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What LINE OR SHIP FOR MULTI-GENERATIONAL FAMILY CRUISE?


Fouremco
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I've posted this on the Family Cruise board, but knowing that many of the HAL regulars have experience on other lines, I thought that I'd throw it out here too. I'm also conscious of the fact that the older demographic here means that others may have faced the same situation. :)

 

DW and I are treating our kids, grandkids and my DS to a one week cruise in 2017. The GKs will be 16, 7, 5, 4 and 1.5. We are still considering Disney, but with the shrinking Canadian dollar, are looking for possibly less expensive alternatives. DW and I have only cruised HAL and Celebrity in the past, neither of which we would initially consider ideal for the GKs.

 

So for a group of 7 adults and 5 GKs, what lines or ships would you recommend? As this will be our first time cruising with others, especially the GKs, what important factors should we consider? I'm only now starting to look at alternatives to Disney, and will be review many of the more current threads here, but I'd really appreciate any advice that experienced family cruisers might be able to provide.

 

Room configurations would be:

A - 2 adults, oldest three children

B - 2 adults, youngest two children

C - 2 adults

D - 1 adult

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Disney really does do a good job with both adults and kids and their food is pretty good.

 

You could be surprised how much fun the adults and the kids would have.

 

It's pricier probably and I hear you on the shrinking Canadian dollar (uggher).

 

There are a couple of cruise lines out there that don't charge as much to Canadians. Right now, HAL's price is still not at full exchange rate (but not benefit for on board charges or other things). I think it's either RCCL or NCL that charges a lesser amount for Canadians - even obc. I know there was a thread on it recently and it might be worth a look.

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I have not sailed on a Disney ship, but I have read that they are very nice, but pricey. I would compare prices between Disney and Royal Caribbean. Their ships are beautiful! I've been on the Oasis twice and will be on the Allure in November. RC also introduced Anthem of the Seas this past April and Harmony of the Seas debuts in November, 2016 and one can book it now. We love the mega ships and have never felt crowded since the ship is divided into neighborhoods. Your grandkids will be WOWed by those ships and have plenty to do as will the adults. The ship is truly the destination.

Edited by kalliekae
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We did 3 generations to Alaska (me, DW, Older son & family - 2 daughters, 15 and 5) and we're doing 3 generations to the Caribbean in the fall (me, DW, youngest daughter & family - 3 kids, 12, 9 and 5). Both on HAL. Alaska was great - both kids loved it and we expect the Caribbean will go just as well.

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We did holland America last summer to Alaska with my kids and the in laws and we all loved it. My kids love the kids club and we got plenty of family time and alone time.

 

No they don't have as many activities as royal, but we still loved it.

 

We are going to the Caribbean again this winter.

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We did Disney 2 years ago with then GK 12 and 5 plus two daughters and husbands. Had a blast on a 4 day cruise to Bahamas. We paired it with 3 days at Disney World. We used inside rooms 3 in a row. The inside cabins in Disney have these great "windows" that you see a camera shot of what is outside and then every so often Goofy floats by etc. Activities on board and at their private island is first rate. Every single one of the people LOVED it! Kids, preteen, family who is active and sports minded, family that love fine dining. Handled several diet issues (medical diet low protein/allergy to milk diet/pickey eater diet and a 5 year old who ordered shrimp and ice cream every meal with the biggest grin on his face. Well you get the picture. Pricey sure but also more included and done at a better level. Packages can help.

 

This year we went on Independence of the Seas with the teen family and we again had a wonderful time. Cruising reaches all groups -- a variety of things to do and levels of doing it. Slightly cheaper than Disney but found I needed to purchase more (won't call it nickel and diming but it seemed like it) and in 30 cruises I have never been told "no" so much -- no can not change the vegetable/ no can't share a craft project with GK each must have own at full price/--little things like only whole fruit on lunch buffet. So I guess not as satisfied but lately I have been on Oceania and Azamara more so maybe just the mega ship factor. I would ask your 16 yo and 7 yo old what they want to do. I will tell you that 4 is a crowd in the cabin (based on seeing 4 young adults in cabin across for us -- 6 ft tall guys in the bunk beds looked like they filled the space and hung over.

 

Start now with saving up credit card points -- younger daughter is using her airline miles from work to pay for family cruise to Baltic next year with now a 6 year old boy and 1 year old girl. It is the bonus points that really help out.

 

I love cruising with the family. Always our best holidays and memories and I don't have to be in kitchen or doing laundry. Quality time with each of GK doing what they like to do and time to talk and be with daughters and husbands. Relaxed and easy. If people get tired of each other they have a cabin to escape to or many hidey holes on the ship. I would ask if your son could share his room with one of the GK. (no single fee and one less 4th passenger fee). Swim noodles under the sheets of the littlest ones make great bumpers so don't fall out of the bed -- enough to stop them from rolling. Littles on bottom. Cribs are pack and plays.

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As I mentioned n one of your other identical threads, You have five people slated for cabin one. Most ships do not have cabins that will allow five, even suites. Second, if you will tell us where you pan to go and when, we can weed it down even more. for instance, if you sailing from the US in the summer, you limit yourself to Carnival, Royal and Disney, unless you consider Alaska or Bermuda. EM

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FWIW, my daughter went on a cruise with her father when she was not quite 9. She loved HAL kids club so much she lived there. It was an Alaska cruise. She is and was very active, loves company and then really needs her downtime when the crowd gets to be too much. She cried at every birthday party she went to when she was little because there was no escape from the busy. So when she was chatting with her friends about cruising she rejected Disney. Apparently there is no escape from the busy-ness. I would talk to the parents about the personalities of their kids. If the parents are looking for kid free time and their kids can't take the hype, then Disney may be a torture. An acquaintance has very small children who absolutely love Disney and they go regularly. Every kid is different but I think the parents can adapt to any environment!

