Cruising with 5 kiddos. Help me decide on the best ship! Planning for 2020

[sheree23]

My husband and I have been on 3 cruises and each time was a different experience but we both agree we loved Carnival the best. It was back in 2003 when we sailed Carnival and I'm sure a lot has changed since then but we think that for our next cruise, we want to be brave and take the kiddos in a couple of years, so probably some time in early 2020.

 

By the time we cruise in 2020, our kids will be 16, 13, 8, 5, and 2.5 years old. Gosh that seems SO far away! I'm so excited to plan something like this for them though.

 

What we loved most about Carnival the first time we went were our dining experiences and the food. It really felt like a 5 star restaurant just eating in the formal dining room. I'm not sure with all of the additional restaurants that have been added, if it's still like that or not. We also loved our room attendants and the workers. They really made us feel special and were so accommodating and FUN! We loved the decor as well (we were on the Pride when it was still new). Oh and I appreciate clear elevators since I'm a bit claustraphobic. We also have to have a balcony so I'm not sure whether we'll be able to get connecting balcony rooms or if we could get an inside room and a balcony room across the hall. I looked at the pics of suites but they don't look to be too much different form balconies in terms of spaces to sleep.

 

What are the best ships for families in your opinion? I saw the Horizon is new but the new style of elevators worries me (strange I know!) I do love the water park area in the pictures though. I've also been eyeballing the Magic and the Breeze. We went Eastern Caribbean before and had a lovely time. We went Western on the last 2 cruises and would like to go back to the Eastern again.

 

Price is definitely a factor since we'll be paying for 7 of us. I am always looking for the best value - not necessarily cheap - but value for our money. We are looking at 7 day cruises or possibly 8 day.

 

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

[A&Jfamily]

When in 2020? Most of the sailings aren't out yet, and there will be dancing of ships so hard to know what will be where.

 

Are you driving to the port? Have a preferred departure location?

 

My kids have been cruising since 2 (almost 3) and 8 and the kids clubs are great. We get a balcony for us and put the kids across the hall. If you can trust your 5 and 8 year old, I would put them with the older 2 in there as that will be cheapest for booking purposes, and keep the little one with you.

 

Honestly, since it has been so long since you cruised I wouldn't as much worry about the ship -though I would stay away from Fantasy class. Most of the other ships have enough bells and whistles to keep any normal, easy going person occupied.

 

The MDR is still free and there have been changes (no table cloths except for elegant evening - which is a HUGE issue for many on these boards). It is wonderful to eat there as a family - for breakfast, brunch and dinner as it keeps parents from having to run to the buffet. There is a kids dinner at 6 for the 11 and under crowd, if you want to send the older off to do their own thing a night and put the younger ones in camp early. Then, you could enjoy a lovely steakhouse meal or some other venue.

 

Personally, Sunshine is my favorite ship; about 3000 people with tons of food options and a great sports square for the kids. It is not too big but has great upgrades.. Followed by Triumph (soon to be Sunrise) and anything in the Pride class. I am not a conquest class fan, nor do I like the feel of the larger ships like Magic and newer (though I have not done Vista class) due to the number of passengers.

 

But again, I would chose, given your family size, the itinerary I wanted and the departure port for ease and take whatever ship fit that, assuming a 7 day plus trip (I don't think any Fantasy class are running 7 days except Fascination out of San Juan).

[tallnthensome]

My husband and I have been on 3 cruises and each time was a different experience but we both agree we loved Carnival the best. It was back in 2003 when we sailed Carnival and I'm sure a lot has changed since then but we think that for our next cruise, we want to be brave and take the kiddos in a couple of years, so probably some time in early 2020.

 

By the time we cruise in 2020, our kids will be 16, 13, 8, 5, and 2.5 years old. Gosh that seems SO far away! I'm so excited to plan something like this for them though.

