Carnival or Princess over SB w/ kids??

[RJCinTX]

My husband and I want to take the kids (girl 12/boy 8) on their first cruise this March for spring break. Husband has never cruised before, I was spoiled by HAL. I could use some advice to help with my decision.
I've looked at...

Carnival Dream out of Port Canaveral which I'm guessing would be a safe bet for ship quality and kid friendly.....I just don't prefer the 3 days at sea intinerary.

Carnival Glory out of Miami which has only 2 days at sea but is a much older ship. I had a bad experience on an older RCCL ship once and don't care for a repeat.

Emerald Princess out of Ft. Lauderdale, which I'm hoping might be a good compromise for kid friendly, adult friendly, and ship quality. It also only has 2 days at sea but I'm not sure if it is as kid friendly as Carnival.

From everything I have read, it seems Carnival might be better for kids but I'm hoping maybe Princess would be a nice compromise for kids and adults. I was also thinking maybe Princess would have less college spring breakers than Carnival. Any thoughts/advice on choosing between these ships/lines would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance....

[pg.]

Originally Posted by RJCinTX

My husband and I want to take the kids (girl 12/boy 8) on their first cruise this March for spring break. Husband has never cruised before, I was spoiled by HAL. I could use some advice to help with my decision.
I've looked at...

Carnival Dream out of Port Canaveral which I'm guessing would be a safe bet for ship quality and kid friendly.....I just don't prefer the 3 days at sea intinerary.

Carnival Glory out of Miami which has only 2 days at sea but is a much older ship. I had a bad experience on an older RCCL ship once and don't care for a repeat.

Emerald Princess out of Ft. Lauderdale, which I'm hoping might be a good compromise for kid friendly, adult friendly, and ship quality. It also only has 2 days at sea but I'm not sure if it is as kid friendly as Carnival.

From everything I have read, it seems Carnival might be better for kids but I'm hoping maybe Princess would be a nice compromise for kids and adults. I was also thinking maybe Princess would have less college spring breakers than Carnival. Any thoughts/advice on choosing between these ships/lines would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance....

We have crusied Carnival( admittedly a long time ago) and Princess. IF you liked HAL,, er,, don't bother with Carnival,, they are quite different( my mom loved HAL and took numerous cruises with them,, she also cruised with us on Carnival) .

Princess will have plenty enough kids on board. My kids LOVED their Princess cruise( they were 10, 14, and 16) and are looking forward to their spring break cruise again this year.

[notentirelynormal]

My kids have always loved Princess. They just don't have as many "ship toys" as Carnival but they still have wonderful kid set ups. Check out this section:

http://www.princess.com/learn/onboar...een/index.html

Personally, I'm not a Carnival person. Once was enough for me. My kids have been sailing since they were 7 and now my grandchildren. My GS continually says, "Grandma I want to go on a Princess cruise". Of course since that's the only ones he's been on, its the one he asks for but next year he'll turn 5 and sail on this fifth cruise. He can't wait.

[RJCinTX]

One other question.....Our 12 year old is very mature for her age (and looks older too) and I think would have more fun with the teen group rather than being the oldest in the younger group. Anyone know how strict they are about sticking with the age group?

[RJCinTX]

One other question regarding Princess.....Our 12 year old is very mature for her age (and looks older too) and I think would have more fun with the teen group rather than being the oldest in the younger group. Anyone know how strict they are about sticking with the age group?

[pg.]

I thnk they are kind of strict,, but with my kids,, they older ones never cared for all the organized activities anyways,, they generally just met up with other kids and "hung out"( they were boys,, so this seemed to consist of eating at the buffet endlessly,,, and walking around with girls.

I have opposite problem ,, my dd is 13,, and I am a bit nervous about her being lumped in with OLDER TEEN BOYS(15, 16 and 17 yr olds!!!!!!!!!) ,, frankly,, if I was you, I would be happy your child will not be able to access teen activities too much. Looking mature is not the same as being mature,, she has no idea what a 17 yr old boy is thinking( well, she may have some romantic notions of course,, but teen boys are generally not romantics, LOL ) ,, and if she in fact LOOKS old for her age,, he does not see a child,, but possibly someone closer to his age,, on whom he may not act "like a big brother" but rather,, see her as "dateable".

I admit is is hard the way the group the ages,, it should be more like 7-10, and 11-14 and then 15-18. I think the broad age spans are a bit disconcerting. I can see your dd will be a bit choked to be stuck with 10 olds...

[Ljberkow]

Your kids would probably have a better time on the Dream. The Dream also is more adult friendly than other Carnival ships. My daughter is turning 12 and my son will be 10 soon. Their choice over both of the lines you mentioned would be Royal Caribbean. Next time we cruise with kids, that will be our call.

[cruisemom42]

Originally Posted by RJCinTX

One other question regarding Princess.....Our 12 year old is very mature for her age (and looks older too) and I think would have more fun with the teen group rather than being the oldest in the younger group. Anyone know how strict they are about sticking with the age group?

Princess is very strict, and there is no "fudging" of ages, since they know your childrens' ages from your embarkation info and the counselors will have a printed list. When you arrive in your cabin, you'll already find information on the appropriate age-group of the kids' club in your cabin for each child.

My DS loves Princess, btw. We've cruise Princess 4x starting at age 10 (for him); this year he'll be 18 and we're doing the Med on Ruby Princess.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Originally Posted by RJCinTX

One other question regarding Princess.....Our 12 year old is very mature for her age (and looks older too) and I think would have more fun with the teen group rather than being the oldest in the younger group. Anyone know how strict they are about sticking with the age group?

They are strict for good reason. I think one may be insurance reasons, but I imagine they get plenty of parents insisting that their child is "mature for his age," but in reality, that's an overstatement. And just think about the teens who feel they are going to be in a club with other teens and then find an unexpected 12 yr old.

[RJCinTX]

Thanks everyone for your input. You know, I wasn't even thinking about BOYS when I asked that question. I was thinking more about girls she could hang out with. She is my stepdaughter and not at all into boys but is at that age where she has very little in common with the younger kids (and would like NOT to be in a group with her brother) It's sounding more like Carnival will be better for the kids since they group them 12-14. I'm sure we adults will still have fun too!

[jimbo5544]

Originally Posted by RJCinTX

Thanks everyone for your input. You know, I wasn't even thinking about BOYS when I asked that question. I was thinking more about girls she could hang out with. She is my stepdaughter and not at all into boys but is at that age where she has very little in common with the younger kids (and would like NOT to be in a group with her brother) It's sounding more like Carnival will be better for the kids since they group them 12-14. I'm sure we adults will still have fun too!

Dream is certainly new and you cant go wrong. I know you did not mention it, but they have a an adult Serenity area which is two floors. Very very nice. The Glory while being older I am sure will meet your requirements as well. It's not that old, but certainly not brand spanking new like the Dream.