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Thanks for all of the comments and suggestions so far. Most appreciated.

 

To respond to one question, we are looking for a 7-day Caribbean in March 2017. At this point, we're still open to itineraries.

 

Essiesmom, Disney does have a number of 5-person cabins, another reason we may need to lean that way. I've not thoroughly researched other lines yet, but I agree that 5-person cabins may be hard to find.

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I've not thoroughly researched other lines yet, but I agree that 5-person cabins may be hard to find.

I understand the Koningsdam is going to have "family" cabins that will hold five.

Depending on when you want to travel, that may be an option to look at.

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Thanks for all of the comments and suggestions so far. Most appreciated.

 

To respond to one question, we are looking for a 7-day Caribbean in March 2017. At this point, we're still open to itineraries.

 

Essiesmom, Disney does have a number of 5-person cabins, another reason we may need to lean that way. I've not thoroughly researched other lines yet, but I agree that 5-person cabins may be hard to find.

 

Something to consider, given the # of people :) -- sometimes HAL offers 3rd/4th in cabin at a very reduced rate. That might be enough of a saving to entice the 16 y.o. with a REALLY COOL shore excursion and still have a substantial saving. And give him/her an onboard internet package to stay up to date on friends' activites/social media. Just a thought.

 

Another vote for RCI based on friends' experiences, if you don't want HAL.

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We've sailed Celebrity, HAL, and Disney and the have loved all 3. Up until recently HAL was the favorite for the kids. :eek:

 

I think all of the lines do a really good job with kids. Granted they don't have the characters onboard like Disney, but they make up for it in other ways. With less kids onboard there was much better bonding with other kids and with the kids club crew. The Glacier Bay ranger program on HAL was a highlight of my daughters Alaska trip, something that Disney doesn't offer. We love Disney as well, but don't count out other lines because they don't "seem" kid friendly, I think you'll be surprised. Select the cruise based on itinerary, price, and what works best for your family.

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I would add NCL, especially on the ships that have the Nick activities. I am thinking of such a cruise for our 50th anniversary. The suites on NCL are more affordable than on other lines from what I've looked at. The two bedroom one would be perfect for our son's family.

Disney would be super but much more costly. Won't rule it out but DH might if he sees the bottom line, lol.

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I understand the Koningsdam is going to have "family" cabins that will hold five.

Depending on when you want to travel, that may be an option to look at.

 

Didn't know that, thanks. We recently had an inside on the Veendam which was a cabin for four. It was a great cabin but would have been crowded with four. Will be anxious to see what the K family cabins offer...might work well for two adults and two small children.

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I apologize if I missed where the OP said who was paying for the cruise, but Disney, while excellent, is very expensive. Royal Caribbean has a great children's program, as does Carnival - at a much better price point. It really depends on what you're looking for. Any time you have multiple generations, it's going to be a compromise. I tend to favor erring on the side of the younger kids. There's a certain amount of joy to be derived from the happy laughter of little children.

 

I'd vote for Royal Caribbean. (I say this knowing that my wife and I wouldn't sail them if it were just the two of us. Sometimes you have to take one for the team.)

Edited by POA1
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Every time we have sailed HAL for holidays, there are always a number of varying size multi-generational families and they always seem to be enjoying. I know we've seen many four generations together and it's a joy to seem them all together celebrating and enjoying each other.

 

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Our multi-generational family took a cruise to celebrate my parents 50th wedding anniversary. Mom had her heart set on Disney, but after much research, we found that just wouldn't work for us. Disney is an excellent brand and I'm sure it would have been an excellent experience, but we decided to sail on Carnival Liberty. There were 14 in our group, including 6 kids ranging in age from 3 to 16, and a great time was had by all. The grandparents enjoyed just watching everyone else have fun. The parents, particularly the moms in the group, enjoyed having someone wait on them - no cooking, no laundry, no babysitting - for an entire week. And the kids had fun in their age-specific kids clubs.

 

I know Carnival is considered a down-market line, but they do a great job for families. There really is something for everyone. And the cost was reasonable for a group of our size. Carnival Liberty gets generally good reviews, and I would recommend this ship as an economical alternative.

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Great thread, as we are considering our options for something similar in 2016, return Vancouver, with kids and grandkids. We have paid the deposit for the families when we were on our last cruise, but need to wait for holiday schedules for everyone so it will all fit. That darn Canadian dollar could have waited with doing this! But we have been assured by many that the kids and grandkids will have a great time on HAL.

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Didn't know that, thanks. We recently had an inside on the Veendam which was a cabin for four. It was a great cabin but would have been crowded with four. Will be anxious to see what the K family cabins offer...might work well for two adults and two small children.

 

One thing to think about. 1 cabin with ONE bathroom and --with size no sharing of bathroom like someone in shower and another at sink! :eek: Even if 5 can sleep you can see the problem. I think I would rather have 2 cabins with 2 bathrooms than one large suite. JMHO.

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One thing to think about. 1 cabin with ONE bathroom and --with size no sharing of bathroom like someone in shower and another at sink! :eek: Even if 5 can sleep you can see the problem. I think I would rather have 2 cabins with 2 bathrooms than one large suite. JMHO.

 

Exactly! We did a land-based cabin vacation with 6 people (DW & me, Son and DIL & 2 granddaughters) which was very comfortable (3 BR, kitchen, living room) but only 1 bathroom! I found myself often "taking a walk in the woods"!;)

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