EliseRN Posted May 9, 2018 #1 Share Posted May 9, 2018 Hello, Been ages since I have been on, but talking to step daughter and she and hubby have 10th anniversary next year in April and were thinking about a cruise that would safely monitor and entertain 4 and 8 year old to give them (mom & dad) some alone time, as well as offer some family time. They would ideally leave from Florida port. She was talking about some ship she had heard about with water park on board too. Any suggestions?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb at sea Posted May 9, 2018 #2 Share Posted May 9, 2018 All of the mass-market lines have kid's clubs that a 4 and 8 year old will LOVE...no worries about that...you may find that they don't WANT to leave! They will not be in the same "group", but the age-appropriate activities are stellar, and will keep them interested and busy for HOURS! They are very secure and the counselors are well-trained on ALL the lines! Any water activities requires parents to be there...the clubs do NOT take kids to the pools at all. So, don't worry too much about that. Carnival and some RCI and NCL ships have slides....but not all ships do, so if that's important, do your research. There are height and weight limits, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitkat343 Posted May 10, 2018 #3 Share Posted May 10, 2018 They're in excellent shape - there are a ton of options for this family. Almost all the mass market lines will have affordable cruises with kids clubs that children those ages will love (my kids loved the kids clubs on Princess, HAL, NCL and my oldest loved Cunard. The two year old had a rougher time, but that's due to the age). Given the fact that they don't actually have any major obstacles limiting their search, they should think about what is most important to them. Would they like a new mega ship, or is there a particular itinerary they would love to visit? Would they like to do a trip that has some history and culture (like the Panama Canal or Cuba) or would they like to visit beaches? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadien Posted May 10, 2018 #4 Share Posted May 10, 2018 What most parents find is that it's more about the children than the ship. They all have clubs but it's very difficult to predict which children are willing to stay in them. Whether they'll be in the same age-specific club depends on the cruise line. On Disney, they'd be together. On most others, they wouldn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A&Jfamily Posted May 11, 2018 #5 Share Posted May 11, 2018 Many of the Carnival ships have a small water park with splash pad and slides on board. My kids have thoroughly enjoyed their kids clubs through the years. I would suggest they look at their budget - and I would highly recommend at least a balcony or two adjoining rooms for the space and bathrooms. Their tag lines tell you about what they focus on: Carnival: Funships RCI: Bragworthy moments Princess:Come back new Etc. Many on here agree that the mainstream lines are more alike than different and the differences are going to be in the subtleties. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtalum Posted May 11, 2018 #6 Share Posted May 11, 2018 Any mass-market line's kids club will serve you well. They're all free during the day and have reasonable prices for babysitting at night. Don't be afraid to use it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLadyK Posted May 11, 2018 #7 Share Posted May 11, 2018 I agree with basically everyone that you're going to be spoiled for choice. I'm leaving tomorrow on an anniversary cruise with my husband and my 3 year old, so I can tell you what works for us. Both my husband and my daughter are very active and adventurous, so we're taking a medium - large boat from Carnival. I used this website to research the different ships and made a list of which ships had the activities my family would enjoy. Pretty much any 7-10 day cruise on one of the major lines leaving from Florida will probably be fine. If the parents have a place/itinerary they really want to get to, that can help you choose as well. I'll put a plug in for Carnival, they've been very good to my family with a nice balance of energetic activity during the day, understanding about (and frankly catering to) my child, and their adults only areas are peaceful. My husband has a preference for RCI, and you're not going to go far wrong there either. We are not big drinkers, but we do like decent restaurants - RCI has a bit of an edge on the upcharge restaurants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julienatul Posted May 30, 2018 #8 Share Posted May 30, 2018 We really enjoyed the NCL Epic and Getaway but Carnival Magic, Carnival Vista, RCL Oasis class ships all have a variety of family friendly fun entertainment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KittyloverCA Posted June 2, 2018 #9 Share Posted June 2, 2018 Disney. It sounds obvious but the ships are truly amazing for adults as well as for kids. My kids didn’t want to leave the kids clubs and so we had plenty of alone time (cocktails classes, spas, nice dinners etc) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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