Winning over a skeptical first time cruiser

[brillohead]

21 hours ago, Coldwake said:

I think this cuts to the heart of the matter, and goes right along with what Mum2Mercury and wrldtrvllr were saying about the "wow" factor.  In our case, the newest or biggest ship isn't going to sway my wife, it'll be the little things about a vacation that is easy and we can all have fun as a family (the argument has been made though that Wonder generally will have the most to offer in that regard - minus the conveniences/space of the suite).   As for the girls, at 3 and 5 years old, remember this is the age where you buy them a power-wheel car or a fancy play kitchen and in the end they play with the box instead.  😂    If they stay busy and entertained and get to learn and experience new things, that'll be the best treat for Mom and Dad and will allow us to really enjoy our vacation as well.

 

That's why I told the drink umbrella story. Kids tend to make their own fun if given the opportunity. My son doesn't remember either of his cruises at 3yo and 4yo (but when he cruised again at 15yo he was as addicted as his parent!), but I have fond memories. 

 

We were in an "outside view" (large porthole window) room and his bed was a bunk above our bed, but we rarely spent time in the room, so the cramped quarters didn't matter to us.  Back then, Costa Maya was just a pier and a parking lot, and we took a taxi into "town" (which was about a dozen little shacks back then) then paid a local to take us out in his fishing boat (which was just an open boat with an outboard motor).  He took us to a private beach (private as in it was just a long strip of sand with nobody there the entire day we were there) and we swam and snorkeled and built sandcastles -- one of those relaxing days making memories.  

 

I often tell people that cruising is the BEST kind of vacation, because you can make it as busy or as slow as you want.  There are activities all day long if you want to "do stuff" all the time, or you can just lounge on a deck chair and have a waiter bring you drinks all day long.  You can turn in early at night and get up early to watch the sunrise, or you can stay up late listening to live music or dancing to a DJ and sleep in.  You make it what YOU want in a vacation, not what anyone else says it "should" be.  

 

At 4yo my son did enjoy the kiddie club (not on Royal at that time, but probably similar), but he was used to a preschool/daycare program. He liked going to the evening movie time in his jammies (evening hours that you pay for babysitting in the club) while the adults went out and enjoyed the nightlife.  I think enjoyment of the kiddie club depends more on the temperament of the child than the quality of the club's programming.  

[88cruzer]

I think brillohead is right.  A reaction to kids' club will vary.  Most people we have talked to say their kids loved it.  Our boys were very used to preschool/daycare, but really more interested in exploring the ship.  I will say that the people in the Adventure Ocean did nothing to entice them.  There was an open house on the first day, but I did not see anyone talking to the kids, explaining what happened in each area.  They were all talking to parents, while kids wandered around.

 

I thought of another possible advantage of a GS, given the age of OP's daughters.  There is a tub in a GS, but probably not in the balcony cabin.  (I have not been on Wonder, so don't know for sure.)  If either of the girls needs help bathing, the typical shower setup is a pain.

 

If it were just you and your wife, I would say go on Wonder, with the caveat that many people recommend a shorter cruise for any first time cruisers.

 

With 2 little ones, especially, the Grand Suite is a big advantage over a regular balcony, in my opinion.

 

[The Fun Researcher]

Not sure if anyone's mentioned it yet, but starting them in a Grand Suite is asking for trouble later.  That's an awfully nice cabin and hard to follow-up with on subsequent cruises.  Personally, I think both options are excellent.  First cruise with the Wonder, and all it's bells and whistles, also may make it difficult to switch to a smaller ship in the future.  However, I've said to friends many times, if you want to WOW someone with a cruise ship, do Oasis class.  All in all, I'd probably lean towards Wonder, but would have NO PROBLEM recommending the Indy as well.  Great ship.

[Tree_skier]

1 hour ago, The Fun Researcher said:

Not sure if anyone's mentioned it yet, but starting them in a Grand Suite is asking for trouble later.  That's an awfully nice cabin and hard to follow-up with on subsequent cruises.  Personally, I think both options are excellent.  First cruise with the Wonder, and all it's bells and whistles, also may make it difficult to switch to a smaller ship in the future.  However, I've said to friends many times, if you want to WOW someone with a cruise ship, do Oasis class.  All in all, I'd probably lean towards Wonder, but would have NO PROBLEM recommending the Indy as well.  Great ship.

I agree with this... We have done both suites and non-suites.  We usually get a balcony but have splurged a few times.  However, we are already cruise addicts so going back to our usual balcony cabin after being in a suite isn't as much of a let down for us as it might be for someone who experienced on their very first cruise.

 

 

[Tudy]

We took our kids and grandkids on a cruise when the grands were 5, 4, 4, and 3 yrs old.  We did a week on the Allure. One daughter kept her kids with her 90% of the time. The other daughter had her kids in the kids club every time she could. Because all the kids were between 3 and 5 they were all in the same group. I think that helps.

 

Our 4 yr old grandson (kid club mom) wasn't sure about the whole Cruising concept and it took him a couple days to warm up to it. However, he debarked from the ship tossed over his father's shoulder kicking and screaming "I. Don't. Want. To. Leave."

 

Conclusion: I vote for the Wonder.

[LeeW]

Haven't seen much mention of ports, but Labadee is just a beach day on a so-so beach.  Nassau has a fair number of All Inclusive islands or you could spring for Atlantis if kids are tall enough to use the slides.  Note that this is VERY expensive, especially if you add on one of the dolphin encounters.  We had a 3 year old touch the dolphin and then freak when she was supposed to hold it.  Her younger sister loves every chance she can get to swim with dolphins.

 

Check the boards for Roatan, Cozumel and Costa Maya.  So much to do at these (although last is mostly beach bars except for very long ruins tours).  The key here is Coco Cay.  That is so far above Labadee for kids that the other itinerary is a joke.  Plus if Orlando is easier for you, makes far more sense. 

[mjkacmom]

16 hours ago, LeeW said:

Haven't seen much mention of ports, but Labadee is just a beach day on a so-so beach.  Nassau has a fair number of All Inclusive islands or you could spring for Atlantis if kids are tall enough to use the slides.  Note that this is VERY expensive, especially if you add on one of the dolphin encounters.  We had a 3 year old touch the dolphin and then freak when she was supposed to hold it.  Her younger sister loves every chance she can get to swim with dolphins.

 

Check the boards for Roatan, Cozumel and Costa Maya.  So much to do at these (although last is mostly beach bars except for very long ruins tours).  The key here is Coco Cay.  That is so far above Labadee for kids that the other itinerary is a joke.  Plus if Orlando is easier for you, makes far more sense. 

Atlantis is now up to $200 pp, I wouldn’t take kids as young as the OP’s kids, so many features have height requirements (we took our 9 and 11 year olds and left the 4 and 6 year olds on the shop with grandparents, they got to go the next time when they 7 and 9).