My family (myself, husband, girls 4 and 6) will be cruising during Spring Break this year. We have been on 1 cruise before (RCCL Radiance - last spring - not during Spring Break). My children loved it, even though the Children's Program was relatively sparsely attended. My husband and I were very impressed with the cabin (adjoining Category B cabins), cleanliness, service, activities, etc. We found the food in the dining room mediocre.

We are trying to pick a cruise for this Spring Break and have narrowed the search down to: Disney Magic, Golden Princess, or Celebrity Century. We are looking for a clean boat, good service, good food, and a good children's program. Although I'm sure my children would enjoy the Disney "stuff", they are not big Disney fans. My husband and I are worried that it will be "too kid-friendly" and we are concerned about the food. Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

For "a clean boat, good service, and good food," I'd pick Celebrity. Can't speak for the children's program. The Century is older and smaller than the others you mentioned. I'm told that aft cabins tend to feel the vibration as the ship docks in the morning. This happens on many older ships.

The Golden Princess is larger and about six years newer...more amenities, more children's activities...probably your best choice. We'll be taking our young granddaughter on a cruise in the next year or two. While we prefer Celebrity Millenium class ships for ourselves, we'll be on a Princess ship thanks to their children's activities.

Never been on Disney ship but I understand it is a great Disney experience...if you're into that type of thing. I've also heard that the food is good..American and Continental.

We have done 20 cruises, but being seniors, never on Disney. While we love Celebrity, I would not recommend it for children. If your kids are not really into Disney, then Princess is your best bet. But I think Disney will have the most for them. I would rate them from Disney to Princess to Celebrity when thinking of children. Also Celebrity ships are elegant, but not nearly as glamorous (for children) as the others. I would think Disney would still offer the most excitement for them.

Hi,

I am a cruise specialist, and I do lots of Disney, too, and I think that Princess is going to be your best bet for your next cruise.

Disney Cruise Lines are going to be pretty expensive and nearly sold out for spring break 2004. Many people book their cruise a year or 18 months ahead of their sailing date with Disney. DCL uses a tiered-pricing system and the best prices go first. The food is great, the service is outstanding, the ships are beautiful and the children's programs are fantastic - a lot of parents can hardly get the kids out of the programs each day. You can already book DCL for spring break in 2005!

Princess is a wonderful, family-friendly cruise line with a casual atmosphere, but it also has an elegance to it, too. The food is wonderful and they offer some great rates on their cruises, too. The children's programs are some of the best at sea - lots of kids love them just as much as Disney programs, sometimes even more so.

Celebrity is more tailored to the adult experience. It is a great cruise line, but caters more to the adults that either Princess or Disney. It would be a good one to consider for an anniversary.

Have a great day!
Julia Elzie

Thanks for all the help. All of the information was greatly appreciated.

We decided on Disney because there are so many family activities. We had narrowed it down to Disney or Celebrity (because we didn't have a great cabin on the Golden Princess). My husband felt it was then a question of "Was the cruise for us or was it for the kids?" My reply was "if the kids don't enjoy themselves, we won't either - no matter how good the food is".

Thanks again for all the great info. We'll be on the March 27, 2004 cruise on the Magic.