Royal Caribbean or Carnival when traveling with kids????

[Need_2_Vacation]

I am booking a cruise soon (for later this year) and I have a question. I have narrowed it down to Carnival Breeze or Independence of the Seas. I have been on 5 sailings in the past and ALL have been Royal Caribbean. This next one will be the first with the kids (ages 9 & 16). Carnival looks like it has more to offer the kids, so I am considering booking for the first time with them. Anyone have any input? I prefer RC but I am concerned that there isn't as much for the kids? I have heard really bad reviews about Carnival but I am open to checking it out. I have been MORE than happy with Royal Caribbean cruises though. My main concern for this next booking is that my kids will have alot of options for fun on the ship, thats the only reason I am considering Carnival. My husband prefers to stick with Royal because we have had such good experiences with them, but we've always sailed just us though too. Thanks:)

FYI: Prices are almost the same, not enough difference to sway a decision one way or another.

[Keith1010]

RCI has a lot to do for the kids.

 

If you have been pleased with RCI I would stay with them and I am sure your children will have a wonderful time.

 

Keith

[caribsun]

Who is paying for the cruise ? Go with Royal. :)

[Need_2_Vacation]

We will be paying for the cruise. The price is only a couple hundred dollars different between the two sailings. I think I will probably choose Royal. We have never been disappointed. My older son is really not wanting to go. Its frustrating. My younger son is beyond excited and says he can't wait to go. I am sure my son (who will be 16) will end up loving the cruise. He is amazing on a Flowrider and very athletic but he just isn't thrilled about large groups of people. The Water park area on Carnival really looks like a blast for my boys. But, dang its hard to change from Royal when I have had such fantastic experiences with them. Also: Anyone know if Grand Cayman has any excursion with wakeboarding? My oldest hopes to wakeboard there however I haven't seen anywhere that we can do a wakeboard excursion.

[boulders]

I took my kids on one Carnival cruise. They were 13 and 10 at the time. After the cruise, they made me promise not to do that again. They were bored out of their minds on Carnival.

 

Since then, they've been on HAL, Disney and RCCL. They had a good time on each of the other cruise lines. .

[Need_2_Vacation]

Were you on one of the newer Carnival ships when you took them? Did it have the water slides and such? I also considered an all-inclusive resort in Cancun because we have had such wonderful times there when we stayed (at the adults only resorts). But I was not sure if the kid friendly resorts would be as much fun. A cruise tends to be cheaper too.

[Xina143]

I am booking a cruise soon (for later this year) and I have a question. I have narrowed it down to Carnival Breeze or Independence of the Seas. I have been on 5 sailings in the past and ALL have been Royal Caribbean. This next one will be the first with the kids (ages 9 & 16). Carnival looks like it has more to offer the kids, so I am considering booking for the first time with them. Anyone have any input? I prefer RC but I am concerned that there isn't as much for the kids? I have heard really bad reviews about Carnival but I am open to checking it out. I have been MORE than happy with Royal Caribbean cruises though. My main concern for this next booking is that my kids will have alot of options for fun on the ship, thats the only reason I am considering Carnival. My husband prefers to stick with Royal because we have had such good experiences with them, but we've always sailed just us though too. Thanks:)

FYI: Prices are almost the same, not enough difference to sway a decision one way or another.

 

7 days cruises with all five of our boys.

 

Our two youngest (right now they are 9 and 5) LOVED Camp Carnival. They would ask to go every day. The counselors were great, they did lots of projects, had dance and movie parties. I will say the Dream (one of the bigger ships) seemed to do more. One of the dancers-he was a B-Boy-came in and taught the kids a little routine, and then helped them each do a short solo. ON the last night of the cruise, they did a talent show for all the parents. AWESOME!

 

Our middle son (14 now) had a good time on the Dream, (he was 12 at the time) but last summer on the Conquest, he was a tad bored with the kids' programs. BUT, he made a few friends, and they would eat lunch together, swim together, watch a movie on the Big Screen at night, etc, etc.

 

Our older two (17 and 19) also had a great time on the Dream. The teen club was PACKED on that sailing, and the young man running the program was awesome. Very lively, and upbeat, and neither of hte boys found him cheesy. But I also thought there was a lot for older teens to do as well.

 

We have not done RCCL yet, but we have had great experiences with Carnival.

[Need_2_Vacation]

Thanks for your post. I am a tad on the over protective side LOL. Did you feel comfortable dropping the younger sons off at kids camp? I do look forward to R&R and reading by the pool but I worry I won't feel comfortable leaving my son at kids camp. However, everyone I have spoke with from both cruise lines said it all was very safe. Any input?

[akcruz]

Another who votes for Royal. My kids, especially when they hit their teen years (they are now almost 18 & 23), preferred Royal for all the activities they have. Yes, they liked the water slides, but you can only do them so many times. Especially is you are looking at Indy, there is so much to do. Your kids will love it, stick with what you know and enjoy.

