What is your second choice cruise line for families with kids?

[starvenger]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I am honestly nervous about trying another line since I worry it will feel like a significant step down in service and classiness. Most of the nicer, newer ships I have looked into aren't tons less than DCL and I am afraid one of the older, smaller ships on the other lines that seem to offer a significant price savings won't live up to our hopes. Thanks for your ideas... I will look into those!

Some trips are considered “booze cruises” - Carnival of course has that rep (fair or unfair) for their 3-4 night trips. I’m sure a quick perusal of the CC boards would clear that up.

New ships on other lines can start creeping to that DCL level for sure. It can really depend on when you’re sailing and the demand at that time. For me, we typically sail last week of August and last year a DCL cruise would have been nearly double what we paid for on Allure - something to the effect of 4 vs 8 CDN. During other times the gap might end up being closer.

I guess what I’m saying is that your decision should be based on as much information as you can get your hands on.

 

[starvenger]

DH says at some point we are going to stop taking grandchildren and go back to grown-up vacations . That said, I'll be looking into all these options. Pre-grandchildren we did a cruise on NCL Escape and MSC Divina. I did not feel either of these ships had anything significant for kids - I guess that's why we're back to DCL. I feel like next cruise with kids will be either Carnival or Royal.

You sound like you’re at the point my parents are at. They do a lot of MSC/Crystal/Viking cruises by themselves, but always try for a 3 generation trip every year.

 

[lucyddr]

We've cruised Disney, RC, and Carnival. Funny enough, we prefer Carnival. We only do 7 day cruises with them (shorter is definitely a different crowd) and avoid Spring Break/summer peak times. The vibe on Carnival is different, but part of why we left Disney years ago is that there's this attitude that every other line is somehow "below" them. Disney hasn't changed their dining menus since we sailed in 2005 (minimal differences only). They keep the same general ports. And they don't offer as much entertainment for adults, especially since our favorite night time activities for Carnival are the Comedy Club and Movies Under the Stars.

Yes, there is more drinking on Carnival. We aren't drinkers, so it doesn't bother us. We might spend $100 in the casino, but it isn't something we need to have for a cruise....we would be perfectly content without it. We also find the variety of people to be pretty fun, especially if you enjoy people-watching!

Carnival offers MANY more itinerary options! Half Moon Cay is a beautiful island, Princess Cay is a private island that is wonderful for both Princess and Carnival passengers, and Grand Turk is just a great beach day with a huge pool right at the port at Margaritaville.

We have only cruised Carnival since having our children. We love their Dr. Seuss programs and Water Works play areas. Our children love the Camp, so clearly they do something right! We are coming back to DCL this fall. I'm curious to see how we will feel after some years away, though anticipate that we will have a great time...and go back to Carnival!

 

[lucyddr]

I will add that we will likely move towards Royal more as our children get old enough for Flow Riders, waterslides designed for older kids, and rock walls! For now though, our twins are too young! Plus, I have a lot of reservations about RC because of the need to reserve everything in advance....that isn't our cruising style!

 

[cadien]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I am honestly nervous about trying another line since I worry it will feel like a significant step down in service and classiness. Most of the nicer, newer ships I have looked into aren't tons less than DCL and I am afraid one of the older, smaller ships on the other lines that seem to offer a significant price savings won't live up to our hopes. Thanks for your ideas... I will look into those!

My husband and I didn't care for the decor/atmosphere of NCL as much as Disney (and I don't mean the Disney theming because we don't care; more the old fashioned vs Vegas flashy), but I really felt the cleanliness and service were the same. Our son loved both equally.

 

[darwinsrule]

Only way to figure out what works is to keep on trying things till you find something you like.

There is probably little separating most of the newer ships that are out there, but the difference between the new ships and the older is quite large. PP used the term Vegas flashy, honestly the Carnival Legend was more like a 1970's Vegas casino vommited all over the ship. And this is coming from someone who loves Vegas. The Wonder is 2 years older, but the decor on the Carnival ships (until the newest ones) makes them look ancient by comparison.