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tokamak

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Looking at taking the whole family on a 4-day Caribbean cruise this fall. My kids will be 4 and 2 at the time of the cruise. Friends with similar-aged kids have highly recommended Disney and I know we can count on them to have plenty of shit for the kids. Thing is, Disney looks to be 40-50% more expensive than Carnival/RCL/Norwegian for similar iteneraries. I can't believe they get that kind of premium, but then again it IS Disney.

So my question is how much stuff for young kids will the other lines have? I've never set foot on a cruise ship in my life so I have no idea what to expect. Should we bite the bullet and go Disney?

Edited by tokamak
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My kids (4 and 6 at the time) loved the cruise that we went on to celebrate my folks' 50th anniversary.  It wasn't Disney, it was one of the Carnival boats with the water park on top, but they had a blast.  Look for the ships that cater to kids, most cruise lines have them I think.  For us as adults, it was fine.  There are worse things in the world than sitting on a pool lounger with drinks in hand watching the MILFs go by. Honestly, going onshore for the excursions was more work and less fun, at least with the kids in tow.

As adults, we preferred the week-long trip to a resort in Playa del Carmen that my wife's parents took us on for THEIR 50th, but the kids had fun either way.

Edited by utee94
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5 hours ago, next2naus said:

Carnival is shit.period.

Your 2 YO is too young for the all day Kids club drop off but the 4YO would probably like it

2 yr old could always just hang with dad while he fished off the back of the ship all day - Amos Moses style.

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11 hours ago, utee94 said:

watching the MILFs go by. .

Been on 5, none of which were Carnitown, and this was a very rare occurrence.  It is mostly real life versions of the people on Wall-E.  

Our kids are 6 and 3 and love them.  I hate them but I think we are going to go the Disney routed summer of '20.  

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2 and 4 on a cruise?  Yeah, that doesn't sound great.  Hell, I've got a 12 and 6 year-old, and I'm not about to deal with his batshit crazy ass in the confines of a cruise boat room.

Stated above, but I do believe 2 is too young to be babysat by one of the cruise "we'll take your kids all day" things.  Unless you're absolutely dead set on going soon, I'd just do something else and go when the youngest is, say, 5.

Disney would be a much better choice, but again, 2 just seems far too young unless you're going to be with more than your immediate family and can have the occasional break.  Plus, what if the 2 year-old gets seasick?

 

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11 hours ago, T’Boo Ted Marshall said:

Been on 5, none of which were Carnitown, and this was a very rare occurrence.  It is mostly real life versions of the people on Wall-E.  

Our kids are 6 and 3 and love them.  I hate them but I think we are going to go the Disney routed summer of '20.  

Sounds like your luck sucks.  Several of them on the one we did, including a group of Brazilian wives of American men.  

There was also a large number of Wall-E type fatties, but you take the bad with the good.  YMMV.

Edited by utee94
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2 and 4 on a cruise?  Yeah, that doesn't sound great.  Hell, I've got a 12 and 6 year-old, and I'm not about to deal with his batshit crazy ass in the confines of a cruise boat room.
Stated above, but I do believe 2 is too young to be babysat by one of the cruise "we'll take your kids all day" things.  Unless you're absolutely dead set on going soon, I'd just do something else and go when the youngest is, say, 5.
Disney would be a much better choice, but again, 2 just seems far too young unless you're going to be with more than your immediate family and can have the occasional break.  Plus, what if the 2 year-old gets seasick?
 

The kids had to be 3 and potty trained to the point they could wipe themselves to go to the kids club. That was on Norwegian and RC.
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Been on carnival a few times with a kid, as others have said 2 is too young for a cruise really. They have a great kids club for 4 or so and up where they do crafts and games and watch movies in an inclosed area that no one but the club workers are allowed in to so it's pretty safe. Also have some computer and console video games for the older kids. 

There's a separate club for middle school kids, not sure what that one's like, I'll let you know next year. Then there's a high school kids one that's more of a way to meet the other teenagers on the ship to hang out with. 

Carnival partners with Dr. Seuess so there are a bunch of themed events you can go to and a parade that caters to your kids ages. 

Try to get a family harbor room if you can. You'll be with other families and have a group lounge that has some family board games and stuff to do and will have a nice breakfast in the morning. Though try to get to brunch at least once. 

With a 2 year old you won't be able to see any of the 18+ comedy shows or the other evening shows unless you and your wife split up with one watching the kids and one going to do stuff.  

The Alchemy Bar is great if you have a drink package, but on the expensive side otherwise. If you like the high end scotches and liquors go to the bar in the steakhouse. You don't need a reservation if you're not eating there. 

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1 hour ago, Viper said:

There's a separate club for middle school kids, not sure what that one's like, I'll let you know next year.

Exciting! A cruise to celebrate you turning 12?  Your parents are so awesome. 

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Never been on a cruise with or without kids.  But, is there any vacation more polarizing?  People either love them or hate them with very little grey area.  My informal surveys over the years have lead me to believe I’d be in the hate them category.  Hence why I’ve never tried one.

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Some people are going to like lazing around on a vessel at sea, probably those that enjoy lying on a beach with a book or that just enjoy ships and the sensation of being afloat (me).  Those that prefer more active vacations will not enjoy them.  Those that suffer from motion sickness (a lot of the motion has been taken out by stabilizers, but not all) will not.

I have always thought a voyage in a passenger cabin on a working freighter would be very cool, but that's just me.

Edited by TwiceHorn
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13 hours ago, scottsins said:

Carnival has a significant amount of people riding scooters for non-recreational reasons.

This.  Going on a cruise in the US on Carnival/Royal Caribbean is like going to your local Walmart.  The prices on cruises have gone way down in the last 10 years.  Guess who now can afford those options?  Walmart of the seas.

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50 minutes ago, Landomatic said:

Never been on a cruise with or without kids.  But, is there any vacation more polarizing?  People either love them or hate them with very little grey area.  My informal surveys over the years have lead me to believe I’d be in the hate them category.  Hence why I’ve never tried one.

As a hater I think you'd be in our club based on your posting history. I haven't been on one in over 15 years and I can still distinctly remember the cruise smell....uggg never again. Though looking at the pictures of the Symphony of the Seas it looks pretty nice.

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34 minutes ago, pearlandhorn said:

This.  Going on a cruise in the US on Carnival/Royal Caribbean is like going to your local Walmart.  The prices on cruises have gone way down in the last 10 years.  Guess who now can afford those options?  Walmart of the seas.

Man you aren't kidding. I see a couple Carnival 3 day ones for $275 a person.

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Just now, SimonBolivar said:

Man you aren't kidding. I see a couple Carnival 3 day ones for $275 a person.

Shitty interior cabin.  Which is fine if you only use the cabin to sleep, shit, shower. 

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Yeah this wasn't really my choice. My mom is turning 70 this year, loves cruises (although she's usually doing more interesting ones like Europe, South America, etc), and has been wanting the whole family to do one together. So we were going to surprise her. Honestly I'm wondering if we might just be better off going to some nice place in Cancun or something like that though. Either that or just bite the bullet and go Disney. Cruising around with the Walmart crowd and eating shitty food doesn't really sound all that enticing.

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The food isn't really that bad, but then I rarely go to the buffet.  On carnival guys burgers are ok though you have to put up with all the Guy Fiereie themed stuff and names. The blue cantina is very good for breakfast and lunch. A lot of the sandwiches from the shop are good. The sit down dinner is good though not great and I think it used to be better. And of course getting fresh pizza at 1am every night is always good.

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4 hours ago, Landomatic said:

Never been on a cruise with or without kids.  But, is there any vacation more polarizing?  People either love them or hate them with very little grey area.  My informal surveys over the years have lead me to believe I’d be in the hate them category.  Hence why I’ve never tried one.

in general I agree, it's very polarizing.  For me personally though, I neither love them nor hate them.  I've been on a couple and the most recent one was for my parents' 50th anniversary.  They love cruising and have wanted to take the family on one for years, so they did.  They paid for it all, got all 4 families adjoining rooms with adjoining balconies which the kids loved, and it was really special for them.  I was fine with lounging around on deck during the day, hitting a couple shows at night, and making the most of the all-you-can-drink plan that I purchased.   But I can definitely understand why a lot of people hate them.

5 minutes ago, Viper said:

The food isn't really that bad, but then I rarely go to the buffet.  On carnival guys burgers are ok though you have to put up with all the Guy Fiereie themed stuff and names. The blue cantina is very good for breakfast and lunch. A lot of the sandwiches from the shop are good. The sit down dinner is good though not great and I think it used to be better. And of course getting fresh pizza at 1am every night is always good.

Agree, the food wasn't that bad.  The "fine dining" restaurants are like decent banquet food at a decent hotel.  We did formal breakfast and dinner most days so avoided the buffets for the most part.  The kids got to eat pizza every day, and pretty much for every meal, so they were delighted.

 

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Done several carnival cruises with my wife. We enjoy not having to do anything but having some options. Really did them as breaks from the kids, 6 and 4.  Sleep in, drink a lot, do some gambling. I enjoypeople watching at the pool. Yes, some of the watching isn’t great

Ive heard that there are plenty of couples without kids that choose Disney just for the quality, so that might be the way to go. If we ever take kids on a cruise, it will be Disney

Edited by Chico_SA
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About to head out in 2 weeks for a 7 day cruise to the Caribbean on RC's Harmony of the Seas. Even though we have 3 kids, they are staying behind with grandma. However, if they were going I have no doubt they would have a good time. The list of activities you can do on the boat are a mile long, hence one of the reasons the kids aren't going. I plan on a relaxing vacation, not one that I'm trying to keep my kids entertained. They do have the kids club that their job is to make sure they have a good time so the kids can bug you about how soon can they have another cruise vacation.
I'm actually looking forward to this cruise. It's a huge as boat and the food in the dining area and restaurants are supposed to be quality from the reports I've seen. The buffet can be hit or miss.
Disney cruise you are paying for the characters walking around but if you want meals or other activities with them, that is extra.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

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1 minute ago, T’Boo Ted Marshall said:

I did the all you can drink plan on RC once.  The math worked out to about 7-8 per day.  I tried my best but on days when you are in port, 7-8 when you return for me was tough.

