Please help me pick a Cruise!!!!

[kamabet]

I am new to the boards and I must say that my head is spinning. I can not believe all the choices that one has picking a cruise!!!! I thought that it would be easier to choose reading the boards but I must admit I am more confused then ever. I was wondering if I can get some guidance on a cruise line to sail with. I do know that I would like to go on a 7 day Western caribbean cruise around January 2011. My husband and I have sailed the eastern caribbean with Carnival but that was 10 years ago. It is so much harder trying to plan for a family.

My family consists of myself, husband, and 3 daughters 15, 13, 11. I would consider us as active. Our normal family vacation is Disneyworld and we are pretty much going the entire time if that gives you an idea. I asked the kids what would be important to them on a cruise and they are really not giving me any ideas( I think maybe because they have no idea what to expect). I can tell you that my kids are BIG into swimming so I would say a good pool would help (although the ocean is going to out do any pool).

I know that my 11 year is not going to have any problem going into any of the kids clubs and making friends right away as she is very outging. The older 2 are a differnt story and I just want to make sure that I am not constantly hearing "mom I'm bored"!! Who has the best kids program for kids aged 13-15 and the most activites geared for this age group.

I know that we will not have any problems with us picking the shore excursions once I narrow down or even pick what line I would like to go with.

[catergirl]

well personally i love princess, but that being said, with 3 teenaged girls, i would say RCCL or NCL. depending on the ship. my daughter got hooked on the cruise we paid for last year, but is going with a friend from work and thought she would like somehing a little more "fun". so she did some looking and decided on NCL with waterslides and rockclimbing. many RCCL have those as well as ice skating and slow riders(surfing). although you may find RCCL a little more money. take a look at their sites and ships. good luck

[philsfun]

We took our 13 year old on Carnival this past August and he hated the kids club. He did not like the structure. He is not an outgoing person, and he only tried one day. We are going to try again with him Nov 2010 on Princess. The kids club for his age group looks alot more fun, so we will see.

[kitty9]

It's been a long time since I've been a teenager, but I just don't understand how any kid could pull the "I'm bored" card out of the deck. I would have loved the privilege of going on something as special as a cruise. But maybe our generation is different from today's kids. That said, if you choose a ship like Freedom of the Seas or Oasis where there's hundreds of other kids and so much to do that there's not enough hours in a day, you should be fine. If you're afraid of your kids being bored, I'd stay away from Princess, HAL, Celebrity and lines like that because they just don't have all the bells and whistles.

[McDebbie]

We had friends with 3 kids 14,12 and 10 at the time that took a Carnival cruise in Jan 2007 and all three loved the kids programs. I'm afraid at that time of year some of the other lines might not have as much for the kids as they are normally in school. RCCL has a lot for the kids to do but their prices are so much higher, maybe look at the web site for both and compare.

[TravlGrl]

Since your kids love the water, I would recommend RCCL and choose either Freedom, Liberty, Independence, Oasis or Allure of the Seas since they all have Flowrider on them and there is SO MUCH to do on those ships!

[Cruisin' Chick]

You didn't say what part of January you're considering. If it's the first week of the year, there may be still several kids out on winter break. But later on, most kids (outside of homeschooled kids) will be in school. I've noticed (at least in Los Angeles) that schools are getting tougher about kids missing school for non-illnesses. Even had to attach a doctor's note to my girl's absence note last week as she's had bad enough hay fever that she was out several days. (even though the teachers will be able to tell she's still not 100 percent)

So if you feel there needs to be a full kids' program, you should consider going when there's more kids out of school. Many ships will tone down the program when there's few kids onboard. One thing you can do is try to find kid program info for the ship/cruiseline and approximate time of year for your kids' age groups and have them look at what activities are offered.

And don't forget, many of the non-kid-program activities are also open for non-adults to participate in.

