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Post by rebelyelle on Jul 13, 2016 22:59:24 GMT
My grandmother would like to take her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren on a cruise next summer. My mom and I are currently looking to cruise options. The majority of us will be adults, ages ranging from 21-65 (and Grandma, who will be 91); there will be three kids - ages 13, 7, and infant. My mom and I have been talking about a Disney cruise for ages. I'd love to propose that, but I'm not sure there will be enough for the adults? Especially since most of them don't have little kids anymore. If you've cruised with Disney, is it adult-friendly enough to consider for this type of trip? Does anyone else have recommendations for a family-friendly cruise that kids will enjoy? This is a huge age range to satisfy, and none of us have ever cruised before so we're starting from scratch.
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Post by shannoots on Jul 13, 2016 23:04:25 GMT
My parents take us all (14 people) on a cruise every year. We have looked at Disney and it is so much more expensive for all of us. There are about 8 kids with us, ranging in age from 4-14 & we all love Carnival. I know it has a bad reputation but we have always had fun. The crew has always been great with the kids. We have done Royal Caribbean and it was fine but we still liked Carnival better.
I think there would be plenty to do if you did decide to do a Disney cruise though.
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Post by lavawalker on Jul 13, 2016 23:09:04 GMT
I took a Disney cruise several years ago. We loved it, and it is one of the top rated cruise lines. Really, the only thing missing was gambling. They have an adult pool, adult restaurant, spa, adult shows, an adult beach on their private island, Castaway Cay. We had 2 16 year olds with us when we went. People thought we were crazy doing a disney cruise. But, they accommodated our teens very well with teen time at the adult pool, a teen club, teen activities, and yes a teen beach on their island.. We hardly saw them all week. So, I say go for it, unless you want the gambling
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Post by rebelyelle on Jul 13, 2016 23:10:13 GMT
My parents take us all (14 people) on a cruise every year. We have looked at Disney and it is so much more expensive for all of us. There are about 8 kids with us, ranging in age from 4-14 & we all love Carnival. I know it has a bad reputation but we have always had fun. The crew has always been great with the kids. We have done Royal Caribbean and it was fine but we still liked Carnival better. I think there would be plenty to do if you did decide to do a Disney cruise though. I've heard Carnival cruises can be loud, and are very much a "party" atmosphere. I hesitate with that line only because so many of us will be over 50. If we had more younger people it might be okay, but I don't know...I just know that most of my friends who've been on party cruises have gone on Carnival I honestly don't know though, so I will add them to the list to check out! Thanks.
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Post by rebelyelle on Jul 13, 2016 23:16:23 GMT
I took a Disney cruise several years ago. We loved it, and it is one of the top rated cruise lines. Really, the only thing missing was gambling. They have an adult pool, adult restaurant, spa, adult shows, an adult beach on their private island, Castaway Cay. We had 2 16 year olds with us when we went. People thought we were crazy doing a disney cruise. But, they accommodated our teens very well with teen time at the adult pool, a teen club, teen activities, and yes a teen beach on their island.. We hardly saw them all week. So, I say go for it, unless you want the gambling OMG, I'm so glad you said this because that could possibly be a deal-breaker. I didn't even think about it until you mentioned it! Half the reason a cruise was chosen is because it would include a casino.
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scrapngranny
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Post by scrapngranny on Jul 13, 2016 23:26:47 GMT
We just got back from a Carnival cruise to the Mexican Rivera. There were 11 of us, 6 adults 3 teens and 7&8 year olds. We all had a great time. There was a mix of ages...mostly families. The Carnival cruises that get a bad wrap are the 3 day booze cruises, they are mostly 21 year olds that can get out of control. Our cruise was seven days.
The little ones went to Camp Carnival and did a lot of fun activities. There were 3 pools, one for just over 21 year olds. The teens played golf and basketball along with the day time entertainment. Don't forget all the soft ice cream you can eat! For us it was a great value for the money.
Enjoy your cruise.
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amom23
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Post by amom23 on Jul 13, 2016 23:50:49 GMT
We've sailed on Carnival, Royal Carribean and Norweigan. All were 7 day cruises. All ships had plenty for kids and adults to do. None were what I'd consider to be a party ship (Carnival gets a bad rap on that one).
