Help-Will there be other kids on board in Jan?

[rgfeldman]

We are planning to cruise on the Carnival Liberty on January 19th of 2013 with our two kids (ages 9 and 6). Since this is not a typical vacation time for schools we are concerned that there will not be enough kids for our kids to play with. Since this is the only time we can travel, we are not sure that a cruise, in comparison to an all-inclusive resort, is the best choice for our family. Can anyone tell me whether or not kids are on board this time of year? Thanks.

[CruiserBruce]

Best to ask on the Carnival board, and on the Roll Call for your cruise. But I agree, this would not seem to be the time for many kids to be on board.

[susie8862]

We are planning to cruise on the Carnival Liberty on January 19th of 2013 with our two kids (ages 9 and 6). Since this is not a typical vacation time for schools we are concerned that there will not be enough kids for our kids to play with. Since this is the only time we can travel, we are not sure that a cruise, in comparison to an all-inclusive resort, is the best choice for our family. Can anyone tell me whether or not kids are on board this time of year? Thanks.

We are on Carnival A LOT. There are always plenty of children regardless of the month. There are soooo many kids that are home schooled and the OFF months is usually when they are on cruises. You will have no problem with your children meeting others.

[Doug S]

I would think there would be fewer kids than during a school break. Should still be some though... For my kids all it took was one kid with similar interests to stay entertained with a cruise buddy. No reason to expect more kids to hang with at an all inclusive, but may be easier to keep kids entertained with day trips and excursion activities than it would be on sea days with fewer playmates. Either way, enjoy.

[paul929207]

Have you called Carnival and asked how many children are booked? I on't know about Carnival, but Princess will give that info. Of course, you are over 4 months from sailing, so the number coul change significantly.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Yes -- you will find other children on your cruise.

It is an off season and the prices are lower -- thus attracting more families. Not as many families as other times of the year -- but they will be on yur cruise.

[Mary Ellen]

Aren't there some private schools in NY that have a winter break in January? I've read reviews from some who had booked cruises then - expecting that there'd be very few children on board. They weren't happy to to have a lot of children with them, but it may be what you want. Good luck.

[cb at sea]

There will be folks just like you who take their kids out of school for vacation (or are home-schooled)...no worries, there will be other kids. Probably not a huge amount, but your kids will NOT be the only ones! Guaranteed!

[lady_cruiser]

Yes, there were always kids onboard on matter when we cruised or on which cruise line. We've talked to some kids while riding in the elevators together and several have always told us that they are home schooled.

 

I guess their school breaks are whenever their parents decide it will be :p.

[mitsugirly]

We always cruise on the "off' season and no matter what cruise we are on, there are always plenty of kids for sure. I wouldn't worry about it at all. Once you go to the kids club and see just how many, you'll be happy to know your little ones will have plenty to have fun with. :)

 

As far as going to the roll call to see how many are on there, just remember that the people on CC are only what? 10% if not less, of all the people that will be on the cruise. So you really can't base how many will be on the ship by your roll call. Most people do not even know what cruise critic is.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

There will be a 200s -400s kids ..

[SuitCaseBears]

We are planning to cruise on the Carnival Liberty on January 19th of 2013 with our two kids (ages 9 and 6). Since this is not a typical vacation time for schools we are concerned that there will not be enough kids for our kids to play with. Since this is the only time we can travel, we are not sure that a cruise, in comparison to an all-inclusive resort, is the best choice for our family. Can anyone tell me whether or not kids are on board this time of year? Thanks.

 

I'm not sure why there would be more kids at an all inclusive resort than a cruise just because of the time of year. A kid friendly cruise will have kids all the time, and a kid-not-friendly cruise will not have many kids even during school holidays. Same with a resort.

[DanJ]

We've cruised that particular week a few times on Princess and Carnival and have had a decent amount of kids. Last year on RCI, a week earlier in January, there were 160 under 18's out of 3000 passengers. As said, although this isn't a prime time for families, the fares are a little cheaper, so that does attract families like us who don't have an issue taking the kids out of school for a week.

 

We've found that the kids really enjoy the programs because there aren't as many kids per counsellor. My kids had more fun with the 160 kids on that cruise than they did with 800 on the Carnival cruis.e in the summer. We are looking at a cruise on MSC the week of Jan 19th again, and because kids sail free, I expect a decent amount of kids to be onboard, but if there are only a couple hundred, then our kids will still have fun and make friends.