Help me pick a Royal Caribbean ship

We just returned from Adventure of the Seas with our 16 month old and almost 4 year old. We all had a blast and we are ready to book our next cruise. I was planning to just do Adventure again as we missed some ports that I really wanted to visit. But my DH just told me he'd like to try a larger ship. Our choices for when we'd like to go are Adventure, Independence, Quantum, and Allure. All basically the same itinerary except Adventure which is a S. Caribbean. It will be myself, husband, 2 year old, and 4 year old, and my parents who are in their early 50s. We normally sail in an aft corner balcony on the Voyager class ships so I'm wondering on some of these larger ships what type of room will be ok for the 4 of us. On Quantum we'd end up with connecting interiors I think. Allure we could do balcony rooms. Independence I'm not sure what rooms to look into. Adventure we were going to do the Royal Family Suite and have my parents stay with us.

Are interiors on the larger ships an ok choice for 2 small kids and 2 adults since you probably don't spend much time in the room anyway? My kids don't nap. I know balcony is nice for when they are sleeping but our last trip on Adventure we didn't use the balcony for that at all so I think we would be fine without if we can get a connecting room for people to sit in when the kids sleep at night.

Which ship would you choose?

The interiors tend to have less floor space than balconies or ocean views. I would choose either Independence or Allure. Allure doesn't really have aft cabins. The aqua theatre suites look very nice though.

The next "step up" from Voyager Class would be Freedom Class...that's what I'd do next! The ship is basically a "stretched" version of Voyager class....bigger, but not too big! I'd save Allure/Oasis for when the kids are older and can get more use from the "bells and whistles" on that class of ship.

The next "step up" from Voyager Class would be Freedom Class...that's what I'd do next! The ship is basically a "stretched" version of Voyager class....bigger, but not too big! I'd save Allure/Oasis for when the kids are older and can get more use from the "bells and whistles" on that class of ship.

This is a good point. I've been scared of the Oasis class as I was thinking that's just toooo many people, but I keep reading reviews here that say it doesn't feel any different than the smaller ships. But the kids would probably enjoy it more when they are older. We have a $2k credit to use towards this cruise so we were thinking maybe splurge on an Oasis class ship. But it seems the itineraries aren't quite as nice. So maybe Independence is the way to go. Any suggestions on rooms types to look into on the Freedom class?

The Quantum was a convenience choice since we could drive, which we've never done and the new ship aspect is appealing...but $$$. Even after factoring in no airfare or hotel with the extra days needed for a pet sitter and the higher cost in general I think we'd end up in two interiors. And they would be almost $9k. I'm so back and forth. But at least you've helped me nix the Oasis class ships. :)

We just booked our first cruise with our 9 month old and we'll be going on the Freedom. I liked the reviews for the royal tots program and also that he could use one of the small areas in the h20 zone for those still in diapers. I'd personally save the Oasis until the kids are a bit older.

Since cruising with the kids we've done two interiors instead of jamming 4 in a room. There had been a 200-300 difference between two cabins for 2 versus 1 cabin for 4. For us, that's a small price to pay.

I have 2 kids- ages 2 and 7. They both have been cruising since they were about 5 mos old. We've been on the Adventure, the Liberty (sister to Independence) Oasis (sister to Allure) and we are booked for Quantum's maiden voyage. That said, it's hard to steer you towards a ship in this case because I think you would have great cruises on any of them. I would probably let itinerary sway me if I were in your position. Also, embarkation port would be another key factor. Assuming that one was closer than another enabling a drive to the pier instead of 4 $$$$$ plane tickets. In other words, I'd let the deciding factor be on practicality. I expect I'll love Quantum, but if I were choosing just based on the ships I've sailed, I'd go for the Oasis class.

I disagree with the others about waiting for the Oasis class. I took my oldest when she was 2. She LOVED it! I think Adventure Ocean had more activities on the Oasis class. Particularly for the under 3 group. Every day she played on the Boardwalk on the climbing structures (the car, boat) etc. She loved the marching band and all the Boardwalk activities that they have during the day.

We sailed in many inside cabins as a family of 4. I've never had a problem with it. We are always on the go though, returning to the cabin to sleep and change clothes. The money we have saved over the years has helped us to cruise more often.

Thanks everyone!!

queenL I'm glad you shared your experiences. That is kind of what we decided to do. I know some new C&A discount program is supposed to be released on the 15th so we are waiting to see if there is anything through that before making our final decision. Right now my DH is leaning towards Oasis. Strictly on itinerary Adventure would win, but we stayed onboard the majority of our last cruise so he would like a bigger ship with more to explore. The prices on IOS and Oasis are similar right now so no real sway either way on that. Quantum would be easiest as far as driving there and in the end paying for the 4 of us to fly to FLL plus hotels may make the others the same cost as Quantum. This is why each night for the last week we've made a decision and then by the next morning we're unsure again. :)

Thank you for the inside room info. Good to know it is doable with 4. We'd have a connecting with my parents if we go that route anyway so we'd have a little bit more room than just an interior.

Given the age of your youngest- I would do the Quantum. Traveling with a toddler requires so much more stuff and driving to the ship will allow you to bring everything you may need- car seats, stroller and even your own pack n play if you want. The new ship is also appealing.

Flying, IMO is the main reason people get sick. The planes are germ pits and so if I can drive to a cruise- that is ideal. A toddler can scream and fuss in a car and it isn't a problem but on a plane it is frustrating for you and those around you. In a car there is ample room and you can stop along the way.

Given the age of your youngest- I would do the Quantum. Traveling with a toddler requires so much more stuff and driving to the ship will allow you to bring everything you may need- car seats, stroller and even your own pack n play if you want. The new ship is also appealing.

 

Flying, IMO is the main reason people get sick. The planes are germ pits and so if I can drive to a cruise- that is ideal. A toddler can scream and fuss in a car and it isn't a problem but on a plane it is frustrating for you and those around you. In a car there is ample room and you can stop along the way.

Yeah the car seat storage in the cabin is a bummer. Luckily both my kiddos are frequent fliers and travel very well. At our house any length plane ride equals far better behavior than a 2+ hour car trip. Right now I'm estimating Quantum would be about $1200-1500 more than Oasis for us. And we could get a slightly bigger room on Oasis. But Quantum is a 2 day longer itinerary. I'm guessing they aren't doing many/any sales on Quantum. I think we are sold on Quantum but keep getting hung up on paying more for it. If we put that 12-1500 towards Oasis we could get an even bigger room!!

We are doing a cruise next week, raking our granddaughters. We chose the Freedom class, and are really excited! I wrote a post on my blog about how we arrived at that decision.

http://karanandmichael.blogspot.com/2014/03/traveling-on-budget.html

Feel free to take a look.