Help me plan a first family cruise! (newbie)

[jse107]

Well, after lurking for several weeks, here's my first post! :p

 

I think I would like to go on a 7-night Caribbean cruise in January 2010--I know, far away...

 

I work as a school counselor, so I'd like to plan it the week of MLK Day (1/18/10), that way I only have to take 4 days of leave, rather than 5.

 

My DH and I are in our early-30s and enjoy good food, great beaches, snorkeling, and spending time with our family. We're not huge party animals, but enjoy an occassional drink. Neither of us smoke, so we'd prefer not to encounter smoking at every turn. We'd be up for fun games--trivia, bingo, etc, but are not fans of participation games that typically appear on the pool deck...

 

We have two kids who will be 5 and 2 if/when we go. I'd like to feel like our children are welcome (assuming they're well-behaved of course!). Because we'd like to do some shore excursions, I'd like some of those options to be family friendly, even if it's checking out a beach or walking through town and sightseeing.

 

We may invite my ILs who are in their late-50s. They're pretty active, so they'll probably just be happy spending time with us and doing any shore excursions that seem fun. (Yay for built-in babysitting...)

 

We'd like nice accomdations--nothing that looks too well-worn. I'm thinking a room with a balcony so that DH and I can sit out and chat while kids are sleeping. I don't need the Ritz, but I don't want to be sketched out by our accomodations either.

 

I'm not sure what type of food situation we're looking for, other than we'd like options. With two young kids (they're not picky eaters), it's probably better to have a set dining time to avoid long lines that will frustrate them.

 

As far as nightly entertainment, I'm not sure what to expect. No preferences there, I guess...

 

I think I'd like a ship with a promenade for walking.

 

Anywhere in the Caribbean will be a treat, but I'd lean toward a southern itinerary if I had my choice. I'm flexible though!

 

Lastly, how will we fare with a 2 year old who won't be able to use the pools? Am I asking for disaster?

 

Thanks so much for pointing me in the right direction! The TA suggested starting with RCCL, but even that overwhlems me!

[Warm Breezes]

With children that young, I would go with Disney. Everything, except for a few adult areas, is geared toward the younger children including the shows and dinner. I am glad we took our 2 kids on Disney when they were younger. While I am sure they would still enjoy going on a Disney Cruise, they wouldn't get as much out of it now as they did when they were younger. That is why we now do different cruiselines with them. We don't need to pay the higher price anymore to keep them entertained. They have fun no matter which cruiseline they sail.

[Kerry's Girls]

My suggestion as the best suited for everyone would be Carnival, since their kids' program starts at 2 years old.

 

As for the pools - we're always so busy on sea days that we don't miss the pool. We get our swimming in at shore stops.

 

Best,

Mia

[PHXscuba]

If you do look into Disney, I believe one of their ships is going into drydock soon and getting a "splash zone" for todllers. The Disney-board people would know.

 

As for RCI, if you want a southern itinerary, there are only a couple ships doing it and you will have to fly to San Juan, I believe.

 

I know RCI's biggest ships (Freedom, Liberty, and Independence) also have "splash zones" for little kids if that is important.

 

I believe NCL and Carnival's kids' programs start at age 2.

 

Confused about the options?:confused: Basically you will have to prioritize which is most important: ship facilities, itinerary, kids' clubs, money, etc. and work down from there. If you are working with a TA, do a little homework on what you want, but part of the reason you pay them a commission is to help you figure out what options are where and when!

 

You already know more about what you want than most people choosing a first cruise.:)

 

PHXscuba

"You can't have everything -- besides, where would you put it all?":D