Norwegian is all you can booze included.  

Carnival is (or was, a few years ago), something like 14-15 drinks a day.  

Damn if it we didn't do our best to hit that.

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Want to hear about the time some parents left their mentally disabled teenager alone and he dumped in the kids pool? It caused that entire pool to be shut down for the day while we were at sea. Good times right there.

Did your parents get kicked off the boat for that?
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Fuck the haters, I've been on 2 Carnival cruises in the last year and they were cheap and fun.  Did excursions in every port (Montego Bay, Cozumel, Key West, Freeport, Nassau, Grand Cayman) usually the VIP sail (10 passengers max on a 50' catamaran or Beneteau) or Snorkeling or Jet Skiing.  Food was 'aight.  Consistently good quality but nothing exceptional at all - Chef's table is actually a pretty cool activity.  Both cruises had balcony with suite, spent most of my sea days either on the Serenity Deck (Carnival Breeze and Freedom) in the morning and then by the aft pool in the PM.  Cruises were in December and January and my wife and I (40s) were definitely outnumbered by the olds.

Wife is taking a Boston/Maine/Canada fall foliage cruise on NCL this fall with her mom and godmother in Oct.

Pro's - They're awesome!! Cheap, you don't have to think very hard, they leave from Galveston which is 2 hours away from my house, the internet is virtually unusable so I stay logged out of Salesforce.com.  B+/A- on the food options, sea day brunch is great, you can order as many dishes in the MDR as you want so you can try everything.  People watching is awesome. Did I mention it's cheap? Strictly speaking about Carnival here.  The bartenders at Alchemy are usually cute gals from Eastern Europe and they keep the martinis flowing in to my wife which gives me a slight chance of getting laid.  You get to meet lots of brown people from Southeast Asia.  From what I read on the internet, they're all slaying the pussy when they're not dancing the macarena on the tables at dinner.

I also love ships and being offshore, so part of the allure to me is riding on a big boat across the Gulf of Mexico.

Cons - What a fucking beat down, they're awful. Everyone was from Oklahoma. Plus you're trapped on a boat and on the way back the 2 sea days can get boring.  They try to sell you all sorts of shitty, overpriced, unnecessary stuff like art, pictures, and those huge assed ugly as shit watches. . .I think they are called Invicta.  Social Media - every cruise has a facebook group where mouth breathing first timers ask things like "I'm leaving the country, should I bring a passport?"  Cruise Critic is another place where people in the "lifestyle" - and I'm not talking about horny swingers but rather chronic cruisers hang out.

Next tropical vacation I'm finding a nice little secluded lodge with a private beach and a fishing guide.  I'm so done with cruises, just over it.

 

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7 hours ago, Js1 said:

Carnival is (or was, a few years ago), something like 14-15 drinks a day.  

Damn if it we didn't do our best to hit that.

It's not too hard if you start the day with a mimosa or spiked coffee, 2 drinks by the pool, something with lunch, another 3 or so in the afternoon, wine or specialty drink at dinner, them hot the Alchemy Bar for the evening, or get some Scotch at the steakhouse bar. I hit the limit most days but port days are hard. 

The package also includes sodas, coffees lattes etc, energy drinks, shakes and water none of which counts to your limit

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23 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

Some people are going to like lazing around on a vessel at sea, probably those that enjoy lying on a beach with a book or that just enjoy ships and the sensation of being afloat (me).  Those that prefer more active vacations will not enjoy them.  Those that suffer from motion sickness (a lot of the motion has been taken out by stabilizers, but not all) will not.

I have always thought a voyage in a passenger cabin on a working freighter would be very cool, but that's just me.

Being on a boat for an extended period is awesome, being on a floating Walmart sounds like my worst nightmare. I’m in the camp of never tried it and not planning on it. Our kids bring up Disney cruises on occasion and we just move the conversation along.

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9 hours ago, Viper said:

It's not too hard if you start the day with a mimosa or spiked coffee, 2 drinks by the pool, something with lunch, another 3 or so in the afternoon, wine or specialty drink at dinner, them hot the Alchemy Bar for the evening, or get some Scotch at the steakhouse bar. I hit the limit most days but port days are hard. 

The package also includes sodas, coffees lattes etc, energy drinks, shakes and water none of which counts to your limit

If you can't hit 15 on a port day, you're doing it wrong. 

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On 3/6/2019 at 8:53 AM, TwiceHorn said:

Some people are going to like lazing around on a vessel at sea, probably those that enjoy lying on a beach with a book or that just enjoy ships and the sensation of being afloat (me).  Those that prefer more active vacations will not enjoy them.  Those that suffer from motion sickness (a lot of the motion has been taken out by stabilizers, but not all) will not.

I have always thought a voyage in a passenger cabin on a working freighter would be very cool, but that's just me.

When Michael Palin did his Around the World in 80 days journey it looked pretty boring (11 days!) compared to taking a dhow from Dubai to Mumbai.

Edited by SimonBolivar
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