Recommend your favourite ship for our family of 5's first cruise

Hi everyone. I have been a lurker on this site for a very long time.

I've been considering a cruise vacation for our family of 5 for years, but have been waiting for all kids to be out of diapers and old enough to really have fun ;)

We'd like to cruise Christmas 2018, and I know that's considered a "high cost time", which is why I'm searching now.

My husband and I cruised the Hawaiian Islands on our honeymoon years ago with NCL. Other than that, we have no cruise experience.

Our family vacations have usually been Disney, but I'd like to try something different.

We can't afford a Disney cruise, and I'm not sure Carnival is one I'm interested in...can you suggest your favourite for families with young kids, and why?

Our kids are 4, 7 and 10.

One final question...I've started pricing out suites, but it appears that it is actually less to go with two staterooms, so I'm really interested in those lines that have connecting rooms.

Thank you so much for your advice! (y)

In this situation, the best recommendation would be to find a travel agent that can assist you.

I totally agree. Find a brick and mortar travel agent you can sit down and talk with.

The questions you brought up are probably going to be the first of many.

Then, once you have booked, come back here, join your roll call and read about your ports of call. :)

It would be hard to find a modern cruise ship that doesn't have connecting cabins .contact a Cruise Specialist TA recommended by

trusted friends, relatives, coworkers, neighbors , etc. .

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I've definitely reached out to a travel agent, but all our dealings will be online, so I figured I'd seek some recommendations here to be able to narrow it down :)

We're looking for a warm cruise, and hopefully at least one "beach stop" during the cruise.

I don't recall paying extra for entertainment on the ship....are many entertainment options included on most lines, or does it really depend?

During our previous cruise, we actually didn't spend much time exploring the ship, or partaking in activities....I'd like to spend time enjoying the ship...any suggestions for some great family activities?

I've definitely reached out to a travel agent, but all our dealings will be online, so I figured I'd seek some recommendations here to be able to narrow it down :)

 

I don't understand why all of your dealings will be online. The type of questions you are asking are perfect for you to work with a brick and mortar agent.

If you can't get a recommendation from a friend, etc. stop in at your local AAA for help.

I don't understand why all of your dealings will be online. The type of questions you are asking are perfect for you to work with a brick and mortar agent.

 

If you can't get a recommendation from a friend, etc. stop in at your local AAA for help.

All our dealings are online because I live in a small northern Canada community (less than 800 ppl) with no road. And I'm not flying out anytime soon to meet with a TA ;).

Surprisingly, I know less than 5 people who have done a cruise before...in terms of vacations, most I know do all-inclusives.....

All our dealings are online because I live in a small northern Canada community (less than 800 ppl) with no road. And I'm not flying out anytime soon to meet with a TA ;).

 

Surprisingly, I know less than 5 people who have done a cruise before...in terms of vacations, most I know do all-inclusives.....

Well, that certainly explains it. :D

So let me back up a bit and suggest CAA and see about establishing a relationship with an agent you can communicate with through email, one on one. If CAA is like AAA, there should be no cost to the traveler for assistance making cruise bookings.

For this age group I would look at RCI, NCL, Carnival and Celebrity. Celebrate would be a little more upscale then the other three.

In the end I would book the cruise with an agent and I think a good way to find an agent is asking friends who you respect if they have one they could recommend.

When we were taking our second cruise as a family with the cruises although I used an agent even back then I was able to get a lot of information from a specific source and that is what I used to select the cruise line even though the agent was pushing me on another one. It worked out well.

The book is written by Douglas Ward and published by Berlitz and updated yearly and provides you with a lot of very useful information to make your decision. I highly recommend it. You can order it on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Berlitz-Cruising-Cruise-Ships-Guide/dp/1780049781/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515920901&sr=8-1&keywords=douglas+ward

In our case, we selected Celebrity while our TA was pushing us on RCI but either way the book really was very useful to me. These days after more then 100+ cruises I still use it.

Keith

Once you narrow it to a cruise line, pull up the deck plans. They will show which cabins are connecting, and what type of bedding is in each. Carnival, RCI and NCL, especially the newer ships, will have plenty for both kids and adults!

All entertainment on RCI and Carnival are included....and on NCL, most is...they may have 1 or 2 options that do carry a fee. All have kid's clubs, and kids DO enjoy them greatly!

I agree with all of the above information, and would book early, those connecting cabins re popular with families, and there will be a lot of families that week. We are a family of 7 and always book connecting, much cheaper than suites.

Welcome to Cruise Critic where you're more likely to be lectured than actually have your question answered. ;)

My first recommendation for your group would be Royal Caribbean. Take a look at the big ships, like Oasis Class. In my opinion, outside of Disney, RCI is the best cruise line for families. Also, they have the best entertainment at sea and the kids will probably like the Dreamworks experience. The entire pool deck on Oasis Class is very expansive. The 2 newest ships, Symphony and Harmony, also have waterslides.

NCL is also a good choice. However, I would stick to their newest ships....Breakaway and newer. I cruised Escape and really liked it. The downside though is they are very crowded and have awful pool space.

Carnival isn't bad and people do tend to tout them as a family cruise line but in my experience, the games they put on around the pool have been much more raunchy and alcohol induced than what I've seen on other lines.

