Help with Cariibean cruise - which company
 

Hello we are going to take a cruise in the Caribbean next April with our 9 year old son - husband has business on the West Coast, then we will visit friends in Denver and then head over to Florida and go on a Caribbean cruise. Did some research yesterday and I am really confused - any suggestions as to which cruise lines to avoid, which ones are good for kids. Carnival looks the cheapest however have read some really bad comments. Norwegan looks ok as well. One last question - the RCI cruises - can you use your timeshare? I have just called RCI here in Aust but got stuck in Q.

Looking forward to recommendations.

Regards

Karen
Wet and raining here today - drought slowly coming to an end

Hi Karen,
Most of the large Cruise ships have excellent children's programs on board. However, I would tell you to take a pass on Holland America LOL. Its more of a golden oldies group. In my opinion, after cruising with five of my own children,their friends, and my six year old grandson... the ships I found to be best were Costa, Princess(check out my blog Caribbean Princess, A truly Family Friendly Experience), RCI, and of course Disney. My grandson, a seasoned cruiser(4cruises to date LOL)did not like Carnival's program. They had a tendency to stick the kids in front of a tv and show them a Disney movie and basically baby sit. Now in fairness to Carnival this may have been their policy just for that particular ship. The time of the year that you take your cruise greatly influences the number of children on board. In the winter months you see more retirees and seniors on all the cruises. April should be great since many families cruise during Spring break with their children. Happy sailing! Hugs, The Savvy Old Lady
www.thesavvyoldlady.com

"However, I would tell you to take a pass on Holland America LOL. Its more of a golden oldies group."

HOW OLD ARE YOU thesavyoldlady???

HAL is not full of a bunch of golden oldies. I have cruised with them while in my 30s, 40s and now my middle 50s. I truly enjoy their services. Especially the wonderful dining room service. And they happen to have a wonderful kids' program...Club HAL if I remember correctly. Granted, HAL caters to a well-travelled refined cliental that knows that 'formal night' does not mean shorts and t-shirts in the dining rooms.

Karen,

Royal Caribbean International (RCI, the cruise line) isn't affiliated with the RCI timeshare company.

RCI is great for kids, especially the newer Voyager-class and Freedom-class ships.

Linda

Hi luv2fly,

I must admit you did make me smile. In answer to your question I am old enough to have taken 28 cruises, 5 of them on HAL. My next cruise will be on Seabourn. I have cruised RCI, Princess, Celebrity, Costa and Carnival. On all my cruises with HAL (including one in the Mediterranean)I have never seen even half the number of children as I did on the other cruise lines. When you speak of a refined clientele try Celebrity, I'm sure it will be to your liking as it is with mine. Regarding formal nights I think it is very sad that many people on most of the cruises ignore the dress codes recommended by the ships. I raised my 5 children to always dress appropiately depending on the occasion. My husband, 3 sons, 6 year old grandson, wear tuxedos on formal night and my 2 daughters and I wear gowns, regardless of what cruise line we are cruising on. Well this is just one Savvy Old Lady's opinion.

Happy Sailing, Hugs

The Savvy Old Lady

I love HAL and appreciate that they are NOT a family oriented line, as travelling with kids and teens is not my idea of a good time.

I would recommend the big ships of RCI for a casual and good quality family cruise vacation.

NCL and Carnival both have newer ships that some really enjoy but neither are IME as nice as RCI.

Hi kfusto,

I agree with you Hal is a wonderful cuise line I especially enjoyed the New Years cruise we took with them this year. But as the saying goes "different strokes for different folks". There are Cruise Lines for everyones tastes. That is exactly why each cruise is an adventure. Recently I read a members review and they said they were on a Carnival cruise and there were so many people using walkers that they couldn't use the jogging deck each morning. I must admit I almost fell off my chair laughing. I definitely didn't expect to hear that on a Carnival Cruise ship. However, despite age some people prefer to be surrounded by young people and others prefer the serenity of a child free environment. Isn't it great that we have so many choices to choose from?

Happy Sailing, Hugs,

THE SAVVY OLD LADY