Carnival vs. Royal Caribbean for kids?

I have been asking friends that have sailed with both lines which is better for kids. The few that I have asked said that CC would be better (depending on the ship) we were looking at the Conquest and said that would be best.

We sailed with CC a long time ago and did not have a good expierence with them. I am kind of reluctant to return to them but I want the best time for our daughter. We are currently booked on the Mariner for her in Oct. '07.

Anyone that has sailed recently on both lines with kids, which line did they prefer? My daughter will be 10 at time of sailing.

Sept 2006, we took our 7 yo son and 3 yo daughter on a cruise. They both had a blast! I felt very comfortable checking in both kids. I received a pager for my daughter and because my son has food allergies, his counselors also had the pager number. Both rooms were very large and had lots of entertainment. The 7 yo group did lots of arts and crafts, a Pirate parade, etc. Twice they ate dinner as a group at Johnny Rockets. At 10 pm, our son was moved over to the After Care paid group sitting. Again, well organized and secure. The kids didn't want to leave. Have a great time!

You didn't say how old your kids were, but I would vote for either RCI or Disney. Carnival, I think, is great for young adults on up, but the kid's programs on RCI and Disney are unparrelled! Check them out!

Having been on both a lot of times with the kids, RCCL is the way to go. Carnival's kids program isn't bad. RCCL's is just better. We won't take the kids on Carnival after having them on RCCL. The staff on RCCL all have bachelor's degrees and must have previous experience working with kids before coming to RCCL. It is very evident in the way they interact with the kids compared to Carnival's which are more like babysitters. We had a couple of good ones at Carnival too, but they were out numbered by the less enthusiastic ones that made it obvious that it was just a job. Additionally, Camp Carnival's hours vary from day to day. Some days it was open longer than others. RCCL's have the same hours everyday so you don't have to worry about closing times being different from one day to the next.

I'm sure the kids will have fun on either one that you go. It has just been my kids experience that they seem to enjoy RCCL much better. Have fun!

We will be on the Rhapsody on 12/3 sailing with our 9 year old daughter. She sailed on Carnival with us when she was 7 years old. She absolutely loved Camp Carnival. In fact, she was disappointed that we were not sailing on Carnival this time.

From what I have read on these boards, both kids programs are well run. I'm sorry I can't answer your question at this point, but would be willing to share our experience after our cruise in December.

When we were on Carnival, she participated in many activities such as a Talent Show, Ice Cream Eating Contest, Scavenger Hunt, Pirate Party, Rocket Building, Pizza Party with Dance. I believe she will participate in many activities on Rhapsody in December also.

I would tend to believe that each program has positives. We chose Royal Caribbean this time due to price. The rock climbing wall was an added benefit though!

You didn't say how old your kids were, but I would vote for either RCI or Disney. Carnival, I think, is great for young adults on up, but the kid's programs on RCI and Disney are unparrelled! Check them out!

My daughter will be 10.

We have done the disney thing but she did not care for it. She has never been very interested in the Disney things. We took her to Disney World for her 8th birthday and all she did was complain. I know that is what kids do but she would rather spend the week at/with her grandparents. Not to say that she didn't enjoy it completely but she has always been more into the beach and water activities. She loved the water parks there. She is an only child and I figure she may enjoy the cruise since there will be so many other children there her age.

If I was a kid I would definetly want to sail on Royal's Voyager or Freedom class ships. These kids don't realize how lucky they are. When I was a child we were lucky if we got to go to Palisades Park or Coney Island once every couple of years.

Definitely RCCL, not only will she be happy with all the activity on the ships like the ice skating, rock wall, etc. But you will be happier with the service, food, entertainment. I have sailed 5 Princess, Carnival (3 times) and RCCL and the difference was %1000 percent difference. We loved RCCL so much we booked two more.

Sue

I have been asking friends that have sailed with both lines which is better for kids. The few that I have asked said that CC would be better (depending on the ship) we were looking at the Conquest and said that would be best.

 

We sailed with CC a long time ago and did not have a good expierence with them. I am kind of reluctant to return to them but I want the best time for our daughter. We are currently booked on the Mariner for her in Oct. '07.

 

Anyone that has sailed recently on both lines with kids, which line did they prefer? My daughter will be 10 at time of sailing.

Hey there, good friend! ;)

I didn't cruise with my kids until they were 14 & 16, but I have NEVER seen an unhappy or bored kid on a Royal Caribbean cruise. (except for that one I prevented from running yet ANOTHER lap around the elevator lobby). Ah, memories! :)

Hey there, good friend! ;)

 

I didn't cruise with my kids until they were 14 & 16, but I have NEVER seen an unhappy or bored kid on a Royal Caribbean cruise. (except for that one I prevented from running yet ANOTHER lap around the elevator lobby). Ah, memories! :)

Hey you! Did ya book that liberty cruise yet ;)

Thank you for all your replies. The good thing about all this is we have a long time to make our decision. I am leaning towards RCCL since I have sailed with them more and feel more comfortable with them.

This is definitely one of those opinion things and people will have different experiences and form different opinions. Remember this is a RCCL board. We have been on Carnival/Princess/RCCL each twice. Also Celebrity once with kids. Carnival AND RCCL are very similar-both are outstanding. Staff is excited to see the kids. Lots to do. Princess was terrible. Celebrity OK. Do agree that if kids are at least 10 years old, there are a lot more fun things to do on the Freedom/Voyager Class ships. Have Fun.

If I was a kid I would definetly want to sail on Royal's Voyager or Freedom class ships. These kids don't realize how lucky they are. When I was a child we were lucky if we got to go to Palisades Park or Coney Island once every couple of years.

I can guess your age pretty closely I bet. I lived in Brooklyn, so Coney Island wasn't an issue, but I adored Palisades Park and now I've got the dang song stuck in my head.

I can guess your age pretty closely I bet. I lived in Brooklyn, so Coney Island wasn't an issue, but I adored Palisades Park and now I've got the dang song stuck in my head.

Thanks alot! Now I've got that song stuck in MY head.:rolleyes: