Help me pick a family friendly cruise line

[MOMOFTHREE68]

I absolutely love Disney Cruises, but we are considering trying something new in 2010. What cruise line do you think would be most family friendly? I think the two we are most interested in trying would be NCL or Royal Caribbean, but I am concerned about trying something new. We love the children's activities on DCL, do any other cruise lines match up? My kids will be 7, 12 and 15, so we have quite a range. Also, do the other cruise lines have a "family" atmosphere or more of a "party" atmosphere. I know I'm probably being silly, but it's hard to leave what you know.

[kitty9]

If you love Disney, why change? None of the other lines has the quality of Disney. While RCI and NCL are known as family friendly and they have their market niche, you really won't find the quality of things such as food and service that you find on Disney. RCI has an excellent kid's program and they do have a lot to do if you choose their newer ships, but if you love Disney and they provide everything you love in a cruise, stick with them. I'm not at all a fan of NCL as I find their food and especially their service to be greatly lacking. I don't think I even take another NCL cruise if it were free. And while RCI isn't a favorite of mine, it still provides a pretty decent bang for the buck, but again, it's not Disney.

[yogi2929]

The "party" cruises are the ones that are the shorter cruises 3-4 dayers, especially during spring break. You can have 'partiers' on any cruise.

 

DD's have been cruising since 2003, they are 15 & 17 now. Their favorite kids programs have been Carnival and HAL. The kids clubs will keep them busy.

[Keith1010]

Honestly, there is no other cruise line that would come even close to Disney. Yes, other cruise lines have nice family programs but they just don't offer what Disney does.

 

If you want a cruise line that might be nice for families I would consider Princess, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity but these do not come close to offering the type of cruise that Disney does for children.

 

Keith

[MrsPete]

We did Disney once. My kids liked Royal Caribbean better, and the price is certainly lower.

 

Disney does have the market corner with the little kids' program (thinking ages 4, 5, 6, 7), but for older kids it's not all that outstanding. My kids were more excited by the rock climbing wall, ice skating, etc. My older daughter's favorite-favorite activity on Royal was the Guitar Hero competition. Royal has a better sports deck with ping-pong, mini-golf, and a roller-skating rink.

 

Disney also has the best private island, but Labadee isn't half bad. I don't think I'd choose a cruise line that didn't have a private island of its own. That's really a favorite day for our family. Disney also has a better movie theater and shows first-run movies, whereas Royal shows the things that're currently first-run at Blockbuster Video.

 

On the negative side, I don't care for Disney's multiple small dining room concept. It just didn't seem "special". I know I'm in the miniority, but I also hated the divided bathroom concept; it's like Disney took one decent sized bathroom and cut it in half. Finally, Disney's pools are just horribly crowded. Royal's are bigger, and they don't have as many kids competing for the limited space. For mom and dad, Royal's adults-only pool is much, much nicer than Disney's.

[cruiserbryce]

I have always thought RC has been particularly family freindly. We had a reunion on a cxruise to Alaska with RC and everyone had a blast. Other than Disney I think RC offers the best kids programs out there. The activities are fun for all ages. If you decide to make the change from DCL I would suggest RC for sure...you'd save a load of $ too

[melika091900]

we have never been on RCCL but we love carnival for our daughter, good activities and fun !!!

[mom2girls]

From what I've heard nothing will come close to Disney. But, my girls have been on Carnival 5 times and absolutely LOVE it. They cater to the kids by doing little things like cookies left on the bed from Camp Carnival.

[CC Help Michell]

No other mainstream line "matches" Disney in terms of family-friendliness... OR price. Most other lines have a casino and a significant emphasis on bar and liquor to feed the bottom line -- Disney foregoes those in favor of significantly higher fares.

 

How you will feel about those differences is really a personal thing. I think it might be worthwhile for you to try CCL, NCL and RCI, especially given the ages of your kids, to see if you find things you like there as well. If so you can save a LOT of money on your cruise fares! :)