Please help a newbie

[Hope9]

Hello,

 

We are extremely new at this, I have a lot of questions and probably some that I don't even know I should ask. :D

 

We are wanting to go as a family, there will be 7 of us. One teenager, the rest adults.

• Is one cruise line better for families - which ones?
  
• What is the best time of year to go (especially for the better prices).
  
• Are 3 or 4 day cruises as good as going for 5 - 7 days? (I know that is a somewhat crazy question, but counting on someone to understand me.) :)

Anything else I should be asking?

 

Thanks!! :)

[mcfam5]

Hello,

 

We are extremely new at this, I have a lot of questions and probably some that I don't even know I should ask. :D

 

We are wanting to go as a family, there will be 7 of us. One teenager, the rest adults.

• Is one cruise line better for families - which ones? There will be varied opinions here. My experience is with Carnival and we love it enough to keep booking.
  
• What is the best time of year to go (especially for the better prices). Prices are usually lower around Jan/Feb, end of August through beginning of November, and the first week or two in December
  
• Are 3 or 4 day cruises as good as going for 5 - 7 days? (I know that is a somewhat crazy question, but counting on someone to understand me.) :) There are a few things that would be different, obviously fewer ports, only one formal/elegant dinner night. Also, on CCL there is no past guest party on cruises under five days.

Anything else I should be asking?

 

Thanks!! :)

 

Hope this helps!

[Julienatul]

Well, to answer your questions.

 

1) For families I would stick with Carnival, RCCL, NCL, Princess or Celebrity.

 

2) If you are wanting lots of other teenagers on-board I would stick with spring break and summer months (march, april, may, june, july, aug). If it really doesnt matter you could go anytime. Although during the school year there will be less children onboard. Rates are much cheaper in the fall, winter months.

 

3) I personally prefer a 5-7 day cruise. The 3-4 are just too short. Once you unpack its time to pack up again. I dont ever feel I can really relax on a shorter cruise and its over before I can blink. Although time and money are also a factor. If you can only take a few days off and the price is right, I would sail a shorter cruise. However, if you can swing it, definitely do a longer one.

[gvi]

I don't think you can go wrong with a cruise for a family. I've only got experience on RCCL, but I'm sure the other lines are good too. Let's see - all the food they want, a pool at all hours, kids activities, room service, etc. . .

 

I've done a 3 night, a 6 night and some 7 nights. We are trying a 9 next year. I agree that a 3 is over too quickly, but any nights on a cruise are worth doing!

 

Start with what your budget will allow, and enjoy! Look for a ship with activities that will appeal to your kids, and then an itinerary that appeals to you. Have fun!

[crusinmama06]

Is one cruise line better?

 

One may be a better fit for YOUR family. Just look for the one that is. There are sooo many variables. Some have salt water pools (some kids dislike saltwater...lol), some have set dining times (some prefer dining when they want), some have more teen activities than others, some are geared toward the younger child.

 

So, what ages are the kids? That may help us make some suggestions.

 

Best prices?

Sept/Oct are the lowest traditionally. The week AFTER Thanksgiving, also low. And some dates in May.

 

3/4 verses 7

--It depends on the cruiseline/time. Would I do another Carnival 4 day in Summer - NO WAY :eek: Chaos, never again

--But we are doing a Disney 4 day

--And our Carnival 4 day in December was nice

But I do those 4 day cruises as an add on to Walt Disney World. For our normal vacations, we go 7 days.

[Terpnut]

To better help you choose, I would ask yourself:

 

- What is your total budget?

 

- When you say you are a "family", what is the specific mix of ages and personalities? Are you multi-generational? Are you mostly adventurers or looking for quiet? Are you interested in fun and sun, or shopping, for example?

 

- Also, how important is the one teen's needs versus the six adults? For example, teens would likely enjoy Carnival more while the adults may enjoy the more upscale lines, like Celebrity or Princess more. RCI might be a good compromise.

 

- Do you prefer fixed seating or anytime dining? If you are interested in the anytime dining, you will need to look for certain lines and/or specific ships that offer the option (e.g. NCL and certain Princess and RCI ships). If you are not familiar with the pros and cons, I'd suggest doing a search and reading some threads on this before proceeding.

 

- Can you pull the teen out from school? Because the answer to your question regarding the best times to sail is simply: Go whenever most kids are in school! IOW, avoid summer time, and holidays such as Christmas/New Years and spring break. If you compare cruise and air prices, you will immediately see that the least popular time periods are also the cheapest.

 

- When considering Caribbean cruises, remember that hurricane season runs June through November in the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. And even though cruise ships can navigate away from the worst of the trouble, hurricanes can have an impact on your experience.

 

- As to length, as with any vacation, obviously longer is better than shorter. If this is everyone's first cruise and you are really unsure as to whether you will enjoy it, then perhaps the 3-5 day cruises are better to "try it out". Budget permitting however, I would do a week just because you will have better itineraries (you'll have more time to actually go somewhere!), nicer ships and far more choices.

 

Hope this helps!

[Terpnut]

duplicate

[Mach1]

I would also suggest going to a TA. They (should) know the cruise lines inside and out and really be able to answer so many questions for you. I can not (and don’t want to) live w/o my TA – she knows so much and can answer so all my questions. Every trip she has helped me with has been a success.

You can also get books from each line and read over the itineraries and prices. Once you find what you like, then start looking for deals w/in that cruise line. And research the ports and see if there are things offered that your family would like to do.

Depending on budget would depend on the length of the cruise, however, there are some deals out there at are comparable cost for the long vs. short cruises.