[wg6530]

Royal Caribbean's newer, bigger ships sound perfect for you. They do tend to cost more, so you will have to decide if it worth it. If you find a great deal on one of the ships listed by Travlgirl, grab it. They are nice ships for adults, teen and tweens with loads of options for active young people.

Disney also comands a higher fare. Since you like their parks, you may also like their ships. Generally draw lots of kids, but I have not heard how teens like the experience.

NCL and Carnival should be good options. Generally fares are a bit lower on either of these. Depending upon the ship you choose, the pools should be very nice, especially on the bigger, newer ships. Carnival cabins are generally bigger, but that may not matter for a family of 5. You will probably want two cabins (connecting, adjacent or across hall?) for the extra bathroom and space. Or maybe a suite.

I agree that the number of kids aboard tends to be lower when schools are in session in January. Fares are generally higher during school breaks and the ships are more crowded with lots of families. Especially when school is in session, I would expect relatively few tweens and teens on HAL, Celebrity and Princess, and I doubt they would be the best options for your active family in January.

[PhoenixCruiser]

Originally Posted by TravlGrl

Since your kids love the water, I would recommend RCCL and choose either Freedom, Liberty, Independence, Oasis or Allure of the Seas since they all have Flowrider on them and there is SO MUCH to do on those ships!

I agree with Tara!

###

[houlacruiser]

Another vote for Royal Caribbean. Like TrvlGrl said Freedom, Independence, Liberty or Oasis would be your best bet. They all have the flow rider which the kids will enjoy. The ships are like destinations of their own and the kids programs are great! Have a great cruise with whatever line you choose!

[vivapataca]

Also support Royal Caribbean cruise - but don't go to Oasis yet. Find either Liberty or Freedom Of The Seas, and once your kids love it, then go to the Oasis/Allure the next time

[Ljberkow]

Best pools are on Princess ships and they are fresh water pools and not the salt water pools that are on many of the other cruiselines. But I agree with others as far as activities for kids go. The new RCCL ships offer the rock climbing, ice skating, flowriders, and more. Princess is more relaxed. My kids enjoyed Princess activities. But they might prefer RCCL next time we cruise with them. But for the pool stuff, it's Princess and they have separate pool areas too. One has the live entertainment. One has the big outdoor movie screen. The other is more of an adults pool area. I am not a big fan of the Carnival smaller pools.

As far as shore excursions go, do yourself a favor and read the ports of call boards here at cruise critic. Often, independent tours recommended here are more price effective, higher quality, and less crowded than cruiseline sponsored excursions.

Good luck.

[momofmeg]

Originally Posted by Ljberkow

Best pools are on Princess ships and they are fresh water pools and not the salt water pools that are on many of the other cruiselines. But I agree with others as far as activities for kids go. The new RCCL ships offer the rock climbing, ice skating, flowriders, and more. Princess is more relaxed. My kids enjoyed Princess activities. But they might prefer RCCL next time we cruise with them. But for the pool stuff, it's Princess and they have separate pool areas too. One has the live entertainment. One has the big outdoor movie screen. The other is more of an adults pool area. I am not a big fan of the Carnival smaller pools.

As far as shore excursions go, do yourself a favor and read the ports of call boards here at cruise critic. Often, independent tours recommended here are more price effective, higher quality, and less crowded than cruiseline sponsored excursions.

Good luck.

The princess grand class have plenty of pools for 3000 plus people. The kids love that big movie screen by one of the pools also. The voyager class of RCI do not have enough-now they may have fixed that with the freedom class.

I do not think the smaller Princess ships, would not have much for younger ones-but the grand class is made to attract the younger generations.

[vivapataca]

Or just pick up a copy of the Caribbean brochures of each of the main cruiseline and just look at the people in their pictures and that should give you a better idea what demographics the cruiseline is trying to market to.

[frommichigan]

We went with RCI to the Western Caribbean on the Freedom of the Seas October 2008. Ages were 13,14,17,19,21,22,23,26,43,44. Everyone had a blast. The flow-rider was a huge hit as well as the arcade. Pools on the FOS were not salt water pools which everyone loved since most had been on ships with salt water pools. There is so much to do everyone dropped in bed well after normal sleeping hours. Teen programs are awesome the 13,14, and 17 spent some time doing activities set up just for them. What ever you decide have fun.

[Canuker]

Start with some basic questions about you, not about cruises, and then narrow it down from there:

1. When do I want to have my vacation?
2. How many days (and what days of the week) do I want to take it?
3. My own 'destination' is going to be a cruise port - which one(s) can I reasonably get to?
4. Do I want a round trip or is it OK to return home from a different port than the one we leave from?
5. Should I deal directly with a cruise line or do I use a travel agent - if so, which one? Big? Local? Cruise specialist? (NB: word of mouth here is good).
6. How many people are in my group - and their ages and needs.
7. What's my budget for this vacation? Remember, what the "glossies" tell you is the price of the cruise may wind up being a fraction of your total costs: Up-front costs, transiting costs, onboard expenses, onshore expenses, insurance. There are also other duties/costs to consider, like passports, visas, medical precautions.
8. If I didn't go cruising, what else might I do as a vacation?

Once you've got these, then start thinking about researching cruise lines/ships/itineraries/air arrangements (if needed). Things will slot into place more easily and will fit with what you want, not what they want you to have!
The best way to do this is by playing with the website of a good cruise-specialist travel agency: and put in the parameters you have and compare what's on offer.

Don't be worried about this process - revel in it - it's part of the fun of a cruise vacation.
But be warned, as many on here will attest, cruises can become addictive.
Lastly, the vast majority of cruise lines are far more remarkable for their similarities than their differences.
In the end, the whole process is about choice and you are about to enter an industry in wish choice is almost limitless - and getting bigger all the time.

Good luck.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Originally Posted by vivapataca

Or just pick up a copy of the Caribbean brochures of each of the main cruiseline and just look at the people in their pictures and that should give you a better idea what demographics the cruiseline is trying to market to.

Actually the people in these photos are actors hired for the shoot. I knew someone who was hired with her husband to go on a cruise and be in a Princess brochure. So you will only get an idea of what demographics they're going after. The age groups will be based on when people are able to travel. College kids go while it's spring break. Families generally go when their kids are out of school. Often older people will go at other times to avoid the kids.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Originally Posted by Canuker

Start with some basic questions about you, not about cruises, and then narrow it down from there:

1. When do I want to have my vacation?
2. How many days (and what days of the week) do I want to take it?
3. My own 'destination' is going to be a cruise port - which one(s) can I reasonably get to?
4. Do I want a round trip or is it OK to return home from a different port than the one we leave from?
5. Should I deal directly with a cruise line or do I use a travel agent - if so, which one? Big? Local? Cruise specialist? (NB: word of mouth here is good).
6. How many people are in my group - and their ages and needs.
7. What's my budget for this vacation? Remember, what the "glossies" tell you is the price of the cruise may wind up being a fraction of your total costs: Up-front costs, transiting costs, onboard expenses, onshore expenses, insurance. There are also other duties/costs to consider, like passports, visas, medical precautions.
8. If I didn't go cruising, what else might I do as a vacation?

Once you've got these, then start thinking about researching cruise lines/ships/itineraries/air arrangements (if needed). Things will slot into place more easily and will fit with what you want, not what they want you to have!
The best way to do this is by playing with the website of a good cruise-specialist travel agency: and put in the parameters you have and compare what's on offer.

Don't be worried about this process - revel in it - it's part of the fun of a cruise vacation.
But be warned, as many on here will attest, cruises can become addictive.
Lastly, the vast majority of cruise lines are far more remarkable for their similarities than their differences.
In the end, the whole process is about choice and you are about to enter an industry in wish choice is almost limitless - and getting bigger all the time.

Good luck.

Great advice. Especially about finding a TA who's a cruise specialist. Ask what cruises she or he has been on (if he hasn't, find a different TA) and what they liked or didn't.