Kid friendly in November?

[TimmyVan]

Hi all,

 

I'm planning a cruise for November 2007, and my travel agent suggested "The Caribbean Princess" as an alternate to Disney.

 

I've been of a few cruises over the years, but never with Princess. I was wondering how the kids program was, and - if anyone knows - how many kids are cruising during November on Princess? (My DD will be 9 at the time of the cruise)

 

With Disney, you never have to wonder if there will be enough kids on board - they devote almost an entire deck for them. And, in my experience Royal Caribbean & Carnival have had wonderful programs, but in past Novembers - the kids are few and far between it seems on the lines.

 

Any thoughts on Princess?

 

Thanks!

 

Timmy Van

[Toto2Kansas]

Some things to ask are, what date in November are you considering sailing? If it is over Thanksgiving break from school, then the Caribbean Princess should have lots of kids onboard. If it is not during a school break, or the cruise is over 7 days in length (which I don't think the CB is doing in November) then the number of kids is more limited. But during holidays, the 7 day cruises are usually TOTALLY PACKED with kids.

[jmrfamily]

We did a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise on the Star Princess in early November 2 years ago (our daughter was 4 at the time). From what I remember, there were about 80 kids on board for that cruise. However, in the Fun Zone (the kids area) there were never more than 15 or so kids at a time. Our daughter is very solicit, but she does not like it when it is packed (we did a short 3-day cruise with 300+ kids on boards and she did not have a good time), so for us, this a great amount of kids. But if you like the kid-crazy Disney atmosphere this may seem tame. However, our daughter has taken 3 cruises with us and the Fun Zone staff does an excellent job and has great activities for the children.

[TimmyVan]

Thanks for the info! We usually cruise the first or second week of November, and I should have put the dates in my original posting. Princess hasn't posted their schedule on their web site for those dates yet - but I'm assuming they'll have a 7 day Eastern/Western itinerary. They'll probably have the schedule set in the next few weeks.

 

We just got off of the Carnival Valor, and there were about 20 kids in the 6 - 8 age group, and my DD had a blast - and there were more kids at the same time of year on Royal Caribbean's Explorer and Voyager.

 

Since I'm unfamiliar with Princess, it's always good to ask others of their experiences - and I certainly appreciate the input! :)

 

Thanks!

 

Timmy Van