 

What we loved most about Carnival the first time we went were our dining experiences and the food. It really felt like a 5 star restaurant just eating in the formal dining room. I'm not sure with all of the additional restaurants that have been added, if it's still like that or not. We also loved our room attendants and the workers. They really made us feel special and were so accommodating and FUN! We loved the decor as well (we were on the Pride when it was still new). Oh and I appreciate clear elevators since I'm a bit claustraphobic. We also have to have a balcony so I'm not sure whether we'll be able to get connecting balcony rooms or if we could get an inside room and a balcony room across the hall. I looked at the pics of suites but they don't look to be too much different form balconies in terms of spaces to sleep.

 

What are the best ships for families in your opinion? I saw the Horizon is new but the new style of elevators worries me (strange I know!) I do love the water park area in the pictures though. I've also been eyeballing the Magic and the Breeze. We went Eastern Caribbean before and had a lovely time. We went Western on the last 2 cruises and would like to go back to the Eastern again.

 

Price is definitely a factor since we'll be paying for 7 of us. I am always looking for the best value - not necessarily cheap - but value for our money. We are looking at 7 day cruises or possibly 8 day.

 

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Your kids would like The Vista or Horizon with the Skyride, water park, Imax, Thrill theatre, etc. It may not be the cheapest though ..... If I may, I would suggest if you are on a budget you look at the new for 2018 MSC Seaside. Three of your five kids sail free and the MSC Seaside is the best deal at sea right now. A grand new ship with the best waterpark and kids pools at sea. We took our two daughters in April and it was fantastic. They do Eastern out of Miami. They have a zipline, bowling, 5D theatre, tons of gelato, games as well ...... I suggest you look at it. I booked it again and my kids were literally $14 a piece for a two week cruise. Try and beat that ......

[cb at sea]

You will notice many, many differences from 2003! Dining is no longer "fine dining"...it's simply dinner.

Your kids will not know how it used to be, so they'll be thrilled. But, you will notice a difference.

[Jenjer]

Cruising on all of the big main stream ships is really a excellent value for your vacation dollar. Its also easy, you know what restaurant your going to don't have to worry how much dinner will cost each night. There are so many different activities for everyone to enjoy.

 

You will see a reduction in staff since 2003 and less waiting on you hand and foot. They no longer scrap away the crumbs between each course. It takes longer to get your food. No table cloths and 8 pieces of silver wear and 3 glasses at each place setting. The bands are smaller and more recorded music. The shows are smaller with fewer cast members. Those are the little things to me and my family so life goes on.

 

Also check out NCL Escape or Breakaway or Getaway. So much for kids to do. Those are some of my kids favorite ships.

 

I agree with the PP look into what port you want to sail out of and take it for there. 7 people flying into a port will add a certain expense.

 

I was looking into MSC seaside and have not heard great things. What I have read is very limited entertainment, my friend said mostly operand pretty much all classical music but maybe they fixed that. The food choices where also very limited both in buffet and MDR. So please look carefully at MSC and make sure that's the cruise you want.

[tallnthensome]

The entertainment on the MSC Seaside was outstanding. The best I've seen at sea including the Michael Jackson tribute "Timeless" which my kids and I were in awe at. The three buffets were outstanding and the issues with them were resolved after the first 90 days of the Seasides initial sailing. My kids also loved the NCL Escape. Simply wonderful with families with kids of all ages.

[sheree23]

Your kids would like The Vista or Horizon with the Skyride, water park, Imax, Thrill theatre, etc. It may not be the cheapest though ..... If I may, I would suggest if you are on a budget you look at the new for 2018 MSC Seaside. Three of your five kids sail free and the MSC Seaside is the best deal at sea right now. A grand new ship with the best waterpark and kids pools at sea. We took our two daughters in April and it was fantastic. They do Eastern out of Miami. They have a zipline, bowling, 5D theatre, tons of gelato, games as well ...... I suggest you look at it. I booked it again and my kids were literally $14 a piece for a two week cruise. Try and beat that ......

