First-time cruising. Need some guidance, please!!

Hello All,

I'm sure this has been hashed out on the boards, but I'm wondering if folks can chime in to help me pick a cruise. Here are our specs:

-First-time cruising for everyone in the family

-Parents: mid-30's

-Four children (4, 10, 13, 17)

-As a family, we usually travel to places with an amusement park attraction (Disney World, Busch Gardens, etc) to find something to please everyone.

I'm pretty flexible on the whole Carnival vs RC thing, but I'll say this:

-I don't mind a ship that's a bit worn in spots, but it must be clean and look to be in very good condition.

-Food does not have to be gourmet-level. We're pleased with burgers & fries offerings. :o

-Must have a great kid's program.

-A plethora of on board entertainment (sports, movies, shows, etc) is a must.

Looking to spend about $4000 for a 4 night trip (departing from FL) in late June. Would love a balcony for one of our staterooms, but will sacrifice this if RC is the best option (and the rate eats my ability to go balcony).

Any thoughts on best cruiseline/cruise ship? Thanks in advance. Very new to this and want to make this a good trip. It's our last "family trip" before our oldest is off to college!

If you care about your children go RC!!! Our last cruise was on Carnival Freedom on 01-06-2013 and turned into a NIGHTMARE.

The embarking process was great, small lines and nice flow. The ship was clean but shoddy. In our room the bed skirts were missing for 3 days so it looked a bit undesirable. They supply bathrobes, nice but they were stained, The towels the same, stained...even the cute towel animals were stained towels. Smoking was allowed on the balcony but the ashtray was not emptied. You must request ice for the room but that is not refilled but 1 time daily.

The furniture on the balcony was nice but the small table there was missing one of the plastic pieces on the bottom leg so the table rocked back and forth and made a noise each time.

The food was a bit blow average I would say, variety very limited for dinner buffet. Very unimpressive to say the least. The menu for the sit down dinner was even worse. The one night they had lobster they never even put it on the menu that you can check in your rooms with the interactive television.

They have the soda package which was more expensive that other cruise lines and you had to buy the cup on top of it (if you wanted the insulated cup, where other cruise lines give this to you free of charge). When you went to the bar for a refill it seemed like an effort for the staff to get it for you. Also if you buy the package for children they can only refill at the bars, you can't get it for them only they can get the refill. So not a great idea if you don't want your child at the bar.

The nightclub is for 18 years and over and they are proofed at the door. once inside anyone of any age can drink. Security there was a joke, early stages of a fight with yelling and screaming security failed to respond. when the fight was in full force they finally made an appearance. They have security cameras only focused on the bar but not in the club per the head of security.

The staff in white which is Carnival's management walk around and would not smile or speak, very unimpressive and blatantly rude actually. Alfredo at the Guest Services desk needs to be terminated for his behavior. I can't imagine how he ever made it to any position dealing with people as he has zero people skills. The most impressive staff member on the ship was Ayu that took care of the room. She was very kind and helpful. Her helpers took a close second.

The amount of elevators made changing floors a breeze, a huge plus.

This was my first and last time cruising Carnival. Their priorities are totally screwed up. I traveled with a close friend that is a platinum member, she didn't get ice or a towel animal on the first night and made mention of this on Facebook, everyday thereafter gifts were sent to her room. Nothing against that but I have an 18 year old daughter that was given a drink in the night club, was slipped a roofie which left her out cold and she somehow broke off the bottom third of her top front tooth. The last 2 nights and days of my cruise was trying to get someone to understand the severity and danger of this situation and it was really like a huge imposition to them. There was absolutely no concern if she was still ill or even to ask if I was alright. We were scared half to death and cannot believe we were treated this way. An "I'm so sorry this happened, or this is horrific, we will see what we can do to change things." would have went a long way. I guess it's all about how often you cruise and how much you spend on alcohol with Carnival. I am so thankful my daughter was brought back to our room by a friend and nothing else happened to her and only pray that it isn't your child this happens to.

I would try to go for at least 7 nights. 4 nights is not much of a trip, as soon as you get settled, you're packing up.

You could put the 2 adults in a balcony room and the 4 kids in the inside stateroom across the hall. That's what my parents did when we were kids.

I would try to go for at least 7 nights. 4 nights is not much of a trip, as soon as you get settled, you're packing up.

