i know this is too late in the game to probably plan and book it but still i thought i'd ask to see what you all think.
kids and i were planning on going overseas this april to visit my family for easter. more i think about it more i don't want to do it. just tickets would cost me around 6k, and the weather won't be too nice to be able to go to greece or somewhere beachy (driving distance). so i'm thinking i should plan something else. the reason why the trip has to be in april is because one of my kids will have a major surgery in may and for next 6 months we won't be able to have any vacation that includes flying, water (swimming, playing in water etc).
we have never been on a cruise. so i thought disney cruise for 7 days during easter break (kids will have 12 days off).so i looked and they're not very expensive but i noticed the only available dining times were the ones at 8:30 pm which is too late for my 7 year olds. so disney cruise would be option 2. so my question is what other cruises are nice? we are a family of 4 two 7 year old girls. we don't drink much, are low key, though my kids are very social, so i think a cruise with things for kids to do would be great.
have you been on a cruise with kids and what do you recommend? i know i may be too late in the game so i would like to hear suggestions for next year also if we can't go this year. thanks
I would not give up a Disney cruise because of dinner times. There are
many other food options that you can enjoy. You can enjoy a dinner at
8:30, just give the girls a snack earlier. Flexible kids make traveling much
easier and makes life easier all the way around. IMO I would stick with
Disney. For 7 yo it is perfect.
We have been on two cruises recently with Norwegian Cruise Lines, although not with kids (we did peek into the kids room and it looked great). What's nice about NCL is its Freestyle Cruising program. No set meal times, no set table pairings. You choose when and where you want to eat. Dress code is casual. They have one or two dress up nights, but those are optional and only in certain restaurants.
We've had good experiences on both cruises with them.
I would take a look at CruiseCritic.com to get additional input. The forums there are extremely useful.
Good luck!
We have cruised multiple times, twice with our little one. They've, by far, been the easiest way to travel for us. Always close to your room should someone need a nap, food is readily available, and if you stick to the policy, you know what you're paying for and aren't surprised at all. Plus, no trouble of booking separate hotels, rental cars and figuring out trips to daily destinations on your own. It's all done for you! Most cruise lines (Carnival, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean) are fairly clear about what's included and what's not in the price of the cruise. If you stick with dining options in the hall (there are usually 2 meal choices and we always picked earlier times for kiddo) then there's no charge. Sodas and alcohol are extra always. But we had a little mini-fridge on our last cruise and brought our own juice boxes/straw cups for the kid. We'd load that up at the breakfast buffet in the morning and work those juices/iced teas throughout the day rather than paying for soda. A lot of cruise lines will also allow you to bring your own drinks onboard(check policies though) or special snacks for the kids. We always came prepared with snacks!
All in all, we loved the convenience of it. The kids club is great and they always have TONS of activities and it's included in the price. The daily excurions at port can be expensive but you can plan accordingly based on your budget and level of activity for kids. There are always less expensive options or you can just walk around town for free!
Plus, many cruises offer last minute deals b/c they want to set sail FULL! So you're definitely not too late to plan from that perspective!
Hope this helps!
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When we took a cruise, we could still order food to the stateroom (I did lunch that way a couple of times b/c DD was napping) or go to the serve yourself buffet for dinner vs going to dinner in the main dining hall where you would be served like in a restaurant. We only had dinner together (6:30 in our case) and ate all our other meals on another deck on our own time. This was another cruise line, but that should be pretty standard.
I do agree that they get you in the little things. EVERYTHING is put on a tab (you use your ID card, not cash) and at the end of the trip you get a bill for all the extras, like if you got soda cards for everyone or something). It's a little sneaky because you forget what you bought til you get the bill. Make it CLEAR what the kids can and cannot charge if they are of an age to do that sort of thing for themselves.
We are going on a cruise in February and I was just reading over everything when I did my online checkin.
We have a dinner reseravation every night at 8:30. But that is just for the "formal" dinning room and 3 of the 7 nights the dress code IS actually FORMAL. So first of all make sure of what the dress code is for that dinning room and unless your kids already have cocktail dresses (or you are going to buy them) you won't eat there those nights anyway.
Most cruise lines have TONS of food options that are included in the packages. But it's more the a la cart places by the pool or in the rec rooms etc. You can always get chicken, pizza, hamburgers etc all over the ship.
Also - if you give your kids a snack at 430 or 5... why can't they eat at 8:30? Do you make them adhere to a strict bedtime schedule even on a cruise on easter break? My 7 my duaghter was flexible enough to eat at 8:30 while we were on vacation, as long as she wasn't being forced to not eat after lunch. If you eat lunch at noon ish and then do 2 small snacks at 2:30 and 5 you should be fine. With an 8:30 dinner reservation, they can be in bed by 10:30 or 11.
Having said that..... I actually prefer an all inclusive resort rather than a cruise. We went to cancun a couple years ago (my daughter was 8). We actually stayed in playa del carmen but one of the days we took a day trip to xcaret. If I went back I would stay there - they have a resort right on the property. it's like sea world, the zoo and a water park all in one. There are TONS of stuff for kids to do. You can usually get really good deals that include airfare and everything on bookit.com.
Have fun!
Read all the fine print. My BIL took his family on a Disney cruise and it was all paid for in advance. Little did he know, by the time it was time to go home, they had racked up another $2000 in charges for food, etc. Now it wasn't an issue for them because they are very financially sound but that could be a shocker for someone who thought everything was paid and done. Just be careful
We are not a cruising family so other than that, I can't be much help. Cruises have never appealed to us.
We are taking our first cruise this spring with three kids....so excited and we were told there are so many food options and activities for the kids. Go and have a great time!!
I appreciated your question. The recent cruise incident in Italy freaked us out as we just got back from a cruise on January 1. My children are older than yours (14, 12, and 11), and our cruise was shorter than the one you've planned (4 days, 3 nights), but we had an excellent time! We went on Carnival Sensation to Nassau Bahamas out of FL. The ship had lots for all of us to do. The cabin accommodated the five of us. The food was awesome (our dining time was 6 PM; their is a later seating, but I think that is for couples without children and single adults). There was mini-golf, water slides, a pool, camps and activities for the kids. I highly recommend Carnival!