 

Thanks for the recommendation! We will definitely look into that! It sounds amazing.

 

 

I should add that 2003 wasn't the last time my husband and I cruised - it's just the last time we cruised on Carnival. We went on Royal Caribbean on the Oasis of the Seas back in 2010 and then went on the Norwegian Pearl with the Impractical Jokers in early 2016. Oasis was nice but we felt rushed since everything was scheduled. The Pearl was older and a totally fun time with my husband and I since we were on a charter ship but the food wasn't the best and the rooms really needed an update (old green carpet, broken door handles).

 

We're not really set in stone on a date in 2020. We have some other vacations scheduled between now and then so we figure that will be our year to cruise again. :):)

[sheree23]

The entertainment on the MSC Seaside was outstanding. The best I've seen at sea including the Michael Jackson tribute "Timeless" which my kids and I were in awe at. The three buffets were outstanding and the issues with them were resolved after the first 90 days of the Seasides initial sailing. My kids also loved the NCL Escape. Simply wonderful with families with kids of all ages.

 

I am looking at the MSC website and it's a bit overwhelming since I'm used to the Carnival site for checking prices. Did you go through their website to book direct or did you have a travel agent find the deals? I'm not asking for the travel agent's name or anything but just curious if it's better to go direct to the website or somewhere else for quick price checking. We do have a Costco membership so maybe we'll check there too.

 

The ship looks AMAZING. Wow.

 

We'll check out some of the other Norwegian ships too!

 

That's a bummer that the fine dining at Carnival has changed since back in the day. That was such a neat part of the experience having the white tablecloths and the crumbs taken away. It's not a huge deal, but it's those little things that make it special and unlike the regular going out to eat experience. It seems that the cruise industry got such a bad rap over the past 10 years or so with issues happening and bad press being all over in the news so maybe that necessitated some cuts where they felt they could (although I remember the staff was paid very low for what they were doing anyway)

[sheree23]

Cruising on all of the big main stream ships is really a excellent value for your vacation dollar. Its also easy, you know what restaurant your going to don't have to worry how much dinner will cost each night. There are so many different activities for everyone to enjoy.

 

You will see a reduction in staff since 2003 and less waiting on you hand and foot. They no longer scrap away the crumbs between each course. It takes longer to get your food. No table cloths and 8 pieces of silver wear and 3 glasses at each place setting. The bands are smaller and more recorded music. The shows are smaller with fewer cast members. Those are the little things to me and my family so life goes on.

 

Also check out NCL Escape or Breakaway or Getaway. So much for kids to do. Those are some of my kids favorite ships.

 

I agree with the PP look into what port you want to sail out of and take it for there. 7 people flying into a port will add a certain expense.

 

I was looking into MSC seaside and have not heard great things. What I have read is very limited entertainment, my friend said mostly operand pretty much all classical music but maybe they fixed that. The food choices where also very limited both in buffet and MDR. So please look carefully at MSC and make sure that's the cruise you want.

 

Thanks for the tips! We will be leaving out of Cincinnati, so we'll have to fly no matter where we leave out of as far as the ports go. I'll look into the NCL ones too. We were a bit concerned when we looked at the MSC website because it was SO gorgeous and upscale looking, that the ship might not cater as much to the kids but we'll research it some more. I'm glad we have some time.

 

It amazes me that when I go to look at the availability of rooms, so many cruise line websites show rooms as not being available when we're 2 years out. We just want connecting cabins and it's hard to find.

[Californiacruizers]

Vista!!!

 

Read my detailed review with tons of photos in the search box type "Viva La Vista"

[momof4girls]

I am going to recommend either the Magic or the Breeze. The Magic is usually cheaper and gives you more value for your dollar. The water park on both those ships is awesome. There are lots of things to do for everyone in your family. All of us enjoyed the Red Frog Pub for hanging out and playing games. For my own peace of mind, I’d rather have connecting rooms than an inside across the hall, so that means a higher cost. As of right now, when looking at what’s out in 2020, the Magic will be in Ft Lauderdale and the Breeze in Orlando. I’ve seen more 8 day cruises on the Magic.

