Family Med Cruise?

[Eclipsepearl]

Hi everyone,

A "virgin" here, well almost. I went to Anarctica ten years ago. Hey, it was a cruise! That counts, right?

Well, that was in my Single Life. Fast forward 10 years to next summer. Married a Frenchman, moved to France and we have three who will be 3, 5 & 7. He likes to park it by the pool, I like to see stuff. We think a cruise might be The Answer to our yearly vacation dilemmas.

We're Club Med fans and have done that many times with success. Our kids are very "social" and like doing activities ("how about spending a little time with your parents? Oops, left for the kids club...)

I actually prefer a cruise where English is spoken as the kids really need the practice. My non-English speaking husband is okay with this as long as the food is good and there is some type of entertainment. He's not that social but being French, is picky about what he eats. This doesn't make me popular with French travel agents, who obviously don't get much commission from non "francophone" companies. I found two agents who will work with me but I have to do the legwork.

I was all set on this; http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/cruiseDetails/itineraryAndPricing.do;jsessionid=0000BQW6nIJZ5ruO 183s0mxksTw:10ktmf1jr?packageCode=LG12M009&date=20073&selectedCurrencyCode=&promoType=

Royal Caribbean Legend of the Seas.

I liked their Ports of Call and the ship looked great. Then I heard Disney was coming to the Med this summer. Our kids are big into that especially the 5 yo who likes princesses.

I'm having trouble with the websites too. They seem to not like either our family numbers or whatever.

So to wrap it all up
-what do you cruise vets suggest?
-how do you suggest I book it?
-any other tips or suggestions welcome

We would like something longish, 10 days to two weeks, in late July to August. High season is the only time hubby can take off and the kids' summer is shorter.

TIA!

[kitty9]

If your husband cares about food, then Royal Caribbean might not be the best choice. Food is OK, but certainly not gourmet and not exceptional. Disney has excellent food and varied choices, which means you go to different restaurants every night. They also have a gourmet adults only restaurant with excellent food. The kids would love the activities and there's also many things for the adults to do sans children.

Another choice would be Celebrity. Better food than RCCI or Carnival and excellent service. They will have four ships in the Med/Baltic next summer.

[Eclipsepearl]

Thanks Darcie,

What about Hal? Although, I hesitate with Dutch food (no offence!)

I'm going to look into Celebrity too.

Just a quick question about booking, how can I compare prices on line if we have too many people for one room (berth? look, I don't even know the lingo!)

Thanks again!

[Cortesefam]

Eclipsepearl: Attached below is a link to our review from cruising on the Brilliance of the Seas (Royal Caribbean) in August, 2005. We had a great experience, and chose Royal Caribbean due to our kids liking their Adventure Ocean program, and the specific itinerary this cruise offered.

We've also sailed on Disney, Celebrity and NCL, and for your group, Disney might be a very good choice. Their dining experience (rotating among the 3 restaurants) provides a slightly more "upscale" experience and fun for the kids. Celebrity is great as well, though a little less "kid friendly".

As most Mediterranean itineraries are very port intensive, the ship matters a little less, especially if you have fewer days at sea. Though it will run counter to your likely home dining schedule, we found early seating a must with our family--kids were exhausted after long days of site-seeing, and needed a break in the early evening.

No matter which cruise you choose, you will have a wonderful vacation!

Thanks

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=12362

[bensona]

if you have a family of 5 you might need to book each parent into their own adjoining rooms. most cruise lines (not all) have a limit of 4 ppl per cabin. so if you can find adjoining rooms you could make that work for you!

we cruise on carnival. the kids absolutely LOVE the camp. i'm not sure if the food is up to par for your hubby but there is a 'supper club' for those with more discriminating tastes. we tend to stick to the buffets since our kids are 3 and under.