Help!!

[momoftwoboys]

This will be the first crusie for my family. We will have my parents with us along with two boys agaes 10 and 16. I don't even know where to begin. Which cruise line? How many days? Where should we go and which cruise ship? If you have any ideas for me please let me know. Also, is there anything we should stay away from. Help!!!

[tricialee]

First few questions you have to ask yourself. Do you want caribbean, Alaska, meditteranean?? Do you have a starting port close to where you live? Is it cheaper to fly to a particular starting port compared to the rest?

[CanadianTwosome]

Any cruise is a good cruise!!! :)

 

Tricialee has asked some good questions.

 

I've been on five previous cruises, and from my past experience, as I said, any cruise is a good cruise! So, when I start planning, the first thing I decide on is a time frame - usually I've got that figured out before I start looking. Next, I think about what departure port is going to work, or where we might want to go.

 

One suggestion I can give you is to go to a site like travelocity and put in some dates (you can pick a time frame), choose a length of cruise (3-5 days, 7-9 days, etc.) and then see what it spits out at you. If you don't specify a region, it will give you all the cruises of your specified length for that time frame. It will give you an idea of pricing, itineraries, and which lines offer what.

 

Once you have some ideas there, talk to your family about some options. Have you done any land travelling? If so, perhaps you want to choose an itinerary that will visit places you've neve been.

 

Just reading around this board, you will see that we've all been on different lines, and they've all got good things to offer for families. We've ended up with NCL for our last and upcoming cruise, for the most part because of itinerary and timing. Their fares are reasonable as well, and we have found that for our family, their freestyle concept is very good. You aren't set in to a specific dining time, and there are other choices around the ship if you don't want to go to the main rooms. Some incur an extra charge and some don't, but you have the choice whether you want to stick with what's included or not. We've found the service was wonderful, as were the amenities and meals.

 

I've read many posts from people who have preferences, but it all boils down to your personal tastes and expectations. I love being on a ship, where someone else does all the cooking, cleaning, and other chores, where I'm surrounded by (mostly) happy travellers, and where there are endless activities for my family and I to enjoy. My best advice is to find an itinerary that works for you and go with that. I really don't think there's a 'bad' cruise out there!

 

Have fun!! :)

[SelectSys]

This will be the first crusie for my family. We will have my parents with us along with two boys agaes 10 and 16. I don't even know where to begin. Which cruise line? How many days? Where should we go and which cruise ship? If you have any ideas for me please let me know. Also, is there anything we should stay away from. Help!!!

 

Assuming you live in North America, my recommendation would be for a one week trip to the Caribbean departing from Florida. I might consider Mexico from LA if you live in Southern California and want to save a few bucks and/or skip a plane ride. I wouldn't get too worked up regarding the destinations as this trip will be all about sun and fun and will give you a good first exposure to cruising. This trip is best in the winter and spring as it gets a bit hot during summer. Alaska is a great destination, but my kids prefer warm weather cruising to more fully enjoy the onboard experience.

 

 

Lines to consider in descending preference (based on our family's experience) -

 

1) Royal Caribbean - Our family favorite. Lot's of kids and fun activities.

2) Disney - Kind of expensive but we like it, especially when tied together with a visit to Disney World. Not good if you like gambling.

3) Princess - Good mix and better pricing much of the time than RCL. Not as many big ticket kid attractions.

 

In terms of booking a trip, I would start with an Internet seach to see what prices are like. Many different sites are available and it is possible to get some good deals.

 

Good luck! I am sure you'll find something.

[Cruisin' Chick]

I always recommend taking a shorter cruise (say under a week) if it's your first time. Pair your cruise with a land vacation in your embarkation city. That way, if you tend to get seasick (even with remedies) or just don't like being on a ship, you won't feel your vacation was completely ruined.

 

Plus if you're leaving from a port you can't drive to, you should always get there at least a day early (just in case your flight gets changed or delayed, which happens quite a bit).

 

As to where you want to go, have a family discussion. Get everyone to agree. I wouldn't recommend an itinerary that normally involves heavy duty seas (the RT to Hawaii, for example, which involves rough seas the few couple of days for many of the sailings) until you have some sea experience. Decide on whether you want a lot of ports.

 

As for cruiselines, just about all of them have kid programs. We personally know that Carnival and Princess are good for kids, and I've read good things about RC, NCL (even tho' a friend of ours had trouble on her Hawaii cruise last summer with the kids' program), Disney (which I think is too pricey, unless you're really, really into Disney).

 

My recommendation is going when school is out as then there's a better chance that there should be plenty of kids on your cruise. Which means a fuller program with more activities (we took our girl at 5 years old on a February cruise once and there was just a handful of kids...and not that many activities). A cruise 7 days or less between June and August, the last couple of weeks in December, or during spring break (generally close to Easter, at least for our school district it's the week before Easter), and your kids will meet lots of kids to hang with.

[rebeccalouise]

For a group- I recommend Norwegian. My first cruise with my family of ten was a three night on the Norwegian Majesty and this started a cruise addiction. I think that kids 10 and 16 would really like this cruise and it can be casual or dressy depending on your desires. I think this is a good place to start and the newer ships, Gem, Pearl and Jewel and Jade have gotten good reviews.

 

My friends started with Norwegian and have stuck with them.

 

Personally I am a Celebrity fan but I think this line is better for smaller children. Not as much for older kids to do.