 

My kids didn’t really seem to notice much of a dining difference from our Magic cruise to the Dream cruise, but my husband and I certainly did. Did it take away from the cruise? Certainly not. But we missed it nonetheless.

 

Obviously, from looking at my past cruises and upcoming ones you can see I prefer the Dream class. IMHO, they are the best designed ships Carnival made. Never once did I feel crowded, and I get SUPER anxious in crowds so I can’t even visit large amusement parks. :rolleyes:

[tallnthensome]

I am looking at the MSC website and it's a bit overwhelming since I'm used to the Carnival site for checking prices. Did you go through their website to book direct or did you have a travel agent find the deals? I'm not asking for the travel agent's name or anything but just curious if it's better to go direct to the website or somewhere else for quick price checking. We do have a Costco membership so maybe we'll check there too.

 

The ship looks AMAZING. Wow.

 

We'll check out some of the other Norwegian ships too!

We booked directly thru the MSC website and it was our first MSC cruise. We were nervous as well but it was simply fantastic and the ship and service was stunning. The MSC website is a bit goofy at times but everything went flawlessly ......... My recommendation is to only book direct with MSC, no travel agents since they are an Italian Line and things seem to work a bit different using US travel agents. You'll do fine booking direct versus a third party. Seaside is the best deal industry wide right now. I will sail her with my two young daughters again. Seaside, Escape, Vista/Horizon would all be great choices.

[cruisecraze96]

My kids love the Dream Class ships over the Vista, we will be going on the Breeze again next March for Spring Break and so far that one is our favorite. This next trip we will have several kids in our group with a 19, 16, 16, 9, 4 &4 going and for us we decided to get 2 connecting balcony rooms and in one we will have my brother, his wife and the twin 4 year olds and then in the connecting room (with door) we will have the teens.

 

Now I will admit even though I was not a huge fan of the Vista we had one of the Family Harbor Suites and it was amazing with the size of the room plus the access to the Family Lounge to be able to grab milk, snacks, coffee etc through the day/night. If you can snag 2 connecting rooms there in the family area with the cove balconies that might be ideal with the ages of the kids.

 

 

But with our kids they have always enjoyed the kids program on Carnival over RCCL and NCL. Make sure to book the Cat and Hat breakfast when you get on the ship, that is tons of fun but we missed it last trip because we didn't book it in time.

[BENHANDEL]

Make sure to book the Cat and Hat breakfast when you get on the ship, that is tons of fun but we missed it last trip because we didn't book it in time.

 

Is that an extra charge? What are the target ages? I always loved a character breakfast at WDW, but at certain ages my kids were just "too cool."

[SNJCruisers]

If you're going to cruise Carnival, I would highly recommend the 8 day Southern route that goes to Aruba and Curacao. Between May of 2019 and April of 2020, the ship options for this route are the Horizon and the Magic.

The NCL Escape is a great ship and is the only ship I have sailed on 3 times. There is lots to do and with 3rd/4th for free you'll save money. The Seaside as has been mentioned is another option, but I absolutely hated the entertainment. The shows were skewed towards the Europeans, they had no piano bar and the comedy consisted of a half hour improvisational show at 1130 each night.

Only you can decide what is the biggest factor in determining which way to go, is it the ship or the ports or the bottom line cost? If there is a certain port you want to visit, or just go on the newest ship options or go with the cheapest depending on different promotions. Lots of variables to factor in. Good luck with your decision.

[MnMomW3Boys]

Our favorite ships are the Dream and the Breeze! A lot has changed in the past few years but that’s just par for the course.

In my opinion as a busy mom If I don’t have to cook or clean up the dishes it’s a fine dining experience. I would of never noticed tablecloths missing or the crumb scraper no longer being used without reading about it here.

