Family_5

Our large family of 20 people ranging from 18 to 70 would like to do a family reunion next Christmas. Some are active & some just want to relax & sit around.

We are open to any venue/ resorts suggestions? 1/2 of the group wants to do a cruise from New Jersey to Bahamas - so everything all planned out! The younger & the active group 1/2 would like to check out an option that allows of more activities; besides eating & shows & casino on the cruise.

Thank you!
Family_5

Dukey1

I think you need to be more specific in describing "more active" activities especially at that time of year. Yes, I understand there are only so many things you can do on a cruise ship but these days that totally depends on THE cruise ship. Some of them have full-sized basketball courts, major water slides, surfing machines, rock climbing walls, and shy diving simulators, and miniature golf.

Also are you limited to a particular geographic radius or area of any country?

Dukey1

Sorry for the typo above: that should be SKY diving simulators.

Dukey1

Oops, forgot to add ice rinks and bumper cars.

Family_5

Thank you, Dukey1. It looks like you have had nice experience with these cruise ships. Is there a particular cruise line that you would recommend? We would prefer one boarding from New Jersey or Baltimore, if possible; since most of the groups live in Northern Va, 2 from NY city, & 3 from Connecticut.

Active: meaning that there are things for the young crowd to do..

Thank you

Gretchen

How about the Atlantis in the Bahamas. Friends say it is great fun.

maxima

The cruises that time of year from NY/NJ go to Florida and the Bahamas com5bined.

From Baltimore, they go to the Bahamas, and also to the southern Caribbean.

If most of you are closer to Baltimore, it would be easier and probably a lot less expensive for the 5 people in NY and Ct to go there.

take a look at the cruise lines, costs, ports of call, rather than which city to take a cruise from. also the weather from NY/NJ south will be cold on board, so less time spent cruising in the northern waters would be better IMO.

as for other options would everyone be able to fly to a destination and are you only interested in a warm weather destination? does everyone have a passport? if not they should apply early on.

maxima

I meant to say less expensive for the majority to go to Baltimore rather than NJ or NYC for a cruise

Family_5

Thank you, Gretchen: but the Atlantis is not "attractive" to some in our group.

Thank you, Maxima: I appreciate you pointing out the cold in the northern waters. I would bring that up. Yes, we all have passports; but the group just thought departing from Baltimore or NJ is more convenient than from Florida. However, as I research; less interesting destinations; especially around Christmas time.

Sassafrass

Personally, I think a cruise is perfect for family trips and get togethers.

At that time of year, it will, of course, be cold, especially on the water, and Bermuda, perhaps even the Bahamas, will not be warm enough for swimming. So leaving from the NE or Baltimore will be mostly the ship experience. You would need to choose the ship carefully so it is one with a big variety of activities and a covered pool.

A short, cheap flight to catch a cruise from Florida will give you many more cruise options to some islands with things to do, and warm weather for being outside on the deck. IMHO, the best part of a cruise is being outside on the deck in beautiful weather when it is cold back home. Because of that, though we live in Baltimore, in winter we fly to Florida and catch cruises from there.

Look carefully though at each cruise and each ship. From Florida, short cruises are usually on smaller ships with fewer options of things to do, and longer, 5 to 7 or more nights will usually be on larger ships with many options and many different ports.

Just for easy info, look at vacationstogo and join cruisecritic to read reviews. Keep an open mind though. None will please everyone. Expect most cruises during Christmas to be much more expensive than at other times.

We have taken three "family" cruises in the Caribbean in late winter and they have all been fun. I would love to do a Christmas or New Years cruise.

Family_5

Thank you, Sassafrass. What are the 3 family cruises you had taken & enjoyed? Yes, it is not easy to find one that has activities attracted to a range of age groups & with different interests.

But I agree that if taken a cruise, might as well have one with at least warm weather to go outside on decks & at some ports.

Sassafrass

Family_5,
Companies move their ships around and what worked for us with a small child may not be right for you. I can tell you why we picked what we did and why I would choose differently for you, so this post will be long. We are not too picky, ignore small stufff and unless it is really terrible, we enjoy a trip, no matter what. Just getting away and not having to clean or make beds, etc. is a treat. We all love being on/in the water and having a break from cold weather.

We take reviews into consideration, but they are not the final factor. Cost is a factor. Until now, we have picked only cruises departing from Florida so we had short, non-stop flights. That limits ship and port choices, but flight cost and duration may be a factor for you too. You definitely want to go the day before your cruise, especially in winter when there can be delays due to weather.

We have not cared too much about ports because our Granddaughter was too young for tours, zip lining, etc. Because of that, the ship was more important, so we picked larger, newer ships. For same reason, we did not care about rock climbing and water sports, etc. We did care about pools and kid's programs. Food and wine are not overly important, but we all love music, theater and dance, so entertainment is important.

For you, interesting ports with things for the younger people and good on board activities will probably be very important. Food and wine may be important for some and you know what entertainment you want. You will not want a ship crammed with kids, but also not a quiet one geared to Seniors.

Norwegian Epic was nearly new and had a great kid's program (the best we have had so far) and it has Cirq at Sea and other entertainment that our Granddaughter (4 at the time) loved. We just went to beaches at ports and she liked that. Norwegian reviews say they have spotty service and food, but we really lucked out. On that cruise, service was superb, food was very good and though the entertainment was high quality, it was mostly too loud for me. We did not like the location of the Casino, but it was our favorite family cruise with appeal for everyone.

MSC Divina is a beautiful ship and was was affordable for us. Kid's program turned out to be awful and ship was overrun with little ones. Turned out on that cruise, kid's went free (and ran free) with two parents and Italian families filled the ship. Activities were very disorganized and that became frustrating. Food was mostly Italian, and food service was superb. The entertainment was extremely high quality and was the highlight of the cruise. We had fun, but would choose differently if possible.

Princess Regal. We actually choose this because it was a new ship that I really wanted to go on, and being past Princess cruisers, we were offered balconies at ridiculously low cost. Everything was very good, though not great. We had a great time, but I felt the ship had a low key, senior vibe. To be fair though, DH and I skipped entertainment we thought would be too loud, but our daughter went and thought it was great, so we missed the stuff for younger people. Granddaughter (age 6) went snorkeling and loved that.

I will look up a couple of ships that you could look at and post again.

Sassafrass

Wow! I knew they would be higher, but cruises during Christmas are nearly double in price. Think also about airfare then and crowded airports. Me, I would still do it because I like to be outside and warm. How does the extra expense and time set with your group?

Sassafrass

Just a thought. With that many traveler's, doing group bookings, you might get a break on cost for both cruise and airfare if you do it all early. Buy independent, any reason, trip insurance. Any past cruisers in the group who might qualify for discounts with a particular line? Sometimes if one person qualifies, they will let you have one or two other cabins at the same rate.

Kristinesonja

Sorry, I'm not a fan of cruises. I'd prefer to stay on land. I'd go to vrbo.com and find a large house on/near the beach. I'd look at the Space Coast area.
That area would offer you many choices of day trips. Golf/beach/etc. You'd be close enough to make a day trip to Universal or Epcot. Kennedy Space Center is right there and no to be missed. Central Florida Springs are close for the naturalist who would want to hike. I think there are so many choices near; even the Daytona Speedway is within day-trip distance. You'll have fishing charters and the sandy beaches. Lots of variety for all. (Fly into Orlando)

Family_5

Thank you, you all for all your input! Thanks, Sassafrass for your detailed posts about cruises. Yes, a few of my in-laws are frequent cruisers with Royal Caribbean. And we do know that prices during Christmas holidays are expensive; but unfortunately with college kids & all, that seem to be the time that works with everyone. I definitely agree with you that if doing a cruise at Christmas, then leaving from Florida would be a better choice than from New Jersey.

Hi Kristinesonja, I also prefer to stay on land for vacation, personally & feel that there are more activities to do! But some organizers in the group prefer the cruise idea, so I just want to get more info.

Happy New Year, everyone!

GBelle

We did a Christmas week cruise from Galveston TX one year. Christmas & New Years at sea was fun. Great trip. Another option instead of a Florida port. (We used Southwest to Houston Hobby airport)

FYI-Cruises out of Baltimore are usually on smaller ships because the new large ones can't fit under the bridges.

Sassafrass

Kristinesonja gives very good advice about Florida. There are lots and lots of things to do and places to explore on the East Coast, though I do like the Gulf Coast, especially in winter, seems warmer.

We love staying in houses and we have done it many times over the years for holidays in the Poconos, VA ski areas, the Coast of NC and islands off the Coast of Georgia, as many as 25 people once.

We did have many, many activities and no one owned it so no one had to be host for everything. It was always fun, but it also always required coordination for meals, cleanup, purchase of groceries, etc. Many of these large homes were not near restaurants or it was too cold to walk, so going out to eat as a group required planning too, and often driving, meaning car rentals for some. As the planner most of the time, I found it a bit overwhelming and, even though DH and I usually paid for everything as a gift to friends and family, sometimes, one or two people complained about the room they got. As I get older, I don't want to be responsible, just want to book and be free. That is probably how your older relatives feel.

Another option might be a hotel or resort complex with apartments or suites and sports and swimming complexes. We recently stayed in one in Ft Lauderdale, very nice with two private bedrooms and baths, big living room, full kitchen, lovely grounds and huge pools. Not easy for all to get together though we did have others of the group over for lunch and hung out at the pools. I only rented the apartment for our own little family and my daughter did the food. Others took care of themselves.

It has been years since we were there, but we used to stay in one in Myrtle beach that had two or three bedrooms, full kitchens, sports complex and balcony right on the beach. It would be too cold to swim, but many other things possible, and in winter, it is not the tourist mess it is in Summer. Not that I recommend MB per say, just the idea, which is available many places.

Same issues as a house though - cooking and clean up or finding and traveling to restaurants, etc.

Last night about 2:00 in the morning, spur of the moment, I booked five days on Royal Caribbean Independence of the Seas for the end of January. I will let you know if I have a change of opinion after that.

Gretchen

Since many need to fly what about Cancun or such. A club Med?