 

You could put the 2 adults in a balcony room and the 4 kids in the inside stateroom across the hall. That's what my parents did when we were kids.

They will have to really dig to find a balcony for two and an inside for 4 for under $4000.

I would talk to a TA to see what is in the range and go from there.

If you care about your children go RC!!! Our last cruise was on Carnival Freedom on 01-06-2013 and turned into a NIGHTMARE.

I am so sorry you had this happen to you. A lot of what you mentioned reminds me of my 1 and only Carnival cruise, on the Valor back in 2005 (the 6th sailing of the ship).

To the OP, look at NCL Epic, it's cheaper then RC and you might like it. I prefer RC but it's not a bad choice, and if your not picky about food even better.

OMG, Coolflbeaches, that sounds like the trip from hell! :eek: I'm so sorry to hear about your experience and hope your DD is okay now. You've officially scared the heck out of me (but it's better to be forewarned right).

Kryssa: I hesitate to do 7 nights because this is our first cruise and I'm not sure if we'll like it. I'd plan for us to fly down to Orlando and spend 1-2 days on each side of the cruise to do "land" stuff, so the overall trip will be longer. Carnival has a 5 night option, so that's why I considered that line, but now I'm nervous about trying them.

We were on the Carnival Dream for a 7 day and it was fun. We've sailed RCCL, NCL, and Carnival, and have a cruise on Celebrity booked for March. We thought the Dream was fun, but its 7 nights. The food was surprisingly good for a low cost cruise. We paid $649 per person for a balcony room.

I wouldn't hesitate to book the Dream class ships. I probably would not take an older Carnival ship. You just have to go with the right expectation. If you're paying under $100/night for room and board, go with an open mind

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I would also suggest a 7 day trip. 4 days is short and the shorter the cruise, the more the party, so to speak. Try not to cruise over spring break. I would look into RCCL Freedom of the seas from Port Canaveral. The ship will have so much for your kids. Maybe an ocean view cabin with an inside across the hall? :)

A 7 night cruise essentially doubles our costs. :eek:

How do you all feel about Carnival for 7 night cruises? Better ships/crowds than their shorter cruises?

If you restrict yorself to a four-night cruise, your choices are greatly limited as fewer big ships sail that format. I would suggest the Liberty of the Seas out of Fort Lauderdale as a great family ship that does sail a four-night itinerary and yet is one of the larger ships sailing, so it does offer a broad spectrum of activities and interests for different age groups.

Their four-night cruise has only one stop, Cozumel, MX, which as a lot of different choices of excursions. The other two days of the cruise are cruising at sea.The day you board a ship is called the first day of the cruise even though you will sit in port almost all day. It is a great day for exploring the ship to see what all it has to offer.

If you are going to put all of your kids in one cabin, for a four day cruise, go Carnival. their standard cabins are larger than the RCCL short cruise ships. Don't try to overwhelm yourself with big fancy ships. Four days, you will spend the first sea day finding your way around the ship. Two ports, and the last day you are rushing to pack and see if you missed anything on the ship. First cruise, you won't miss what you've never known. Personally, I like Carnival. EM

Thanks for all the feedback.

I've decided to do either a 4 night cruise this summer or a 7 night cruise this December with RC. Prices are similar. Only drawback to December is less kids, so maybe my older children won't have as much fun. Ugh...who knew this would be so hard. :confused:

Thanks for all the feedback.

 

I've decided to do either a 4 night cruise this summer or a 7 night cruise this December with RC. Prices are similar. Only drawback to December is less kids, so maybe my older children won't have as much fun. Ugh...who knew this would be so hard. :confused:[/quote

 

Don't worry about the number of kids, all ages. With a ship that size, there will be plenty. When we vacation with the kids, its all about them and yes sometimes its hard trying to plan a vacation they would love and still have adult fun. :D

Thanks for all the feedback.

 

I've decided to do either a 4 night cruise this summer or a 7 night cruise this December with RC. Prices are similar. Only drawback to December is less kids, so maybe my older children won't have as much fun. Ugh...who knew this would be so hard. :confused:

This is a no-brainer for me... longer cruise and less kids on board? WIN!

You'll have plenty of kids for your kids to hang out with. Do you want to have so many that you can't take a quick dip in the pool without cuddling a stranger?