We are booked in a family harbor suite in a couple weeks on the Vista and I have heard nothing but rave reviews on this new concept! My kids are not toddlers anymore but I still think it’s awesome they can run across the hall and get a quick snack instead of going all the way to the lido deck. Also some of the Family harbor suites have a second half bath with a bathtub ❤️ Which is perfect for little ones to bathe. Water slides, kids camp, tons of food options and the itineraries keep us going back to Carnival. We also like the southern Caribbean the best but we usually pick a ship then an itenerary unless we want a specific port. Have fun planning it can get overwhelming with so many options and a large family!

PS we enjoyed the Cat and the Hat breakfast with our boys ages 15.14and 10 at the time, the food is fun and different and the characters did a good job interacting. There is a nominal charge for this maybe $15 a person??

[serene56]

Id check out Dream, Magic or Breeze.

 

Not a fan of the vista class- just too tight.

[Jenjer]

Your in my neck of the woods. I am near Dayton.

 

Check out Cruise Compete dot com. I get the best prices and can check for similar sailings since your not sold on any line or ship. The lines web sites can give you a idea of what the price is but cruise complete the agents give you some commission back in OBC (On Board Credit)

[Melissalcsw]

We have the Breeze for 4/20. Looks like multiple activities for kids of all ages. We are doing Eastern with a great itinerary!

 

Hope you find something to match your needs :)

[Hopep84]

We also have 5 kids (well #5 is arriving this month) and have sailed yearly with our current 4! To find connecting rooms, you often have to play with your numbers (4+3, 5+2)or call. This far out there should be plenty available. We like to sail in the fall so we usually just look at the itinerary we want and then pick the cheapest one within that itinerary. Our next cruise is Oct 18, and we are sailing with all 7 of us for about 3800 which is really a good deal for 7 days for 7 people! We have not been on the biggest classes yet but the Sunshine has been our favorite so far for our kiddos.

[elcuchio24]

not going to be much for the 2.5yo to do.......mostly everything structured starts at 3 on CCL

[thehappierhomemaker]

Camp starts at 2 and they do change diapers, this is why we started on Carnival 7 years ago when our youngest was an infant, we knew we needed the kid facilities to have any hope of a "vacation" feel!! We are about to go on our 7th cruise in as many years and this will be our first with adjoining rooms rather than crammed in one room (the boys are now 11, 10 and 7)

 

My tips: Give them downtime breaks in the cabin so they can last through alone time for mom and dad in the evening. Take advantage of the library and arcade for one on one fun times. Waterworks is a must, that's the first thing we look at after camps when booking. Go with the flow, don't overschedule the vacation with that many kids, it won't work!

[Jerseygirl1416]

not going to be much for the 2.5yo to do.......mostly everything structured starts at 3 on CCL

 

Also, if the 2.5 year old isn’t potty trained they will not be able to use any of the water features on Carnival. There are some lines that have ships with toddler pools and splash areas. I know Royal Caribbean has a few.

[grandmarnnurse]

I’m booked on the Magic for April 11, 2020 (Easter cruise) for my 50th Anniversary. I chose that ship because our 5 adult children, their spouses, and 14 grandchildren will be with us, and the ship looked like something that would appeal to all age groups. Plus, it’s my favorite itinerary—Southern Caribbean. For your large family, I would book 2 cabins—put the oldest kids in an inside across or next to you (never leave kids alone in a balcony cabin). That is what some of my family with 3-4 children are doing. That will give you more privacy, more room, more storage, and an additional bathroom.

 

 

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[cruisecraze96]

Is that an extra charge? What are the target ages? I always loved a character breakfast at WDW, but at certain ages my kids were just "too cool."

 

 

 

It is an extra charge but I can’t remember the exact cost but it was worth it. Even my teen loves to go so I can’t really say there is a specific age group. I have seen little babies, toddlers, older kids, teens and then groups will no kids at the breakfast.

 

 

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