Also recommending RCL Oasis class. We took then 7yo granddaughter on a western Caribbean cruise and she didn't want to leave the ship. She had a blast in the kids club & the kids pool area. She especially liked the cupcake making class.

NCL Getaway or the Escape! Fun ships for families.;)

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My first cruise with my family was Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas and it still remains my favourite cruise!

Its been an absolutely freezing Canadian winter...hope you are staying warm! I'm ready for spring now.

I would also recommend the Royal Caribbean Oasis class. Allure of the Seas was our first ever cruise, and having been on plenty since then, nothing has EVER come even remotely close to living up to that experience. You will not be disappointed, and there's a huge variety of stateroom options including connecting interiors if you want to keep costs as low as possible.

I also would recommend the Oasis or Freedom class ships on Royal Caribbean, especially with the ages of your kids. Most of the entertainment is free....perhaps a fee for the arcade for the kids. The shows are free as well as the ice skating, mini golf, basketball, rock climbing, the slides. So much to do and so much fun! Enjoy!!! We've been fortunate to have gone on about 20 cruises and can't wait for our next one!!!

Happy cruising!

Also, you mentioned a warm cruise....in December, I'd recommend a southern caribbean itinerary. TheVoyager class on RC is also very nice:).

We also have a family of five. You're not necessarily limited to two rooms or a suite. We are sailing in March in Royal Caribbean in a regular balcony with five. You cannot see rooms for five online for NCL/Royal but they have them. You can book for five online with Carnival. My kids are 9, 9 and 4, so we'll see how this goes. Our previous cruises have been just the two of us since my 4 yr old was born, but we did do two with the twins previously without much trouble.

I should mention that kids sale free is offered from time to time. We just booked for a week on Jewel of the Seas, 5 in a balcony for $2250 Canadian taxes and port fees included.

Good luck!

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Our family of 5 took our first ever cruise last Jan on Carnival Dream out of NOLA and it was AMAZING. We have been to Disneyland and the cruise was my kids' favorite vacation ever. We had an oceanview room that held all 5 of us without a problem and it even had 2 bathrooms! We paid only $2600 with insurance for all 5 of us. I don't know why everyone seems to think that Carnival is so bad, we had nothing but a great experience!

If you are looking for a cruise that coincides with winter break don’t rule out the lines that are typically considered “older crowd”, such as Princess. We were on a Xmas cruise this past year and the ship demographic was mainly families, 25% if the ship was under 18 ( not my numbers, this was according to the cruise director). Entertainment options were plentiful and varied.

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Hi everyone. I have been a lurker on this site for a very long time.

I've been considering a cruise vacation for our family of 5 for years, but have been waiting for all kids to be out of diapers and old enough to really have fun ;)

 

We'd like to cruise Christmas 2018, and I know that's considered a "high cost time", which is why I'm searching now.

 

My husband and I cruised the Hawaiian Islands on our honeymoon years ago with NCL. Other than that, we have no cruise experience.

Our family vacations have usually been Disney, but I'd like to try something different.

 

We can't afford a Disney cruise, and I'm not sure Carnival is one I'm interested in...can you suggest your favourite for families with young kids, and why?

 

Our kids are 4, 7 and 10.

 

One final question...I've started pricing out suites, but it appears that it is actually less to go with two staterooms, so I'm really interested in those lines that have connecting rooms.

 

Thank you so much for your advice! (y)

Our favorite ship and cruise was Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas out of San Juan. We had such a good time as a couple we're looking into how best to take our kids and grandkids with us next time.

Reasons:

Boarding was fast fast fast and efficient.

The food and dining. We were pleased with the selection in the buffet the first day at lunch. We had mytime dining but ended up always eating around the same time. We were able to enjoy the same table with the same beautiful ocean view of the sunset out the wide windows and the same excellent wait staff every night.

The activities. They've got a pretty decent water park with a water slide for the older kids. Adventure Ocean kid's club. A video games area. Ice skating, outdoor movies, and several activities like jewelry making the older kids will enjoy as well. Mini golf for the whole family.

Also we love San Juan. We've been twice now. Hyatt Place San Juan City Center is amazing with a wonderful pool with a kid-sized water park. If we can't get everyone on board for dates for a cruise we'll probably just all fly out and stay a week at the Hyatt Place. There's a great beach nearby as well. If you go in shoulder season it is not busy at all and we weren't bothered much by people trying to sell stuff even in the main season.

The Oasis-class ships by Royal Caribbean are just awe-inspiring. They provide multiple "neighborhoods", a carnival boardwalk themed outdoor section, a beautiful park in the heart of the ship. It breaks up the feel of the ship so it doesn't start feeling repetitive like some other boats do.

I'm in an Ocean View family cabin on the NCL Bliss. We're a party of 5. It's on the website.

That said, I wouldn't really recommend NCL. They can be fine, but I'm just turned off by so many things that they do to nickel and dime you. Which leads to other issues.

I'd recommend RCI as well, but their big ships can be super pricey. If you book Disney early enough, you can get deals where it's as cheap as RCI (actually, I'm paying the same price per person for the Bliss as I did on my last Disney cruise, which was in December outside of the school holidays).