids or not.

 

Thanks!

[Katgoesonholiday]

We cruise with our three sons who are completely uninterested in going to the kids club. The good news is that it isn’t compulsory!

 

Instead plan on hanging out together in the pool, making up a family team for trivia, have relaxed time with books in a nice lounge, check out the board games available, enjoy meals and shows together, and plan some great excursions together.

 

We’ve taken the boys on five different cruise lines, including Disney, and had a great time every time without using the kids clubs.

[6rugrats]

Eat meals together, go to shows together, watch movies together, different cruise lines offer different things. You’re going to be off the ship most of the day and will be tired at night.

The itinerary would be my driving factor in my cruise choice.

[Katgoesonholiday]

Good point about the movies - one of my kids favorite activities is to order room service and have a family movie night in our cabin. They also enjoy grabbing pizza and watching a movie on the big screen by the pool.

[Grandma Dazzles]

Welcome to cruise critic.

 

Most of the major cruiselines such as Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, NCL, Carnival, Princess, cater to families. I agree that Disney is great, but expensive.

 

Your kids do not have to participate in the kids' clubs. Parents do use them for different reasons - some like personal time, some want a romantic dinner, sometimes kids club is offering an activity they know their child would enjoy.

 

My personal opinion is that the Caribbean might be a better choice. Ports on different islands, beaches, different cultures, etc. to me are more kid friendly. I tend to think of Alaska as being more about the scenery. Others may disagree.

 

I enjoy Royal Caribbean with my grandkids. Activities vary depending on the size of the ship. Can include pools, sports court with open time, games like soccer, basketball, flow riders, mini golf, table tennis, water slides, shuffleboard, rock climbing wall, ice skating, plus more, but there are things you can do as a family. There are also good shows, parades, music, etc., again, depending on the ship.

 

Hope that gives you some ideas.

[navybankerteacher]

We always saw family travel as just that - a time to do things as a family, not to "park the kids" somewhere. There is plenty to do on a ship, and in ports. Movies, meals together, team activities, exploring together, etc.

 

If you are thinking in terms of a summer (vacation time) cruise, Alaska makes sense - but if option exists, I am inclined to think that a Cafibbean itinerary cruise might offer more child-friendly activities.

[cb at sea]

ANY cruise line will suit you....the kid's clubs aren't compulsory, but most kids really like them. But, that's up to you and your kids! Whatever you'd do on a land vacation, you can do on a ship. NO worries at all.

[paul929207]

None of the cruise lines we have been on require children to attend the kid program.

 

Because of the kids program offerings, there are few family activities

[SuiteTraveler]

Among the best cruise ships for families is RCCL Oasis class ships - specifically Oasis, Allure, Symphony and Harmony. These ships are something like staying at a world class amusement park with tons of things to do and great family oriented shows such as high diving, ice skating, acrobats, even a Broadway musical. These ships have merry go rounds, zip lines, rock wall climbing, mini golf, and so much to do that you cannot do it all in a week. Unfortunately these ships are not in Alaska.

 

The direct competitor of these ships are the newer NCL ships: Escape, Getaway, Breakaway, Epic, Encore and Bliss which was built to serve the Alaska Market. Where RCCL is like a theme park, NCL ships are like a new Las Vegas Casino Resort (think Aria) with a full scale waterpark and ropes course. I want to strongly encourage you to consider the NCL Bliss if your desire is to do an Alaska cruise as there is plenty for all ages onboard. I also want to strongly encourage you to consider getting a The Haven 2 bedroom (and 2 bathroom plus a living room/dining room) Family villa - one of the few cabins that will accommodate all of you. Your inlaws would select a The Haven Penthouse. This will insure that everyone has access to The Haven. Trust me, this is a fantastic experience and with so many people, you are better off getting a suite price wise. Your only other option would be 2 connecting cabins for you and your wife and your daughters and your inlaws in some other cabin. Trust me, there is plenty for all ages to do on an Alaska cruise. On NCL, the culture is to go to a different restaurant every night and you pay extra for this in many of the venues, although there is always the buffet and MDR's. The other thing is there are no formal nights on NCL. We love that about this line!

 

There are some other cruises you should consider: MSC Seaside - similar to NCL but with an Italian flavor. These ships have The Yacht Club (as opposed to The Haven on NCL) and it is an all-inclusive experience - even better than NCL.

 

Another thing to consider would be, if you don't see utilizing the kid's clubs and want to share family experiences, perhaps a cruise in the Med would make a lot of sense for your family as on those cruises, there is usually only 1 sea day and all the rest of the days, you are off the ship by 8am and don't get back on until 5 or 6pm after a full day of touring. So basically, the ship becomes a floating hotel. If you are interested in that type of cruise, you might choose one that goes out of Barcelona - (NCL Epic comes to mind) as that is a very easy airport to fly into and the port is 20 minutes from the airport - although you fly in a day ahead of your cruise and spend the night somewhere near Las Rambla.

 

The other line that does Alaska that might be great for everyone would be Princess - specifically the Ruby Princess which does Glacier Bay - which is a highlight of any trip to Alaska, yet not all ships go there. On Princess, get adjoining cabins for the 5 of you and your inlaws can get whatever cabin they want elsewhere. This is a more traditional cruise experience but they have Anytime Dining which would be great for your family!

Edited May 11, 2018 by SuiteTraveler

[ldubs]

Wow, I'm not familiar with MSC or NCL but it looks like there is a lot of great advice for you in all the previous posts.

 

We have done several family cruises. Most were multi-family but a few were just us and the kids. In every case we did one of the Mexican Riviera itineraries -- they just worked well for us. During all that time, the children never participated in the kid's clubs. At first I was a little concerned they might miss out on opportunities to meet & socialize with other kids. But kids being kids, they met new friends anyway.