Need some help... Cruising with our Kids

[mfrometa]

I know,I know why would you do such a crazy thing.

 

My wife and I have been blessed with 4 incredible boys(9,7,4,2) and are looking for ideas/rooms/advice for us all to have a great time. We live in Buffalo,NY, so East Coast would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you all in advance and have a great day.

 

Matt

[Ilovesailaway]

DW and I went through this exact thing with our 3 boys. You are asking here on the Carnival page so I assume that is your line of choice for a family cruise? We took our boys on Carnival, Royal, and NCL. All were perfect for family cruising. With a large family you need to also consider the costs of travel; flights, hotels, meals...

All that considered I would recommend you drive to Baltimore and take Carnival or Royal to the Bahamas. From Buffalo you can make the drive in under 6 hours. You can drive down the morning of. Eliminates a lot of costs. Gas for the car and about  $100 park at the port and you're done.

On board I recommend you get connecting staterooms. It will give you the space you need and and extra bathroom. You should talk with a rep on the phone when booking. Also have the boys get involved in the kids programs and clubs on the ship... they will have a blast.

Now the elephant in the room is covid. Before committing any money and time make sure you are up to speed on current requirements.

I could tell you stories for days lol. 

I once drove us all to DC to board a flight to South Florida for a cruise cause the northeast was on a school break and the airlines were gouging... saved over 2k

Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions... Go Bills

Edited April 23, 2022 by Ilovesailaway
typo

[ninjacat123]

When my DDs were under 12, I had them in an inside room with my mom and DH and I had a balcony room across the hall.  Another thought is have Dad room with the older boys and Mom room with the two younger boys.  I hope you all have a great cruise!!

[mondello]

We took our son on his first cruise at age 3. You can save a lot of money if you are willing to take the 2 older boys out of school for a week. The savings for the 6 of ya'll would probably cover your airfare. We used to get fantastic fares the first week of Dec. Anytime off-peak/non-holiday will be much cheaper than Summer.

[pe4all]

Another option is to cruise out of NY.  While the cruise fare is usually higher, the amount of money you would save in airfare somewhere for 6 of you will definitely make up the difference, plus more.  You will need 2 cabins, because Carnival doesn't have cabins for 6.  Connecting cabins will work for you.  I think your kids are too young to be by themselves - even across the hall in an interior - and an adult will have to be booked in a cabin with them anyway due to their age. 

[Abr155]

9 hours ago, mfrometa said:

I know,I know why would you do such a crazy thing.

 

My wife and I have been blessed with 4 incredible boys(9,7,4,2) and are looking for ideas/rooms/advice for us all to have a great time. We live in Buffalo,NY, so East Coast would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you all in advance and have a great day.

 

Matt

Cruising for first time with our little (she’ll be 2 years + 3 months by time we sail) and I have scoured the internet for tips and tricks! We’re also on east coast and prefer to leave from Baltimore (Carnival or Royal C) or Cape Liberty although we’re cruising out of Manhattan Feb 2024. 
 

In a perfect world, you’d travel with some family/friends for extra hands but if not, kids clubs are a great option! Note: right now the kids clubs are only open to kids 5+ vaccinated. If they open it up to everyone, Carnival is the only one that allows kiddos 2 and up (which is why we booked Carnival), the others are 3+. 
 

The bigger the room, the more space you’ll have obviously. Some rooms have bathtubs which is great for Littles. We booked a balcony room so we’d have a place to hang while kiddo naps. Most ships are packed with things for kids to do (pools & waterslides-potty trained only, arcades, bigger ships have even crazier things: go carts, roller coasters, rock walls, etc). 
 

The food is easy-plenty of kid friend options (pizza, chicken fingers, ice cream) and healthy options of course haha. Can’t tell from your post if you’ve cruised before, but be reminded that alcohol, soft drinks, milkshakes, speciality coffees, etc are not included. You can buy them separate or there are several drink packages options. 
 

For our first cruise, we picked an easy itinerary. Baltimore to Bermuda and back. That’s it! Sorta using it as a test run. The next cruise booked with her is 10 nights and stops at 6+ islands! 
 

Happy to answer any specific questions. Biggest thing is to be flexible!

Edited April 23, 2022 by Abr155

[JillK]

Hi mfrometa! 

 

You're not crazy! We also have been blessed with four kids (sons 10 & 12 and daughters 16 & 17) and have taken many cruises in many configurations over the years. 

 

Hubby and I love cruising and when we only had two (2 & 4 at the time), we were doing a land trip in Florida and decided to book a 3-night cruise just to see how they took to it and have been cruising with the kids ever since.

