Valor or Mariner for kids 9 & 11

[tracyl921]

Never been on Carnival or RCCL...have salied with NCL and Disney in the past. Not sure which ship to go with...the kids love to swim, but it doesn't look like the Mariner has a water park, but it does have ice skating and mini golf. The Valor has a hugeslide We're food snobs and have been told RCCL is superior in that area. Staterooms on Carnival are larger....What's a family of 4 to do? People I need your help and time is of the essence...:eek:

 

Please tell me if you would go on the Valor or Marniner of the Seas and why...Thanks for your help!

[Aquahound]

Staterooms on Carnival are larger.

 

I'm curious where you are getting this. Mariner has a ton of room categories and the largest rooms in each category (except interior) are larger than Valor's.

 

Anywho....if it's a matter of entertaining the kids, I think the water slide will provide more hours of entertainment than a mini-golf course. However, the ice rink is pretty cool.....and for the adults, you CAN'T miss the ice show. I haven't been on Valor, so I can't comment on the kids area. But the kids area on Mariner is HUGE! The arcade is humongous and The Living Room and Fuel are very popular with the kids.

 

Good luck with this. I'm sure you'll be happy with both.

[cb at sea]

RCI has a fabulous kids program--it rivals Disney! Actually, either will be fine--it's really YOUR attitude that will sway the kids more than the actual ship!

[Morgsmom]

We've been on the Mariner 3x and my DD LOVED it -- it is still her favorite cruise, above Disney by a mile. I have only done the Fascination on Carnival and did not enjoy it so I can't comment on the Valor, but the whole Royal Promenade is just fabulous, as well as the street parades, and shows, and ice shows, and rock climbing wall, etc.... At 9 DD did not even want to leave the kids programming because she loved it so much!!!!

[tracyl921]

My kids are strange...they didn't care for Disney's kids program. They preferred to stay with us during the day and swim. At night, again, we tried the program, but the beeper went off within an hr, unless they fell asleep watching the movie. They were 4 & 7 the 1st time we cruised with Disney and 5 & 8 the 2nd time. They even had friends on board for the 2nd cruise and that didn't help much either. :( They'll be 9 & 11 on this cruise and I'm not planning on them leaving us during the day unless water activites are included in the program that don't include a deep pool. Any other comments/experiences?

[brzymom]

haven't been on the Mariner, but the Valor was lovely!! my dd and friends are teens and I thought they'd never go near the kids club, but they were there all the time and met a bunch of great kids from all over the country!

 

the food was good on Valor, I have been on RCCL and did not find the food any better on there than Valor. Plenty of options as well--buffet, burgers, pizza by pool, but also fish and chips, deli, sushi, etc. all with variety every day.

[silentbob007]

I would say that stateroom sizes will be similar for Valor and Mariner (it is only on RCCL's older ships that there is a big disparity). I would also rate Carnival a step or two beyond RCCL in the food department ... both in taste and selection/availability (though that can depend upon the head chef on board, etc). My niece (10 yrs) went on a sister ship of the Valor with my and she had a great time in the kids club.

 

All things being equal, I would choose Mariner because I like RCCL ships a bit more and they offer more perks for returning cruisers. However, if there is a huge price disparity, I would choose the Valor because she is a fine ship (and, when I was on her, had probably the best food I've had in a long time on a cruise ship).