suites / kids clubs / europe??? Which cruiseline?

[isdoo]

Hi,

 

Can anyone suggest a decent cruiseline, with a decent suite experience, but also with a decent kids club that sails in Europe during the summer?

 

That is apart from Royal Caribbean.

 

Are there any other cruiselines I should be looking at?

 

A decent kids clubs is to give us both a break, but at the same time we like our luxuries.

 

Thanks.

[sunandseagirl617]

Hi,

 

Can anyone suggest a decent cruiseline, with a decent suite experience, but also with a decent kids club that sails in Europe during the summer?

 

That is apart from Royal Caribbean.

 

Are there any other cruiselines I should be looking at?

 

A decent kids clubs is to give us both a break, but at the same time we like our luxuries.

 

Thanks.

How old are the children??

[isdoo]

10 & 13 - although would look at the US, but would prefer something in Europe this summer.

 

spoke to my TA, who really didn't have a clue - hence asking on these forums :)

[Kerry's Girls]

I just booked NCL r/t Barcelona. NCL isn't my favorite cruise line - in fact it's my least favorite of those I've sailed, but they're having a deal of $150 for 3rd/4th/5th passengers, which made it feasible for us to book a mini-suite and cruise an itinerary I couldn't otherwise afford. The suites look nice, and many of the suites have perks that I haven't seen on other cruiselines - like a private courtyard w/pool for those with high level suites to share; suite perks like private dining room for breakfast/lunch, etc.

 

Best,

Mia

[crusinmama06]

What about Celebrity, HAL (Holland America), Princess? They all sail there during the Summer. They all have kids clubs. And they all have suites.

[sunandseagirl617]

There are two very good reviews in this link:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=922757

[CeleBrat]

We sailed NCL (the Gem) r/t Barcelona this past summer. Although we did not travel in a suite, we did have outside cabins w/balconies. We chose NCL specifically for their Freestyle DIning (no set dining time), knowing that we weren't going to rush back onboard following a day on land at such magical places like Italy, Malta, and France.

 

Review link is in my signature.

 

CeleBrat

[rebeccalouise]

I did Holland America this summer and they have really nice suites and mini suites. I also sailed Princess and that is a fantastic line. Celebrity used to be my favorite but they have saltwater pools and now that my son is older and likes to swim I prefer Holland, Princess or Cunard because they have the freshwater pools.

 

I have done the Western Med on Celebrity, the Greece/Turkey on Holland and the British Isles on Princess.

 

If you are deciding between the Western and Eastern Med- do the Eastern. Much more interesting ports of call. Holland America Oosterdam roundtrip out of Venice would be my first choice. Fantastic!

 

I also LOVED my British Isles cruise and that's probably the one I would repeat. The weather is great in the British Isles in the summer. The ports are really interesting and the people were very friendly- and it helps that there isn't a language barrier.

 

My favorite ship so far is the Grand Princess. Loved the pools, the Movies Under the Stars and the entertainment was really good.

[Essiesmom]

Keep in mind that Med. cruises are pretty port intensive, so your children would probably not spend as much time in the kids programs as other areas. EM

[can786]

Princess has nice suites and very nice suite perks with some great European itineraries. They also offer anytime dining so you are not set to a schedule for dining if you have a long day in port. I can't comment on their kid's clubs as my kids have always shunned any organized activities so have never gone to them. Be forewarned though, since the OP used "kids" in plural I assume he/she has more than one child. If you are planning on all being in one suite there are not too many suites on the Princess ships that will hold more than three and none that hold more than four. On any of the large Grand class ships only the category VS suites on Emerald and Dolphin decks and the category OS on some of the ships will hold four passengers. Depending on the age of the kids it would probably be cheaper to book a suite for the parents and a nearby inside cabin for the kids. That is what we did for our Iceland/Norway cruise last summer.

[rebeccalouise]

Yes- Princess, Celebrity, Holland America and to a lesser extent, Cunard, have kids clubs. I have found that the summer cruises attract families and there will be 100-150 kids on any given cruise.

 

Your kids will make friends- mine did. Holland, Princess and Celebrity have devoted areas for kids. Celebrity is the best for younger kids but I think older kids may be a bit bored on Celebrity.

[mjmalino]

Princess has nice suites and very nice suite perks with some great European itineraries. They also offer anytime dining so you are not set to a schedule for dining if you have a long day in port. I can't comment on their kid's clubs as my kids have always shunned any organized activities so have never gone to them. Be forewarned though, since the OP used "kids" in plural I assume he/she has more than one child. If you are planning on all being in one suite there are not too many suites on the Princess ships that will hold more than three and none that hold more than four. On any of the large Grand class ships only the category VS suites on Emerald and Dolphin decks and the category OS on some of the ships will hold four passengers. Depending on the age of the kids it would probably be cheaper to book a suite for the parents and a nearby inside cabin for the kids. That is what we did for our Iceland/Norway cruise last summer.

 

My kids love the camps on Princess. In fact, my older son is a bit disappointed that he won't be able to do the camp as much as in previous cruises because we are doing the med and it is so port intensive. All this coming from a child who didn't want to go that first day.

[brazilgirl]

We are taking a very nice 14 day Baltic Cruise on Celebrity on June 27th...You could get a Sky Suite or a Concierge Class stateroom and have some nice evenings at the Ocean Liners restaurant ( voted best alternate dining venue-great experience).

 

The kids´club on Celebrity is wonderful...my almost 11 year old daughter loved it (she´ll be 12 on this next cruise) , as did my younger kids.

 

You could always add a little luxury by adding on a few pre and post cruise days at nice hotels. We will be in London and Paris and are really looking forward to our trip.

 

Celebrity is a nice balance for adults and kids.

 

Kim

[stsomewhere]

Disney is sailing to the Med and Europe summer 2010.

[lolakat]

We love the NCL suites. We have stayed in the AB penthouse which has a seperate master BR and a smaller bed room for the kids as well as 2 bathrooms and a common area. The full suites also offer breakfast and lunch in Cagney's (one of the specialty resturants) which is a nice luxury. This spring we will be a a Courtyard suite which is a similar cabin but with access to private pool area shared by the suites.

 

I will say the overall feel of the NCL ships is not as "luxurious" as that on HAL or Celebrity. Many people don't get dressed up for dinner which is part of the "Freestyle" vibe. It doesn't bother us but you should keep it in mind if that sort of thing is important to you