Just a bit of help with the our next cruise

[MTSHQMP]

Hi everyone!

 

It's been 3 months sense our last cruise and I am starting to get that itchy feeling again. (It's kind of funny but I haven't even been on cruise critic for about 3 months but all of a sudden I have a big urge to book a cruise!)

 

On to my request for help, my wife and I have decided we would like to try a family carnival cruise. We have been on both fascination, and sensation by ourselves so we did not focus to much on the family part. Our daughter is almost 5 years old and has been on 2 cruises with us on RCL and the last one was on the Oasis in December where she had a great time, and my wife and I a little less so. Does anyone have any opinions or suggestions to offer of a cruise that would meet the following guidelines.

 

A very good kids program (yes I know almost all the ships do a great job these days)

 

Relatively good entertainment, which does not have to be as good as Oasis (which was pretty good) but is better then the sensation which was a bit odd to say the least.

 

Good food for cruise ship standards.

 

And last a good itinerary with some things for a kid to do. My daughter usually prefers to just stay on the ships so it would be nice to have something that she might be interested in.

 

I am not worried about cost but we do want a good value. I don't care which Port (although Florida is the best for us) or ship.

 

If anyone has any opinions based on the information above I would appreciate it very much. Feel free to also point out any cruises/ships that might be good to avoid.

 

Thanks!

MTSHQ

[sparkscruiser]

We really liked our cruise to Half Moon Cay, San Juan, St. Thomas and Grand Turk. Not sure if Carnival is still doing that itinerary (haven't looked) but if you have a San Juan stop, be sure it is during the day - you can take her El Morro and San Cristobel - they were great - from a kids perspective I am not sure, but lots of interesting things to see. Just my opinion, but Carnival has a great kids program and I am sure there are lots of family type activities to do at those ports. Whatever you choose, have a great cruise!

[Tapi]

In my opinion, the Conquest class is ideal. Carnival Valor, Liberty, Freedom, and Glory sail from Florida parts and they are all identical, sister ships (except for decoration).

 

They're big (although still considerably smaller than Oasis), but they pack a lot of fun, not only for the kids but also for the adults.

 

Most of these ships alternate between Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries, so you'll have your pick.

 

We personally LOVED the Carnival Liberty. Beautiful ship (decoration is much more toned down and elegant than other Carnival ships), and the itinerary was perfect for us (we did the Eastern Caribbean to San Juan, St. Thomas and St. Maarten).

[Tapi]

...if you have a San Juan stop, be sure it is during the day...

 

 

I agree with you! Most attractions like historic buildings, museums and many shops close at 5pm.

 

Although our Eastern Caribbean on the Liberty included a late afternoon stop in San Juan, we still managed to have a great time. We started by walking around Old San Juan and browse around the shops that were open. After that, we sat down for a couple of drinks at the outdoor terrace of the historic Hotel El Convento. After that, we walked down towards the SoFo (South Fortaleza Street) area where we had dinner at the Parrot Club (a SUPER cool Nuevo Latino restaurant). We finished the evening by stopping at the Sheraton Old San Juan to listen to a local music band playing near the casino.

[bobbie0253]

Honestly after just doing our first Disney.... that would be my first choice with a child that age. Have you considered that line? They did an AMAZING job with the kids and the entertainment was awesome. Once our little ones get to be that age we will be doing Disney with them for sure. There is soooo much space on the ship dedicated to children.... I wanted to be a kid again!

[cruisekwazee]

Liberty Eastern Carribean is a wonderful cruise!!

[Ellanora]

I agree with all of the above - that itinerary (Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, St Thomas, and San Juan during the day) is a great one! HMC of course makes the best beach day, Grand Turk has the huge pool at Margaritaville that is free to use, St Thomas has lots of beautiful beaches (Magen's Bay, Sapphire) and an aqaurium, and in San Juan, we also walked to the San Cristobal fort. Looks like Carnival Liberty out of Miami is the best ship with that itinerary.

 

Another one we really enjoyed was out of Fort Lauderdale - Carnival Freedom 6 night Western Caribbean - Key West, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica. Plenty to walk around and see in Key West, Grand Cayman has the Turtle Farm, where your daughter can hold turtles, and in Jamaica, we really enjoyed the ship excursion to Mystic Mountain, which had a sky chair lift up the mountain which you can ride as a family, and there is an infinity pool with a nice waterslide you can use as much as you want. Carnival Freedom is sister ship to Liberty, and was my favorite ship so far. I also felt like Freedom had generally great food - the Mongolian station and the Fish and Chips station were stand outs. Liberty has these as well, I believe.

 

Of course, the Dream would have the newest kid's club layout and also has the multiple waterslides and play area. I'd really like to do a Western Caribbean on Dream, but I don't know what those ports hold for a 5 year old.

 

Honestly after just doing our first Disney.... that would be my first choice with a child that age. Have you considered that line? They did an AMAZING job with the kids and the entertainment was awesome. Once our little ones get to be that age we will be doing Disney with them for sure. There is soooo much space on the ship dedicated to children.... I wanted to be a kid again!

 

I agree with this as well - all of my family's children ages 3 through 14 have had OUTSTANDING times on the Disney ship. Also, the production shows are amazing. Although I do feel in general the food is better on Carnival, I still very much enjoyed the meals on Disney. And of course, the pirate party and fireworks on deck are not to be missed!

[MTSHQMP]

Thank you everyone for your input. I agree with the posters that Disney might be the best option but they are pretty pricey (although it's been a good year for us so we could probably swing it :)) but most importantly we usually do a cruise when we go and visit Grandma in Orlando and we end up doing all the Disney parks for a few days. I guess what I am saying is we get Disney-ed out.

 

I am going to look into the ships everyone mentioned a bit more and if anyone has any opinions on the Dream I would appreciate it.

 

Thanks again everyone for your help and the tips.

 

MTSHq

[sparkscruiser]

Sorry, haven't been on the Dream yet - but sure someone will have been and able to give you an idea. Have a great cruise no matter what ship you decide on.