Is Disney the best for Kids?
Apr 6th, 2003, 11:28 AM
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Is Disney the best for Kids?
I'm thinking about taking my 7 year old on our first cruise. Is Disney the best? Or are there others just as nice for kids? Any advice would be appreciated.
Apr 6th, 2003, 12:13 PM
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Actually RCCL, Princess and Celebrity have great kids programs as well. Cehck out cruiscritic for ratings for kids. I believe the Sea Princess recieved the highest rating for kids programs, even over Disney.
Apr 7th, 2003, 01:04 PM
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I loved Disney as an adult only. There is lots to do for both the adults and kids. The service was amazing. I thought that there would be tacky disney stuff everywhere, but there wasn't. The ship itself is amazing and just very comfortable. I loved the atmosphere. The kids have almost an entire floor dedicated to them. Thier kids programs are for all different age groups. They have it so that it is just 5-6, 7-8, 9-10 and so on so that the kids arn't too far apart in age to other kids in thier programs. My co-worker took her child and her mother on a disney cruise and all three age groups found something to like.
Apr 11th, 2003, 11:26 AM
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I don't care for kids on cruises and although Carnival and other lines have kid sections, you still run into them often. As a grumpy person, I suggest that you take your kid on Disney if you want to bring a child on a cruise.<BR><BR>If you decide to cruise with a child on a line other than Disney, expect to find people who don't care for kids.<BR><BR>I always wonder why people don't have friends, family, extra money for babysitters so that they can cruise without children. <BR><BR>Don't get me wrong - I don't hate kids - kids are great, but don't you want to have some time away from them? cruises are nice vacations and the cruises are even more relaxing without kids running around and careless parents allowing them to wreak havoc.<BR><BR>Your kid is older than some, but the worst is when parents let kids become fecal teabags and allow their kid to enter the pool or hot-tub with a diaper. Some parents are so ignorant.
Apr 12th, 2003, 08:42 AM
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I disagree somewhat with the above posetr..we recently went on a 7-day "Magic" cruise and although the children were in abundance Disney has designed the programs so that they are virtually nowhere to be seen during the day.<BR>Then again, there are a lot of definitions for "kids" to include some of the low-brows that are well over 21 you'll find on cruise lines like Carnival
Apr 21st, 2003, 05:13 AM
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JimSmith,<BR><BR>I definitely do sometimes want a vacation away from the kids, that's when my husband and I book a romantic, upscale inn for an adults only getaway, but I see cruising as an ideal FAMILY vacation (hence the kids programs, kids menus, kids robes, kids pools, kids pricing, etc,. etc). Those things should be a huge clue to you that cruiselines welcome and encourage children. Face it Jim, cruises are catering to kids and you should expect to find them in abundance during vacation time on all but the adults oriented lines. If you don't want to see kids on vacation, choose a vacation that doesn't market to them and welcome them with open arms (and cash registers).<BR><BR>In our family, my husband abhors cruises, so I go with the kids and leave him home. I've cruised on Disney, RCCL and Celebrity and contrary to finding people who didn't care for kids, we found mostly other families cruising with kids of their own. Sorry.
Apr 22nd, 2003, 06:45 AM
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Bottom line: Disney is the best cruiseline for kids. I am not about to get into a pissing match with Nina or others and I am fully cognizant that cruiselines cater to kids. That doesn’t change my position that when you are on cruiselines other than Disney, you will encounter fellow passengers who do not appreciate children.<BR><BR>Whether you take kids on a cruise is up to you. I simply wanted to make it clear that Disney is the best ship for kids and if you take kids on other lines, expect that everyone else will not think that little Johnny or Sally’s antics are cute and adorable.<BR><BR>I know that kids will always be on cruises. Likewise, you should realize that so will grumpy old people. The cruiselines delicately balance both so they can keep both as customers (hence some ships have adult-only pools).<BR><BR>I think that every grumpy old person in the world who does not like children knows enough to avoid cruising Disney. Once you venture away from Disney, prepare to have your vacation possibly affected by kids running unsupervised and grumpy adults who will sometimes not even attempt to hide their contempt for such kids and parents.<BR>
Apr 22nd, 2003, 08:03 AM
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Y'all are funny! I take my kids during Spring Break and summer when grumpy adults should know not to book, LOL. My kids are usually in my sight and are not allowed to run, yell or fight with each other at any time, or risk cabin confinement. The teenagers have been the ones to ruin certain moments on cruising. This spring, I got no sleep thanks to them.RCCl has wonderful programs for a child that age- especially the Voyager class ships. You will save more money, probably, than on Disney. On the Navigator last Jan, we met kids who preferred it to Disney. And their parents never saw them all day, LOL.
Sep 25th, 2003, 03:39 AM
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I went on the Disney cruise with my two children, ages 15 and 7. They refused to participate in any of the childrens planned activities, which was ok with me, as I planned the trip as a getaway to spend time WITH them. I did go to the spa for a couple of hours, it was heavenly. We had a wonderful time and had no trouble finding things to do that made all three of us happy. The food was wonderful, the employees were service-oriented, and the stateroom was top notch (and not the most expensive.) My advice, you cannot go wrong with this cruise - taking a 7 year old on a cruise with mostly adults is much tougher (Ive done that one, too) My children still rave about the Disney Cruise, four years later!
Sep 25th, 2003, 05:38 AM
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Check out the Royal Caribbean mega-ships for a great kid and adult experience. Just booked my family (kids are ages 6 and 11) on Navigator of the Seas after hearing so many raves. And the price was very reasonable too. Ice skating rink, rock climbing wall, miniature golf, kids club, lots of dining options, my kids are delirious with excitement. And any child-hating adult who goes on Carnival or Royal Caribbean at any time is nuts cause there are always plenty of kids on board. Adults who want kid-free cruises should stick to the really upscale lines such as Silversea, Radisson Seven Seas.
Sep 30th, 2003, 01:00 PM
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Message: My wife and I have been on 9 Cruises, 8 with Carnival. The children came on the last 2. This past April, they were 7 and 5. I cannot speak highly enough about the children's programs. My kids LOVED going and it was a struggle just to convince them to get off the ship in port with us. Up until 10:00, the activities are free. After that, they have a group slumber party for $6.00 a child ($4 for the second) per hour. They have snacks, watch movies. The groups are age specific. We bring our kids in their PJS. They fall asleep quickly and my wife and I enjoy a show, drinks, the casino, or simply strolling up on deck. Although Disney probably has the best program afloat, it usually prices about DOUBLE a Carnival cruise. With that in mind, I'd rather take the kids TWICE. They LOVE it.
