Best cruises for kids (aged 9 and 12) and 2 seniors

[mosaicgirl7]

I am looking for a cruise for myself, my parents and my two kids leaving on March 7 or 8 out of Ft. Lauterdale or Miami. My son will be 9 by the time we leave and my daughter is 12. My parents are both seniors. I have cruised before on Carnival, RCI and Celebrity but always without kids. This will be my parents' and my kids' first cruise. I have read so many reviews that my head is starting to spin. :confused:

 

I would appreciate any advice anyone can offer on ships and itineraries, including excursions. I prefer to book my own excursions since I have found that they are less expensive and better run than the ones through the ship.

[3GR8Sons]

My recommendation would be Princess or RCI. Princess is probably better if your parents like a more sedate atmosphere. Both lines will accommodate kids very well but Princess is less active than RCI without being stuffy.

[cb at sea]

For a 9 and 12 yo., do RCI. The "seniors" can do as much or little as they like, and the kids will have a blast! (Unless those "seniors" are in their late 90's, they may well be able to "party" you under the table!!!) Just because someone has a few years on them, doesn't make them "sedate"!!!!

This is what's so neat about a ship---there's something for everyone!

[Keith1010]

I would also recommend Princess. Princess has an excellent children's program and also appeals to a variety of ages. My other recommendation would have been Celebrity you mentioned you've cruised. They too have a solid children's program and would appeal to passengers of various ages.

 

I would look up the itineraries for each of these two cruise lines, as a starting point and then come back with more questions.

 

It's great that you are planning a cruise like this and I am sure it will not only be a lot of fun but a wonderful memory for all of you.

 

Keith

[rebeccalouise]

It really depends what you are looking for. My parents like small, intimate ships. I think that I would do a midsize ship with "seniors" because of the walking.

 

All the mainstream lines offer kids programs. I like Princess, Holland America and Cunard because they offer freshwater pools. My son loves to swim but hates the saltwater pools.

 

The cabins on Holland America are very spacious and I think that cruise line fits the bill for a multi-generational cruise. I also like Princess- the ships are elegant, food is good and there is much to do.

[arlsvera]

I recommend Holland America. My husband and I are in our early 40's and we cruise with my mom and her friend (early 70's) and my kids (9 and 11 on our last cruise). Holland America ships are a bit smaller than many ships (so it might not be as overwhelming to an older person), and the service is amazing. My mom loved that it was a bit more formal than Royal Caribbean (our first cruise together as a multi-generational family). We all agreed that the staff and the other passengers were friendlier on HAL than on Royal Caribbean. Royal Caribbean has more for the kids to actually do (rock climbing, ice skating, etc.), but my kids liked Holland America better. The ship kept the shows clean (until midnight) and my entire family loved the atmosphere. I hope that helps!

-Arlene

[sunshine40]

I hate to add to your confusion as you will probably end up just having to go with what you think looks best for your family. To make you feel better, I really don't know anyone personally who went on a cruise and didn't enjoy it. That being said because I am going to add to the confusion. I went on NCL with DS 8 and 13, DH, and mom (61) to Mexican Riviera. My good friends did a similar cruise with kids same age to Carribean on NCL too. We all loved NCL and had a great cruise experience. Of course, we are freestyle kind of people. We like to do our activities when they meet our families schedule and then dine when we want, see shows when we want. I also scheduled all my own excursions and it worked without any problems. The 8yo loved his kid club activities and the teen liked running around the ship with the teens and then they would do the activities the ship had scheduled for the teens as they chose. That is the one area that might lack depending on how you feel about your 12 yo running aroung a cruise ship by themselves with a group of teens. That is pretty much what the teens do or hang out with their parents as their isn't a lot going on in the teen club on a NCL cruise from our experience and the kids are free to sign themselves in and out. Good luck with your decision! I truly don't think you can go wrong.

[mosaicgirl7]

Thank you for all of your responses.

[crusinmama06]

Put it this way, check out the ships leaving FLL for that date. Then check the prices to sail on those ships. Figure out what is in your budget, then narrow it down based on the ships themselves. (use a site like Expedia to go through the choices for that date)

 

We could all say you should book cruise ship XYZ and when you price it out for that week it's wayyyy out of your budget.

 

I like Royal Caribbean (and even Carnival) for kids. But everyone has their own likes/dislikes.