Caribbean 1st time MSC vs. Princess

[Meaghan84]

I am planning on taking a 14 day cruise with my mom and two kids (10&12) when school is out for the summer (May or June) We typically don’t go to the same place twice which is why I am planning 14 days. Is 14 days to long?  My choice is also between Princess and MSC. Princess is leaving from Fort Lauderdale and going to Grand Cayman, Roatan, Belize, Cozumel, Bahamas, St. Thomas and St Martin. MSC is leaving from Miami and going to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Ocean City, San Juan and St. Thomas. 
 

Just a little information that might be helpful- we have never been on a cruise before. Any info would be helpful.  Thank you. 

[CruiserBruce]

There is no way we can tell you if 14 days is too long for you...we don't know you. But I will say we almost never go for cruises less than 14 days, but we didn't do that when we first started cruising.

[runner15km]

Seems like too long of a cruise for children. Go with a 7 day cruise. 

[Robinsoncruiseso]

With two kids..7 day will be good. Add on days before and after in Miami, Fort Lauderdale or Orlando.  Go as early as you can to avoid Hurricanes.  I am actually embarking on MSC Seaside Saturday and Sky Princess on Dec 14th. I can update on both ships. My first MSC, 20+ on Princess. I would also look at Royal Caribbean, NCL or Carnival.

[leaveitallbehind]

11 hours ago, Robinsoncruiseso said:

Go as early as you can to avoid Hurricanes.

 

Just to add some insight to the OP as a first time cruiser, the hurricane season is from June through November, with its' peak around September and October.  If you think about it, that is half of the year, with one of the peak cruising seasons - summer - right in the middle of it.

 

That being said, hurricane season is only that time of year when conditions are right for hurricanes to develop - but not a guarantee that they will.  The cruise lines focus on any weather disturbance (any time of year) and will avoid any potential hurricane issue by re-routing their itinerary and sailing away from them.  On rare occasion itineraries may be cancelled altogether, but that, when weighed against the hundreds of scheduled hurricane season itineraries, is a very small risk.

 

Perhaps we are fortunate, but in 27+ years of cruising with many of our Caribbean cruises during that period, we have never had any of our itineraries affected by a hurricane.  Certainly that can happen, but with us it has yet to have an impact.  If I were you I would schedule my cruise based on available timeframe, desired itinerary, and budget first, and not by whether or not it is in hurricane season.  And either way, your targeted timeframe of May or June would be fine.

 

As to length of time, I would agree that 14 days might be long as a first experience and would maybe look at something more around the 7 day range.  I would also open my considerations up to other cruise lines as well such as RCI, NCL, and (if your budget will handle it) Disney with regards to things on board to do for your children. 

 

 

Edited December 6, 2019 by leaveitallbehind

[Essiesmom]

Both ships (Caribbean Princess/MSC Seaside) will have kids clubs.  But outside of the club, there is much more for kids to do on Seaside.  Seaside will also be a much more international experience...perhaps 1/3-1/2 of the passengers will be from Europe.  Cabins on MSC will be larger than on Princess, unless you get a mini-suite or suite on Princess.  EM

[Meaghan84]

Thank you so much. I had some recommendations from other people and now need to decide between two options. One person recommended back to back cruises on carnival or royal Carribean which look to be more kid friendly regarding both food and activities. The other option would be to do a 7 night cruise either eastern or western with carnival or royal Carribean and then do a week in Orlando visiting universal and Kennedy space center. I don’t want to do Disney as we were there twice already when the kids were 5 and again when they were 9. 
 

My 11 year old is pretty picky regarding food. And both girls love to swim, play sports, do arts and craft and be active. They do well with two week vacation and we have been taking a two week summer vacation since they were 3 to places like Hawaii, east coast (Acadia, Philadelphia, New York), Michigan, Colorado, etc. 

 

 

[Essiesmom]

Define picky for your 11 y/o.  If she eats pizza, she will not go hungry on MSC.  they even have it for breakfast.  EM

[Meaghan84]

She eats pizza but mainly likes chicken, fruit and rice.  Sometimes burgers and lasagna. 

[Essiesmom]

All are available on MSC.  EM

[pacruise804]

43 minutes ago, Meaghan84 said:

Thank you so much. I had some recommendations from other people and now need to decide between two options. One person recommended back to back cruises on carnival or royal Carribean which look to be more kid friendly regarding both food and activities. The other option would be to do a 7 night cruise either eastern or western with carnival or royal Carribean and then do a week in Orlando visiting universal and Kennedy space center. I don’t want to do Disney as we were there twice already when the kids were 5 and again when they were 9. 
 

My 11 year old is pretty picky regarding food. And both girls love to swim, play sports, do arts and craft and be active. They do well with two week vacation and we have been taking a two week summer vacation since they were 3 to places like Hawaii, east coast (Acadia, Philadelphia, New York), Michigan, Colorado, etc. 

 

 

I lean toward the 7 night with land add on (not sure which I would do first), but I'm sure I am picturing my own family and our vacation style could be different.  Something that might help your decision is to picture best case and worse case scenarios for the back to back:

Best case - everyone loves the cruise ship and are excited to see the different ports, no one regrets missing Universal and Kennedy

Worst case - someone is seasick or bored, wishes they had time in Orlando

Extreme worst case (will almost never happen, but I like to consider) - illness or injury and having to cut short the vacation is easier to do from Orlando than from the Caribbean 😉 

 

Cruise ships are great for the variety of food options and would let the 11 year old have her favorites (or maybe even try some new foods) while others can have more choices in their food.  The girls should have ample water time, but the pools aren't really roomy enough to swim - beaches at ports would be though.  Most ships have a good sports deck so the girls can stay active, but I haven't seen much arts and crafts.  Carnival has started a partnership with Michaels, but the crafts were a bit simplistic on my cruise - especially if they are experienced crafters.  You might want to bring your own supplies depending on what media they use.

 

Have a great time whatever you decide 🙂 

 

[leaveitallbehind]

30 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

All are available on MSC.  EM

 

As would be the case with most cruise lines.  There will be a variety of foods available for all ages and tastes.

[Robinsoncruiseso]

Just finished one week on MSC Seaside and one week on Sky Princess. I am normally a Princess cruiser and could definitely tell the difference between a Premium line, Princess, and a Contemporary line, MSC, but with that said, I had an excellent time on MSC and will cruise again. 

 

With children, I would 100% recommend MSC. Yes, there was a very diverse population, but I see that as a positive. 

 

Here red are the points in favor for MSC with kids

1. Water slides and kids aquatic area. Slideboarding (waterslide meets video game) was awesome. 

2. Fairly priced optional attractions. Zip line, bowling, 5D movie, simulators.

3. Entertainment staff and deck parties were excellent.

4. Dedicated children’s section in buffet.

 

If you have any questions about the Seaside and any Princess Ship, feel free to contact me at robinson852 at Comcast dot net.