Southern Caribbean - family friendly cruise?

[xcell]

I have been reading the reviews for Southern Caribbean either with RCI AOS of CC Victory...seems to be a more adult cruise and not very kid friendly (I have 2 kids, DD 5 and DD2).

 

Should I be looking for a different cruise (ie. Eastern or Western) with kids these age?

[sas80]

I have been reading the reviews for Southern Caribbean either with RCI AOS of CC Victory...seems to be a more adult cruise and not very kid friendly (I have 2 kids, DD 5 and DD2).

 

Should I be looking for a different cruise (ie. Eastern or Western) with kids these age?

 

RCCL's S. Carib cruise (one of my favorites) is very port intensive. If you do that route I highly suggest Harrisons Caves in Barbados.

 

If the other ships routes are similar, I really don't think you need to worry much about "family friendly". When we were on the ship there wasn't much "dawdling on the ship" time at all. The AOS has a port each day except for the first day. For us, we were too worn out from our daily excursions...all we wanted to do was eat and drop into bed each night.

 

Maybe you are looking at a different itinerary?

[tmitchell82]

The S. Caribbean are very port intensive cruises, so there is less time on the ship. As for brining kids, I have seen some kids on the S. Caribbean cruises, but not that many. On our last S. Caribbean cruise, there was only 65 kids 2-12 on the ship. That being said, you can get to beaches at almost all of the ports. With kids that age, the shore excursions can limited what you can do. We are taking DD on her first cruise (she will be 5) and we are going on the Western Caribbean. S. Caribbean is great with some fabulous islands, but you are on the go more. Western should be a little more relaxing.

[imjoyful2]

We did a S. Caribbean cruise just last year with our 4 kiddos (ages 5-9) and it was very family friendly (we were on RCI Explorer). It was port intensive and we found plenty to do and the kids enjoyed it! We were able to do the 12 nighter because we homeschool. There was 90 kids on board, and I thought it was perfect! My kids had a blast in the clubs and got plenty of 1 on 1 attention! :)

[tiyana4]

I agree with other posters that the S. Caribbean is a very busy itinerary with little down time. As to the number of children onboard, I think it would depend on the time of year you plan to sail. I have heard that Camp Carnival is outstanding in what they do with small children (not from personal experience since DD is 14) and RCI is generally kid friendly as well.

 

We went in late August-Labor Day weekend and there were quite a few children onboard even though it was late in the season where many elementary school children were already back in school. I would add that it may in fact limit the type of activities you plan to do as many excursions are age restricted. On the flip side, there are many private tour companies on this itinerary that cater to small groups. So you could plan private excursions for just your family.

[cb at sea]

The cruise and excursions will be what you make it---any cruise in any area can be "family friendly"....or not! It's up to you and what you plan! No one port (or area) is better than another for families!

[sandytoes03]

The cruise and excursions will be what you make it---any cruise in any area can be "family friendly"....or not! It's up to you and what you plan! No one port (or area) is better than another for families!

 

I can see your point, but honestly, some ports are better than others for families. For instance, I think that ports where you have a long tender, such as Belize, are not as condusive to families as other ports, such as Grand Turk where you walk off the ship are can be directly at the beach. I personally think that San Juan is not such a great spot for families either. Of course it depends on how old your children are, but that's a port with a lot of walking, and it can be very tiring and hot. So, it can really vary.

 

As for the Southern Caribbean it can be very port intensive. But remember, you don't have to get off in every port, or if you do get off, you don't have to do anything very strenous.

[epixx]

We, a family of 4, sailed AOS Southern Caribbean Christmas cruise 12/07 and Carnival Victory Southern Caribbean New Year's cruise 12/08. We loved both cruises because of their port-intensive nature. We found all the islands very kid-friendly, and both ships had tons of kids (of course, due to holiday). You will have a great time with the kids on either one.