Newbie with family

[nycruiser1975]

I am 32, DH 36, and DS 6, we plan on cruising in Nov. Please help!

1. How are the seas then.
   
2. Which is the best ship for hubby and I and for son, as well as family fun.
   
3. What is good about RCCL than other ships.
   
4. Do I have to eat at assigned times.

Help.. just please teach me all I need to know about cruising on RCCL.:( :confused:

[nycruiser1975]

please help

[firefly333]

Hi, usually by nov hurricane season is over, but there still can be storms. galveston has a history of being rougher to go out of that time of year than out of Florida.

 

Could you give us more information?

 

Me, I would go out of any port I could drive to, can you go out of NJ or Boston I think it is?

 

How many days do you want to cruise? Are you flexible and can you go last minute, sometimes you can save by booking last minute.

[Sue L]

Nov should be a nice time to cruise but like any other time of year it is a crapshoot when it comes to weather

 

I would suggest any of the Voyager class ships, they have a ton activities for both adults and kids. The adventure ocean program is wonderful for the kids and your son will love it

 

We love RCCL because of the wonderful service, great staff, entertainment and beautiful ships.

 

Yes, the dining room times are assigned. You choose either early or late though with a 6 year old I would definitely choose the early one. Or you can eat in the buffet if you want.

 

 

My best advice is keep reading these boards and ask questions that you don't see answers to.

[nycruiser1975]

I guess we could drive to NJ, but don't know where it sales. I would like to go to saint thomas. should I book air fare myself or through rccl?

[JanineM]

Just to throw in a couple of other things ...

 

You are assigned a dinner eating time in the dining room. If you don't want to eat then you can have room service (included with your fare), eat in the buffet, or go to one of the specialty restaurants (extra charge of $20 per person, and your son would not be able to join you).

 

You can eat breakfast and lunch whenever you want.

 

RCCL is a good choice because there are lots of activities, there are children's programs day and evening, there will be other kids around for your child to play with, and the average age of cruisers is closer to your own age. There are also babysitters available for about $8 to $10 per hour for in-room sitting, in case you want to have a romantic evening out!

 

Keep reading the boards, and do check out the reviews here also.

[zotzer]

Why all of the frownie faces? You are going on a cruise!!

 

Explorer sails out of Bayonne and goes to St. Thomas (on the nine day). It would be a great pick for you and your family.

 

Tracy

[ali07]

1. I haven't found November to be a problem (it seems to me that March is windier in the Western Caribbean). Until our kids got older, we used to target November cruises.

 

2. This is totally a personal preference but my favourite class is the Radiance class. They are just beautiful ships, there are still lots of things for kids to do and they have fewer passengers than the Voyager and Freedom class of ships.

 

3. The kids programs are great...and there are 5 different age groups. Make sure you take your son to check out the club the day you embark so he can make some friends.

 

4. You will either chose early or late dinner in the main dining room. However, there are several options including Windjammer (pretty good buffet), room service, and alternative restaurants (eg, Johnny Rockets or Seaview Cafe depending on which ship you are are on). You won't be able to take your son to Portofino's or Chops (premium restaurants) but it makes for a nice dinner for mom and dad while he enjoys himself at the kids clubs.

 

Whatever you choose, I'm sure you'll all have a great time!

[ssbeagle]

I am 32, DH 36, and DS 6, we plan on cruising in Nov. Please help!

1. How are the seas then.
   
2. Which is the best ship for hubby and I and for son, as well as family fun.
   
3. What is good about RCCL than other ships.
   
4. Do I have to eat at assigned times.

Help.. just please teach me all I need to know about cruising on RCCL.:( :confused:

 

You have several choices to choose from. Princess sails out of Brooklyn's Red Hook terminal (we did the Star there last Oct) and RCL goes out of New Jersey.

 

Both lines have excellent children's programs with RCL's being a tad bit better than Princess.

 

If you don't like assigned eating times, Princess has personal choice dining as well as the traditional (assigned) dining. The personal choice has two dining rooms to choose from as well as the buffet or alternative restaurants. By the way, you can bring children to the alternative restaurants on both lines. There just isn't any price reduction for them.

 

The seas can be rough if there is a storm out in the Atlantic but most of the time it is calm. If you are sailing to the Caribbean it is usually not rough. However, if you are worried about rough seas, you can always bring some dramamine or Bonine with you to prevent sea sickness. I would book a cabin mid-ship if possible.

 

After 29 cruises, any cruise is a good one. Love to cruise!

[MiniMom57]

If I were the one planning this cruise, I would find one out of Florida that goes to St. Thomas, and book my own flights. The RCI-arranged flights tend to be more expensive, and you don't get to pick your own timing (unless you want to pay an extra fee).

[Trainman-2]

Take a train trip to Florida! That will be an adventure by itself. You can choose from Port Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, or Tampa for a departure port. That will give you enough flexibility to pick any cruise itinerary you want. Be sure to plan at least one night at the port before and after the cruise to allow for delays in travel.

 

All of the cruise lines have good programs for kids, grouped my age. You can almost drop him off in the morning and pick him up in the evening and he will complain that he wants to stay longer.

 

I remember several years ago my wife and I went ashore on the private island for lunch and a group of kids about your son's age came marching up for lunch 2 by 2. There were about a zillion of them, all wearing pirate hats and carrying rubber swords marching along surrounded by ship employees keeping them in line. They are all shouting the pirate's "ARRRG" while they marched. They had a special seating area set up for them for lunch. It was a real show. The kids were having fun and were well supervised!

[barbaragrace]

I guess we could drive to NJ, but don't know where it sales. I would like to go to saint thomas. should I book air fare myself or through rccl?

 

 

We took the EXPLORER out of Bayonne, NJ last June and had a GREAT time!

Originally Posted by Radio

Just click here

ENJOY!

[nycruiser1975]

I did not see anything in Nov out of NJ. If you see anything please let me know. Also. How much cheaper is it to get your own flight, and what about transfer to and from the port. I did my own search on NCL with my own flight and my flight alone was $2,000. Please help. Should I use a travel agent. THank you all for your help

[deb154]

I did not see anything in Nov out of NJ. If you see anything please let me know. Also. How much cheaper is it to get your own flight, and what about transfer to and from the port. I did my own search on NCL with my own flight and my flight alone was $2,000. Please help. Should I use a travel agent. THank you all for your help

 

There are 9 and 12 night cruises sailing out of Cape Liberty in Bayonne, NJ during November and all stop in St. Thomas. They look like pretty good prices as well.

[BethCarp]

I'm sailing the Enchantment of the Seas on Novemeber 5. This will be my boys' (3 and 6) first cruise. DH and I have cruised before, but we chose a shorter cruise (5 nights) for our first with the kids. It still has 3 stops, so there's plenty see. I've heard great things about the Enchantment since she's been stretched. The new pool area is supposed to be fantastic.

[nycruiser1975]

how much school will your son miss. I cannot seem to get help about which line to go one. I am a little frazzled about whether I should go on RCCL or carnival. help some one