My suggestion since you are planning to sail with a big group is to work with a travel agent!!!
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sweetpeasmom
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Post by sweetpeasmom on Jul 14, 2016 0:13:42 GMT
We just took our kids on their first cruise last month. We were on Royal's Freedom of the Seas. They are 14 and 12. They had a blast. Most times we didn't see them (unless we were in port).
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 14, 2016 0:14:13 GMT
We sail Carnival every year. Longer cruises and there is a family atmosphere. Just booked next year's trip on their new ship the Vista.
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Post by mom on Jul 14, 2016 0:16:31 GMT
We cruise on Royal Caribbean and I would think they would be great at catering to all the various ages. They have specific things for small kids, preteens, and teens to do while the adults do grownup stuff. And of course, you can go as a group to the excursions.
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Post by kels99 on Jul 14, 2016 0:27:39 GMT
We've gone on 2 multi-generational cruises in the last 5 years. Both on Princess, both to Alaska, both wonderful for all ages!! I really don't think you can go wrong with any line because there are so many activities that you'll never be bored. All of the cruise lines have kids and teen programs. Our kids chose to stay with us and we did family things, but my nephew's absolutely loved the clubs.
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Post by beachbum on Jul 14, 2016 0:30:12 GMT
I've been on 18 cruises (#19 booked for New Year's Eve with 18 of our friends!), many on Carnival and Royal Caribbean. Like several have said, Carnival gets a bad rap - so many people who say Carnival is a "party ship" have never even stepped foot on a Carnival ship. The worst drunks I've seen on a ship were on a Royal Caribbean cruise, go figure! Sure, any 3 or 4 day cruise during Spring Break time is going to be a booze cruise, no matter what cruise line you're looking at. A longer, 7 day cruise is more likely to be more family oriented. We didn't cruise when our kids were very young, but have friends who have used the children's programs on Carnival and they loved it. I think Carnival and Royal are more alike than they are different. The Royal ships are nicer, but the cabins are bigger on Carnival. Shows are a little better on Royal, but we like the food better a little more on Carnival. So we usually pick the cruise that's going where we feel like going and has the best deal at the time, or maybe try a new ship. Disney is just so overpriced, and the no casino thing is there too. We don't gamble big or often but like the option there. The price stops us every time, we can cruise twice on Carnival for once on Disney - that's a no brainer for me.
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bellemagic
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Post by bellemagic on Jul 14, 2016 0:34:23 GMT
You mentioned that an infant may be on the trip? We were looking into big family vacations last year and I remember some talk about certain cruise lines having minimum age requirements. Just something to be aware of when you are making your decision. Have a great trip!
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Post by shamrock on Jul 14, 2016 0:35:15 GMT
We've gone on 3 Disney cruises. 2 of them were with a set of grandparents. We love cruising with Disney. Both sets of grandparents, who have cruised multiple other lines, were impressed. Our boys have been 7 & 5 to 9 & 11 on our trips. It still ranks as one of the top 2 vacations they've been on. But if some want casinos, you will definitely have to look elsewhere. Oh and I think infants need to be 6 months old to cruise Disney. Feel free to message me if you have any questions.
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blue tulip
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Post by blue tulip on Jul 14, 2016 0:44:37 GMT
we're doing our first cruise in march 2017, on a carnival ship. their new waterworks ships have a waterpark on top with several types of slides and things for the kids, our boys will be 12 and 9 and are really excited about it. I can't vouch for how it ACTUALLY is yet, but I did a lot of research and for the price, amenites, and western Caribbean ports this one suited us very well.
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paigepea
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Post by paigepea on Jul 14, 2016 1:14:20 GMT
We have done many cruises - 2 were with my entire family, including 4 kids. Oldest was 11 and youngest was 2.
We didn't go on Disney. It interests me. I've heard the rooms are the biggest, but it was $$.
We did one cruise on Carnival - sorry to those who like this line but my family didn't enjoy it as much. We all had fun together and there was plenty for all ages, but the food, decor, rooms, staff were just not as good as on other lines.
