NCL or Carnival???

[jtdl]

Considering a cruise either at Christmas/New Years or March break with two kids - 16 and 6. Anyone been on both with kids and which did they prefer? I've seen alot of good reviews with kids on Carnival but haven't heard much in regards to kids and NCL. My husband and I would very much prefer the freestyle cruising but are the kids and teens programs as good as Carnival?

 

Also it appears in pictures I've seen that NCL oceanview and balcony staterooms are much smaller than Carnival. We were planning for all four of us in one room and Carnival will allow 5, so I'm thinking they must be pretty big. NCL appears to allow a max of 4 in a room and the pics I've seen have the beds totally together - the 3rd bed is touching the king bed. Is that really how tight they are? And where does the 4th person sleep - is there a drop down bed?

[rebeccalouise]

I have been on both lines and of the two prefer NCL. But yes, the staterooms are bigger on Carnival.

I personally don't like the decor on Carnival. It is very 1980s Vegas Decor. I just don't care for it aesthetically. However, food and service were on par with NCL.

If you are traveling with a family of four- I'd get connecting balcony staterooms on NCL. They have pretty good prices (although Christmas is always more).

I have been on Majesty, Wind, Sky (no longer in the fleet) and Spirit. All of them were nice ships. I wouldn't hesitate to book NCL.

My son (age 6) has been on all the lines. He liked Celebrity and Princess about the same. Disney was his ultimate favorite. He was only 3 on Carnival and NCL and I thought there were too many kids in the kids program but that might have been my overprotectiveness.

Celebrity is my favorite because the "Fun Factory" is great and they do lots of fun things with the kids. Take them to dinner, to the Disco, do Scavenger hunts, make masks, etc. And Celebrity doesn't have that many kids on board to where it is a zoo.

But all of the kids programs are good in my experience.

For teens, I understand Holland America has a great Teen Hangout on the newer ships.

Decisions, Decisions!

[Warmer Climes]

I haven't done Carnival but cruised last month on NCL Dream with two 16 y.o.'s and an 8 y.o. Everyone had a great time- we booked two connecting oceanviews and put the 16 y.o.'s in one cabin and DH, DD and me in the other. DD prefered the kids' program to the RCCL Explorer one even though to my eyes it had much less of a facility. She said it was better because they played more games and on the smaller ship she got to see her ship friends around more. The boys made friends and had a great time eating lunch, going to the shows, etc with them. They wouldn't do the organized teen activities. My 16 y.o. said he preferred the Explorer because he liked having a tux. So go figure.

 

Have fun-

Barb

[jimswims]

It has been a very long time since I have cruised on carnival so I do not think that I should compare the 2 lines.

 

That said, We love to sail Freestyle on NCL. We will be on our 4th NCL cruise this summer with our 2 kids, now age 12 and 9. They love the Kids Crew and we always find freestyle dining much more relaxing than the other lines we have been on.

 

The ability to eat as a family or have them eat early and go to the Kids program so my wife and I can have a nice dinner for 2 has us sold on NCL.

[momofmab]

It has been a very long time since I have cruised on carnival so I do not think that I should compare the 2 lines.

 

That said, We love to sail Freestyle on NCL. We will be on our 4th NCL cruise this summer with our 2 kids, now age 12 and 9. They love the Kids Crew and we always find freestyle dining much more relaxing than the other lines we have been on.

 

The ability to eat as a family or have them eat early and go to the Kids program so my wife and I can have a nice dinner for 2 has us sold on NCL.

 

This is why we love NCL too - an early dinner with the kids (maybe room service, maybe the buffet, whatever they feel like...) and then some adult time for us while they're in the kids crew.

[jtdl]

Thanks for the replies. The freestyle dining is what is drawing us to NCL. I was thinking of the Gem since NY is so much closer than Florida, but the ports are not as interesting for us - Port Canaveral, Key West and the private island stop. I'd rather do the Caribbean. There are some longer cruises for the Gem in the NCL brochure which go to some of the islands, but they aren't listed on their website yet. Decisions, decisions, decisions:confused: ......

[katyjeka]

Hi. We were on the Dawn 12/05 and the Spirit 12/06 with our 3 DD's. We had connecting balconies on both ships. The first cruise on the Dawn was PERFECT. Looking back, I don't believe we would have changed anything. We gave the girls one room and we took the other so we had no problem with space, and felt comfortable with them in their own room as the door remained open between us at all times. The Dawn did the Western itin. and we loved every minute. The people were so friendly and we liked how calm the water was. The Spirit did the Exotic Eastern and it was beautiful. But the beaches were a little rough for our youngest. The Spirit is older and although the ship was okay, our rooms needed a lot of repair. Both balconies had constant "raining" of paint, which made enjoying a balcony hard. Our bathrooms on the Spirit had rust and some broken tiles. No, this did not ruin our trip, but we felt the ship was somewhat neglected. Kids crew on both was very similar. NO complaints. This December we are giving Carnival a try. We would travel on NCL again, but last December left us with a bad "taste", so we thought we'd try something new. If you go w/connecting balconies, make sure the divider can be opened. On the Dawn it could, the Spirit could'nt. Have a great time. Janice

[bizeebeth]

Has anyone used the kids' program in Alaska? Our port times are sort of strange (not 9 to 5 ) and I was wondering since you have to pay for babysitting on port days, what time does the regular kids' club open back up?

For example, we are in Juneau from 2 to 10 p.m. If we come back at 7 for dinner, is the kids' club open or do we have to pay for babysitting time?

 

Thanks for any help.

[CKEA_Cruising_Family]

I have only cruised Princess before but just booked a family cruise on NCL. I also had to choose between NCL and Carnival because we will have one 2 yr old and these are the only 2 lines that allow ages 2+ in the kids programs. We are doing the 7 day Gem out of NY 3/1/2008 which I know isn't the most tropical of ports but very kid friendly. We chose NCL because it gets good kids club reviews, the flexible dining, but mostly because of the NY departure which is within driving distance for us. Good luck with your decision!!! I know Princess also had a flexible dining option when we cruised them a few years ago if that is important to you. I'm sure you'll have a great time whatever you choose.

[Workmom2]

We just returned from the NCL Star and really enjoyed using the kids club-

I would say the only draw back were the hours- they we a little strange with closing in the afternoon for 2 hours.

There were lots of activities though and the kids were well taken care of!

[crusinmama06]

Carnival have some of the biggest cabins around, especially compared to NCL.

 

I wasn't thrilled with NCL AT ALL and some mention NCL as their worst cruise experience ever. I went on an OLD NCL ship so that's why I didn't reply to this thread. My MIL went on a new one and all she kept saying on our Carnival trip was how much nicer Carnival was, over and over again.