My family of six (including 18, 17, 16, and 10 year olds) are considering taking a 5-7 day Caribbean or Hawaiian cruise this summer. My hubby, 10 year old and I went on the Carnival Fantasy last summer and frankly, were rather disappointed. We are generally part of the AI crowd (I know, I know, but with 6 people it is one of the most cost effective ways to travel) so we were put off by the small pools, short evening shows and lack of space in the common areas.

However, with that in mind, we are considering taking the whole family on a cruise on a newer ship with more offerings for our easily bored children. We are all certified divers and have no problem finding fun things to do OFF the ship. I'm just trying to get advice on a ship that we will enjoy spending a day at sea on.

I welcome any advice on which cruise line or even particular ship/itinerary to choose.

For a short Hawaii cruise, NCL is the only option. Read the reviews at cruisecritic.com to see if the ship sounds like something you would enjoy.

Personally, I would recommend RCI's Voyager Class of ships. There is a ton to do for all of the family, a great kids program and RCI offers a casual cruise at a good value on very nice ships.

Thanks for the advice. I've read the NCL's reviews and don't think they are what my family is looking for.

I'm leaning towards the Mariner of the Seas or the Freedom of the Seas. Both sound very nice and have port visits that take us to places we haven't been....but they appear to be popular ships so the discounts aren't there either. Guess I can't have it both ways, right?

From what I'm seeing, what differentiates these 2 ships (other than 3 years apart in their launch date) is the surf pool/water park aspect. Guess we'll have to figure out whether that is worth the added expense.

What is the "Al" crowd?

I have been on both and frankly think Mariner is better than Freedom as it is really just a blown up version with the water park and surf machine.

The reason you are finding few deals is that they are not generally offered when the kids are out of school. Those are big times for ships and they do not have to discount to fill cabins.

I agree with you about NCL.

Arizona07, "AI" is all inclusive.