You might look at the Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas from Baltimore, since you can drive there and save a lot of money on airfare. If you choose to fly, there are lots of choices from Florida. I recommend two connecting cabins, where one cabins sleeps 4 with two upper "pullman" beds. Often these are limited to inside cabins, like 2077/2079 on the Grandeur. Or, 2 connecting cabins where both sleep at least 3 -- like 7076/7078 on the Grandeur. You could also book a balcony for yourselves and an inside cabin acoss the hall that sleeps 4 for the kids, but a 4-year-old might be too young for this option. 7068/7069 on the Grandeur is an example. RCI usually has lots of connecting cabins where one sleeps 4; Carnival, not so much when I checked. Also, you might find that most if not all connecting cabins are already booked. We've already booked ours for March, 2014.

To the poster who had such a terrible experience with Carnival... I'm so sorry to hear that. If it were my daughter, they would've heard me hollaring on all the levels of the ship! :eek: The terrible person who slipped her a roofie could have been on any ship, so I wouldn't blame Carnival for that, but the rest should not be tolerated. I wish I knew who to tell you to contact.

I have been on 2 different Carnival cruises. The Pride in 2007, and the Fascination in 2011. Both cruises were fantastic! Neither ship was brand new, and I didn't expect gourmet food when serving so many people. I felt there was great variety and the rooms were fine, our cabin attendant was fantastic, and I found all the staff very helpful and happy. These 2 cruises have been the best vacations of my life. The 1st cruise was with my mother and the 2nd time I sailed with my hubby, his brother, and his brother's wife. I'm sailing on the Ecstasy on the 28th of this month.

Based on my experiences, I would and do recommend Carnival. I understand that their kids' programs are wonderful. The 5 day cruises are great and the Bahamas offer tons of things to do.. with or without booking excursions through Carnival. If you do choose them, be sure to pick a cruise that visits Half Moon Cay. Silky soft sand on the beach and the lunch is included. If you don't drink alcohol, your cruise doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg.

I recommend going to the Carnival boards and reading members' reviews before totally disregarding the line entirely.

Again, I'm very sorry for what happened to the one poster, and I really hope that Carnival will work to improve their services so that never happens again!

Thanks for all the feedback.

 

I've decided to do either a 4 night cruise this summer or a 7 night cruise this December with RC. Prices are similar. Only drawback to December is less kids, so maybe my older children won't have as much fun. Ugh...who knew this would be so hard. :confused:

If it's the last two weeks of December, there were be plenty of kids. Before that, not so many because many school district (at least ours, the Los Angeles one, makes it difficult to take a vacation while school is in session.

I really wouldn't rule out Carnival. It is very child-friendly. Just make sure your kids understand to watch their drinks, but that would be the case with any cruise or other social situation.

And if you're getting more than one cabin (which in this case you will be), make sure your bookings are marked "no upgrade." Else, some cruise line rep or travel agent might upgrade one of your cabins, which means you won't be in the same area of the ship.

Spend some time researching here on CC.

A 7 night cruise essentially doubles our costs. :eek:

 

How do you all feel about Carnival for 7 night cruises? Better ships/crowds than their shorter cruises?

We've done several 7 night cruises with Carnival, and a couple 5 nighters. We've never had a problem with (out of control) crowds. Any cruise line could have that problem, especially during spring break. I would recommend, if you went for a 7 night, try the Carnival Dream (Port Canaveral), or Norwegian Epic (Miami). Norwegian's rates compare with Carnival, and in some cases, cheaper! Time of year could impact your decision....I believe the only Norwegian cruises in summer (out of FL anyway) are 3 and 4 day cruises to the Bahamas.

If you want a lot of entertainment, RCI or Norwegian would be a better choice than Carnival, but I think any of these 3 lines would be a good choice for your family!

Try Royal Caribbean. It sounds like a good fit for your family.

Happy Sailing.

Dont count out a cruise line due to one horrific experiance. I found my way to the website that has all sorts of horror stories about what has happened on cruises, (rape, murder, theft). Bad people are everywhere. Be mindful of this, give your kids a good talk about personal safety. Dont accept drinks from anyone other then a bartender and never leave drink unattended. Young ladies should stay in groups of 3 or more and someone should refrain from drinking and be prepared to "police" the rest of the girls. Boys dont get targeted near as much but they can get to horsing around so its a good idea to have boys follow the same guideline.

Younger teens and kids should always have an adult with them IMO.

Just be safe and smart, dont think a cruise is danger free, sick people take vacations too :eek: