Can anyone recommend a good Family cruise?
November 12, 2009 by Cruise Tips
Filed under More Cruises Answers
Can you answer Coolmom86’s question about Cruises?:
I’m interested in value, amenities, hidden costs, ports of call etc. I’m also interested in Cruises you would NOT recommend as well. Please only respond if you’ve personally experienced a cruise as a consumer.
Discount Mediterranean Cruises
I’m interested in value, amenities, hidden costs, ports of call etc. I’m also interested in Cruises you would NOT recommend as well. Please only respond if you’ve personally experienced a cruise as a consumer.
Discount Mediterranean Cruises
Cruises Feedback: I think royal caribbean is the best option. they are a bit expensive but well worth every penny. They have the best options for families such as Teen discos or kids pool etc. The options are endless.
I wouldn’t recommend Fred. Olsen Cruises as they have no facilities what-so-ever for children except for a kids club and a small ball pool. However, they do make cookies in one morning which is good fun but I personally would recommend the Royal Caribbean cruises.
Enjoy your cruise….if you’re going on one.
Cruises Feedback: /Disney Cruises are the best!!!
Cruises Feedback: I have been on more than 20 cruises with 5 different cruise lines and have 4 more cruises booked right now. So I think I may qualify as a consumer. I know I do have experience on a lot of cruises.
The best cruise line for families with kids to go on is Royal Caribbean. It has the most on-board activities for kids and the other cruise lines cannot compare. Royal Caribbean is also a cruise line that caters to young cruiser and families. It has things like ice skating, roller blading, mini-golf course, a full sized basketball/tennis court, the rock climbing wall, and on the new Freedom Class ships the surfing simulator, the Flowrider. It has an area on its ships called Adventure Ocean which has programs for kids of all ages between 3 and 17. It has a special teen disco area that is open until 2:00AM each evening. The RC ships that you should look for cruises on are the RC’s Freedom Class and Voyager Class ships. You can look at the features of these ships on these two web links:
Freedom Class:…
Voyager Class:…
After Royal Caribbean the next best would be Carnival. Carnival is the budget cruise line that generally has the lowest prices. They cater to young people, first time cruiser and families. The best of their ships are their newer ships so do pay attention to when the ship was launched is you find a really cheap cruise.
While Carnival is good for kids, you will have a much better cruise on Royal Caribbean. Both of these cruise lines, and most all others too, have free programs for kids. They programs have different names but essentially provide activities for kids all day and into the evening. On Royal Caribbean they are called Adventure Ocean and on Carnival they are called Camp Carnival and some other similar names.
Regardless of which cruise line you select the things that are included are pretty much the same. The price of your cruise includes your cabin, all meals (including breakfast, lunch dinner, snacks and free room service), free admissions to all shows and entertainment, and free use of all facilities on ship except spa services. The things that you will have to pay for are:
GRATUITIES: They will amount to about $10 per person in your cabin per day; about $70 each for a 7 day cruise.
ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND SOFT DRINKS: Coffee, tea, milk, juice, and lemonade and punch will be provided free but you must pay for soft drinks and alcoholic beverages and they will add a 15percent gratuity to each drink and soft drink order.
PHOTOGRAPHS: Cruise lines will take plenty of photographs of you all over the ship, in the dining room, and as you exit the ship in ports. These will cost a lot, like $15 to $20 for most.
TOURS/EXCURSIONS: You are not required to book any tours and can get off and on in the ports as much as you want. But the cruise line will offer a lot of tours and these are expensive.
SPA SERVICES: If you want/need to have your hair done, get a massage or wrap, or any services from the spa, you will have to pay for them. You can use the gym free but the spa stuff cost big bucks.
INTERNET SVCS: Ships now have internet cafe and some have WiFi but the there is a fee for internet access and it is very expensive (like about $50 to $60 an hour).
Its my opinion that the best cruises are Western Caribbean because they provide the opportunity for great beaches and also the opportunity to visit Mayan ruins. Eastern Caribbean cruises are mainly for shoppers, as far as the port stops are concerned.
Cruises Feedback: Carnival is probably the best bang for the buck. It is very family oriented. Several of their ships have been upgraded with WaterWorks. Go to carnival.com for more details. I have heard that Disney is more expensive than Carnival or RCCL, which is also a good cruise line.