Help me decide which cruise line.

[BLUEICE]

I am trying to decide which cruise line to book with for our July /05 cruise.

 

We have cruised Princess (once), RCCL (soon to be twice).

 

I am thinking about CCL prefer the Western itinerary. Currently looking at the Glory or the Victory.

 

My hang up is this - we will be taking our DD (10th Bday gift) and want to go on a line which will offer her the best program. We have not cruised with her before this will be her first.

 

Can you fellow CC's, tell me about camp carnival and why your children liked the program.

 

Wondering if getting a category 11 or 12 is worth the extra money since it only seems like all you get is priority embarkation. I just want a cabin that will be comfy for all three of us.

 

Sorry, so many questions but I just want to make sure that I pick the right line for my daughter.

 

How does the salt water pools go over with the kids?

 

Looking forward to reading lots of posts about choosing Carnival.

 

Thanks for all your input.

[TexasAlexus]

My children are 14, 9 and 5 and they just completed their fifth cruise a few weeks ago. They have been on RCI,Princess, Carnival, Disney and Norwegian. They have enjoyed the kid's programs a lot, but truthfully there is very little difference between them. They all have similar activities. They have only sailed once with each cruise line,and have loved all their cruises,but they have said their favorite was RCI.Because I know all of these cruise lines have really fun programs for kids and I now choose our cruises based more on the itinerary; choosing places that are great for kids to visit. We sailed June 9th on a 10 day Hawaiian and it was fantastic. My kids will never forget it! I think the Western Caribbean is a really good choice for a 10 year. Be sure to take her to swim with the stingrays. Whatever cruise you decide on she will have a great time.

[PrincessJul]

We've been on 2 cruises.......RCI's Explorer and Carnival Conquest........kids loved both cruises but they seemed to have alot more fun with the kids club on RCI (they were ages 8 and 11 then). This year we went on Conquest and the kids were 9 and 12. The 12 yo did not get involved with the kids club at all this time but loved it on RCI. The 9 year old enjoyed both but I noticed that this year he spent alot less time there (he BEGGED to be there every minute he could on RCI).

 

From a parent's standpoint however, I MUCH prefer RCI's Adventure Ocean program. A 10 year old on RCI can sign themselves out of camp ONLY if the parent approves it in writing. (Many times I would authorize my 11 year old to sign himself out during the daytime and when I could tell him where exactly I would be) Otherwise a parent must pick them up and they do check your ID (at least the first few days till they get to know each parent by sight). On Carnival, a 10 year old can come and go as they please. Also on RCI, the kids club group stays primarily in one place. If they leave as a group they return to the club by pickup time so you always know where to find them. Carnival's kids club (after age 8) is a moving target. They meet at different places at different times throughout the ship and throughout the day and night. I found it very confusing to know where my 9 year old would be at any given time. They are also released from different places. It's very confusing. Carnival's actual kids club room is one huge room and is primarily used for small children. RCI has a different room with different entrance/exit and different age-appropriate things to do for each age group. (Aquanauts 3-5, Explorers 6-8, Navigators 9-11 and teens)

 

As far as the salty pools.............my kids LOVE to swim but neither one swam ONE time on Explorer. I found this really strange except they were so involved with their kids club they didn't seem to miss it. They hate salt water though. On Carnival, neither one swam at all but the 9 yo spent alot of time on the water slide...........he LOVED that and tolerated the salt water for the slide.

 

Hope it helps a little.

[Nanatravel]

I think you and your family will really enjoy any one of the new Carnival ships. Of 14 cruises with Celebrity (6), RCI (3), Princess (2) and Carnival (3), as a Nana, I found Carnival had something great to offer for everyone. Their Camp Carnival is great, the water slide is fun for the entire family, the buffet dining had so many options and it was not a straight line buffet and most of all a regular balcony cabin is much larger than similar on RCI or Celebrity. You would not need to upgrade to a large suite. I also found great values for my vacation dollars on Carnival.