Our favourite cruise with the whole family (10 total, 4 kids) was on Celebrity. What a fantastic cruise line! The food, staff, rooms, decor, activities, etc were all fantastic. We also loved the fact that it wasn't a super massive ship. The massive ships (like RC) are cool because they have a lot going on, but lines (for food, elevators, getting on/off ship, etc) are incredibly long and there was a ton of standing / waiting / crowds. Even getting from one side of the ship to the other took forever. For the sake of your elderly grandmother who has to get around I'd pick a smaller ship with fewer people. Celebrity still had a ton to offer everyone with many many activities. There was no climbing wall, ice rink, etc but we've been on RC ships with things like that and the other ships are just as nice.
Truly - our celebrity ship had almost 3500 people on board while the RC had an extra couple of thousand. That is a lot of people!
Anyway, we loved celebrity, really liked RC except for the size, and didn't love Carnival, although we all had fun and it has more to do with the ports and the people you're with versus the ship.
I would maybe try Disney but my girls are already 7 and 10. I'd probably prefer Disneyland to a ship catered to them, especially since their cruises are more expensive.
Have fun deciding. Planning is part of the fun!
Eta: on the carnival cruise my little dd was 2. She had to be toilet trained to go in the pool. Since she was starting 3 yr old preschool in the fall anyway (we went at the start of summer) and needed to be trained for them we decided to train her. Otherwise she couldn't have gone in the pool (if I followed the rules). No swim diapers were allowed in the pool.
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Post by JustCallMeMommy on Jul 14, 2016 1:22:46 GMT
We loved our Disney cruise, but I would have to seriously look at prices before doing another. That exact cruise has doubled in price two years in a row. I had a good price the first year, but I can't touch a Disney cruise for the same price now.
Also, look at Disney's guidelines for the baby's age. The minimum age is 6 or 12 months depending on cruise length. You said infant which makes me think itty bitty.
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vanessa
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Sept 15, 2015 4:25:10 GMT
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Post by vanessa on Jul 14, 2016 1:57:03 GMT
I pretended to book a cruise on Disney for us and our five kids and it ended UK at checkout being 17k!!!!! Yeah. No. Wish we could.
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vanessa
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Post by vanessa on Jul 14, 2016 1:57:25 GMT
Not UK 'up at' dang autocorrect
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Post by Tamhugh on Jul 14, 2016 2:04:03 GMT
I would love to do a Disney cruise, but whenever I price them, they are almost double the price of the other lines. Someday, when I have grandkids, I will do it.
We have done Royal Caribbean and Carnival. We prefer RCI, but we liked Carnvial too. We never encountered the party atmosphere that you hear about on Carnival. The most drinking we ever encountered on a cruise was on the Radiance of the Seas, with a much older demographic. My kids even pointed out at the time that it was like cruising with a bunch of drunk grandparents.
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Post by shannoots on Jul 14, 2016 2:18:20 GMT
My parents take us all (14 people) on a cruise every year. We have looked at Disney and it is so much more expensive for all of us. There are about 8 kids with us, ranging in age from 4-14 & we all love Carnival. I know it has a bad reputation but we have always had fun. The crew has always been great with the kids. We have done Royal Caribbean and it was fine but we still liked Carnival better. I think there would be plenty to do if you did decide to do a Disney cruise though. I've heard Carnival cruises can be loud, and are very much a "party" atmosphere. I hesitate with that line only because so many of us will be over 50. If we had more younger people it might be okay, but I don't know...I just know that most of my friends who've been on party cruises have gone on Carnival I honestly don't know though, so I will add them to the list to check out! Thanks. I don't know... Loud is different for everyone. I'm not a party girl... I don't even drink and it doesn't bother me. The only time I really felt a party atmosphere was when we went on a spring break cruise and there were a ton of college kids. Talk to others and see what they have to say. I'm not trying to persuade you-I just know we've always had a good experience.
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Post by annaintx on Jul 14, 2016 2:27:49 GMT
We've done 3 Disney cruises, about to go again this fall. We LOVE them. The kid's club is phenomenal. So much to do no matter what your age. There is no casino, but that isn't a deal breaker for us at all. They are getting more expensive with each year and I don't know how much longer we'll be able to afford them. If you have any questions, though, please ask! Also, if you are a Costco member, look into using them as a travel agent. You can get incentives/gift cards etc. if you book through them. My mom booked a Viking River Cruise through them and we were very, very impressed with their service and the Costco gift card she will receive.
