First time family cruise

We're a small family with a 10 yr old. My spouse and I have sailed before with Cunard, and I with Viking around the Baltic as a kid, but never as parents. Our 10 year old is outgoing and adventurous..so I am less worried about her.

I am trying to select a cruise that fits our need for family bonding time and relaxation. That is all we really need. Neither of us have ever been on a huge ship and we both hate crowds (like Disney type crowds where we went last year in FL)...I don't mind the idea of a big ship, but I have no sense of how crowded they really feel.

We are considering an early Spring cruise in 2018 with either Carnival, Norwegian or Royal Caribbean because these ships appear to have water slides and all kinds of fun for kids.I seem to have read that Royal Caribbean can feel crowded on some ships while Norwegian is the same unless the Haven is selected? I would so appreciate help in navigating this...

For these cruises, too. Do you need to line up dinner options and excursions before the cruise sets off in order to actually be able to eat and do what you want to do? I ask because we tend to be more go with the flow kind of people than big planners. Any advice? I really don't know how to choose the best option for us.

I appeal to folks on this board as the more knowledgeable cruise goers. Many thanks in advance!!

The larger the ship, the more "pre-booking" of shows, dining, etc.... is needed. All ships have some form of "anytime" dining, which is in the dining room. All ships also have a buffet, which is 1st come, 1st served sort of thing. You don't HAVE to pre-book anything, but once you pick your ship, come back and let us know..we can give more detailed info.

An RC ship like Liberty might be a good choice. Not a floating mall, but large enough to have the good activities like the rock wall, kids pool, cupcake deco classes, video arcades, Flowrider, ice skating, water slides, mini golf, character parades and meet/greets, kids' clubs...

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Thanks for that - actually looked at the Liberty of the seas - looks like it might be a good fit!

I will let you all now what I do end up deciding!:D

I have been on these boards here for quite a while and read a LOT of comparison reviews. I have cruised RCI, Carnival and Princess, not NCL.

Here are MY takeaways...YMMV

Entertainment: RCI wins for the bells and whistles, especially on the larger ships. If you are sailing for the ship itself, this is likely the line for you. They have the ice rinks, rock walls, diving shows etc.

Destinations: Carnival has the largest presence in the Caribbean year round, so the wider variety of ports. The mega ships can't get in many places - so if you are sailing for unique destinations, then you will need to go with a smaller ship. If you want to travel the world with one line, Princess.

Food: RCI buffet beats CCL but Carnival's MDR is better. RCI has a reputation for nickle and diming that CCL has not yet earned. NCL is freestyle, more casual and has a reputation for the food not being as good. The food on Princess and CCL are comparable, with the nod to the specialty restaurants on Princess.

Price: usually the nod goes to CCL - but shop around depending on time of year.

Staff: Carnvial is very warm and inviting. To me, the RCI staff was distant and gave an air of being put out. This was a real turn off for me. Surprisingly, no staff comments on NCL really have left an impression. Princess is more formal but still friendly.

All would be good cruises, and to refine them to what best suits your family, look at their tag lines:

RCI - way more than a cruise (bells and whistles)

Carnival - the funships (low cost, simple fun, good food)

NCL - freestlye cruising (unstructured and relaxed)

Princess - escape completely (next level up, more classic/egelant)

Personally, we are NOT ship people and the staff experience makes a differnece. We cruise for destiations and experiences ashore. And to simply relax while at sea. For these reasons, I will not chose RCI. Our boys, now 13 and 19 have been cruising for 10+ years and have always enjoyed their cruises be it Carnival or Princess. Since we get 2 rooms, price matters and since we cruise during busy seasons, Carnival has consistently won the majority of times on price. NCL has not beat the others for us because we enjoy a more classic cruise experience (and I hate Nickeldeon) and the freestyle dining doesn't appeal.

Hope my 2 cents was useful.

I've cruised on Disney, Carnival, RCL, and NCL. If my child was 10, my top pick would be Disney. My second would be RCL. I recently cruised on Liberty of the Seas and there was so much to do. The water slides were amazing. I think a 10 year old would have a great time on a ship like that. There were also areas to go that weren't crowded. My husband and I were always able to find quieter places to relax. The entertainment was very good.

My next cruise is on Norwegian, but we aren't taking kids. Anyway, I am sure your family will have fun on whichever ship you decide. I've never been on a bad cruise and have had great times on every ship. There are always pros and cons.

Definitely have something to think about.

I don't think we would be cruising for the ship itself and I don't care about all the bells and whistles - just relaxation and itinerary, plus a bit of fun.

Disney is out purely because my husband would refuse to go.

Looking at Norwegian Getaway because it has an itinerary (West Caribbean) that appeals to me as does the Carnival Dream, RCI Liberty, and Carnival Glory. When I checked, many of the rooms are sold out already. Do you recommend that I book quickly? Or is it OK to wait a few weeks for a March date?

Definitely have something to think about.

 

I don't think we would be cruising for the ship itself and I don't care about all the bells and whistles - just relaxation and itinerary, plus a bit of fun.

 

Disney is out purely because my husband would refuse to go.

 

Looking at Norwegian Getaway because it has an itinerary (West Caribbean) that appeals to me as does the Carnival Dream, RCI Liberty, and Carnival Glory. When I checked, many of the rooms are sold out already. Do you recommend that I book quickly? Or is it OK to wait a few weeks for a March date?

FWIW...I'd book now to get the rooms you want. If you come back later, your category or deck may or may not still be available. Location is important to us, so we book early...but that's just us.

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Definitely have something to think about.

 

I don't think we would be cruising for the ship itself and I don't care about all the bells and whistles - just relaxation and itinerary, plus a bit of fun.

 

Disney is out purely because my husband would refuse to go.

 

Looking at Norwegian Getaway because it has an itinerary (West Caribbean) that appeals to me as does the Carnival Dream, RCI Liberty, and Carnival Glory. When I checked, many of the rooms are sold out already. Do you recommend that I book quickly? Or is it OK to wait a few weeks for a March date?

Pick your ship and book; final payment won't be until December. The balconies are all gone on our Fascination cruise (granted there aren't a ton) for March 2018 and prices on all my cruises from now until December 2018 are only continuing to rise.

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Booked last night! Going on the Carnival Dream in March 2018 in a desired room! super excited! Thank you so much for your advice.

Booked last night! Going on the Carnival Dream in March 2018 in a desired room! super excited! Thank you so much for your advice.

I had most of the same questions you did and we ended up on the Dream Aug 12, 2018!

Although we are not taking the kids this time I have been doing so much research for our follow on cruise! I have 2 boys that will be 11 and 2 when we take them around March 2019 and with so much to chose from I was totally overwhelmed! I have been on one other cruise (Carnival Conquest) and my hubs has never been (which is why we are going kidless his first time). I really want to try RC but with everything I have been reading it may be more cost efficient to stick with Carnival. But we'll see! Let me know how you guys like the Dream!!