Bon Voyage

[kkorman]

Carnival does not offer most of the perks other cruise lines do with their suites and unless you want the extra space, it is not worth the extra dough.

[BLUEICE]

Thank you so much for all your feedback. It is extremely helpful.

 

I was wondering why the larger suites on CCL really have no extra perks. However, I think they offer priority embarkation. Maybe somebody can clarify that as well.

 

Are the cabins really that much larger on CCL compared to RCI and Princess?

 

I have never had such a hard time deciding on a cruise. We would like to do the Western itinerary.

 

I told her CCL were saltwater pools and she said yuck, lets go on the ship with the ice rink. Again, she gets to pick the cruise line and I am going to pick the itinerary.

 

If anybody else has anything to add, please do so.

 

I appreciate all your replies either positive or negative on either of the above mentioned lines.

[CoachTerry14]

Since I am a Diamond Member with RCL and a often Carnival Cruiser (8 so far), let's compare the my last two cruises: Mariner vs. Glory

 

1) RCL has a conceiges lounge

2) Carnival has a waterslide

3) RCL has mini golf, in-line skating, and a rock wall. (Cool if you use it!)

4) RCL had two speciality restaurants (or is it three with Johnny Rockets), Carnival had one.

5) Glory had lots of places to eat outside, Marnier None.

6) Carnival had laundrettes, Marnier nothing.

7) Marniner had RANCH Steak, Carnival had Filet.

8) Mariner - Full size basketball, Carnival - Smaller than half court

9) Carnival - More self serve ice cream stations

10) In my opinion, the food is a toss up. But Carnival has more free speciality stuff (Fish & Chips, Deli, etc.)

11) In my opinion, the activities and entertainment go to Carnival.

12) In price comparisons, CCL is generally less expensive. I guess this makes RCL more upscale.

13) Glory left on a Saturday and the Mariner left on a Sunday - Same embarkation port. Could make a difference to some people.

14) The Room service menu on RCL was much nicer than CCL - More Choices!

15) Game room much bigger and nicer on RCL!

 

Hope this helps.

 

Host Terry

[kkorman]

THe rooms are bigger on Carnival, but I do not think they are so much bigger that it would influence my choice of cruises. We are talking 10-20 sq. ft.

[yarlenna]

If you compare the newest Carnival cabin sizes to the newest RCI sizes, there really isn't that much difference in size or furnishings. The cat 12 rooms are quite comfie. I would book one for the comfort factor alone - especially with 3 in the room. However, putting 3 in a regular cabin would be adequate. If your DD is game for an upper bunk, I would prefer that to a sofa bed. (Yes, I am talking comfort again.)

While Carnival only has one extra tariff restaurant, I prefer it to any I have had on RCI (Portifinos or Chops)

Your DD may appreciate the pizza and salad available 24/7.

Be aware that the Carnival slide is only open for brief periods of the day and the the pools close down during supper and stay closed for the night.

When my girls were younger (9 and 12) we did a Carnival cruise and they LOVED it! However, they did not do most of the camp Carnival activities. They felt that they were structured in school and this was vacation. It didn't really matter to them what was being done, they just wanted to hang out with their new friends. I insisted on the "dance" the first night so they would get to know everyone. That worked well for them as there were lots of kids the same ages for them to pal around with. Your DD is at about the end of the age where adult directed organized activities might still be fun. I did see lots of arts and crafts type stuff, scavenger hunts, parties and that sort of thing was available.

.

[dickinson]

I noticed on my last 2 cruises that the slides are now open for long periods of time. Just wanted to let people know in case that was a factor.

[early_iron]

This is my own opinion from my limited experience and all that I have read. We cruise with our granddaughter whis 14 now and mildly autistic. When she was younger she loved the Carnival kids program and they treated her like a princess. I think Carnivals kids program is the best!!! Carnival is most reasonable especially when a third or fourth are booked in your cabin. With Carnival you can book a third for $299 and some times less. Other lines want full price for third and fourth in the a cabin. Besides I hav never been disapointed with a Carnivla cruise and feel their food rates equal and many time better than the the more expensive lines and much more fun.

