Need advice Royal Carribean Vision of the Seas versus Norwegian Sun

After going on a cruise this summer on the Carnival Paradise we have now become huge fans of cruising. We are looking at a cruise during Thanksgiving 2014. I have it narrowed down to two options RC Vision of the Seas or Norwegian Sun. Both itineraries are for a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise with some port differences. Our boys will be 5 and 9 and this will be their first cruise. Advice on which kids club is better for this age group and which ship has better activities for this age group. We only have 2 sea days but I want to make sure there is plenty for them to do especially since both of these ships are a bit older.

Thanks for any advice.

I have not been on Sun, so cannot comment on differences; however, we just sailed this past Sep on Grandeur on the Seas, which is same class as Vision. Here is my review.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1924684&highlight=grandeur

I think between kids club and pool your kids will like Vision. I also think Vision also has rock wall; Grandeur did but our son was too young to use. But beyond that, there are not a lot of bells and whistles (no water slides, water parks, ice skating, zip line, mini golf, etc.).

Not to complicate the issue - but have you considered the Norwegian Epic? The price for passenger 1 and 2 is only $90 more and the kids price should be about the same. We have a 9 yea r old and have been on the Epic 3 times. We have also been on the Sun. There is NO comparison - the Epic is sooo much better. The food is fabulous. The entertainment is the best of any ship right now(in my opinion). The kids club is massive with lots of light and so much fun. The spider climb, bungee trampoline and waterpark make this ship so much fun. For less than $200 difference - I'd HIGHLY recommend it over the Sun.

We love NCL, and are not huge RCCL fans, although we are in the minority. We enjoyed our Royal cruises but feel NCL fits our needs better. With that being said, we've been on the Sun and had a wonderful 12 night cruise. I will admit it is not our favorite ship and our least favorite NCL ship with our kids. It reminds us of ships from years ago. Without all the bells and whistles. The staff was fantastic. We loved the Epic, which was a great suggestion, as did our kids. Our favorite remains the Dawn, and the Spirit is such a special ship. I would say the main difference between the two lines to us is NCL seems less scheduled and more relaxing. This however is just our opinion, as im sure others feel differently.

We love NCL, and are not huge RCCL fans, although we are in the minority. We enjoyed our Royal cruises but feel NCL fits our needs better. With that being said, we've been on the Sun and had a wonderful 12 night cruise. I will admit it is not our favorite ship and our least favorite NCL ship with our kids. It reminds us of ships from years ago. Without all the bells and whistles. The staff was fantastic. We loved the Epic, which was a great suggestion, as did our kids. Our favorite remains the Dawn, and the Spirit is such a special ship. I would say the main difference between the two lines to us is NCL seems less scheduled and more relaxing. This however is just our opinion, as im sure others feel differently.

I am curious about your comment about NCL being less scheduled - how do you mean? Is this just about the dining? We have only been on one RCI cruise and loved it. It seemed very relaxing to us, but we never ate in the MDR. We are planning to sail again on Grandeur next year, but after that I think we will need to find a bigger ship with more bells and whistles. How does Gem compare to the ships you recommended? Same size/class?

Its hard to explain but we like cruises with a lot of down time. We are always able to find quiet spots on NCL and everyone just seems relaxed and everything moves slower. This is just my opinion and I'm sure you'll find people who disagree. I also think NCL's crew is the best. Its strange but on NCL we often feel as if we have the ship to ourselves, a feeling we've never got on RCCL. The Gem is a fantastic ship. One of our girls favorites. The 2 bedroom family suite is unreal. The bathroom is the best at sea and the suite perks are great. I'm sure you'll have a great time, regardless of your choice. Cruising with your kids is the best type of family vacation.

Its hard to explain but we like cruises with a lot of down time. We are always able to find quiet spots on NCL and everyone just seems relaxed and everything moves slower. This is just my opinion and I'm sure you'll find people who disagree. I also think NCL's crew is the best. Its strange but on NCL we often feel as if we have the ship to ourselves, a feeling we've never got on RCCL. The Gem is a fantastic ship. One of our girls favorites. The 2 bedroom family suite is unreal. The bathroom is the best at sea and the suite perks are great. I'm sure you'll have a great time, regardless of your choice. Cruising with your kids is the best type of family vacation.

Thanks. I completely understand what you are saying. We will definitely keep Gem in mind for our next cruise. My wife had a co-worker sail on the Pearl, and they loved it. I think Gem is same class ship, and as we could hop on train or drive to NY, the Gem would be very convenient for us. Also, we normally travel in suites on Royal, so will definitely check out the 2 bedroom suite.

We just came back from a Christmas and NYE cruise on the Sun. There is not a ton for kids to do. They do have a kids club and a pool, ping pong table, and activities, but no climbing wall, bowling alley, etc. We had a nice time, but feel you can do better. We certainly have had better service on princess and celebrity. Would not do the sun again.

After going on a cruise this summer on the Carnival Paradise we have now become huge fans of cruising. We are looking at a cruise during Thanksgiving 2014. I have it narrowed down to two options RC Vision of the Seas or Norwegian Sun. Both itineraries are for a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise with some port differences. Our boys will be 5 and 9 and this will be their first cruise. Advice on which kids club is better for this age group and which ship has better activities for this age group. We only have 2 sea days but I want to make sure there is plenty for them to do especially since both of these ships are a bit older.

 

Thanks for any advice.

My partner and I were on the NCL Sun pre kids and I took them on the Sun with my mother in March 2013 for an 11-day cruise. My boy/girl twins (4 y.o. at the time) LOVED the Sun's kids korner. My daughter had been scared of the RCCL Kids Club we were on in December 2012 on the Allure of the Seas. So she stopped going 1/2 way through the cruise even though her brother and our friends with their three girls were on the cruise with us. On the NCL Sun, my daughter could not wait to go to kids korner. She RAN to it and it was hard getting her (and him) out, even to go in the kids hot tub (hot pool as they called it) or to have ice cream in the mid-afternoon.

The Sun is a great little ship. The lunch and the bbq by the pool were awesome. The crew was probably the best crew I've had in my 11 cruises (on NCL, RCL, Princess and Carnival) although we may book the Carnival Liberty in March 2014.

Hope this helps!

After going on a cruise this summer on the Carnival Paradise we have now become huge fans of cruising. We are looking at a cruise during Thanksgiving 2014. I have it narrowed down to two options RC Vision of the Seas or Norwegian Sun. Both itineraries are for a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise with some port differences. Our boys will be 5 and 9 and this will be their first cruise. Advice on which kids club is better for this age group and which ship has better activities for this age group. We only have 2 sea days but I want to make sure there is plenty for them to do especially since both of these ships are a bit older.

 

Thanks for any advice.

Which did you end up choosing? I'm going through the debate currently and trying to decide between the two lines for a 12 night med cruise

The OP hasn't been online since Dec. 1, but they chose Vision of the Seas, but were unable to sail due to medical issues. EM