 

We have cruised with just the girls, just the boys (leaving the other kids at home with my parents - bless them) and with all of the kids as recently as this past March (but with my parents as well so that two are in a cabin with them).

 

Generally when I've priced for the six of us, I've looked at 3/3 and 4/2 combination, always trying to find connecting cabins. 

 

For this summer on the Panorama, we will be 3/2 (the eldest is staying home) and for this Christmas we actually have 2/2/2 (the girls on their own as the eldest will be 18 and the boys in a connecting cabin to ours) as our agent found a rate that made this the cheapest way to do it. 

 

We have cruised with Celebrity, NCL and Disney with the kids but are excited for them to try Carnival this summer. 

 

NCL has a great kids program (we found out it wasn't operating after booking last minute in March) and we were very impressed with Celebrity's program as well. Just check with the cruise lines to ensure that they are operating in some capacity before booking and also check the boards here for confirmation (NCL's program wasn't operating in March and I only found out here after booking - at the time no mention of the closure was on the NCL website - this really changed the flavour of the cruise).

 

My best piece of advice is to recognize that a cruise with the kids is a completely different cruise than one with just your spouse. You will have to cater to the kids and compromise so it won't be the same relaxing, romantic experience you have when you're cruising on your own. What we like about cruising as a family vacation is that when the kids clubs are open, there is lots of ability to do things together but also to have some space from one another and do things separately. We also find that travelling with a large family is very expensive as most things are geared for two or four and that cruising is still affordable vs. some other vacations I've considered and priced.

 

Happy cruising! 

[Homosassa]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

In case you have not discovered the Family Cruising Forum, you may wish to post there and get advice from those who also cruise with children.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/28-family-cruises/

[1kaper]

So this won’t apply for all your kids but we just sailed with our 7yo. 
 

the first day I explained to him

how to find our room. Then each time we returned to our room I allowed him to lead the way. Then our agreement was if you ever get lost, go back to the room and we will check there.  He quickly learned and I was surprised that he picked up cues I hadn’t even noticed to help him navigate his way back. 
 

We didn’t give him a ton of freedom and how much will depend on you; your child and your comfort level. 

We also discussed not going into anyone else’s room and to approach staff if he needed help. 
 

I also went over not taking free stuff from people in port, just say no thank you and move on. 

He loved the kids camps as well. 

[Dadofsix]

Not crazy at all and traveling with a larger family presents different challenges (says the man with six kids) but can be a great time. 

 

Obviously driving to the port would be much less expensive than flying to a port considering a party of six. From the great suburbs of Buffalo the two closest ports would be New York City and Baltimore with drive times being just about equal to the minute. Those would present a solid days drive of around 6 and half hours plus stops. Two day drives opens up Florida and other Gulf coast ports but that would be adventurous depending on your vacation style.

 

I would recommend connecting cabins with the age of the boys if possible or two cabins side by side/across the hall from each other. We have done both and found when traveling with really young kids connecting rooms seem to have a more relaxed feeling for all involved. As our kids get older its two or three kids to a cabin depending on who is going.

 

Get the kids involved with the kids clubs from day one of the cruise. Most love the programs and it gives parents some down time.

 

Consider early assigned dining in the MDR not Your Time Dining. Yes you will hear many arguments for YTD but with a large family with young ones having a structured time has its benefits. You will have the same table and waitstaff every night. No waiting for the next table that can fit your party plus your waiters get to know what you like and can expedite known childrens favorites to keep them happy.

 

The Hub app offers a chat feature for somewhere near $5. If you think there will be times of divide and conquer while on the ship use this feature it beats leaving notes in the cabins. 

[SmoothFlying]

13 hours ago, mfrometa said:

I know,I know why would you do such a crazy thing.

 

My wife and I have been blessed with 4 incredible boys(9,7,4,2) and are looking for ideas/rooms/advice for us all to have a great time. We live in Buffalo,NY, so East Coast would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you all in advance and have a great day.

 

Matt

As I was reading your post and the responses I thought if you want to save money on airfare and a cruise perfect for the 'little ones' why not consider  a 2 cabin Disney cruise. One cabin for you and the older boys and your wife with the younger ones or mix and match them, depending on how the older and younger interact.  I've heard that Disney has added some attractions for adults besides bingo and you could spilt into two groups, the three older boys explore the ship and you and the misses take the younger and explore with him. Good luck with whatever you decide and HAPPY cruising !

 

Mac