[Guest Time2gocruzn]

We are cruising to the w carrib with our 1.75 and 4 year old. We chose carnival because I heard wonderful things about their kids programs. I mean, I'm sure all the programs are good, but Carnival just seemed to stand out in this area. We are booked on the Miracle, which is a newer ship, and it has 4 ports of call (Belize, Costa Maya, Cozumel & Grand Cayman). I am glad that we are going to be on a newer ship. Plus, it seems like a lot of the itineraries (sp?) only include 3 ports. We are new to traveling, so to us we wanted to see as many new places as possible. I also did NOT want one that went to Jamaica, which some do. The whole thing was just ideal for us, so we booked it!:D

[BLUEICE]

Thanks again for all the replies.

 

I must admit that this is the hardest cruise I have ever had to book.

 

We would also prefer to do four ports instead of three which could come down to the deciding factor.

 

I would definately book a category 11 or 12 just to make sure we will have enough room and not feel squishy.

 

The pricing that I got for cat 11 is reasonable (however when I convert from US to Canadian that is a different story) and they are not charging me $299 for DD it is more like $715 which is a big difference. Although I am looking at early July 2005 so I realize it is high season for vacation time.

 

Now I must check out which ship offers four ports. I think it is the Miracle.

 

You guys have been so helpful. I appreciate all the feedback.

 

If anybody has anything else to add, please do so.

 

Wendy

[momofmeg]

When Splendor moves to Tampa she will be doing 4 ports just like Miracle. Splendor is not a Voyager class ship so I am not sure if she offers all the things Mariner does.

 

We were on Miracle back in April and the slide was only open from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. when the sun is the strongest and when it is much easier to get sunburned. I could not understand why it couldn't be open in the morning when the sun is milder or like until 8 in the evening. That really disapointed me but I guess if you make sure you use plenty of sunscreen on your kids they would be okay. Remember every time they get sunburned the chances of skin cancer in later life is much greater. Not like when we were kids-the ozone is so depleted now it is much more dangerous.

[Malinda1229]

My 13 year old daughter and her 14 year old girl friend just came back from our Queen Mary 2 cruise. We have previously only been on Carnival; her friend had only been on Princess. Both of these girls are well traveld not only on crusies but have seen a great deal of Europe as well as the USA.

 

Personally I thought that the Kids program on Carnival was THE BEST! They ALWAYS had things to do written on the programme..however you did see children all over the ship. The QM2 program to me seemed a bit weak, nothing in the written in the ships programme but you NEVER saw any kids. 200 on board, 90 of them were teens...I NEVER EVER saw any kids with the exception of dinners to at the pool.

 

Now the girls thought that the kids program on the QM2 was the best, they fell in love with the program leader and even took her e-mail address we got off the ship on July 5th and they are exchangeing e-mails at a rapid fire rate. When the ship coems back to Newport in September we are taking the Kids program leader out to dinner. They would tell me all the things they did with Ella the program leader but I never saw anything in writting.

 

As we got off the ship the girls told me they NEVER wanted to go on any other ship ever again...on Saturday I booked 2 more QM2 cruises for Feb and July 2005!

 

Malinda

[TomD]

We took our two kids on the Conquest 6/27/04. This was their first time. My daughter, age 10, loved it. She set up all her time/days around the Camp Carnival itinerary which you will receive each evening for the next day. She had so much fun and met so many new friends, I think it will be hard to get her on another ship. Are the questions you're posting hers or yours?

[BLUEICE]

TomD;

 

Thank you for your information.

 

The questions that I am asking are from both of us.

 

I just want to make sure that we choose the line which will offer the most fun for her in a safe environment.

 

When you go on excursions, if the child does not want to go can she stay at Camp or would she have to go on the excursion as well?

 

If she can stay at camp is there a charge for this and if so how much?

 

What sort of cabin did you have and how many people were occupying it? I assume it was three of you. Did you find the cabin tight for you and your party?

 

Thanks for the replies.