Only me Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Neither my dh or I have ever been on a cruise but we are entertaining the idea of taking the kids on one next summer to celebrate our 20th anniversary and my dd's graduation from high school. I really don't know where to begin. I'm thinking a 5 night cruise rather than a 7 or 10 day one. Has anyone ever been on one that they can recommend? What is included in the price of the cruise? We would get airfare separately because my dh would probably have enough air miles to get at least a few free tickets. Would the price include all food. What types of things should I look for. Any suggestions? I don't know where to begin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K&Rs Mom Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 We recently did this with my mom's family - there were 18 of us, ranging from age 2 to 58, and it was great. We went on a 7-night Caribbean cruise with Royal Caribbean for less than $100 per night per person. That includes all the food & water/milk/lemonade, but soft drinks or alcoholic drinks are extra, and there are "special" restaurants that cost extra, but the food at the regular ones was really good. Any onshore activities cost extra, but on the ship they had ice skating, rock climbing, mini-golf, lots of shows & games, and a kids' activity program all included. You'll spend a lot more in tips, too - for 4 of us it was about $300 just for the tips (that's for the whole week). My dc LOVED the kids' program - RC's goes from ages 3-17, but other lines vary. There's a good message board called cruisecritic.com with LOTS of info. My sister booked the trip for everyone through Vacations To Go, which is an internet company (don't know if they have actual offices), and it mostly went pretty smoothly but she thought we were going to get more in an onboard credit than actually happened. This was our first cruise too, and we definitely recommend it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ria Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 We've been on Royal Caribbean and Holland America. The HA cruise was the one we took our 6 kids on (at the time they were ages 6-14). It was fabulous. I'd go for one of the "better" cruise lines (ie, avoid Carnival and Disney). All your meals will be included, but you will have to tip for many things (it's added on at the end...the cruise line website should tell about this). Our cruise with our kids was a 7-day. I wouldn't go shorter than a 5-day...there's just so much to do! Have fun! We can't wait to go again someday. Ria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoggirl Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 We took a family cruise on Royal Carribbean (sp?) when ds was probably 8 years old. It was SUPER! He loved the kids' programs. BUT, as I looked around I remember thinking to myself, "I will NEVER do this when he is a teen." I saw many young people pairing off. Just didn't like it. I think if you were not of the pairing off persuasion and were a teen you might be left out. Plus, there is the temptation to pair off! Just playing devil's advocate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halftime Hope Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 (edited) We've gone twice, once with extended family, and once with just our 5 bodies. 1) Holland America, Alaska inside passge cruise, early May. HA tends to cater more to senior citizens, and since our kids were well-behaved, the experience was marvelous! They were the darlings on the boat, since there were only twenty or so children on that cruise. Alaska was *beautiful* but YMMV at that time of year. 2) Ten years later, 7 day NCL around the Hawaiian islands, third week of January. Definitely a younger crowd, more casual dining. Same as the other poster described about drinks and some "paid" dining. What a wonderful way to see Hawaii! We had chosen a family suite with a partially blocked view, but when a nicer suite did not sell, they offered us a great upgrade for about 25% of the cost. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience!! Due to the time of year we picked, to the fact that my teens were instructed to stay together, and to the plans we made off the boat, there was very little down time for my kids to "pair off" or get in any kind of trouble. They generally came back to the boat to eat and collapse. :) ETA -- we purchased our own airfares and many excursions separately from the cruise company, at lower cost. hth Edited April 14, 2009 by Valerie(TX) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Neither my dh or I have ever been on a cruise but we are entertaining the idea of taking the kids on one next summer to celebrate our 20th anniversary and my dd's graduation from high school. I really don't know where to begin. I'm thinking a 5 night cruise rather than a 7 or 10 day one. Has anyone ever been on one that they can recommend? What is included in the price of the cruise? We would get airfare separately because my dh would probably have enough air miles to get at least a few free tickets. Would the price include all food. What types of things should I look for. Any suggestions? I don't know where to begin. We did a Hawaiian islands cruise with my inlaws. We had a nice time. This cruise doesn't have much at sea time (I actually would have enjoyed a little more). However, we were living on Oahu at the time, so we weren't trying to also fit in any attractions there on either end of the cruise. We did most of our meals in one dining room, which we enjoyed more than the buffet line. Sodas were extra and were very expensive, so we skipped them (actually we bought some ashore and brought them back). My inlaws are big cruisers. They aren't huge fans of Carnival or Royal Caribean, partly because they are wanting a very nice experience for their money. They prefer Holland American. DH and I enjoyed the Hawaii cruise but agreed that it could have been a little bit better. FWIW, there is a huge mark up on the shore excursions. (I think the whale watching cruise we did was about twice what it cost us to book it directly with the Pacific Whale Foundation). We arranged all of ours separately, renting cars in each port that we needed. This gave us a lot more freedom with regard to timing and saved us money. For example, in Maui, just paying for the cruise shuttle bus to the whale watching would have cost us most of the car rental for the day for our group of seven. If you plan this, you may want to reserve rental cars ahead of time. There was at least one port where there weren't enough cars for all the families that wanted them. [The one big advantage to a cruise arranged shore excursion is that the ship will wait for you if the trip is late getting back to the port. They may not wait for you if you are on your own and get back late. So it is worth considering for something that is a ways away from the ship.] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 We've been on Royal Caribbean and Holland America. The HA cruise was the one we took our 6 kids on (at the time they were ages 6-14). It was fabulous. I'd go for one of the "better" cruise lines (ie, avoid Carnival and Disney). All your meals will be included, but you will have to tip for many things (it's added on at the end...the cruise line website should tell about this). Our cruise with our kids was a 7-day. I wouldn't go shorter than a 5-day...there's just so much to do! Have fun! We can't wait to go again someday. Ria Ria - I love ya' but, I gotta' say that a Disney cruise IS one of the better cruise lines!!! Really! Read the reviews!! We just went on one in January and rebooked for another. There was a TON of stuff to do for everyone in the family. Dh and I went on Royal Caribbean for our honeymoon and had a great time too! Anyway, to the OP - GO!!! You will LOVE it! There is something for everyone! Your price that you are quoted could be all you pay for the cruise. You have to ask what your specific line covers. On Disney, we had free soda, free meals, free room service, etc, etc. We paid for alcohol (on Disney they allow you to bring your own on board, but I still wanted the drink of the day occasionally!), pictures, and shore excursions. How old are your kids? One piece of advice - fly in the night before your cruise and stay the night at a local hotel. Many have a free shuttle to the port. If you don't book with the cruise line and there is a delay in your flight, they will not hold the boat for you! For piece of mind, go the night before! My sister booked her own and made their honeymoon cruise by MINUTES!!! Not a good way to start your vacation!! Have fun and enjoy your vacation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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