Family cruise with 4 children and 9 adults?

[reigle4]

We are trying to plan a family cruise for Dec 2008. As stated in the title there will be 4 children and 9 adults Childrens ages at time of cruise will be 9, 5, 5, 4. Adults from 20's to 50's. We are going on Disney Wonder this Nov. Just the two 50's and a 3 yr old Grandaughter to see how the Disney cruiseline would be. We have always cruised on Carnival in the past but not with little ones. Only ourselves or with our teenagers (who are now in thier 20's). Anyway, I guess my question is Which cruiseline would be the best and offer the most for all age groups. One group is a family of 3 children and two adults so they would need more room and then 2 couples in their 20's. Then two (a mother and 4 yr old child) and 2 grandparents. So I am trying to see which cruiseline would offer the most for all ages at teh best price since we are paying for all. Any suggestions would be greatly apprecaited.

[Lyndasline@aol.com]

Hi, My parents took all of us kids and grandkids on the Disney cruise for their 40th aniverisy and it was great! There were 8 adults and 9 kids ages 3 months to 8 years and everyone had a great time. My family liked it so much that we went again on a 7 night cruise last December.(6 of us) We are actuly hoping to go again in December of 2008 as well. With such a large group , this may not work.... but we got GREAT last minute rates for mid- december. Just a thought:) Good luck! Lynn

[tricialee]

I would think that one of the larger RCCL ships would offer something for everyone. I also find that they are much cheaper than Disney. And I love WDW, we were just there for my parents 40th anniversary. 12 of us ranging in age from 6 to 61.

 

Next year I am doing a Med cruise with another family and another couple, so there will be 4 children and 6 adults. We are on the RCCL Legend.

 

I have learned that with travelling with groups of that size it is easier for the smaller family groups to do their own thing during the day. We would meet a a specific location for a quick breakfast, then all share our plans for the day, split off into little groups and then make sure we met up again for Dinner.

[abitaturbodog]

I would also look into Carnival. We've always been happy with the kids program, plus there are a lot of fun things for the adults too such as the casino (not on Disney) and piano bar. I would be worried that Disney would not be as much fun for the adults, plus it's sooo expensive! You could take the family on 2 Carnival cruises for the price that you'd pay on Disney!

[Kerry's Girls]

Since the kids all are of the age where they qualify for the children's programs on any ship, I would choose based on price and itinerary.

 

Best,

Mia

[Sheila56]

We are a group of 11 - ages 5 to 69. One couple, one family of 5 and one family of 4. I'm looking at RCCL Mariner of The Seas December 21, 2008. We will have one oceanview cabin, one inside quad, one inside with a connecting inside cabin for kids. The total include port fees and taxes right now is $12417.47. I have until Monday to make up my mind as the cabins are on hold. If you look at the same cruise for December 2007 right now, the beginning price is $1349.00 on one of the TA websites.

 

I don't what to expect to spend, but am considering this pretty seriously. We have cruised on Celebrity a lot, but I think RCCL is a great cruise for families.

 

Any comments would be appreciated. I will also post a separate thread. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

Sheila56

[merela]

For most parts, Disney cruises cost 30% to 50% more than Princess or RCCL for certain cabin categories and itinerary. I think kids ages 3-6 will enjoy the Disney magic more than kids in their pre-teen years. Also, the adults would have to enjoy the Disney atmosphere as well as paying the extra $$ for the privilege of doing a Disney cruise.

 

Then you have to look at the adults in your group, do they enjoy eating out? Do they like to eat in fancy restaurants, TGIF, Chili's, or Denny's, etc.... Look at your group of adults and see what kind of food styles they like.

 

Also, since you are paying for everyone, you need to look at how you want to spend your $$ and maximize the amount spent. First, you need to set limits. Are you paying for the cruises, including tips? Or are you also paying for excursions, as well as incidentals? When my parents cruise with their children, they pay for the kids' cruise fares, but us kids pay for tips and any incidentals we incur. Make sure your traveling companions understand this. You can opt to pay for cruise fare and tips since tips can add up to quite a bit. But I think it's only fair if everyone deals with their own incidentals (drinks, photos, casinos, etc...)

 

I think basically kids will not eat fancy food, so any cruiseline will do for them. I believe RCCL, Princess, Celebrity, Holland America, and Carnival all have decent kids' program, so the kids will enjoy the programs offered by these cruiselines. So your choice in picking which cruiseline should be based on the adults' preferences.

 

For December 2008 cruises, you really have only 2 choices--to the Mexican Riviera or the Caribbeans, unless you want to fly to Europe or Asia. The kids will enjoy either itinerary since lots of beach activities are involved.

 

RCCL and Celebrity has rooms for 5 people. Princess do not.

 

I think the food on Celebrity is the best, followed by Princess, Holland America, RCCL, then Carnival. If you are content with Pizzas, hamburgers, and hotdogs, then go with Carnival. I believe with many cruiselines, you'll need to pay extra to go to specialty restaurants to get decent meals. This is not necessary on the Celebrity or Princess.

 

Whether to book inside or outside or balcony cabins for your family is up to you and your budget. But I think if you book everyone in inside cabins, then that will leave you with spare cash to pay for their excursions or incidentals. It's really up to you on how you want to spend your money.

 

I am guessing you are planning to travel at the end of December during the holiday seasons, then there is not a lot of lead way in finding bargain cruise deals. If you are planning to cruise at the beginning of December, you can find decent 7-day cruises for less than $600 pp (inside cabins), and 3rd and 4th (sometimes 5th) passengers pay around $300 pp.

[Desertbelle]

Last Thanksgiving we took 3 of our children and their spouses and children (4 kids) on the Celebrity Mercury for a 11 day Mexican Riviera cruise. We had a wonderful time. The children were 3, 3 1/2, and 5 and the baby was 3 months old.

 

The kids, for the most part, did great in the dining room, but we did take them to the children's club some nights. Usually the kids liked the food available off the main menu, but there was a children's menu also. The kids loved the club. No complaints.

 

I wouldn't hesitate taking another Celebrity cruise with my grandchildren. The Thanksgiving rates are usually great, so I would stay away from Christmas and New Year holidays and book Thanksgiving, because this is low season and there are some wonderful bargains around that time of year.