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Post by rebelyelle on Jul 14, 2016 2:28:26 GMT
You mentioned that an infant may be on the trip? We were looking into big family vacations last year and I remember some talk about certain cruise lines having minimum age requirements. Just something to be aware of when you are making your decision. Have a great trip! Ah, thank you for that. I didn't consider a minimum age. He'll be between 10 months and just shy of 1, depending on when we go (and when he makes his impending arrival).
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jul 14, 2016 2:30:06 GMT
I've been on two cruises, one on Norwegian (13 days to the S. Pacific/Hawaii, all adults) and one on Disney (8 days W. Caribbean, four adults and our DD who was almost 3). Both were very nice, but the Disney cruise was significantly better in several important ways. The cabins were considerably bigger and the bathrooms inside the cabins were considerably bigger which was nice because DD could take a bath instead of a shower. The service was hands down so much better on the Disney cruise. Our wait staff took the time to get to know us and they were top notch. They think of EVERYTHING and every cast/crew member had the guest's best interests in mind at all times. Even down to the littlest things like the fact the the entire ship was unbelievably clean at all times, or that we never had to wait for a table to be cleared off in the quick service areas, or that there was no crazy long line to wait in for boarding--we walked right on the ship, our luggage was delivered straight to our room from the airport and we were greeted upon boarding by name with fanfare. We loved the worry free ease of transportation to and from the airport on the Magical Express. In contrast, for our cruise on Norwegian we had to stand in a snaking queue line to board the ship for 2.5 HOURS, all the while dragging along ALL of our luggage with us. It was my 72 year old mom with arthritis who couldn't stand or walk for long times/distances, my sister who had just had surgery and wasn't supposed to be on her feet for more than 30 minutes at a time or lift more than 10 lbs, leaving my other sister and me to pull along all of the luggage for four women! Ugh, it was a terrible way to start a vacation. There was always plenty for everyone to do on the Disney cruise with several areas of the ship (including a pool and hot tub) restricted to those over 21. I'm not a big gambler anyway so the fact that there was no casino never even registered on my radar. If memory serves, the casino on the Norwegian ship was entirely a smoking area so I didn't want to spend any time in there anyway. Maybe that's different now. The shows on the Disney cruise were all top quality productions and suitable for all ages. There was a movie theater on board showing a variety of films, tons of activities, multiple swimming pools and a splash pad for the littlest kids (those not potty trained had to be in swim diapers). The Disney Fantasy has a huge water slide that goes all the way around the top of the ship which was so cool, and the Pirates of the Caribbean fireworks show at night was one of the best I've ever seen anywhere. While we didn't use it, the Disney cruise had a childcare area on board for the little ones 3 and under. If we would have wanted to have a grownup night out (dinner, dancing, etc.), DD could have gone there for the whole evening. It was nice to have the option. Now that our kid is older, she would be able to go to the kid's club on board which I'm sure she would love. There are separate clubs for the tweens and teens too so each age group is individually catered to. My DH and I both have retail/service backgrounds and as a result we're *very* critical of customer service issues. Both of us were totally blown away by what a wonderful vacation experience our family had. We talked about it afterward, and we both agreed that there really wasn't a single thing they could have done better. Our kid was thrilled with getting to meet all of the characters and collecting autographs, and I even got video of Minnie Mouse giving DD a kiss and walking her by the hand down the hall! So cute. Even though the Disney cruise cost more, in our opinions it was well worth it and definitely money well spent and we absolutely plan to cruise with them again.
