Kids on November cruises

[Lshriver]

Hi all,

So last April during my spring break ( I am a teacher) we took our first cruise on the liberty as a family with a 2 and 5 year old. I don’t think there were a ton of kids but a decent amount. Next November (2020) we are sailing on the sunshine with an almost four year old and almost seven year old, right before thanksgiving. Do you think less or more kids than April? Main reason I’m asking is because I want my kids to enjoy the waterworks without having to wait in long lines for slides and all. Thanks for any opinions!

[CruisesRMe]

More on Thanksgiving week.

[The7Harrisons]

That's one reason we cruise in November & February, less kids!!!!!

[Lshriver]

Haha thanks everyone! We are going before thanksgiving and not fall break. I am taking some personal time and I figured a first grader and pre-K kid can miss 3 days of school. A long way out, just trying to do my research early on! Appreciate it!

Edited September 7, 2019 by Lshriver

[JerseyGirlJen]

There will be less kids.  I'd imagine it's a great time to go, have fun!!

[Shaded Lady]

We're on the Thanksgiving cruise next November (2020) on Freedom... I'm not sure what to expect, if there will be lots of families (read: kids) cruising at that time or not. My hubby thinks that not many people will want to spend time away from families so it won't have a lot of families onboard... on the other hand I think that they'll just bring all their families with them!

 

We're good either way, we already had our family cruise so this is just for hubs and me to relax and enjoy ourselves. I don't mind kids onboard... I love to hear their laughter!

[riffatsea]

The first week of  December right after Thanksgiving and before Christmas is usually a great quiet time to cruise!! That's my birthday week and so we often go somewhere during that time.

[jjcruiselover]

2 hours ago, Shaded Lady said:

We're on the Thanksgiving cruise next November (2020) on Freedom... I'm not sure what to expect, if there will be lots of families (read: kids) cruising at that time or not. My hubby thinks that not many people will want to spend time away from families so it won't have a lot of families onboard... on the other hand I think that they'll just bring all their families with them!

 

We're good either way, we already had our family cruise so this is just for hubs and me to relax and enjoy ourselves. I don't mind kids onboard... I love to hear their laughter!

 

[jjcruiselover]

We have been on eight Thanksgiving cruises and there are many large family groups. We have met lots of multiple generation groups of over 50 family and friends on a ship. There will be plenty of kids but they seem better behaved than on the spring break cruises.  I think having lots of family members on board to keep an eye on the kids make a bit of a difference. 

 

[Lshriver]

Well we are going the week before thanksgiving break and I don’t mind the kids I just want mine to be able to use the water slides and all and not have to wait in line forever.

[PhillyFan33579]

2 minutes ago, Lshriver said:

Well we are going the week before thanksgiving break and I don’t mind the kids I just want mine to be able to use the water slides and all and not have to wait in line forever.

 

You picked the wrong ship if you don’t like lines. I have been on 11 Carnival ships and Sunshine was the most crowded ship I have experienced. On the bright side Sunshine has the best water slides in Carnival’s fleet in my opinion. Of course this leads to long lines for the slides, especially on sea days. 

[kctwinmommy]

We did a couple of November cruises specifically because they weren't crowded with kids. We would pull our son out of school for like 2-3 days (the week fell during Veteran's Day and teacher conferences, so the only would miss like 3 days of actual school). It was a nice way to cruise so he had some kids to hang with, but it wasn't overwhelmed with kids either. Plus, for us, it's just the time of year my husband got his vacation for his job, so we didn't have much of a choice. But they've always been great cruises. Now ours has been a tween/teen when we've cruised, so I can't speak to the exact things you're looking for regarding your little ones. But I'm sure they'll be able to do the things they want without too much of a crowd.

[Silent Penguin]

5 hours ago, Shaded Lady said:

We're on the Thanksgiving cruise next November (2020) on Freedom... I'm not sure what to expect, if there will be lots of families (read: kids) cruising at that time or not. My hubby thinks that not many people will want to spend time away from families

 

Our experience is that there will be a lot of children on the Thanksgiving cruise.  That's based on one Thanksgiving cruise though, not several.  

[Lerin]

The busiest cruises for kids are: spring break, summer, Christmas and Thanksgiving. Also cruises 5 days and less tend to have more kids. 

 

Best times to cruise for kids are the times most likely kids will be in school: early September, week after Thanksgiving, and early January. 

 

You picked a pretty good week for fewer children, though not the best ship. The layout of Sunshine leads to crowds regardless. It'll still be fun. Enjoy

[midcarolina]

First, do not put a lot of weight in negative comments about the sunshine....we have sailed her several times, is the buffet crowded at peak hours yes, is the comedy club poorly designed yep....but we have never thought it to be any worse crowded than any other ships we have cruised....

Second...I think the week prior to Thanksgiving break will be fine....

[TravelGirlinDallas]

We took our son on a Thanksgiving cruise on the Valor out of Galveston last year. There weren't many kids at all. He rode the water slide over and over and over with virtually no wait. I'm sure every ship is different, though.

[Lshriver]

Thank you for your response. I appreciate honesty and yes you have to expect crowds on cruises so we understand that. I was just hoping my kids can use the slides without terrible lines, especially the week before Thanksgiving. Thank you!

[purplephenom]

We normally sail in the offseason, and on the Sunshine, we didn't find ourselves waiting long for much- that includes the waterslides.  The longest I ever waited for a slide was maybe 10 minutes- but I tend to let obviously nervous kids go in front of me, so they can go before they talk themselves out of it. 

 

The way waterworks is designed, it never looks like kids are waiting for anything- there's always another water feature to head to.  Any ship I've been on, the kids look like they're forever running around that area anyways.