[Xina143]

Thanks for your post. I am a tad on the over protective side LOL. Did you feel comfortable dropping the younger sons off at kids camp? I do look forward to R&R and reading by the pool but I worry I won't feel comfortable leaving my son at kids camp. However, everyone I have spoke with from both cruise lines said it all was very safe. Any input?

 

I will say that we went to the "Meet and Greet" on embarkation day. ON the two cruises we took the kids on, there were never more than three or four other people there.

 

But they had most of the staff there to help parents who had not pre-registered, so we spoke to the staff, and they gave us all (my husband our two youngest and I) a tour of the Camp CArnival.

 

The last cruise, was nice, because our oldest was 18, so he could get his younger brothers from Camp if need be, and he actually stayed on the ship with them in Cozumel, so my husband and I could do a little sightseeing on our own.

 

They do give you an onboard phone if your kids are under 5, and that was nice, but I felt confident in leaving the boys there.

[Need_2_Vacation]

Thanks for the info. What are you referring to when you stated there were never more than 3 or 4 people there?

[Hannah0707]

RCL has way more for kids to do. RCL will also have more kids on the ship then Carnival will. I would venture to say that Carnival attracts many people in their 20s and 30s. I totally recommend RCL when travelling with children. Hope this helps!!

 

Independence of the Seas kids programs:

Royal Babies & Royal Tots

Interactive classes filled with enriching activities developed by early childhood experts at Fisher-Price® for kids 6-18 months. The Royal Tots Program offers 45-minute interactive playground sessions filled with age-appropriate activities and toys for kids ages 18-36 months. Both programs are hosted by trained youth staff. A parent or caregiver must accompany child during all activity sessions. Nursery program also available.

 

Adventure Ocean for Kids Ages 3-11

Aquanauts for kids ages 3-5 years old; Explorers for kids ages 6-8 years old; Voyagers for kids ages 9-11 years old. Royal Caribbean offers age appropriate parties, crafts, scavenger hunts, science experiments, theater games, excursions and more.

 

Teen Program

Non-structured, participate when you want program for teens, ages 12-17 years old. Featuring Theme Nights, Improve Games, DJ Academy, Mocktail Competition, Dodgeball, Open Mic and Talent Show, BBQ, Movie and Pool Party, Teen Casino, Snowball Fight, Climbing Competition and more. Teens also have their own lounge (The Living Room) and disco (Fuel).

 

Carnival Breeze kids programs:

Camp Carnival (ages 2-11)

Camp Carnival features games, finger painting, story time, movies and more… all in a supervised environment. Carnival's babysitting program offers, for a fee, a fun late-night option for kids while their parents stay out until as late as 3 A.M.

 

Circle C (ages 12-14)

Video games, scavenger hunts, dance parties, sports, pool parties and special shore excursions.

 

Club O2 (ages 15-17)

Teens can enjoy the latest music with exclusive dance parties… video gaming and movies from the club's comfy seating, with video monitors all over the place. Outside of the club, activities include pool parties, team sports and special teen-only shore excursions.

[Xina143]

Thanks for the info. What are you referring to when you stated there were never more than 3 or 4 people there?

 

CCL has a meet and greet usually around two on embarkation day. You can come meet the counselors and/or fill out the registration paperwork if you haven't already done so.

 

what I mean by 3 or 4 people there, is that there weren't usually many other guests there, which gave us time to talk to the counselors, etc.

[Sue Do-Over]

As for protective parenting... for me, it was about the child's ability to tell me if they didn't feel comfortable with a caregiver or environment. A pre-schooler, for example, won't be able to articulate that they didn't have enough to do, or that the activities offered didn't interest them.

 

Yours sound old enough to tell the activities staff (and you) whether they were interested in a galley tour/building fruit sculptures, ping-pong tournaments, playing cards, etc. Often, the activities for this age group are flexible, and the kids vote.

 

There's always a different mix of kids -- some want to be active, some want to chill -- and it may depend on whether there are cute/cool/interesting other kids in the group. No matter what the list of activities is, if your child wants to get involved, they will. And vice-versa.

 

Example: my son is really shy, and not very athletic. He is, however, very mechanically inclined. He didn't enjoy ping-pong, but had a blast on the bridge and galley tours, and building (enormous) fruit sculptures. Our daughter, on the other hand, found a group of like-minded girls who spent the day making up Karaoke routines and giggling through Pictionary.

[monkeyluis]

My kids are 6 (girl) & 9 (boy). They have ways had a great time on our carnival cruises. They have great activities at the kids camps. My nephew who sails with us often is 16 & he likes the teen groups, of course they often go off on their own too, but they don't get into trouble or anything.

[NanciRDH]

We've done both, as well as DCL, and if given a choice RCI wins hands down with all 3 of my children. They like the activites on RCI over the other lines, and weve been cruising long enough with them to have hit all the age groups. If it was a matter of just comparing the ships pools, they probably couldn't care, but when it came down to going to going to AO or having pool time with the family, you couldn't pay my youngest DD to stay with us. :D