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Post by rebelyelle on Jul 14, 2016 2:32:42 GMT
We have done many cruises - 2 were with my entire family, including 4 kids. Oldest was 11 and youngest was 2. We didn't go on Disney. It interests me. I've heard the rooms are the biggest, but it was $$. We did one cruise on Carnival - sorry to those who like this line but my family didn't enjoy it as much. We all had fun together and there was plenty for all ages, but the food, decor, rooms, staff were just not as good as on other lines. Our favourite cruise with the whole family (10 total, 4 kids) was on Celebrity. What a fantastic cruise line! The food, staff, rooms, decor, activities, etc were all fantastic. We also loved the fact that it wasn't a super massive ship. The massive ships (like RC) are cool because they have a lot going on, but lines (for food, elevators, getting on/off ship, etc) are incredibly long and there was a ton of standing / waiting / crowds. Even getting from one side of the ship to the other took forever. For the sake of your elderly grandmother who has to get around I'd pick a smaller ship with fewer people. Celebrity still had a ton to offer everyone with many many activities. There was no climbing wall, ice rink, etc but we've been on RC ships with things like that and the other ships are just as nice. Truly - our celebrity ship had almost 3500 people on board while the RC had an extra couple of thousand. That is a lot of people! Anyway, we loved celebrity, really liked RC except for the size, and didn't love Carnival, although we all had fun and it has more to do with the ports and the people you're with versus the ship. I would maybe try Disney but my girls are already 7 and 10. I'd probably prefer Disneyland to a ship catered to them, especially since their cruises are more expensive. Have fun deciding. Planning is part of the fun! Eta: on the carnival cruise my little dd was 2. She had to be toilet trained to go in the pool. Since she was starting 3 yr old preschool in the fall anyway (we went at the start of summer) and needed to be trained for them we decided to train her. Otherwise she couldn't have gone in the pool (if I followed the rules). No swim diapers were allowed in the pool. The notes on ship size are really, really helpful and I definitely would not have thought of that. Grandma adamantly wants to do this trip without a wheelchair, so that's all really important to consider.
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Post by crittsmom on Jul 14, 2016 2:42:35 GMT
If Grandma doesn't want a wheelchair, could she use an electric scooter ? There is a lot of walking on board and getting on and off the ship. I have been on Disney, Royal Caribbean and Princess. We never missed the casino on Disney, there was always something to go. I'd book Disney again if the prices hadn't gone up and up.
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Post by Outspoken on Jul 14, 2016 2:42:59 GMT
I have sailed Disney 4 times but never anyone else. On a Disney cruise, all food, soft serve ice cream, fruit, pizza, salad, sandwiches, fries, burgers, breakfast and sit down meals, soft drinks, tea and coffee is included. Alcohol and specialty coffees are extra. Room service is free. If you book a specialty dinner (formal, 5 star restaurant), it is extra.
All entertainment - shows, movies, etc., are free. They have adult only nightlife. Mixology classes for a small fee. Wine tasting for a small fee.
So, how do these offerings compare to other cruise lines? I would like to try a different cruise line due to expenses, but my family says we are too spoiled.
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daisydonna
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Post by daisydonna on Jul 14, 2016 4:00:50 GMT
I love Royal Caribbean. Like others have said...stay away from the really short cruises as those tend to be the party ones.
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paigepea
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Post by paigepea on Jul 14, 2016 4:15:39 GMT
I have sailed Disney 4 times but never anyone else. On a Disney cruise, all food, soft serve ice cream, fruit, pizza, salad, sandwiches, fries, burgers, breakfast and sit down meals, soft drinks, tea and coffee is included. Alcohol and specialty coffees are extra. Room service is free. If you book a specialty dinner (formal, 5 star restaurant), it is extra. All entertainment - shows, movies, etc., are free. They have adult only nightlife. Mixology classes for a small fee. Wine tasting for a small fee. So, how do these offerings compare to other cruise lines? I would like to try a different cruise line due to expenses, but my family says we are too spoiled. On celebrity everything was included. On carnival and RC I think soft drinks weren't included but you could buy a pass for the week for all you could drink. I don't drink pop so I don't know exactly.
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AmeliaBloomer
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Post by AmeliaBloomer on Jul 14, 2016 4:48:33 GMT
We did the shortest Disney cruise ten years ago. We discovered that cruising is just not our thing, but I was really impressed with the staff, the kids' clubs, the carefully-crafted vintage look of the ship, the Disney character meeting opportunities, and the movie theatre. While we concentrated on family/kid stuff, there seemed to be several opportunities for adult-only fun (bars, music, adult pool).
Our favorite day was when we went to Disney's Castaway Cay; only Disney can manage to make a Bahamian island seem like what we all fantasize one SHOULD look like (instead of the grim reality...)
Gambling: I think there was bingo onboard! If you're looking for more, most people disembark in Nassau, so maybe you could hit one of the casinos there.
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